Sadly it’s closed now, but there was once a fantastic Italian restaurant in waaayyy southern Arizona near Patagonia and the Mexican border, and although I wasn’t a frequent guest I did enjoy it when we visited the area and I’ll miss it.
I grew up in a big Italian family where good food was as much a contest as it was nourishment. The fare at this restaurant more than lived up to anything my highly competitive aunts might have cooked-up. The atmosphere was welcoming and accommodating inside and out, and the owners made it very clear that you should feel at home. Performing, there was a grizzled but incredibly personable old cowboy who was a genius with a 12-string guitar and his story-telling was nearly as hypnotizing as his music. We stayed long after closing one evening, sipping wine and talking with him about, of all things, varieties of rattlesnakes.
While I was growing up, my dad owned a restaurant so I am painfully aware of what it takes to survive. This little bistro had it all. It was just oozing ambiance; intimate corner tables-for-two and more open gathering areas for large parties, a relaxed deck where you could dine peacefully overlooking saguaros and desert wildlife, a bustling, brightly tiled patio with linen tablecloths and live entertainment, and like I said before the food was second to none! My best guess for failure here would have to be location. This is not a densely populated area and though it’s known as a birder’s paradise, it is classic desert terrain, arid and isolated. Tourism is decidedly seasonal. For most, I suppose this area is more of a pass-through on the way to Mexico than it is a destination.
I am constantly battering my real estate clients with the significance of location. The most remarkable dream home in the wrong place can quickly turn into a nightmare. There are so many things to take into consideration; traffic, proximity to retail, neighborhood surroundings, nearby amenities, availability of public services, crime rate, schools, medical facilities, transportation, entertainment and recreation. Location not only has a huge impact on your life but even more importantly in the long-run, on your resale value. Location is the one thing about your home that you cannot change.
There is no doubt in my mind that the memorable little Italian restaurant in a more appropriate setting, would have thrived. So listen when your realtor talks about location.
Location, Location, Location is not merely a cliché, it’s an essential life-style choice and a crucial financial investment decision.
