Bonanza For First-Time Home Buyers

The current real estate market is offering a bonanza for first-time home buyers. Customers and clients, several of them, first-time home buyers of all ages, are asking about and taking advantage of opportunities presented by current market conditions. These include inventory, declining prices, and generous tax rebate through the American Recovery and reinvestment Act (Stimulus) funds.

I am delighted to be able to share this timely video, For First-time Home Buyers from my Keller Williams Realty connections to help answer a current frequently asked question. If, after viewing, you are motivated to take action, do get in touch with me. Happy viewing!

Albuquerque's Watermelon Mountains

Apart from the sky, the Sandia Mountains may be Albuquerque, NM's best feature. I cannot imagine anyone falling in love at first sight with the city as I did, if those mountains weren’t there. They offer a magnificent backdrop, orient us, beckon us to get closer, and seduce us to explore. The Sandia Mountains, so called because of the watermelon rosy red and orange tinted dawns and sunsets they engender, are friendly but they demand respect.

If you answer the Watermelon Mountains’ call to approach, enter and explore, do so care and caution. They are, after all, a wild place with wild terrain and animals. Go accompanied and preferably with an experienced guide. I don’ t go beyond my comfort level. My more daring friends who frequent the mountains recount interesting stories of encounters and near misses.

Go well prepared. Even at 5,000-6,000 feet where we live in the city, we can have sudden weather changes that cause temperatures to drop several degrees. Within an hour in summer, we can go from bright sunny skies to rain and hail and back again. In winter, it's relative warmth to snow and back again.

In addition, the twists and turns of paths and the uneven terrain of peaks and valleys in combination with unusual light patterns of this southwest region make it easy for one to seem to disappear in an instant, almost like camouflage.

A recent tragedy involving a young, experienced hiker and her Albuquerque Police Department helicopter pilot rescuer reminds us that we can't be too careful when out enjoying this beautiful land of ours.
Pilot Student Tragedy

Greater Albuquerque Area Market Update

The May figures for the real estate market in the Greater Albuquerque Area continue to reflect the positive trend of the two previous months with higher sales volume, diminishing days on the market and a shrinking inventory.

First-time home buyers who have been waiting patiently for a favorable market are making hay while the sun shines for them with low interest rates, falling prices and the incentive of $8,000 tax rebate. It is not surprising that homes in the $150,000 to $200,000 price range are at the leading edge of the recovery.

May Market Update

Another Week in th Q

Albuquerque has another name. The city has been fondly called the Duke City for years and now another name is becoming popular - The "Q." It has one advantage. It is easier to spell.

So what happened in the Q this week? Many of us in the real estate business are feeling hopeful about the market and are pleased that first-time home buyers in particular seem to be taking advantage of the large inventory and continuing low rates and other available incentives.

Of course, the housing market is only a barometer of the overall economy, so what indicators in the Q this past week are resulting in positive outcomes?
Our stimulus package has increased to more than $3 billion.
The Q is still a popular destination for tourists, retirees and job seekers.
A new solar venture with possibilities for additional employment is getting underway.
The Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) held its first meeting in the Q.
Our unemployment rate is below the national average.
The weather was fantastic all week.