More tips and ideas about staging your Albuquerque home for sale Do you know which rooms are important to stage when putting a house on the market and why? • Living Room/Great Room (LR) • Dining Room (DR) • Master Bedroom (MBR) • Bathrooms • Kitchen It is important to make a house look more like a Home. You want to produce a warm & welcoming effect on the visitors, encouraging them to linger. The longer the prospective visitors are in the Home – the better the chances are of making a positive & lasting impression. Staging a home will help the potential buyers to visualize their furniture & furnishing within the house. When staged correctly, it can also be used as a tool to help make a room appear larger than it actually is – this is especially important when it comes to the Master Bedroom, and living areas. For more information about staging, contact Interior Styling by Karla today! If you would like a free copy of my book for Sellers - please fill o...

I was reading an article this weekend about how short sale sellers aren't exactly off the hook to go on with the rest of their lives after they and their broker have 'negotiated' a short sale. A recent Washington Post article talks to this point, that homeowners who refinanced their homes and then subsequently negotiate a short sale are not protected from deficiency judgements brought by the banks.  Even after you have negotiated the short sale, the banks can come back to you and require that you pay back the forgiven amounts. I'm the first one to admit I have stayed away from this part of the market.   I could {and probably will} write another blog piece about how I think even the term "short sale" isn't exactly what we should be calling these types of sales....but I digress....but the entire process just seems ripe for these types of uncertainties. Why has this happened?  In years past, when a 'short sale' was just a term we used when the ...

Interesting discussion going on today on the social networking sites about "virtual offices".  I have run a virtual office for years, finding that being in the office doesn't mean I'm in my business.  Lots of distractions and lines at the copy machine made it inefficient for me to get anything done. I can accomplish more for my clients by being virtual than by having a physical office.  The time it takes just to get to the office, set up materials and deal with office details is time that I could be dealing with 2-3 items and getting them cleared up!  Reports, offers, paper things - oh those paper things!  With Internet faxing we don't need fax machines anymore.  With email we hardly need faxes anymore.  With file sharing we hardly need email anymore.... The amount of work that I and my team can accomplish in a day just by being virtual is virtually impressive!  Oh, and my assistants - they are virtual, too.  Transactions can now be...

This morning Trulia published their rent/buy analysis for various cities.  Albuquerque placed with a rating of "14".  The Price to Rent Ratio interpretation is this: If a city receives a score of anything from 1-15, it is much less expensive to own than to rent a home in this city.  The factors used to calculate this score are the mortgage (principle and interest), property taxes, hazard insurance, closing costs and ongoing Home Owner Association Dues and private mortgage insurance where applied.  The calculations are used to include an offset for the tax advantages of home ownership, including mortgage interest, property tax and closing cost deductions. The total cost of renting is calculated to use rent plus renter's insurance. Also, in Albuquerque it is pretty difficult to find a short term rental, 6 months or less - and if you choose to rent you stand of chance of 'missing the market'.  I have lived in Albuquerque since 1979 and I have seen many ...

What is the “Functionality” of an Entry and/or Foyer? This is where you are able to set the tone for the rest of the home and create some impact on the first-time visitor. Intensify this impression by adding some extra pizzazz and drama to this part of your Albuquerque home to generate extra interest. Using mirrors, artwork, tables and rugs are not only functional, but they also provide your guest with an appealing introduction that will impart a lingering effect when entering and leaving the home. When possible have a table in the entry where Realtors can leave their business cards for you and your Listing Realtor to review at a later date. Remember, first impressions are everything! For more information about how to get your property staged, or for a consultation, please contact: Karla McWhorter Interior Styling by Karla Ph: 275-6819 Cell: 228-3489 http://www.interiorstylingbykarla.com/

New Supply/Demand reports for Albuquerque real estate - for May 2010 - for more information, please feel free to contact the eTeam!

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This will be a series of helpful hints for staging, brought to you by my favorite local designer - "Interior Styling by Karla" “STAGING TIPS TO HELP SELL YOUR HOME” 8 Part Series Article #1 – “Curb Appeal” Driving by a potential Buyer may say to themselves “Hmm… do I want to stop – do I want to look at this house.” The house needs to be as inviting and welcoming from the outside as it is from the inside. It is very important that people want to stop and look at the house, because if there is no curb appeal - there is no reason to stop and look. Your yards are just as important as the inside of the home is. Their interests need to be perked. Remember – you never get a 2nd chance to make a notable 1st impression! This applies to curb appeal more than ever. Karla McWhorter Interior Styling by Karla Ph: 275-6819  Cell: 228-3489 http://www.interiorstylingbykarla.com/

What's it like to live in Albuquerque?  Let this video tell you in real words! Albuquerque: The Unknown from Puzzled Pictures on Vimeo . And, when you get ready to move here...just let me know....my team will be glad to help you. Contact me today

I have to say that the media has it wrong again.  While some property owners in the High Desert and Paako areas might have seen an incorrect assessment on their properties, it's not a wide-sweeping all encompassing increase as the media has reported. First hand experience, my assessment hasn't increased.  First hand knowledge, I looked at my Notice of Value.  No issues here. While I don't argue that some homeowners have been incorrectly assessed because of inflated pricing and sales from a few years back, or 'guesstimates' again by the assessor office (living in a limited disclosure state does have its drawbacks).....not every single home has been increased to the extent that it should be front page news. But, what's news without a little shouting? So far the sales statistics being reported aren't widely accurate, even the ones coming from our own trade association...and all that you read in the headlines isn't the real deal... Get some real s...

We received some very positive economic news this morning with the April Jobs report. There were approximately 290,000 new jobs created in April. This was the biggest rise in jobs since March, 2006. There were 66,000 census workers included in the 290,000 jobs creation number for April. However, since December there have been 573,000 new non-farm payroll jobs created. The biggest jobs gains have come over the last two months. The unemployment rate is still being reported at approximately 9.9%. The April jobs report is another sign that our economy is starting to improve. As the economy continues to improve and consumer confidence increases we will see increases in home prices and home buying activity . The Albuquerque real estate market and local economy are starting to improve as well. The mortgage market, guidelines and regulations are changing everyday. There has never been a more important time than now to work with an experienced, proven mortgage company . To Your...

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I've seen alot of media coverage this week regarding the deadline for the tax credit for buyers, and whether it made things 'busier' than usual. This I can only address from my personal team experience - we are busier for clients coming AFTER the deadline has passed than during the tax credit bonus program. We have more people, in higher price ranges, scheduled to see homes next week (and they are prequalified and ready to buy right away) than we did in the last couple of months. Of the clients we have served over the last couple of months, only a small percentage of those clients referenced the tax credit deadline as a crunch time and a reason for buying. It did not feel to us like that was the primary incentive for them to buy a home. What I am noticing during my twice daily checks of the market is that the higher end areas are selling right now, and of those homes that are selling - most have had substantial to moderate price reductions. The sellers have been ge...

The Federal Reserve issued their monetary policy at 12:15 mountain time today. The Federal Reserve left the Fed Funds rates unchanged at a near zero interest rate. The Fed stated that "the economy continues to improve at a modest pace." The positive comments on the economy have caused a rally in the stock market. Unfortunately, mortgage rates typically increase on positive economic news as money flows out of safe havens like the bond market. Therefore, in an attempt to make bonds and mortgage backed securities more appealing to investors the yields are increased. This ultimately affects mortgage rates that consumers pay for their home loans. The good news is that mortgage rates remanin at near record levels. This is great news for anyone who is considering purchasing a home . We are entering into the busiest season of the year for home buying and selling. The near record low mortgage rates should encourage people to move forward with their home buying de...

If you are in the market for an Albuquerque home and you don't know quite all of the ins/outs of the deadline and what you need to do - here are some answers: How to Get the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit You’ve decided to purchase a home and take advantage of the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit. Here's what you have to do to get your benefit: 1.Close on your home purchase between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010, or have a binding written contract in place by April 30, 2010 with a closing date no later than June 30, 2010. 2. Decide whether to: •• apply the credit to your 2009 tax return, filed on or before April 15, 2010; •• file an amended 2009 return; or, •• apply the credit on your 2010 return, filed on or before April 15, 2011. 3.Attach documentation of purchase to your return. Documentation of Purchase Details concerning the precise documents required to confirm your purchase have not yet been released. When this information becomes available, we w...

Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS® | Real Estate News | Story | Tackling Tax Lighting Get the latest information on Tax Lightening in Albuquerque real estate and surrounding areas. It's a hot topic in 2010!

Albuquerque hotel data hints at a recovery - New Mexico Business Weekly: Great news for Albuquerque - the more visitors, the better our 'incoming' home buyers. You know, once they get here, they just have to buy!

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