Marketing Your Home for Sale – How Much Is Too Much?


As the real estate market continues to shift to one where buyers have more of the upper hand, the way you market your home for sale has become more important than ever. Years ago, your Realtor could snap a few pictures with their phone or digital camera, but now that house hunters expect tons of clear, detailed images, we Realtors have had to step it up.

Professional listing photographs have become pretty standard in the last decade in most real estate markets. But now, with technology advancing, new tools are being introduced to home buyers and sellers.  While some of them seem like great ideas, others could get you and your Realtor into some trouble. Let’s take a look at some of the…

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Home Renovations That Pay Off

There are dozens of reasons homeowners decide to renovate a space in their home, but for those of you who are renovating a house with resale in mind, this is for you. Since the average cost of a home renovation is just about $42,000, you want to make sure you're getting your money's worth. Let's take a look at the home renovations with the biggest ROI.

No Surprise Here – the Kitchen

It's not like this is news to anybody, but USA Today statistics show that kitchen remodels are the most popular.  As a Realtor, I can tell you with 100% certainty that kitchens sell homes. When a client is debating between two homes, the one with the better kitchen usually wins. Focusing on high-quality materials for your counters,…

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Can't Miss Halloween Events in Albuquerque

From family-friendly festivals to scary horror movies and pub crawls, Halloween in Albuquerque is a blast! The events in Albuquerque offer a mix of cultural traditions, family-friendly fun, and spooky season gatherings – there's something for everyone!  So, let's take a look at some of the upcoming Halloween events in Albuquerque.

Ghouls on Parade: Halloween Festival and Parade

Date: 10/26/2024

Time: 4:00-7:00 pm

Location: Morningside Park - 300 Aliso Dr SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108

You don't want to miss Ghouls on Parade if you have little kids. It has all the fun kiddie carnival staples like bounce houses and face painting, plus local entertainment and food trucks to keep you entertained as…

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Are You Waiting To Buy a Home Until After The Election? Here’s Why That’s Probably Not The Best Idea

Historically, the end of September through the beginning of October is the best time to buy a home.  That’s when the heat of the summer market cools down and right before the busy holiday season when inventory slows down. This year should be even better - if you haven’t heard, mortgage rates are the lowest in years.  As I write this, they are currently sitting at 5.5% for a 30-year FHA mortgage. Listing prices are also lower than they’ve been in a while. The trouble is that loan applications and pending home sales are also lower than usual.  Why? Housing Wire reports that as many as 40% of home buyers want to wait until after the election before…

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9 Days of Hot Air Balloons: A Guide to the New Mexico Balloon Fiesta

It's that time of year again! If you're looking for a bucket-list-worthy event, this is it. The 52nd New Mexico Balloon Fiesta begins on October 5 and runs through October 13. There's nothing quite like watching hundreds of hot air balloons lift off into the sky. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a Fiesta veteran, this year promises to be better than ever.

Why You Should Attend

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is known worldwide. Watching balloons of all shapes and sizes rise into the morning air is absolutely breathtaking. Plus, October is the perfect time to visit New Mexico, not just for the Fiesta but for the incredible weather too.  Believe it or not,…

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Biggest Homebuyer Regrets

 There's no such thing as a perfect house. Even if you have an unlimited budget or build your home from the ground up, there will eventually be something about it that is not perfect.  However, for the average homebuyer in New Mexico, buying a home can be an overwhelming process, and it's easy to get distracted.  Let's look at some of the most common regrets home buyers have after moving into their new homes.

They don't like the location

Sometimes, home buyers have to choose between amenities and location in order to find a home that fits their budget.  Buying a house further away from work or a child's school may not seem like the end of the world until they are stuck with a long commute 5 days a week.  Maybe the…

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5 Areas To Negotiate When Buying or Selling a Home

If you’ve bought or sold a home recently, you know that there are a lot of fees.  Many of these fees might come as a surprise and weren’t money you were planning to spend.  No matter what side of the table you’re on, you probably want to ensure you’re keeping as much of your hard-earned money as possible.  That’s why you shouldn’t be afraid to negotiate during a real estate transaction.  Let’s look at some areas to negotiate when you’re buying or selling a home.

Purchase Price

The most obvious area you can negotiate is the purchase price. We always look at comparable homes in the area to see how much they’ve sold for to see if the asking price for a particular house is reasonable. Depending…

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Surprising Things That Might Turn Buyers Off From Your Home

Selling your home in today’s market isn’t as easy as just putting a sign in the front yard and hoping for the best.  Today’s home buyers are some of the pickiest we’ve seen. So even though you’ve painted the walls and decluttered, potential buyers still might be turned off by things you may not even notice. Here are some unexpected homebuyer turn-offs to avoid.

Cheap remodels

The fix-n-flip home used to be something homebuyers looked for, but today’s buyers are reluctant to buy a home that has the standard beige walls, white kitchen, and vinyl floor remodel that fix-n-flippers are known for. A poorly done kitchen renovation with low-quality cabinets and appliances, or a bathroom…

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Are Interest Rates Dropping?  What New Mexico Homebuyers Need To Know

Mortgage interest rates have been a hot topic this year.  With New Mexico home prices increasing, homebuyers have been hoping for a little bit of relief regarding interest rates.  Well, it looks like good news is on the way! Interest rates on a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 6.62%, a 16-month low, earlier this week as the June employment report came in below expectations. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell also indicated that another rate cut would be possible in September if economic trends continued as they had been. Let’s look at what this could mean for the New Mexico real estate market.

Understanding mortgage interest rates

Interest rates are basically the cost of…

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Renting vs. Buying a Home in New Mexico: Which is Right for You?

The news has been pretty doom-and-gloom regarding real estate lately. You may have heard that renting is less expensive than buying a home in most areas, but does that mean you should put off your home-buying search and rent instead? The answer is—it depends. Let's look at some key factors to consider when choosing between buying and renting in New Mexico.

Financial Considerations

For many people, the financial aspect of buying versus renting will be the biggest deciding factor.  Of course, you know that you should look at what your monthly expenses will be and if you can afford them.  When you buy a home, you'll be responsible for covering property taxes and homeowners’…

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