Paul Chavez: Albuquerque Realtor, NM EcoBroker, and General Contractor

If you are an Albuquerque home buyer, make sure to choose a Realtor with whom you feel comfortable with, listens to you, and responds to your home buying needs. Questions to ask yourself are:

• Do they return my email and calls in a timely manner?
• Do they ask me detailed questions to learn about my "home priority list"? And do they listen?
• Are they familiar with and knowledgeable about the different communities in Albuquerque and surrounding areas like Corrales, Placitas, Rio Rancho, the East Mountains, and Bernalillo, NM?
• Am I comfortable spending time with them? (Because chances are you will be spending a lot of time in the vehicle and walking through homes with them!)
• Do I feel comfortable asking them questions and voicing my home buying needs? Even if those questions seem basic or "obvious"?

Questions to ask a prospective Realtor are:

• What kind of strategy do you have to find a home for me?
• What background training, education, and experience do you have as a Realtor? What about any other real estate related profession?
• How often will you communicate with me? By phone? Email?
• How does the real estate buying process work? What steps do we take to make an offer and see it through closing?
• What references can you provide?
• Do you have the time to devote to my home buying search?
• How familiar are you with different communities in Albuquerque and surrounding New Mexico communities?
• How much understanding of the lending process can you share?
• What about knowledge of home construction and structural integrity? How familiar are you with red flags, such as mold or indoor air quality concerns?
• How much time will you be committed to my home buying process? How flexible are you with your schedule?

Albuquerque home buyers, if you are in the market of purchasing NM real estate, consider putting together a priority and wish list of what you are looking for. Following are some questions to consider:

• What are the most important features and conditions you must have for your new home?
• What items are negotiable and which ones aren't?
• How many bedrooms and bathrooms?
• How important is locationwith respect to work, school, community centers, libraries, supermarkets?
• Are you looking for a live/work/play area to live, like in Nob Hill, UNM, ABQ Downtown, or the future green community Mesa del Sol, or are you okay with commuting?
• Where in Albuquerque do you want to live? Do you want walking access to ditch banks and acequias like in the North Valley or South Valley? Do you want to be able to walk outside and be close to the Sandia foothills, perhaps living in High Desert, Sandia Heights, or North Albuquerque Acres? If close access to business districts and shopping is important, perhaps you might want to consider Albuquerque's Uptown area? Or Albuquerque Downtown. If close access to the bus system is important, than perhaps UNM, Nob Hill, Ridgecrest, the Albuquerque Country Club, or EDo is the place for you.
• Or do you want to live outside of Albuquerque in a different New Mexico community, such as the Village of Corrales, the East Mountains, Rio Rancho, or Placitas?
• How important is the age of the home?
• What about energy efficiency or healthy indoor air quality?
• What size of a yard is ideal? Are you after a mature, lush landscape or low-water usage outdoors?
• Must the home have a garage, if so, how many spaces?
• What is the ideal square footage?
• How important is the size of the home as compared to layout?
• Are you looking for a home with "character", if so what does that mean to you?
• And of course, be realistic with regards to what is available in the housing market as it relates to your budget. In other words, you might have to shift your priorities if you
  can't find what you want within your budget.

Please visit Earth Origins Realty website for the most detailed NM MLS search. And if you can't find what you are looking for, contact Paul Chavez - real estate is his job!

Albuquerque home buyers have many great lending options. Before you start shopping for your home in beautiful New Mexico, make sure to consult with a lender or mortgage broker to find out what you are pre-approved or pre-qualified for.

An estimated loan amount will help you determine how much of a home you can afford. A safe parameter
to go by is to multiply your gross monthly income by .28 (just over 1/4 of what you earn per month
before taxes and other deductions are taken out). A lender will also look at your monthly debt payments
and figure that into the qualifying ratios. The more debt you have, the less you will qualify for.

Not only does getting pre-approved help set the price parameters for your home search, it is also critical in the real estate negotiation process. When you are ready to present an offer on a home in Albuquerque or surrounding area like Corrales, Rio Rancho, Placitas, or the East Mountains, a seller will feel more
confident in your ability to purchase the home when a pre-approval letter is submitted. Most sellers
require a pre-approval letter before they accept any offer.

Earth Origins Realty can recommend an excellent mortgage banker here in Albuquerque if you have not consulted with one yet.

North Albuquerque Acres real estate and homes are situated on the north-eastern outskirts of Albuquerque. Here you will find breathtaking views of the Sandia Mountains, West Mesa, and the city. The high desert landscape surrounds many homes here, with yards that often devote a good percentage of its space to the untouched natural environment (where it is not uncommon to see families of mother and baby quail racing across unpaved roads!).

Custom homes in North Albuquerque Acres often rest on
approximately one-acre lots, and it is not uncommon to see horses in people's backyards. Close to
Paseo del Norte and Tramway, here you can enjoy a more rural-like setting while still living in a
modern, custom-built home, close to all the amenities Albuquerque offers. More recently, however,
many subdivisions such as Primrose Pointe, are being developed on smaller lots. Most homes in this
area are fairly new, many not older than 20 years.

Recent development in this area has sparked controlled commercial growth, including nearby
establishments like Trader Joes and a handful of locally owned favorites such as Dion's Pizza, Out of
the Blue Toy Store, and Mark Pardo Salon and Spa.

To learn more about homes and real estate in ABQ's North Albuquerque Acres, visit Earth Origins Realty website.

ABQ Uptown real estate offer many housing opportunities for sale and rent. Many homes were built in the 1950's and 1960's, with brick exteriors like Mossman homes. Houses located in more established neighborhoods often offer mature landscaping, with huge trees that provide wonderful shade during those hot Albuquerque summer months. Currently there are a number of condo developments underway for those looking for a more urban experience.

Traditionally a business and shopping district, and close to the center of the Albuquerque Metro
Area, Uptown Albuquerque offers convenient access to all city amenities. Here you will find many
professional offices, hotels, proximity to freeway access, and retail shopping. Three of the four
largest malls in Albuquerque reside here, including Winrock, Coronado Mall, and the upscale
outdoor ABQ Uptown Mall: a 2,000 sq. ft. mixed-use retail lifestyle center located on the corner
of Indian School Rd. and Louisiana. National chain stores include Trader Joes, Crate and Barrel,
and Anthropologie Clothing. There are two wonderful libraries in Albuquerque Uptown, Erna
Fergusson and Tony Hillerman, and over ten parks offering lots of shade during those hot
summer days. EXPO New Mexico, the home of the State Fairgrounds, is also located in Albuquerque Uptown. Every weekend EXPO New Mexico hosts Albuquerque's largest flea market, and in the month of September, it hosts the NM State Fair, one of the largest state fairs in the whole country.

To learn more about home and real estate opportunities, including homes that are for sale and for rent, in Uptown Albuquerque, visit Earth Origins Realty website. Here you can access the most user-friendly Albuquerque MLS search for homes.