Gabrielle (Kamahele) Rhind

It's warm in Tucson - sort of. It was about 70 degrees yesterday for a high and I was wearing my usual coat and gloves! (A little Tucson humor!) It's also a time when folks here shift their mood from cold, cool foods to warm cocoa or afternoon coffee!

Yesterday, my daughter and her friend talked me into a day-long playdate. After much fun eating fried chicken in the back of an old 65 Ford truck, playing at the park for hours, bike riding, picking through what was left of Halloween candy and several "We're hungry - AGAIN" giggles - my daughter's 7-year old friend says, "Let's get some Frost!"

"What is that? How about ice cream?!", I say. To which she replied, "This ain't no Dairy Queen - you need to try it!" OK. So we went to try "Frost Gelato" on Tanque Verde Road here in Tucson! It's a relatively new shoppe on Tucson's east side and though I have driven by it - I've never thought to stop and see what it was all about!

Gelato, I read on their pamphlet, means frozen in Italian. The shoppe treats are modeled after Italian gelateria's. Gelato is often compared to ice cream because it is a frozen, creamy product, but there are actually many differences. I quickly discovered my two favorite differences: #1) All the flavors! More than I can name! Anyone for Tiramisu? Or Strawberry Champagne? Or White Chocolate Macadamia nut? Then there is the ever so decadent Chocolate-Chocolate -- just plain bliss. #2) The low fat content compared to regular ice cream. So you can eat more and enjoy! Music to my ears!

The shop itself was beautiful, inviting and the gelato display was incredible - I thought I walked into a wedding reception by accident! The only downside was trying to decide which flavor to choose! After sampling about 10 of them - the lovely person behind the counter said, "Why don't you just get our sampler tray?" Oh??!! 13 small cones, filled with 13 different flavors of my choice? SOLD!

My girls opted for the gigantic waffle cone filled with their own three choices -- and I must say, the portions were more than generous. I figured their eyes were bigger than their stomachs and worst case, I got to eat the leftovers -so why argue with them this late in the day?!

Long story short - the girls finished off their cones, and I finished off my 13 choices - and left the store very satisfied and wanting more! My vote - cold or hot weather - if you are in town, or have a Frost in your neighborhood, I say TRY IT! Because, "It ain't no Dairy Queen!"

Copyright Gabrielle (Kamahele) Rhind, protected by COPYSCAPE 2008. If you want to reprint parts of this - just email me for my permission rhindohana@msn.com . Buying or selling Tucson Real Estate? Click info@gabriellerhind.com and let me know how I can help you!

I see a variety of ways Tucson is affected by the economy.  Though a serious issue on everyone's mind, I'll lighten it up with my perspective on how the economy is changing the face of Tucson's most talked about guests: SNOWBIRDS!  Tucson attracts a significant amount of snowbirds (defined by Webster's online dictionery as: one who travels to warm climates for the winter.)  I have two ways of knowing that snowbirds are back:

#1) A highly traveled road with a speed limit of 45 is held back by a couple "out of state plate" cars driving about 20 mph.   During rush hour. 

#2) I am usually wearing a parka and gloves while the driver in front of me (refer to #1) is wearing a tank top.

It's OK with me because snowbirds do a lot for the city of Tucson.  Lately, I've come across more people that have to leave during summer months! These are true Tucson residents I light-heartily refer to as "heatbirds". My heatbird friends need to leave in the summer for work and come back in the winter as, yep, snowbirds.  This migration could turn Tucson into a snowbird city!  Here are the changes I see among some friends:

"Working For A Living" Friend:  She'll go to Oregon next summer for work and live at her parents home because she can't afford to cool her Tucson home during the hot months anymore. I thought, "WOW!  You'll be the youngest "snowbird" I know!"

"Happy Wife-Happy Life" Friend:  Her husband works very hard to keep her life happy! Her license plate (she's from up north) reads "To Sun" (get it??!).  She recently bought a small summer home in Colorado to get away from the heat. We joked about her new summer license plate: "Left To Sun" 

"Maintaining The Lifestyle Despite the Economy" Friend:  This summer, my husband turned 50 and scheduled one those "I turned 50 and really don't want that 'I am getting older' doctor-ordered test".  We got him set up with my friend's "husband/doctor". His office called to see if we could come sooner because they've had many cancellations.  When I asked why, the somber voice said, "seems that no one can afford the co-pays these days - patient visits are declining."  So, I asked my friend what they are going to do - she replied: "We'll close for part of the summer in Tucson and work for another practice (in another state) the rest of the year."

"Can't Afford To Go Anywhere in the Summer" Friend:  I fit this category too and our goal is to "hold down the Tucson dust" in the summer so the snowbirds have a well-cared for place to come back to!

"Full-Time Snowbird" Friend:  She lives and works on Mt. Lemmon, AZ - a short 24 mile drive down to Tucson.  Mt. Lemmon businesses prosper in the summer, but in the winter, with fewer visitors - things tend to close down. So, she comes to Tucson to get out of the cold and work.  Wonder where she'll "snowbird" if she can't "snowbird" here?  She says:

"Don't Go There - I can feel the heat already!"

October 31, 2008 - In the last 24 hours this graph shows what has happened with home listings and sales! Here is the summary:

New Listings - 144

Price Drops - 147

Back On Market - 16

Listings That Expired - 81

Inactive Listings (Seller release) - 41

SOLD in the Last 24 HOURS - 51

I took my daughter and her best friend up to Mt. Lemmon, Arizona for break from the Tucson heat!  The girls found a beautiful apple tree and decided to pick apples - they spent an entire day picking the perfect apples and then decided to sell them.  

Knowing how important marketing is - I encouraged the girls to put together a plan for selling the apples. So they spent the entire night getting ready for the big sale!  The girls created a sign, polished the apples, organized them by size and put together a make-shift table.  They practiced answering questions such as, "How much for the apples?" and "Where did the apples come from?".  But most important, they had to establish "price". Since the apples were free, they considered their "sweat equity" (time spent picking apples) and effort "fixing up" the apples, eventually coming up with a fair market value!

  First Customers!

The next morning, the neighbor kids wanted to sell some apples too and with the small market for potential "apple buyers" - my daughter asked the girls to sell their apples on another street!  And off they all went.  "My" girls spent some time setting up their stand and finally, when it was perfect - they put up their well crafted sign that read:  "FOR SALE" - Hand Picked Apples! With happy face apples colored all around.

 Negotiating!

A little while later, the neighbor kids came down and started selling apples on the next street.  I spent the next few hours watching them all "work"!

At the end of the day, my daughter and her friend made $132.00. 

I was very pleased for the girls and it occurred to me that I am just as pleased when I produce positive results for Sellers. 

Like my girls did with their apples, I take time to help Sellers prepare a home for listing, to develop a marketing plan, and most importantly,  to help determine a price.

With the neighbor kids, they did not have a plan, they spent a short time picking apples, came up with prices as they went along, did not have a presentation for the apples and did not take out the "bad apples".  They made $14.00.

PS - If you would like more information about homes for sale on Mt. Lemmon, let me know!

.... some of the hair-raising Halloween frights going on around town:

Tucson Screamers: "The Nightmare" • Address: Breakers Water Park, 8555 W. Tangerine Road, Marana. • Hours: Open 7-10 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays through Nov. 1. Open until midnight on Oct. 24-25, 31 and Nov. 1. • Cost: $12 to access one haunted house, $21 for two haunted houses and $24 for all three. • Kid-friendliness: Under age 10 not permitted without an adult. Rooms feature mature content, like bodies hanging from nooses and people being operated on with power tools. • For more info, go to www.tucsonscreamers.com

Valley of the Moon: "The Haunted Ruins" • Address: 2544 E. Allen Road. • Hours: 6:30-9 p.m. today-Saturday, Oct. 23-25, and Oct 28-30. • Cost: Adults $7; children 7-13 $5; age 6 and under free. • Kid-friendliness: Safe for all but the littlest tykes. cliffs, caves, pools and garden miniatures. "Valley of the Zombies" is acted by high school and middle school students.

Buckelew Farm Haunted Cornfield • Address: 17000 W. Ajo Way. • Hours: 6:30 p.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays through Halloween. • Cost: $18 for admission to both the Haunted Cornfield and the Corn Maze. • Kid-friendliness: No children under 12 unless they are accompanied by an adult. There are lots of loud noises and creepy characters. Remember, unlike other haunted houses, this has no side exit. So make sure your little ones can handle it before you take them in. • For more information, go to www.buckelewfarm.com.

Old Tucson Studios Nightfall • Address: 201 S. Kinney Road. • Hours: 6-10 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; 6 p.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays through Halloween. • Cost: $24 for adults; $20 for children 4-11; free for children under 4. Discount coupons at participating Food City and Home Depot stores. • Kid-friendliness: Some aspects of Nightfall are PG-13 rated. • For more information go to www.nightfallaz.com

Colossal Cave Halloween Howl • Address: 16721 E. Old Spanish Trail, Vail. • Hours: Candlelight Cave Tours and Haunted Hayrides 6-8:45 p.m.; Halloween Carnival 5-9 p.m. Oct. 23-26. • Cost: $7 for the cave tour and $7 for the hayride. Age 3 and under get in free. • For more information, call 647-7275 or go to www.colossalcave.com.

Tucson Ghost Tours • When: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday year-round. On busy nights an additional tour will be added. Reservations required: Call 1-520-432-3308. • Cost: $13 for adults and $9 for children 12 and under. • For more information, go to www.tucsonghosttour.com <script type="text/javascript" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~s/talkStoryWithGabrielleThebuyMyTucsonHomeRealtor?i=http%3A%2F%2Fbuymytucsonhome.typepad.com%2Fmy_weblog%2F2008%2F10%2Fif-you-think-watching-the-real-estate-market-falling-is-scary-this-is-scarier-halloween-in-tucson-here-are-some-hair-r.html"></script>