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Albuquerque Real Estate

These are a Few of My Favorite Things…The Sound of Holiday Musica in Albuquerque.

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Tumbleweed snowman.  Bizcochitos.  Ordering your enchiladas “Christmas.”  These are some albuquerque-real-estateof the fascinating things you will find in New Mexico during the holidays, and specifically in Albuquerque.  There are many truly joyful events that happen throughout our wonderful city during the month of December that you absolutely will not find anywhere else. 

Kicking off the holiday season in Albuquerque’s cultural epicenter Nob Hill, the Shop and Stroll closes the streets to vehicles in this fabulous neighborhood, giving patrons the opportunity to walk the streets and shop locally until late.  During the Shop and Stroll shoppers enjoy the opportunity to ride in pedicabs, take in street performers, enjoy the excellent cuisine in Nob Hill’s restaurants and of course, shop!  This year is extra-special because Nob Hill is abuzz, celebrating its one hundredth year anniversary.

While New York City has its Rockefeller Center and the Lighting of The Tree, so does albuquerque-real-estateAlbuquerque, but in Old Town.  Old Town is more steeped in history than 100 Rockefeller Center, as it dates back to 1706 when founded by the Spanish.  Even today Old Town keeps its Spanish roots, preserving a central plaza and gazebo—Mariachis included of course!—, surrounded by historic golden-colored adobe buildings and the San Felipe de Neri Church.  Just one day after the Shop and Stroll the mayor lights the tree in Old Town and wishes peace and joy on all observing Burqueños. 

The third day of celebrations brings us back to Nob Hill to witness the Twinkle Light Parade, The Sugar Team’s all-time favorite.  This year there are 96 participants floating down the street with the one requirement that every entrant—whether it be a clown, bicycle or low-rider—be bedazzled with twinkle lights.  The culmination of live music, red and green flashing lights and overall kitschiness provides a scintillating experience for the senses.

However, the Twinkle Light Parade really doesn’t own the market on quirkiness in ‘Burque.  Just the second year running, the Rail Yards in Albuquerque’s Barelas neighborhood hosts their Rail Yards Holiday Market.  Located in the historic Blacksmith Shop which was completed in 1917, it has often been the backdrop for many Hollywood productions.  Albuquerque is pushing to convert this locale into a public market similar to what is found in cities like Barcelona and Los Angeles.  It is a great place to purchase local crafts, homemade chow and unusual souvenirs.

On Christmas Eve there is a gorgeous tradition that takes place yearly here in Albuqerque and albuquerque-real-estatedates back more than 300 years: Luminarias.  Luminarias are brown paper sacks filled with sand and a votive candle.  Historically, nuevomexicanos lit the candles on December 24th to welcome the Christ child into the world.  Today Albuquerque’s older neighborhoods like Old Town, North Valley, South Valley and Country Club place these ethereal decorations to adorn their walkways, churches and homes.  I promise you, you don’t have to be religious to appreciate this beautiful detail.

Last but not least, we have the River of Lights.  The River of Lights is an exhibit of visual light sculptures throughout the ABQ BioPark Botanical Garden running from the end of November albuquerque-real-estatethrough the beginning of January.  Although many other cities host a similar event, Albuquerque’s has been running strong for 19 years and simply is the best.  Where else can you find gorgeous light representations of a barrel of 14 monkeys, a butterfly bush, eight dragonflies, three cow skulls and a hot air balloon?  The River of Lights is the perfect holiday conclusion following the excess of egg nog, spicy tamales and ugly Christmas sweaters.  And it really is a pleasure to meander along the illuminated botanical garden paths, delightfully discovering what new “creature” has been rendered in lights.

So there you have it…Albuquerque during the holidays.  From the unique shopping opportunities of Nob Hill’s Shop and Stroll, historic Old Town’s Lighting of the Tree, the scintillating Twinkle Light Parade, quirky Holiday Market at the Rail Yards, ethereal Luminarias, to the River of Lights, Albuquerque has something for everyone at this time of year.  And that is why The Sugar Team is so proud to call “The Duke City” home.  Call us today (505) 850-9977 if you would like to work with a Realtor® that loves Albuquerque as much as we do!

How Do You Know Your Real Estate Agent is Ethical?

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We all have an image in mind when visualizing a real estate agent.  Maybe it’s Annette Bening cleaning windows in her lingerie in “American real estate shark albuquerque real estateBeauty” or maybe it’s Al Pacino lying and deceiving his client to close a transaction at the 11th hour in “Glengarry Glen Ross.”  Hopefully, we also have positive memories of agents we have dealt with in the past, but I’m seeing more and more that is not the case.  Whenever a very good friend and mentor introduces me he always says that I am an excellent agent AND “very ethical.”  I never understood why he always needs to underscore the ethical part, but now I’m realizing there’s a pattern.  People look for strong ethical character in choosing their real estate agent, and there are certain steps they can take to make sure their representative is held to a higher code.

Realtor Albuquerque Real EstateMake sure your real estate agent is a Realtor® and not just a real estate broker.  Realtors belong to the National Association of Realtors and take an oath, holding them to a strict code of ethics whose goal is to protect the public.  Although aspirational in design, right in the “Preamble” it states that the term “REALTOR®” connotes “competency, fairness, and high integrity resulting from adherence to a lofty ideal of moral conduct in business relations.”  The following Articles spell out exactly how to apply ethics in the practice of real estate which we Realtors® take very seriously.

The second way to measure an agent’s level of ethics is to research them.  In this day and age because of the ubiquitousSugar Team Albuquerque Real Estate Quality Service Award nature of the Internet all information about a person—both good and bad—can be researched on-line.  Plug their name into a Google search and see what comes up. Read up on their customer reviews and testimonials, whether it be on Zillow or elsewhere.  Check to see if they have a Quality Service Award or have been recognized in their field for superior customer service.  If the first search result for that person is a picture of them in an orange jumper with handcuffs, maybe they are not the agent for you.

Finally, meet your agent face-to-face to interview them.  Be prepared to ask those hard-hitting ethical questions and see how they answer.  If that is too uncomfortable you can always ask for references from previous customers.  Unless the references are the agent’s own mother or uncle, past clients will be brutally honest.  It also would be a good idea to observe your agent in action at an open house to see how they interact with the public.  Perhaps all of these steps seem awfully tedious, but entrusting your real estate transaction to an agent is in fact a very big deal, and is usually the largest investment you will ever make.  We at The Sugar Team take your decision very seriously!