ABQHomeTalk.com

Does a Real Estate Agent’s Company Really Matter?

April 5, 2012 by The Sugar Team

Most people don’t realize that Realtors® don’t get a salary or benefits of any kind. We are all independent contractors. If we make a sale we get a commission and if we don’t… we get nothing. It’s somewhat of a “sink or swim” system, but if we are always working and always promoting our listings we can make it work.

The other misconception that many have is that Real Estate Agents can only sell homes that are listed by their own company or brokerage. That is to say, Century 21 agents can only sell Century 21 listings and Coldwell Banker agents can only sell… (well, you get the idea). That can’t be farther from the truth! The reality is any agent can sell any homes listed provided that it appears in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), the database where all homes are marketed for sale.

Century 21 Unica

However, just because we are all independent contractors doesn’t mean where we hang our license lacks importance. What can matter is the location and philosophy of one’s brokerage. For example, Century 21 Unica, the brokerage where we at The Sugar Team decided to hang our license is located right on 1717 Carlisle Blvd NE, just South of Indian School. We are located smack-dab in the middle of Albuquerque, conveniently close to I-40, I-25, Nob Hill, Spruce Park, Netherwood Park, Ridgecrest and the University of New Mexico. From our ideal location we can get pretty much anywhere in Albuquerque within about 10 minutes. This becomes very important to our Clients if they need to come into our office to sign paperwork in a jiffy. At the same time, because of our proximity and ties to the community, we find ourselves focusing a lot of our real estate efforts in the UNM area, Nob Hill, Downtown and the North East Heights.

Our connections to the community as well are nothing to sneeze (bark) at. Sutter Sugar runs a free

Barking Lot Sale

Spanish Conversational Group in Albuquerque as well as donates time to the Cervantes Institute at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Linda Sugar is a professional painter, donating her beautiful paintings to many wonderful causes. Finally, our brokerage Century 21 Unica gives a portion of its proceeds to breast cancer and AIDS research, the Animal Humane Society and other charities and organizations. In fact, once a quarter we organize a “Barking Lot Sale” right in our own front parking lot. You can rent a space and sell your own garage sell items for a nice profit, you can donate them to us and we’ll sell them for you, or you can just come by and pick through some wonderful finds. Either way, all the proceeds go to Animal Humane. Our next Barking Lot Sale will be Saturday May 12^th. Contact The Sugar Team today to reserve your spot!

Useful Links

Capitan Unica

Albuquerque Real Estate Market Watch–February 2012

March 26, 2012 by The Sugar Team

MARKET WATCH! For February 2012 single-family detached homes sales rose 23.41% from the previous year and 23.11% from the previous month. Pending

711 Woodland NW Virtual Tour

home sales increased 32.01% from the previous year. Active listing inventory fell with this month showing the lowest number of single-family detached homes for sale since June 2006. The Average Sales Price for single-family detached homes was $195,165 and the Median Sales Price was $161,500. Finally, the Average Days on the Market was 87. (Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors)

Presently, we have approximately 1,000 fewer listings as this same time last year. So, if you are thinking of putting your home on the market to keep up with continuing demand, now is the best time!

Feel free to contact The Sugar Team to find out how.

What’s the Best Marketing Tool to Sell My Home?

February 28, 2012 by The Sugar Team

Most people erroneously think that there is that one elusive “next best thing” that can be used exclusively to sell their home, and don’t understand that any

One of Our Favorite Glenwood Hills Tours

successful marketing plan has to incorporate a hybrid approach to maximizing exposure for any listing. We at The Sugar Team understand this and therefore, incorporate a diverse marketing plan to appeal equally to local buyers, out-of-towners and other real estate agents. That’s why we do everything from putting up the most eye-catching yard signs, hiring a professional photographer, custom-designing full-color flyers, advertising in the local newspaper, performing open houses (when appropriate), paying for spotlight ads in Realtor.com and Zillow, to getting the word out throughout the Internet, whether it be Craigslist, facebook, Trulia and of course, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). However, if you were to ask, “what is that one marketing tool that is head and shoulders above the rest, what would it be?”, it probably would be Virtual Tours.

Virtual Tours are an interactive, multi-media presentation of a listing through the Internet that combines still photography, music, animation, panoramic photos and key community demographics, all wrapped up in one seamless, professional package. Virtual Tours are distributed to the MLS, Realtor.com, personal Websites, social media sites, among others. As upwards of 89% of buyers begin their search via the Internet, the more exposure on the Web, the better. Virtual Tours fulfill the function of feeding to multiple sites, getting crucial information to as many people as quickly as possible. At the same time, since we design the Virtual Tours, we maintain control over how they are viewed, maintaining their true integrity.

Our Favorite Kachina Hills Virtual Tour

Probably the one aspect that Virtual Tours understands more than any other marketing tool is that when we are selling a home we aren’t just selling a piece of property, we are selling a lifestyle. Nothing embodies the true feeling of a mid-century modern than the sultry jazz stylings of a Stan Getz and nothing captures elegant South West architecture like a beautiful flamenco guitar. At the same time buyers always want to know “what the neighborhood is like” and Virtual Tours are great because they incorporate a 360-degree panoramic photo of the front of the house, providing the buyer an idea of the home’s surroundings. Virtual Tours are the next best thing to actually being there in person.

Glenwood Hills Panoramic Photo

Of course, we at The Sugar Team are not only huge proponents of Virtual Tours, we take them one step further. First, we hire a professional photographer to shoot our listings and we use those beautiful images in all of our Virtual Tours. Second, using the “sell a lifestyle” motto, if the home is close to the University of New Mexico we’ll include images of the campus, and if the home is by a library, golf course or dog park, they also will go in the tour. Virtual Tours coupled with an agressive marketing plan which attracts locals, out-of-towners as well as other agents, and you’ve got yourself a dynamite team dedicated to selling your home as quickly and as painlessly as possible.

Useful Links

The Sugar Team Site

Search Albuquerque Virtual Tours

Albuquerque Multiple Listing Service

Real Estate Seller Marketing Tools

Albuquerque Real Estate Market Watch–January 2012

February 20, 2012 by The Sugar Team

MARKET WATCH! For January 2012 single-family detached homes sales in the Greater Albuquerque Area rose 13.22% from the previous year.

8401 Mesa Top NW Virtual Tour

Pending home sales increased 20.63% from the previous year, being the highest January month of Pending sales since 2008. The Average Sales Price for single-family detached homes was $195,000 and the Median Sales Price was $165,000. Finally, the Average Days on the Market was 87. (Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors)

Would you like The Sugar Team to help find you a home? Contact us directly (505) 850-9977 to put us to work for you or feel free to Search the Albuquerque Multiple Listing Service all on your own!

How does an Open House Help Sell my Home?

February 15, 2012 by The Sugar Team

Once sellers put their home on the market they are bombarded with advice from…everybody and everywhere. Each seller has at least one friend

: Albuquerque Open Houses

or relative that practiced real estate a million years ago who completed a grand total of two transactions, but claims to be an absolute authority on the sale of your home. Then, of course, there are other agents who lost the opportunity to sell your home and are looking for any opportunity to discredit the competition. Finally, there’s the Internet which as we all know, never lies! And each one of these sources has a different opinion about the importance of open houses.

You may hear the statement that “open houses don’t help to sell your home,” and only assist the agent-host pick up new buyers. Granted, open houses can help the agent build rapport with new customers, especially if the home doesn’t meet the needs of the customer. In that case, the agent would help the customer find something else based on her search criteria. However, the reality is open houses do help in the sale of your home, because it maximizes exposure locally, and if done correctly, can be quite successful. In fact, we at The Sugar Team have done quite well selling the homes we hold open. We have sold at least four Albuquerque homes directly from open houses, and have written multiple offers as well.

Nonetheless, not every home is a good candidate to be held open. For example, homes that are far removed with few to no neighbors, no drive-by or pedestrian traffic, or are located in gated communities can have a very poor turn-out. The exception to this last example would be if your agent held your home open in a gated community in conjunction with other homes (and agents) in the same gated community (i.e. an open house blitz). And keep in mind that it doesn’t matter if the other homes were being sold by other brokerages. We all are working together to ultimately sell all our inventory and provide a choice to the buyer.

Sellers also play a crucial role especially when they make the following preparations prior to an open house:

Remove all clutter both inside and out.
Open all drapes and light lamps including those in closets, the basement or attic, creating an environment as light, cheerful and calm as possible.
Make the beds and put away clothes and toys.
Turn the blinds so slats are uniformly open.
Put out a clean hand towel, fresh soap and clean soap dish.
Put all toilet seats down.
Put away all dishes and discreetly conceal countertop articles.
Consider setting the table with fine china and linen.
Straighten pictures on walls and wipe all tabletops.
Fluff and arrange couch cushions and throw pillows.
Dispose of newspaper and drink containers.
For those with cats, clean the litter box and replenish with fresh litter.
Light/turn-on fireplace in the winter.
If available, turn on any inside/outside sound systems to a light jazz station at a minimal volume.
Don’t cook anything in the kitchen at least one hour prior to the open house (unless it’s fresh-baked cookies or bread!).
Notify your neighbors of scheduled open house days. You never know if they have friends or family that are in the market for a home.
And most importantly…. LEAVE (that includes the dog)!!! Generally, buyers don’t feel recepetive viewing a home that has the Seller present and feel uncomfortable voicing their objections which is an integral part of the buying process.

The Sugar Team also has its own key role for an open house:

Announce the open house throughout the Internet on all Webpages, including but not limited to: TheSugarTeam.com, Century21.com, Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Craigslist, facebook, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), among others…
Purchase a classifed ad to go in the Albuquerque newspaper for that day.
Prepare full-color flyers/brochures (take-aways) to give to all open house guests.
If appropriate, walk the neighborhood a few days prior to the open house and hand-deliver invitations to all the neighbors (because who doesn’t like to be invited?!).
Put out open house signs in the most visible locations, directing drivers and pedestrians to the BIG EVENT!
Follow-up tenaciously with each and everyone of the open guests until we obtain an offer.

(Whew!)

As you can probably surmise, The Sugar Team takes open houses very seriously, since we feel that they are a key component to getting your home sold as quickly and as painlessly as possible. So, what are you waiting for… why don’t you try us out?

How Important is Photography in Selling my Home?

February 9, 2012 by The Sugar Team

We just can’t stress enough how important photography is for the sale of your home. I comb Albuquerque’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS) on a daily basis and see time in and time out the many examples of what NOT to do when photographing a property. Take the case of the real estate agent who doesn’t know how to remove the date-stamp from his photos. Now, what does the date have to do with the house or its features (provided that date is even correct)? Not only is it an unnecessary distraction, it indicates to the potential Buyer theoretically how long the listing has been festering on the market. Or what about the agent who doesn’t even rotate the photos so that they are right-side-up?! However, the biggest problem I encounter is when agents don’t take full advantage of being able to upload a maximum of 25 photos in Albuquerque’s MLS. Even if the home is a fixer-upper, Buyers need to know what they’re “getting into,” inside and out. We really need to be respectful of people’s time and multiple photos serve the purpose of being both an incredible marketing tool as well as just being informative.

We at The Sugar Team appreciate the importance of superb images in the sale of your home and therefore, take photography very seriously. For all our listings we hire professional photographer Steve Sugar to capture your home in its best light. Steve Sugar is no stranger to commercial photography. He has over 30 years of experience, working as Design Director for the Sharper Image as well as working for well-known clients such as Van Heusen, Gallo, Revlon, Chevron and Mrs. Fields Cookies among others. When he photographs your home he illuminates the inside “like a Christmas tree” and waits until the sun is just about to set. This trademark effect (the glow-shot) portrays your home in its best light, enticing the Buyer to go inside and “see more.” I invite you to decide for yourself if there’s any doubt whether professional photography makes the difference.

That difference can be felt in all of The Sugar Team’s tantalizing marketing materials. Everywhere we market your home we use professional photography to maximize your home’s exposure. Whether it be on our full-color flyers and brochures, the MLS, Virtual Tours and anywhere in-between on the Internet, you will see your home captured in its best light and professionally photographed. This is crucial to attracting what we all are ultimately expecting…… THE OFFER!

Feel free to contact The Sugar Team (505) 850-9977 today to discover what other marketing tools we use to get your home sold quickly…. and for top dollar! We’ll design a marketing plan specifically around your needs.

Useful Links:

Steve Sugar Photography

The Sugar Team Website

Search the MLS

The Sugar Team–Virtual Tours

The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History

February 1, 2012 by The Sugar Team

: The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History

The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History is one of the many reasons that I absolutely love, love the culture of the Duke City. Located right on the corner of 19^th and Mountain, abutting ‘Burque’s historic Old Town, and just East of the North Valley and South of Wells Park, The Albuquerque Museum sparkles as an absolute treasure trove among museum row, consisting of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, the Science Museum ¡Explora! and the Rattlesnake Museum. Originally designed by world renowned architect Antoine Predock in 1979, and then later tastefully expanded in 2005 this artistic masterpiece exudes high culture meant to be shared with the community both inside and out.

: The Albuquerque Museum’s Hands-on Sculpture Garden

On the inside The Albuquerque Museum houses approximately 7,000 works of art, focusing on art of the American Southwest and its influences. It covers everything from colonial to the contemporary and Native American jewelry to Georgia O’Keefe in the form of exhibits, photo archives and galleries. On the outside you will find a hands-on sculpture garden in front of the museum, depicting various aspects of New Mexico’s rich history. So, don’t be surprised if you see kids climbing and interacting with the sculptures! This art is meant to be shared…

However, The Albuquerque Museum is no stranger to more cerebral works of art. In fact, we are excited to report that from February 5, 2012 through May 13, 2012 the etchings of the subversive and imaginative artist Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes and his collection Los Caprichos will be on display at the museum. Of course, The Sugar Team will be there opening night. We hope to see you there!

Useful Links

The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History

Old Town Neighborhood

Antoine Predock Architecture

Francisco Goya

New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

Science Museum-¡Explora!

Rattlesnake Museum

Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau

Albuquerque Real Estate

Albuquerque Real Estate Market Watch–December 2011

January 25, 2012 by The Sugar Team

: Albuquerque Real Estate

MARKET WATCH! For December 2011 single-family detached homes sales rose 6.303% from the previous month and 3.56% from the previous year. Pending home sales increased 11.48% from the previous year, being the highest December month of Pending sales since 2006. The Average Sales Price for single-family detached homes was $195,861 and the Median Sales Price was $160,000. Finally, the Average Days on the Market was 87. (Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors)

Feel free to contact The Sugar Team (505) 850-9977 to find out how your neighborhood’s doing!

Albuquerque Neighborhood Drive-by–Spruce Park

January 19, 2012 by The Sugar Team

Tucked into Albuquerque’s cultural, intellectual, historical and geographical center, the residential neighborhood of Spruce Park (a.k.a. Old Country Club Addition) combines the brilliance of the big city with the quiet shade of mature, tree-lined streets. Spruce Park quickly makes up for its diminutive area with its grand landmarks, defining its four notable boundaries. Its frontier to the East is University Blvd. (where my alma mater the University of New Mexico starts), to the North, Las Lomas Rd., to the West, Cedar St., and to the South, Grand Ave. and Presbyterian Hospital. It’s no secret that what makes Spruce Park so appealing is its proximity to Nob Hill’s exquisite restaurants and shopping, the hospital and medical centers, the park from which it borrows its name and, of course, its walking distance to UNM. In fact, Spruce Park received a walk score of 75 from walkscore.com, placing it as the 17^th most walkable neighborhood in all of ABQ.

However, what really makes Spruce Park so visually stimulating is the palpably historical nature of its architecture. Punctuated with higher-end detached homes with very few townhomes and apartments, the style is mostly late 19^th and 20^th Century Revivals as well as Moderne. Add to that many old trees leading up to delightful Spruce Park (the heart of the “hood”) which sits at the top of the hill, and you have a very cohesive little community.

Being that this is such a tight and coveted little Albuquerque neighborhood, very few homes come on the market, and when they do, they get snapped up for top-dollar. For example, as of January 17, 2012 and going back two years, the Median Sales Price was $265,000; the Average Sales Price was $321,393; and the Average Number of Days on the Market was 181 Days. During that same period the most expensive home sold for $650,000 (GAAR).

Maybe this is why The Sugar Team is so excited by its Spruce Park listing located at 1303 Roma NE; as of today’s date, the only available listing in Spruce Park. Check out the Virtual Tour to get a better taste for the home, or better yet, call us at (505) 850-9977 to schedule a private tour:

Useful Spruce Park Links:

1303 Roma Ave NE–Lovely Spruce Park Custom Pueblo by UNM

January 5, 2012 by The Sugar Team

Updated home built in the 20’s is set in the shade of lovely Spruce Park. Perched on the corner and within a stone’s throw of Spruce Park, UNM, Nob Hill & Downtown, this lovingly updated custom pueblo sits among many other historical higher-end homes. Replete with many modern upgrades like refrigerated air, central heating, granite countertops, newer windows and doors, it also maintains some of the classical features like coved ceilings, a formal dining and wood burning fireplace. Smart, but definitely classy!

This wonderful home features:

3 Bedrooms
2 Full Bathrooms
1600 Square Livable Square Feet
Refrigerated Air
Granite Countertops
Updated Windows and Doors

Check out the VisualTour to get a better taste for this lovely home:

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This wonderful home features: