With accolades pouring in from all directions, Tucson looks poised to be a very important city in the next few years. If you’re looking for a dynamic city with job growth and affordable housing, you should take a look at homes for sale in Tucson.

Tucson Homes for Sale

Touring Tucson

On its way to becoming a better city in 2005, Tucson has been making top 10 lists for U.S. cities in a wide variety of categories. In April, the American Lung Association ranked Tucson eighth in the nation for clean air. Tucson was also number eight in a DogFriendly.com ranking of dog-friendly cities. And the sidewalks must be going somewhere, because the American Podiatric Medical Association named Tucson the ninth best city for fitness and walking. Inc. magazine, a publication for small business owners and entrepreneurs, designated Tucson as the eighth best medium-sized city for doing business. The diversity of the city shows through in the number seven spot Tucson snagged for best cities for Hispanics to live in according to Hispanic Magazine; praised for its “affordable housing, good schools, culture,” Tucson was the only AZ city to make the list.

While looking for a home for sale in Tucson, you should explore the city and get to know its cultural and natural resources. For culture, see one of the five productions offered by the Arizona Opera between October and April. The Arizona Theatre Troop, performs six different plays in Tucson’s Temple of Music and Art. Another night of cultural exploration might revolve around the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. For a day of culture, go visit the Center for Creative Photography at University of Arizona, De Grazia’s Gallery in the Sun, the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, with over 6,000 works of art, or the University of Arizona’s Museum of Art.

In between your busy hours of exploring neighborhoods and school districts, be sure not to miss the awesome nature that exists sometimes only minutes from Tucson. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Catalina State Park, Colossal Cave Mountain Park, Kartchner Caverns, Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley, Ramsey Canyon Preserve, Oracle State Park, Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, Picacho Peak State Park, the Reid Park Zoo, Roper Lake State Park, Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, Saguaro National Park, Tohono Chul Park, and Tucson Botanical Gardens are all nearby. To learn more about these places and how to get there, stop by Tucson’s city website at http://www.ci.tucson.az.us/.

Finding a home

Once you’ve explored the city, you need to get down to business and find out where the best Tucson homes for sale can be found. The housing, as mentioned in Hispanic Magazine, is quite affordable. The median value of a single-family residence in 2000 was $96,300, which is substantially lower than the U.S. median price of $119,600. For those hoping to find cheap land in Arizona, you should look outside the Tucson city limits; within Tucson, at its least expensive, land is selling for around $20,000 per acre. Condos begin around $50,000 for one, two, and three bedrooms, depending on where you choose to live. Single family residences start at $60,000 for various sizes.

Real estate agents are excellent resources when you are looking for a new home. They can help explain the basic market in Tucson as well as the average sale price. They can also help you explore financial options and get everything you want in an affordable home. As Tucson grows, the options for housing will grow, too. There are currently many homes for sale in Tucson and you can take advantage of all the city has to offer as well as its current growth rates if you decide to move there.

By Genevieve Jenkins

A REALTOR® is a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®