TUCSON – Real estate is booming in Southern Arizona if you are the seller. The demand is high and the supply is low.
More and more people are moving here from all over the country, but especially from California.
If you recently bought a house in the Tucson-Metro, consider yourself lucky. Competition is fierce and it is not just between the locals.
“But I know there is a lot of influx of people that are coming here from California,” said Tucson Association of Realtors President Diane Marzonie.
Folks like John Bartlett and his family just moved to Oro Valley from San Bernardino, Calif.
“My wife sold her dad’s house when he passed away,” said Bartlett. “It was left to her and her sister.”
Bartlett told News 4 Tucson, it is a lot cheaper to live in Arizona.
“That house we sold, sold for $380,000 and it is a 2-bedroom, 1,500 square feet,” Bartlett said. “And we just bought a house (in Oro Valley) for $249,000 that is 2,500 square feet.”
News 4 Tucson asked local Realtor and Tucson Association of Realtors President Diane Marzonie why is Arizona such a hotspot?
“They want to avoid the taxes and I think natural disasters,” Marzonie said. “They also love the weather here, who would not?”
Marzonie said those are just a few reasons why people are making the move from California to Arizona.
“When we were originally looking into moving out here, the schools were a major thing we looked at,” said Bartlett.
“The folks who want to come here and pay cash, but then you have 10 offers on the same house,” Marzonie said. “Then people are competing with each other and trying to make their offer better than the next guy.”
But the Bartlett family lucked out with their house and plan on staying for a long time. They have some advice for Cali folks who are thinking about making the desert their new home.
“If they are just done with the whole lifestyle that California has, then they should (move here), honestly,” he said.
If you are interested in buying or selling your Southern Arizona home, contact a local realtor.