Hello Las Cruces!

www.SweetHomeLasCruces.com

2007-06-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

I've launched a new website full of great real estate information and tailored just for clients! It's rich with information and articles on buying and selling a home, my featured listings, you can search the Las Cruces MLIS and SO MUCH MORE! Check it out!

There is a blog page on the new site so I will no longer be making use of my blogspot page. See you at www.sweethomelascruces.com!

Cheers,
Christina

Florida Trailer Park Owners Cash In

2007-01-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

Residents of a coastal trailer park in Palm Beach County, Fla., called Briny Breezes have approved the sale of their community to a developer for more than $510 million.

The proceeds will be distributed based on the size and location of their lots, making most of the property owners millionaires. Nearly all of the 488 share-owning trailer owners voted; 80 percent approved the sale, while 17 percent rejected it. The vote clears the way for Boca Raton-based Ocean Land Investments to buy the 43-acre property. State and local officials still must approve new zoning to accommodate the 900 condo units, luxury hotel, and marina proposed by the developer. Owner Kevin Dwyer says he understands why some people didn’t want to sell — they’ll have to give up oceanfront living. But he voted yes because the return was irresistible — about $800,000 for the singlewide trailer and lot he bought nine years ago for $37,500. “I don't have much money. It’s a no-brainer for me,” Dwyer says.

Source: Associated Press (01/10/07)

Attention Mr. Dwyer and owners of Briny Breezes, I have the inside scoop on lovely homes here in Las Cruces if you are interested in trading your ocean view for the amazing desert sunsets.

What's Hot & What's Not in Home Design for 2007

2007-01-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

Mark Nash, the Chicago-based real estate broker who penned 1,001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home (Thomson/South-Western, 2004), has released a list of home features that remain popular among buyers and those that are no longer in vogue. His list is based on responses from more than 900 real estate professionals nationwide. For example, practitioners surveyed reported that the inability to keep stainless steel appliances, glass-front cabinets, and vessel-style sinks clean has caused them to fall out of favor with buyers. Also, spiral staircases have become less popular, particularly among buyers with young children. As for what's "in," Nash found buyers are increasingly looking for some of the following features in homes:

Glass bathroom and kitchen tiles

His-and-her home offices complete with fiber-optic cables for Internet connectivity

Wood floors — although not bamboo because it is not as durable

Extra storage space in the form of linen closets, pantries, and luggage rooms

With a large supply of unsold homes on the market, practitioners note that buyers have become pickier and expect homes to be in move-in condition.

Source: Washington Post, Kirstin Downey (01/06/07)

Smart Tips for Sellers with Pets

2007-01-05T17:14:00.000-08:00

We all love our pets, they are so much a part of our family that sometimes we even call them our "kids." As much as we love them though, they are sometimes a big turn off to potential buyers viewing your home. Some buyers may be afraid of or allergic to your furry friend and may not be able to see past them and pay attention to the house. Here are some suggestions for sellers with pets:

1. Make sure that pet food & water bowls are out of sight during showing times.

2. Put up all pet toys and accessories such as leashes, carriers & beds.

3. Vacuum carpets and sweep floors every morning to keep down on any pet dander and hair.

4. Before home goes on the market, hire a professional cleaning company to steam clean all carpets and furniture your pets may lounge on.

5. Remove pets from the home during Open House hours.

6. Fix any damage the pet has done to the home.

7. Use a light scented air sanitizer to remove pet odors.

8. Consider offering a "carpet allowance" incentive to the buyer at closing. Some buyers are not comfortable knowing a pet lived in the house, even after the carpets have been professionally cleaned.

Single Women = 22% of home buying market!

2006-12-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

Real Estate and the Single Woman
by Laura Rowley
Friday, December 8, 2006

Sarah Van Elderen, 24, bought a one-bedroom condominium in Grand Rapids, Mich., earlier this year, just 18 months after receiving a marketing degree from Grand Valley State University.She was attracted to the safe neighborhood -- a short trip from downtown and her family -- and the amenities, including a pool, hot tub, and clubhouse.But mostly, it was about money.Girls vs. Boys"The biggest thing for me was spending all that money on rent and at the end of the lease walking away with nothing," says Van Elderen, who shared a rental with a roommate for a year after college before moving back home for a few months.Van Elderen is part of a record wave of single women buying homes -- 1.76 million in the period from July 2005 to June 2006, comprising 22 percent of the market, according to a study released last month by the National Association of Realtors. That's up from 14 percent a decade ago.During the same period, the number of single men buying homes stayed flat at 9 percent. "I think it may be simple -- guys don't get serious about real estate until they meet the right woman," says NAR spokesman Walter Molony.Prime CandidatesSingle women are buying homes in increasing numbers for several reasons -- college graduation rates, workforce participation, and earning power are at all-time highs. "The best-educated woman in America is 28 years old -- the best-educated man in America is 56," says Peter Francese, founder of American Demographics magazine and a demographic trends analyst for Ogilvy & Mather in New York."Among 25-to-34-year-olds -- key home-buying years -- about 35 percent of women are college graduates, but only 28 percent of men are," he adds. "These women have good jobs, and they make money."The NAR study found the median age of a single woman buying a home for the first time is 32. The median income for all single women buyers (including those who have owned before) is $47,300, and her median age is 42 -- skewed higher by women who are divorced and widowed.Meanwhile, single women who might have been laughed out of a bank lobby 25 years ago are given the red-carpet treatment by mortgage lenders competing for their business.Van Elderen's parents encouraged her to meet with a cousin in the mortgage business, who found zero-down financing for first-time buyers with Heartwell Mortgage. Her monthly mortgage payment and association fee total $740, while rentals in her area go for $500 to $700.Home At LastThe nesting instinct also looms large for single women.In 2004, Kerri Milam, 46, bought her third home in Georgia in a decade. "It was pure emotionalism -- I grew up here," she says. "I can hear the kids playing on my old elementary school playground across the railroad tracks."I walked in and everything the previous owner had done in terms of window treatments, paint and color combinations felt like home."Milam's home turned out to be a solid investment as well. Earlier this year she tapped her equity to start a public relations firm after more than two decades in the business. "I pulled enough to have access to liquid money for ten months," she says. "The home equity enabled me to start the business now, versus six months from now."Like Milam, most single women buyers opt for a detached single-family home -- 60 percent, compared to 35 percent who chose a condo, co-op, or townhouse.Van Elderen bought a one-bedroom condominium for the maintenance factor. "You can call a guy if your sink clogs or the toilets are overflowing -- you don't have to do it all yourself." She also likes living alone: "It's nice having the freedom to watch television without splitting the time with a roommate; if I want to leave dirty dishes in the sink for a day, I can do that." Make Room for BabyPat Vredevoogd Combs, NAR president and a Michigan realtor, said Van Elderen's desire for privacy is typical of single women buyers. "A lot of the young men I've sold houses to -- especially just graduating from college -- tend to be in the fraternity mode," says Combs. "They plan to have all their buddies move in with them, while the women want some space alone."Sometimes that's space for a growing family. Back in 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle criticized the television program Murphy Brown for its storyline on the unexpected pregnancy and single motherhood of the main character, played by Candace Bergen. That controversy is ancient history, Francese says. "Forty percent of all births are to single women," he notes. "Those are not teenage births; teenage births have been dropping like a stone. These are adult women looking for Mr. Right who haven't been able to find him. There's no social stigma whatsoever in being a single mom, and she's got the money."Timing Is Everything
Van Elderen says friends who have witnessed her home-buying experience are now shopping for real estate themselves.The time may be ideal: In October, median prices on existing homes fell for the third consecutive month -- down 3.5 percent to $221,000 from the previous year, according to the NAR, the biggest such drop since the organization began tracking prices in 1968. Meanwhile, new home sales fell more than 25 percent in October, and the inventory of new homes on the market climbed to a seven-month supply.Plan Before You Buy Thinking about jumping in? First be certain your job is secure, and be prepared to stay put for at least five years. The spectacular run-up in the market in the last few years is an anomaly -- typically, buyers can't recoup their transaction and relocation costs if they sell within the first five years. And no one knows how long the current downturn may last.Next, add up your potential mortgage payments, real estate taxes, and homeowner's insurance. The total should be no more than 30 percent of your gross income. If your rent is at least 35 percent lower than your monthly ownership expenses, it may make more financial sense to keep your landlord.Look for a city with strong economic prospects and quality-of-life factors that suit a single lifestyle. At the U.S. Census Bureau web site, you can research your potential neighbors' employment levels, income, age, educational attainment, the type of industries in which they work, and average commute time to work.
Take a look at the percentage of housing occupied by homeowners versus renters (an indication of how transient the neighborhood is). Also browse local newspapers and Ticketmaster to survey local cultural events.Finally, if you're single and have no plans for children, look for bargains in lesser school districts. Milam, for example, gave no thought to the schools when she bought, and is feeling the pinch. "I'm paying all these taxes to have a great school system, but I won't be having kids," she says.

Amazing Sunsets

2005-11-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned our fantastic weather before, however another thing about Las Cruces that always amazes me is our dynamic desert sunsets. Never in my life have I seen such color in the sky. The top picture was graciously donated by Tobe Turpin and the other two I took.

Best Place to Retire

2005-11-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

We've known this for quite sometime as we made it to the top of the "Best Places to Retire" in 2002, however, this year, Money Magazine and CNN/Money have named Las Cruces, New Mexico as one of the best places to retire, once again! Here is copy of the write up from http://money.cnn.com/best/bpretire/

Las Cruces, New Mexico For folks who retire to Las Cruces, the city's obvious selling points -- the breathtaking Organ Mountains, the New Mexico State University-sponsored cultural scene and two state-of-the-art hospitals -- are almost an afterthought.What makes Las Cruces special, they say, is the genuine hospitality among transplants and locals alike. "We kept saying 'Why are people so nice here?'" said Dinny Bomberg, a retiree from Minneapolis. "We decided it's because life here is pretty stress-free."Inexpensive housing and almost 300 days of sunshine a year don't hurt either.The advantages haven't gone unnoticed: Las Cruces has boomed over the past 10 years. Still, prices have stayed modest; new houses in a southwestern faux adobe style start around $200,000, while existing stock usually costs less.The town hasn't surrendered to sprawl. Decades of neglect have left the downtown section looking haggard, but it's now scheduled for a face-lift that includes restoration of a historic theater.NMSU is the center of most local entertainment, from gallery talks to college football to a recent mariachi conference. Classes are available to seniors at a deep discount and end up costing about $130 a semester. Retired faculty members help run a wide-ranging lecture series known as the Academy of Learning in Retirement.

Amazingly enough although the small write up hits a lot of our glowing attributes, it neglected to mention our YEAR ROUND golf! Yes, a retirement article that overlooked golf! I'm from the east coast and my father can only play golf during certain months of the year, let me tell you, when he visited for the first time last Thanksgiving, he could not get over the fact that he could play golf at the end of November! Well guess what, no only can you play golf at Thanksgiving, but also Christmas and any other day of the year. Our weather truely is spectacular! So folks, RETIRE TO LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO!

Welcome

2005-11-02T16:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog "Hello Las Cruces!" You will find information on Las Cruces real estate, statistics and home info as well as local happenings, area links and general information. Check back frequently and feel free to email me with any questions at christina@steinborn.com

Also, check out my website at http://www.lascruceshomesnow.com