What in the world are “Mortgage-Backed Securities?”  How do they apply to the home loan process & mortgage rates?  Before fall of 2008, had anyone other than Wall Street traders even heard of Mortgage Backed Securities?  If there hadn’t been a crash in the real estate market, would you even care?  Tom’s really good at explaining away the mystery behind what they...

Outdoor recreation and Tucson are great partners – one of the benefits of 300+ days of sunshine & mild winters.  Tom Heath and I visited the Rillito River Park which…follows the Rillito River (really!?!) for miles along the base of the Catalina Foothills through Tucson. Tucson is widely known for its great outdoor recreational opportunities, having won numerous awards from...

Leslie Hollander leads a group in the Tucson area named “Stock The Kitchen.” Their focus is healthy living – educating and supporting their members in how to live a healthier life through eating properly and taking care to choose their foods wisely. Many aspects of their program emulate the teachings of the world-famous Dr. Andrew Weil (a Tucson resident himself). Stock The...

Is it the right time to buy a home in Tucson?  What are market conditions like compared to how it was 5 years ago? We take a look at these questions by using the character, Rip Van Winkle, to compare the scenario – including both price of home and interest rates on mortgages. The truth is - since prices have dropped so low, AND interest rates are at historic lows, this might be one of the...

One of the missions of THE Tucson Real Estate Show is to highlight local businesses.  What better place than one of the local farmer’s markets?  In this episode, we visit the popular St. Phillips Plaza Farmers Market. Here we found Ron Rose, founder of the Wilde Rose Coffee Company.  He is a great conversationalist, but his coffee is fantastic!  I’m a real fan of big, bold, dark...