A Classic Betty Stewart Home nestled in the lush Tesuque valley, this home with plaster walls, brick floors, a two-way fireplace, & vigas truly exudes charm & elegance. The wrap around portal provides venues for entertaining or relaxing in this serene setting. With a detached artist’s studio, the home is perfect for artists in residence or accomodating visiting guests. Recent updates to the kitchen, bathroom, and electrical system make this home move in ready. All of this conveniently located close to the Plaza, miles of hiking and biking trails, and the Tesuque Village Market.

When sitting in any one of the portals you feel as if you a entrenched in the beautiful country setting,  yet you are only 3.5 miles from the Plaza and everything Santa Fe has to offer. Within walking distance from this home is the Windsor Trail (a favorite running/hiking/biking trail for Ryan and Matt) and the many other trails leading into the National Forest. The Tesuque village center is also very close to the property, providing a great place to grab a pint of ice cream late at night, or a great dinner close to home.

This home is in immaculate condition, and would be suitable for a full time residence, a manageable Santa Fe reteat, or for use as a short term rental. 

Check out a video tour of the property below.

Give us a call if you or someone you know would like a personal tour of this exceptional home.

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

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1) The painting is finished!  Every room has received up to three coats of new white paint, and it’s amazing how different the house looks with all white on the walls.  The rooms feel significantly larger, the floors and ceilings really pop out, and the level of elegance in the home has risen significantly. All of the great details and characteristics of the home are now even more noticeable.

2) All of the new Myson heaters are fully installed and in working order.  Three different digital and programmable thermostats have been wired as well. The house is now warm and cozy!

3) The new cabinets in the kitchen have been installed.  This includes the installation of the washer and dryer and the new concrete counter top.  The concrete was still setting today when we filmed, so over the next day or two the guys will buff it up to bring the color out.

4) The floors have all been sanded and prepped for staining. Previously, the floors were  multiple shades and will now take on a darker stain that will match the vigas above.

5) In general, the guys have cleaned the place up a bit.  The ceilings and vigas have been wiped down and oiled, and many of the little messes here and there are now gone.

 All of the contract work should be finished in the next week.  We will then go into the design phase of the renovation which will entail the installation of window coverings, the building of specific furniture pieces (i.e. the bed), and the entire decorating process. Check back in for updates soon!

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

Another six days has passed since we last checked in on the Palace Avenue renovation. As always, steady progress is being made.  The following items have been the focus of the past week.

1) The cove for the bed is finished! The guys installed recessed reading lights and added light switches on each side of the cove. This entailed trenching into the adobe, running electrical wires, filling the trenched lines, and re-plastering.  It looks great, and we’re now looking forward to configuring the headboard for the bed.

2) Wide plank flooring has been installed in the the Office/Den.  The floor initially had to be completely pulled up to accommodate the new heating lines. The  floor has yet to be sanded, finished, and stained, but that will be done when the rest of the floors are refurbished.

3) Paint, Paint, Paint!  After the walls were primed last week, the guys have started painting almost all of the rooms.  The walls will most likely need at least two coats of paint, and some of the previously “colorful” rooms may need a full three coats.  The white paint really highlights the patina of the old plaster, the details in the vigas, and the character of the floors.

4) The cabinets for the kitchen have  been painted and are now sprawled throughout the house to drying. These should all be installed by the end of the week.

Check back early next week for the 5th installment of our renovation series. 

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

Here are 10 fabulous tips to create a warm and cozy atmosphere for your Santa Fe home during the long winter months.

1. Add warm colors
Whether you paint your walls a sun-kissed gold, cover a sofa with a warm-toned slipcover or simply add pillows or a throw blanket in a “hot” shade, you can quickly make a room look brighter and feel cozier with the right color. “Any shade that complements flesh tones is a comforting thing,” says interior design expert Jim Rascoe who co-owns Ireko, an upscale design shop located in the San Francisco area’s North Bay. “And most of us look and feel better in those shades.”

2. Play with texture
Plush upholstery and flannel bedding can provide your home with a soft, relaxing touch. To make texture interesting, Rascoe recommends introducing a variety: Choose a throw blanket with an open weave, such as chenille, for a twill sofa with a tight, smooth weave. “The contrast provides richness and warmth.”

3. Illuminate “feel good” objects
Lighting shoos away winter’s shadows, but it can also cast our focus on fair-weather days. By placing artful groupings of mementos and photographs beneath a lamp on an end table, you can draw attention to objects you love and memories that warm your heart.
Bird bath – Make it feel green inside with a unique arrangement in a birdbath. (Photo Courtesy of Trillium Flowers and Garden.)

4. Bring the outdoors in
Plants and fresh flowers can breathe life into your home – actually imparting oxygen into the air – and remind you of gentler days. For a unique twist on floral arranging, Tom Bastianon, owner of Trillium Flowers and Gardens in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, suggests using a small birdbath as your “vase.” “People are always looking for pedestals for their large vases,” he explains. A birdbath is both. For an elegant wintertime arrangement, set a large candle in the bath’s water-filled center, place quince around the candle’s base (they provide a mild citrusy scent) and incorporate late-season hydrangeas (they’re green) and berry-laden branches. Place in a quiet corner or in a foyer or bathroom.

5. Work on spatial relationships
The sizes and shapes of your furnishings are important – variety adds interest. And this time of year more than any other, how you arrange these pieces is important, too. As a holiday hostess or host, you need to be able to see, talk to and reach your guests. For optimal coziness, says Rascoe, create conversation groupings by moving furnishings closer together – a guest needing to rise to place a mug on a coffee table is a no-no.

6. Get yourself a comfy chair
A large, comfy chair to land in at the end of the day is the ultimate refuge from the cold world. “Choose one with a high back and an inherent sense of softness about the upholstery for visual warmth and comfortable seating,” Rascoe recommends. Create the full “chair ensemble” with a standing lamp and end table and set the grouping in an intimate corner.

7. Cover your “ground”
Nothing warms up a bare floor quicker than an area rug. Don’t underestimate the visual warmth it provides as well, especially in sunburst tones. Also, the pile in some Indian and Pakistani rugs made using vegetable dyes gives you the option of making them look even “warmer.” From one angle, Rascoe explains, the colors look muted and soft, from another, they appear deeper and brighter. Choose the brighter angle for added winter warmth.
Add warmth with a few candles. Photo courtesy of Illuminations.

8. Light a candle
This literal spark of warmth works in any dcor and in any room. Added visual warmth and design cachet can be achieved by placing candles in hurricane lamps made of amber-toned glass or in a grouping of holders that look like woven vines.

9. Embrace the season, gently
Holiday-theme floral accents are obvious brighteners but needn’t scream Christmas. A Christmassy effect can be achieved by simply adding gold balls to an arrangement of non-holiday blooms and branches, suggests Bastianon. You can also lightly spray small branches and seedpods with a dusting of gold – a nice look even after the tree’s down.

10. Alter your senses – with scents
Colorful, multi-textured potpourri – a mixture of scented preserved leaves, nuts, fruit slices, seedpods and pinecones – artfully arranged in a favorite bowl provides a vibrant focal point on a coffee or end table and enlivens a room with a pleasant aroma to lighten spirits and freshen the air. Bastianon prefers the natural aromas of fresh flowers, even the less heady varieties, for their soft, understated scents with the promise of warmer days to come.
 
By Susan Carmody

“It appears our Association has been the target of a large-scale embezzlement scheme, involving tens of thousands of dollars carried out in a two-month blitz,” Eldorado Community Improvement Association President Ed Benrock wrote in an undated letter to Eldorado residents.

Debby Padilla, who worked for the association for more than 14 years, has been arrested in connection with the theft — which apparently involves passing forged checks, according to Benrock’s letter.

Benrock said Albuquerque police contacted the association last week and told them something was “going amiss” with ECIA accounts and that the organization suffered “a substantial theft.” He said he wasn’t sure what prompted the call and declined to specify how the theft occurred.

“It’s not appropriate to comment on that,” he said.

In his letter to homeowners, Benrock said Padilla, who also served as the association’s office manager, allegedly forged checks drawn on ECIA accounts “to systematically steal from the Association.” Padilla, who was also the association’s office manager, is suspected of having “several accomplices” not associated with the ECIA in the scheme, Benrock’s letter states.

“There also appears to have been alteration and destruction of financial records, possibly complicating the Association’s ability to carry on its business for the next few weeks,” Benrock’s letter states.

Benrock said he’d ordered an audit of the association’s accounts and didn’t know specifically how much money Padilla allegedly stole. He said he didn’t yet know why the theft wasn’t discovered by the association itself. The association has insurance against such a loss, according to Benrock’s letter.

“This appears to be a serious breach of the trust that the staff, board and members had placed in Debby over a 14-year period,” the letter states.

The incident is being investigated by Albuquerque police and state police, the letter states.

Padilla came to the attention of Albuquerque police after a man tried to cash a check at a Wal-Mart that looked “weird” using a driver’s license that also was suspect, said Officer Nadine Hamby, an Albuquerque police spokeswoman. Officers took the man into custody and he told them he received the checks from Padilla in Santa Fe, she said.

That prompted an officer to call the Eldorado homeowners’ association and warn them that they were likely being ripped off, Hamby said. Hamby didn’t have the man’s name, didn’t know any details about the check the man tried to cash and didn’t know the date of the incident. She said the case involving the Santa Fe theft was turned over to state police, while APD only handled the Wal-Mart incident, Hamby said.

Padilla was charged with fraud, forgery, tampering with evidence and two counts of conspiracy in relation to the Wal-Mart case, according to online Albuquerque Metropolitan Court records. The charges occurred on Nov. 17, the records say.

Online Santa Fe County jail records indicate that a Debby Padilla, 47, was arrested Nov. 20 on an unspecified state police warrant. She was released on bond three hours later, the records state.

Lt. Eric Garcia, a state police spokesman, said Albuquerque police called state police when they discovered the theft crossed jurisdictions. He said that agency is taking the lead on one case related to Padilla, while state police officers have discovered evidence of further criminal activity by Padilla and are investigating a second case against her. Garcia had no details about that case, but said he thought it had to do with passing forged checks.

Jason Auslander | The New Mexican

The impact of the federal home buyer tax credit program, which is now set to continue and even expand through next spring, dominates the housing resale numbers this week.

Sales of existing houses during the third quarter jumped by 11.4 percent over second quarter sales, according to the National Association of Realtors.

And the increase in sales came in pretty much every part of the country — in 45 states along with the District of Columbia.

Check out some of these extraordinary increases — all tied in part to home buyers rushing to complete purchase transactions before the tax credit’s original expiration date of November 30th, plus mortgages at rock bottom five percent rates or less.

In North Dakota, sales were up 42.4 percent, Rhode Island 27 percent, Pennsylvania 26 percent.

In some hard hit local markets, sales gains were almost off the charts. In Orlando, they were up 80 percent for the quarter. In Las Vegas sales were 30 percent higher this year over last.

So do you think things are stirring out there? You bet they are, and economists haven’t yet even begun to assess the potential effects on future sales flowing from the brand new $6,500 tax credit for “repeat” buyers.

That means people who’ve owned their house for a consecutive five of the previous eight years, and now want to downsize, move up or just move to a different location.

That credit, which took effect November 6th, will be available for home purchase contracts signed by April 30th of next year and closed by June 30th.

Of course, not all of the developments underway in the economy right now are favorable to housing and real estate.

Start with the unemployment rate, which just jumped to 10.2 percent, the highest in decades. Most economists agree that the true jobless rate, factoring in people who’ve stopped looking for jobs and those working part time, takes the effective unemployment rate nationally closer to 18 percent.

That’s a major negative for home buying prospects.

And the flip side of record housing sales numbers can’t be ignored either: Prices are still way down from year ago levels in many areas — and they’re down 11 percent during the third quarter compared with 2008.

So that’s all pret The impact of the federal home buyer tax credit program, which is now set to continue and even expand through next spring, dominates the housing resale numbers this week.

Sales of existing houses during the third quarter jumped by 11.4 percent over second quarter sales, according to the National Association of Realtors.

And the increase in sales came in pretty much every part of the country — in 45 states along with the District of Columbia.

Check out some of these extraordinary increases — all tied in part to home buyers rushing to complete purchase transactions before the tax credit’s original expiration date of November 30th, plus mortgages at rock bottom five percent rates or less.

In North Dakota, sales were up 42.4 percent, Rhode Island 27 percent, Pennsylvania 26 percent.

In some hard hit local markets, sales gains were almost off the charts. In Orlando, they were up 80 percent for the quarter. In Las Vegas sales were 30 percent higher this year over last.

So do you think things are stirring out there? You bet they are, and economists haven’t yet even begun to assess the potential effects on future sales flowing from the brand new $6,500 tax credit for “repeat” buyers.

That means people who’ve owned their house for a consecutive five of the previous eight years, and now want to downsize, move up or just move to a different location.

That credit, which took effect November 6th, will be available for home purchase contracts signed by April 30th of next year and closed by June 30th.

Of course, not all of the developments underway in the economy right now are favorable to housing and real estate.

Start with the unemployment rate, which just jumped to 10.2 percent, the highest in decades. Most economists agree that the true jobless rate, factoring in people who’ve stopped looking for jobs and those working part time, takes the effective unemployment rate nationally closer to 18 percent.

That’s a major negative for home buying prospects.

And the flip side of record housing sales numbers can’t be ignored either: Prices are still way down from year ago levels in many areas — and they’re down 11 percent during the third quarter compared with 2008.

So that’s all pretty sobering.

Nonetheless the fact is that the only way we’re going to move towards full recovery is by selling a lot of houses, at very attractive prices and low interest rates.

That’s happening right now in a big way — and it looks like it should continue well into the spring.

by Kenneth R. Harney

With home prices at the national level down a painful 32 percent from their 2006 peaks, it’s easy to overlook real estate’s benefits as a long-term investment. But the truth is, despite the ongoing housing bust, the overwhelming majority of America’s real estate markets will appreciate over the next 10 years—although some more handsomely than others. “In the long run—subtracting from the ups and downs of the business cycle—house prices should grow at the rate of household income,” says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com. “If people’s incomes are rising, then they will buy more housing and house prices will rise.” Income growth, in turn, is linked to the strength of the area’s economy. Moody’s Economy.com sifted through employment and population data and analyzed geographic and industry trends to generate 10-year home price projections for each of the nation’s 384 distinct metropolitan statistical areas—everywhere from Abilene, Texas, to Yuma, Ariz. Using these data, U.S. News compiled a list of the top 10 housing markets for the next 10 years.

The neighboring cities of Bremerton and Silverdale, Wash., are located on the Kitsap Peninsula, a slip of land surrounded by more than 300 miles of coastline in lovely Puget Sound. Although the Pacific Northwest greenery is enticing, it’s the cities’ stable economies that should drive home price gains in the coming years. A large military presence—of the U.S. Navy in particular—helps insulate the local economies from volatility. Meanwhile, the nearby cities of Tacoma, Wash., and Seattle provide additional employment to the area’s roughly 240,000 residents. “About a third of the community works [in either Tacoma or Seattle],” says Silvia Klatman, executive director of the Bremerton Area Chamber of Commerce. “And a little bit more than that actually work…for the military.” Silverdale’s 2008 median home sale price was $266,500. Moody’s Economy.com expects home prices in the Bremerton/Silverdale area to increase by an average of 5.2 percent annually from the fourth quarter of 2008 through the same period of 2018.

At the foot of the Adirondack Mountains of New York you’ll find Glens Falls. With attractions like beautiful Lake George just a short drive away, tourism has long played a key role in the local economy. But the area, which has about 130,000 residents, is also considered “the catheter valley” on account of its thriving medical device manufacturing industry. Companies like Covidien, AngioDynamics, and C. R. Bard have outposts in the area, which has also become a popular lower-cost alternative to nearby Saratoga County, N.Y., and a bedroom community for the state capital of Albany. In recent years, downtown Glens Falls has attracted an impressive amount of private-sector investment, says Todd Shimkus, president and chief executive of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce. “It is staggering to see $65 million for a new wing of a hospital, $17 million for new library, $25 million for a downtown townhouse project, $4 million for a corporate headquarters for Barton Mines, $3.5 million for a theater downtown, [and] $500,000 for a downtown park,” he says. The 2008 median home sale price was $185,000 for Warren County, where Glens Falls is located. Home prices in the area will increase an average of 4.7 percent a year over the next 10 years, Moody’s Economy.com projects.

Not far from Colorado’s breathtaking Rocky Mountain National Park are the neighboring cities of Fort Collins and Loveland. Thanks to university research, local support, and private investment, this area of roughly 300,000 residents is evolving into a leading center for traditional and renewable energy, says Brian Willms, the president and CEO of the Loveland Chamber of Commerce. “We have this fantastic wind corridor to produce wind energy, over 300 days of sunshine a year—so it’s a great place for solar energy—and we have some of the most productive natural gas reserves in the country,” he says. “And with all of the research and development taking place here, it’s a perfect culmination for a new energy economy.” Fort Collins’s 2008 median home sale price was $212,000. Home prices in the Fort Collins/Loveland area should rise an average of 4.1 percent annually over the next 10 years, Moody’s Economy.com projects.

With about 48,000 residents, Corvallis is nestled in the natural splendor of Oregon. Since it is home to Oregon State University as well as numerous public agencies, about a third of the area’s workers are employed by the government, says Mysty Rusk, the president of the Corvallis-Benton Chamber Coalition. At the same time, this intellectually curious university town has long possessed a creative, entrepreneurial spark. “We have the highest [number of] patents per capita in the United States,” Rusk says. And although large companies like Hewlett Packard and Samaritan Health Services are among the area’s leading private employers, the community doesn’t forget about the little guy. The local chamber of commerce plays an active role in helping entrepreneurs turn their ideas into payrolls. “We have hundreds of little startups,” Rusk says. Corvallis’s 2008 median home sale price was $245,000. Area home prices should increase an average of 4 percent annually over the next 10 years, Moody’s Economy.com projects.

If moose sightings are more your style, check out Anchorage, Alaska, where Moody’s Economy.com projects that home prices will appreciate by an average of 3.8 percent a year over the next 10 years. The real estate market in the Duluth, Minn., area is expected to post similar gains of about 3.7 percent annually. Home prices near Sandusky, Ohio, are also expected to increase an average of 3.7 percent a year over the next 10 years. That’s only slightly ahead of the Santa Fe, N.M., area’s projected 3.6 percent annual gains. The revitalization of Pittsfield, Mass.’s, downtown district could help area home prices rise an average of 3.5 percent a year over the next 10 years. Meanwhile, Decatur, Ill.’s, development into a green energy hub should help its housing market post roughly 3.4 percent annual gains, according to Moody’s Economy.com.

Here’s the projected average annual percent change in home prices from the fourth quarter of 2008 to the fourth quarter of 2018:

1. Bremerton-Silverdale, Wash.: 5.22 percent
2. Glens Falls, N.Y: 4.71 percent
3. Fort Collins-Loveland, Colo.: 4.06 percent
4. Corvallis, Ore.: 3.95 percent
5. Anchorage, Alaska: 3.8 percent
6. Duluth, Minn.: 3.74 percent
7. Sandusky, Ohio: 3.66 percent
8. Santa Fe, N.M: 3.57 percent
9. Pittsfield, Mass.: 3.51 percent
10. Decatur, Ill.: 3.44 percent

By Luke Mullins

http://homesinsantafenm.com/listing/906041/

The pending home sale index, compiled monthly by the National Association of Realtors, was up 21 percent higher this September compared with September of 2008. That’s the biggest year-over-year increase in the history of the index, dating back to 2001.

Plus the September gain in pending sales was the eighth straight month of higher numbers — and that’s also a record for the index. Pending sales were up by 10.2 percent in the Western states, 8.1 percent in the Midwest, 5 percent in the South.

Only the Northeast saw a decline, and that was by 2 percent.

Those numbers are pretty robust, but some economists caution that the index is likely to see a tapering off during the winter and holiday months, when fewer people are shopping.

David Semmens, an economist with Standard Chartered Bank in New York, said “we expect a far slower growth rate going forward.”

But other economists question whether that seasonal pattern might be overridden by the short term extension, and expansion, of the tax credit through next June.

That extension not only continues the $8,000 credit for first time buyers, but allows people who’ve owned their homes for the past five years to qualify for a $6,500 credit if they sign a contract by April 30th 2010 and go to closing by June 30.

In other key economic developments affecting real estate this week, the Commerce Department reported that spending on construction, both residential and commercial, was up by eight tenths of a percent during September. That’s a further welcome indication the recession is over.

Also, the Clear Capital “HDI” home price index rose by 3.7 percent on a national average basis between September 26th and October 28th.

Meanwhile, mortgage rates got even a little better last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Average 30-year fixed rates slipped just below 5 percent, while 15-year fixed rate loans dropped significantly — and now average just 4.3 percent.

Not surprisingly, given all these positive indicators, new applications for mortgages to buy homes were up again last week — this time by 3 percent.

The recovery looks like it’s well on track.

by Kenneth R. Harney