“You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone,” sure describes this year with all the profound changes due to the pandemic. Joni Mitchell is a class act.
What impressed me most was her playing for the troops during the Viet Nam war. While thousands were protesting the war and demeaning returning soldiers, she remained steadfast in support of the ordinary men and women who served.
The already scalding-hot housing market is likely to heat up even more.
Mortgage interest rates continued their downward descent, hitting yet another record—largely thanks to the pandemic, and the resulting economic downturn, dragging on. Rates fell to just 2.88% for 30-year, fixed-rate loans in the week ending Aug. 6, according to Freddie Mac.
That’s the lowest rates have ever been since Freddie Mac began tracking them in 1971. They fell from 2.99% last week and are down from a higher 3.6% at the same time last year. “The mortgage rates are really fueling the [housing] market this summer,” says George Ratiu, realtor.com®’s senior economist.
Source: Mortgage Rates Fall to New Record Low ,Adding Fuel to Housing Market | realtor.com®
Saw my familiar Western Diamondback neighbor who I’ve named “Buddy” yesterday. Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of snakes, this one is fairly non-aggressive, and we’re lucky to see him once or twice a year. He’ll often leave tracks that criss-cross the ranch between the house and the garden area. Yesterday, he was stealthily hidden at the bottom of our palm tree in front.
I know, I know, leaving a potentially deadly snake to roam nearby is probably foolish. I’ve dispatched more than a few, and relocated a couple, but I’ve read that they don’t do well if moved more than a few miles, or otherwise will just return to their territory. Certainly, the highly aggressive (and particularly lethal) Mohave Green rattlesnakes are not good to have around at all.
In defense of Buddy, he does eat pack rats, mice, and ground squirrels that we help propagate by giving water to all of the above and much more. This morning at our little water spot we saw three Golden Eagles (a pair with their young eaglet,) and maybe Buddy in some small way helps to keep the balance that we’ve upset by creating an oasis where none existed before.
If the time comes, we have several guys here at Stagecoach Trails that are expert at preserving snakeskin, so Buddy will live on in posterity.
After a little while, he moved off over to a Juniper further from the house and left us a nice little trail to see, so we knew that he had gone. It’s more of an event to encounter him, but as I always say, “Watch where you put your hands and your feet.”
It could be LA, San Francisco, or maybe the riotously fun time cities of Seattle, Minneapolis, & Portland, but suddenly everyone loves sunny Yucca, Arizona.
It’s 111 degrees Fahrenheit (872 C) yet I have multiple appointments for the next few days. The phone calls and emails are steady every single day. Is it the beginning of another Yucca land boom? I wouldn’t have believed it possible, but now it wouldn’t surprise me either.
What a long, strange year…
(Meme via wilderwealthywise) One of the best…
Growing food in the high desert can be an incredible challenge, but I am living proof that you can be successful at it! If you follow a few simple methods to help combat the hot, dry, and windy conditions that are the norm in the southwest, you can be almost guaranteed a bountiful harvest.
Six Tips for Successful Desert Gardening
1. Find the Right Seeds – Seeds that have been grown in and adapted to the high desert are going to be your best bet in the garden. There are countless heirloom varieties that have been protected by the companies that make it their life’s work to preserve the history of our fruits and vegetables. Find them at your local nursery, Farmer’s Market or order them online via NativeSeeds.org, Baker Creek Heirlooms or Seed Saver’s Exchange.
Source: 6 Tips for Desert Gardening
We’re still learning after all these years. It’s not easy to grow in the desert, but with a long season & a few protections against the cold nights of winter, one can harvest literally year round. The critters are the biggest problem once you’ve improved the soil.
Dig in by clicking on the link. – Ben
A somewhat obscure band, Audience. “House on the Hill” is probably their best known work. Continue reading Sunday Jam
Sales of new U.S. homes jumped nearly 14% in June, the Census Bureau reported Friday, as the number of purchases hit a 13-year high.
The report shows that 776,000 homes were sold last month. That level of purchases has not been seen since July 2007, when 778,000 homes were sold.
June sales are also up nearly 7% from July 2019. Sales in the Northeast experienced an 89% increase from the prior month, while in the South, where many states are suffering spikes in coronavirus cases, sales were up only 7%.
The census report beat expectations as economists expected sales in June to increase 4% with only 700,000 units sold. Sales in May were revised up, from 676,000 units sold to 680,000.
The median sales price in June for a new house was $329,000, which is up from the annual median price in 2019 of $321,500.
The housing market came roaring back in June, as low mortgage rates and increased economic activity helped push sales of previously owned homes up 20.7% from the prior month.
Demand was strong from apartment renters seeking more space, young families moving to the suburbs and wealthy city dwellers looking for second homes, brokers and economists say. At the same time, the supply of houses for sale remained low, as the pandemic has made potential sellers cautious about letting people tour their homes.
Existing-home sales rose in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.72 million, the biggest monthly increase in records going back to 1968, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. The June sales marked a 11.3% decrease from a year earlier.
The median existing-home price rose 3.5% from a year earlier to $295,300, NAR said. There were 1.57 million homes for sale at the end of June, up 1.3% from May and down 18.2% from June 2019. At the current sales pace, there was a 4.0-month supply of homes on the market at the end of June.
Existing-home sales rose the most month-over-month in the West, at 31.9%, and in the South, at 26%, according to the NAR data.
Source: U.S. Existing-Home Sales Rose 20.7% in June
Meanwhile, we’re a part of those strong sales numbers here in Mohave County. Every day brings more sales, and we truly haven’t seen this much activity since the heady days of 2005-2007.
Land sales are greatly improved, and there finally is some upward pressure on land prices here in the Yucca area, but still too many properties that were purchased as tax liens, or inherited & where the owner doesn’t care about price, and just wants a fast sale.
What’s most encouraging to me is the interest from agents outside of the area, who have been mostly missing for years. The bad news is that many from outside of the area list out here with only a picture of a map and sketchy, missing, or incorrect data. It hurts the market as sellers become desperate over time, and are more inclined to accept fire sale prices. It seems unfair that poor service that hurts our market and sellers can be allowed, but such is the market today.
If you dream of hitting the open road with a house on wheels, you may be thinking about buying an RV, or recreational vehicle. It’s an especially alluring idea these days.
According to the RV Industry Association, between 9 million and 10 million people in the United States own RVs—1 million live in them full time. And the demand for RVs has substantially increased in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Not only are we hearing from RV dealers across the country that their sales are up compared to last spring, but new research shows that 1 in 4 Americans intends to take some kind of RV-related action in the next 12 months—such as taking an RV trip, buying or renting an RV, even visiting an RV dealership,” says Craig Kirby, president of RVIA.
Part of the draw of RVs is that they allow people to vacation with their families without risking exposure to COVID-19 by boarding a plane or entering a hotel.
Source: Want an RV as a Home This Summer? The Benefits and Costs of Recreational Vehicles, Revealed
We are seeing more and more folks that want to have a desert getaway in case things get dicey again. There really is a rush to Mohave County, and to places away from the big cities. Anecdotally, around the country we are hearing of homes that had languished before being out and away from town, but suddenly there were three offers.
It bodes well for sales, and we welcome the new “refugees;” welcome to our world. Please be careful out there, the desert is unforgiving.
We’ve dreamed of having an RV for years, and almost came close to pulling the trigger in 2005, but happily waited.
I think of RVs as a hot potato, that is, you buy it when you need it, and sell it if for any reason you’re not going to use it. The depreciation curve is steep, and waiting a year can make a difference.
On the other hand, it seems that after 20 years, the value has plunged enough so that if one is diligent, one can encounter some real low mileage gems for under $10,000. What’s not to love?
Leaving your RV out on the dirt in the desert is not advised for long term without at least occasional inspections to prevent pack rats, mice, and other varmints form moving in to your lovely “homestead.” Get to know your neighbors, and with any luck they can stop in every once in a while and keep an eye. Often, just a well worn driveway will discourage thieves.
and don’t forget the septic… Ben
