Dear Friends, Clients, Business Associates and Neighbors,

April 2020 marks the fortieth edition of Eco Lifestyle and Home Newsletter produced by Kachina Mountain Realty. We offer Real Estate & Lifestyle news in the email newsletter covering Santa Fe, Taos Ski Valley, Taos County and beyond.

In this edition, we offer the following:

• COVID-19 UPDATE
• Lifestyle: Growth
• Real Estate Market Update
• Money Matters
• Santa Fe Real Estate News
• Taos County Real Estate News
• Home Decor Insights
• Sierra Updates!
• Calendar of Event Links for Santa Fe, Taos Ski Valley, Taos County & all around New Mexico
• Entertainment Links for Santa Fe, Taos County & around New Mexico

COVID-19

Real Estate in the Era of COVID-19

The real estate market is in flux and nobody knows what is going to happen with this pandemic and how it is going to effect all of us. The “stay-at-home” suggestions will negatively effect mass numbers of people in all service industries across all socio-economic sections of our society.

Together, we find ourselves in an extraordinary situation with COVID-19. In the past few weeks, things have moved very quickly, and this pandemic is affecting all of our communities, our families and our very way of life. This is a very difficult and unprecedented and we all are grappling with the health and economic pain caused by the coronavirus pandemic. We all need to be comforted when life gets as challenging as it is right now. 

The New Mexico Governor’s office has classified real estate services as “essential” and that allows us to continue working to service our clients.

Kachina Mountain Realty is taking precautions to keep ourselves and our clients safe. For the last couple of weeks, out of concern for health and safety, we have promoted online virtual solutions using technology such as Zoom meetings along with virtual tours, as well as FaceTime and Facebook Live streaming.

At Kachina Mountain Realty, we have updated our business protocols:

• Expanded the use of virtual walk-throughs, virtual tours and showings of real estate through digital means with tech-driven alternatives.
• Created a package for sellers and buyers that includes the use of protections during physical showings by providing gloves, masks, booties, sanitizing wipes & more.
• We have implemented a digital policy that all contracts and signatures executed via encrypted signings by using Authentisign for closing documents, delivered by email.
• We are eliminating or reducing paper brochures and documents to prevent unnecessary transmission risks & to protect our environment by making PDF’s available.

We have successfully closed properties where buyers have only toured properties virtually without being physically in the home. Virtual tours can happen throughout the buying/closing process, such as with home inspections.

Regardless of whether you are a seller or buyer, right now might be the time you need to make a major lifestyle change and we are here to serve you during this transition.

Even though the news changes every hour and we are distancing ourselves physically, let’s please stay in touch with one another and offer each other the necessary support.

Together, we have weathered incredibly dire circumstances before—9/11, the Great Recession, and now COVID-19. We will get through it by sharing the latest information and following the best protocols for health and safety for all of us.
 
I am wishing you, your loved ones, and your communities strength and health during this uncertain time.
 
Stay safe and healthy – we have a ways to go but we will get through this together.

Thinking of you, wishing you hope in the midst of change, comfort in the midst of challenges.
 
We are here to help you,
Dianne McKenzie

Resources & Links:

CORONA VIRUS

Lifestyle

“Personal growth includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitate employability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations.”  – Wikipedia

Personal growth includes the following activities:

So how do we go about realizing what’s truly important to us? How do we open that magical door that will show us the way to personal growth and success?

1. Explore your inner world: look at what the baggage, habits, emotions, and environment are that are keeping you from your goals.
2. Establish clear objectives: goals should identify what areas you want to change, how you will change them, and the ultimate outcome you want to achieve.
3. Take action: specify steps you need to act on the world in the present and to give alternative actions that counter your old baggage, habits, emotions, and environment.
4. Develop the 3 P’s: Patience, change takes time. Persistence, means you must keep vigilant in your journey to change. Perseverance, is the ability to overcome setbacks and maintain motivation and confidence in the face of periodic failures and disappointment.

 
Sometimes growth is like a radish, quick process from sprouting to harvesting and other times it is like asparagus, where it will take a couple of seasons before you will harvest the results.

Thank you for reading our newsletter & feel free to pass it on to other kindred spirits. ~ Dianne McKenzie

Real Estate Market Update

The possibility of a recession is uncertain, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a bad time to buy or sell a home.

For buyers, the good news is that interest rates for mortgages is very low. While listings will become more scarce, there are less buyers out shopping for a home, right now.

For sellers, this means, less competition in selling your home, interest rates being low, attracts more potential buyers. If it is time for you to sell, regardless of the world news, I have some creative suggestions that I can implement to sell your home during these unsettling times. ~Dianne,  Read more»

Resources for homeowners that may be of interest to you or someone you know:

• • Homeowners who are adversely impacted by this national emergency may request mortgage assistance by contacting their mortgage servicer.
  • Foreclosure sales and evictions of borrowers are suspended for 60 days.
  • Homeowners impacted by this national emergency are eligible for a forbearance plan to reduce or suspend their mortgage payments for up to 12 months.
  • Credit bureau reporting of past due payments of borrowers in a forbearance plan as a result of hardships attributable to this national emergency is suspended.
  • Homeowners in a forbearance plan will not incur late fees.
  • After forbearance, a servicer must work with the borrower on a permanent plan to help maintain or reduce monthly payment amounts as necessary, including a loan modification.

Real Estate Market Opinions from the online journalists:

“In economic downturns and stock market volatility, real estate has historically offered a stable shelter for wealth.”

“Zillow conducted a study on housing during previous pandemics and concluded that while home sales dropped dramatically during the pandemic, home prices stayed about the same or suffered a slight decrease. This makes intuitive sense because it’s harder for prices to change when there are few transactions. In short, previous pandemics have simply put the housing market on pause.”

“Prospects of a looming recession as a result of the economic effects of the virus may also push home buyers onto the sidelines.”

“In Houston, Texas, “currently, most of the market is in a state of shock or denial, the first two of the seven stages of grief,” says Paige Martin, Keller Williams broker and team lead with Houston Properties Team. She added that in some neighborhoods, multiple offers keep streaming in.”

“Meanwhile, across the U.S., some sellers continue to invite private tours. Others prefer to keep strangers away, adopting virtual alternatives to show their properties.”

“Typically the housing market isn’t tied to swings in the stock market, because people don’t buy houses purely as an investment. Housing is a basic need, and the decision to buy one is usually prompted by entering a new stage of life.”

“A newly married couple is moving in together and is buying a house. A couple is having a kid and needs more space to accommodate the baby so they buy bigger house. Empty nesters have more house than they need after their kids go to college, so they downgrade to a smaller house.”

“A stock market correction doesn’t change these circumstances for people. Even in full-blown recessions, the housing market is incredibly durable. In some previous recessions home prices have actually gone up.”

“Another thing to consider is that as the stock market drops, investors look for safer places to park their wealth, hence the bond market going up. The stock market drop can have the same effect on the housing market. Roofstock, a platform investors use to buy and sell single-family rental properties, has seen huge spikes in web traffic since the outbreak of the virus, as global investors look for less volatile investment options.”

Staying up-to-date on the news will help inform your decisions to buy or sell at this given time. We are here to help you market your property or help you find the right property for you. Do not let the events during this time stress you out, take time for yourself, keep calm and together we will get through this challenging time.

Santa Fe Real Estate News

Aldea Stats

2020 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed 

SOLD: 12 Homes, DOM 69 | 0 Lots, DOM 0
PENDING: 3 Homes | 0 Lots
LISTED: 10 Homes, Avg $551,150 | 5 Lots, Avg $71,200

Aldea de Santa Fe consists of 345 acres, with 205 acres of perpetual open space with 13 miles of walking trails, basketball & tennis courts, community center, (which offers yoga classes, exercise equipment & gathering space for events), a local cafe, superbly located in the high-value northwest corridor of Santa Fe County, with easy access to Highway 599, all just 10 minutes from downtown Santa Fe.

Current Listings April 1, 2020:

Las Campanas Real Estate News

2020 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed

SOLD: 13 Homes, DOM 202  | 7 Lots, DOM 142
PENDING: 9 Homes | 20 Lots
LISTED: 27 Homes, Avg $2,066,925 | 66 Lots, Avg $191,957

There are currently 27 homes for sale in Las Campanas.

• 4 Homes under $1,000,000
• 23 Homes over $1,000,000

There are currently 66 Lots for sale in Las Campanas.

• 19 Lots under $100,000
• 47 Lots over $100,000

Taos Real Estate News

2020 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed

*SOLD: 31 Homes, DOM 193 | 12 Lots, DOM 269
*PENDING: 30 Homes | 9 Lots
*LISTED: 136 Homes, Avg $621,201 | 217 Lots, Avg $160,742

* Areas tracked:
Lower North, Upper North, West North, Town of Taos, Taos Ski Valley, South West, South East
See map for areas » 

Recently, I have received inquiries from out of town buyers who are researching homes in the Taos area. These buyer profiles are looking to live in a safe community, with a country atmosphere, small homes, with flexible spaces. They are wanting to move to the area, but can’t find the properties that offer amenities that don’t include huge HOA fees. They want walking trails, localized eateries, a small grocery store, community activities and a sense of neighborhood. The are either downsizing their home and retiring or wanting a second home. They are wanting to go smaller, but the quality of their lifestyle and home features are upscale. “Does such a community even exist?” they ask.

In the coming months, I will be featuring such a community.

If you have been thinking about selling your home, now is probably a good time. Inventory is low and the demand for quality homes is up.

Call our Taos Office: 575.776.7576

Home Decor Insights

Keep Your Home Safe From COVID-19
You might already know most of this information, but it is important to follow these guidelines to help stay safe.

The CDC urges individuals to take these measures to protect themselves and others:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Practice social distancing by staying out of crowded places, avoiding group gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet) from others when possible.
• Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
• Stay home if you have a fever, cough, shortness of breath or any other cold or flu-like symptom.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or cough or sneeze into your sleeve.

Stay safe everyone and let me know how I can help you.

For ideas on decorating with spring in mind, check out Pinterest and explore a whole new way to spend your time online and check out my Pinterest page: KachinaRealty  Happy pinning!

While you are surfing the “net” check out Flipboard for a variety of news and lifestyle reading.

Sierra 

iCFO, (in-training Chief Fun Officer)
silver standard poodle puppy

Sierra: March 1-31, 2020

Sierra & her litter mates are 12 months old as of March 18, 2020. We celebrated their birthdays using Zoom Meeting and posted the event on our private Facebook page. The 5 out of 8 guardians had fun being virtually together and sharing our puppies on their birthday. I made “pup cakes” to add to the festivities.

I weigh & measure Sierra once a month, so here are her stats. She has not gained any weight since November 18, and she has not grown taller since last month, same girth & neck as in December: collar: 14″, girth: 22″, height to shoulder: 24″ weight: 32lbs.

Sierra came into heat on March 13, 2020, so she is now a “lady”. It has been an adventure, as her eating habits have slowed down, she naps more and is even more cuddly than before. It is hard to believe that a dog can become more affectionate than she was prior, but she now is super-duper cuddly and loves being close to us.

Sierra still does not have much interest in food & is becoming quite the fussy eater. One day she will eat something, the next day not so much. She was on her raw diet from the time we brought her home, but now, she just wants kibble, so Fromm Puppy is what she will eat. It is still a raw diet with grains & veggies. We supplement with Dr. Marty’s raw freeze dried. I have tried cooking, chicken, ground beef, adding Dr. Harvey’s premix and she eats it once or twice then won’t eat it again. From what her litter mate, Birdie, has gone through (Birdie just completed her heat cycle first), Sierra will most likely follow suit and start eating more after her heat cycle has ended, gaining some weight, hopefully.

Now that the COVID-19 has curtailed our activities, the 3 of us are staying at home, enjoying being together. We will get back to socializing, going to “down town Taos” and meeting people, making friends, once our stay-at-home order is over. Since none of us knows how long this will be, we are content to be hermits. Training and ball activity remains the same, just with our immediate household. We will make trips out to the ranch periodically as there are not a lot of people roaming the ranch, making social distancing easy to do.

Sierra brings us so much joy. It is amazing to experience how this 32lb bundle of fluff gives us both an incredible amount of love. We are not practicing social distancing with the 3 of us! Is all cuddle, cuddle, cuddle here in Taos.

Here is the photo link: Sierra March 2020 »

Sierra’s web page: www.diannemckenzie.com/sierra     More photos will be continually posted on her own web page, so check back monthly, as we chronicle her life with us!

Calendar of Events

New Mexico has long been a center for arts, culture, classes and gourmet food. With such a strong art market, there are hundreds galleries to explore and experience, along with a wide selection of thriving restaurants. Our Museums feature culture, history and traditions of the region and the world. Santa Fe, Taos County and beyond have something scheduled every day & night of the week, all year long.

Santa Fe »

All things Santa Fe »

Taos Ski Valley »

Taos County »

New Mexico Events Calendar »

Entertainment

If there’s one thing you can count on when spending time in New Mexico, it’s the treasured experiences and wide selection of entertainment: music venues, great sporting events, theatrical and musical entertainment as well as year-round festivals.
From festivals, music concerts and dance performances to theatrical offerings by local and touring groups, the performing artists work hard to keep its locals and visitors entertained by both New Mexico performers and acclaimed stars from around the world.

Santa Fe »

Taos County »

New Mexico »
 

About Kachina Mountain Realty

I am passionate about real estate development. I consider myself a “Dream Maker”, and strive to help my clients manifest their dreams and lifestyle goals.

I believe that, “…the dreams which accompany all human actions should be nurtured by the places in which people live and work”.

To promote this possibility, I encourages my clients to develop and share their dreams and lifestyle goals as part of the process of selling, buying or investing in property.

I have over thirty years of business experience as an executive producer, web architect, social media marketer, business developer, architecture assistant, real estate marketing developer and real estate consultant.

I am a licensed real estate qualifying broker for Kachina Mountain Realty & an accredited ACRE® real estate consultant. I have worked in the Santa Fe & Taos real estate market for years. I specialize in working with buyers and sellers who are looking for a solid real estate investment.

Contact me, Dianne McKenzie, for your real estate transactions & let me help you manifest your dreams!

I am readily available by cell phone, text, (505.603.9300) & email. I return calls promptly, seven days a week!

Taos Office: 575.776.7576
 

Dianne & Sierra

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