Real Estate Information

Imagine early morning in Albuquerque with the blue dusky sky wide open above you. So beautiful!  But that's not even what you've come to see. You're there for the great Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta! 

The largest festival of hot air balloon festivals in the world. Boasting over 500 hot air balloons that will take to the sky in a mass lift off. You can’t wait for Albuquerque to blow your socks off.

Of course, the hot air balloon lift off isn’t the only activity available during this event. Albuquerque has many other events and activities planned and available to you, such as fireworks and balloon glows during the evenings, Pilot Presentations, Mariachi entertainment and off event ground tours of local historical attractions and much more.

Here is a link to the schedule for the 2017 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Time to relax, be amazed and have some fun!

HOT HOME LISTING OF THE WEEK!

996 Lynx Loop NE, Albuquerque, NM  $595,000

3 Bedrooms/ 3 Bathrooms (2 full, 1 partial) / 3215 Square Feet

Custom Home features INCREDIBLE VIEWS of the Sandia Mountains, Tram & City lights from large balconies and decks. Master Suite features cozy fireplace, tranquil balcony, mountain views, complimented by the Spa-like Master Bath.

Contact the Sandi Pressley team for additional details! 

Get your Morning Inspiration with the Sandi Pressley Team

Fall is almost here in Albuquerque and the temperature is getting a little cooler.  But that doesn't mean you have to lock yourself inside.  Why not spruce up your outdoor living area for fall so that you can enjoy the splendor of the New Mexico area? Here's a few ideas that might help get you started.

Upstairs Terrace

For those of you with a home that has an upstairs terrace, here's a great decorating idea.

Where to get it:

Wooden lounge set ($392, jossandmain.com)

Metal coffee table ($149, jossandmain.com)

Orange throw pillow ($27, jossandmain.com)

Here's a great idea for southwest themed accents for your porch swing, like this swing designed by Erin Martin that uses rope, metal rings, and wood.

Where to get it:

Round mirror art ($158, jossandmain.com)

Throw pillow ($59, jossandmain.com)

HOT HOME LISTING OF THE WEEK!

2012 Fraser Drive SE, Albuquerque, NM  $250,000

3 Bedrooms/ 3 Bathrooms (1 full, 2 partial) / 2020 Square Feet

Fabulous Energy Efficient Home by D.R. Horton built in 2012 features spacious and open floorplan. Features Higher Efficiency Furnace, Tankless Water Heater, Refrigerated Air, Granite Counter Tops, Custom Security Door and so much more. 

Contact the Sandi Pressley team for additional details! 

Get your Morning Inspiration with the Sandi Pressley Team

Whether you already live in Albuquerque or plan to move here and you have kids in school, then there’s great news. According to GreatSchools.org, 48 schools in Albuquerque received an overall rating of at least 8 out of 10!  And 10 of those schools received perfect score of 10! GreatSchools.org rates schools based on test scores, parent reviews, and other important factors. You can see the full list of Albuquerque school reviews here.

Here are the top 3 schools from the list, all rated 10:

Eisenhower Middle School
11001 Camero Ne, Albuquerque, NM 87111
Facebook Page

S. Y. Jackson Elementary School
4720 Cairo Ne, Albuquerque, NM 87111
Facebook page

Hubert H Humphrey Elementary School
9801 Academy Hills Dr Ne, Albuquerque, NM 87111
(505) 880-3744

HOT HOME LISTING OF THE WEEK!

9320 Modesto Avenue NE, Albuquerque, NM  $1,325,000

4 Bedrooms/ 5 Bathrooms (2 full, 3 partial) / 5285 Square Feet

Immaculate custom single level home in sought after North Albq.Acres. 2 car garage, laundry rm, 2BDRMs each w/private 3/4 Bath. In the West wing you will find another 2 car garage! Master Suite w/ ensuite is every homeowners DREAM. 

Contact the Sandi Pressley team for additional details! 

Get your Morning Inspiration with the Sandi Pressley Team

Albuquerque boasts a great variety of restaurants.  But if you’re looking for a great breakfast in Albuquerque, then you want to find a restaurant that specializes in the morning feast.  To that end, here’s a few of the top places to get a great breakfast in Albuquerque.

The Grove Cafe & Market

The Grove sets no limits on what time of day breakfast is served. With fresh, all day breakfast selections, you can satisfy your breakfast cravings whenever you want. Top is off with gourmet coffee, mimosas, cupcakes or cookies. They also do Sunday brunch.

Standard Diner

What’s more classic American than eating breakfast in a former service station?  The unique atmosphere blends seamlessly with the great menu, featuring all your reliable breakfast favorites and a few new surprises.

Golden Crown Bakery

What’s better than fresh baked breakfast delights? And if you want to come back for lunch, they feature feature amazing pizzas and empinadas.

HOT HOME LISTING OF THE WEEK!

10 Cinco Circle, Placitas, NM   $550,000

5 Bedrooms/ 5 Bathrooms (1 full, 4 partial) / 4015 Square Feet

Enjoy the extraordinary views from this spacious home, featuring 5 bedrooms, 2 living areas, and more.  Treat your guests to the upstairs bed with en suite bath.  Entertain in style with the spacious kitchen that opens into the great room.  

Contact the Sandi Pressley team for additional details! 

Get your Morning Inspiration with the Sandi Pressley Team

According to report released by Down Payment Resource, 61% of first-time homebuyers purchased their homes with a down payment of 6% or less.

The trend continued among all buyers with a mortgage, as 73% made a down payment of less than 20%.

An article by Chase points to a new wave of millennial homebuyers:

“We teamed up with Google to help us better understand what customers are searching for and how the home buying landscape is evolving. We found that millennials and first-time homebuyers are making a big splash in the market, and affordability remains top of mind.”

Among millennials who purchased homes, David Norris, Loan Depot’s Head of Retail Lending, said:

“It’s clear from the survey results that Millennials have a lot of anxiety built up about the home buying process.

There is good news, however, as there’s more flexibility than most Millennials think regarding how to qualify for a loan and what’s needed for a down payment.”

Are you one of the many millenials looking to buy a home this year?  If so, we can help.  Call the Sandi Pressley team today to see how we can help you fulfill your dream of owning a home today!

HOT HOME LISTING OF THE WEEK!

996 Lynx Loop NE, Albuquerque, NM  $595,000

3 Bedrooms/ 3 Bathrooms (2 full, 1 partial) / 3215 Square Feet

Custom Home features INCREDIBLE VIEWS of the Sandia Mountains, Tram & City lights from large balconies and decks. Master Suite features cozy fireplace, tranquil balcony, mountain views, complimented by the Spa-like Master Bath.

Contact the Sandi Pressley team for additional details! 

Get your Morning Inspiration with the Sandi Pressley Team

Every year your house takes a beating. But no matter how bad the weather is, you shouls make sure to check a few things around the house once a year so that you don't have to pay for larger repair bills later. Here's a couple of things you can check right now that will help preserve your home and reduce costs.

Change the HVAC air filters

You should really do this one once a month. The dirtier your filters are, the higher your energy costs can be and lead to more expensive repairs down the road.  And this is an easy one to do. Just buy a replacement filter available at most hardware stores and just replace it. You should also have a professional check your system each year to make sure it's tuned up and in good repair.

Service Yard Equipment

Change the oil and filters on lawn equipment and install new blades if needed. Check the owners manual to perform any suggested maintenance. Drain the gas tank before storing equipment for the season, but don't drain it completely. Instead use a premium gasoline without ethanol but with a gas preservative. Just before you store it, fill the tank with this mix.

HOT HOME LISTING OF THE WEEK!

5909 Gorrion Street NW, Albuquerque   $199,000

4 Bedrooms/ 1.5 Bathrooms/ 1935 Square Feet

Single story home with open concept & functional floorplan with tasteful updates thru-out! Kitchen with NEW Tile countertops, ALL APPLIANCES CONVEY with property! 

Contact the Sandi Pressley team for additional details! 

Get your Morning Inspiration with the Sandi Pressley Team

It's been all over the news. Of course you’ve no doubt heard about the massive data theft of 143 million consumer’s personal data from Equifax.  The problems this theft will cause could affect a lot of lives.  It could especially affect home buyers and mortgage applicants.

It’s likely that an enormous sensitive information was stolen from most Americans with credit, including addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license and credit card numbers.  These could be made available to the highest bidders. 

Those at the highest risk may be home buyers and mortgage applicants. This is because they have a significant amount of information on file at the credit bureaus. This could cause serious problems down the road, especially during the buying process.

There’s no need to panic, as steps can be taken to protect yourself.  You can lock down your credit files with fraud alerts or credit file freezes, which will prevent people from opening accounts in your name and will prevent them from getting credit reports.

The FTC has helpful information on identify-theft countermeasures at consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft. And if you’re thinking of doing a freeze, a good site is uspirg.org/resources/usp/protect-yourself-against-new-account-id-theft. You can also get free, three-bureau credit monitoring service being offered by Equifax at equifaxsecurity2017.com. The most important first step is to check your three credit reports for free at annualcreditreport.com and see whether anyone has been tampering with your accounts.

HOT HOME LISTING OF THE WEEK!

6640 Santo Lina Trail NW, Albuquerque   $279,000

3 Bedrooms/ 2.5 Bathrooms/ 2670 Square Feet

Oversized corner lot w/Unobstructed views of the City, Bosque & Mountains along the Bosque in gated community. Close to to beautiful & scenic walking & bike paths!

Contact the Sandi Pressley team for additional details! 

Get your Morning Inspiration with the Sandi Pressley Team

You see advertisements for mortgage rates all over the media and internet.  But how can you be sure that you’re getting the best rate possible? Even if you compare rates, they probably aren’t realistic. Here are some factors to take into consideration.

• Economy – The global economy drives all interest rates, including mortgage rates
• Property location – Lender costs can go up or down depending on state laws
• Lender pipeline – How much business a lender is currently processing
• Property type – Single family, multi-family, condo, mobile, co-op, etc.
• Loan-to-value – Lower values get a better rate
• Home use – Is this home being used for personal use, rental, or vacation?
• Credit score – The higher the score, the better the rate
• Points – Overall, the higher the costs, the lower the rate
• Loan features – Term, documentation, rate adjustment, interest-only payments, etc.
• Loan amount – If the loan amount is very high or very low, this can mean higher rates

Mortgage Rates Always Change 

It’s true. In fact, rates can change in minutes!  Even politics can affect the rate.  As an example, when the President disbanded his business council, it sent rates into a tailspin within 20 minutes! So that means the rate you were quoted before and after that situation would have been much different.

The good news is that current mortgage rates are as low as they've been in 2017. But home prices are soaring in much of the US. To get a low rate and make your home as affordable as possible, you need to get several custom quotes from competing mortgage lenders.

HOT HOME LISTING OF THE WEEK!

996 Lynx Loop NE, Albuquerque, NM  $595,000

3 Bedrooms/ 3 Bathrooms (2 full, 1 partial) / 3215 Square Feet

Custom Home features INCREDIBLE VIEWS of the Sandia Mountains, Tram & City lights from large balconies and decks. Master Suite features cozy fireplace, tranquil balcony, mountain views, complimented by the Spa-like Master Bath.

Contact the Sandi Pressley team for additional details! 

Get your Morning Inspiration with the Sandi Pressley Team

Owning a home has many advantages and benefits.  One of the best things about owning a home is avoiding rising rent costs. 

The cost of renting is going up across the nation.  According to ConsumerAffairs “The cost of putting a roof over your head continues to go up. Not only are home prices still rising, but the cost of rent rose 0.5% in June.” The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University’s 2017 State of the Nation’s Housing Report also noted that “Renters continue to be more likely to face cost burdens…the number of cost-burdened renters (21 million) considerably outstrips the number of cost-burdened owners (18 million) even though nearly two-thirds of US households own their homes.”

With a 30 year fixed rate mortgage, owning a home can be cheaper than renting. Many people feel they can’t afford to buy a home because they haven’t saved enough money for down payment, or they don’t have good enough credit.  But you don’t know until you investigate the options.  If you’re considering buying a home in Albuquerque, give us a call and let a professional help you determine if you’re in a position to own your own home and not get stuck in a rental trap.

HOT HOME LISTING OF THE WEEK!

10 Cinco Circle, Placitas, NM   $550,000

5 Bedrooms/ 5 Bathrooms (1 full, 4 partial) / 4015 Square Feet

Enjoy the extraordinary views from this spacious home, featuring 5 bedrooms, 2 living areas, and more.  Treat your guests to the upstairs bed with en suite bath.  Entertain in style with the spacious kitchen that opens into the great room.  

Contact the Sandi Pressley team for additional details! 

Get your Morning Inspiration with the Sandi Pressley Team

If you love antiques, then get ready for the antiques event of the year in Albuquerque! Coming this Aug 5-6 to the Expo New Mexico State Fair Grounds is the 19th Annual Great Southwestern Antique Show. This huge antique show will benefit the New Mexico non-profit organizations that focus in enhancing arts and education in the area. You'll find over 200 dealers, making this the largest antiques show in the Southwest! There will be everything you can think of in addition to antiques - rare books,fine art, Native American & Western art, vintage guitars, ephemera, old pawn and estate jewelry and more!

The event starts with a sneak preview from 1-6 pm on Aug 4 that will donate all proceeds to the KNME PBS Endowment. Then the main event starts on the 5th. You'll enjoy learning about the art of collecting and investing in fine art and antiques. And if you have treasures of your own, bring up to 3 of them along and have them appraised from 12-3pm for $35 (limited to the first 100 donors) and proceeds go to New Mexico PBS.

Check out the full schedule and have a great time exploring the world of antiques in Albuquerque!

HOT HOME LISTING OF THE WEEK!

6640 Santo Lina Trail NW, Albuquerque   $279,000

3 Bedrooms/ 2.5 Bathrooms/ 2670 Square Feet

Oversized corner lot w/Unobstructed views of the City, Bosque & Mountains along the Bosque in gated community. Close to to beautiful & scenic walking & bike paths!

Contact the Sandi Pressley team for additional details! 

Get your Morning Inspiration with the Sandi Pressley Team