Look at landscaping as the “Cherry on the Sundae” – you need potential buyers to want to stop and look at the house. Curb appeal is very important – I can’t stress this enough! If the landscaping is lacking the general overall impression is so is the rest of the house – not good. Remember, Xeriscaping does not mean rock and only rock. Here in the Southwest, water is a very important commodity and today’s savvy home buyers are keeping this in mind. The backyard is just as important – it needs to be manicured and if possible, staged as an extra entertainment area. Even small patios can be used as an extension of the home almost year around in Albuquerque. Create an atmosphere that not only is inviting and welcoming to the buyer, but helps them envision the possibilities of entertaining in your home. _________________________________________________________________________ For more great information about staging and presenting your Albuquerque home to your next buyer, plea...

REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-Three Reasons to Buy a Home Now A great article about why now is the perfect time to buy your Albuquerque Home

Chart 1: Month over Month increases in Median Sale Price Summary of Chart 1: This chart shows the 10 MLS areas that saw the greatest increase in the median sale prices from the previous year. With 42 Areas reporting 2 or more sales, 19 saw price increases and 23 Areas saw price reductions. Interesting to note is the fact that four of the areas had decreases in the number of home sales yet still had increases in the sale price. Chart 2: QTR over QTR increases in Median Sale Price Summary of Chart 2: This chart shows the 10 MLS areas that saw the greatest increase in the median sale prices from the previous quarter. With 44 Areas reporting 5 or more sales, 17 saw price increases and 27 saw price reductions. Chart 3: Year over Year increases in Median Sale Price   Summary of Chart 3: This chart shows the 10 MLS areas that saw the greatest increase in the median sale prices from the previous Year-to-Date sales. With 46 areas reporting 5 or more sales, 17 saw p...

Here are some more great tips for Selling your Albuquerque Home - staging is so important that I have asked my friend Karla to give us these great tips - be sure and contact her for more information about how her services can help you sell your own home! The “Biggest Bang” for your money continues to be updating &/or remodeling your Kitchen. This is not only a good investment, but also a powerful tool to help sell a home. Even in this market a homeowner should be able to recapture their investment. Bathroom remodels/updates are also important – especially the MBR Bathroom. Everyone wants a luxurious bathroom – make it an inspiring selling point with dual sinks, contemporary plbg. and light fixtures, new flooring, noteworthy countertops, etc. Powder Rooms are a superb opportunity to make striking statements – think of them as little jewel boxes. This is where you can get very creative with unusual wall treatments, artwork, one of a kind sinks and so forth. A Powder R...

You are surfing the web, or driving by your favorite neighborhood and there you see it, a house you want to know about!  It's so exciting to see the opportunities! So, you pick up the phone or email the broker and ask about the property.  You might even click on the link that says " request a showing ". When the Realtor® responds, one of the questions they are going to ask you is "Are you working with a broker?"  Why do we ask this question?  Can't we just show you the house? Many times the home you have called on is not our personal listing.  If you see it on the Internet, you might be seeing it via our IDX feed, which is a service we provide to show you all of the listings in MLS on the websites .  If you call on a sign, it might not be the listing broker that is taking the call personally - it might be someone in the company who is on duty to take inquiries on properties.  Only a licensed real estate professional can answer questions about a...

Want to find a Green home for your new Green car?

A most definite YES!! Adding a “Pop of Color” with an Accent wall painted sporadically through-out a home (using one or two accent colors) can not only have an impact, but can create architectural interest - in addition to effecting one's moods, emotions, blood pressure, etc. Even to the point of producing physical sensations such as joy, calmness, a feeling of luxury and romance - just to mention a few. With proper placement, an accent &/or contrasting color(s) within an interior space can enhance the atmosphere and make a space appear larger and more interesting to the visitor. An interior with accent shades of color will captivate a possible buyer’s imagination to visualize themselves within the home - thus creating a feeling of “I’m home” or “this is it!” Karla McWhorter Interior Styling by Karla Ph: 275-6819 & Cell: 228-3489

Today I'm starting our Albuquerque Real Estate FAQ's....a series of simple answers to often asked and seldom answered-in-plain-English questions about real estate. "Why do you always ask if I'm prequalified ?" Let's see, you call on a property and ask to see a home that you find on the Internet, or drive by - and the broker will ask you "are you prequalified"?  While it probably feels like an invasion of your privacy or too picky-uney - here's why you are being asked: When we, as real estate professionals, list a property, very often one of the items that we go over with the seller is that we are making sure that the security of the property is on the top of our priority list...we make sure that the alarm codes are kept private, and that the home will be secured after a showing.  During these discussions a seller will almost always ask "can you make sure that the buyers are prequalified, and not just lookie loos"?   It takes quit...

Does a fresh coat of paint really make a difference when selling a home ? Absolutely! It can hide a multitude of issues, as well as help make the home look and feel new. It is important that you use the correct type of paint - a flat finish thru-out the home and an enamel in the bathrooms &/or the kitchen only when a gas stove is present. The current trend is to paint the ceiling the same color as the walls. Trim and doors should be a contrasting color – bone/off-white, beige, stained, etc. This allows the architectural trim to be more prominent and dress up the room. Paint is one of the most cost-effective ways to immediately improve the overall impression of a home. After all, isn’t that what you are going for – a good impression ? Karla McWhorter Interior Styling by Karla Ph: 275-6819 & Cell: 228-3489

Had another great experience with technology in my business yesterday. Coming back from the holiday...one of our closings had been delayed and suddenly happened while we were driving home. The title company emailed me saying docs were ready and the buyer would be in to sign. My client, one in Arizona and one in Poland, were to review everything prior to closing. Title emailed everyone the closing statement....I reviewed and found a change, then my seller in Poland emailed to ask questions..same from client in Arizona and all the while I'm riding home and reviewing everything via iPad.  The sellers had also been signing the contracts via Docusign so the entire process had been so easy and fast.  No delays. By the time I arrived to lunch in Santa Fe the buyers were on their way to closing and by the time I got home to Albuquerque the buyers were getting the keys! No delays and no fuss....what a great time to practice real estate sales !

Have you had a hard time finding a rental through the MLS ?  A hard time finding a real estate broker who works in traditional sales to help you find a rental? Don't feel alone.  Everyone does.  In case nobody has taken the time to tell you why, here goes - In many areas of the country, there is a centralized database - either in the MLS or a similar product - which allows showing and cooperation between brokers and brokerages to show and lease out properties.  This is a system very much like the use of the MLS for selling properties.  This system establishes the inventory, and offers it with compensation to other brokers to show and lease the properties for their clients. In Albuquerque there isn't any such product.  Real estate brokerages that specialize in sales live in a separate world than property management companies.  The property management companies will show and lease their own inventory.  There is no centralized database to f...

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!

Amazing property located in the Brazos, New Mexico - 20 acres of privacy overlooking the Brazos River...decks with river views and steps away from great trout fishing! 20 ACRE ESTATE IN THE BRAZOS

Now, search for Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico MLS with one easy site - learn what the buzz is all about in the wonderful area of Northern New Mexico! SEARCH SANTA FE AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO MLS

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/