Kendra Ruminer's Two Cents of Real Estate

Take A Peek At Los Alamos, New Mexico

Month: August 2020

The House of Tomorrow Here in LA

August 26, 2020 /

The residents of Los Alamos County are used to the concept of housing shortages, creative solutions, and making do with what we have. After all, our surroundings boast some of the most incredible views the world has to offer. You can certainly embrace an eclectic house when you’re looking at panoramic views. But you might be interested to know that housing shortages aren’t a new thing here in Los Alamos. As early as the 1940s Los Alamos was looking for solutions to the lack of housing. In 1949 we were eager enough to jump onto a rather unique, quick, mass produced housing bandwagon called Lustron Homes.

Barely visible in this picture is the trademark zigzag trellis that was a Lustron Home signature feature.

Yes. Lustron Homes. The name today (if you’ve never heard it before) has a cult following not unlike the Airstream RV crowd. People are fascinated by the story, the space age style product, and of course, by the same “house of tomorrow” fever that probably has us moving toward a life straight out of “The Jetsons”. Although, this particular house of tomorrow is rather retro.

It all started with the return of GIs after WWII. The economy was recovering. Factories were booming. The middle class was a growing section of the population. And there was nowhere to live.

Enter Carl G. Strandlund. He pitched an idea to the government funded Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) to build prefabricated homes. A $9000 home that could be manufactured in one place and shipped anywhere. These homes would be available in several model styles boasting either two or three bedrooms. They could be assembled by a team of six men using an assembly manual in only a few days!

The RSC granted Strandlund $34 million dollars in loans and set aside a good chunk of steel for his project. Lustron Homes are made of porcelain enameled steel. All of it. Interior, exterior, ceiling, roof, and some models even boasted ivory colored steel venetian blinds! They included bizarre built ins like radiant ceiling heat, a bedroom vanity, china cabinets, and even a clothes washer/dishwasher.

By 1949, Los Alamos jumped on the wagon and 6 of these homes were ordered and constructed on Fairway and 44th Street in the Western Area. The home in the picture above is Dove Gray. Other available colors included Surf Blue, Desert Tan, and Maize Yellow. The homes are made entirely of enameled steel. The company even had to come up with an upbeat decorating guide that included a picture hanging kit. Let’s just say that when decorating your Lustron, magnets are your friends.

Okay. So Lustron Homes never achieved their 100 homes/day goal. Their production line never managed to exceed 27/day. By 1950 they were bankrupt. They’d managed to crank out just under 2500 homes and had defaulted on orders for 8000 more. At the height of their production, the Columbus, OH factory was using more electricity than the rest of the entire city combined. It was a modern factory experiment that completely underestimated the cost of actually shipping these mass produced houses all over the US.

The Lustron Homes story is typically seen as a bit of a failure. The homes had limited decorating options. You can’t even repaint the interior walls. The steel plates are rather susceptible to rust. And it’s not like you can do much in the way of expansion or renovation.

However, 5 of the original 6 Lustron homes are still standing here in Los Alamos. And honestly, for our climate and the reality of living here they’re not such a bad investment. Instead of exterior paint, you just pull out the hose to refresh your look. The roof of a Lustron is totally maintenance free. The desert climate doesn’t exactly promote rusting so our Lustrons don’t have this issue. And on top of other considerations, they’re essentially fireproof.

Besides, they fit perfectly into our Los Alamos landscape. They are a piece of Post World War II history and that is very much a part of the identity of Los Alamos. Many of the Lustrons still standing around the US have been placed on the historic register. Wikipedia has a list of Lustrons HERE. You’ll notice that all of ours are conspicuously absent from that list. Go ahead and have a chuckle. After all, being absent from any list is such a vintage part of life in Los Alamos. There are so many old school examples of building and architecture here in our town. The quads and duplexes. The entire Denver Steel area, Fuller Lodge, Bathtub Row, and countless other examples of American culture frozen in time. Viewed through that lens, it seems rather fitting that we have some Lustron Homes on that list.

I’ll leave you today with a YouTube video courtesy of the Ohio Historical Society. Take a peek and enjoy a look back at what life used to be like. Sometimes as we talk amongst ourselves about spotty Internet service, online school, and work at home, it feels as though a return to a simpler time wouldn’t be so bad.

A Snapshot of Life in the 50’s.

See you soon! Keep looking for more blog posts featuring local real estate tips and ideas for Living in Los Alamos. And as always, Call or Email Kendra anytime!

What’s A Little Stuff?

August 20, 2020 /

If there’s something we see a lot of in Real Estate, it’s stuff. Yep. LOTS of stuff. It doesn’t really matter who you are or where you’ve lived, where you’re moving, or where you’re from. People accumulate stuff. We find it. We buy it. We inherit it. Other people give us THEIR stuff. And the cycle continues.

So, let’s talk about stuff for a minute. Can we? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to visit with a new client and come face to face with their stuff. This can happen in any number of ways too. Maybe I’m going to their home because they’re ready to list it for sale. Perhaps I’m meeting with them because they’re in the market for another house. They need to downsize. Or they need more space. Like I said, this can happen any number of ways. Because we don’t have oodles of time and space, let’s focus on three situations that probably apply to most people in the Los Alamos area.

“Help! My new house has NO storage!”

There is always variety within a real estate market. But when Los Alamos boasts diversity in housing options, we aren’t kidding around. There are some homes that have enormous amounts of storage (yes, they DO exist!) But if your new home isn’t one of those, you might be looking for creative ways to maximize your storage.

First of all, does this picture apply to you? Do you have boxes and boxes of possessions that you’ve been carting all over the country as you move from one phase of your life to the next?

Step One: Go through your stuff. If you haven’t used it in five years, you probably never will.

There are a library’s worth of books written on the relationship between humans and their possessions. Hoarding is a word we don’t like to hear applied to us. But please go easy on yourself. Hoarding doesn’t always end in one of those homes featured on reality television. People hoard for a variety of reasons, but there is always an emotional element to it. The truth is that you’re likely to be much happier without a life filled with excess baggage. And yes, you can make an emotional parallel there if you choose.

Step Two: Identify storage areas in your home.

This isn’t just about saying, “oh yeah, there’s a closet here.” It’s about taking a critical look at the space you have and matching it with practical uses. This is also where you make an investment in organizers. The thought might seem irritating or overwhelming, but when you have a large rectangular empty space because of duct work or the chimney, an organizer solution can make that into a viable place to store books, toys, clothing, or just about anything you like. And if you’re looking for real space saving tips, I highly recommend Kendra Henning of Stuff Happens. Kendra has an absolute knack for knowing which organizer will fit what where!

Step Three: Be creative!

No room for cleaning supplies because the kitchen is full and there isn’t a proper laundry room? Do you actually USE all of your coat closet space in the front hallway? Why not store paper products and cleaning products there? Perhaps the kids need new beds anyway. Why not get a pedestal bed with storage drawers underneath? This might even be a solution for sports equipment like skis if you’ve got space beneath the bed in your master. Think outside the box and the box will suddenly seem a lot bigger!

“I’m trying to move into a larger home, but I have to sell my smaller one first!”

This sounds like a fantastic problem to have, but trying to sell a house you’ve outgrown can be tricky. First of all, see the steps above. If you’ve got unused stuff it might be time to donate or sell it. After all, you don’t want to move into a larger house and just swallow it up with a bunch of things you don’t even need!

Moving is the perfect time to purge. Get started as soon as you make the decision to put your house on the market. Perhaps even before. People need to be able to see your home. You might have outgrown it, but it may be just what they need. Unfortunately, if it is jam packed with boxes and boxes of your stuff, they can’t see just how perfect a fit it would be for them.

Don’t be afraid to start packing. In fact, DO pack. You. Are. Moving. Yes. If you pack the entire kitchen, you might have an issue making dinner, but you can pack most of the kitchen and be just fine. Moving is a mindset. Your house WILL sell. It might not sell tomorrow, but it will sell. Sure, in the interim you might experience a bit of inconvenience. Those are growing pains. They’re a natural part of this process. After all, you’re moving and eventually you will be settled in your beautiful new home! So get your stuff into boxes and tuck it into your best friend’s garage. Or your garage, if you have one. Even a month or two lease on a storage unit might be a good plan. Not to mention, paying for storage could REALLY motivate you to purge.

Once again, it’s not a bad idea to call a professional. Kendra Henning at Stuff Happens has a pretty spectacular track record with getting growing families from House A to House B with minimal fuss and stress.

“I’m downsizing after 30 years of living in the same house and I think my cat is lost in my office.”

Yes. This happens in Los Alamos more than you might think. In fact, I would bump that number up to perhaps forty plus years. This situation can also apply when an elderly parent has either passed away, or has decided to enter an assisted care facility or a smaller, senior living apartment.

This is when it can feel as though you are drowning in stuff. Paper can be one of the most prominent items to dispose of. Just because things are often all electronic now, that doesn’t mean the first thirty years of credit card statements and magazines aren’t still covering every surface in that home office. Before you get overwhelmed, ask yourself if you’re really ready to take on this task. It isn’t worth damaging yourself, your physical health, or your relationship with your elderly parent or relative when hiring a professional may be the better answer.

If that’s not an option you can choose, then I highly suggest making a plan BEFORE you attempt to sort anything. This plan should involve a realistic list of what will be useful in your/your relative’s next living situation, and then locating those items and setting them aside before you begin sorting the rest. It does no good to purge and purge and then realize you have to go and buy something you need because you already donated the one you had.

When it comes to a huge project that involves condensing decades worth of stuff accumulation, it pays to understand the ins and outs of estate sales, donations, and who to call when you need heavy lifting help. Even deciding what to keep and what to part with can be a difficult task. Remember, your unwanted junk might be someone else’s treasure, but finding that person takes industry know how and contacts.

The emotional impact of necessary purging can be paralyzing. I highly recommend calling Stuff Happens if you are facing this daunting task. Kendra Henning is a former project manager and Realtor with a deep understanding of what it takes to make an organized move happen. She is also a member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers. There are plenty of ways to make a move less stressful for your senior if you know how to work the logistics in their favor. Take advantage of Kendra’s industry knowledge to minimize the impact of this life changing event.

Whatever your issue with STUFF, remember that there are industry professionals out there who want to help. Whether you need a professional organizer or a Realtor, don’t be afraid to ask for help. We are only a phone call away!

If You’ve Got a Stuff Issue, Visit Stuff Happens ONLINE or CALL KENDRA HENNING today!

PID – Truth or Dare?

August 13, 2020 /

Los Alamos is a small town with a rich history of ingenuity and can do attitude. This is never more evident than when we’re talking about the housing market. You don’t have to be a part of this community for very long to realize that you need to be creative when it comes to living arrangements. Whether we’re talking about renovating a post World War II relic like a Lustron Home (Don’t worry. If you have no idea what this is, keep watching the blog and I’ll happily explain in a future post) or subdividing a particularly large lot to make room for a new neighbor perched on the edge of a canyon. We know how to think outside the box!

Sometimes, the need for housing pushes us into completely new territory. At least for Los Alamos. A good example of this is the Mirador subdivision currently being built in White Rock. It sits on NM State Road 4 between the White Rock Visitor’s center and the stoplight at Grand Canyon. If you’ve been to White Rock lately, you’ve no doubt noticed the rows of houses being built at what almost seems a frantic pace. You’ve probably also noticed that the land itself seemed to go through endless rounds of grading and preparation before the first houses went up and became habitable toward the end of last year.

Why did it take so long for the builder to start building actual houses?

A good portion of White Rock sits on a bed of basalt. This had to be blasted and removed before building crews could lay a foundation for the houses to be built.

“Gosh, that sounds expensive!”

It is. Or was. Or rather, it WILL be. But that’s why we’re talking about PIDs. Public Improvement Districts. You might have heard the term either in the Los Alamos Daily Post or the Los Alamos Monitor or maybe in a council meeting. Or, you might have heard about public improvement districts in relation to several of them in the Albuquerque/Rio Rancho area. This concept is widely used in other larger metropolitan areas. But Mirador is the first public improvement district in Los Alamos County.

How does this work? Here is a quote directly from the November 4, 2018 Los Alamos Daily Post Article by Carol Clark.

“So how will the PID generate money in order to cover costs for administration and infrastructure? According to agenda documents, a special levy will be assessed on property in the development. Homeowners in the Mirador development will pay this levy in addition all other taxes and charges. The levy is only collected by the County and no homeowner, property owner or commercial property owner outside the development will pay it. In an earlier article published in the Los Alamos Daily Post, Community Development Department Director Paul Andrus said the cost to the homeowner will average about $200/month under the PID.”

Hmm. Let’s relate that back to the idea of buying power. I talked about buying power back on July 29, 2020. You can see that blog post here. The face value of $200/month when you’re talking about a big ticket item like a house might not sound like a lot. But when you add that $200 as a line item to your monthly house payment, it can feel enormous.

In my previous post about buying power and low interest rates, I discussed the impact of lowering interest rates because a percentage point or two, even half a point, can be the difference between making a house affordable or not. Most home buyers come into the transaction with a comfortable number in mind. They know what they can afford each month to pay for principal, interest, insurance, and taxes. They’ve done their research. They know that they need to leave room in the budget for things like utilities and maintenance costs. There are the cost of living necessities too. And that’s when $200 can be the difference between a house with a PID levy associated with it being a good idea or not.

Here’s another thing. That levy associated with the PID sticks with the house for 30 years. Sure. Homeowner A who initially moves into this lovely, brand new house might be willing to pay that extra chunk of change each month. But when they go to sell the house, they’re going to have to find the next homeowner willing to take over payments. Depending on the future of PIDs in Los Alamos County, this could affect how future buyers view that house and what they might or might not be willing to pay for it.

Whatever the future may hold for our county and our real estate market, there is no denying that PIDs offer a lot of good incentives for development. In theory, they can keep prices down and incentivize the development of difficult property by spreading out the cost of infrastructure over time and making sure only those benefitting from the development pay for it. But there are other questions that will only be answered as time goes on.

Until we have all the answers, I suggest getting as much information as possible if you’re considering the purchase of a property with a PID attached. Find out how this affects your monthly payment and ask plenty of questions about exactly what you’re paying for. Don’t be afraid to satisfy every bit of your curiosity and get as much information as you possibly can about this new and unusual obligation you’re considering. Information is always power. And don’t forget. You can always call your Realtor with any questions or concerns about your real estate transaction.

Call Kendra Now!

Let’s Get Real: Wire Fraud is a Thing

August 5, 2020 /

You’ve found the house of your dreams. You’ve made your offer. The offer has been accepted and you’ve been working with the lender who did the pre-approval on your loan. Now it’s down to the homestretch and you’re so excited you’re on edge just waiting for that closing date. Then you get an email from the title company telling you that you need to wire them your down payment and closing costs RIGHT NOW! If you wait even a millisecond, you’re going to lose this house!

What next? I’ll tell you what next. STOP! Seriously. Put the brakes on and just wait a second. Take a deep breath and call your Realtor! That’s right. Get on the phone and talk to the person who has been walking you through this entire process from the beginning. I can promise your real estate agent absolutely knows whether or not the title company has an urgent need to have your down payment and/or closing costs in hand right this second. Whatever you do, DO NOT wire a single penny without having an in person chat, Zoom call, or phone conversation with your agent, your lender, or your title company representative. Because let me tell you right now, if it feels fishy? It’s totally fishy!

Cases of Wire Fraud in Real Estate Are On the Rise!

I know, you’re probably thinking to yourself that this is Los Alamos. But I can assure you that I have had clients here in town who have been victims of wire fraud. In the case of my clients, they had enough savvy to question some of the information in the email. Once we realized what was happening, the phishers were denied their loot. But there have been other buyers who were not so fortunate. Imagine losing over a hundred thousand dollars with no way to get it back because your money just took a trip to Sri Lanka. Not cool!

How It Works

The entire scam is based upon a method you’re probably already familiar with. Phishing. A process that hackers use to snag personal information from the inboxes of professionals like real estate agents, lenders, and title company representatives. This information usually includes a buyer’s name, address, pertinent financial info, and even some pretty accurate numbers from their anticipated closing costs. It could even include the down payment amount they’re supposed to bring to the closing table.

Once the hacker has this important and personal information, they use “spoofing” techniques to build an email or even a phone number that looks absolutely legit. They pose as your lender or your agent, even going so far as to get a semi accurate signature to convince the buyer that this is a legitimate request.

In the case of wire fraud, an ounce of prevention is worth thousands of your hard earned dollars. Here are a few ways to protect yourself:

If you have already initiated a wire transfer, then time is running out. Contact your financial institution immediately. Generally speaking, there is a very small window of time when the transfer can be recalled. Don’t forget to tell your bank that you’ve been a victim of wire fraud. It may encourage them to do everything they can to recall that transaction.

Contact the FBI’s cyber crimes department and give them the details of your situation. Be aware though, these transactions are not insured. There is really no way to get your money back. It is simply gone. That is why it is SO important to prevent this from happening to you!

Prevent Wire Fraud by putting as little financial information into an email as possible. Talk in person (masked of course!). Use the phone. Use Zoom if you’re purchasing a home and you’re not already in the local area. Be free with your questions. Never be afraid to call your lender, your title company representative, and especially your Realtor! If something feels wrong, it probably is!

If you do get a request from someone claiming to be one of your trusted professionals, don’t click on anything in that email. If it’s a strange phone call, hang up. Then initiate contact from your end on purpose! Call your Realtor. Call your lender. Speak to a legitimate source and explain what’s happening. These are the same things that you should already be doing if you get a message from Paypal telling you that your account has been locked and please enter your personal information to unlock it. If the problem or the request really exists, then it will STILL exist when YOU contact them to discuss or resolve it!

Take your future by the horns and don’t let anyone try to snatch it from you. And as always, if you have questions or concerns, CALL ME! I’d love to give you more information.

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