About Otero County, NM

My wife and I took a day trip last Saturday to Ruidoso, NM, and then drove down the mountain through Alto to Carrazozo, NM, doing our regular thrift store and antique shopping. We were disappointed that many of the antique stores in Carrazozo were closed but we stopped in at the Carrazozo Bar and Grill and I had the best Green Chili Cheeseburger I have had in a long time. When we got there we noticed quite a few "Harley's" in the parking lot but that did not deter us. When we went in we were right in the middle of a charity auction held by a local group. The bikers were very energetic, to say the least, but they were very polite and decent. We got several good laughs at their antics and jokes toward each other. The bar and grill is decorated "Old West" style with a bar and tables and we were pleased to see families there with their children. We had a great time and I look forward to going back for another cheeseburger. If you are ever in the Alamogordo, NM, area, you have to make the trip to Carrizozo, NM, for the Best Green Chili Cheeseburger Ever!

There is a practice in our Association that has our MLS Committee and Chairperson really concerned. Some agents are taking a property off the market and re-listing at a lower price before accepting a contract at the lower price, thus improving their list to sale price ratio. This also improves their days on market data. For example, a home has been on the market for 120 days at $200,000. The listing agent has a buyer who has offered $180,000, 10% lower than the list price, and the seller has agreed to this offer. The listing agent takes the home off the market and re-list it at $180,000. The list to sale price ratio is now 100% versus 90% and the days on market for that listing is now 1 day instead of 121 days. Is this a common practice in other MLS's? Doesn't this skew the figures and not give a true picture of the market? We are looking for ways to have our MLS track the original sales price and DOM by address until sold.

Many of the homeowners that list their homes in our current market conditions seem to require "continuing" education now more than ever before. We hear agents talking about their customers all the time. It seems that as soon as the listing contract was signed, everything that was told to the customers about market conditions went right out the door when they left the office. Or, were the customers actually told what they should know about our market? I believe that when your customers are educated properly and listing is price correctly, you won't be receiving calls asking... we've had our house on the market for two weeks now and it still hasn't sold... what is going on? Why is it taking so long? You told me our house would sell quickly... where are the offers? I know there will always be the customer that seems to have just stepped off the stagecoach and knows absolutely nothing, but we must keep on informing them as we go.

I feel it is my responsibility to provide my customers with factual information and to see that they are educated regularly throughout the listing / sales process. MLS market statistics form the basis of my letter or email to the customer. What you use and how you do it is up to you, i.e. phone calls, house visits, emails, etc.

Statistics from the MLS are a great source of information that you can provide to the your sellers. How many houses sold the previous month... the average MLS sold to list price... how many days on market MLS wide... your office's sold to list price with your office's average number of days on market.

Every month I do a sales report from our MLS for our office. I report Current # of Listings, Average # of Sales/Month for the last 6 months, List Price to Sales Price %, Avg. DOM, and Absorption Rate. This information is then given to any agents in the office who want to use it for their buyers and sellers. The information lets us know how the market is doing and how it is changing. I use this with my buyers to let them know that sellers are getting 95-97% of their list price. It helps us formulate a good contract to present to the seller. I use it with my sellers to help them see that in order to keep their homes from sitting on the market for months at a time we need to price their home right the first time. It also lets them know what the competition is like.

It takes a little time to compose all the numbers but it seems to be appreciated in the office, and that's what makes it so great to be woking here at ERA Simmons Real Estate, the teamwork!

Alamogordo, New Mexico, located in the south central part of the great state of New Mexico, is a well-kept secret of vacationing magic. Located just 2 hours from El Paso, TX, and 3 hours from Albuquerque, NM, Alamogordo is a great place for snow birds looking to escape the cold, bitter northern winters. Just an hour away from the resort town of Ruidoso, NM, which offers winter sports activity, casinos and horse racing, Alamogordo has become the place of choice for a good time.

Home to the White Sands National Monument and the NM Museum of Space History, Alamogordo offers something for everyone in the family. The Trinity Nuclear Site, where they tested the first atomic bomb, is a little over an hour away and tours are scheduled periodically by the local Chamber of Commerce. If you are thinking of a trip out west, be sure to make Alamogordo, NM, one of your stops, you won't be disappointed.