Kendra Ruminer's Two Cents of Real Estate

Take A Peek At Los Alamos, New Mexico

Tag: real estate buying and selling (Page 3 of 5)

The Market of “As Is”

November 5, 2021 /

Home For Sale – Needs TLC

Our community is unique in many different ways and the available housing is probably one of the most eclectic pieces of that differentness. Homes that come on market here in Los Alamos County are as varied as it gets. You might be looking at a home in Mirador that was only built two years ago. You might be looking at a Group 11 that has been updated and renovated until it barely resembles the original structure. Or, you could be considering a custom home built in the seventies or eighties that has quite literally been in a time warp since the first owners moved in and began raising their family.

There is actually something strangely attractive about going into a home and looking at it through the very optimistic lens of HGTV. The good news about homes from that era is that they are generally pretty darned spacious. The lots back in those days were huge. You’ve got good general construction to work with. And honestly, you can make something that looks like Grandma’s House into YOUR HOME with a good contractor and ready cash. And in a market like this, it’s not too crazy to consider the possibility of making that investment into your home.

Please. Please. Please go into these “as is” sales with your eyes wide open. It isn’t uncommon in the current market to see sellers, (this happens A LOT with FSBO sales btw) telling buyers up front that their home is for sale AS IS. Sellers don’t budge off a sale price because of what comes up on a home inspection. They don’t feel they have to. And in reality, they don’t. But it is a giant red flag if a seller tells you that you CANNOT have a home inspection before purchase.

I’m always concerned when my buyers suggest skipping the home inspection because they’d rather not spend the money when they know they’re going to buy the home “as is”. Many times these are buyers who come to me and tell me to “do whatever it takes” to get this home. They don’t care. They want it. It is their dream home and they’re so passionate about that right now they’re ready to go! Love is blind. Even when it comes to a home sale.

Here is what I always suggest they think about. Yes. Right now it doesn’t seem like a big deal that the kitchen needs to be gutted and the roof is more than a decade past its expiration date. But the average home mortgage term is 30 years. You need to know what you’re really getting into and a home inspection will at least provide you with an idea. It isn’t the reno projects staring you in the face. It’s the ones hiding in the crawl space that really matter. The average home owner purchases a home and lives in it for 2-5 years. You don’t want to spend those five years making repairs to keep your dream home from falling down around your ears and never have any time or ready cash to make the changes that really allow you to live comfortably and happily in your home. Yes. You might be purchasing a home “as is”, but you also need to do it “eyes wide open”. Are you certain you know what needs to be done? Do you understand that certain things take priority? Safety vs Functional and both of those over Pretty?

These are really big questions that buyers need to ask themselves when they’re considering that home purchase. My hope is that things are slowing down so that “whatever it takes” can coexist more peacefully with buyers being thrilled beyond belief with the journey they’re about to begin in their new home! After all, that’s what makes my job so amazing. I’m your hometown real estate expert, but I’m also your neighbor. I love watching my buyers move in and really make that house their home! So give me a call! I’d love to hear from you!

Bridge the Gap

October 23, 2021 /

The brilliant colors of autumn are beginning to wane. There is a distinct chill in the morning air and all too soon Daylight Savings Time will be over. We’ll roll back our clocks and enjoy an extra hour to stay snug in our beds. Yes. Fall is here. Halloween is almost upon us, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and – not to freak you out- but there are only 63 shopping days left until Christmas 2021.

For those of you still searching for that perfect home or those considering selling one that no longer feels perfect, the market here in Los Alamos County still continues to be a seller’s market. A week or two ago there were actually over twenty homes available on the market, an unprecedented event in recent memory. However, we’re starting to see some signs of “buyer fatigue”. There aren’t quite so many offers for each home prior to sale. Many people have taken a pause and aren’t so sure they want to shop for a home right at the moment. There is certainly something happening here in our local market. And no. This doesn’t mean you’ve missed your window. LANL is still hiring. Homes are still in high demand. And this demand for homes is nationwide and not just here in Los Alamos. Which brings me to a few interesting points about the market of “as is”.

Bridging the Appraisal Gap

Many of you have heard this phrase before. We’ve touched on it a few times in past posts. The appraisal gap. The distance between what a home is valued at by a licensed appraiser and the bank willing to offer the mortgage, and the price the seller is asking or the buyer is willing to pay. Traditionally, this gap was seen as being in the buyer’s favor. If a bank determined that a home wasn’t “worth” what a seller was asking due to recent comparable sales in and around the area, then a buyer would lower their offer accordingly. At that point it became up to the seller as to how badly they really wanted to sell their home. Either they lowered their asking price or they waited for another buyer who really wanted to buy the property. Most of the time, they lowered their price and the sale continued. This isn’t the case anymore and it isn’t just the home markets seeing this trend. Have you tried to purchase a vehicle in “high market demand” lately? Dealers are adding up six or seven thousand dollar “market premiums” onto their MSRP because certain popular models sell out and create a supply/demand issue. The way that we buy and sell things in general has most definitely changed!

However, something that has affected that appraisal gap in recent months is the fact that we are seeing most of the homes selling in our county appraise at a level consistent with what – at first glance – might seem like a steep purchase price. Why? It’s actually both simple and very complex. See, we’ve been in a seller’s market for a long time now. There have been a lot of buyers bridging that appraisal gap for more than a year. I’ve seen clients bring more than thirty thousand dollars plus their down payment to the closing table in order to secure the home of their dreams. But this has effectively created a market that supports the purchase prices we see now. Why would House A not be valued at X when Houses B, C, D, & Z have sold for right around or even more in the last six months? Once enough sales have taken place, an appraiser has enough comparable sales to establish a higher value. Of course that’s great news for anyone who had to bridge that appraisal gap in the beginning.

A home is worth what a buyer (or 3 buyers) is willing to pay for it in an open market. Even if it does not appraise to value, it is still worth what someone is willing to pay for it, and the worth is not dependent on the appraiser’s opinion of value.  This is the reason people are making their offers with the appraisal gap language.  They are stating that this home is worth it to me, and I’ll put my money where my mouth is.

I often get asked what happens when a buyer suddenly decides that they’re not quite so willing to bridge that appraisal gap. After all, there are reasons writing an offer for a home is serious business. The offer is a contract, a binding legal contract. When my buyers decide that an offered purchase price is no longer in their best interest, I always tell them they need to consult an attorney. It is possible they could be held to the contract with their signature on the dotted line. This is and continues to be a serious risk. Legal action, consequences, and keeping your word are par for the course. Certainly there could be issues with financing, qualifying for a mortgage, and plenty of other concerns when it comes to closing on a home. But if you agreed to pay X, then you’d better be prepared to pay X. Sellers have often made plans based on the offer they accepted, maybe made an offer on another home, or even just scheduled movers. Sellers typically choose the offer based on the chances of it closing on time, for the agreed upon price, and under the agreed upon terms.  It is a big deal for a seller to have to go back on the market for many reasons, people wonder what happened (is something wrong with the house?), they’ve lost time, and interested buyers.  There is no guarantee of multiple offers when going back on the market after a deal falls apart, and no guarantee that they’ll get as much money with the first buyer.  There could be legal and monetary ramifications for defaulting on a contract even in a seller’s market when the house could sell again. 

What would make a buyer change their mind about bridging the appraisal gap? The other aspect of “as is” has a huge impact on that. The home inspection. But we’ll talk more about that next week. For now, I’m going to sign off and remind you that I’m always here ready to answer questions about appraisal gaps and every other aspect of home buying and selling here in Los Alamos. After all, I’m your home town real estate agent. So give me a call! I’d love to chat with you.

Live on the Edge in Los Alamos

October 14, 2021 /

If you’ve spent much time driving around Los Alamos getting to and from the homes of friends or maybe just walking your dog, you might have missed taking a tour through Ponderosa Estates. The neighborhood isn’t unlike Los Alamos itself. You have to intend to go there. You deliberately drive to the corner of Diamond Drive and Range Road and make the turn by the fire station and head down and out of sight. Either you’re trying to get to the Guaje Pines Cemetery, you’re headed to Ponderosa Estates, or you are set to leave the map entirely. The terrain is gorgeous. The trees are tall and thick. And in some cases, residents have decks that are perched upon the edge of the map. One step and the forest awaits.

The first homes in Ponderosa Estates were developed in 1993. The original proposal was for 222 single family homes on 111 acres of land. The development was set to take place in 4 phases, each phase being completed before another was set to be started. After 27 years, the next phase is finally in the planning stages. Phase 3 consists of 49 homes proposed to occupy 11.62 acres.

Why So Long?

A good number of residents here in Los Alamos probably assumed that whatever had been built down in Ponderosa Estates was the end of it. Why wouldn’t we have thought this? It’s been going on thirty years since any construction took place in what was originally an area designated for access to forest land used for everything from ATV riding and camping to wood cutting. The answer that has been suggested is the economy. Once phases 1 and 2 were completed, there was less demand for new homes in Los Alamos. The market was variable and development was expensive. There are also several other issues to address, some of which were brought up at a February 26th meeting of the Planning and Zoning Committee.

One thing that isn’t commonly known is that responsibility for maintenance and snow removal on the streets of Ponderosa Estates isn’t a clear cut thing. Theoretically, once all phases of a proposed subdivision are completed, the streets are dedicated to the county and the county then becomes responsible for everything from snow removal to water service and traffic issues. Right now, this is not the case.

Other issues under discussion are possible park or green space areas to give neighborhood children a safe space to play, and of course, traffic. If you’ve ever driven around Ponderosa Estates, one of the first things you notice is the winding and often steep nature of the streets. Some of the driveways themselves are incredibly intimidating to maneuver in bad weather.

The good news though, is that talks are underway regarding the approval of developing a variety of dense residential options to help alleviate some of the housing pinch here in town. The proposal is for phase 3, but that means there’s another phase to come and that’s great news! Not only are they proposing to maximize the number of units in order to provide housing to as many residents as possible, but planners are paying attention to the terrain in relation to aesthetics in order to create an attractive street view to the properties that will really be an asset to the landscape of Los Alamos County.

Ponderosa Estates is just one of several upcoming new construction developments here in Los Alamos. That means even if you’re not ready to sign on the dotted line for your new home right this second, there’s a good chance that when you are, Los Alamos is going to have a home for you. Give me a call and let’s talk Real Estate in Los Alamos! I love to chat with residents whether they’re coming in or going out. We’re all a part of this community and that makes us neighbors in this unique place!

Water Rule W-8 in Los Alamos

September 16, 2021 /

What could be more precious than water in the desert?

Here in Los Alamos, we’ve enjoyed some unexpected and most definitely welcome moisture over the summer. All over town you’ve heard people chatting about missing the blue skies but being so grateful for the rain! That’s because Los Alamos is located in the high arid desert. Water conservation is something we take pretty seriously, enough that we actually have a specific water conservation rule about the way in which you use water in and around your home.

Here are a few things you may not know about Water Rule W-8:

Water is classified in 4 Ways

Produced Water: The “potable” stuff produced and sold to you for human consumption.

Gray Water: The stuff used in your home that winds up in the sewer system that did NOT come from your bathroom or your kitchen sink.

Non-Potable: The stuff sold to customers for industrial or other irrigation purposes that is NOT for human consumption. (By the way, this water is used for the golf course, athletic fields, and other green spaces in parks.)

Reuse Water: The stuff released from the treatment plant sold for non-potable purposes.

From May 1 – September 30 You Can’t Water Your Yard Whenever

Many residents don’t realize this and others blatantly ignore it. Regardless, the rule has been in place since May of 2006. The bottom line is that it is not permissible to irrigate plants, trees, or grass on your property between the hours of 10:00AM and 5:00 PM. Before 10AM and after 5PM, the following rules apply:

If your address is an even number, you may irrigate on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

If your address is an odd number, you may irrigate on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Nobody is supposed to irrigate anything on Mondays.

And FYI, for the purposes of Rule W-8, irrigation means using a hose, drip system, or a sprinkler system. It does NOT include a watering can. If you need to water your flowers or garden plants the other days of the week, use a watering can.

Wasting Water

Here’s something that might surprise you. There is a fairly comprehensive description of what it means to “waste water” in Los Alamos County included in the language for Rule W-8.

Sprinklers or hoses that water in a way that cause water to run off and run down the street into the sewage system is considered waste.

Sprinklers or hoses that are misaimed and spray the street instead of exclusively hitting dirt or vegetation are considered wasteful.

Washing your driveway, your home, your vehicle or even your lawnmower without somehow managing to recycle the water and use it to water your plants or lawn is considered wasteful. And using water to do any of these things when your address isn’t scheduled to consume water is also considered wasteful.

Now, these restrictions might seem a little tedious and maybe even a little unfair. After all, during peak water season – May to September – you’re paying more for the water you use anyway. According to the Utility Company’s tiered system, you could be paying nearly $2.00 more per thousand gallons.

But that really isn’t the point.

It’s about conserving water in the desert. The water used in a carwash is sold as reused and non-potable. It’s basically recycled water. The stuff that comes out of your hose is potable. It’s much better to wash your car or other equipment at the carwash instead of wasting gallons of potable water.

Get a rainwater barrel or some other receptacle for catching runoff. Get creative with your gutters or find a way to catch water that drains off your driveway or away from your yard in an effort to funnel it to where it is needed instead of letting it run into the storm drains where it will need to be processed and it goes from potable to non-potable.

This is a community full of innovative people and ideas! Get creative with your water conservation! As we come to the end of the W-8 Water Rule for 2021, spend some extra time in the off season coming up with your awesome plan for water conservation in 2022. And if you’re ready to make your home here in Los Alamos, give me a call! I’d love to talk with you!

Run with the Dogs in Los Alamos

August 31, 2021 /

Let’s face it. We in the Los Alamos Community LOVE our dogs! Everywhere you go in town you see people walking, running, and playing with their dogs. We’ve got a very accepting attitude toward emotional support dogs, therapy dogs, and dog training. And when dogs are present in the home, they are a HUGE part of the family!

Given the limited yard space in most Los Alamos dwellings, here are a few ways to maximize your yard space for your pet. Of course, the larger the dog, the less you have in options for modular play yards. But take a look at these ideas and see which might apply to you and your canine companions.

The Dog Run

When it comes to dog runs there are plenty of options to choose from. If you’re ready to make a permanent spot in your yard, then a traditional chain link or metal fenced run can be purchased at stores like Tractor Supply. You can even order some of these online at places like Chewy.com and have them delivered to your door!

But here in Los Alamos, yard size isn’t the only pressing issue when it comes to Fido’s play area. We’ve got strange terrain, odd dimensions, and the need for outdoor living space for humans to consider. With this in mind, there are some interesting alternatives to the permanently placed dog run.

White Picket Fence

Interestingly enough, these sections of fence can be purchased at many outdoor emporium or home improvement stores with a no dig installation option. The fence sections include long metal stakes which can be driven into the terrain. This makes the picket fence not only perfect for bizarre terrain issues like hills, but also moveable. If Fido has worn down the weeds in one section of the yard, why not let him play in another area and stomp those weed to oblivion too? Or the reverse, if you have grass. You can move this dog pen periodically to keep your pet from wearing out the grass.

Modular Puppy Pens

If you’re not keen on storing picket fence panels when they aren’t in use, you might check into one of the multiple options for moveable “dog corrals”. These sections of fence can be purchased from multiple online and in store outlets and can be expanded if you buy more than one set almost like a video game expansion pack for your dog run. The good news about these is that they tend to fold up for storage. The less than good news is that they really aren’t appropriate for dogs over about 45 to 50 lbs. So if you’ve got an 85 lb pet, make sure your animal is content to hang out and nap in a shady spot and isn’t determined to leap your enclosure in a single bound.

Chain Gang Pup

Remember when homes had clotheslines strung from pole to pole in the yard and Dad’s undershorts were flapping in the breeze? Now imagine a single line much like a clothesline with what amounts to a dog leash zipline whipping back and forth while your critter runs laps to his doggy heart’s content. Yes. This is a thing! In fact, if you shop around online for aerial dog runs, you can find DIY ideas that will blow your mind and make your strange backyard terrain a non issue.

Dog Turf

A constant issue here in the high arid desert of Los Alamos is topsoil and growing or maintaining grass. When it comes to trying to get grass to grow in an animal enclosure like a dog pen, you’re likely to be doubly frustrated.

Specially manufactured pet grass could be the answer to your mud and flat dirt backyard problems. Artificial K-9 turf is created to withstand the wear and tear of your pet tromping and rolling on it. It also makes a soft carpet for Fido to lounge on. It can be hosed down and raked to keep it clean and free of biological debris, and it doesn’t bleach out when your dog wees in the same spot for weeks on end. Check out this short video on doggy turf if you want more information on this interesting notion.

Less In – Less Out

The topic of dog nutrition is a hot one these days. But let’s think about this logically. Unless you’re living in one of the few older areas of town with large lots, you’re probably trying to maximize your backyard space for kids, dogs, adults, barbeques, picnics, and the family trampoline all at once! This means that Fido’s bathroom habits are pretty much everyone’s problem. What you feed your dog can matter a lot to those bathroom habits. If the kibble you feed Fido has lots of grain filler and cereal or fibers, it’s not that easy for him to digest. Sure. He feels full after dinner, but he’s probably not digesting half of what he eats. It’s out in your backyard or on your kids’ shoes.

Feeding a quality dry kibble that meets Fido’s nutritional needs can allow you to feed less and have less waste on the – ahem – back end. This means you can designate a minimal area of your yard for Fido to call his very own, and utilize the rest for family activities. Then Fido can be out and about when you guys are all having a fun party together! Win Win!

At the end of the day, whether you choose to utilize fake grass, picket fencing, chain link, or give Fido the entire property for his playtime, don’t forget to enjoy dog ownership in our unique community! Get out to the dog parks! Walk your pet or go hiking on one of our pet friendly trails, and if you’re buying or selling your home here in Los Alamos, come and have a chat with me! I’m your hometown real estate expert!

Fun Facts About School Facilities in Los Alamos

August 13, 2021 /

As the kiddos suit up to return to school, let’s all take a deep breath and cross our fingers that the 2021-2022 school year is a success. It might not look exactly like school years in the past, but this is the new normal and we’re all going to have to come to terms with what that means.

However, whether your kids are Barranca Bobcats, Aspen Tigers, Mountain Lions, Chamisa Cheetahs, Pinon Panthers, Hawks, or fully fledged Hilltoppers, you might find yourself pulling up in front of the following school district facilities and wondering exactly who they’re named for.

Duane W. Smith Auditorium

This public auditorium may, for some of us, still be remembered as Civic Auditorium. Until 1994 that’s what it was called. It is currently the only building in Los Alamos capable of seating more than 900 people. The beautiful new facade was added in 2018 and on May 3 of 2019 a new portrait of Duane W. Smith was unveiled inside the structure. The portrait was painted by celebrated artist Craig Tyler and remembers Smith the way his family likes to think of him in sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat while spending time outdoors.

Duane W. Smith began working for Los Alamos Schools in 1959. He stayed with the school district for twenty years, eventually becoming superintendent of schools. He died at age 48 in 1979. In 1994 the auditorium was named for him as a nod to his tireless work for our district and community interests. The remodeling in 2018 was paid for by county and school district funds. But it’s important to realize that an endowment was created by Smith’s wife, Joan Brown, and his daughter, Kelly Myers, to cover further renovations and updates to this vital community facility so that it can be a self-sustaining part of not only our high school, but of life in Los Alamos.

Griffith Gymnasium

Many of you recently visited Griffith Gym at our high school in order to get your Covid-19 vaccination. Community health fairs, graduation ceremonies, and more Phys Ed classes and high school sports games than we can count have been held inside this structure. It has undergone plenty of renovations and at one time it was rumored that the Hilltopper painted on the wall inside the gym had been modeled after a certain popular English teacher.

According to Craig Martin’s book Los Alamos Place Names, the high school gymnasium was formally dedicated to the memory of Thurston A. “Turk” Griffith on January 15, 1966 just before a basketball game between Los Alamos and St. Pius. Turk Griffith was a 1958 graduate of LAHS. In December 1964 he was reported MIA in Vietnam. His body was found several days later.

Though Turk Griffith was the first person from Los Alamos to die in the Vietnam War, he is better remembered for his love of life. Turk played baseball, ran track, swam, and was captain of the football team. He was in Key Club, was president of Student Council, a National Honor Society Student and was also voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by his classmates. He was a popular and likable student who attended West Point after graduating from LAHS. He received his commission as a lieutenant in 1962. Members of our community, including later Senator Steve Stoddard, pushed to have Topper Gym renamed for Turk. They circulated a petition and gained more than 1100 signatures in favor of this change. In March of 1965 it was officially renamed and now a plaque commemorating Turk Griffith hangs inside to help students today connect with those who came before and lived with distinction.

Sullivan Field

If you’re like many people, you’ve been wondering what amazing athlete with the last name Sullivan commanded the field in such a way that he was honored to have our high school stadium named after him?

Um, Earle D. Sullivan was an important part of sports here in Los Alamos, and he might have been a really great athlete. But that’s not why the former High School Athletic Field was renamed Sullivan Field.

Sullivan was a community relations manager for the Atomic Energy Commission in the late 1940’s. Before that, he’d been a newspaper editor in Foxboro, Massachusetts. He served in various positions during the war, most notably as a regional publicity director for the War Bond Campaigns.

While none of that seems to have anything to do with football, track, or soccer, what Sullivan DID do was advocate strongly for recreational facilities for the youth of Los Alamos. His position as a liaison between the AEC and the youth of our community gave him the opportunity to be a voice for youth sports. And THAT is why his name is on our High School Stadium.

Next time you pull up to the Topper Field House for a game at Sullivan Field or drive up to North Mesa to watch a ball game at “Bun Ryan” Field, remember that our history goes back a long way and includes plenty of influential people who loved this community enough to leave their mark for all of us. And when you’re ready to call Los Alamos home, give me a call! I’d love to talk about Life in Los Alamos with you.

When to Refinance Your Home in Los Alamos

June 9, 2021 /

We’ve talked about the way current mortgage rates affect your buying power, but do those historic low rates on new loans benefit a homeowner who purchased their house five, ten, or even fifteen years ago when the rates were a whole lot higher? Maybe not in the same way, but whether or not you’ve been in your home for a few years or a lot of years, it might be time to consider refinancing.

Refinancing. That word tends to pop up frequently for some people and others never even consider it. The simple explanation is that you pay off your current home loan and get a new one. It sounds like a lot of trouble to some people. After all, it was a decent amount of work to get your first mortgage. But there are a few really important things to look at that could make refinancing your home a choice that improves your financial situation a lot!

Some experts suggest that the rule of thumb says you refinance if you’re going to get a 1% drop in interest rate. But this is a blanket statement that doesn’t actually apply to every situation. The rate a lender will offer you when you refinance your home has to do with your credit score and the amount of equity you have in your home.

Equity. Here in Los Alamos, residents who bought their homes in the last decade or more have seen an incredible rise in the value of their house. Some of you might have even gone from being upside down on your home (you owe more than your house is worth) to having 20% equity or even more! This is wonderful news! First of all if you have a good amount of equity in your home, you might not need to carry mortgage insurance anymore. Sometimes you see this on your payment statements as PMI. This could either reduce your monthly payment, or allow you to apply more dollars every month to the actual principal amount on your loan. Either way it’s a win!

Maybe you’d like to shorten the term of your mortgage. With the increased buying power that comes with lower interest rates and higher equity, you could get a fifteen year mortgage instead of a thirty year and potentially see very little change in your current payment. Imagine not feeling stuck in your home here in Los Alamos because there’s nowhere else in town to move. Imagine feeling closer to paying off your home and having the opportunity to make changes in your financial situation and your life in other new and exciting ways!

Perhaps you bought your home when mortgage lenders were offering creative financing options like 80/20 loans where you borrow your down payment. Or you might have cashed out on equity at some point and gotten a second mortgage. This could be the perfect time to consolidate and only have one payment with an improved rate.

No matter which of these situations apply to you and your family, there are a few things you should consider when you think about refinancing your current mortgage.

How long are you planning to stay in your home? If you’re planning to move away from Los Alamos in the next year or two, refinancing your home might not be the right choice. There are closing costs associated with refinance. Credit checks, appraisals, and other necessities cost money. It takes a certain amount of time for any savings you might get on your payment to recoup those closing costs.

How is your credit? It might be that you’ve hit a rough financial patch after 2020. Check with your lender to see what you can do to get your credit score exactly where it needs to be in order to get the full benefit of a refinance. It might be that paying off a few credit cards or personal loans could get you a better rate and a deeper savings each month than you ever thought possible.

Regardless of what your situation is, don’t be afraid to ask for more information. Give me a call if you’d like a recommendation on a reputable mortgage lender who will work with you on your refinancing options. And as always, if you’ve decided to sell or buy a home in Los Alamos, I’d love to hear from you!

Why Do We Wait Until Spring to Clean?

February 16, 2021 /

When you hear the words “spring cleaning”, what do you think of? Is it a quaint notion that conjures up an image of some June Cleaver like woman with a wasp thin waist and kitten heels beating a rug and somehow managing not to get a single speck of dirt on her pristine dress? Or do you go the other direction and visualize your laundry room as you wipe grime off your forehead with one hand and tackle a lint bunny the size of King Kong with the other?

Spring Cleaning is a fascinating concept really. I don’t know about anyone else, but it stresses me out. This idea that we’re supposed to take a single weekend or week or even two weeks and do what? Clear out all of the junk that’s piled up in the house over the past 365 days while scrubbing and mopping and dusting until we’ve managed to eradicate any germs or dirt?

Little House on the Prairie

First of all. The concept of spring cleaning is an old one. Like 1800’s old. Probably older than that. There are certain scholars that like to say it originated with some religious customs that involve spring. Whether you’re celebrating Easter, Passover, or Lent, there are ancient religious customs regarding the cleaning of altars, churches, or even getting rid of any sort of leavened bread that might be considered disrespectful to the spirit of the season.

A Little Dirt Don’t Hurt

Other customs surrounding spring cleaning are practical. According to a Washington Post article on the subject:

“Because homes used to be lit with whale oil or kerosene and heated with wood or coal, the winter months left a layer of soot and grime in every room. With the arrival of spring, women would throw open windows and doors, and take rugs and bedding outside and beat dust out of them and start scrubbing floors and windows until sparkling.”

Um, ICK! Can you imagine what it was like before things like natural gas furnaces, hot water heaters, and electricity? If you have a wood or pellet stove or a fireplace, you know what kind of mess that involves. Now imagine that grime covering every single surface in your home.

Logically, you weren’t going to be able to air things out and clean that grime or soot until the weather warmed up. Ergo, Spring Cleaning. Further historical evidence suggests that the men in the household were turned out for a week in order to allow the womenfolk the space and time to get the job done right.

Yeah. I’m not going to agree with that notion at all. Not unless Dads want to be responsible for keeping the kiddos out of the house so Mom can clean. At some point this tradition of opening up the home, airing things out, and achieving that sense of renewal is more biology than anything else. Spring is a time of renewal and regrowth. The beginning of the growing season. So, embrace it!

Reality Check

Here in Los Alamos, spring can also be a time of unsettled and often wild temperature and weather swings. How many of you remember getting snow in May a few years ago? It happens. Here in the Rockies we can’t always count on spring to start in March or April. So, why not get started with your “renewal” in mid to late February?

Here’s an idea. Make this a numbers game and begin with the first part of ANY cleaning project. Decluttering.

Numbers. As in date. Choose a room in your home that needs some TLC. Or start in your bedroom. Even more specific. Your CLOSETS. Depending on what day you start, remove that many items from your closets. If today is the 20th of the month, then remove twenty items from your cluttered closets. These don’t have to be big items. The point is just to go through and get rid of things you don’t need or want.

Anything counts in this numbers game. I don’t care if its a stray candy wrapper or spare change. Count it! Let your kids get into this idea and choose 20 toys they don’t play with anymore. Have too many Legos or Barbie accessories? This can be a great way to pare down the sheer volume of these items over time.

And tomorrow on the 21st? Come back and do the same thing. Do it every single day for 20 days. And then move onto the drawers. Eliminating a specific number of things each days takes some of the stress out of the task. When you say “clean out a closet” or “clear out my drawers” the sheer volume of items involved can be daunting. Putting a specific parameter on this takes the sting out.

Choose three different targets in your home and three sets of 20 day clean out campaigns. You can even do ROOMS if that feels more productive to you. Work on the living room for 20 days, then the bedrooms, then the kitchen (or whatever works for you). Then, when the weather is really nice enough to open the windows, air it out, and really get that spring clean feel, you won’t have to wade through your shelter-at-home-clutter-fest to get the job done.

Do you have a spring cleaning tradition of your own? Drop me a line in the comments and share it! And as always, when you’re looking for your Los Alamos Local Real Estate Expert, give me a call. I LOVE to talk homes whether you want to discuss cleaning, buying, or selling!

The Los Alamos Home Market Today

February 4, 2021 /

When you think about the Los Alamos County housing market right now, terms like “seller’s market”, “bidding”, and multiple offers” often come to mind. But how do these concepts translate to actual data about home sales in our town? Let’s take a look at a couple of statistics that might provide a better picture.

Sales in a Month

The first thing you have to keep in mind when you’re looking at real estate sales, is that there are natural peaks and valleys in the market that correspond to seasonal factors like holidays or the beginning and end of the school year. Weather can also play a big part in determining the number of homes sold in a month. Nobody wants to move in or out if there are back to back snowstorms such as the ones we experienced several winters ago.

Here’s the surprising thing about the number of homes sold each month in the last few years. 2018 was a good year. The monthly average of homes sold in 2018 was 31.5. In August there were 41 home sales. That’s quite a big bump. And yet we saw nearly as many homes sell in December of 2019. That’s right, there were 38 home sales in December. Almost as many as there were in August. And December is typically the beginning of the seasonal slowdown.

Of course, you could suggest that this was just part of a continuous trend throughout last few years. Except that’s not necessarily true. The average number of homes sold per month in 2019 was 27.5. In 2020, that number dropped to 26.8. That might seem like a downward trend until you remember that we were selling 26.8 homes per month during a period when our kids weren’t allowed to attend school, we were all trapped in our homes “working”. And a good number of new home owners shopped online for homes they never physically visited until the closing date. Anyone else feel like 26.8 is spectacular given the circumstances? I certainly do!

It doesn’t look as though it’s slowing down either. If anything, the market is gaining momentum. There were 26 home sales just last month and I can’t wait to see what February brings!

Home Prices

This is a sticky topic no matter what market you’re talking about. Whether you’re looking at urban, suburban, or even acreage, price point is on the minds of both buyers and sellers. Here in Los Alamos, it’s all too easy to get caught up in this mindset that homes in our county are so much more expensive than homes in other places.

From the data shown above, you can see that most of the homes sold in 2020 were in the $400-$499K range. But only by three percent more than the $300-$399K range. And the price point below that, the $200-$299K range, is only another one percent drop. Taking into account the number of homes sold in 2020, you’re talking a difference of five or six homes. And while it really is incredible that there were 89 homes that sold for $500K and above in 2020, that also means there were 233 homes that sold for less than $500K.

Let’s also not forget that this isn’t happening only in Los Alamos. According to popular real estate experts, Norada Real Estate Investments, the median listing prices across the country grew 14.4% throughout 2020. That’s a huge amount of growth. In fact, Narada goes on to discuss the ways in which the real estate market, record low mortgage interest rates, and the demand for homes is actually helping to bolster the US Economy. Yes. You’re paying a higher listing price, but the lower interest on your mortgage still means you get more for your money whether you’re in Los Alamos or anywhere else in the United States. And here, you get the benefit of living in one of the safest, healthiest, and most beautiful places in the country. If you have to social distance, having a National Forest on hand is certainly a perk.

So the next time you want to ponder the state of our local real estate market, remind yourself of this important point. As always, Los Alamos isn’t all by itself in how the market is performing or what the trends are. However, we are by far and away doing it better and probably more efficiently than anyone else. And if you’re ready to talk about how YOU fit into our local real estate market, give me a call!

Ready to Buy in 2021?

January 4, 2021 /

In spite of the 2020 pandemic, the uncertain times, and pretty much everything else that has happened recently, the one thing that seems to be on fire is the home market. Here in Los Alamos? Definitely. But also everywhere else! Homes are selling. Average Janes and Joes are leaping into home ownership. Are you ready to take that leap? Is 2021 the year for you?

If you answered yes, or even maybe, here are few things to get you started on the all important journey to owning your own castle:

Find Yourself a Lender

I often get blank looks when I suggest this to people long before they’ve actually started shopping for their dream house.

“What lender are you working with?” I ask.

Potential home owner looks confused. “I need to find a house I want to buy, then I’ll apply for the home loan.”

While that might have been the way things worked once upon a time, these days it’s in your best interest as a buyer to find a reputable lender to work with long before we’ve started scouring the MLS for the castle of your dreams. Your lender is an invaluable resource when it comes to the best way to shape your credit into a weapon that will get you the best rate on the best home for you and your family. Less than perfect credit? Your lender is a recipe book for the best way to repair that credit score and get you the house you never thought you’d qualify for.

But even if you’re just considering the idea of purchasing a home, there are some really important things you can be doing to prepare yourself for the buying process even a year or two in advance. So, if you’re in the process of saving for your down payment, here are some other things you’ll want to be doing at the same time to really put the finishing touches on your financial resume.

Pay Your Bills on Time & Frequently

This might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many times people get busy or distracted and pay the utility or cell phone bill a few days late. Or maybe its the credit cards. You were going to make a huge payment but you needed to wait an extra day or two. You’re far better off making minimum payments on the same day every month and then making an extra payment or two in between. That looks great on a credit report and really boosts your score.

Get Intimate With Your Credit Report

Credit reports aren’t that much fun. It’s not like reading a newspaper, or a magazine, or a blog. But if you’re going to be suggesting a lender read that report and use the information to give you a great rate on a new house, don’t you think you should know what they’re seeing? There’s nothing worse than having a lender send you an email asking about a credit account you’ve never even heard of or telling you that you’ve applied for dozens of store accounts and been denied when you hadn’t applied for any.

If you’re not actually keeping track of your credit report, there are lots of things you might not be aware of. From credit accounts you forgot you had to hackers applying for credit in your name and using a distant family member’s address, to credit accounts you cosigned for someone that they defaulted on. If there is an error or an issue with your credit report, you need to be the first one to find out. It might take a little bit of paperwork, but those errors can be fixed. And the time to do it is BEFORE you apply for your next big ticket item.

Credit Cards: Good VS Evil

The little plastic (and even sometimes metal) cards with their numbers, codes, and microchips are a part of our economic reality that we’re not likely to see the end of soon. Whether you like or dislike credit cards, the truth is that you cannot boost your credit score without them.

The older the better. No matter how you might be tempted to pay something off and close the account to keep yourself from spending again, don’t do it. Cut it up. Put it in a block of ice in your freezer for emergencies. Whatever it takes. But don’t close the account. The older your credit accounts, the better. That’s an established financial relationship and banks love to see old credit accounts when they look at your report.

Lower credit limits make good fiscal sense, but they don’t do much for that credit score. Make your payments regularly and keep your balances under control and then ask for a higher limit. Don’t USE the limit. Just ask for it. Having a higher credit limit boosts your available credit number. Banks want to give you credit when it looks like you don’t actually need it because everyone else wants to give you credit too.

Having trouble building your credit? Have a family member or close friend put you on their card as an authorized user. You’ll gain some much needed points on the credit score without the financial burden. Or if that’s not an option for you, try a secured credit card. A card that’s guaranteed by money you’ve already paid toward the credit limit. At that point you’re essentially borrowing your own cash and paying it back every month. But it still builds your score.

Whatever your credit situation, be informed and proactive. It’s YOUR credit score and it affects your future in so many ways. The important thing is to be comfortable in your financial choices. A home is a huge purchase decision. 2021 might be your year. Or, it could be 2022. That doesn’t mean you can’t get more information. And if you want to know what the real estate market looks like here in Los Alamos County, give me a call! I’d love to chat with you.

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