Oh, the Humanity!

 After lunch with my mother yesterday, she decided to get on Facebook to check on some post made by some of our family members.  While she was doing so, she came across a post made by one of her church friends.  This friend was talking about how another member of the congregation became extremely upset when someone decided to sit in her seat of 11 years at church on Sunday.  My first thought was, “Oh the humanity”. 

Ventana Ranch by Michael Glass

 I would like to welcome you to the exciting community of Ventana Ranch and the surrounding neighborhoods in Albuquerque’s Northwest Heights.  Designed as a Planned Unit Development; construction in Ventana Ranch began in 1997 and has not stopped since.  Currently Ventana Ranch is made up of some 5000 homes in various smaller neighborhoods that include many parks, recreational areas, schools and business.   As you drive through the neighborhoods of Ventana Ranch you will find a family friendly environment designed to bring back a neighborly feel.

As with any family friendly development, schools are paramount, and Ventana Ranch finds itself in the Volcano Vista High School district.  To accompany Valcano Vista; Ventana Ranch has three elementary schools and two middle schools, as well as CNM's west side campus.  Combined, these schools give Ventana Ranch a good educational base at all levels.

If recreation is part of your lifestyle, there is no need to travel far.  Ventana Ranch has many parks of all shapes and sizes throughout each neighborhood.  From the smaller playground parks to the much larger city sports fields and the Albuquerque Soccer Complex; you will have no trouble relaxing, playing, and practicing all types of sports or even flying an RC airplane.  If you like to use your feet or pedal to better health, you will enjoy the more than 15 miles of paths traversing through neighborhoods as well as the proximity to open space and the Volcanoes National Park.

The essence of any neighborhood is the home.  In Ventana Ranch you will find homes ranging in sizes and styles; from 800 square feet to just over 4500, from two bedrooms to seven, from southwest to ranch design and much more.  Regardless of what you are looking for,you can probably find it here in Ventana Ranch.  But why just stop at a home, how about the added bonus of the Ventana Ranch Community Center with a pool and tennis courts.

Statistically, Ventana Ranch homes have an average list price of $185,000, an average sales price of $165,000, with the median price being $160,000.  What this tells us is that most homes are being sold at an excellent value under $185,000, with a few higher priced homes that affect the average and median sales price.  Homes are staying on the market an average of 90 days, and there are currently about 215 on the market. 

What is exciting about these statistics more than anything, is that the number of listed homes has fallen sufficiently, while sales have remained steady and pending sales are increasing.  This is a great sign of stability, and with rates at historic lows there is no better time to come home to Ventana Ranch.

So, if you are looking for a community that is far from the daily grind and family friendly, then you would not go wrong in choosing Ventana Ranch.  Just a short drive west on Paseo Del Norte; welcome home to Ventana Ranch.

Is it Necessary to Use a Realtor to Sell Your Home?

 Selling your home can be one of the most profitable transactions you ever make in your life.  It could also be very costly if you do not have all the fact or know the legal obligations of a home seller.  So the most important decisions you can make is whether to sell your house on your own, or use a real estate professional.

First, let’s take a look the main benefit of selling your house yourself; “saving money”.  The benefit is that you do not have to pay a real estate agent upwards of six percent or more to list your home.  As an example; the savings on a $200,000 sale could potentially be about $12,000. 

However, there are some questions.  What will be the net profit?  Are you saving that commission, or are you just discounting the price to make up the difference?  Are you pricing your house to high, and thereby pushing the house out of the market?  Always remember that value and market price may not always be the same, and a house is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay.

These are questions a real estate professional will be able to answer.  So let’s look at what you should receive when using a real estate professional.

In most home transactions the real estate professional you hire is actually splitting the commission with a buying agent.  The listing agent is responsible for listing your home in a manner approved by you, and cooperating with a buying agent when they bring a buyer.  Buying agents work directly with the home buyer in helping them find a property, and make their way through the purchase process. 

This cooperation with a buying agent is based on a percentage of the commission earned.  In most cases, you as the seller are actually paying both agents out of the total commission.  As an example; taking the sale from above, the agents would typical split the commission 50/50 or $6,000 each.

Now keep in mind that most home buyers are working with a buying agent.  So you can still end up paying 3% of the sale price to a buying agent, when selling on your own.

You need to decide how much free time you have to show the property, market the property, answer phone calls and even whether it is a buyer’s or seller’s market.  You may enjoy the home selling process and want to take care of this process yourself.  However, if you don’t have the time, marketing resources, home selling knowledge and energy; you need to consider a real estate professional.

The main benefit that you get from listing your house with a real estate professional, or more importantly a Realtor, is the Multiple Listing Service.  The “MLS” is the resource that every Realtor in the nation uses to look at properties listed for sale.  You can see how the listings work for the consumer online at www.Realtor.com.  This site will also define the difference between a Realtor and other real estate agents.  There are important differences that should be considered.

Once a property is listed in the MLS, every buying agent in your area has access to it.  Most buying agents go to the MLS at least once a day to keep current on the latest properties.  They can look up whatever specifics they want on a property search.  If they are looking for a certain home in a certain neighborhood, the MLS will bring up every property that fits.  The exception to this, are homes that are for sale by owner (FSBO’s), which typically will not be in the MLS.

Another benefit that you may want to consider is that a good real estate professional may have much better negotiating skills when it comes to selling your home.  They can bring up points that you may not think of yourself.  They can help to increase the desirability of your house, and show you some easy ways to increase the value before you actually list it.  They also will have a grasp of the current legal and ethical matters that come with selling a home in today’s market.

Now if you decide to use a real estate professional there are some important questions to ask during the interview.  Remember that although they are the real estate professional, you are still the one hiring them for the job.  So make sure you get all your questions answered to your satisfaction before signing on the dotted line.

Find out how long they have been an agent.  There are many agents that come in and out of the business, as turnover can be an issue.  You want to make sure you are working with a professional and not a part timer, if you are going to sell your house in a timely manner.

Find out what they generally charge for commission; are they a full service broker.  Some agents go for a lower listing commission to try and get your business, selling the fact that you will save money.  This is not always a good thing, as a discounted commission can lead to discounted services.  When selling your greatest asset, you want 100% of your agent’s ability.

Find out how the agent is going to market your home.  Do they understand the area your home is in, and who the typical buyers are for the type of property you own.  What will you get for the commission you will be paying?

In weighing the decision to sell your home on your own or with a real estate professional, it typically comes down to time, money and resources.  You need to know how long it typically takes to sell a home in your area, what is the current supply verses demand and what is the current market value. 

A good rule of thumb baring price and condition; the sale of a home is dependent on visibility or marketing.  If no one knows your house is for sale, it does not matter what the price is.  

The decision is up to you.  Weigh the pros and cons.  Decide on what outcome is most important, and how much time you have to devote to selling your house yourself as opposed to having a real estate professional do the work for you.