About Grant County, NM

You're thinking that maybe it's time to sell and move to Silver City, NM. To straighten up the house you should have a Yard Sale.

Here are some Tips to make a Yard Sale easier:

1. Some towns require that you have a permit or license. Check with them to see if this is required where you live.

2. Contact your neighbors, friends and family to see if they want to join in. Have a whole neighborhood doing it gets more traffic. We used to have a multi-family sale and it would become a little party. In the morning we had a big urn of coffee and donuts, in the afternoon someone made a bunch of hotdogs. It was actually quite fun.

3. Advertise. Put an ad in the classified papers, and put up big signs at major intersections and in stores near your home. The simpler the better. "BIG SALE ---à" is all you need.

4. Price items ahead and attach prices with removable stickers. To make things easier, we would put smaller items in a tray and put a sign on it saying "3 for $1.00". The same with clothes. Put out plastic bags and put a sign up that says "All the clothes you can fit in a bag - $2.00. Think about easy things like, "Everything on this table $3.00 each".

5. Keep pets away from the sale.

6. Display everything neatly and individually so customers don't have to dig through boxes. We have found that if they're in boxes, they don't go. As soon as you put them on a table, the item will sell.

7. Have an electrical outlet so buyers can test appliances. We also put little notes on electrical items that say "It works". (We only do that if we tested it and it works!)

8. Have plenty of bags and newspaper for wrapping fragile items.

9. Get enough change, and keep a close eye on your cash.

10. I know this sounds like a lot of organizing, but if you have a few families doing it, you can assign tasks. One person takes care of the permit, one person handles the ad, one person gets change, one person collects bags and newspaper for wrapping and everyone brings something to eat.

11. If you have children, get them involved. Our neighbor's kids would set up a lemonade stand.

12. When you only have an hour or 2 left to go on sale day, start slashing prices. We would get the loud mouth of the group (who, me??) to announce the sale. "Attention shoppers, we are now having the 12:00 half price sale. Everything is now half price". Be sure to have this prearranged with all the sellers.

13. A day or 2 before the sale, we call The Good Will or Salvation Army and arrange for them to pick up all the leftover items. We always had a "Nothing Goes Back in the House" rule.

14. After the sale, don't forget to pick up the signs that you put up around the area.

15. It can actually be quite fun. We used to get such a kick out of what people would buy. And what treasures never got looked at.

Saying of the Day: Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place. - Mark Twain

Linda Ferrara - Associate Broker

Coldwell Banker Enchantment Realty

Let's hook up on Twitter and Facebook!

Cell: 575-519-9249

I have buyers in town just now who are not familiar with some of the southwest architecture. So I thought that I would explain what some of the terms mean. My dear friends and neighbors were kind enough to allow me to photograph their gorgeous home for this blog. Thanks Lynn and Julian!

Banco - Built-in Benches. They are commonly next to Kiva fireplaces

Canale - A water spout that drains water from a flat roof

Corbel - a supporting timber under a beam or arch

Kiva Fireplace - southwest style fireplace

Latillas - Small peeled poles used to form a ceiling.

Lintel - this is the exposed crossbeam above a window.

Nichos - niches built into the wall

Saltillo Tile - a clay or terra cotta floor tile

Talavera Tile - colorfully decorated Mexican tile

Vigas - log beams on ceiling. They were traditionally used as support. Today, they are more often decorative

Linda Ferrara - Associate Broker

Coldwell Banker Enchantment Realty

Let's hook up on Twitter and Facebook!

Cell: 575-519-9249

A Seller's Disclosure is a multi-page document that the Seller completes to show all the details about their property. In New Mexico, a Seller is not required to complete this form. However, if the Seller HAS completed the form, the Buyer is required to receive and sign it. There are times when it is not appropriate for the Seller to complete the form. For example, the Owner passes away and the Brother of the Owner is selling the property. He has never seen the house and certainly doesn't know anything about the property.

Sellers are required to disclosure any material facts they know about the property.

The document will cover such things as title, zoning and legal information, structural, plumbing, water supply, sewer, roof, gutters, electrical, heating and cooling, homeowner associations, environmental, rental, and miscellaneous information.

When writing an offer, there is a section in the Purchase Agreement that talks about the Seller's Disclosure. The agent will put in dates for Receiving the disclosure, Objecting to information in the disclosure and a Resolution Date to resolve any issues in the document. Issues are most commonly clarifications of what was written. Sometimes, there is misinformation where the Seller needs to correct the information. I have also seen a document that needs to be updated. For example, when the document was originally written the roof was 20 years old. While the hosue was still on the market, a new roof was put on and the Disclosure was never updated.

The Buyer should read the Disclosure carefully. There is a lot of information and it can be overwhelming. I suggest using a ruler to help read line by line. The agent should also read the Disclosure. I aim to receive the Disclosure before we write an offer. Why write an offer when there are serious problems with a property that the Buyer does not want to deal with?

Today's Saying: " The cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man or take unfair advantage".

Linda Ferrara - Associate Broker

Coldwell Banker Enchantment Realty

Let's hook up on Twitter and Facebook!

Cell: 575-519-9249

The 3.3 million acres of Gila Wilderness offers a playground for the adventurer. The area is rich in history including Indian dwellings, conquerors, ranchers, miners, conservationist Aldo Leopald, and hunter Ben Lilly. The beauty of the area includes indescribable vistas, canyons and caverns, rivers, arroyos, mountains and mesas. It is a hiker's delight any time of the year.

If you want to enjoy a guided tour, check out: http://blackbearexplorers.com/?p=22

Come to Silver City, take a deep breath of fresh air and say, "Ahhhhhhhhh".

Linda Ferrara - Associate Broker

Coldwell Banker Enchantment Realty

Let's hook up on Twitter and Facebook!

Cell: 575-519-9249

I sometimes have customers confusing an Appraisal and a Home Inspection so I thought that I would clarify this for you.

An Appraisal is an opinion of value used most often by a bank who wants to ensure that they are not giving a loan for more than the value of the property. If a Buyer is paying cash, they may request an Appraisal to ensure that they are not overpaying for the property. Generally, The Bank requests the Appraisal and the Buyer pays for the Appraisal which is sent directly to the Mortgage processing department.

A Home Inspection is not required by a bank in most instances. It is used for the Buyer to understand the condition of the property. I wrote a detailed post about Home Inspections and the process on January 19, 2010.

Linda Ferrara - Associate Broker

Coldwell Banker Enchantment Realty

Let's hook up on Twitter and Facebook!

Cell: 575-519-9249