Kendra Ruminer's Two Cents of Real Estate

Take A Peek At Los Alamos, New Mexico

Tag: Real estate

Proving You REALLY Want It

December 2, 2020 /

We talk about the “seller’s market” going on right now in Los Alamos County. But what does that actually mean if you’re trying to purchase a home in a seller’s market?

There’s the obvious of course. When you’re one of several buyers interested in purchasing a home, that seller isn’t going to be likely to offer much in the way of bonuses like repairs or discounts for outdated fixtures, paint, or carpet. But there are several situations you might not anticipate.

Are you ready to really prove that you want that house? One method that might be suggested by your broker is to waive the appraisal.

I know. The concept sounds a little off. After all, the appraisal establishes the value of a home so that the mortgage company – the lender – can lend an appropriate amount of money. The appraisal often affects the amount of a down payment required to purchase the house. If a house does not appraise for the entire listed price, it can be a bargaining tool to lower that asking price.

But when there happens to be a line of buyers waiting to purchase that property, things change. Offers become creative. Think of it as doing your level best as a potential buyer to make YOUR offer stand out from the other ten sitting on the table. How do you do that?

We often hear about “bidding wars”. It might make you shake your head because how on earth do you have a bidding war when at the end of the day, you can only pay as much for a house as the bank says its worth.

Actually, you CAN. Here’s how:

You can agree to waive the appraisal. The appraisal still takes place. After all, the lender needs to know what the value of that house is. But you, as the purchaser, are essentially agreeing to pay enough money up front to bridge the gap between the asking price and the appraisal value.

How does that work?

Let’s say a house is listed for $350,000. You offer $400,000 and you waive the appraisal, because there are a LOT of offers and you REALLY want this house. Your dream home then appraises for $375,000. So as the buyer, you would then have to chip in your down payment plus $25K. 

Regardless of the amount that the purchaser offers, the key is that it no longer matters what the house appraises for. The purchaser is agreeing to make up the difference between what the bank will lend based upon the appraisal value, and the sale price.

This isn’t necessarily as terrifying as it might first seem. If you’ve purchased a house here in Los Alamos recently, you might have noticed that the median home price has been steadily increasing. This means that appraisal values have also been increasing. If you’re looking at purchasing a home that had a reasonable asking price to begin with, then even if you offer more than the asking price, the appraisal might come in higher than originally anticipated anyway.

It is also possible to waive only a portion of the appraisal. The buyer can choose to specify that they would pay $X above appraisal. That way you know that you may or may not have to come up with additional capital up to a certain point. These amounts vary, but can be adjusted based on the financial capabilities and the comfort zone of the individual buyer. There are also ways to anticipate what the appraisal will be. Your broker can assist you in estimating the additional cash you might have to add to your down payment to cover your offer on the home of your dreams.

Of course, once your offer has been accepted, the waiting game begins. Then you’re likely to experience more than a little uncomfortable anticipation as you wait for the appraisal to come in. See, you are now legally obligated to come up with that cash. You made an offer. You have a contract.

The wonderful news is that you’re going to buy the house of your dreams! Your offer was chosen. You managed to get in there and get the house in spite of the other ten or fifteen offers that might have been on that table. Congratulations!

So when you’re trying to find a way to make sure your offer floats to the top of the pile and looks the most attractive, this might help you succeed. But, as I always tell my clients. Be absolutely sure. Be certain you can financially fulfill this obligation. And be sure that this is the right decision for you and your family.

When you’re ready to prove that you REALLY want that house, give me a call! I’d love to chat with you. We’re still buying and selling real estate through these pandemic times. Drop me an email today to see how we can make the process easy for you with virtual tours, online sales, and no contact showings!

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.

Using Zillow Responsibly…

July 15, 2020 /

Is there anyone left on this planet who has NOT heard of Zillow? Okay. Maybe planet is a pushing it. Is there anyone in the United States who has not clicked their way around Zillow taking a peek at the housing market in their area? Whether you’re an enthusiastic Zillow user or not, let me give you three tips for using Zillow responsibly in the Los Alamos County real estate market.

Tip # 1 – Pre-Foreclosure Homes Are Not Actually For Sale

That’s something I get a lot of in the real estate business. Especially here in Los Alamos where homes come on and go off the market with a record low number of days on market. I get calls from excited clients who just saw something perfect pop up on Zillow as “pre-foreclosure”. They want to hop in their car and go look at this fantastic property. They’re ready to make an offer! This is the home of their dreams.

Except… Pre-foreclosure is just a term that comes from a homeowner getting slightly behind on their mortgage payments. When this happens, the lender has a legal obligation to file a public notice. It’s an attempt – an early attempt – to collect on a debt. There are a whole lot of steps between public notice and actual foreclosure. In the meantime, the house is NOT on the market. You CANNOT go and take a peek at it. It’s still someone else’s home. No wonder it’s perfect for your family, right?

Tip # 2 – Just Because Zillow Suggests a Home Value, Doesn’t Make It So

This goes back to tip number one. Zillow is a database that gets information from public records. Even on their website they tell you this. Hence the public notice that results in a pre-foreclosure listing on Zillow. But this is where home valuation gets really tricky. New Mexico is a non-disclosure state. That means our home values are not made public record. 

Not that this actually slows Zillow down. The database is filled with what they refer to as “zestimates”. Basically, Zillow has algorithms that come up with what a computer estimates to be the best possible guess for a home’s value. But that isn’t necessarily based on recent sales prices.  A homeowner can go in and input the value of their home, but that’s up to the homeowner. As a realtor I would never make that information public.

Tip # 3 – Don’t Believe Everything Zillow Has to Say About Mortgages

This is not to say that the mortgage calculator on Zillow is wrong. It’s not. It’s actually a very useful tool. Zillow has multiple tools to help you figure out what it might cost to own the home of your dreams. Insurance, HOA fees, mortgage, mortgage insurance, they’ve got a little line item for everything. What I ask people to keep in mind is that this is all perfect world thinking. And no. I don’t believe that the word “perfect” applies to anyone trying to scrounge up a down payment for the home of their dreams. But what this doesn’t take into account is the actual funding process for purchasing a home. This is a complex process that has a lot of variables Zillow can’t anticipate for you.

This is why you call a Real Estate Agent!

Please. Give me a call. If you’ve got questions about your current home’s value or are looking to sell and get something bigger or downsize to something smaller, talk to an actual human being who will walk you through the realities of this process. Sure. Zillow is useful. I would never say that it isn’t. But please use a common sense approach when surfing the Internet for the home of your dreams. It makes the transition from dream into reality a whole lot smoother!

Call or Email Kendra

Title Insurance 101

July 9, 2020 /

If you’ve ever purchased a home, you’ve heard of title insurance. You’ve probably paid for it. You’ve probably also grumbled a bit about the added cost. But this is only a one time fee. Usually LESS THAN 1% of the purchase price of your home. Of course, that can still feel like a ton of cash to lay out at closing when it’s easy to feel pinched about the cost of purchasing a home.

What is a title anyway? Why do I need someone to guarantee it? The house isn’t going anywhere, right?

Let’s start by talking about what title insurance actually is.

According to The Street, a popular financial blog, “more of a risk prevention than a risk assumption (the model for most insurance policies) form of insurance, title insurance covers the history of the policy-holder’s home, examines the history for any trouble spots that could damage the value of the home, and highlights those potential issues before the buyer purchases the home”.

So what does that really mean? It means that you’re paying a company to research the title of the home you’re purchasing just in case there is something wonky in the history of that property.

Let’s bring that back around to our community of Los Alamos. Think about how many homes were either built, brought here, or somehow fabricated back when the Atomic Energy Commission was still in charge. Think about the chain of owners and banks and lenders and foreclosures and lien releases and… (I really think you get the idea). There are other homes that were damaged and then reconstructed after the Cerro Grande fire.

Now think about the way a mortgage works. Even if a lender only owns a pile of ash, they still want a piece of that pile. And this is before taking into account the homes that pass from one party to the next via a will or some kind of inheritance situation.

  • A home’s title includes:
  • The property abstract (sometimes called a chain of title)
  • A description of any easements or rights of way. (or maybe a note about national forest access)
  • Liens against the property

The title is a public record held in a clerk’s office and is technically available to anyone who is interested. Considering what the title is and how many different things affect it, you might imagine why having a knowledgable and licensed title expert to review the title before you purchase a property is not only a requirement, but a really good idea.

“Okay, so can I just pay for a title INSPECTION?”

Nope, the insurance part comes in when or if you’ve owned your home for five years and some undisclosed heir shows up and claims you’re squatting on his inheritance. Or (a far more common occurrence) when the county does a tax audit and you discover there was an escrow account error ten years ago and the previous homeowner’s lender neglected to pay the property taxes. Yep. Guess who becomes responsible for those back taxes?

That’s right. The current homeowner.

So, next time you’re buying a new home or you’re speaking with someone who is and there is a discussion about closing costs and title companies, and title insurance, feel free to chime in with all you now know about why title insurance is important. After all, nobody wants to be left holding the bag when it comes to an unexpected financial lien against your home. Your home is supposed to be your safe space. Title insurance can make sure that it is fully YOURS.

Could You Quarantine In This Space?

July 1, 2020 /
The Coronavirus Has Changed What Buyers Are Looking For In a House

I think we’ve all come to the honest realization that the world we once lived in is gone. Things have changed. Everything has changed. The way that we hang out with our friends. The way that we hang out with our family… Wait. The way that we ONLY hang out with our family.

All of that togetherness is changing the way people live their lives and the things they value in a home. Let’s look at a few things that are becoming far more important to Average Joe Buyer.

Kitchens

So many times in the past, I’ve seen busy families who purchase homes because of their proximity to a school district or because the bedrooms are big or the garage and driveway has extra slots for the extra cars belonging to a family full of teenagers. Kitchens were useful because they contained conveniences like the toaster over, the microwave, and that mega juicer you just had to have but rarely use.

Now? The lack of restaurant options, especially in small communities like Los Alamos, means that homeowners are using their kitchens in ways they’ve not had to in ages. Even if you’re getting takeout and bringing it home, the kitchen is seeing far more traffic (or the dishwasher is!) than ever before. Suddenly, kitchens matter. Buyers want big eat in kitchens with tons of space, pantries that can handle kids who are no longer eating at school, and up to date appliances. The kitchen has suddenly become important to everyone and not just to a few home gourmets.

Home Office

Telecommuting is the new normal. No doubt about it. And considering the direction things are moving, there’s no doubt that this isn’t likely to change anytime soon. That means the home office has become the most important thing that anyone thinks about. The availability of any space that could be turned into a home office in a pinch has just become your home’s biggest selling point. Have an atrium or a little breakfast nook? Boom! Extra office. Have a spare bedroom? Boom! Instant school room. Yeah. Don’t forget those kiddos. Homes are now doing triple duty. Schoolroom. Workplace. And my personal favorite. Daycare.

Multiple Living Areas

All of a Sudden One Family Room Just Isn’t Enough!

In newer homes in places like Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Las Cruces, and even some of the newer housing developments here in Los Alamos County, a second living area or a bonus room is a given. Most of the homes in our community were built long before this was a popular concept. Not that there haven’t been tons of renovations or rehab projects with just that idea in mind, but all of a sudden buyers are VERY interested in homes that boast a second living area. After all, families that live and work together eventually need a break! What a great thing to have a basement or an upstairs loft where you can send the kids to enjoy their screen time while you binge watch Outlander and try to relax from your long day of pretending that you were super productive while working at home in a job that was never designed for a telecommute.

Outdoor Living Spaces

The backyard or side yard in some cases, has become a viable new place to hang out when all of the living space inside becomes either full of kids, or just boring. Patios and decks are suddenly far more attractive to potential buyers than ever before. Want to wow them when they come to view your house? Arrange your outdoor furniture to invite a buyer to imagine lounging after work with a book. Add a barbeque grill and I bet you’ll hook them in a second.

At the end of the day, our lives will never go back to the way that they were. And that means the real estate market – even the one in Los Alamos – is going to have to change too.

50 Shades of Greige

June 26, 2020 /

Yes. Greige. It’s a thing. A cross between gray and beige. It’s an indicator that the range of taupe and beige colors we used to see in the last decade have been fazed out in favor of the new, hot color or “lipstick” for your home. Gray.

I can see you scratching your head right now. Gray lipstick? Sure. It seems absolutely ridiculous, but interior and exterior home colors are a big deal when it comes to the real estate market.

Your Home. Your Rules. Your Color Choices.

Hey, you know what? If you want that purple wall in your bathroom, that is all up to you. Until you sell your house. That’s when it becomes an issue because buyers have a difficult time thinking about anything other than your design choices. In my last blog post, I talked about the benefits of staging a house for sale. What many people don’t realize is that your paint choices are all part of the staging. A BIG part.

White, Gray, & Neutrals with a splash of color are best.

What The Cool Kids Are Doing

I know what you’re going to say.

“Kendra, Los Alamos is a seller’s market. I could paint the interior of my house periwinkle and people would still buy it!”

You’re not wrong, of course. What you’re missing is the nuance of the seller’s market. The tweaks and extra effort that someone selling their home can make in order to turn their house around and get it sold in a week instead of six months. Not just sold, but sold for a top dollar price that will make it possible to maximize the investment made when the home was purchased.

The other part of selling a home in Los Alamos is that many of you bought your homes during a previous boom when the prices were sky high. Our property values fluctuate based upon things like Laboratory contracts in ways that are absolutely unlike anywhere else. If you are one of those homeowners and you’re finding the need to move either because you’re upsizing, downsizing or you’re moving to a new place to start the next chapter in your life, you’ll need to squeeze every penny out of your house to save your initial investment and hopefully come out ahead.

This means hiring a professional painter or rolling up your sleeves and doing a DIY job on your home’s “lipstick”. This can be the difference between meeting your goals or consistently getting offers that are below what you’re comfortable with.

Space Still Sells

A beautiful light gray is cool and peaceful. It can make a smaller room look spacious and it highlights the natural light from your windows. Considering a good number of the homes in our community have rather odd dimensions and unique floor plans that have undergone numerous renovations over the years, gray can be the answer to making your space look cool, modern, and inviting.

Taupe is another neutral color. And before you start reminding me that I just said brown was out, keep in mind that taupe doesn’t have to lean toward brown. There are many modern shades of taupe that maintain the warmth of a brown tone while bringing in grays, blues, or even lavender for a sophisticated result that complements our Southwestern style quite nicely.

White. Not institutional white mind you, but something that has a nice undertone that sticks with the cool, restful, and spacious theme you want to set in your home. Absolutely avoid yellows in your white. There was a yellowish off white color in the nineties called Navajo White that wound up in a huge number of homes here in Los Alamos. Using an off white with yellow undertones will immediately make your home look dated. So, it might be white. But you’re still going for blue or gray tint in order to keep things modern.

Simple. Spacious. Modern. Even if its not your style, it sells.

We All Like Cool Inviting Spaces

Even if you’re not selling your home and you’re looking around wondering why you feel so cramped and tense in your living space, consider lightening your color scheme with grays and blue tinted whites. You might be surprised how a bit of fresh lipstick can help you feel differently about the home you have. Stick around and keep checking my blog for new ideas to make your home not only a place you love to live in, but a solid investment for the future.

All of Life (and Real Estate)is a Stage

June 19, 2020 /

Staging is a term that we use a lot in the real estate market. If you’re a buyer or a seller and you’re wondering how that applies to YOU, stick around and let’s talk about how staging can help a house put its best foot forward, figuratively speaking of course!

Does this bedroom look lived in? Or, does it look like a dream come true?

Staging to Sell

You might be thinking to yourself that the idea of hiring a professional company to stage your home for sale is a preposterous idea. You might be right. Sort of. The market here in Los Alamos is almost certainly a seller’s market. But even in a seller’s market when there are buyers lining up to get a peek at your house before you’ve got the sign fully planted in the yard, staging could still be the difference between having a bidding war that gets you top dollar and just selling your house.

Now. If you’re not interested in hiring a pro to fully stage your home for sale because you’re still living there and your stuff is still necessary for your day to day activities, there are still some things that can be done to make your home really shine.

Buyers Buy Space Not Stuff

You’re moving, remember? Pack your out of season clothes and store them somewhere else. Let your closets look emptily huge because let’s face it, we don’t have a ton of closet space in the Los Alamos area and whatever we do have needs to look amazing! That goes for any built in drawers, cabinets, or other spaces too. Staging is all about space. Space is inviting. Buyers want to be invited. Therefore, help your home by showing off every single room to its spacious advantage.

Make Them Envision Themselves At Home in Your Home

The other part of staging is doing everything that you can to make that buyer want to live in your home. Leave a folded newspaper on the coffee table with a tray that makes it look as though someone is about to sit and enjoy a fresh cuppa. The kitchen should be clean and ready for the preparation of a gourmet meal. The entire set up of furniture should encourage flow. Flow from one room to another. Encourage your potential buyer to wander through your space in a way that invites them to imagine their idyllic life if they should purchase your home.

Your Grandkids are Cute, but Not Helpful to Buyers

It’s been proven time and time again that photos and personal items are a distraction. You want any potential buyers to keep their mind on your house. The beautiful space, the light, the spacious rooms, the amount of storage, those hardwood floors you just refinished, whatever your home’s selling point, don’t let buyers get distracted by your family photos. Remember, you’re selling the house, not your stuff. So all of the things that make it uniquely yours have no place in someone else’s fantasy.

Buying a Staged Home

Now, when you’re on the buying end of that staged home, please don’t forget that you’re buying a space and not the furniture. Remember that your stuff is going to be taking the place of that beautiful lounge chair in the cozy reading nook and likely all of your kitchen gadgets will be cluttering up the countertops.

This is not to say that you’re not to love the idea of a quiet morning cup of coffee on the deck staring out across the valley at the Sangre De Cristos. You can! But take a look around when you walk through a beautifully staged home and focus on what they’re trying to get you to focus on. The space. Take that opportunity to picture YOUR stuff in the rooms. Imagine how well you and your personal items would fit. That is what you’re trying to discover. Right? A new place to call home.

What’s Appealing About a Curb?

June 12, 2020 /

Curb Appeal is probably one of the most common things people think about when it comes to buying or selling a home. But curb appeal isn’t just for homes on the market. It’s about showing your home at its best to anyone who passes by. Most importantly, its about maintaining your home value. If that sounds important, here are a few things you should keep in mind.

Have you ever pulled up to your house and parked your car after a long day at work and thought to yourself that you should really put away the lawn mower? I’ll bet there’s something that catches your eye. Something negative. Here’s a thought. Your neighbors probably sense that negativity too. So do people passing by. They just don’t immediately zero in on the lawn mower or the pile of branches you pruned three months ago and never did anything with. Curb Appeal is a perception, remember? So, let’s talk about how to swing it toward the positive.

But that’s not the only question, is it? Your home is a huge investment. And especially here in Los Alamos, you’re probably buying a house that was built several decades ago. Our unique town isn’t just about single family homes. We have condos, apartments, duplexes, and quads and we toss around real estate terminology that doesn’t exist outside the area. All of those things add up to one important fact. You want your home to maintain its value and you want it to look not just nice, but singular in comparison to the others on the street.

Let’s start with Contrast. It’s actually an artistic tool. If you’re living in a quad or a duplex here in Los Alamos and the whole thing is painted one of those total quad colors we all love so much… Raise your hand if your house is brown, yellow, or stucco! Sometimes you might feel as though your house is already starting off on the wrong foot.

Begin With Contrast & Balance

So, what exactly is contrast? Contrast is what draws the eye. A bright turquoise pot against a warm pink stucco wall. A lovely copper carriage lamp against the yellow siding beside your front door.

And speaking of that front door. Paint it. Or your screen door if you have one. Use a snappy color that contrasts with the exterior paint and really sets off the front of the house. Or paint your porch. No. Not a fresh coat of brown. Try charcoal or white. Something that tones down the brown. And if you have garage doors, paint them too! It might take a little research to discover if they require a bit of a primer first, but a fresh coat of paint can do wonders for your home.

Once you’ve beautified the doors or the porch, try adding a splash of color with potted plants or even a perky flag announcing your alma mater or your favorite sports team.

Next, tackle the lighting. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Choose to highlight your walkway with simple lights from a hardware store. They can even be solar powered if you’d like to boast about your eco friendliness. Homes with a welcoming path to the front door look welcoming. Period.

Balance is also an artistic concept. Think window boxes on both sides of your porch or a flower bed with a zen feeling to it. Balance is that sensation you get when you look at something peaceful. Besides, when it comes to curb appeal, balance gives the viewer a sense of stability and timelessness. It’s inviting and welcoming to the eye and if you were trying to SELL your home, it would most certainly create a space that potential buyers want to see more of.

If you need some ideas for sprucing up your yard, check out last week’s blog post about Summer Gardening Ideas. But in Los Alamos, a good place to start balancing your yard is probably with the Juniper. If you have some, there’s a good chance they’re a little on the shaggy side. Or there’s even the possibility that they’ve entirely taken over your yard.

And of course, Regular Maintenance. Hmm. Funny how we all need a reminder about this. But then, we live in a town without formal HOAs and with a populace that argues constantly about what the county can and can’t tell us to do with our properties. I believe at one time, there was a house in White Rock with a Chinese Elm sprouting from its gutter.

Come on friends and neighbors in Los Alamos! Stain those windblown, sun bleached fences, weed your side yards, take last year’s tree trimmings to the transfer station, and love your home! If and when you sell your house, this one is critical. Never allow a potential buyer to approach your house when the fixture on your front porch has rusted to the point that you can’t actually replace the light bulb.

On the other hand, if you’re feeling frustrated that the house next door is sporting three leftover vehicles from the mid-sixties and a mailbox that’s leaning precariously to one side, take heart. The more you love your home. The more you spruce up a few things. The more you think about your property value and your curb appeal. The better your house will look when compared to the neighbors’. Remember. Contrast, right? So go out there and take a fresh look at your house and find a few simple ways to make it shine.

Summer Gardens In The Desert

June 6, 2020 /

You may be scratching your head at my title because anyone who has been around Los Alamos County in the summertime knows that by the end of June, the sun has become like a laser beam in the sky. Monsoons are right around the corner and even the promise of rain doesn’t mean an easier time of it for anything resembling a garden. But there is plenty of beauty in the desert. So, here are a few ideas to perk up your yard this summer!

Bring the Beauty of the Desert Into Your Own Yard

Colorful Accents

This could mean a few flowers, but if you’ve got any interest in water conservation, it doesn’t have to mean growing things at all. Ceramic planters in shades of bright red. Maybe a pot of chili peppers strategically placed near the front steps. Or even better, find some large turquoise colored tiles and work them into your flower beds. The Southwestern color palette has dozens of bright blues and reds to work with. Get creative and let your inner artist out to play!

Grass

Okay. Let’s talk about grass. Nothing says summer like a sweeping green lawn bordered by leafy shrubs and a welcoming patio where you can fire up the grill and hang out with friends. And if you’re still longing for big areas of grass in your front or back yard, don’t despair. Artificial turf has made huge strides. You can buy rolls of turf and install them yourself if you’re into DIY projects. There are even specific varieties designed for your pets to use and abuse.

Here’s the catch. Artificial grass isn’t the cool green carpet it appears. Distributors of artificial grass will openly tell you that when the heat rises, so does the temperature of your artificial lawn. Real grass is cool to the touch. Artificial turf is not. You can purchase fill products to lower the temperature of your artificial lawn, but that’s probably not going to help when the UV factor crawls toward the “ohmigod I’m gonna die” zone. So to increase your green and maximize the coolness factor, use patches of grass placed in shady spots protected from the afternoon sun and interspersed with areas of rock and flowerbeds. Because you know what else can be hotter than artificial grass? Yep. You guessed it. Rock.

Dry Creek Beds

If you’ve lived in and around Los Alamos County for any period of time, then you’re plenty familiar with this idea of rock in the yard. Xeriscaping is super popular with water conservationists and it can look rather attractive. The problem is that it’s also HOT! Instead of carpeting your yard with contrasting colors of rock, try using shrubs, flower beds, rock beds, and patches of grass for a result that will really add value to your home.

Rocks are a great conductor of heat. If you’re looking for the most attractive and functional landscape ideas, try forming a dry creek bed around your patio area. Following the natural terrain will allow the “creek bed” to act as a channel for all of that crazy excess rain during monsoon season, as well as the spring melt. Having a rock barrier around your patio means that at night when the temperature plummets and the stars come out, you might enjoy some of that residual heat coming off the rocks as you lounge with friends on the patio for drinks and conversation.

Water

Yes. Water. Sometimes water can be a wonderful and refreshing way to liven up your landscaping when there’s not a cloud in the wide blue sky.

Circulating fountains are a great way to add a peaceful, cooling atmosphere to your outdoor area without using too much water. It doesn’t have to be a huge fountain either. You could purchase a simple pond form from a hardware store and place a few lights and a pump inside it. Prop the pond up on landscape bricks or utilize some of the hilly and rocky terrain that’s so prevalent around Los Alamos to stage your homemade water feature. Then plug it in and enjoy!

No matter what you choose to do with your outdoor living space this year, remember to group any plants by water requirements to keep them healthy and thriving, and don’t forget the Water Rule here in Los Alamos County. If you’re living in an odd house number please water before 10AM or after 5PM on Sun, Wed, and Fri. If you’re an even house number, your days are Tues, Thurs, and Sat. Nature is a huge part of living in Los Alamos. Whether its in your yard, around one of our beautiful public spaces, or out enjoying the National Parks that border our county. Get outside and ENJOY!

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