Kendra Ruminer's Two Cents of Real Estate

Take A Peek At Los Alamos, New Mexico

Tag: Kendra Ruminer Real Estate (Page 11 of 17)

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

March 18, 2022 /

The word neighbor might make you smile or groan. So much about liking or not liking your neighbors falls outside of your control. But some things you can control. Things like what kind of fencing you choose. Privacy is a huge part of feeling secure in your home and your fence is what establishes the level of privacy you enjoy.

Planning Your Fence

Here in Los Alamos, the first thing you need to do when planning to upgrade your existing fence or build a new one is to check our county ordinances. You can use this link here. For the most part, if you’re fencing in the back of your home, you need to keep it under six feet in height. If you’re in your front yard, three feet is considered legal. If you have a corner lot or other unique property features, you’ll need to make sure that there aren’t any additional applicable restrictions.

The second thing to ask yourself is what you want your fence to do. Sure. These examples of standard wood fencing are attractive, but will they keep things in or out? Do you have chickens or dogs or children to worry about? How much maintenance do you want to do on your fence?

That beautifully even toned picket fence is going to take a beating in our dry climate. And the UV rays are going to require you to power wash and stain that fence on a yearly basis to even get close to its promised life span. Another frequent complaint of this fencing type is the tendency of the wood posts to dry rot. However, you can look into several different metal post options in order to mitigate that particular problem.

If you’re looking for less maintenance, you might try metal fencing. Some of these wrought iron options are really attractive and can be matched to the spindles on your deck or outdoor staircase.

I realize that when you think metal, you might be thinking about chain link or even barbed wire. While chain link fencing can be an inexpensive option, it doesn’t offer much in the way of privacy. And unless you’re keeping cattle in your yard, barbed wire isn’t going to do anything but add that “rustic” appeal.

Something you might have seen going up in various places around town is masonry walls. There are four to five different varieties of masonry wall, including those covered in stucco, and they can sometimes be combined with other fencing options such as metal or coyote fencing to create a unique and even artistic look to your fence. Masonry walls also have the advantage of being more durable against UV rays and offer good sound buffering. However, they aren’t inexpensive and you’ll likely want to hire a good contractor instead of trying it yourself.

Masonry Walls can be used in several different kinds of fencing combinations.

Location

The other critical piece of planning your fence is the location of your property. How much rock are you going to run into when digging post holes? Are you on the canyon edge? How many bears are you likely to host in your backyard? Are you on the edge of White Rock and prone to sixty mile per hour straight line winds? Does your property have trees to help with the sun’s punishing rays?

All of these questions need to be considered when choosing your best fencing option. Once you’ve determined the material best suited to your needs, you can take a look at budget and the expected lifespan you need from your fence. Keep in mind that part of my “good fences make good neighbors” proverb has to do with choosing a fence that doesn’t offend your neighbors. Talk to them about it. You never know, if you and your neighbors can come to an agreement about what works best for everyone, they might even be willing to help with the cost.

At the end of the day, we’re all neighbors here in Los Alamos. And when you’re ready to talk real estate, give me a call! I’m your hometown real estate expert!

Looking Back At Real Estate in Los Alamos

February 19, 2022 /

There’s no doubt that we can look back ten years and see change. No matter who you are, a decade is a looong time! But as I celebrate my tenth anniversary as a ReMax real estate broker, I want to take you with me on a time warp journey back through my real estate journey in Los Alamos.

First of all, let’s clarify what ten years really means in this context. I’ve been with ReMax ten years, but I actually started here in the real estate business in 2003. I worked until 2006 before taking a break to raise some babies between 2006-2014. When my kiddos were ready to be a little more independent, I got back into the real estate game. So in reality, we’re talking about almost twenty years of changes in the market here in Los Alamos.

Plenty to Shop For

If you’ve been here in Los Alamos for a few decades, you know that our real estate market can fluctuate in some pretty steep patterns that correlate pretty consistently with LANL projects. Ten, fifteen, and even twenty years ago, we were in a very different market, a buyers market in fact. There were plenty of houses on the market to look at. Buyers could pick and choose from a variety of options. Sometimes the same house would see nearly a $100K price difference from one sale to the next. And that could go in either direction!

The large number of available homes back in the day meant that there were more than a few full time real estate brokers here in town. Back in 2003, names such as my mentor, Kendra Henning, Pearl White, Nancy Mroz, and Jim Gautier adorned many signs around town. Some you still see, some have retired or semi-retired. At that time there were such a large number of local real estate agents that we had our own Los Alamos Association of Realtors® (LAAOR).

New Construction at Quemazon

I remember when Quemazon was a new and fantastically different housing option here in Los Alamos. Buyers could opt to build new instead of buy an existing home right in the (kind of) middle of town. Now we’re building in White Rock and looking at an expansion of Ponderosa Estates. The growth might not be fast, but it is happening.

Homes Prices Were Still Rising

It’s true that we’re seeing home values right now that feel shocking. But it’s important to remember that this isn’t isolated to Los Alamos. This is everywhere! I remember the first Los Alamos home selling in the over $800K price range somewhere around 2005. It seemed unbelievable at that time too. Don’t forget that whether we call things inexpensive or expensive is mostly perception and whatever else is going on at the time. Keep in mind that ten years ago in 2012 the high price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline was $3.62. That isn’t wildly different from what you’re probably paying now. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember how wildly things can fluctuate. Certainly, we’ve seen a steadier rise in real estate values. Circa 2004-2006, the average rise was 5% per year. In 2012 & 2013 the average price dropped 4%! Now we’re seeing a 10%-15% per year increase in prices, but that’s also influenced by inflation, which has risen to 7.5%. That’s the highest inflation rate we’ve experienced in the US since 1982.

A ten year anniversary is certainly something to celebrate, but really I’ve been in the Los Alamos Real Estate game for almost two decades. Since coming back in December of 2014 I’ve sold $93M in volume and worked with 284 families of all shapes and sizes to buy or sell their home. And that’s not even close to how many wonderful people I’ve met through being in this business. I’m so glad to be here in Los Alamos doing what I love in a place that is very much my home! So many exciting things have happened in my time with ReMax and I expect more and more exciting things to keep happening! And when you’re ready to talk real estate in Los Alamos, give me a call. I’d love to chat with you!

The Wisdom of Compromise

February 7, 2022 /

Sometimes it is fairly easy to compromise. Maybe you aren’t all that invested in the outcome. Perhaps you’re compromising one thing to achieve another goal that is far more important. So many things affect the way we view a compromise.

As we move further into 2022, the home market is still predominantly a seller’s market. Not just here in Los Alamos, but everywhere. Analysts at Realtor.com predict that the available home inventory will grow an average of 0.3% this year. That might not seem like much, but every little bit helps the market loosen up. Here in Los Alamos, and all across the country.

When it comes to the question of whether or not it is time to stop paying rent and buy your own home, there are more than a few things you would want to consider. You might say you’ll need to consider more than one compromise as you navigate this important decision.

Rent vs Own

In the days of markets past, people rented a home for much less cash each month than they could purchase. It was a way for those who couldn’t come up with a large enough downpayment, (or the entire cash price back in our grandparents’ day), to live somewhere and save up enough money to purchase their own home.

Modern times have seen a shift in the cost of renting that is a direct result of the supply/demand issues of housing. Now, depending upon where you live, you’re probably going to pay more money in rent than you would if you were paying on a low interest mortgage. While you still might have difficulty coming up with a down payment, there are first time homebuyer incentives that could still make purchasing possible.

However, be real with yourself about the cost of owning a home. Do your research! Here in Los Alamos, you might not prefer the idea of moving into one of the new apartments going up in several locations around town or paying what seems like a lot of cash each month to rent a Group 11 Quad or a Group 13 Duplex. It might seem like a waste of money to pay your landlord’s mortgage instead of building equity in your own home.

If you’re the sort of person who loves new, then the homes that are most likely to fit your preferences are in Mirador down in White Rock. The homes are new, and therefore likely to have less in the way of maintenance or renovations necessary, but you’re still going to be paying a premium on top of your mortgage payment because of the public improvement district cost associated with that subdivision. If you’re not familiar with that term, PID, you can see a previous post here. The bottom line is that you’re going to have an extra $200 on top of your mortgage payment to pay toward your living expenses. If you add in the cost of yard upkeep, home maintenance, and anything inside that might need to be maintained, those dollars can really add up. It doesn’t take long for you to realize it might have been cheaper to rent that brand new apartment.

Even if you decide to purchase an older Quad or Duplex or even a home on Barranca Mesa, North Mesa, or White Rock, most of those were built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. I can tell you from experience that a good number of them require a lot of renovation to bring them up to date. They’re fantastic homes with a lot to offer, but there’s a good chance you’re going to find hidden costs to home ownership that you never dreamed of when you were renting.

Remember, when you’re the homeowner, there is nobody to call in the event of a furnace malfunction, a total breakdown of your swamp cooler, or a clogged drain or toilet. There isn’t a landlord to replace an appliance, repair door knobs, or even do simple things like make sure the bathtub is well sealed so it isn’t leaking. And if it is leaking because of a breakdown in maintenance schedules, the landlord is the one responsible. If you’re the landlord, those costs can quickly add up.

How Handy Are YOU?

A lot of my homebuyers are DIY types. And if you’re the sort of person who can look at a list of small repairs and reach for a wrench, then this might not be such a big deal for you. But if you’re all thumbs when it comes to a screwdriver and you don’t know the difference between drywall and sheet metal screws, you might want to consider carefully before you take the plunge into home ownership. It might be less costly to rent until you’re ready to step into a new home where home maintenance is very basic.

What Happened to Starter Homes?

This is something that we just don’t hear about all that often anymore. To some degree, the concept of the starter home has been affected by the rising cost of housing in general. Essentially, if people are going to spend that much money each month on a place to live, they want it to be exactly what they want.

Think of it like this. If you just need a car to get from point A to point B and you only spend a short period of time in that car each day, you’re probably not going to spring for the luxury automobile. You’re going to go for the compact, commuter vehicle with basic features and a much more manageable price tag.

But even in the car industry we’ve seen this shifting. “Starter cars” are filled with bluetooth capability and heated seats when we used to only see that on high end vehicles that came with a large price tag. Our expectations of everything are shifting too. As a culture, we expect things to be made to order. But it just doesn’t work that way for everything.

Purchasing a home here in Los Alamos is very much a situation that calls for compromise. Apartment therapy.com calls it the 80/20 rule. If a potential home meets at least 80% of your list of features, then you should probably compromise and buy it. Depending upon your budget, you might even want to be more willing to compromise. When searching for your “starter home”, it might mean that your kids have to share a bedroom or you might not get that three car garage, (those are rather rare around here). Maybe you don’t get your spa inspired bathroom or your gourmet kitchen. But realistically, this doesn’t have to be your only home. Most homebuyers move every three to five years. Even here in Los Alamos. The market can shift based upon hiring and contracts at LANL. That means in five years you might be able to be a little more choosy, but you would still have your starter home to “trade in”. It could work as a solid investment for your next down payment on the home of your dreams. Or your dreams in five years…

Whatever your compromise, I’d love to talk with you! I’m Los Alamos Local and I love everything about real estate in this unique town. Give me a call and let’s talk compromises that might work for you!

What Does FICO Do For You?

January 30, 2022 /

It’s likely you’ve probably seen the letters FICO. You might even use them regularly when talking about your credit score. But do you actually know what they stand for?

Hmm. Federal… Well, the I could be income, right? And the C is definitely credit…

It might surprise you, but FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corporation. You might wonder what on earth Isaac being fair has to do with your credit score, but the letters FICO simply come from the name of the first organization to come up with a credit score. A way to use data about a potential borrower’s credit history to assign them a score that banks can use to determine the level of risk associated with lending that borrower an amount of money.

FICO scores are a pretty important part of the home buying process. But this isn’t a random number assigned to you because of your income bracket. You actually have some control over your score. The decisions you make can improve that number and help you in your journey to buy your dream home. So, let’s take a look at the FICO score.

When Did Credit Scores Appear?

The very first method for calculating a credit score was introduced in 1989. That may seem really recent to some of you, and ages ago to others. But what you’ll notice is that for a good number of you, your parents and their spending habits predate the concept of a credit score.

In the old days, “credit” was an account you had with an individual store owner. Your reputation was based on how well you kept up with making payments on that account. And in a good number of small towns throughout the US, farmers and ranchers only had cash money to pay accounts when the harvest was sold or the cattle went to market.

Homes were either built and paid for with cash, or sometimes you would get a bank loan. If you’ve ever watched the holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, this is the entire purpose behind the Savings & Loan concept that is central to the plot in that movie. Go back and watch it if you haven’t seen it in awhile. Pay attention to the run on the bank, and the purpose of the Savings & Loan. It will give you a snapshot of why we have FICO scores, fair credit reporting, and equal opportunity lending laws.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” starring Jimmy Stewart

Unravel the Mystery

According to Investopedia, “to determine credit scores, the FICO weighs each category differently for each individual. However, in general, payment history is 35% of the score, accounts owed is 30%, length of credit history is 15%, new credit is 10%, and credit mix is 10%.”

This may seem somewhat simple, but it isn’t. The key is that the FICO weighs each category differently for each individual. With the addition of new database comparison capabilities, this has actually become very complex! These percentages are a guideline though. And if you’re trying to figure out the best way to build or rebuild your credit, take a look at these numbers and rethink how you utilize your credit.

Version 2.0

Here’s something that might really surprise some of you. Since coming up with the first scoring method in 1989, the FICO has had more than 10 versions of their calculating methods! The most widely used version as of 2021 was still FICO 8. FICO 9 was introduced in 2016 and was more attuned to medical based accounts, but a good number of auto loan and even mortgage lenders still use FICO 5. Investopedia suggests that the Version 10 introduced in January of 2020 might become the new most widely used version due to some really sweeping changes in how we do business in our post Covid world.

I highly suggest clicking on this link and checking out Investopedia’s easy to understand overview of how these multiple versions of the FICO could affect you personally. However, just at a glance, it could help you a lot to understand that when you apply for a credit card, an auto loan, or a mortgage, your credit score number might be different. Not because you made a mistake or did something unexpectedly amazing, but because that lender might be utilizing a different method of the FICO for calculating the number of your score. Another important thing to understand is that your number will likely be within a certain range. If that means your range is on the border of excellent to good, good to fair, etc, this could affect your interest rate and is certainly worth considering.

Your Credit, Your Life

The best way to feel good and secure about your FICO score is to understand it and take control of your credit life. Even if that means coming up with a long term plan, it can still feel really good to be fiscally responsible. And fiscal responsibility is an important step on the way to homeownership. When the moment comes, you want to be able to step up and by the house you want. And when you’re ready to talk home ownership in Los Alamos, give me a call! I would love to chat with you!

Golf Los Alamos!

January 23, 2022 /

Considering the amazing improvements our county is planning for the local Golf Course, I thought it might be fun to look at the history of golf here in Los Alamos County. If you’re not a part of the golf community, you might not realize that the Los Alamos Golf Association was established in 1947. In the map below, notice that as of May 1947, the golf course was located pretty much where Sullivan Field is right now. At that time, home construction had not yet expanded beyond the intersection of Diamond Drive and Canyon Road. The golf course and the horse stables were both located at the edge of the townsite and were both considered vitally important to life in Los Alamos.

Within ten years both the golf course and the horse stables would be relocated to the other end of the ever expanding townsite. The horse stables eventually migrated to North Mesa (see my previous post for more information on that), but the golf course remained between 35th Street, Barranca Mesa, and North Mesa.

Considered one of the oldest 18 hole golf courses in New Mexico, the course was established in 1947 by the Atomic Energy Commission. The current course sits at 7400 ft elevation and is 6500 yards long. The course par is 72 and most visitors agree that it’s a challenging course for golfers of any skill level. Between the gorgeous scenery and the lovely climate, the Los Alamos Golf Course is a popular stopping place for golf enthusiasts from all over.

More Than One Way to Play

But golf isn’t the only thing on offer. Not only do we have a lovely course, and a pro shop, we’ve got a stellar restaurant at the clubhouse. Cottonwood on the Greens is a full service restaurant and bar that offers everything from special events catering to in restaurant dining and takeout whether you have a large party or need an intimate table for two.

The restaurant also offers a Prime Rib Sunday Brunch, so don’t forget to click over to their website and make a reservation for your family! Or if you’d rather, you can order online and pick up your food to go on the way home from work. Their menu offers a wide variety of unusual options from Pub style Fish & Chips and BBQ Pork Sliders to Beef Schnitzel and Pierogies.

Cottonwood on the Greens

Improvements Are On The Way

The recent County Council meeting on January 4, 2022 included a vote to move forward with plans to make some really modern improvements on the golf course. Previous to this meeting though, the process of addressing concerns and coming up with solutions was quite a lengthy one that began near the start of 2021. County officials brought in professional golf course designers, met with the Los Alamos Golf Association, the Los Alamos Youth Golf Association, and even established a way to conduct surveys at the course in order to gain more insight into public opinion regarding some of the proposed changes.

Most Los Alamos residents, be they golfers or not, have heard about the proposed improvements to the irrigation system. But something I found quite interesting was the proposal to use low flight golf balls for the driving and practice range as a temporary measure to address safety concerns. Eventually, the intention is to increase bunkers along Diamond Drive and at other points around the course to address safety concerns. In the meantime, before additional netting can be placed around the driving range, they’re trying restricted flight golf balls to increase safety. The golf association even provided these restricted flight balls to customers last summer in an effort to get the public’s opinion.

Whether you’re a golf enthusiast or just a Los Alamos County enthusiast, there’s really no doubt that the Los Alamos Golf Course benefits our community. It’s just one more in a long list of things to do outdoors in Los Alamos. If there’s snow on the ground, don’t forget to utilize the golf course as a handy place for cross country skiing. There are tons of ways to enjoy this open, green space here in our community. So whether you’re looking for a place to walk your dog or watching your kiddo run in a cross country meet, enjoy our beautiful golf course! And when you’re ready to talk real estate in Los Alamos County, give me a call! I’m your local real estate expert and I’d love to talk Los Alamos with you!

What IS a “normal” Winter in Los Alamos?

January 13, 2022 /

As you look around at the melting bits of ice and snow left from the most recent storm here in Los Alamos county, you might hear your neighbors, friends, and coworkers reminiscing about times past “when we used to get LOTS of snow”, or even mournfully recalling those unusually warm winter days just a few weeks ago in December when we were basking in the sun at nearly sixty degrees. Regardless of which weather pattern you prefer, even long time residents of Los Alamos are struggling to remember what a “normal” winter in Los Alamos is supposed to be like.

First, let’s look at what our weather patterns suggest about our climate in general. According to a LANL website about Los Alamos, “In general terms, Los Alamos has a temperate mountain climate with four distinct seasons”.

Hmm. Okay then. Four seasons. So, what IS the average snowfall? Again, LANL’s website suggests, “snow, like rain, in Los Alamos is highly variable, but tends to average 28 inches annually”.

Holy cow! 28 inches annually? So, why isn’t the ski hill open every year? Well, because, as the LANL website reminds us, snow amounts are highly variable in our climate. A lot of us remember that huge snow we had in the winter of 2018 and 2019. Between the day after Christmas to New Year’s Day we had 22 inches of snow. It had been quite a while since we’d had such a prolific snow year and most of us were unprepared.

A Street in White Rock Winter 2018-2019

But pause for a moment and consider this:

The record snowfall for one day here in Los Alamos is 22 inches. That snow event happened back on January 15, 1987. Can you imagine? That entire storm from 2018-2019 happening in One. Single. Day? Los Alamos actually made the New York Times on January 19, 1987. The Times stated, “The storm was so severe that at its peak, four to five inches of snow fell every hour in Los Alamos.”

In Katrina Bennett’s blog, she takes a fascinating look at snowfall events here in Los Alamos in both 7-day and 14-day segments. You can view the blog post here. Katrina is a big fan of water and weather and points out that these snowfall events tend to occur every four to six years. The amount of these snow events has been affected by climate change. While we used to see larger events in a seven day period, Bennett estimates its been about 18 years since a seven day record event and about 10 years since a record setting 14 day event. The sustained drought has affected our average temperature, which impacts the amount of snow we see in a year. So while we aren’t getting quite as much at once, we are still going to see snow here in Los Alamos. If you really want some cool information about the snowfall patterns here in Los Alamos, check out Katrina’s blog post by clicking the link above.

Image from April 12, 1975 Photo credit ~Sumner Barr & William E Clements

Something else to consider is that of the top 20 biggest snowfalls recorded in a day, only 8 of those happen prior to January. Of those 8, one is the 12.5 inch October 21, 1996 snowfall and another is the 22 inches received on November 22, 1931. The other six are December snowfalls and one of them is attached to that massive snow event in 1987. In fact, three of the TOP FIVE daily snowfall highs come from 1987. If you wanted amazing skiing at Pajarito, 1987 was your year. And if you’re dreaming of White Christmases, Los Alamos tends to offer White New Year’s Days or Valentines instead.

At the end of the day, those heavy snow winters are still statistically likely to happen in the future. Until then, something else Los Alamos does really well is sunshine. We average close to 300 days of sun per year and if you can’t have snow to play in, you might as well have sun to bask in.

And when you’re ready to buy and sell real estate in Los Alamos, give me a call! I’m always happy to talk housing in Los Alamos!

2021 Wrap Up!

December 31, 2021 /

As we say goodbye to 2021 and welcome in a new year, I hope this post finds you and your family enjoying your holidays and planning great new things for 2022! My January newsletter will be filled with thoughts about buy, sell, and hold. If you’re not a subscriber, be sure and email me to get your name on the list! Since the 2021 Los Alamos County Real Estate report came out this past November, I thought I might share with you some interesting facts.

How Many Homes Sell Each Month?

This is an interesting statistic, especially here in Los Alamos County. In fact, it’s a bit like a chicken and the egg question. Look at the graphic below and see what it can tell you about about how many homes sell each month in Los Alamos.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the peak month for home sales is in August. Not a surprise really. Seasonal fluctuations are highly common in real estate markets. But don’t you find it interesting that for the last three years the highest number of homes sold has been the same? November is always shown in red because that’s when the cycle begins again, but realistically, the trends are very similar each year.

How Many Days Does it Take to Sell a Home?

This is a question that has a lot of different parts. After all, the offer is only a tiny piece of the sale puzzle. When we say that we’re experiencing a seller’s market, it certainly means what you think it does. But it also means that seller’s can spend a little time choosing just the right offer. That can affect the number of days a home spends on the MLS.

How Much Are Homes Selling For These Days Anyway?

The answer to this question probably isn’t what you think. Truthfully, average home prices have been consistently rising right along with inflation. We’re certainly seeing homes that wouldn’t have been nearly as popular several years ago become more so, but this is happening all over the US right now.

What has happened is that the number we used to consider really high ~ $500K ~ is no longer as high as it once was. So when we look at this ~

We aren’t nearly as shocked to see that in 2021, 118 homes sold for over $500K. After all, inflation paired with demand is a recipe for this sort of increase. Perhaps the year that should be considered an outlier based on this information is 2006. Of course, without the numbers for a handful of years prior to 2006 there’s not a way to see what the trend really was at that time. But it is sufficient information for us to infer that these fluctuations are not all that unusual. Perhaps what gets us is the idea of such a large sum of money. After all, if someone tells you that they remember paying under a dollar for gasoline, you feel wishful for those days of cheaper gas prices. However, you’re not likely to believe someone is telling you a whopper if they say they paid more than $7.00 a gallon for gas in California.

As I mentioned in my last post, perception is everything when it comes to looking at the real estate market. I hope you’ll look at the information I’ve given you and feel encouraged. Of course, it’s never wonderful to feel as though things are getting more expensive. However, when it comes to homes, continuing low interest rates are a huge part of what makes people able to pay a little more for what they want. And when YOU want to talk real estate, give me a call! I’m your local real estate expert!

Perceptions of 2021

December 18, 2021 /

As 2021 comes to a close, it’s always fun and exciting to look back over the year and see how things have changed in and around Los Alamos. This year we’ve seen the completion of our new roundabout, more new construction in White Rock’s Mirador subdivision, and even the demolition of the old McDonald’s building. Starbucks is proceeding with their brand new building and there are plans to see a second location of Pig & Fig here in Los Alamos. (but more about that in a future post!)

When I say PERCEPTIONS of 2021, what I’m speaking about are the things that we think we know. And when it comes to the real estate market here in Los Alamos, 2021 has been yet another year where perception is everything.

What determines the value of a home?

Of course the value of a home can be determined by many concrete things like comparable sales in the neighborhood, appraisals, and of course the amenities a home has to offer any potential buyers.

What determines the status of the market?

We sometimes refer to a market as a buyers’ market or a sellers’ market. These designations are defined by plenty of data. There are statistics regarding number of homes on market, average selling price, average number of offers, averages on the number of days on market… The list of data sets can feel enormous! But how do those numbers stack up against perception?

What part does perception play in market status and home values?

The answer? Perception is huge! Public perception. The perception of the brokers and agents working in the market. Perceptions about economics both locally and nationally. No matter where you’re home shopping, perception is a big part of your experience. But here in Los Alamos, perception plays another unique role in defining how we view buying and selling real estate in Los Alamos County.

In the beginning, when Los Alamos was a jumbled collection of government owned housing units populated by employees of the National Laboratory, it was a firmly held belief that this is a company town. Even when employees both LANL (then LASL) and the Zia Company began to clamor for privately owned housing it was difficult to convince mortgage and insurance companies that Los Alamos would ever be able to stand on its own as a town.

Many current residents of Los Alamos still believe deep down that this is true. You’ll hear statements like, “The Lab is hiring! Our property values are going to go up!” Or, you might hear something like, “The mandatory vaccination policy has caused lots of people to walk off the job. The housing crisis up here will probably ease up now.”

These are perceptions. They aren’t facts. And here’s something really interesting I noticed during the last half of 2021: Those perceptions are not really all that accurate. During my last newsletter in October, I mentioned that there was a feeling around the office of the market shifting. Though the statistics didn’t necessarily support our perceptions just yet, I suggested that the brokers around town felt that there was an easing up that could mean more houses available for sale.

As I look back, I’ve begun to realize that this was nearly all perception! There had been quite a lot of news around town and nationally about vaccine mandates and potential job vacancies up at LANL that would end with folks moving out of the area. This caused us real estate professionals to perceive that the market was going to suddenly be flooded with homes for sale because in the past, this has very often been the case. This time, it was what was happening all over our country!

But it didn’t have the same impact on the Los Alamos real estate market this time. Not really. Did we see some effects? Sure. Very small ones though. Perhaps there were only two offers on a home instead of five or six. The number of homes on the market a few weeks ago was twelve, which is more than the usual average. But at the end of the day, here are a few things that I learned:

Trust the statistics more than the perception. Right now real estate markets all over the United States are reflecting the same thing. Americans want to buy their own home. The number of homes available just isn’t comparable to the surge in the number of buyers. Period. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Los Alamos or Germantown, Tennessee.

Los Alamos is a town in its own right. It’s time to shed the 1940’s perceptions behind us. Yes. Housing here in Los Alamos is always going to be unique. That’s part of our history. But all housing crises do not belong solely to our population. They’re everywhere now. We should be focusing on enjoying our town, bringing in and supporting new businesses, and utilizing the amazing activities and amenities our town has to offer.

So get involved this holiday season! Shop small. Take a walk beneath the twinkling lights around the pond. Gather with friends and family and relax. The year AFTER Covid is coming to a close. Things aren’t the same, but maybe that’s all part of moving forward. And when you’re ready to join or leave our unique community, give me a call! I’m your home town real estate expert!

Who Would You Call in Los Alamos?

December 4, 2021 /

Halloween is over, so the answer to this question isn’t Ghostbusters. To be honest, I hadn’t thought about this much until a recent event in my yard caused me to wonder what I was supposed to do with the body in the yard.

Yes. Body. A random predator left the remains of their meal in my yard. Because there were multiple reasons not to let my dogs take care of removing the carcass, I found myself staring at the screen of my phone wondering who takes care of that. After all, it wasn’t an emergency. Dialing 911 to report a dead body in the yard seemed like a bad idea.

The “CDC” in Los Alamos

If you’re a member of this community or you spend any time at all in our county, there is one number you should have in your contacts. 505-662-8222. The CDC. No. I’m not suggesting the Center for Disease Control is the answer to everything in Los Alamos. Here locally, CDC refers to the Consolidated Dispatch Center. The Dispatch center employs state certified and nationally certified emergency service dispatchers. But they don’t just put you in touch with police and fire services. The dispatchers in Los Alamos can be an amazing resource when you’re not quite sure who to call.

Cat Stuck in a Tree?

It might sound like a children’s story, but this situation occurs more than you might think! With all of the coyotes and bobcats in Los Alamos County, cats have to be more than just wily. They have to be brave enough to run straight up a towering ponderosa or cottonwood tree. If your four legged feline friend happens to climb too high, you might need a hand getting them down. Since cats never do this during regular business hours, calling Dispatch should be your first move. They’ll put you in touch with the right people to get your fluffy pal safely to the ground.

In this particular case, Dispatch arranged for an on call Utility worker to use a bucket truck to retrieve a very scared cat named Ella Marie!

Nuisance Wildlife?

We’ve spent a lot of time lately talking about the fact that Los Alamos County is essentially a suburb of the Santa Fe National Forest. That means you’re more than likely going to need help dealing with unruly wildlife of some kind. Going back to the recent event in my yard, I eventually discovered through a series of dead end phone calls, that I needed to contact Animal Control. However, if I had called Central Dispatch from the beginning, it would have saved me time and effort.

Keep in mind that your wildlife emergency could be just about anything. One Los Alamos resident discovered a deer in their yard that wouldn’t move. They contacted Dispatch and a Police Officer arrived in only a few minutes. When the resident asked why Animal Control hadn’t responded, the officer explained that he was already on duty and had previous experience working for NM Fish & Game. It was faster for him to respond to their situation than activating the on call Animal Control officer. In this case, the deer had been injured, but the experienced officer determined that she didn’t need emergency care and she was able to move away from the yard and continue about her business. The situation was handled quickly and with as little fuss as possible thanks to Consolidated Dispatch! The experienced dispatcher on duty knew which officers were available and exactly what their skill sets were in order to determine the fastest solution to the problem at hand.

Do I Have an Emergency or Not?

Whether you call 911 or 662-8222, your call is going to hit the same call center, it’s just prioritized differently. Interestingly enough, cell phones make emergency calls a little more complicated than they have to be. If you have your data off, or your location service isn’t accurate enough, dialing 911 could end with you talking to a 911 operator in Santa Fe. Of course, they can redirect you or connect you to our local office here, but if you had dialed 662-8222 to start with, there would be no question who was going to answer your call.

There are moments in time where dialing 911 is imperative, instinctive even. But if you’re reporting a wreck with no injuries, a traffic incident, a stray dog wandering around, a car on the road driving erratically, or maybe you need to talk to a police officer or someone from the fire department for a non life threatening situation. Dialing 662-8222 might just save you time. And it also leaves the 911 calls strictly for real emergency situations.

So the next time you’re not entirely sure who to call in Los Alamos, give Dispatch a ring. With their deep knowledge of who does what in Los Alamos, they might just send help that you never would have thought to ask for in the first place. And if you’re looking for help with buying or selling a home in Los Alamos, just contact me! I’m your local real estate expert!

Situational Awareness – Part 2

November 26, 2021 /

One of the most baffling and strangely frightening stories I’ve ever heard was told to me by a friend who is an avid outdoorsman. The guy has lived in Los Alamos County for almost his entire life and has spent a large amount of that time outdoors. He’s a hunter. But instead of hunting deer and elk, he prefers to hunt “varmints” in general and coyotes in particular.

This guy and his hunting partner were up above the Quemazon subdivision on what remains of Pipeline Road. The two of them had been out since long before dawn. They were using their scopes to track their next target when only a few yards away from their quarry they spotted a splash of pink and blue bobbing through the field. It was a young woman jogging all by herself with earbuds in, completely oblivious to what was going on around her.

Now, there are a lot of fingers that you could point when it comes to this story. First off, for the record, my friend and his hunting partner packed up and headed back to their vehicle in order to leave the area. Not only did they leave the area, they quit for the day. He said it was not only startling, but outright scary to have a human wander into his rifle scope in that situation.

The hunters were on public land hunting coyotes. They were an appropriate distance from any human dwellings and were shooting in a safe direction. Coyote hunting is legal all year round no matter the time of day in New Mexico. Coyotes are considered “non protected fur bearers”. They’re also nuisance animals and are part of the “varmint” population. Consider that for a moment. It is legal to hunt coyotes during all seasons on any public land in New Mexico. While there are obvious precautions to take as a hunter when choosing where you’re going to hunt coyotes, when does it also become the responsibility of the average civilian who chooses to go running or mountain biking out on public lands to know what you might run into out there?

Two weeks ago, our topic leaned more toward situational awareness related to sharing our local terrain with wild animals such as deer and whatever might hunt them. If you’d like to read more about that, just click here. This week, I’m focused more on common sense and situational awareness.

Going back to the jogger who accidentally stumbled into the rifle scope of a local hunter, I really identify with this poor woman. I love to run! I go with friends and I go by myself too. Sometimes I take my dogs, and other times I don’t. But the idea that I might find myself literally in the crosshairs is something I’d never thought of before!

It’s easy to point the finger at the hunter, but what about the jogger? She was running in the National Forest with earbuds in. The hunters had been out for hours, likely since before she even rolled out of bed. They’d been successful. That meant there’d been sporadic gunfire that morning. Did she hear it? If she did hear it, did she think about what it might mean? And what about the fact that there was a coyote only a few yards away from her path completely unconcerned about the human wandering by?

Los Alamos is NOT suburbia. This community is a unique and wild place to live. We are on the edge of the wilderness. Not an urban wilderness, a real live forest. When I was growing up here, it wasn’t uncommon for people to get lost when hiking or hunting. Search and rescue was called out, and hopefully they were found. Hikers used to take day packs full of emergency gear in case of getting lost or having to take shelter because of a sudden change in weather. And if you went off roading in one of the canyons, there was probably a chance of breaking something or getting stuck and having to walk out on foot or spend the night in your vehicle trying to stay warm and alive.

A second baffling story happened only this past summer at the Sportsman’s Club in Rendija Canyon. There are several public trails that skirt the ranges down there. It’s not unusual to find a variety of trail users since you can leave your vehicle and head out from a parking lot just down the dirt road from the club.

During a typical Sunday morning Trap Shoot, (shotgun sporting for those who aren’t into that sort of thing) one of the club officers who happened to be on the property got a bizarre phone call from someone claiming to be down range.

Of course, the officer immediately shut down all operations at the club. All live fire was stopped and weapons were cleared as is standard procedure for that kind of emergency. The officer and several other members got into a vehicle and headed out toward the very edge of the range in order to find out what was going on.

As it turned out, a young man had been running out in Rendija Canyon by himself. He stated he’d been startled by a cow. He went on to say that the cow had run one direction, and he’d fallen while trying to run in the other direction. He’d twisted his ankle in the skirmish and by the time the club members found the man, he’d removed his shoe and was hopping on one foot trying to find help.

In a bizarre twist, the injured runner had stumbled upon the boundary of the Sportsman’s Club and had started calling the contact numbers listed on the sign in hopes of finding help.

Stop for a moment and digest this story. How lucky was this young man? He had nothing with him and obviously wasn’t prepared for getting injured. When his rescuers asked him where he had left his car, he couldn’t remember. Probably because of shock. His foot immediately swelled when he took his shoe off, which meant he couldn’t get it back on. The odds of his cell phone working while in that canyon were dicey at best. And it’s rather fortunate he ran into a cow instead of a bull because there are both varieties down there. Not unlike knowing about hunting seasons, it’s helpful to know that public lands are also open to grazing leases, which can result in random cow sightings.

So, the moral of today’s post is to be aware! I love Los Alamos. I love being outdoors and I know that many of you come to this community because you love the outdoors too! Being outdoors in a place like this comes with a responsibility. Not just to yourself, but to those around you. Enjoy Los Alamos, but do it responsibly. And when you’re considering a move, give me a call! I’d love to talk real estate in Los Alamos with you.

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