Your understanding of these three market factors will play a major role in your home sale success. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You’ve decided to put your home on the market. Congratulations! As you strategize your sale, there are a few factors you’ll want to take into account. First, get to know your competition. You’ll need to understand how comparable properties in your neighborhood, area, or school district stack up against yours. Second, find out what inventory is doing. Are homes selling quickly? What is the average days on market? The answers to these questions are important to your home’s ability to sell quickly and for the highest possible price. Lastly, be sure to price your home according to how soon you need to move. If you need to sell in a hurry, price your home aggressively. If you have a little time to work with, your pricing strategy should be based on your desired timeline. If you have any questions or you’d like to know what your home is worth in today’s market, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’d be more than happy to help. As always, stay classy, Albuquerque!

Homeowners have a fantastic opportunity right now in our real estate market. Here’s what you need to know. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Why should you consider selling your home in 2019? For starters, we have extremely low inventory right now. We’re also seeing the highest average sale price ($250,000) that we’ve ever had. There are a lot of new employment opportunities here in Albuquerque at growing companies such as Intel, Netflix, and more, which will continue to bring more buyers to the area. Additionally, interest rates are at historic lows below 4%. If you have any other questions or would like more information about how our team can help you achieve your real estate goals, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

If you don’t want your deal to fall apart following the inspection, then you need to understand how to handle repair requests. Let’s discuss this critical topic today. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Repair requests are one of the most common reasons a real estate deal can fall apart. So, how should this common sticking point be handled? First, you need to understand what kind of requests are reasonable. Repair requests should, for the most part, be limited to health and safety hazards. These hazards might manifest in the form of a leaky roof, mold, faulty electrical wiring, or any number of other problems. Cosmetic issues, on the other hand, should generally be left out of negotiations. Things like paint, flooring, and any other aspect of the home that concerns aesthetics over functionality are best left to be handled after closing. Repair requests should, for the most part, be limited to health and safety hazards. Of course, issues related to repair requests can easily be tackled before the home ever hits the market. Our team always recommends that sellers who list with us order a pre-inspection, as this will help them to identify and resolve any problems the home may have before opening it up to buyers. Ordering a pre-inspection not only allows sellers to make repairs on their own terms, but it also gives them greater leverage when negotiating with buyers—who will be happy to see that the home has a clean bill of health. If you have any other questions or would like more information about how our team can help you achieve your real estate goals, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

The kind of closing costs you can expect to pay depends on whether you’re a buyer or a seller. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation What kind of closings costs should buyers and sellers expect to pay once a home sale nears completion? If you’re a buyer, there are loan-related costs (i.e., processing fees and underwriting fees), appraisal fees, tax service fees, and flood zone certification fees to consider. You also have to deal with prepaid expenses in order to establish your escrow account. This includes homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance, taxes, etc. On the title side, you have very few expenses to deal with, but some negotiable items to consider are the title company closing fee, survey fee, and closing fee. If you’re currently in the process of closing on a home and you’d like an estimate of what you’ll pay in total closing costs, give me a call and I’d be happy to give you one. If you’re a seller, things are a lot different. You’ll pay a broker’s commission (usually 6%), title fees, legal document preparation fees, special assessment fees, survey fees, HOA fees, and homeowner transfer document fees. If you’re currently in the process of closing on a home and you’d like an estimate of what you’ll pay in total closing costs, give me a call and I’d be happy to give you one. Your lender can also provide you with a good-faith estimate of your loan fees. If you’re getting ready to sell, I’d be happy to give you an estimate as well. If you have any more questions about this topic or you have any other real estate needs I can assist you with, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to speaking with you.

When listing your home, there are 10 mistakes you need to avoid that can prevent your home from getting sold. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Here are the top 10 mistakes you need to avoid when listing your home on the market: 1. Excess damage. Make sure you complete any necessary repairs and take care of any deferred maintenance so your home shows its best. 2. Carpet in the bathrooms. This is a big turnoff for buyers, so if you have one or more bathrooms that have carpet, I’d consider replacing it with a hard surface like tile. This way your home appeals to a broader spectrum of buyers. 3. Stains on the carpet. If you have noticeable stains on your carpet, whether they be from pets or a high level of foot traffic, you should consider laying down new carpet. 4. Pet odors. People who own pets often don’t notice the odor their animals produce after a while. So if you’re a pet owner, give your home a deep clean and deodorize it. 5. Dogs that bark. If you own one or more dogs and you’re planning an open house, it might be a good idea to speak to your neighbors and see if they can dog-sit for you. You don’t want buyers’ first impressions of your property to be a barking dog. 6. A dead lawn. Spruce up your lawn so that it looks its absolute best. It’s usually a safe bet that smaller upgrades—like neutralizing your home’s interior paint color—will appeal to buyers. 7. A bad agent. Nothing can sour a potential buyer’s attitude faster than a selling broker who’s rude, unreasonable, and/or hard to communicate with. The broker who’s representing you needs to cooperate with any buyer who’s interested in your house. 8. Sloppiness. You need to make sure the beds are made and the dishes are done each and every day. You should also clean and declutter your closets so that your storage spaces show as well as possible. Buyers should be able to visualize themselves living in your property, and an unkempt house is always unattractive. 9. Being unreasonable as a seller. If your property has potential deal-killers (repairs, upgrades, etc.), it’s helpful to try to overcome those obstacles in advance so that when a prospective buyer comes around, you’re not seen as unreasonable. 10. Bad taste. It always helps to follow current homeowner trends when trying to sell your own home. You can watch HGTV for some quick tips on what’s appealing to buyers in today’s market, but it’s usually a safe bet that smaller upgrades—like neutralizing your home’s interior paint color—will appeal to buyers. If you have any more questions about the mistakes you need to avoid when listing your home or you’re thinking of buying a home in our Albuquerque market, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help you.

There are five reasons why now may be the time for you to move up. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Are you thinking about moving up into a newer or better home? Here are five reasons that now may be the time to do so: 1. Renovations may not be feasible. If cost is an issue as far as renovations go, you might be better off upgrading to a home that already has a remodeled kitchen or that pool you’ve been wanting. 2. You’re running out of room. Perhaps your family is growing and you need extra living space. If you’re running out of room, it may be time to move up. 3. Your neighborhood may be changing. For example, there may be a lot of renters moving into your area, and now may be a good time to maximize your home’s value. 4. Your neighborhood’s already changed. 5. You finally have enough equity to buy your dream home. If the home you are living in now was the first one you ever bought, now may be the time to take all the equity you’ve built into it and upgrade to the kind of home you perhaps initially wanted. If you would like to know what your home’s worth in today’s market or are thinking about buying a home, please feel free to reach out to us. We would love to help you. As always, stay classy, Albuquerque!

What can set you apart as a buyer in competitive market? Start with this list of four tips. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Today we’re going to discuss four different ways to beat the competition in today’s market. The home buying market is very competitive these days, so here are a few ways that you can stand out: 1. Get pre-approved. This is different than a pre-qualification, which is just a basic letter. A pre-approval requires you to sit down with a lender and requires them to verify your financial documentation. Once you’re pre-approved for a loan, all you need to do is find your home. This will help you separate yourself from the competition when making an offer on a home. 2. Go after properties that need a bit of work. If you’re looking for a house that’s move-in ready and all teed up, you’ll pay for it. If you find a property that has been on the market a little bit longer or needs a bit of TLC, you can get it for a great price and the market won’t be as competitive. A pre-approval will help you separate yourself from other buyers. 3. Prepare a personal letter. Including a family photo or video with your offer can help you establish a personal connection with the seller, and will also make you stand out against other buyers. 4. Choose an experienced agent or team. We have a great, unique home selling system to help you beat out the competition and get the best deal. If you have any questions for us in the meantime or want our help with buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

The latest May 2018 numbers indicate that Albuquerque is in a seller’s market. Despite this, it is still a great time to buy too. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation We are into June, and our Albuquerque market is starting to heat up. When we look at the numbers from last May, we see many of the great trends we saw in May 2017 happen now at an accelerated pace. For one thing, inventory continues to shrink. There were 4,800 closed sales, which is up 4% from May 2017. At the same time, there were 7,300 new listings that hit the market, which was just a 1% growth compared to May 2017. Our total number of homes on the market at the end of the month was just over 3,000, which is a 17% drop compared to May 2017 when there were about 3,700 homes available. Our average days on market was 50 days, which was another 17% drop compared to May 2017. The average sale price reached $235,000, which was a 4% increase over May 2017. Finally, our median sale price rose 5% to $200,000. We are seeing many of the great trends we saw in May 2017 happen now at an accelerated pace. If you are a buyer, these numbers mean it is very important that you work with an experienced agent who can help you find the right home at the right price. Interest rates are still below 5%, so it is still a great time to buy. If you are a seller, these numbers bring great news. Homes are selling quickly, and in the last 10 years, there has never been a better time to get the most money possible from your home sale. If you have any more questions about our market or you are thinking of buying or selling a home, please feel free to reach out to me. My team and I would love to help you. As always, stay classy Albuquerque!

Here are a few things you can do to increase your odds of winning the home of your dream in this competitive market. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Today we’re going to be talking about six ways to up the chances of buying your first home: 1. Hire a seasoned agent. You need someone who truly understands the market and has the experience necessary to help you save money on your home purchase. Make sure they are a full-time agent. 2. Get pre-approved by a lender. We have a great preferred lender you can meet with. It’s important to understand the different loan programs available to you and to have a budget and know what your buying power is in today’s market. 3. Consider a home that may need work. There are some great loan programs out there to take advantage of here, such as the 203(k) renovation loan. It allows you to buy a home for a great price and roll the costs of the necessary improvements into the loan. “ There are some great loan programs out there. ”4. Consider buying in a transitioning neighborhood. This allows you to get a good value now and have some great appreciation down the road as the neighborhood improves. There are a few areas in Albuquerque just like this that we can show you. 5. Think about raising your budget. If you raise it by just $50 or $100 per month, you will have much more homes to look at and it might lead you to the prefect one. 6. Go back to your lender. Thanks for joining us once again. If you have any questions or know somebody who is thinking about buying, selling, or investing in real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Stay classy, Albuquerque!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } There are eight costly mistakes many homeowners make in their first year of ownership. Today, I’ll discuss them and why you should avoid making them. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Today we’ll be discussing eight mishaps that homeowners make within their first year of owning a home. 1. Going with the cheapest bid. Whenever you decide to do some remodeling projects, hiring the contractor with the cheapest bid isn’t always going to be the best course for you. You’ll definitely get what you pay for. Do your due diligence on price and be sure that whomever you select is reputable and skilled. 2. Submitting small insurance claims. I discourage people from filing claims on issues that amount to less than their deductible. For major damages, however, filing a claim is definitely worth it. 3. Making home improvements without understanding ROI. A lot of people spend a lot of money making improvements to their home without considering how much it adds to or detracts from the value of the home should they want to sell it later on. Give me a call; I can give you a list of home improvement projects that will bring you the most value. 4. Going on a furniture shopping spree. Avoid those no-interest financing credit card opportunities when you go to look for furniture for your home. Set a budget for yourself and don’t overspend because if it comes to you having to sell, you’ll have racked up a bunch of expenses on items you can’t afford. Avoid those no-interest financing credit card opportunities when you go to look for furniture for your home. 5. Don’t throw away paperwork or receipts. This is definitely important if you decide to sell your house in the future. Keep receipts from contractors for any repairs or upgrades that you make so that you can thoroughly convey that information to the next homeowner. 6. Ignoring small items on the inspection report. You need to do certain maintenance items every year, so by fixing or improving those small items on the report, you can prevent them from becoming larger problems down the road. 7. Don’t do home improvements without doing research. This is related to No. 3 on this list. You need to understand what’s the best type of improvement for your home and what will give you the biggest bang for your buck. 8. Don’t buy cheap tools. Be sure to invest in a good set of tools since you’ll be using them a lot. You don’t want to have to replace them after a single use. If you have any questions about this or other topics relating to real estate, feel free to reach out to us. We’d love to help you out.