Albuquerque Mayor Promotes Bicycle Safety

Mayor Richard Berry has adopted a new bicycle safety campaign called "Easy to Miss". The campaign, which includes a new website, billboards, mall and airport displays aims to raise awareness of drivers who share the roads with cyclists.

According to statistics, more than 100 bikers in Albuquerque are killed each year from accidents involving motorists who didn't see them until it was too late.

As recently as last June, mother and biking enthusiast Heather Reu was killed after being struck by a car. She left behind four small children and grieving friends, who came up with the idea for the campaign. Reu worked for a marketing company that partnered with the mayor to produce the billboards and website.

One of the billboards is designed to demonstrate how hard it is to see a bicycle until you are almost upon it...a picture on the sign has a biker that doesn't show until seen at a certain angle as a car begins to pass.

Bicycles are popular in our city, particularly in the neighborhoods and homes near Albuquerque's UNM campus. The campaign sponsors hope to make drivers in the University area more careful and on the alert.

Also in the works are more bicycle lanes throughout the city. Mayor Berry encourages bicycling and bike lanes, according to Chris Ramirez, City of Albuquerque communications director. He considers it a quality of life issue and wants Albuquerque residents to feel safer and enjoy biking. The website offers answers to questions of driving laws and safety tips for drivers and bikers.

Having a fun and healthy neighborhood for biking is often a deciding factor for our buyers looking for Albuquerque homes for sale. If you are interested in property near UNM or in a bike-friendly area, call us, or use our free Albuquerque MLS search!

Albuquerque Home For Sale by Owner - Will it really sell?

"FSBO" (pronounced fizz-bo).

This is a four-letter word for most Realtors, but not for the reasons most consumers might think. Many agents will look past a FSBO and pretend it doesn't exist when they are searching for homes to show a buyer. I've heard it referred to as "kinda like the obnoxious relative you see out with your friends and hope they go away before someone makes the connection". Beyond the obvious reason of commissions, why would a Realtor avoid the pitfalls of helping a buyer to purchase a FSBO? Glad you asked!

Despite the fact that an owner sponsored listing might be a bargain, an agent becomes twice as liable for legal and other problems. Also, a seller being represented by a professional Realtor is more willing to pay for inspections, repairs, and even closing costs. Those are major negotiating points, after all.

O.K., let's just pretend that you want to buy a FSBO home without a Realtor. You would save 6%, right? That's $12,000 on the average price of a home for sale in Albuquerque. Start with this...would you feel comfortable taking the seller's word on the condition of the home?

Do you consider yourself as a professional negotiator?  This isn't a car you're buying,  It's a HOUSE... the most expensive investment that most people make in their lives.

"But I have done it in the past.", you say. Neat. You can negotiate with this stranger all by yourself and save the commission dollars. So...do you know all the new rules regarding tax levy disclosure? FIRPTA? Septic and well regulations? Does the seller know them? Do you trust him well enough to take this chance?

Who do you call for inspections?  Do you have an escrow officer at a trusted title company?  Do you have a mortgage officer? Is that mortgage officer up to date with all the new government regulations?  These are the things you have to consider with an Albuquerque home for sale by owner.

And the appeal of SELLING your home by yourself is definitely tempting. Realtors understand this. But how much are you going to save selling a product that basically repels the main group of people (Realtors) that represent the one group of people (qualified buyers) that you want your property exposed to?

The statistics speak for themselves: 92% of For Sale By Owner transactions FAIL - this is according to the Nation Association of Realtors.

If I was feeling that lucky, I would go put my 6-3% "savings" on red or black at my local roulette table. My odds would increase 6.25 times. It would make much more sense...and maybe I would make enough money to pay a real plumber to fix that faucet I've tried to fix myself that continues to drip, drip, drip all the time...:-)

### ~Tim Fish

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Albuquerque Job Market is Expanding

We happened to run across a new job listing in careerbuilder.com for Greyhound Bus Drivers in Albuquerque. That's kind of an ususual job that many folks might not think of on their own, but it looks to be a good one.

Greyhound was founded in 1914, according to their short bio. They provide not only passenger bus transportation, but also accept express package delivery and charter services.

Drivers (or Greyhound Motorcoach Operators, as they list the official job position) are expected to possess safe driving practices, the ability to be on schedule at all times, to excel in customer service, and be dependable and professional.

Requirements of the job include: professional dress, the ability to lift baggage and packages of up to 100 lbs, be on-call 24/7, and be away from home for stretches of three or more days when necessary. You would also have to be proficient enough with reports to do passenger counts, driving logs, and safety inspections. (They would love you to speak Spanish, but it's not a requirement!)

More job specifications include:

• Be at least 22 years of age
• Have a valid driver’s license
• Minimum of three (3) year’s driving experience (Commercial or private)
• Have a good character and positive work history
• Consent to a background check and alcohol/drug screen
• Pass a background check (MVR, Criminal Extended Employment Verification).

Your driving record must:

• Have no more than two (2) moving convictions/accidents in the past three (3) years.
• Have no more than three (3) moving convictions/accidents in the past five (5) years) (Speeding, tailgating, etc.)
• Have no license suspensions in the past ten years (Suspensions for physicals, insurance lapses, failure to pay fine and failure to appear are exempt under the ten-year rule)
• Have NO driving convictions related to alcohol or illegal drugs.

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 This could be a unique new career path for our young people, or even pre- or post-retirees. An Albuquerque relocation is proving to be a very good choice as our economy tries to pull out of its problems and make a comeback. When you are ready to find a home, use our website to search the Albuquerque MLS, and then give us a call. With over 35 years of experience, we are Albuquerque real estate experts, and we look forward to helping you!
 

Living in Albuquerque- Balloon Festival Event

On March 7, the Albuquerque Balloon Museum will host one of its best exhibits - The Open House Sky Sailing.

Visitors will thrill to hang gliding and paragliding demonstrations, including an acrobatic paragliding act by the Ozone Team, as well as 12 ft walking puppets, remote controlled flight demonstrations, and model gliders.

The Museum's open house will feature an Olympus 180 hang glider and a giant sailplane with wingspans of 50 ft. These aircraft will be hanging in the Museum Gallery.

The concept of wind flight will be explored, from the aircraft to nature's own wind machines - birds, squirrels...and even amphibians.

This is a great free exhibition that the whole family will enjoy. Come and learn about Albuquerque's special wind currents, and then drive around afterwards and check out what Albuquerque real estate has to offer these days!

The exhibition is on March 7, 2010, from 11-3pm.

Albuquerque Balloon Museum
9201 Balloon Museum Dr. NE
Albuquerque, N.M. 87113
505-880-0500
I-25 (exit 233), west on Alameda
Google Map and Directions

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Home Staging for Albuquerque Real Estate Sales

From Ambiance Home Staging & Interior Design, LLC

You've decided on your price, listed your home on the Albuquerque MLS, and now you wait to find a buyer. Whether a home is lived in or vacant, it will benefit from "staging" before being placed on the market. When a family has lived in a home for awhile, they are so used to it that they can't see some of the problems. A fresh set of eyes (or, in the case of Ambiance, TWO sets of professional fresh eyes!) can quickly spot things that might be a deterrent to a quick sale. Sometimes it is a need to remove clutter, freshen up things such as bedding, re-arrange furniture and wall hangings to better show off the space, etc.

Out latest staging was this week in a beautiful large expensive home in Albuquerque. It is a gorgeous home with almost no clutter and just the right amount of furniture. However, there were almost no accessories, ambient lighting or accoutrements to soften up the space and make it look comfortable and livable. Being super bargain shoppers, we were able to purchase just a few things such as new bedding, pillows, throws, lamps, candles, etc. which made a world of difference in this space. The homeowner had no time, interest or knowledge of what was needed and welcomed our shopping service.

Check out our website below and look at the Facebook page at the bottom for before and after photos of this job. (Or, go directly to Facebook and search for Ambiance Home Staging and Interior Redesign. Our website also features a before/after gallery of other Albuquerque interior redesign we've done!)

A vacant house offers different challenges. We bring in just enough furniture and lots of accessories to set up interesting pockets of interest, or "vignettes" to bring the rooms alive and interesting. It is a proven fact that potential buyers will spend more time in a staged home than one that is vacant. We direct the buyers eyes toward the home's interesting features and provide a sense that the house would be nice to live in. Ambiance brings in all the furniture, accessories and any props necessary to accomplish this goal. For the reasonable cost of our service, the client gets our expertise, information concerning any other things that should be done to the home/property, staging materials and their set-up for a period of 90 days.

After that period, if the house is still on the market, our staging props may be retained on a month-to-month basis for a small fee. The client/homeowner is responsible for our materials while in the home, but we only had a problem once where a house was broken into. Fortunately, the owner had homeowner's insurance, which covered our stuff, as well as the appliances, etc. that were taken! (We, of course, carry general business liability insurance.)

If you are thinking about putting your Albuquerque home on the market, call Ambiance Home Staging and Interior Redesign, LLC first! Carefully staged homes will sell faster, get more Realtor traffic and will usually be priced higher than those that are not staged. Our service is a small price to pay to have your home look its best for potential buyers! Check out our Albuquerque Home Staging Website at www.NMAmbiance.com and call us for a quote or consultation!

Of Fish Men and Men Who Fish...

It was in the north western part in NM on a ranch called Vermejo Park, owned by Ted Turner. The very first thing we saw when entering the park was a herd of Elk.  I rolled down my window and actually heard them bugling, which I guess is pretty rare.

We kept driving toward the main lodge and then saw a herd of deer. When we pulled up to the lodge we got out of the car and immediately entered the wrong building - and I'm glad we did. The building we entered was Ted Turner's personal lodge and it looked like something you would find in Europe. The ceilings were high and arched with amazing detail and in every corner was a some kind of stuffed animal...even a lion!  I could go into much more detail, but just imagine rich wood and marble everywhere.

When we finally figured out we were in the wrong building, we went to check into the right one. It also was impressive. Very clean and massive logs made this lodge. Jumping forward about two hours, we went to the "Fish House" and got a few coolers - one for drinks and one for fish - then headed to the lakes...

We finally found the lake we wanted to fish, and the very first thing we saw were two bears drinking from the lake. The lake was situated in the middle of a open, grassy area and about 100-200 yard away were pine trees. The view from the lakes was the Colorado mountains. It felt like we stepped right into some sportsman's magazine.

The rest of the day was amazing. We caught several FAT trout and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. One of the men fishing with us was a very good friend of my father's (and mine), Jim Padon, who was suffering from terminal brain cancer.  This was one of his wishes - to finally fish the legendary Vermjo Park.  I feel very fortunate to have spent that time with my father and Jim. Jim passed away several months later.

I will never forget those couple of days and will some day take my sons (and daughter if she wants to go).

A memory as told by Tim Fish. Photos are: Top - Father Dennis with one of those "fat trout", and Middle - Tim and his prize trout
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Visit our Albuquerque real estate mls website and let our 30 plus years of experience help you find your dream home in Albuquerque, NM.

Investing in Albuquerque Real Estate

Why real estate? Well I like it because:

I can buy it leveraged. Instead of paying dollar for dollar as with stock, I can usually purchase a rental home in Albuquerque with 30 % or down, or less - depending on the financing.

Real estate in Albuquerque typically appreciates, while also providing excellent tax advantages for me. Currently, I can deduct interest, property taxes, and improvements.

When I decide to dispose of the real estate I may postpone the taxes owed by exchanging. If I must sell the property outright I may be able to spread the tax liability out over a period of time depending on the terms of sale.

I know what you're thinking - the real estate market is down!

I don't purchase real property for the short term, I buy it for the long haul.

I am confident that just as the value of real property has decreased over the last several years, the value of homes and condos in Albuquerque will increase once again.

So today I am looking to acquire additional property. It just fits my investment strategy, along with stocks and mutual funds. And there are some bargains out there!

Visit our website and browse through the Albuquerque MLS.

Let us help you get started on your road to real estate investing.

Posted by Dennis Fish, The Albuquerque Real Estate Group