Sabino Mountain Community Pool and Spa Closed for Winter

I continue to get comments about the pool and spa being closed five to six months a year at Sabino Mt. Some have mentioned that we pay $110 per month for an HOA fee and yet our pool and spa are closed for about half a year. There will be an annual meeting on Jan 25th at 7 PM (I think it is at Fructhendler Elementary on Cloud), which is a good time for you to voice your concerns. Obviously the Board thinks it is prudent to close the pool and spa to save money. Study the Sabino Mountain budget to see if you agree.

List Prices at Sabino Mountain in December 2009

I have to be honest and tell you that most Sabino Mountain homes are over-priced and will not sell in the current market. Those homes that are for sale that have serious Sellers need to talk to their listing agents about the likelihood of their homes selling in 2010. It is time to either rent them or wait a few years until the market picks up to put their houses back on the market. Fortunately there are a few for sale that are priced right–one on Boulder Canyon (the exquisite contemporary listed for just under 1 million); my listing on 4128 N Sunset Cliff Place for 459K and a few others that are on the cusp of a fair listing price. Sabino Mountain is a great place to live and I will be the first to say I love it here and it is heaven on Earth, but most buyers are not going to pay a premium to live here versus other coveted, gated Tucson – Catalina Foothills neighborhoods.

Then and Now Prices at Sabino Mountain

I thought it might be interesting to compare list prices of some active listings at Sabino Mountain with the price that the Sellers originally paid for them:

4473 N Little Rock $215,000 2001 Now listed at $309,900
4318 N Ocotillo Canyon $276,167 2001 Now listed at $429,900
4221 N Sunset Cliff Dr. $343,000 2005 Now listed at $429,900
4129 N Ocotillo Canyon $370,000 2003 Now listed at $439,000
4399 N Ocotillo Canyon $358,700 2002 Now listed at $449,000
4128 N Sunset Cliff Pl. $318,250 2001 Now listed at $459,000 * Added heated, custom pool after sale
4035 N Boulder Canyon $554,100 2006 Now listed at range price of $775,000 – $799,000
4081 N Quail Canyon $875,000 2005 Now listed at $1,195,000
7605 E Crested Sag. $1,030,540 2004 Now listed at $1,695,000 *Added heated, custom pool after sale

Notes: Not all houses listed for sale are included, because some of the custom homes do not include the final sales cost of the original purchase in the public records.

*In the cases where the two owners added a custom pool they each spent over 100K in exterior pool and landscaping, and this was not part of their original purchase price.

It should be noted that 4128 N Sunset Cliff Place is listed for sale by me.

Another Sabino Mountain Home Goes Under Contract

As I expected, 4259 N Ocotillo Canyon Drive–list price $379,900 went under contract yesterday. It was priced right and as a result did not take long to find a buyer.

This 2,236 square foot, one-story Pepper Viner home had such upgrades as a fireplace. All the homes in Sabino Mountain back to the beautiful Sonoran Desert with vast open space, making our community so special.

Looking Back at our Move to Sabino Mountain

Exactly six years ago today, my husband and daughter and I moved to Tucson from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan suburb of Columbia, Maryland. We had picked Tucson for its climate and beauty. I have never gone back once to visit, even though I lived there for 25 years. It was such a fantastic decision to leave the harsh and dreary winters and congestion of the suburbs of Washington, DC. It has been a great place to raise our daughter. Yesterday she was outside with her girlfriends, sitting on the sidewalk and chatting for hours, while in D.C. they had two feet of snow. A comparable home in MD. to the one we have at Sabino Mountain would cost almost twice as much and the taxes, groceries and utilitiy bills would be more. My husband’s commute to the Pentagon would normally take 50 minutes in the AM, but at night it would take 1-3 hours. Now he is home from Raytheon in one-half hour. It was a big decision to move here, but we are so happy we did. We love Sabino Mountain and I look forward to many years to come in this beautiful neighborhood.

January is Sabino Mountain’s Annual Meeting

No date has been circulated for the Annual Meeting of the Sabino Mountain Home Owners Association, but it is typically on a Tuesday night near the end of January, and is held at Fruchthendler Elementary School on Cloud Rd around 6:30PM.

If you have any concerns, think about them now and be ready to address them at this meeting. Some owners have mentioned to me that they did not like that the pool/spa was closed this year from October through the end of April. This would be the time to voice your opinion.

Sabino Mountain Homes for Sale

Homes for Sale with a Pool:
*4128 N Sunset Cliff Place 2,965 sq ft $459,000
*4155 N Boulder Canyon Place 3,630 sq ft $985,000
4041 N Quail Canyon Drive 3,750 sq ft $1,194,000
4081 N Quail Canyon Drive 3,676 sq ft $1,195,000
7605 E Crested Saguaro Place 5,435 sq ft $1,695,000

Without Pools:
4473 N Little Rock Drive 1,583 sq ft $319,900
*4259 N Ocotillo Canyon Drive 2,236 sq ft $379,900
4318 N Ocotillo Canyon Drive 2,379 sq ft $429,900
4221 N Sunset Cliff Drive 2,904 sq ft $439,000
4399 N Ocotillo Canyon Drive 2,600 sq ft $449,000
4035 N Boulder Canyon Place 3,324 sq ft $775,000

*Most competitively priced homes for sale

Amazing Esperero Canyon Middle School- Tucson Catalina Foothills- is Awesome

Last year my daughter went to St Gregorys College Prep Middle School. What I found was a mediocre education. So I took her out and put her in Esperero expecting a comparable school. What I found was a much better school, much to my surprise! At the beginning of the school year my hubby said, “You probably will not be satisfied, you are very particular.” You know what I am is so pleased. Academically it is superior to St Greg’s; the teachers are more attentive and she has the same classes every day that include Spanish and Phys Ed. Monday and Wednesday she meets with her Math teacher for extra help if necessary and even though she gets out at 2:30PM, she can go to the libary until 3:30PM to do her homework and be picked up later. She is getting a much better education and more benies from the school that is 2 miles away from our home with a gorgeous view of the Catalina Mountains. I hit myself on the back for paying approximately 20K last year (including lunches, books, sports uniforms, etc) for an inferior education. Will St Greg’s middle school last when anyone can open enroll their kids from Dec 1 – Feb 28th for the next coming year at the Catalina Foothills -District 16 schools–I think not. How lucky our family is to have realized we were putting money down the toilet.