Before and After Photos--Pg. #2
Warning! If you are planning on buying an adobe home or selling your adobe home, you must read this!
Roof coating information and photos
Land for sale in beautiful Rio Rico, Arizona!
The above link will take you to my other website that is dedicated to vacant land in Rio Rico, AZ. Please be patient when clicking on this above link. It has many digital photos and the pages can take a long time to load if you have dial-up Internet service or slow DSL.
Tremendous investment opportunity!
I purchased my first piece of property in Rio Rico in the late eighties when the population was one third of what it is today. As the years progressed, I bought a few more, eventually building my house on the very first lot I purchased. Today, Rio Rico is exploding, with land values doubling, tripling and even quadrupling from what they were just a year and a half ago (today is March 16, 2006).
While living in Rio Rico, I studied specific portions of this beautiful town and its surrounding areas because I knew that one day this sleepy, laid back little community would become an area of explosive growth. Rio Rico is quit large as far as land is concerned, and like every other town across America, there are "good" areas and there are "not so good" areas; areas where your money can make you a small fortune or areas that will make you weep and/or curse for having made such a foolish, uniformed and spur of the moment decision.
As an example of a great investment, let me give you a case in point. I purchased a lot from a lady in Australia around 1993. Without going into too many details in how this entire deal came together (I will write about this later), I purchased this 1/2 acre lot from her for $500.00 and paid off her back taxes of approximately $300.00. Total investment was $800. Three years ago I sold it for $4,000. Today, it commands a price of around $25,000!!
Currently, my primary area of investment is in the NE section of Rio Rico, where a specific large plot of flat can be found land where each lot has sewer access. This one fact is critically important, for the vast majority of property in Rio Rico is serviced not by sewer, but by septic systems. The benefits of sewer accessible property is so important to investors wishing to purchase property in Rio Rico that I feel it is necessary to spend a few moments discussing this.
The old adage "out of sight, out of mind" certainly applies to those items that either wash down our sinks or are flushed down our toilets. Yet human waste has become a very serious environmental issue, and its proper disposal has become a major concern to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).
These concerns are at the forefront in Rio Rico, particularly for home builders. As investors, they need to be taken into serious consideration as relating to where we will put our investment dollars.
One of the most frequently asked questions by people who are "in the know" on this specific issue and who are interested in purchasing property in Rio Rico is, "Does the land 'perc'?" This question is one of the most important one any investor can ask when deciding to purchase property here. The word "perc" is the abbreviated form of "percolation". By asking if the land 'percs", the investor wants to know if the land is able to support a septic system. As stated above, since the majority of the land in Rio Rico is not serviced by a sewer system, the only way one can obtain a building permit is that the property must pass a 'perc test'. If the land fails to perc, you have a property that now must have an alternate approved county septic system installed in order to obtain permission to build.
These alternate systems are far more expensive than conventional systems and most people will simply look for another piece of property on which to build than paying so much more for an alternate system. In essence, land that fails to perc becomes stigmatized and is almost always passed over for one that will pass the testing.
I am continually astounded at what kind of property people purchase in Rio Rico at land auctions and through Internet sites such as eBay. For example, just recently a friend of mine and I were watching a live land auction from the comfort of my home in Tucson which was being conducted through eBay. There were several parcels from Rio Rico up for auction. My friend, Mike, had obtained the list of available lots for this live auction a few weeks before and had physically inspected some of the properties. One four acre parcel at this live auction sold for over $40,000! Mike was dumbfounded at this because he told me that this parcel was located at the bottom of a sloping canyon! In essence, some investor purchased a four acre parcel of property that for all intents and purposes was good for nothing but a gigantic swimming pool.
Though the above example is the most egregious example of what I consider to be utterly foolish investing, it is by no mean a rare occurrence. I shake my head in bewilderment at many land purchases I observe on these auctions, because many of these purchases I consider to be money down the drain.
The amazing part about these Internet purchases is the following disclaimer that is on each of the ones that I have seen (I fully understand that the following information is overwhelming to many people reading this and will probably be skipped over by the majority, yet I urge you to read this with a very discerning and alert mind. Remember: your money depends on it!):
Buyer/s acknowledge the land is being purchased "AS IS", at public online auction, in whatever physical condition, including topography and location the parcel may be found at the time of sale, subject to all existing covenants, conditions, restrictions, reservations, exploration rights, easements, rights of way, or lack of same, assessments, zoning of record and any land use restrictions. Buyer/s acknowledges having inspected the property and/or investigated its suitability and useability prior to placing a bid, including availability of access and utilities or lack of same, and by placing a bid, hereby accepts real property "AS IS".
Buyer/s are encouraged and responsible to do their due diligence thoroughly, including a physical inspection of property if at all possible and make sure that property is suitable to their needs. All information and pictures in this ad comes from accurate sources and is to the best of my knowledge; There is no warranty expressed or implied and all sales are final.
How about this one, taken right off of the website of one of the largest online auction companies?
Inspect The Property Before You Buy!
All bidders must personally inspect each property and its physical condition prior to placing a bid at the auction or via the online auction. All winning bidders will be required to personally sign an affidavit stating that the Bidder has inspected the property and is satisfied with its suitability for the purpose intended, including the availability of utilities and rights of way or the lack thereof. Failure of a Buyer to obtain full information about the condition of a property, or to conduct their own on-site or off-site property inspection, will in no way constitute grounds for any claim against the Seller nor the cancellation or adjustment of the sale.
Conditions of Sale: All properties are being sold in an "As Is, Where Is, and with All Faults" condition as of the date of the auction (date of sale).
Seller and Broker do not guarantee:
- The property boundaries and corner markers to be accurate since they have been identified only by the location of the surrounding corner markers. The exact property boundaries and locations can only be identified by an official property survey.
- Suitability of property for building site. Some property encumbrances can only be identified by a detailed expert inspection of a property. Unless otherwise stated, Sellers are unaware of such encumbrances.
- Availability of municipal water or water via a private well. All Bidders are urged to contact local municipal planning and zoning departments or the State Department of Water Resources for information on water availability and local municipal development departments for future water availability plans.
- Availability of Utilities. Contact the local utility company for information on availability, cost and future development plans for extending electric and telephone lines to the property.
- Feasibility to place a "standard" septic system on the property. Seller has not engaged in any kind of soil or percolation testing. Some properties might require the installation of an "alternative" (i.e. Hydraulic, Sand Filtered, or Mounted, to name a few) septic system. Unless otherwise stated, Seller is unaware of such conditions.
- Physical or legal road access or lack thereof. Seller is unaware of such encumbrances unless specifically stated in the individual property listing. Some parcels might be "land-locked."
- That any roads existing on third party maps (amongst them but not limited to: County Maps, www.mapquest.com, Delorme Streetfinder, MapUSA, etc.) actually exist. All maps were provided by the Sellers and were provided for information and orientation purposes only. No liability is assumed for the accuracy of the data delineated thereon.
- Any zoning restrictions, building codes, permit requirements or any other land use restrictions. Contact local municipal Planning and Zoning Departments or affiliated Departments (like Building and Public Safety Department) of the municipality or county in which the property is located.
- The existence of Mineral Rights for the property. Unless otherwise stated for a particular auction property, Buyer should assume that No Mineral Rights come with the property (since the vast majority of all properties in Arizona come without Mineral Rights). Contact appropriate local authorities for clarification on Mineral Rights on a particular property you are interested in.
- Existence of Homeowners Association Fees, local or regional Bonds for Utilities, Water, Sewer, and street improvement. Unless otherwise stated for a property, Seller is unaware of such assessments.
- Directions to properties. Directions to properties are provided for orientation purposes only and Seller does not guarantee the accuracy of such directions.
Basically, what this is telling you and I is this: if you do not physically step upon the property you are about to purchase with your own two feet and see with your own two eyes the condition of the lot, if you buy a four acre hole in the ground, well, it is your own fault. And readers, they present a very salient and sobering point. This defines the core of the term "caveat emptor". (Latin for "let the buyer beware." A buyer should inspect the goods or realty before purchase, because the buyer buys "as is" and at his or her own risk. Definition taken from "The Language of Real Estate" by John W. Reilly)
The actual, but sad truth, is this: land scams have, in the past, been one of the most effective means of separating trusting investors from their hard-earned money. (Please note that I am not accusing any public land auction company of "scamming" the public, nor inferring in any fashion that any internet company is guilty of such. My point is simple: you must be extremely careful of what you purchase over the Internet. Period.)
The temptation to scam people is very real, particularly with the advent of the Internet. Someone armed with a digital camera and the ability to take "selective" shots of a doubtful property can post that same property on the Internet and describe it as "the best investment in Southern Arizona".
A potential moral dilemma evolves for real property investors who need to consistently "flip" properties in order to make their living. One can purchase junk property in Rio Rico for next to nothing and then, using the disclaimer mentioned above, sell it to a trusting buyer for huge profits, earning that investor one, two, five or ten fold on their initial investment. Again, a case can be made for the responsibility of the buyer to ensure they do their "due diligence", but something does not ring true in these circumstances.
My investment philosophy for Rio Rico is to purchase property that :
a. has excellent potential for long term return on investment
b. are found in the best areas of Rio Rico which meet the
following criteria:
1. have water, electric and phone at the property line or close to it. "Close to" means the expense to bring in these utilities that are not at the lot line not to exceed $1,500.00
2. has sewer access or, if not serviced by a sewer line, has passed a perc test.
3. On paved roads, or, if not on paved roads, dirt roads that do not require a four wheel drive vehicle to access it. (Note: this particular criteria can in itself be deceiving. Rio Rico is interesting in the sense that many paved roads stop and start without any logic on why they are there. Some paved roads appear at the end of a long stretch of dirt road, stay paved for a certain distance, then the paved road begins again, etc. It baffles the mind what the early mindset was of the original developers to have done such a nonsensical arrangement, bit it is a frustrating reality nonetheless.
A recent Rio Rico eBay auction advertised a premium building lot in Rio Rico, stating in the property description that it was on a paved road and close to utilities. I went to see this lot personally. Yes, it was on a paved road, but a paved road of the kind just described. If I was not in my full sized pickup truck there was a good possibility I could not have easily driven to the lot.
As far as this lot being "close to utilities", that was a true stretch. If the individual selling this property defines "close to utilities" to mean that he or she "could see one or two telephone and/or utility poles in the distance if they looked really hard," I would be forced to agree.)
Nor should one be fooled because the Ebay seller(s) shows a picture of your typical green water box sitting on or near the lot line. This actually tells you nothing concrete and certainly does not mean that there is water to the lot line. Herein lies another one of those mysteries of Rio Rico that leaves me scratching my head in bewilderment: why is there water boxes in front of properties when the water may not be connected?
List of available properties:
- UNIT 10 RIO RICO RANCHETTES LOT 98 BLK 180. This is approximately 1.12 acres just a few hundred feet from the sewer head located at the top of Circulo Sombrero. Great views to the South of the schools, etc. Very built up area. Sewer main is approx. 300 ft. from lot line. Price: $19,999. (See Ranchettes 10, Map B) Directions: I-19 S to Peck Canyon Rd Exit, N on West frontage road past wash to Peck Canyon. Turn left (W). Go to Circulo Sombrero and turn right (N). When road bends to the W, slow down. Lot 98 is on the S side of Circulo Sombrero, three lots from the corner of when you came around the bend.
