Eco Lifestyle and Home News – August 2023
Dear Friends, Clients, Business Associates and Neighbors,
August 2023 marks the 88th edition of 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 County and beyond.
In this edition, we offer the following:
- Lifestyle: Community
- Real Estate Market Update
- 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
Lifestyle
Community
A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals.
A community is a social unit of any size which can gather physically or virtually that shares common values.
How do you create community where you live & work? What makes for a successful, inclusive community?
An online community is a virtual community whose members interact with each other via the Internet. Online communities require membership. An online community can act as an information system where members can post, comment on discussions, give advice or collaborate. Online communities have become a way for people to interact, who have either known each other in real life or met online. The most common forms people communicate through are chat rooms, forums, email lists or discussion boards. Most people now rely on social networking sites to communicate with one another. People also join online communities through video games, blogs & virtual worlds.
Community is shifting as we embrace the internet technology, which is changing how we create & participate in communities. Most notably Facebook has the largest appeal to mostly the 30 something & below, but also is now blurring age participation. The smart phone messaging adds to creating community where you can share your whereabouts with friends. Pinterest, which is another online community, made up of mostly women, (but that is shifting), is a pin board of pictures ranging from home décor, technology, fashion, gardening, food travel & much more.
When you want to find information where do you turn to?
For me it is the online community. For health issues either with people or pets it’s Earthclinic.com, webmd.com & others. For news, it is all online, as I never read print news papers anymore. For weather, I turn to weather.com or weather.gov. When shopping online, I read the online reviews & comments, which help govern my decisions.
It seems that the online community has taken over as we turn to the internet for information. But what about our immediate physical community, how are we connected to our local community? By participating & reaching out, volunteering & getting involved with civic, social & personal actions, we can enhance the community we live in. As our online community grows, we need to remember to interact with our physical community that surrounds us.
Think globally & act locally needs to include, “& in person”. I know I spend an enormous amount of my daily schedule online, often with very little in person interaction. Emails, texting, researching online, reading online, & working online, are more common than interacting with people in person. I am attempting to spend more time in the flesh with people. Good thing I have a standard poodle & we live in a close community with my husband, (even though we text each other throughout our day), otherwise I would live as a hermit!
Thank you for reading our newsletter & feel free to pass it on to other kindred spirits. ~ Dianne McKenzie & Sierra
Real Estate Market
Reprinted from the Santa Fe Association of Realtors, ( Santa Fe, NM – July 5, 2023)
Overall City and County Home Prices Up by 3% City of Santa Fe median home prices modestly rose by 1.6% from $595,000 in the 2nd Quarter of 2022 to $604,500 this quarter. City home sales decreased by 16.5% with 198 units sold
this quarter compared to 237 in the 2nd Quarter of 2022. During this same period, County of Santa Fe median home prices grew 5.5% from $765,950 in 2022 to $808,050 this quarter. County home sales dropped by 10.6% from 188 units sold in 2022 compared to 168 units in the same Quarter of 2023. The overall volume of home sales dropped from $365.7M in 2022 to $348.2M in the 2nd Quarter of 2023 or by 4.8%.
Condo and townhome sales rose this quarter by 7.3% with a total of 117 units sold compared to 109 in the 2nd Quarter of 2022. The median price of condo/townhomes decreased by 5.6% or from $450,000 in the 1st Quarter of 2022 to $425,000 in 2023. Overall land sales dropped by 8.9% from 79 in the 2nd Quarter of 2022 to 72 this quarter. Overall land prices noted a drop of 21.8% at $179,000 in the 1st Quarter of 2022 to $140,000 this quarter. The volume of land sales dropped by 16.3% or from $19.3M in 2022 to $16.2M in the 2nd Quarter of 2023.
The Quarterly Indicators report drills down market statistics for single family homes and condos/townhomes in the City and County of Santa Fe – excluding other areas and properties in the Santa Fe Region MLS.
Looking at the data, the association finds that the inventory of single family homes for sale in the City and County of Santa Fe dropped by 9.8% from a total of 336 in the 2nd Quarter of 2022 to 303 this quarter with a 2.6 month’s supply of inventory. Days on Market until Sale noted a move up to 58 days for single family homes and 42 days for condos/townhomes this quarter.
“Inventory levels continue to create a tight housing market for buyers, pushing up prices modestly,” said Drew Lamprich, 2023 President of the Santa Fe Association of REALTORS®. “Days on Market figures show that sales are still taking a bit longer to go under contract and close as buyers adjust to ongoing mortgage fluctuations,” he added.
The median sales price is determined from only those sales listed on the Santa Fe Association of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service, which does not include every sale in the area but has been used historically to track trends in the home buying market.
Quarterly Indicators Santa Fe City & Santa Fe County 2023
Affordability challenges continue to limit market activity, with buyers and sellers at a standstill due to fluctuations in mortgage interest rates, which are up considerably from this time last year. Prospective buyers have been sidelined by elevated sales prices and higher borrowing costs, causing existing-home sales to fall, while many would-be sellers with low-rate mortgages have delayed their decision to sell in hopes market conditions will improve, further constraining an already limited supply of homes and driving sales prices higher.
New Listings decreased 18.9 percent for Single Family and 27.7 percent for Townhouse/Condo. Pending Sales decreased 8.9 percent for Single Family but increased 14.5 percent for Townhouse/Condo. Inventory decreased 9.8 percent for Single Family and 21.3 percent for Townhouse/Condo. Median Sales Price increased 3.0 percent to $695,000 for Single Family but decreased 5.6 percent to $425,000 for Townhouse/Condo. Days on Market increased 141.7 percent for Single Family and 133.3 percent for Townhouse/Condo. Months Supply of Inventory increased 18.2 percent for Single Family but decreased 10.5 percent for Townhouse/Condo.
Imbalances in supply and demand have boosted competition among homebuyers, especially in more affordable markets, where homes are selling quickly even as sales prices continue to rise. But the shortage of existing homes for sale has also led an increasing number of buyers to the new-home market, which has seen construction and new-home sales surge in recent months, exceeding expectations and causing builder confidence to rise to levels not seen in nearly a year.
Santa Fe Real Estate News
Aldea Real Estate Stats
2023 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed
SOLD: 16 Homes, DOM 34 | 0 Lots, DOM 0
PENDING: 1 Homes | 0 Lots
LISTED: 2 Homes, Avg $1,065,000 | 0 Lots, Avg 0
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.
Aldea Listings:
Just Listed
Santa Fe Real Estate Offerings
3 Esquila Road in Eldorado | Santa Fe, New Mexico
Residential Home| MLS #202338568 | Price: $584,000.00 |
Located in the coveted community of Eldorado, on a quiet street, this Santa Fe style single-story passive solar home includes an open floor plan, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 car garage, radiant heat, air conditioning and is move-in ready!
The living room is graced with high ceilings adorned with vigas, a gas burning fireplace and windows on two sides. The adjacent kitchen and dining room are convenient for cooking and entertaining. The primary suite features dual closets, spacious bathroom with dual sinks, walk in shower and soaking tub. The second bedroom is is located across from the house bathroom with views on the patio side of the home. The 3rd bedroom is oversized which could be used as a media room, flex-space, exercise room, home office or art studio. A laundry room leads to the mud room/pantry storage area, just off the attached garage. There are 2 designated outside areas for relaxing & entertaining. This tranquil setting offers 360° breathtaking panoramic views: west sunset views to the Jemez mountains, eastern views of the Sangre de Cristos mountains and endless vistas to the south Sandia mountains in Albuquerque.
New Zone controlled 3 mini-split/ductless air conditioner/ heating, New refrigerator, Updated boiler for radiant floor heating system, New hot water tank, New septic system. Furniture package available.
The Eldorado community consists of miles of open land with approximately 2,776 developed parcels, and is a premier homeowner community in Santa Fe, New Mexico, known for its diverse, welcoming environment. Eldorado has many outstanding amenities and quality services: abundant 4,000-acre open preserve with local wildlife, extensive walking & bicycle paths, a community center, swimming pool, numerous sport courts, horse stables and dog parks. Whether you are seeking an active lifestyle or simply tranquil surroundings, you should schedule your home tour today, before it’s gone tomorrow.
Eldorado offers a well-regarded kindergarten through eighth-grade school as well as its own library, senior center, athletic room, outdoor pool, community garden, a 4,094-acre wilderness area, an arts and crafts association, annual spring studio tour, dog park, volunteer fire department, farmers market, grocery store, restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Like a small town, there is also a Fourth of July pancake breakfast, annual barbecue, ice cream social and many other popular social events.
Las Campanas Real Estate Stats
2023 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed
SOLD: 37 Homes, DOM 102 | 14 Lots, DOM 266
PENDING: 14 Homes | 5 Lots
LISTED: 22 Homes, Avg $2,848,977 |27 Lots, Avg $352,520
There are currently 22 homes for sale in Las Campanas
- 0 Homes under $1,000,000
- 22 Homes over $1,000,000
There are currently 27 Lots for sale in Las Campanas
- 2 Lots under $100,000
- 25 Lots over $100,000
Marketing Properties, Not Just Listing Properties
If you are thinking of selling your property, why not list it with a realtor who will market the property, not just list it in the MLS? By actively marketing your property, the property gets the most exposure to other realtors and to the general public through online blogging, email campaigns & the typical MLS exposure.
Call me, Dianne, 505.603.9300, to discuss your property needs, or for a tour of Lots & Homes in Aldea, Las Campanas and the Santa Fe region.
Taos Office: 575.776.7576
Visit the website for Santa Fe information: RealEstatePropertiesSantaFe.com
Visit the Kachina Mountain Realty company main website: KachinaMountainRealty.com
Taos Real Estate News
2023 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed
*SOLD: 71 Homes, DOM 128 | 62 Lots, DOM 276
*PENDING: 25 Homes | 18 Lots
*LISTED: 74 Homes, Avg $741,626 | 153 Lots, Avg $271,749,000
* Areas tracked:
Lower North, Upper North, West North, Town of Taos, Taos Ski Valley, South West, South East
See map for areas »
Taos is very different than Santa Fe in many ways. With a population of 5,763 people and many surrounding neighborhoods, Taos is the 39th largest community in New Mexico. The greater Taos area is made up of several unincorporated areas and neighborhoods that separates out as if they were their own destinations or towns. Unincorporated areas around Taos have distinctive names that represent the ancient traditions of naming a place for a stream or topographic feature. Arroyo Hondo, Arroyo Seco and El Prado are all such places. These are not towns and have no political jurisdiction, they are simply places that help folks zero in on a very specific neighborhood. Within Taos itself are many such neighborhoods that may comprise no more than six “blocks.”
Selling real estate in Taos county is challenging for sellers, buyers and realtors, as the typical closing time for a property averages 90+ days, compared to under 30 days in Santa Fe. I have closed properties in Santa Fe under 20 days. There is a shortage of title companies which the realtors can work with in Taos. The back log of properties waiting to close often creates buyers to back out and leave the sellers in the same cycle for closing when the next offer comes in. Many buyers become frustrated as their lenders charge additional hold fees or back out all together. Below are some statistics that highlight the problem.
Pioneer Title
As of August 26, 2022, Pioneer Title has opened an office in Taos at 204 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Suite A, Taos NM 87571, telephone: 866-294-4100. It remains to be seen if closing times will shorten in the coming months, but it is progress for realtors as well as sellers and buyers in Taos County.
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.
Buyers 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. They 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
The Last Month of Summer is Here
August is our last month of summer, but there is still time to enjoy the season. This is the time to bring the outside in by putting an emphasis on florals, either in colorful floral pillows, flower arrangements and rugs. Outdoor rugs are very popular to help cozy up a designated outdoor seating area. Adding a pop of color to your seating area will enhance the entertaining space.
American Summer:
“Bright florals and block prints. Nautical stripes. Classic wicker. An ode to casual American style, this look is timeless and familiar-yet altogether fresh. Woven naturals add warmth to bold color and summery whites. A lively mix of pattern dials up the mood, indoors and out.” ~ According to the staff at Pottery Barn.
Pottery Barn American Summer
Santa Fe Summer:
Out Door Room
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
CFO, (Chief Fun Officer)
Our 4.4 year old female silver standard poodle
July 1-31, 2023
July has been a hotter month so we have had less activities outside. Sierra has been preparing for motherhood, getting tested, poked & prodded to see if she is a good candidate for having puppies in her next heat, sometime this fall. We are planning to keep a silver female puppy, if all works out. We will keep you all informed as things progress.
I weigh & measure Sierra once a month, so here are her stats as of July 2023: 14″ collar, girth: 24″, height to shoulder: 25″ weight: 33.5lbs.
Photos for the Month of July 2023 »
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!
Sierra’s Videos »
You really need to watch Sierra’s videos as they capture her spirit!
Here is the link to Sierra’s Videos »
Sierra’s 1st video explains who she is and her new role at Kachina Mountain Realty. In Sierra’s 2nd video she talks about Dianne’s role at Kachina Mountain Realty in the era of COVID-19. In Sierra’s 3rd video, Sierra talks about selling and buying real estate during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Sierra’s 4th video she talks about how staying safe in the era of COVID-19.
As you probably already know, Sierra is the CFO (chief fun officer) at Kachina Mountain Realty. Sierra talks to you today about using your imagination in Sierra’s 5th video. When Sierra turned 2 years old on March 18, 2021, people asked what she sounded like now that she was older. While she does not have a lot to say right now, she is quick and to the point, as she starts her 2nd year as CFO, in Sierra’s 6th video. Currently Sierra is not recording videos at this time.
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 »
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 »
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 & 575.776.7576) & email. I return calls promptly, seven days a week!
Taos Office: 575.776.7576
Dianne & Sierra
Go Green: Recycle This E-Newsletter!
After you’ve enjoyed our Eco Lifestyle and Home newsletter, please recycle it by emailing it to a family member, friend, neighbor or coworker!
