Tag: real estate buying and selling (Page 2 of 5)

The First Single Family House in Los Alamos

July 17, 2022 / Kendra

Being in the Real Estate business, I hear so many things from buyers and sellers on what they feel makes a house a home. If you were to change up the geographical location, some folks might talk about a condo on a lake. Perhaps a penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park in New York City. Maybe they want a tiny apartment in some far flung location like Livorno, Italy where buildings are literally perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Perhaps one of the most popular and longest lasting concepts of idyllic American life is the proverbial three bedroom, two bathroom house with a white picket fence, two children, two cars, and maybe a dog and a cat. Most of us grew up with this concept somewhere in our minds even though it’s certainly not the sort of place the cast of Sesame Street ever called home.

It shouldn’t be surprising then that one of the first and most often verbalized wishes of early Los Alamos residents was a desire for single family housing.

What many of us don’t realize is that the Ranch School Master Houses with their quaint log cabin looks and claw foot bathtubs weren’t used as single family housing during the war. Even Hans Bethe was sharing with physicist Edwin McMillan. The Arts & Crafts Cottage hosted Lt Col Whitney Ashbridge, Capt Gerald Tyler, A.L. Hughes, and Enrico Ferme at various times and sometimes more or less at once! These gentlemen occasionally had wives with them, but a good number of them were by themselves and sharing quarters while they worked sunup to sundown on the project of a lifetime.

The first single family homes in Los Alamos weren’t even intentionally created to satisfy the wishes of the residents. The project happened because of a sharp increase in personnel needed for the design of a plutonium implosion bomb in 1944. In July of that year, the Robert McKee Construction Company was contracted to bring in 100 prefabricated homes. The most readily available “houses” happened to be flat roofed units that resembled a box. Each building included small rooms in a basic layout that sat on blocks and weren’t even particularly airtight.

“McKeeville”, as it was soon called, was situated on seven city blocks that seemed to spring up overnight with absolutely no thought given to the landscape. Existing pinon and juniper trees were bulldozed to speed up construction. The location was essentially between Central Avenue and Canyon Road. Those city blocks no longer exist, but they would have been crammed into the area of present day Iris and Myrtle Streets. The houses were contracted in July 1944. By October of the same year they were ready and by Christmas they were full.

Once again, the residents of Los Alamos thought rather wistfully of the Sundt Apartments. When the Sundts had been built, the contractor had allowed the streets to flow with the natural landscape. Trees had been preserved. The neighborhoods seemed less “military” in looks and the buildings were sturdy and reliable.

In striking contrast, the McKee houses had cracks and crevices that did nothing to keep the dirt out. During the spring winds, furniture and appliances were coated with dust. Add the soot coming from the oil furnaces to the atmosphere in McKeeville and the entire neighborhood had a dingy, dirty feel to it. In short, they were a slight improvement on “Morganville“, but were most definitely not the sort of home you’d go out and purchase to live in on purpose.

The only thing residents agreed on was the the McKeeville homes were better than those in Morganville.

Residents of McKeeville had a variety of complaints about the latest cheap housing brought in to ease the overcrowding in Los Alamos. Bedrooms were so small that a double bed took up the entirety of the floor space. The houses were so similar and the streets so uniform, that it was nearly impossible to tell one dwelling from another. Remember that streets were not labeled back in those days. One resident commented that she felt fortunate the McKee house she shared with her husband was located next to the laundry unit. She reported using the laundry building to help her find her way home each day.

On the upside of the whole situation was Robert McKee’s insistence that inexpensive maple furniture be included in each McKee house. While these furnishings were still considered substandard compared to what most people had in their homes, it was apparently an upgrade from what was called GI furniture used in Morganville and the other housing in Los Alamos.

Pause for a moment or two and chuckle about that. Have you tried to shop for real maple furniture these days? Evidently residents of McKeeville in 1945 would not have been impressed by the bargains we find at IKEA. I have to wonder to myself if this GI furniture might not be similar to the prefab things we tend to pick up at Walmart or Target. Oh, the irony!

As always, I want to tip my hat to Craig Martin’s field guide to housing in Los Alamos. I encourage you to purchase a copy from the Los Alamos Historical Society for yourself. If you have any interest in Los Alamos housing, this book is a wealth of information. Keep checking back in with my blog as we continue our tour through Los Alamos housing past, present, and even future! And when you’re ready to start hunting for your own Los Alamos housing, give me a call! I’d love to chat Los Alamos Real Estate with you.

A Word About Los Alamos & Rent

July 10, 2022 / Kendra

There is not a doubt in anyone’s mind that the topic of rents, mortgage payments, and how much each individual is paying for one or the other is a worldwide issue. Before the recent fluctuations in interest rates, the historically low cost of borrowing money to purchase a home made buying more financially attractive than renting. Whether you pay rent here in Los Alamos or not, there are a few things to keep in mind. Some of these facts might make you feel a lot better about your current housing situation in Los Alamos.

How Important Are YOU?

While most of us are willing to acknowledge that there is something of a hierarchy attached to the importance of jobs, modern minds have begun to understand that the proverbial “rocket scientist” is really just as important in the grand scheme of things as “schoolteacher”, “doctor”, “lawyer”, and (for a lot of us lately) “fast food worker”. If nothing else, our experiences through the pandemic of not being able to go into a store, sit in a restaurant, or receive a package or mail because there was quite literally nobody to deliver it, have changed our values in a lasting way.

In the early 1940’s when Los Alamos was still a military installation doing top-secret work for the war effort, housing was assigned much in the same way it was assigned at any military installation. But instead of being assigned by rank, it was assigned based upon how important YOUR job was to the mission.

Of course, top staff members, prominent scientists, and other important persons were immediately assigned to Bathtub Row. The Ranch School Master Houses had indoor plumbing, decent kitchen facilities, were of a good size, and had the fabled bathtub. If you didn’t rate a Master House, you had very limited options when it came to your quarters.

The “Hans Bethe House”, named for one of its more historic occupants

Newcomers would be sent to the housing office, which was located in an old converted garage left from the ranch school days. They would fill out a form to establish their job or function on the Army post, and their family size. They would then be given a housing assignment and informed of what their rent would be each month.

A married couple rated one bedroom. Married with a child got a you a second bedroom. More than one child and you might get a three bedroom if there was one available. It was pretty common for Los Alamos residents to joke that nobody had better have more than three children at the most, and more than two kids was pushing it. Keep in mind that most of the three bedroom units available at that time were much smaller than the Group housing we are familiar with today. Ever considered living in your travel trailer with your kids for an extended period of time? Oh, and don’t forget that all of those modern conveniences available in your travel trailer wouldn’t have been a thing at all. Families didn’t even have their own furniture.

It might look fun, but how about doing it year round?

What Would YOU Pay to Live in a Shoebox?

The topic of Rents in Los Alamos really didn’t become a subject of discussion until 1944 when an influx of new workers caused the Army to hurriedly contract Morgan and Sons to “build” some 28 duplexes on an already flat and treeless section of land east of Bathtub Row. These pre fab duplexes would have essentially been the first housing in the vicinity of what is now Sage Loop.

Welcome home to “Morganville”. Doesn’t everyone want a coal bin in front to add to the curb appeal?

To call the housing project slapdash would probably be generous. There were eight one bedroom units, fifteen two bedroom units and five three bedroom units. The area was dubbed “Morganville” for the construction contractor. Buildings were boring and essentially identical and the streets were rigidly uniform. One resident was heard to call the houses “Little Horrors”. After all, the Army was desperately trying to make their budget stretch and had cut corners everywhere they could. These were supposed to be “temporary”. Why spend the cash to make them nice?

Morganville was really the first time that residents of Los Alamos had experienced a serious decline in the quality of housing. Suddenly the Sundt Apartments looked rather posh. And yet rents in Los Alamos were not determined by what housing unit you were assigned. They were determined by your salary.

The Sundts had their issues, but they were actually solidly build dwellings.

Kay Mark, wife of physicist Carson Mark, was said to have called the system of housing and rents in Los Alamos a “curious experiment in socialism: To each according to his need; from each according to his salary.”

Anyone who earned less than $2600 per year paid $17/mo in rent. While it’s difficult to imagine living on $2600 per year, that was a respectable salary in 1944. It’s equally impossible to imagine paying $17/mo in rent! But if you were one of the highest paid scientists at that time you might have been paying $67/mo in rent. Would you be irritated if you were a scientist paying three times the amount of rent for your cramped, poorly constructed and cheaply built Morganville house when a regular day laborer was paying $17/mo for a much nicer place in a prettier neighborhood?

It’s such an interesting system. And if you truly appreciate the evolution of the housing market here in Los Alamos, take a moment to see just how far things have come in some areas, and how they haven’t changed at all in others. It simply doesn’t do any justice to the history of housing in Los Alamos not to consider the way it all began. There is nowhere else like it and whether you fully understand it or not, moving to Los Alamos makes YOU a part of this amazing history!

View of Rio Grande and a home above taken from a spot near Hell Hole in White Rock.

The good news is that the Morganville houses are no longer part of the housing pool here in Los Alamos. And while we’re not paying $17 or even $67 per month for housing, the home prices are certainly beginning to stabilize in response to national trends in interest rates and home buying. So when you’re ready to talk housing here in Los Alamos, please give me a call! I’m your hometown Los Alamos Real Estate Broker, and I’d love to chat with you!

The Kitchen Sink Crisis

June 22, 2022 / Kendra

Have you ever stood at your kitchen sink and paid attention to something other than what’s in that sink? Believe it or not, the question of whether or not a person had the ability to gaze out the window while washing up, dishes or otherwise, became a really hot topic in Los Alamos sometime around 1947.

By January of 1946 there was a firm agreement among the “powers that be” that Los Alamos was going to become a permanent facility. There were multiple opinions regarding what, exactly, the identity of that facility would be. But Los Alamos was deemed necessary and that meant transitioning the town from what amounted to a giant hodgepodge collection of temporary housing, trailers, huts (yes, they were called hutments!), and old ranch school buildings, into a viable town with real housing for scientists, support staff, and their growing families.

The first place tagged for Los Alamos expansion was the Western Area. It seemed logical mostly because the land was already clear and flat-ish. “Ish” because the natural mountain meadow of Western Area had been the town golf course and horse pasture for years. The other thing that made it desirable was the probability of getting utilities over there without having to jump a canyon in order to do so.

Community planner Lawrence B Sheridan was commissioned to design a neighborhood. It was the height of modernity with the big horseshoe main drag and swooping side streets ending in quiet cul-de-sacs. Pictured below during construction, Western Area was supposed to be the answer to the housing crisis in Los Alamos. By 1947, there were more than a few barriers between dreams and reality.

The building contract was won by a company called McKee. The builder came up with two different models. One was concrete block covered in stucco and the other was wood frame with siding. Since there were no streets in the Western Area at the time these sample homes were built, the homes went up on Spruce Street. The Army Commander in charge at that time crowed that “Every home will have a bathtub!” While that was true, there was a laundry list of other things that worried potential occupants.

A women’s organization called the Mesa Club actually made a detailed list of improvements they felt necessary to render the model homes liveable. The list was detailed because one of the complaints was that the linen closet was not deep enough to adequately accommodate a set of folded sheets. Other items of complaint were that the windows were not set as to encourage a cross breeze, the windows in the children’s rooms were too high, and the major complaint was that the kitchen sink was placed in such a way that it faced a blank wall. After all, whoever heard of a kitchen sink that didn’t have a window over it?

If you’ve ever lived in a modern apartment complex you might have had more than a few kitchens without any windows at all. Of course, what the Mesa Club wasn’t grasping was that an optimal way to cut construction costs was to place the kitchen sink near the same wall that housed the plumbing for the bathroom. The Commander scoffed at the ladies’ complaints and told them there was no call for building “custom type houses”. After all, the last housing actually built in Los Alamos were the Sundt Apartments. (If you don’t know what a Sundt is, I’m planning a post about these fascinating apartments later on.) For a cost comparison, a Sundt Apartment building that housed up to four families cost $3000 to build. Each single family home or half duplex in the Western Area project carried a price tag of $14000!

But the ladies of the Mesa Club weren’t about to drop the topic of the kitchen sink. They rallied their husbands, a good number of them prominent Laboratory employees. 30 of the Laboratory’s top scientists put their signatures on a letter which was sent to Washington DC. The letter cited more than one issue with the housing options planned for the Western Area. Houses had only gone up on 41st and 42nd Streets before a task force was assigned to come out here to Los Alamos to see what all the fuss was about. Yes. A task force was called out over the kitchen sink… The next time you think you have a housing issue here in Los Alamos, just remind yourself of kitchen sinks and laugh.

This modified Western has some updating, but a lot of the exterior features are still present and make for an attractive home. Imagine how amazing this might have looked to a family previously living in a hutment or trailer with outdoor plumbing!

Needless to say, the kitchen sink was indeed moved. Because of this, for quite some time there were half a dozen houses on 41st and 42nd Streets that had the kitchen sink in the original position. It’s a safe bet that these have undergone plenty of renovations over the years. But sometimes I am just a bit curious to know if there are still homes in the Western Area with the kitchen sink facing a blank wall.

One of the most luxurious features was the third bedroom available in more than one version of the Western Area homes. To families who had been sleeping in cramped quarters for quite some time, it probably felt huge! Still, homes were assigned based upon family size. To merit a three bedroom home, you needed to be a family of at least five people. And while there was a bathtub in every house, a good number of these homes did not come with a shower. Believe it or not, tub and shower combos were not considered “standard” until well into the eighties.

Construction on Western Area continued once the initial complaints were addressed. Construction began at the intersection of Trinity and Diamond Drives and went around the horseshoe expanding first to the West, then the North, and then East. This created a bizarre situation for some families. Because of construction traffic, if you were assigned a house on the Northern side of the horseshoe, you got to move in last even though your home had been finished for months!

A good example of an Orignal Western. While the carport is now enclosed, you can see how basic the home design is. Also note the “high windows” in the “children’s room”.

Because of the delays in building the Western Area, and the housing crunch in general, there were several other short term housing options brought in to fill the gap. Last week I blogged about the Denver Steels – or Denver Metals. If you missed that post, click here. There were a few other short term options that I’ll talk about in future posts. But until then, don’t forget to pick up Craig Martin’s book about Los Alamos housing. Some of the information is bound to make the pieces of our housing history click into place! You can purchase Quads, Duplexes, and Sunken Living Rooms here. And when you’re ready to go in search of your own Dream Home in Los Alamos, give me a call! I’d love to chat Los Alamos Real Estate with you!

What’s the Deal With Denver Steel?

June 12, 2022 / Kendra

All villages, towns, and cities have neighborhoods with names that go way back. Most of these names made perfect sense in the beginning, but the meanings might have been lost over time for any number of reasons. Los Alamos has more than a few oddly named neighborhoods. After all, our most historic area of town is called “Bathtub Row”. But another one of my all time favorites is the “Denver Steels” neighborhood tucked just behind Los Alamos High School on Pueblo Mesa. Believe it or not, the Denver Steels has the dubious honor of being one of the very first single family home neighborhoods in Los Alamos County.

There are a lot of myths about how the Denver Steels got to Los Alamos. Really though, they aren’t myths so much as blended stories about early housing solutions proposed and executed in an effort to ease the housing crisis in Post War Los Alamos.

Myth #1

The homes were shipped here from the Washington State area. I’ve even heard a variation where they were the previous dwellings of steel workers in Washington State, hence the Denver Steels name. Of course, this myth makes no mention of how the word “Denver” came into play.

The truth is that there were temporary houses shipped to Los Alamos from Washington State. The Manhattan Engineer District, or MED, was in charge of operations in 1946. While the Western Area was being built, which was a whole other hassle we’ll talk about some other time, the MED brought 107 “houses” from their plutonium facility in Hanford, WA to Los Alamos. The homes were placed along 10th Street, Rim Road, and Canyon Road. I don’t know about you, but I seriously wish I could’ve been witness to the caravan of 214 flatbed trailers trucking up the Main Hill Road, each with half a Hanford Home strapped onboard. What a sight!

Literally the quote from potential occupants was, “Well, they have indoor plumbing!”

Myth #2

The Denver Steels were originally military troop housing on a base somewhere else in the US. Maybe Denver? There are certainly a number of potential military installations in the Colorado region to choose from. But this myth is once again, not a myth, but a truth based upon another temporary housing solution from our past.

The military installation was Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and the units were duplexes, triplexes, and quadraplexes. There were 270 units of these wood framed domiciles and honestly they looked like military housing. Each individual “pod” was 672 square feet. The structures were placed on Canyon Road, Manhattan Loop, and what used to be M, O, & P Streets in 1947. Currently those areas are in the vicinity of Myrtle and Pine Streets. At the time of their initial usage, these homes were considered the most desirable housing in Los Alamos. Yet the major complaint was that people wanted single family housing. Sound familiar?

There was a definite military look to these homes.

The Real Story

In late 1947 the Army authorized the purchase of housing for the military officers still stationed here in Los Alamos. At that time there were a lot of pre fab housing experiments going on in the US. You can check out my Lustron Homes post if you want to read more about that. But this shouldn’t be a surprise if you think about it. This was Post War America, the Baby Boomer generation was being born. Families wanted the American Dream they’d fought so hard for and they wanted it now! So the pre fab housing boom created some really interesting options.

Enter the Denver Steels. Or rather, the Denver Metals, as they were originally known. These units had steel I-beam framing and aluminum siding. They were fabricated by a steel company in Denver, Colorado and shipped in pieces to Los Alamos where they were assembled in record time.

718 sq ft of no nonsense utility – All were 2 bedroom and one bathroom

It might surprise you to know that the first 39 of these homes were actually placed over on Rim Road and Quartz not far from the other temporary housing brought to Los Alamos. Perhaps that’s where the myths got jumbled together. None of those 39 original Denver Steels are still around. They went the way of the Hanford homes and the Fort Leonard Wood multi units.

There were originally 251 Denver Steels ordered, but only 200 of them managed to be carefully situated onto Pueblo Mesa. Of those 200, half were reserved for the new civilian security inspectors coming into town. Craig Martin’s book on housing in Los Alamos doesn’t specify where the missing 12 were placed. But it’s probable that they were near the original 39 in an area that underwent multiple overhauls. Truthfully, the Denver Steels weren’t intended to be long term housing options for families in Los Alamos.

The original units were 718 square feet. Every home had two bedrooms and one bathroom and there was no bathtub. Only a shower. There were two models available from the company. The Marquette and the Columbine. Strangely, there were only 2 Marquettes ordered. The rest of the homes were the Columbine model and considering the minimal differences between the two, trying to find those two Marquettes would be like chasing the proverbial needle in the haystack. The most memorable feature of the Denver Steels wasn’t a feature at all. It was the fact that the all metal construction created a bizarre situation of simultaneous sweating and freezing in the wintertime. This resulted in the exterior walls being coated with ice. It would be interesting to know if this worked like natural insulation or not. But considering the mass amount of renovating, remodeling, and updating that has gone on in the Denver Steels in the last 75 years, it would be unlikely that any of the homes still have that unique problem.

Hard to believe that this inviting home ever resembled that original drawing!

Truly, the renaissance of the Denver Steels has been incredible. The area has long been considered a “starter” home neighborhood here in Los Alamos because of the modest square footage of the homes and the reasonable pricing. But some of the remodels have nearly doubled the 718 sq ft homes and in the last two years some of the sale prices of these beautifully updated homes have rivaled those of other “higher end” neighborhoods in town.

This home still has the original front window configuration. Two panes on the right, three on the left!

Though many of the updated versions of the Denver Steels have been added onto, it is sometimes still possible to see the ghost of the original construction if you know what you’re looking for. Take a tour of the neighborhood sometime and you’ll get a peek at the wonderful creativity and ingenuity of homeowners throughout the years.

As always, Craig Martin’s book, Quads, Shoeboxes and Sunken Living Rooms: A History of Los Alamos Housing, has been an invaluable and fascinating resource for this post. If you haven’t already, you should pick one up from the Historical Society’s Website. It’s a great resource for anyone who loves the uniqueness of Los Alamos, or even if it drives you nuts! And as always, if you’re ready to talk Real Estate in Los Alamos, I’m your hometown Real Estate Broker. Give me a call! I’d love to talk with you!

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

March 18, 2022 / Kendra

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 / Kendra

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 / Kendra

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!

2021 Wrap Up!

December 31, 2021 / Kendra

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 / Kendra

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!

Questions You Need To Ask

November 20, 2021 / Kendra

There are plenty of situations in which politeness involves keeping your mouth closed. As we coast into the 2021 Holiday Season, I don’t think it’s difficult to think of a few choice moments when its better to let sleeping dogs lie. However, there are certain times when it is imperative to say what’s on your mind. Searching for a Real Estate Broker is most definitely one of those times.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt as though you could NOT ask a question.

I think it’s probably fair to say that we’ve all experienced this moment. Perhaps you feel it would be rude. Maybe you don’t feel as though you’ve got enough credibility on a certain topic. Or perhaps you just don’t know the right way to phrase a question to get the information you need. Well, when it comes to choosing a broker for your needs, here are a few questions you should really be asking any potential broker that you work with.

How long have you been in the real estate business?

It might feel rude to ask this of a broker when you’re very likely the one who initiated the conversation, possibly by calling the number on their website. But here’s a really important thing to consider. You’re about to trust this individual with one of the biggest purchases of your life. If this is their third sale or their three hundredth sale, you really need to know that.

When you choose a broker, you’re not just getting a person, you’re also getting their network. Brokers who have been in the business for a long time have contacts. They know which lender would be perfect for your situation or which title company will suit your unique needs. They have a working relationship with other brokers in their area and they utilize that relationship for your benefit.

This is also why you should be asking any potential brokers if they’re “full time” or “part time”. There are a lot of brokers out there who have been in the business for a long time, but only do one or two deals a year because real estate is more of a hobby than a job. While these individuals might be really great brokers, they might not be as accessible as you want in a market like the one we’re currently in. Successful real estate brokers don’t have office hours. They are available 24/7 365 days per year. It’s part of the business and while it might seem harsh, if you’re trying to negotiate a deal on the home of your dreams, you want someone who will be available every step of the way.

How familiar are you with (insert city or area here)?

Now, this might seem like a no brainer. After all, you called this broker for a reason that usually involves seeing their name or their number on a sign in the area you’re house hunting in. Or, perhaps you inquired online about a home and got a response from a broker so why wouldn’t they be familiar with the area?

Remember when we talked about using Zillow responsibly? If you missed that post, you can catch up on the ins and outs of Zillow here. But beyond some of the tips I offered up before, there’s something else I’ve been hearing a lot about lately. See, when you inquire about a home online, especially on Zillow, you’re not necessarily getting in touch with the listing broker for that particular home. Zillow allows brokers to purchase leads. That means any hungry, young broker looking to add sales to their resume could be answering your inquiry. The good news is that they’re likely to be not only “full time”, but super motivated to find you a house. The bad news is that they could be from out of the area. Here in Los Alamos, this is a critical piece of information you need to know if you’re looking for a broker to work with.

Our community is unique and so is our home market. When brokers from other areas such as Albuquerque come up to Los Alamos, they usually don’t know the difference between a Group 18 and a Group 11. They don’t always have access to the same information the local brokers do. They don’t have the contacts to find out what offers are pending or where a home is in the listing process. Again, they don’t have the network. In several of these cases, outside brokers have encouraged their buyers to make offers above what that buyer might have needed to. Sure. The buyer gets a home and the broker gets a sale, but it most definitely wasn’t in the buyer’s best interest. Not that the broker did it on purpose. They just didn’t know any better.

This can be the case when you’re leaving the Los Alamos area and looking elsewhere too. I’ve often referred my buyers to other brokers in the area where they really want to look. I’m your local Los Alamos Real Estate expert, but if you tell me you’re looking for horse property in La Mesilla or Nambe, I’m not going to pretend to have the first clue how to find you the best situation for your needs.

(Insert Question Here)

No, seriously. You are buying a home. There is no such thing as a stupid question. I’d much rather have you ask than have you get two thirds of the way into the process and not understand what’s happening. Your broker is working for YOU. Yes. They’re busy people and sometimes when people are busy they forget that not everyone knows as much about the process as they do. But at the end of the day, you’re paying a broker to walk you through this. If you didn’t want that service, you’d be buying a house without it. That means, if you feel confused or upset or worried, you need to be communicating that. Of course, tact is appreciated, but if you ever feel as though you CANNOT ask a question because your broker might get mad at you, then you’re not working with the right person for you and your needs!

At the end of the day, it’s about having the courage to say what you think and feel and the confidence to remember that YOU MATTER. I’m not suggesting buyers should become the real estate version of bridezilla, but brokers are used to working their clients through cold feet, confusion, and even disappointment. We’re also used to sharing in the excitement and elation of finding that perfect house and helping it become YOUR HOME. It’s all a part of the job!

So ask the questions. And when you’re ready to talk with me, give me a call! I love to talk about real estate in Los Alamos!

Tag: real estate buying and selling (Page 2 of 5)

The First Single Family House in Los Alamos

A Word About Los Alamos & Rent

The Kitchen Sink Crisis

What’s the Deal With Denver Steel?

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

Looking Back At Real Estate in Los Alamos

The Wisdom of Compromise

2021 Wrap Up!

Perceptions of 2021

Questions You Need To Ask

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