Monthly Archives: April 2014

March 2014 Home Sales for Santa Fe

Real Estate by the Numbers
By Abigail Davidson, CRS, ABR, SRES, CLHMS, CNE

graphThe following information has been compiled to provide you with updated information on sales in Santa Fe and its surrounding areas for March, 2014. These statistics are for all Santa Fe residential home sales including single-family homes, condos, and townhomes.

There were a total of 144 home sales in March.  Prices ranged from $65,500 to $2,208,800.  Total sales volume for March was $60,651,266, up from February which was $52,626,432. Notably 51 percent of the sales were cash. The average sold to list price was 95.98 percent.

The average sales price in March was $421,189, up from February which was $417,670. The median sales price for March was $286,950, down from February’s median of $327,500.  The average number of days on the market in March was 165 and February’s was 194.   Here is how number of sales per price-band reported in March 2014:

  • 88 homes sold for under $350,000
  • 17 homes sold from $350,001 to $500,000
  • 32 homes sold from $500,001 to $1,000,000
  • 7 homes sold from $1,000,001 to $2,550,000

 

Santa Fe Corcorso 2014

Unique Destinations
By Denise McCluggage, Honorary Chair, Concorso Advisory Board, Automotive Journalist, First Lady of Sports Car Racing

An event’s fifth year means it has a history, a character, and a reputation. That is true of the Santa Fe Concorso. And it’s all good. No longer are introductions and descriptions needed for the Southwest’s premier gathering of fine vintage cars, selected motorcycles, and bicycles. It’s: “Yes, I’ve heard great things. Wonderful cars, beautiful setting, and a relaxed atmosphere. Time and space to really see all the cars. Even chat with the owners. We’ll be there!”

Lady Susie Moss calls it, “a ‘boutique’ show; excellence in essence.” Lady Susie and her husband Sir Stirling return as special guests for the fifth straight year. They love Santa Fe and Santa Fe loves them.

Also returning is New Mexico’s own Al Unser, bringing sample cars from his wonderful Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque. Joining Al will be Al Unser Jr. and Parnelli Jones, ready with stories of America’s oval tracks. An autograph session has been popular every year. This year Sir Stirling will have a signing of a new paperback edition of his 1962 book All But My Life written with the late Ken Purdy.

The Santa Fe Concorso not only lays out the gleaming machinery of a century of mobility, it opens visitors to the chance to sample Santa Fe’s historic specialness, and to decide to come back often. The Concorso is a 501(c)(3) organization and has donated over $75,000 to support youth organizations in the city and county.

On Friday, September 26 in a private hangar at the Santa Fe Airport, Indy racers will recount their stories of challenges and successes at the Brickyard. The Friday Night Gathering, a VIP event, also held at the private hangar, brings together vintage aircraft and race cars. Add food, spirits, and celebrities to inspire joviality and friendship. Saturday is a day for doing what cars were intended to do. Catch these pieces of rolling art on the Plaza early Saturday morning then motoring up Canyon Road. Wave! They are headed to Cerrillos and on to The Club at Las Campanas to take their places for Sunday’s main event. Nothing’s more fun that catching glimpses of fine old cars just rolling along on everyday roads.

Then Sunday is the concours d’elegance — the contest of beauty and elegance. All cars will be appreciated but some will win their classes and two will take home a unique best in show trophy: one for elegance and one for sport. Among the judges every year has been Sir Stirling Moss, who like so many others, finds Santa Fe special.

September 28, 2014. For more information see: www.santafeconcorso.com. Held on the grounds of The Club at Las Campanas

The Santa Fe Concorso is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization benefitting youth organizations of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County, affecting the families of home owners, sellers, and buyers in our real estate community.   The Santa Fe Concorso is being profiled as part of the All Things Real Estate “Unique Destinations” series.

 

Dave Caldwell and Karen Evans

Unique Destinations
By Lawrence Becerra, Chairman, Las Campanas Compadres

Las Campanas Compadres offers therapeutic riding and swimming lessons to people with special needs at the world class facilities of The Club at Las Campanas. Lessons are free and 100 percent supported by private donations.

Dave Caldwell started the LCC swim program in May of 2009.  He also serves as an LCC board member. Dave’s love and knowledge of aquatics allows him to engage his students in creative ways to help them meet their individual goals.

“My love of the water began right after birth when my mom took me to a water baby’s class.  By the age of 18 months, I was jumping off diving boards and playing under water.  I taught my first swim lesson at the age of 15 and became a swim coach a year later. After college, I took a job teaching in a special needs class room in rural South Carolina.  My perspective on the disabled changed as I realized that people with disabilities are capable of so much more than the opportunities they are given. When Lawrence and Suzanna Becerra, founders of LCC, approached me about running the LCC swim program I jumped at the opportunity to continue the work I started 12 years earlier.  Our students range from 3 to 65 years of age.”

“Water therapy has many physical and mental health benefits for all ages, from the very young to the very old. Swimming can help improve your flexibility, strength, circulation, and lung capacity.”

LCC’s riding instructor, Karen Evans, is passionate about all things equine.  “My love affair with horses began in early childhood with my grandfather who raised ponies while operating a large farm in rural North Carolina. In 1998, after 2 months of study at the Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding, I was awarded an Advanced Instructor Certification in Physical and Cognitive Disabilities by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International.”

“Equine therapy has so many benefits for our participants. The physical tends to be the most obvious:  increased flexibilities, improvements in both strength and balance, better motor skills.  But there’s more: the self-confidence of a young boy who trots without a leader for the first time, the child who is inspired by the horse to interact with others, the adults for whom horseback riding is one more opportunity to maximize their independence and involvement in the world.”

“Volunteers are the back bone of equine therapy programs and we owe them a great deal of thanks. Volunteers, however, will tell you that the benefit is all theirs! After 15 years as an instructor with over 7,500 therapeutic lesson hours, the magic is as strong as ever.  To paraphrase Winston Churchill, ‘the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person.’”

For the past five years Las Campanas Compadres has held a triathlon fund raising event on the grounds of The Club at Las Campanas. This year’s event will feature a sprint tri for adults and a mini tri for juniors. This is the charity’s only fund raising event and its success ensures the continuation of this worthwhile program. This year’s event will be held on Labor Day, September 1. Expectations are for 200 participants.

To learn more about the event, or the program and how you can help, please visit www.lascampanascompadres.org.

 

“The Wall That Heals” Exhibition

Real Estate Marketing
By Ken Dettelbach, Gateway Marketing LLC

Furry’s Buick GMC helped to provide a happy ending to a story that started around five years ago. That story is as follows:

Vietnam Veterans Chapter 996 started collecting pictures of those New Mexican soldiers killed in Vietnam. The last picture was found in October 2013. With that, New Mexico became the first state to provide the Vietnam Memorial Wall Museum Education Center (to be built) 398 photos of everyone from New Mexico killed in the war.

As an acknowledgement of this great feat, Santa Fe was awarded the traveling “Wall That Heals” exhibited at the City’s Fort Marcy Ball Park recently on March 19 – 24, 2014.

“The Wall That Heals” exhibition features a ½ scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans memorial in Washington, D.C. The replica is complete with the 58,249 names of those killed or missing in action from the conflict. The names are listed alphabetically by day of casualty.

Brad and Julia Furry (Furry’s Buick GMC) stepped up to the plate again to provide the core monies necessary to publish a 12 page insert commemorating all 398 New Mexican soldiers who died in Vietnam as well as events during the “Wall” stay in Santa Fe.

“It is gratifying to know that there are people like Brad and Julia who don’t hesitate to commit to this once in a life-time event for all of New Mexico” says Arturo Canaras, “The Wall That Heals” event chairman.

“The Wall That Heals” was a great success and offered many special events throughout the 4 day period. Visit www.santafenewmexican.com/news/veterans.

 

No Secrets in a Community Association

Property Management Report
By Tom Simon, Managing Member, Westgate Properties, LLC

Members of a condo association or HOA have the right to examine any association documents.   There is nothing secret about the business of the association.  The foundation for this is in the New Mexico Non-Profit Corporation Act, which is one of the key documents that govern all non-profit corporations in New Mexico.  The relevant portion of the Act, 53-8-27, states that “All books and records of a corporation may be inspected by any member, or his agent or attorney, for any proper purpose at any reasonable time.”

Here is a recommended procedure for an orderly management of this process:

  1. Owner or owner’s authorized representative should send the board or managing agent a request in writing specifying what records they wish to review, the date of those records, and the purpose of the request.
  2. The association representative should respond to such a request within 30 days.  Of course, sooner is better.  During that time the representative will locate the correct documents and get them ready.
  3. The  records should be made available for review during regular business hours at the manager’s office for 30 days after the request is processed.
  4. The association may charge a reasonable fee for copies of records.

Most people use email and can receive documents electronically.  Electronic delivery should be offered as an option to make it easier for owners to obtain the desired documents.  Do not use “the process” as a means to delay delivery of records.  This does not inspire confidence and trust.

If the delivery of documents is in response to a disclosure request such as a Condominium Questionnaire or HOA Disclosure, some attorneys interpret the New Mexico Condominium Act and HOA Act to require that these documents be provided in paper form in order to comply strictly with the Act.

The association is not obligated to provide documents that infringe on the privacy of an individual such as medical or personnel records. These are not considered public records and the association is not required to make them available.  Salary information may be made available in the aggregate, but not for individuals. Some requests may also be denied if they involve ongoing legal or contractual obligations that might expose the association board or manager to liability.  If in doubt, seek legal advice.