By Reid Sossong and Robert Zucker

Plenty of Tucson homes for sale

While the market may seem like it's down, there are signs of hope ahead. Major developers are holding on to vast amounts of properties- buildings and land.

With a slower Tucson housing market, these investments become heavy weights on the investor's portfolio.

Massive property sell offs, steeps discounts in new homes, drastic price reductions in resale homes, and plenty of "Tucson home for sale" signs are the signs that the Tucson housing market is bottoming out and may be on the upswing when smarter investors and homebuyers who can get financing pluck off the losses.

There have been some steep price drops in the Tucson luxury home and golf property market- $95,000 in Ventana Country Club, $70,000 in 49er's Country Club, $60,000-$100,000 in Heritage Highlands.

Golf properties or golf communities in Tucson include the retirement areas with golf courses. One favorite is Heritage Highlands, located in the northwest part of Tucson, Arizona. The golf course is gorgeous, the clubhouse is awesome and it's in an ideal location, Dove Mountain. The builder, Lennar, has three lots remaining with huge discounts from $60,000 to $100,000.

But there are also some progressive signs showing the metropolitan real estate market is more than just the number of just homes sold in Tucson:

Pima County closed on the 22 story B of A building in downtown Tucson, Arizona. The closing price $24.1 million or approximately $125.00 per square foot . An occupancy rate of 82.5% was reported at the time of sale.

The Biosphere 2, located just north of Tucson, has sold for $50 million. The seller spent $200 million for the project. Pima County approved the property for the development of 1553 homes, a 200 room hotel resort and a 200 acre commercially designated space where the campus is now.

Tucson Arizona country clubs, luxury homes, retirement areas & golf communities still shine with all the same reasons they did before when the market was red hot. People come to Tucson Arizona for the casual lifestyle and health. Tucson is still a great place to be no matter what the real estate market is doing.

When you start shopping for a home in Tucson, it's nice to know just how much home you can afford. Prequailification provides a "ballpark" estimate of your borrowing power and pre approved provides proof to real estate agents and sellers that you're approved for a specific loan amount. This can give you an edge over other buyers interested in the same home.