.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%; } As we reach the halfway point of 2017, supply is down and demand is up in our market, and this is great news for sellers. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Now that we’ve reached the midway point of 2017, how’d our market do for the first half of the year? Things have been moving in great progression. Our market is stronger today than it was last year. Supply is down and demand is up, which is great for sellers. If you’re a buyer, you have some new obstacles to face. Our market is stronger today than it was last year. The amount of inventory that has come on the market is about the same as it was last year and has only increased by about 1.8%. Pending sales, though, have increased by 9.6% since this time last year, and the number of closed sales is also up 7.7%. Demand continues to grow, and this is causing prices to go up. The good news for sellers is the median sale price increased 4.6% to $193,500 since last year. The average sale price also increased 5% to $231,575. Our average days on market, however, shrunk 10% to 52 days, and the total number of active listings is down 18.8% to roughly 3,500 homes. If you have any questions about our market or you’re thinking about buying or selling a home, feel free to reach out to me or my team. We would be happy to help you. As always, 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%; } In every real estate transaction, there are certain costs associated with being a seller even if you are listing your home as for sale by owner. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation In real estate, every transaction has seller-related closing costs. Even if you are listing it as for sale by owner, there are some things you’ll need to be aware of. Even if you are listing it as for sale by owner, there are some things you’ll need to be aware of. Some of the costs you can expect as a seller include a title insurance policy, a title commitment, and also a title closing fee. Sellers also need to remember survey prorated property taxes. We have property taxes in arrears here in New Mexico so you’ll need to estimate what your taxes will be at the time of closing. Additionally, there will be a final water bill, recording fees, special assessment search, and legal documentation fees. If you do hire an agent to get your property sold, which is the case in most transactions, you should allocate an additional 6% in Realtor commission. Remember also that in the state of New Mexico we do charge gross receipts tax on those commissions. So if you’d like a free home evaluation, would like more information, or have any other questions feel free to get in touch by giving us a call or sending an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

.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%; } Many homeowners think summer is the best time to sell their house, but you can increase your chances of selling faster and for more money at a different time of year that might surprise you. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation When's the best time to list your home for sale? The answer may surprise you. Simply put, the answer is during the winter and early spring months, for a couple reasons. According to one online source, you're 9% more likely to sell your house during the winter and early spring months. You're also likely to sell your home one week faster and get 1.9% more money than if you waited for the summer months when there's more competition. Buyers want to get into a home before interest rates go up. You might be thinking that there aren't as many buyers looking to get into a new home during the winter; they'd rather wait until it's warmer and school gets out, right? In reality, though, there is still a healthy amount of buyers in the market during the winter and early spring for many reasons like job relocations, a new baby, or people wanting to take advantage of low interest rates before they rise. If you're thinking about selling your house this season and you'd like to know what it's worth or you have any other questions, don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. 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%; } When preparing your home for the market, here are the five things you should avoid. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation When preparing your home for sale, there are five things you must avoid doing: 1. Adding wallpaper. Typically, buyers see wallpaper as a removal project rather than a value add to the home. 2. Adding lavish light fixtures. This is an addition you won’t get any return value out of. It’s also more of a focus point than a neutral aspect in the eyes of the consumer. 3. Replacing carpet with carpet. Inexpensive engineered hardwood, laminate flooring, and tile are all better options to replace carpet with. A cheaper option would be to just have the original carpet professionally shampooed so it looks fresh and clean. 4. Using bright and bold paint colors. Avoid red, purple, and orange-colored paint and use neutral and light colors instead. This will help your property look and feel fresher. 5. Overspending on your landscaping projects. As with lavish lighting fixtures, landscaping projects are something you simply won’t get any money out of. Do something simple instead like adding flowers to give your property a touch of color. Steer clear of these five things when preparing your home for sale. If you have any other questions about this topic or know anyone interested in buying, selling, or investing in real estate, just give us a call or send us an email and we’d be happy to speak with you. As always, 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%; } We're holding our annual RED Day soon, and we'd love for you to help us donate to East San Jose Elementary School. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation The annual Keller Williams RED Day is a time when we get together to give back to the community. RED stands for "Renew, energize, and donate" and this year, we're happy to get together to benefit East San Jose Elementary School. This school is in an area that needs a lot of support; 50% of the students live at or below the poverty line and 100% are on the free lunch and breakfast program. Our team is holding a school supply drive in an effort to collect both supplies and monetary donations. You can see a list of supplies we're looking for in the video above or you can see it here. Our team will be here at the office on Saturday, May 6th to collect donations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We're really looking forward to giving back. We're really looking forward to giving back since we're fortunate to be in a great position. Won't you give us a hand? If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We're always glad to hear from you!

.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%; } The Albuquerque real estate market is moving fast. I’ll go over what’s happening with inventory, home prices, and more today. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation How is the real estate market doing? We’ll go over the latest numbers as of March 2017. The market is moving at a pretty fast pace. Homes are selling very quickly and inventory continues to shrink. New listing inventory on the market is down about 10% from this time last year, and we’re also seeing pending sales increase by 12%. In short, sales are going up while inventory continues to go down. Inventory is shrinking and home values are rising. The good news is that home values are going up. The median sales price increased by 6.5% to $189,000 and our average sales price is up to $223,000, which is a 6.8% increase from last year. Inventory is down 22% to 2,842 single-family homes on the market. The average days on market dropped 12% to 66 days, and the absorption rate is at three months. Since our market is moving a lot faster, buyers have to make decisions sooner. The good news for sellers is that values are moving up at a fast pace so far this year. If you have any other questions about our current market, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

.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%; } If you plan on selling your home this spring, there are five easy and inexpensive things you can do now to prepare your home for the market. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation There are five simple and inexpensive ways to get your home ready for today’s market: 1. Get your home professionally cleaned. Hire someone to do a deep cleaning of your home. Clean the windows, the blinds, and ceiling fans. Basically, have them clean anything you typically don’t clean so that your home appears fresh for the market. 2. Add additional lighting by adding new lamps or replacing old light bulbs. Make sure that your curtains and blinds are open for every showing so that your home feels light and bright. Make sure your home is fresh and airy. 3. Make sure everything is fresh and airy. Use candles, air fresheners, and maybe even some potpourri so that your home smells appealing to buyers during showings. 4. Declutter and pack up your home. After all, your goal is to move, so you might as well pack away things that you don’t need anymore. Pack away your winter clothes, empty out the cabinets, and do anything you can to reduce clutter. 5. Add curb appeal. Plant some fresh flowers, start watering the grass, and spruce up the landscaping. After all, the first impression is the lasting impression for your home showing. If you have any other questions about preparing for the market or about selling your home, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

.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%; } If you’re selling your home, you should order an inspection for it before you list it. There are five key reasons why. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation On our team, I always prefer that our sellers get their home inspected before they list it. Why? There are five key reasons: 1. You can identify any big-ticket items that need to be addressed. For example, we oftentimes find roofs that need to be replaced due to hail damage. A pre-listing inspection can also identify a hot water heater or furnace that needs to be replaced. 2. It assures the buyers that your home has been inspected and all repairs have been addressed. This is especially beneficial if they’re choosing between your home and a competitor’s home. With your home, they know all potential issues involved and that you’ve addressed them. With a competitor’s home, they don’t know things like the condition of the roof, the heating and plumbing systems, etc. 3. It eliminates any second negotiations. Typically you negotiate all the terms of your home sale, such as the sales price, the closing date, and the closing costs. If you have a home inspection after this first round of negotiations and find some big-ticket items that need to be addressed, you have to negotiate these terms all over again. Unforeseen repairs that the buyer and seller can’t agree on are responsible for 77% of all terminated deals. Getting a pre-listing inspection will eliminate many future obstacles. 4. It saves time and money. When you get all your repairs completed prior to listing, you can shop around and get better bids from contractors and get the work completed for less instead of being forced to choose whoever is available. 5. It creates a smooth transaction. Having a pre-listing inspection done eliminates the stress of worrying about a possible termination of contract If you have any questions about this topic or would like our home inspector to give your home an inspection, please don’t hesitate to contact us. As always, 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%; } When taking out a mortgage, you need to be careful about how you handle your finances. Here are the 10 biggest mistakes to avoid. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation What are the 10 biggest mistakes you must avoid when taking out a mortgage application? All of these things can severely harm your ability to close on a mortgage. 1. Changing jobs. The minute you do this, your entire loan application will have to be changed, and it could jeopardize your ability to get the mortgage for a variety of reasons. 2. Buying any new vehicles. Doesn’t matter if it’s a car or a boat—this will impact your debt-to-income ratio and affect your ability to close on a mortgage. 3. Using your credit cards excessively. You should actually avoid using your credit cards until after you close on your mortgage. 4. Spending money you have set aside for your closing costs. Don’t use your down payment money for anything except the down payment. 5. Making late payments on your bills. Whether it’s your current mortgage, a car payment, or a credit card payment, making a late payment can severely impact your credit score and your ability to buy a home for the next year. 6. Buying new furniture or appliances. Avoid the 100%, zero-interest financing deals you see at furniture and appliance stores. 7. Initiating any inquiries into your credit. If you give out your social security number to someone at a furniture or appliance store, they’re going to check your credit. 8. Making any large deposits into your checking account. Any cash deposits or large deposits that aren’t your typical income will raise unwanted attention. Talk to your mortgage professional before you make any deposit of that kind. 9. Changing bank accounts. This one is pretty self-explanatory. 10. Co-signing any loans for anyone else. Now is not the time to take on someone else’s debt. If you have any questions about this topic or are interested in buying or selling a house, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be glad to help. 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%; } Our market is finally back to where it was at its peak. This time, however, we don’t anticipate a crash. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation I wanted to take a moment to discuss the 2016 market report with you. It was great news all around for Albuquerque, as 2016 was the best year we’ve had in a decade. Here are a few trends we’d like to point out. 1. Our average sale price grew to $224,000. This figure is up 4% from the year before and the highest value we have seen since 2006. 2. Our median sale price also grew by 5.4% to $189,000. 3. There were 11,754 total sales in 2016, up 7.65% from the previous year. 4. Our existing inventory sits at 3,274, an all-time low and the lowest we’ve seen since May 2006. Our inventory is the lowest it has been since May 2006. See a common theme in these statistics? Our market is back to where it was at the last peak in 2006. There are skeptics talking about a potential real estate bubble, but that’s just not factual. Our market is going to continue to be strong. A lot of neighborhoods are in seller’s markets already, and we look forward to what the future will bring. If you have any questions for us or are curious about what kind of price your home would sell for in this current climate, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.