Albuquerque Real Estate
MARKET WATCH! For September 2012 single-family detached home sales were 653 units, a 26.31% increase from the same month last year. The Median Sale Price was $172,000–an increase of 4.24% from last month–, and the Average Sales Price $203,016. The Average Days on the Market remained low at 70. (Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors)
Contact The Sugar Team to find out how the Market’s doing in your neighborhood!
Sincerely,
Linda and Sutter
“Has alleys”…never have two little words created so much excitement for a Realtor®. Maybe we should explain… The Sugar Team recently was given a tour of Mesa del Sol, a new community located in southern Albuquerque just started in March 2012. We have seen a lot of new communities come and then go in the Greater Albuquerque area for their lack of cohesiveness, affordability, or move towards sustainability, but Mesa del Sol thankfully gets it right. As stated on their Website, the goal of Mesa del Sol is to create, “a new place designed to celebrate art, industry, the individual and the community, Mother Nature and common sense.”
Mother Nature seems to play a prominent role in Mesa del Sol’s 12,900 acres of land, where
3,200 are devoted exclusively to parks, trails and natural space. Viewed from above, the community–based on the Stapleton Model—resembles spokes of a wheel with each spoke radiating to a different place of importance. Every home is certified Energy Star 3.0 and classified NM Green Build Silver, and according to the developer of Mesa del Sol, Forest City the average home in the community is designed to use 34% less water than the average Albuquerque home.
Unlike other new communities, Mesa del Sol is situated in the city limits of Albuquerque. It finds itself within approximately 15 minutes of three grocery stores, Nob Hill and five minutes of UNM Golf Course. And also unlike other communities, Mesa del Sol attempts to fold industry and schools right into its residential climate. As a result, Fidelity, Molina Health Care, Albuquerque Studios, and Rose’s tablecafé all work shoulder-to-shoulder with Mesa del Sol while the K-7 International School continues to educate some 250 pupils.
What most sets Mesa del Sol apart is its commitment to the “traditional neighborhood
design,” completely self-evident in its eclectic architecture. Gone are the cookie-cutter repeats found in suburbia. Rather, Mesa boasts five different home collections ranging from 1100 to 3000+ square feet with prices ranging from the mid $100s to the $300s. Having experienced a private tour, we found the architectural diversity to be quite fascinating, covering everything from traditional bungalows and contemporary cool townhomes reminiscent of Nob Hill to more majestic Spanish Revival and traditional Pueblos.
Even the Home Owner Association’s (HOA) philosophy promotes one’s individuality. At only $45 per month the HOA covers the maintenance of parks, common areas and front yards while not restricting one’s artistic expression in terms of choice of exterior paint color. But what most differentiates Mesa is its alleys…
What you will notice when driving down the streets of Mesa del Sol is that none of the garage doors face the front. Instead, the homes have 100% alley-loaded garages and driveways. The reasoning behind this is both aesthetic and social. Aesthetic, because no one can dismiss how insipid and cold a big, white rectangular garage door can be greeting every new visitor. Social, because care has gone into making large, inviting front porches 
like in traditional, community-oriented neighborhoods.
Nonetheless, Mesa del Sol still has some kinks that need to be ironed out. As we are just coming out of a recession, there is clearly risk involved in investing in any brand-new community, and approaching this as a “sure-thing” would be naïve at best. To date, only 40 homes have been built, eight of which are model homes and only eight are presently occupied. However, Mesa del Sol seems to be analyzing the short term and the long term as good as (or better than) any other developer. And Mesa continues to be forward thinking, planning a community pool in the summer of 2013 and volley ball courts, dog parks etc. throughout their extensive park corridors. One thing is clear; in comparison to any other new development, this community is impressive and absolutely merits a visit.
Just contact us at The Sugar Team, and we’ll take care of the rest!
Market Watch!: For August 2012 single-family detached homes Pending sales exceeded 1,000 units for the third consecutive month. The number of sales rose 13.16% from the same month last year and was the 2nd highest sales month with 731 sales. The Median Sale Price was $165,000 and the Average Sales Price $201,833. The Average Days on the Market was just 66. (Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors)
The number of Listings is still down, and at this rate we are rapidly approaching a Seller’s Market. So, if you are thinking of selling your home, the time is now. Contact The Sugar Team to find out how!
Sincerely,
Linda and Sutter
Sitting high above the Rio Grande Valley with fabulous views of the city skyline & the Sandia Mountains, this Santa Fe style home includes all the luxurious features to make it move-in ready: zoned radiant heat, brand new carpets & fresh paint, kitchen w/ granite countertops & fridge, gas fireplace, master suite w/ walk-in closet & custom shower. Soak in the hot tub while enjoying the landscaped backyard, or sip on a glass of chardonnay, sitting on the balcony while taking in the shimmering city lights.
 |
 |
MARKET WATCH! For July 2012 single-family detached home pending sales rose 29.69% from the previous year, making it the highest Pending month of the year. The number of sales rose 15.04% from the same month last year and was the highest sales month since 2009. The Median Sale Price was up to $175,000 and the Average Sales Price $210,685. The Average Days on the Market was also down to just 65. (Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors)
Contact The Sugar Team to find out what’s happening in your neighborhood!
The Sugar Team recently sat down with professional designer and stager Christopher Tracy of Christopher Interiors to talk about the world of interior design. In the interview Christopher discusses how he got his start in design, what’s popular right now and general staging tips for those selling their home.
Christopher Tracy is no newbie to the design world. He studied at University of Arizona and Cal State Long Beach, both in fine arts, and received a Fine Art degree from University of New Mexico and an Interior Design degree from Santa Fe Community College.
Christopher’s extensive portfolio speaks for itself. He holds more than 20-years of experience in remodels and renovations, 10-years in residential interior design and seven years in professional staging. His many happy clients include Century 21 Unica, Flawless Skin Spa, Easy Give, UNM Santa Fe Dean’s Office and Santa Tierra Apartments, Santa Fe.
The Sugar Team: What sparked your interest in interior design?
Christopher Interiors: When I was young, I would get bored easily and my mother would make me move our living room furniture around. So, for 10 years or so, I would recreate different looks and placement of our very humble furniture. In actuality, my mom was training me to become a designer without me really knowing. As I tried to figure out what to do with my life, my friends and family encouraged me to decorate and do small design jobs. Before I knew it, I naturally fell into interior design. I love and understand all interior design styles and can recreate or reinvent any style. It truly is my calling.
ST: How would you describe your style?
CI: My design aesthetic is really based on what my clients are looking for or comfortable with. I see myself as a tool which my clients can use to enrich their own styles. Great listening skills are the best aspect I bring to all my clients and projects. It’s really not about what my idea of what is best for my client’s spaces, but using my design skills to enhance my client’s spaces in their vision. Gentle hand holding and patience through what can be a difficult process is one of my best skills.
ST: What styles are trending?
CI: Current trends now are modern and retro styles mixed with traditional accents or the reverse. Clean, crisp colors in neutrals are still a standard. We are also seeing bold colors in furniture fabrics coming back. Plus, the eighties influences are knocking! Really, individual styles and how you see your space is in. Just ask a professional before taking a wall down. When in doubt, ask Christopher!!
ST: What is one designer or artist that inspires you?
CI: I really don’t have one interior designer who inspires me. I am inspired by my clients, their environment and life experiences. I will sometimes refer to a certain look created by another designer, but only to explain this look to my clients. Because my clients bring their own life to the space, I just bring it all together with that extra touch and attention to detail.
ST: What staging recommendations do you have for someone selling their house?
CI: First, talk to your Realtor and have him or her walk through the house with you. What your Realtor is going to do is base your priorities on what would be best to sell the house. Then, the next step would be to bring in someone like me to help you understand what those priorities mean. For instance, de-cluttering. De-cluttering is a big priority because prospective buyers cannot see the house through your things. It’s important to create in your mind that you are actually moving out of this house. Once you come to that realization then you can easily start packing things and really make the space as clean, crisp and simple as possible so that the prospective buyers can see all aspects—good and bad—of the house. And then they can make a determination. If not, then what happens is the prospective buyer is more interested in your personal items and not in the house. The priority is to sell the house.
The next thing would be to paint if possible. If there are some minor fixes, or if you need to refresh the space by painting or taking those curtains down that have been up for ten years, go ahead and do it! The cleaner the space, the better. It’s not about making a beautiful, cute house; it’s about making it presentable to the public.
ST: When you talk about paint are you referring to red accent walls or maybe taupes?
CI: I recommend that everyone who is into accent walls or bright colors as accents to remove them to bring the house down to a simple palette or as
they say, “real estate beige.” That way the prospective buyers can start to see it as a neutral space versus, “What do I do with that red wall? I don’t know what to do with that.” If you have the money and you have the time, I recommend you have the house painted or you paint it yourself and just do those minor fixes.
I think the next thing to consider is curb appeal. Curb appeal is the first thing people see when they drive up to the house. If you have a dead tree in the front yard and the grass is dead the prospective buyer is already going to come in judging the house. If you cut down or trim the trees and do the best you can do to spruce up the front of the house it’s only going to create a more positive influence on the buyer.
I think the next thing you can do is clean. Clean, clean, clean the space! Once you’ve gotten to the point where you’ve de-cluttered, you’ve worked on the yard and painted, go ahead and scrub the house top to bottom. Because if not, and someone sees that there are cobwebs on the ceiling, then they are going to start looking for other things. They are going to start creating a judgment: “Oh this person who lived here never really cleaned the house. What else am I going to expect?” We’re just trying to eliminate as much judgment as possible.
Christopher Tracy sure gives a lot of sage advice! Because he is such an authority in his field, The Sugar Team teams up with Christopher Interiors regularly, whether it be in the remodeling of a home or preparing it to sell. As just one of the many listing services that The Sugar Team provides to its Sellers, we provide one hour of complimentary Christopher Interiors consulting advice in the staging of your home. Contact us today to get started. It truly makes a difference!
Move-in ready and clean as a whistle. Light and bright home with open floor plan, beautiful wood floors and fireplace tucked in the Valle del 
Canto gated community even includes the fridge, washer and dryer. Not a short sale or foreclosure this beauty shows like a model. Step out into the peacefully landscaped backyard and enjoy the wonderful shade tree and rose bushes. It just doesn’t get any easier!
 |
|