December is now here, and we're getting ready to celebrate. As in the past, it's time to reflect on the year.  Most of the year, we were all in quarantine. But, we made the best of it.  Looking back, we enjoyed many happy times with family while being sequestered within the confines of our own home.

Despite the Pandemic and unrest in the world, 2020 is ending with a vaccine on the horizon and a new President for 2021.

We celebrate the birth of Christ as well as our own Wedding Anniversary.  As is our tradition, we'll be dining out and enjoying our holidays. Click on the link for some memories of last year.

Da Kids will be off and traveling to celebrate Christmas with Sunnie's family, and so Paulina and I will be dining out for Christmas Eve, our Anniversary and New Year's Eve.

​We're looking forward to returning to Vivace's for our Christmas Eve, Marisco's for our Anniversary and Le Rondex Vouz for New Year's Eve!

Meanwhile, checkout our Santa Watch photo album for more sightings.  We're rally enjoying our simple home life and looking forward to lots more dining out in our future!

Then, we will enjoy New Year's Eve at a favorite French restaurant .. Le Rondez Voux.

The official kickoff is November 11th. And, we're excited. The Vallee Team has truly worked wonders. Besides helping us declutter, stage our home, lots photos, advertising materials and videos were taken to present our home in it's best light.

I'll be updating my website and links to include it all.

We setup our home for us as well as our family and friends, fond memories of us serving dinner and spending time together.

We first took photos in November '18 and now again in November '20, check em all out for lots of photos.. sights and views of our home.

We've dropped our price from $2.5 Million to $2 Million until Valentine's Day! If not sold, we'll be raising it to the suggested list price. So, you may want to think about it all quickly.

Check out our MLS listing, and view the photos, virtual tour and 3D views (with the floorpan, doll house and virtual walking tours.

We're also making our beloved home available for Rent With An Option to Buy!

(We're already made plans for our new home, and so we can be gone in 1 week!  Most of the contents of our home are available with the lease or purchase of our home.

Although we're giving our new occupants "first dibs" on the contents of our home, the remainder of our personal contents (less what we take) will be available when our home is leased or purchased.

Recent additions include our Primo "Big Green Egg Smoker", lots of fun. See our Smoked 33 lb lamb with family and friends.

Checkout our online store.

As in years past, we continue to enjoy our Fall season and our beloved home.  October saw us list our home for sale.

Then, it was time to get everything in order for our upcoming listing for sale. We spent the month doing lots of less than fun stuff, i.e, declutter, winter lawn seeding, evaluating our personal belongings as to what goes, and what stays.  We even had our Persian Rug collection appraised for insurance purposes and possible sale. As Paulina says ".. the last to go".

By the end of October, we had everything under control. Our Online Store is set and loaded with lots of what we may be letting go. Our repairs and staging are now in the final days.  We even bought some new plants, patio umbrellas and seating to spruce up the outdoors.

Our HomeBASE server also got expanded to accomodate our  growing library of photos, movies and music. And it's online for family and friends. In addition, I setup our Internet radio station which we'll launch later this month.

The month ended with our Halloween "Blue Moon", which raised our spirits. I already setup our November,We Give Thanks Photo Journal .. check it out!

On Tuesday, we'll be having our initial "Broker Tour". Then comes all the marketing photos, virtual tour, and marketing material. Our official listing lift off date is set for November 11th. Then, it' s chill and enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday.

People coming and going, all here to help us get ready .. and it was Halloween!

In past years, we waffeled about selling our beloved home. Now, we're getting serious. Sad as it may be to leave behind our beautiful Luxury Homestead and all the wonderful memories, We're serious now about moving on.

Age and health are our primary reason for selling. We're in our mid 70's and most of our family and friends are gone. So, hosting our family and friends, is no longer possible. Worse, the pandemic has forced us all to socially quarantine.

Hopefully, we'll soon be able to use our beloved 2nd home in the Adirondacks which we bought in 2015. And, we're really anxious to spend time traveling to Europe and renew our cross country adventures.

If not us, who! If not now, When!

We'll be enjoying the holiday season with family and friends.  Best wishes for the holiday season. Be safe, stay home.

Our home is unique in so many ways, but we know it will take a special effort to present our "Mission Hill" to prospective buyers.

Our home was originally built by a builder for himself, using an independent architect to crate a beautiful estate on a prime location including spectacular views. The home is constructed in a superior fashion, unlike the more common frame and stucco, using the best of brick and mortar.

Our home is valued at approximately $5 Million for insurance and rebuild cost and $2.5+ million for sales purposes. But, being motivated sellers, we're listing our estate for $2 million.

And so, we selected a realtor we believe will create the best image of our beloved home.  And, we realize that, like us, the prospective buyer will appreciate our "Normandy Tudor". Since this style of home (1,000 year old architecture) is not normally found in Tucson, we need to especially market to the "out of town" buyers. And focus on marketing our 4 Season Luxury Homestead!

• Normandy Tudor Archicture
• 10,000 sq  ft mansion including main house, guest house and apartment and 3 car garage
• 4.2 acres at the top of the Skyline Country Club Estates with 8 unique viewing areas (city and mountains) and mature landscaping
• Landscape lighting surrounding the property and highlighting the mountains
• Creek on property
• Top rated schools
• gated community
• Top Country Club included in HOA 
• City Sewer
• Appraisal/Pricing Below Market (residential and investment)
• VBRO rental income (main house, guest house, and apartment) $1,000/night!
• Above average commissions/referral fees for prospective buyers

Like every home, we're being setup on our local multiple listing service, which contains lots of details, photos, and videos as well as automated feeds to out of town real estate listing services, i.e, zillow, trualia, etc.

All of the realty firms use social media to attract and find prospective buyer, but we needed a team that did the best job and had the best team to focus on out of town buyers.

​Besides the traditional ads and other marketing materials, our home will be going thru an intensive proactive marketing effort (1,000's of calls and emails) to contact prospective buyers in our price range. Mass mailings and direct phone calls are being undertaken. The Vallee Gold Team includes 15 realtors, support staff and professional support staff to help with the repairs, organization, photography and personal support.

Paulina and I also needed help to organize our home prior to listing!  And we think our online materials will show the effort made by our team. The closer you look, the better we look!

In anticipation of the buyer needs, we have already prepared our list of home furnishings available to to buyer, as well as immediate occupancy and financing.

Watch for our MLS listing and marketing materials on January 11th.

The goal is to experience high traffic, serious buyer showings .. (6-8/month)

October is almost over, including our October Photo Journal. But, we've already done a lot.  

We had listed our home for sale by buyer, but we're now listing it with Long Realty. And the Vallee Team (Long Realty), and their band of 19 are already busy getting ready for our official launch.

Meanwhile, we'll complete our inventory for the Estate Sale and complete our clean up and prep for the photos and virtual tour. 

We're selling the 4 Seasons with blue skies and 70's .. all year "Long" Click on the link to see for yourself!

Re: 4 Season Luxury Homestead
Hi,
This is Santa, telling you what your special one wants. While I could talk for hours, take 12 minutes and let me know if I’m right?
Come see for yourself, checkout our Virtual Tour. .. the grounds, main house, guest house and apartment. See MLS for details and photos/virtual tour.
Set on Top of the World. the mansion sits on 4.3 acres high on the mountain overlooking Tucson.  We’re 5 degrees cooler than the city in Summer and 5 degrees warmer in Winter.
It’s a real retreat from the world. And we’re in a gated community that comes with privileges in the Skyline Country Club.
 Put the keys under the tree in time for the holidays at home.
Whether they’ve been naught or nice .. they (and you) deserve it!
Watch the credits, you don’t want to miss it.

Best Wishes,
Mr & Mrs Santa Clause. 🥰

PS: Watch for next month’s  video “Baby It’s Cold Outside”  We’ll be doing a monthly video until it’s sold!
The Buyer’s Agent (3% Commission) plus 3% on our next home 💝

We're having an Estate Sale and I've added my goodies to the store. We're selling our beloved home and will be downsizing.

The contents of our home are being offered to the prospective buyer, and to our family and friends. I am collecting all the items in our home and doing a valuation, which is a lot more difficult then it sounds. We've just lots to consider.

First, we can't let go until our beloved home sells. Then, we're deciding what we want to take with us.

I'm just now populating the items, which we're considering selling. This includes my 1988 Mercedes 560 SL as well as lots of our furnishings, Jukebox and Game Room items and 400+ DVD's.

For Sale: My Music .. Taking inventory of our music and cd’s then scanning and adding to iTunes, which in turn loads the Jukebox 💃🏻🕺🎟 🎹😳💰🧾😳

​Besides our items available in our online store, we'll be doing a Garage Sale. I'll be adding more as we move along, and deleting any items sold. Any of the Garage Sale items not sold will be going to a Consignment store in Tucson when we move.

Anything we don’t sell will be going on consignment for 90 days, This will be when our home sells!

I’ll be adding a photo album ( by group) for price evaluation and subsequent selling purposes. Each album will be by room or topic (bbq and patio), (garage), etc 🎟🚚🧾💰

Browse our catalog or search for an item in the Search Bar below.  Items you select will be added to your shopping cart until you are ready to checkout.

In the past we used traditional realtors and local marketing, with some advertising thru the Internet to out of town buyers.  What we learned was that we needed a special kind of listing agent.  Our home being a Luxury Homestead would mainly be of interest to out of town buyers and needs to be marketed accordingly.

I called the main realtors and invited their "heavy hitters" to tour our home and provide their findings and recommendations, including list price opinion, comparable market analysis and proposal. Wow, what an experience!

After lots of discussions and deep thought, we selected The Vallee Team (Long Realty)

The discussions and recommendations about price were based on Zillow and the prospective listing agents recommendations, and ranged from $1.85 to $2.5 (millions).

The higher the list price the longer to sell, with about 270 days  on the market for the higher price. The consensus was that we price it to sell quickly (2-3 months) at $2 million.

As most home sellers know, it takes some effort to get ready to list your home.

Our rye grass is being seeded tomorrow and our pool is being cleaned to remove the chlorine now staining the rim of the pool.

We've also compiled our To Do list from the feedback from all the realtors.  We need to declutter and make minor repairs for staging our home and taking all the new photos and videos. This will take up the rest of October.

Our listing agent is already scheduled to begin with a final walkthrough on Friday October 21st to take inventory and get the help to declutter and reorganize our garage, and storage areas.

The Realtors now have a monumental job, with all the listing, photos/virtual tour videos and advertising. No small task! Then, it's broadcast all of the marketing materials (MLS listing, ads, flyers, etc to the world!

We've agreed upon a target of 6 showings a month, with a review in 3 months regarding the effectiveness of the advertising and our continued relationship.

Don and Mallissa, our listing agents will be bringing in 19 of their office realtors for a tour and familiarization with the home with the aim of looking for prospective buyers too.

Several of the realtors that weren't selected have also agreed to show our home to their prospective buyers.

It's back to the drawing board, the photos and videos are being produced, i.e., photos, videos, flyers, ads, etc.  We're excited especially about the virtual tour. The photographer is scheduled for Friday to scope out the work and "set expectaions". Meanwhile check out the earlier edition! This is our chance to do it better.

We've already decided that we're moving back to SaddleBrooke. And, our realtors will begin looking for our new home .. immediately!

Watch for updates!

ATTENTION GRABBER: We're paying the buyer's commission ($75,000 and we'll be looking for a new home in SaddleBooke (where we lived before).  And, best of all we'll be using the realtor who helps sell our home. That means another commission! Our maximum budget will be $300k to $500k!  Taking that first step is a big one, and we hope to get lots of interested realtors who are now assisting buyers in high-end luxury homes.

My target date will be based in individual interest and availability for the Broker Tour! The attendees will include the luxury realty firms who now represent buyers already looking.. And, we’ll serve coffee, water and pizza or doughnuts.  With a note saying “Bring your appetites” lol

Home Summary

This sprawling Tudor estate will take your breath away with its stunning views and incredible brass, stone and solid wood features. Its old-world charm pairs beautifully with the city AND mountain views on its 4-acre plot. Watch the backyard wildlife Sabino Canyon has to offer along with the views that stretch out to the other sides of Tucson. The main house kitchen features a lowered cooking space along with a kitchen setup for kosher cooking with two ovens, two refrigerators and two dishwashers and a butler style walk-in pantry. The master bedroom features his and hers toilet areas, a jetted tub, walk-in shower, an oversized walk-in closet, an office and a poolside entrance with views of the mountains.
 
This home is perfect for a homestead or investment opportunity featured with a 650 sqft full mother-in-law guesthouse and a 500 sq. ft. junior one-bedroom apartment with each having their own entrance. Collectively, this home features 3 laundry sets, 7 fireplaces, 3 patios, a balcony, hot-tub, pool, 2 built-in grills and many more luxurious options. Control the pool lights, jets and waterfalls set up with a smart app on your phone. Entertain your guests with the option to purchase the arcade games, full size juke box, shuffle board, pool table, piano and more already placed in the pool suite area and spacious living room.

The coveted Skyline country club is a short walking distance with access to clay tennis courts, a fitness center, a lap swimming pool, a golf range, a golf course and a top-rated restaurant. Visit skylinecountryclub.com for more information on their membership options.

NOTE: Limited privileges(golf, tennis, Fitness Center, Dining and HOA Monthly Appreciation Dinner) included for all home owners in The Skyline Country Club, ask for further info.
​
Please email John De Lorenzo for inquiries.

Proof of qualified buyers necessary before touring. Please view photos and video tour before requesting an in-person tour. Owner financing possibly, open to rental options.

Broker tour will be announced soon.

Photos are nice, but there's nothing like seeing our home .. up close and personal!  We suggest you make an appointment to see it all.  Week days are preferred and we suggest coming about 1/2 hour before sunset to see some real beauty.

Appointments are required, as we need to inform the front gate for access to our home and community.

See all photos on our listing .. additional photos added to our listing. 

See our listing for lots more info and photos, click on the link. 

Thanks for viewing, hope to hear from you soon!

After we purchased our home, we did $500,000 in restoration and upgrades. And more, since then. I am 4th generation real estate and Son John now 5th generation (and Our Managing Partner of DLG_Tucson).

​ John is very active in "Flips", which, he and his associates,  buy, renovate and sell ..  single family homes.

Besides our extensive experience, Son John was the General Contractor! Check out DLG-Tucson locally based.

Zillow suggest a range, and suggested we consider their automated suggestion. The range was up to $3 Million! But we decided to price our home competitively. Also, considering the rebuild cost is $3.4 Million and the additional cost of land ($1 Million). We are offering a "bargain basement" price. 

We're doing a For Sale By Owner. And, today we listed it.

While Zillow offers their general appraisal within a broad range, we had our own appraisal done some time back. Click on the link to view it.

We were converting our front courtyard from a lawn to xeriscape, when it occurred that the prospective buyer may want the option to decide. So, based on a condition of sale, we agree to either retain the  lawn or convert the front courtyard to Xeriscape.

​See Proposal below.

In Tucson, the seller is obligated to issue a SPDS to the seller. See a copy of the Seller's SPDS when we purchased our home. We prepared it some time ago and will need to issue it again. Click on link to view it.

You're gonna get the whole picture . photos and live video (including the drone views). This is a real favorite of mine. I even use it to show family and friends our beautiful home and grounds.

Our property rests on 4.2 acres. it runs from the street up the mountains to just below  Pusch Ridge Wilderness.

Besides our home and pool/spa area, there are 8 unique spots for sitting and relaxing.

Driving up our driveway, we developed a Wildlife and Butterfly Garden. This is next to the creek (wash) that runs down the mountain.

Monsoon season produces lots of rain which produce water flow for our little stream. Nice for sitting out and enjoying nature, as well as our 2 courtyards and a unique Point Lookout which we also created for sunset views.

Sunsets, the gift that keeps on giving.

The Club is not owned by the community, but they do lease it from us. And, so our HOA fees include limited privileges for the community.  Prospective buys are urged to visit as it is an element of the "buy in". Our privileges include, monthly HOA dinner, golf, tennis, dining, fitness, etc.

Checkout a night at the Club!

Our community includes lots of pretty homes and sights, and doing a walking touring a safe neighborhood is good for your health. See some of the sights I've seen.

Paulina and I are avid photographers and we take 1,000 + every month. So, if you've got the time and want to see lots more of our daily adventures. Check the out!

Paulina and I are avid photographers, and as such we're now got 1,300 photo parade slideshows on YouTube .. with more every week.  Checkout some family times, celebrating in our Country Kitchen on our patio off the main kitchen. Frankly, living in a mansion (Homestead) high above Tucson has it's own benefits.

Our temps are 5 degrees cooler in the Summer, and 5 degrees warmer in the Summer.

Downsizing but "But Making Mama Happy" .. We're enjoying what we have but it's time to move on and make more memories. Naturally, our home may be smaller but it's gonna be with the style and comfort we've been used to!

Besides selling our home, we're 75+ and are looking for the right team to help. First, we're looking for a home in SaddleBrooke similar to what we had. We even know where to look .. near the main clubhouse .. and the models (Shawnee and Sundance).

It can be a fixer upper or a move in ready home.  And as in the past, a place to live out our final years and make memories!

I'v'e setup a new Blog "Tucson Tudor Bulletin Board. See the Menu Options. This will be used to post our "Open House" dates as well as any questions, comments or suggestions.

​Check it for any news!

Thinking about relocating to Tucson, and want to know a bit more?  Checkout our links to the most popular sites. 

• City of Tucson
• Tucson Named only city in the USA as Gastronony City
• Arts in Tucson
• University of Arizona
• Biosphere 2
• Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
• Sabino Canyon
• Old Tucson Studios
• Davis-Montham Air Force Base
• Pima Air and Space Museum
• Kitt's Peak (National Observatory)
• Raytheon Technologies
• San Xavier del Bac Mission
• Mt Lemmon
• Gem Show

October kicked off with a 66 degree morning, but it's forecast to reach 100!

September was filled with lots happening for my work, but I'm really beginning a working vacation for the rest of the coming year. 

I've come up with a simple way to include all my photo journal, which I update daily, i.e., that is to include my photo journals!  This includes all of my photos and videos, by month! Now, visitors can see how we're doing, right up to today!  Adding October 2020 to my personal blog, and it’s already a beautiful start! 🎟👩🏻🐶👨🏼‍💻☕️🎃👻🍁🥰How we doing? Checkout my photo journals .. 9,000+ photos over the past 6 months, and still going 😅🎥🤷🏼🍷

This year's crop of photo slideshows, are updated periodically. Check it out for our "Now Showing"

I do a quarterly show to highest some scenes from our life and times. This is my 2nd edition, which will be completed by Thanksgiving!

We're having some family and friends for Halloween. 

There comes a time in everyone's life, when you want to tell your story. Well, I am must beginning! All I have for now is my initial cover. But, I'm begging to work on it now.

Click on the link to access it!

Our Summer was the hottest on record!  Temps are dropping quickly and will remain very pleasant until Thanksgiving.  We're now enjoying the cooler weather. And, although we had one of the driest Monsoon seasons, the Monsoon season ends this month.

Many of us gripe about Summer, but most Tucsonans really love it. See some highlights of our Summer.

Land locked now with memories of our Get Away days! Paulina and I loved travel and dining out. Now in Social Isolation, we enjoy quiet times at home.  

​Checkout my September Photo/Video Journal for ongoing monthly updates. You can also view all of my YouTube videos on my Playlist which is updated often.

​Hopefully, we'll see better times in the near future.

We enjoy our Outback and Family times. Labor Day, Da Kids will be hosting a party for a few family and friends. Watch for our photos and video updates.

John and Sunnie hosted a bbq and pool party, especially for the kids. And, it was wonderful.!

The California fires have produced smoke, which has drifted over Tucson. But, the skies soon clear and we continue to enjoy our days.

August is becoming the hottest month on record, and we're feeling the heat! First, we had the Pandemic then it was the Bighorn fires, and now the temps are way above normal. But, we're seeing good signs in that the number of COVID cases and deaths are falling.

Even thou we're mainly "home bodies" we headed North (the restaurant that is) to celebrate son John's Birthday. It really was great getting out.

You can view all of my photos for August to see life in the dessert. As usual, this includes lots of our times out and Mama's cooking. Paulina and I really enjoy taking lots of photos and videos.

We're still in Quarantine and Social Isolation, but that doesn't mean we're not enjoying our home and the Outback.  Like our Summer Kick Off for Memorial Day, we're doing a BBQ and Pool Party!