Time to Sale your home?

Albuquerque Real Estate Market Report

Our Market Reports can be fully customized just as you would for a home search.  When preparing to sale your home the information displayed in these reports will give you market insight of homes that sold and homes that are currently under contract in your Albuquerque neighborhood.

Our site updates it's information every 15 minutes and the information comes directly from the MLS unlike some national real estate websites. We understand that market timing and home price valuation is extremely important when preparing your home for sale. We also know that marketing your is equally important and we have developed a strong marketing plan to sale your home for the most money in the shortest time.

View this Albuquerque Real Estate Market Report

The proliferation of services that help home buyers and sellers complete their own real estate transactions is relatively recent, and it may have you wondering whether using a real estate agent is becoming a relic of a bygone era. While doing the work yourself can save you the significant commission rates many real estate agents command, for many, flying solo may not be the way to go–and could end up being more costly than a realtor’s commission in the long run. Buying or selling a home is a major financial (and emotional) undertaking. Find out why you shouldn’t discard the notion of hiring an agent just yet.

TIP 1: LIST AT THE RIGHT PLACE 

A real estate agent’s full-time job is to act as a liaison between buyers and sellers. This means that he or she will have easy access to all other properties listed by other agents. 

Realtors understand the market better and can typically list the house at the correct price.  This gives home owners an advantage over listing the property themselves.   

TIP 2: BETTER HOME PRESENTATIONS 

Presenting a home matters now more than ever.  Realtors make sure that these presentations go smoothly. They also have tons of experience in staging homes. In today’s market, it really matters how a home is presented. 

TIP 3: GET MORE BUYER EXPOSURE

Buyers often contact a real estate agent before looking at properties. This means there are many buyers in every market that will only be looking at homes listed by an agent. Your home will get more showings and offers by listing with an agent. Agents are crucial to accessing these buyers who are shopping with other agents.

TIP 4: HIGHER OFFERS FROM BUYERS

Higher offers come in when you list with an agent. An agent help to make sure your property is seen by more people. They also make sure that all aspects of the buying process is handled in a professional manner. Having an experienced real estate agent can dramatically impact the offers you receive from buyers.

Real Estate agent not only get the traffic in, they know how to manage it. They can arrange and hold open houses in a way that gets as many visitors as possible. They also work with buyers so that showings are more convenient for you. 

TIP 5: NEGOTIATES INSPECTION RESULTS

A real estate agent will be able to identify trouble that you may not see, as well as recommend a good independent home inspector who will provide a detailed report on problems with the house.

Inspections can impact the sale of your house. Having a real estate agent gives you an expert in your corner as you handle this aspect of the sale. Real estate agents are used to dealing with these types of issues and can work through almost any challenge that arises.

TIP 6: SPEEDS UP TIME TO CLOSE

There is a lot of paperwork that has to transpire throughout the closing process. An agent handles all this paperwork daily so they know how to speed up the process. While anyone can spend a few minutes online and pull information on sales of comparable houses, real estate agents have the experience to know whether a specific house is overpriced or under-priced. In the best-case scenario, an agent will have such a good idea of what you're looking for that she won't even waste your time touring houses that won't work.

TIP 7: HOME SELLS AT TOP VALUE

Ultimately, you can sell your home for more money when you list with an agent. Most real estate agents can set a price on a home the minute they walk through the door. If they have a lot of experience in a market, they know how well a neighborhood holds its value, too.

What you should ask your Real Estate Agent before Buying or Selling

Buying or selling a home can be daunting. In fact, it can be a full-time job. For many people, it makes sense to hire an expert to handle the time-consuming tasks and the nitty-gritty details. Real estate agents can take work off your hands and also help you get a better deal.

When it comes to property information, you should never stop asking your agent until you are fulfilled. You should obviously ask about the condition of the home, and external factors like flood/hurricane zone, night trains, flying paths that you can ask to neighbors so being prepared is never a bad thing,

But something as important as the Housing market shouldn’t be left out unanswered, remember, if your market is bad, no amount of money will fix it.

7 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT

How the Housing market has performed over the past 3 years?

 Your agent/agency can easily give you year over year stats of the local housing market you are interested in buying. When it comes to recognizing trends in the market, real estate agents are on the front lines.

What is the foreclosure rate of the local Housing market?

This is also very easy to pull. It’s another great market indicator. If the rate is high or rising, this means the housing market is going through a significant change. 

Can I have a copy of the appraisal?

Most people either don’t ask for it, or don’t know that they can request a copy of their home appraisal when getting one on a transaction, and it doesn’t matter if you are paying for it, the bank is the client for the appraisal, not you, so most of the time people won’t give it to you unless you Ask your real estate Agent for it.

Estimated closing costs?

Usually, there is some surprise in the faces of the buyers when closing costs are on the table. . For average homes the closing cost are among the $10,000-ish price range, maybe more for a financed deal, money which is usually which is out of the pocket. You can get the seller to help you with some of this if your lender will allows it, usually it is a percentage in the 3% to 5% range.

Will this house pass for FHA financing?

FHA loans are very popular among the first-time home buyers because of the low down-payment requirement of just 3.5%. However, there is nothing perfect. If the property was built before 1978, and there is any visible damage or bug, then it can be a potential holdup. FHA is not easy going with lead paint, and will likely need the failure fixed before the transaction can continue, FHA almost never guarantees loans on fixer-uppers.

I want to buy & flip this property.  What’s my asking price after the repairs?

Determine current market value by Paying for an appraisal, there is no other option. Appraisers can process a “Subject to” which means that the definitive opinion of value is subject to the completed listed repairs; also they can pull a hypothetical condition regarding the property. Hypothetically, the property is in excellent condition instead of fair condition, and then the appraiser will study the market of excellent condition properties rather than fair condition ones.

How can I help to sell my house faster?

Knowing your home's disadvantages will give you an opportunity to fix them and a more realistic expectation of the home's market value.

There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck forever in the housing market and, there are there are lots of reasons behind it, lest list a few:

Poor pictures: This is the most important mistake your agent and you can make. If your agent is taking the pictures, ask your real estate Agent to check them before uploading them to the MLS. You can search on Trulia and Zillow and study which photos are poorly taken and off-turners and try to understand what is wrong with it so you don’t fall in to the same crack, also check the good ones and try to replicate them as better as possible also, Ask about a professional photographer, it can make a huge difference.

Not hiding your clutter: Obviously, do this preferably before taking the photos. Your house has to be organized and nice, make the buyer feel comfortable enough so he/her can picture all of his/her stuff placed in your property, if you have a ton of garbage lying around will not be a nice looking thing to watch.

Timing! Timing! Timing!: Some people think that location is the absolute number one, and it is true, but timing may be a very important number two, Ask your real estate Agent or agency which months are the busiest seasons to sell in your market, generally is summer, but in the case of some locations like Florida, winter comes with a lot of busy markets for snowbirds arriving, this way if you adapt to your market time you’ll get way more traffic when the market is at its fullest. 

6 Tips on Selling a Home with Pets

Selling a home is a hard enough task, but selling a home when you have pets living with you is even more difficult. Selling a home with pets presents several additional challenges for a home owner. More often than not, pets can cause serious damage - the scratches, odors and other casualties.

If you want to ensure you get the highest final sale price, you'll have to properly stage your home to create the idea that you are not a pet owner -- or at least eliminate any signs that your animals were destructive.

Here are some of the best tips to prepare for selling your home with pets.

1. Give Your Home a Deep Clean

 A strong odor is in fact one of the top reasons a buyer will pass on a home. You don't want to be scaring away potential home buyers with this. And the truth is, pets can make less than desirable odors and smells. So before you put your home in the market, make sure to give it a deep cleaning. Our sense of smell has a powerful effect on our emotions, our memory and on our perception of things.

Aside from the usual vacuuming of floors and cleaning counter-tops, make sure to cover as many tough spots as possible. This includes behind all furniture, underneath all throw rugs, and inside each closet.  Pet hair and dust do a great job at finding their way into those hard to access areas.

An initial urine odor on entering a house is sure to stick in the buyer’s mind, and he or she will likely deduct the cost of carpet replacement immediately from an offer as a result. Avoid this by having your carpet and flooring professionally cleaned, with a focus on removing pet odors. If the staining or odors are too bad, you may need to replace the carpet in the problem areas.

2. Declutter

When you have pets and you’re preparing your home for sale, it’s important to clean up after your pet’s belongings. This includes toys, beds, blankets or even their litter pans.

The last thing you want is potential buyers having to do so much avoiding of your pets pile of stuff while going around the house. Tuck these things in a closet or basement. Like other forms of home staging, removing extra pet clutter is an important consideration when you are selling your property.

3. Clean the yard

If you have pets, make sure that the exterior is something you give extra attention. Pick up any messes in the backyard and have any sod replaced and other damage repaired as necessary. These things may seem like small tasks but they can make a huge impact on a potential buyer’s outlook of your home. One of the best tips, when selling a home with pets, is to make sure you don’t neglect the yard as this is just important to some buyers as the inside of the home.

4. Have Your Home Checked For Fleas

If you suspect that your pets carry fleas, have a professional inspect further. Fleas and other pests can scare away potential buyers and is something you should address before anyone walks through your home.

5. Repair Any Interior Damage

Pet damage is never attractive when selling your home. Dogs and cats will inevitably destroy something, including carpets, furniture, hardwood flooring, walls, and doors. All of these should be repaired prior to showing the home. This may require some investment on your part, especially if the animal has damaged expensive items like your hardwood flooring or walls in your house. Regardless of the cost of repair, though, the value you will get for your house will be well worth paying for the repairs.

6. Remove Pets during Showings

When selling a home with pets, at the very least, you should remove them from your home when you are showing the property for sale. All the cute things your dog does will not help you sell your home, and will only remind the potential buyer that the house has contained pets previously.

You may relocate your pets to a friend or a relative while you’re selling your home. Other possible places to relocate is a kennel or a day care service for animals.

There are times where it may not be possible to remove a pet from a home. Maybe due to your job you just can’t come back and remove them or you can’t find anyone who will help take care of them. If this is the case your last resort is to secure them in crates. It’s not a smart decision to allow your pets to wander free during home showings as it can make some potential buyers very uncomfortable.

Selling a home with pets can certainly be challenging. It can bring additional work and effort into the equation. Remember to take the steps above before you list your home for sale.