Tucked away in downtown Las Cruces, the Rio Grande Theatre is a completely modern performing arts center with a digital projector, sound and lighting systems. While sitting in one of the 422 seats you will enjoy the productions amazing visuals and sounds. Acoustical panels shape the sound to increase your audio experience all while keeping you comfortable with their climate controlled facility. The Rio Grande Theatre has been entertaining people for over 70 years and is the only remaining two-story adobe theatre in the country. In 2005, the Dona Ana Arts Council renovated and reopened the facility and it has become the heart of performance art culture in the Las Cruces area. They host films, literary events, free perfomances, and special lectures. With a paid staff of just five and a v... 09/30/2014

Many of our Las Cruces sellers start out thinking that financing is only a concern when they are on the buyer side of the table. However, it is important for sellers to be aware of the financing situation with the sale of their new home. For instance, how will you respond to these questions? Are you willing to consider an FHA offer?Will you hold the mortgage yourself for high interest and a five-year balloon?Can I take over your VA loan if I'm not a veteran?Would you drop your price $15,000 for all cash? Preparing to judge the buyer's financing proposal requires homework on your part. Become familiar with the possibilities. Ask a mortgage consultant for a briefing on the current alternatives. Find out about new and innovative loan programs as they become available locally. Some lenders... 09/26/2014

Your curb appeal-the appearance of your house and surrounding yard-has a lot to say about you. Good curb appeal says you care about your home and your neighborhood. Flub your curb appeal factor, though, and you'll trash your property value and detract from nearby houses, too. Here are some classic curb appeal no-nos. Stay in synch with your neighborhoodSure, you've got flair and panache. But take it too far, and your house becomes the proverbial sore thumb of the neighborhood. Better to put your money toward regular maintenance and energy-efficient upgrades that provide a return on your investment. Stash your trashYou don't have to be a pro appraiser to know that a yard drowning in junk is a sure way to devalue your property. It's also an invitation for stray critters to move right in.... 09/24/2014

The White Sands National Monument is a must-see for any family in Southern New Mexico. The White Sands National Monument is a vast 275-mile white sand desert sitting just a short drive from Las Cruces. The scenic beauty of the white sands offers breathtakingly beautiful recreation your whole family will enjoy. The White Sands National Monument is a vast desert of huge, undulating white sand dunes. Our family loves walking barefoot through the sandy dunes. Keep your eyes open for animals or even small footprints they leave behind in the white sands as your family explores the White Sands National Monument. While your family is at the White Sands National Monument, you can enjoy hiking across the white sand dunes on four marked trails. These trails are not handicap accessible but are rel... 09/23/2014

As we go through the process of planning a new home in Las Cruces for one of our clients we're sharing some ideas that we explore with them.  Here are the thoughts we discussed regarding the office they want in their new home.  1. Research Check out online office's, research colors at the paint store and browse office furniture stores and websites so you can get a solid idea of what you want your office to look like. 2. Prep Work and Painting Chances are someone will need to do some prep work and this could include tasks such as filling holes, removing wallpaper, adding a primer coat of paint to the walls and so on. 3. Take measurements and Start Planning The last thing you want to do is find a beautiful piece of furniture and then find out it doesn't fit. So measure your room to see w... 09/19/2014

In a previous blog we gave you some tips on finding a good home inspector. Today we look at some question to ask prospective home inspectors (you should be interviewing more than one). How long have you been doing this? While years of experience doesn't mean everything it will comfort you to know how long your inspector has been inspecting. How did you learn this business? Your home inspector does not need to be a structural engineer. The best, and most common, background a home inspector should have is with residential construction and associated trades. What are your licenses and what insurance do you carry? Obviously, the more the merrier but you can also go to homeinspection.org's website to see about any required licenses for your particular state. What's the weirdest thing you've... 09/17/2014

For many years, kitchens and bathrooms have been the most popular rooms to remodel in your home. While these rooms have a tremendous impact on the resale value of your home, recent trends show see a new room popping up. Can you guess what it is? The Laundry Room Homeowners are just now beginning to understand the importance of a good laundry room. For an average size household, someone can spend quite a bit of time doing your laundry every week, but the real kicker is the dread you feel knowing how tedious the chore can be. A well-designed laundry room can make doing the laundry significantly easier. Part of remodeling or adding a laundry room to your home is simply the comfort of any finished room. Most people aren't dressed very warmly when they're doing laundry. If your laundry room ... 09/16/2014

1158 Steins Drive SOLD and CLOSED!    Another great Las Cruces, N.M. home is sold and closed! This super cute 1248 sq ft, 3 bed, 2 bath on a fully landscaped corner lot with refrigerated central air conditioning and easy access to HWY 70 is under agreement in only 8 days! It is important to price your home right from the very beginning.  Steins Drive was a perfect example. I made suggestions on how to prepare the house for market. The sellers listened to my advice. I prepared a detailed market analysis specific to the area. The sellers priced the home within fair market value and we were under contract in a little over a week. Just another reason why choosing the right Realtor® to sell your home is so important.   I don't just LIST homes, I SELL them! 09/06/2014

Open House Sunday, September 7th 2 - 4 P.M. 917 Stagecoach Dr. Come see this charming 2248 sq.ft., 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, solar home located on a quiet street in the highly desirable Sonoma Ranch area this Sunday, September 7th, 2014 from 2 - 4 P.M. Refreshments served! This home is situated on a raised, corner lot with fabulous valley mountain views. On the main floor, you will find a large living area with bay windows, a country kitchen and family room with a cozy fireplace, a convenient laundry room and finally a spacious, bright master suite. You will also find the half bath and a two car garage. Upstairs you will find two more bedrooms, a full bathroom and a bonus flex/office area. This home is solar powered, beautifully landscaped, light, bright and move-in-ready! Offered at $199,00... 09/04/2014

Why Do I Need a Drainage Pond? Recently I was showing homes to a nice couple from California. While in the backyard of one of the properties, I was asked a question about a large hole in the yard filled with river rocks. The Client commented that they hadn't seen that before and wondered why they seem to be in every home that we visited that day. I explained that this was something that was necessary here in the desert for rain water runoff. "Believe me, when we have heavy rain, you are going to want a drainage pond in your backyard." I explained. Well, soon after, and because we are in the middle of our monsoon season, I was able to document exactly why you need this 'big hole with rocks' (Swales) in your backyard when you purchase a home in the desert. When the weather radar looks lik... 09/01/2014

New Listing! SOLAR HOME - 917 Stagecoach Drive This charming 2248 sq.ft., 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, solar home is located on a quiet street in the highly desirable High Range area. The home is situated on a raised, corner lot with fabulous valley mountain views. On the main floor, you will find a large living area with bay windows, a country kitchen and family room with a cozy fireplace, a convenient laundry room and finally a spacious, bright master suite. You will also find the half bath and a two car garage. Upstairs you will find two more bedrooms, a full bathroom and a bonus flex/office area. This home is solar powered, beautifully landscaped, light, bright and move-in-ready! Offered at $194,000 For more information on 917 Stagecoach Drive, Las Cruces, NM click this link.   OWN YOUR OWN... 09/01/2014

Organization is the key to a clean home! Let's take a look at some of the more clever and non-traditional organization techniques! Mark or Label Everything! It's not really clever or non-traditional but one of the most basic organizing principles is one of the most important. Marking and Labeling. This doesn't mean you need to go buy a label maker and go crazy! You can use colors, pictures, in addition to or in conjunction with labels. Magazine Rack to Store Pot Lids Pot and Pan lids are the scourge of many organizing amateurs. By using a magazine rack on a tall door or a curtain/towel rod on smaller doors. Magnetic Spice Rack on The Side of the Fridge Putting different spices in small metal tins and then attaching them to the refrigerator saves quite a bit of counter and cabinet space... 08/22/2014

Believe it or not, a common question we get from sellers and buyers is whether or not they should replace windows or ask to have windows replaced. How do you know if replacing windows is a good idea? When you sit next to your windows is the air around them noticeably cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer? If you place your hand on the interior glass, is the glass cold in the winter and warm in the summer? Turn off the lights and slowly move a candle around the perimeter of the window. Is the flame dancing? Do your windows get stuck in the open or closed position? Is there any broken glass or trim on the inside or the outside? Is there rotten trim hidden under the paint. If any answered yes to any of these than you more than likely need to replace your windows. There are lot's o... 08/21/2014

Taking place on Saturday, August 23rd through Sunday, August 24th is the 6th Annual Salsa Fest! The festival takes place at the Downtown Mall between Las Cruces and Griggs Streets. This festival will be fun for the whole family with activities for everyone! There will be a salsa making competition and competitors will create their salsa from scratch on-site and will compete for cash, prizes and awards. Live salsa music will fill the entire competition as will salsa dancing. If you're feeling a bit more competitive you can enter the salsa dancing competition. For the younger salsa fans there will be plenty of events including a live puppet show, a magician, jumping balloons, and plenty of games. Admission prices depend on which package you purchase and which days you want to attend. Chec... 08/20/2014

We find over and over that people tend to put off home repairs until right before they put their home for sale on the market. One of the most common repairs is due to water damage. Here are some helpful tips if you floor has been damaged by water. Vinyl Tiles Linoleum or vinyl tiles are some of the least expensive flooring solutions available and because they are among the easiest types of flooring to clean and maintain, they are commonly found in bathrooms and kitchens. However, being used in wet locations such as these also increases the risk of the tiles suffering from water damage, especially if the water is not soaked up immediately. One of the advantages of linoleum and vinyl tiles is the ability to replace the tile or tiles that are exhibiting damage; there's no need to tear up ... 08/18/2014

Monsoon Season is in Full Gear in New Mexico Every summer we desert-folk anxiously await what is called "monsoon season". It's basically the one time of the year that we can pretty much bet on getting some rain. This year has been a particularly active monsoon, with rain popping up somewhere in and around our area almost every day. Last night I captured an isolated thunderstorm that threatened to dump some of the wet stuff on our Saturday evening cocktail hour. In the end, it blew a lot of dust and knocked over a few lawn chairs but more importantly, the cocktails came out unscathed. We are always grateful for the cool-down that generally comes with one of these thunder-boomers with or without actual rain. Cheers!   08/17/2014

Does your home smell like your dog? If so, we need to work on a few things to increase its chances of it selling in a reasonable time-frame. You also need to be willing to accept non-biased opinions about your home's smell. Sometimes when you live with smells, you become accustomed to them. You Realtor ought to be able to give you an objective assessment of how much work you need to do to eliminate it. Here are a few things that we've done with past clients that helped eliminate the smell. Air your house out. While you're cleaning, open the windows in your home to allow fresh air to circulate and sweep out unpleasant scents. Then once your house is odor-free, do what you can to keep the smells from returning. Crate your dog when you're out or keep it outdoors. Limit the cat to one floo... 08/15/2014

Every time I have an initial consultation with a potential listing client, we discuss the listing price for their home. As a part of that process, the seller and I discuss the price they think their home should sell for. I think it is worth noting that the seller's desired sales price may or may not be a realistic estimate of the Price that the home will sell for in the current Real Estate Market. Pricing is the most important factor in selling a home. It is the qualified, professional, REALTOR who can balance these factors. We recommend that you review this section of our Guide for Sellers, and to our VIP Seller Program Details. Here are some of the most relevant factors that determine your sales price. Comparable Sales of Other Homes Again, sales price is different than listing price... 08/12/2014

Qualifying and being approved for a mortgage are only part of the financial responsibility of buying a home in Las Cruces. There are a host of closing costs that, as a buyer, you should expect. Affordability is a topic on the minds of today's buyers, so researching each of the following costs, large and small, is important. Down Payment: This amount ranges depending on the cost of your home, but many financial experts recommend a down payment be at least 20 percent of the total cost of the house. The reason is that it often helps eliminate "PMI - Private Mortgage Insurance". If you cannot reach the 20% needed to eliminate this insurance, ask your lender what it will add to the monthly payment. Private Mortgage Insurance: According to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, "PMI is e... 08/07/2014

For most people, changing employers will not really affect your ability to qualify for a mortgage loan. However, for some home buyers the effects of changing jobs can be disastrous to your loan application. We were reminded of this a few weeks ago when we worked with a gentleman who just relocated to Las Cruces, NM for a new, and better paying job in a new industry. Unfortunately, part of his new income is based on commission. Commissioned Employees If a substantial portion of your income is derived from commissions, you should not change jobs before buying a home. This has to do with how mortgage lenders calculate your income. They average your commissions over the last two years. Changing employers creates an uncertainty about your future earnings from commissions. There is no track ... 08/06/2014