Eco Lifestyle and Home News – April 2024
Dear Friends, Clients, Business Associates and Neighbors,
April 2024, marks the 96th edition 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: Abundance
- Real Estate Market Update
- Santa Fe Real Estate News
- Taos County Real Estate News:
- Tarleton Ranch Eco-Village
- 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
The abundance mentality flows out of a deep, inner sense of personal worth and inner security. The feeling is not about outward abundance, instead there is inner abundance! People with this mentality are generally positive, appreciative, and creative. Being more optimistic, they tend to focus on possibilities, alternatives and group accomplishments. This can be seen in the character of influential leaders, great teachers, and inspirational humanitarians.
Another element of abundance, possibly the most important element, is a sense of gratitude. Without gratitude for what you have who you are and where you are, you will end up blocking yourself once again from the natural flow of abundance. There is energy in the universe, one that shows us the natural flow in life. Your mind and heart need to be in harmony with that energy to truly enjoy abundance in your life.
Gratitude is necessary to keep your mind aligned with the thought that the supply of abundance is unlimited. It’s very easy to slip into the mindset of scarcity, fear or lack, rather than abundance; so it is essential to endeavor to prevent it from happening. The moment you feel yourself slipping back into the abundance mindset, say thank you out loud, for all that you have received and all that you are yet to receive.
The Law of Attraction can be summarized by the age-old belief that you draw to your life what you put out. In other words, your external circumstances, such as your abundance (or lack thereof), are reflective of your internal state – your thoughts, ambitions, and beliefs.
The keys to leading a successful, productive and meaningful life are;
• Abundance mentality
• Attitude of gratitude
• Prosperous choices
• Productive habits
• Commitment and action
A key component of finding abundance is learning to accept your current circumstances, weaknesses and failures. This may sound like a negative thought, but it’s actually the complete opposite.
When you learn to accept your current situation, you will also learn that you can change your mental state and situation over time. Try not to limit what you can do, but understand that sometimes your growth process will go slower than you intended.
Thank you for reading our newsletter & feel free to pass it on to other kindred spirits. ~ Dianne McKenzie & Sierra
Real Estate Market
National Association of Realtors Settlement Myths
By Budge Huskey, CEO Premier Sotheby’s International Realty –
Herald-Tribune, March 22, 2024
1. The settlement forces brokers to reduce their compensation. False.
The settlement in no way establishes a standard or limitation on Realtors for what they may charge, nor services they elect to deliver. Those fees have always been negotiable and there has never been any collective bargaining. In every market, there is a wide variety of fees, just as there are levels of marketing, service and competence.
2. The settlement will, for the first time, allow sellers to no longer pay compensation for an agent bringing the buyer. False.
There has never been an obligation for a seller to pay buyer agent compensation, yet it is a practice that’s worked well. A past rule requiring an offer of some amount of compensation was a rule of display on a Realtor-owned MLS, yet it could have been as low as $1. That limitation was removed and today the MLS accepts all listings, regardless of buyer agent consideration.
3.The settlement prohibits sellers from paying a commission to a buyer’s agent and relieves sellers of the financial burden. False.
The mandate restricts properties with an offer of buyer agent compensation from displaying on association-owned MLS, yet the practice can’t be restricted in any other form of marketing. Sellers may still elect to pay buyer agent compensation to differentiate their properties. While sellers can elect not to pay buyer agent compensation, that doesn’t mean they will avoid the economics as buyers may write into any offer a contingency requiring the seller to cover the cost or request other concessions.
4. The settlement will serve to meaningfully lower prices and make homeownership affordable again. False.
Values in real estate are determined by supply and demand. Fees in a real estate transaction represent additional expenses, yet these include not only commissions but many other related charges. Should real estate commissions be reduced by 1% because of compression, that $500,000 home will now cost $495,000. Not only is the potential impact marginal at best, but do you think the seller now believes the home is worth less and will happily give the difference to the buyer? The reason home ownership is increasingly less affordable is that homes in our market have significantly risen in value these last few years.
5. The settlement is a win for buyers who will now be able to negotiate the fee for representation. Questionable.
For readers who have purchased homes, it is more than likely you were happy to have the seller compensate your agent so you didn’t have to. For buyers who had to provide the down payment and closing expenses, having the commission paid by the seller and incorporated in the home price allowed them to finance the amount over time instead of coming up with additional cash at closing.
6. The settlement will result in significant restitution to consumers who were “harmed” over recent years in their transactions by Realtors. False.
The settlement is huge, yet when one divides the amount by the number of potentially qualifying consumers it works out to about $10 per person. Those benefiting are the attorneys who have submitted a request to the court for over $80 million in fees.
Santa Fe Real Estate News
Aldea Real Estate Stats
2024 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed
SOLD: 5 Homes, DOM 88 | 0 Lots, DOM 0
PENDING: 3 Homes | 0 Lots
LISTED: 6 Homes, Avg $1,057,250 | 2 Lots, Avg $357,500
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:
Las Campanas Real Estate Stats
2024 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed
SOLD: 9 Homes, DOM 89 | 0 Lots, DOM 0
PENDING: 6 Homes | 1 Lots
LISTED: 21 Homes, Avg $2,941,361 | 26 Lots, Avg $256,577
Las Campanas is the only luxury master-planned community in Santa Fe. Stretching across 4,700 acres surrounded by pristine high desert, the community is comprised of exclusive neighborhoods. Las Campanas is also home to The Club at Las Campanas, where members can enjoy two award-winning Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses, the 46,000 square foot Hacienda Clubhouse, a peerless Equestrian Center and the Fitness & Tennis Center, which includes a luxurious spa.
There are currently 21 homes for sale in Las Campanas
- 1 Homes under $1,000,000
- 20 Homes over $1,000,000
There are currently 26 Lots for sale in Las Campanas
- 1 Lots under $100,000
- 25 Lots over $100,000
Taos Real Estate News
Announcing Tarleton Ranch Eco-Village
First set of Taos County hearings have been completed on March 21, 2024 with the Planning & Zoning commission.
The TREV development is in the initial stages of seeking development permits with Taos County. This process, including public hearings will take place over the next several months before property can be sold and the infrastructure can be started. We will keep you informed as we progress through the approval hearing process.
The Tarleton Ranch Eco-Village (TREV) has been thoughtfully master planned as a walkable mixed-use “agrihood” community with a variety of clustered homes and a convenient commercial Village Center, developed around a beautiful 185 acre Eco-Farm Park filled with an abundance of food production, trails and recreation amenities. This unique community’s master plan embraces sustainability and a new earth stewardship paradigm with Permaculture based environmentally conscious solutions that include regeneratively-sustainable food forest agriculture, renewable energy and eco-lifestyles of well-being.
Location:
Located just 5 minutes north of Taos on highway 150 to Taos Ski Valley in El Prado, New Mexico, the Tarleton Ranch property has been a working cattle ranch and hay farm, owned and maintained by the same family for over three generations.
The Tarleton Family is developing their 331 acre property with a variety of mixed uses, in a manner that preserves approximately 185 acres (56%) of open space for agriculture and recreation.
Residential:
The Eco-Farm:
This conceptual eco-community plan features Permaculture based evolution of the existing Tarleton Ranch into a vibrant regeneratively sustainable farm and mixed-use community. Proposal incorporates principles and concepts of Permaculture Science.
Approximately 185 acres are designated for regeneratively sustainable community agriculture, recreation uses and wild life habitat restoration.
Map of the development:
Visit the website for more information:
Tarleton Ranch Eco-Village. www.TarletonRanchEcoVillage.com
Taos Real Estate Stats
2024 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed
*SOLD: 30 Homes, DOM 88 | 17 Lots, DOM 197
*PENDING: 16 Homes | 17 Lots
*LISTED: 62 Homes, Avg $1,009,683 | 161 Lots, Avg $288,700
* 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.”
Real estate sales 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.
If you been looking to buy a home, you are probably frustrated with the lack of quality homes on the market at any price point. I receive inquiries almost daily from out of town buyers and locals 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. They are wanting to move to the area, or simply find a home to purchase, 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, retiring, moving to the area for work, 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.
The Tarleton Ranch Eco-Village will be the answer to many of the needs of those wanting to live, work & play in the Taos area.
Call our Taos Office: 575.776.7576
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
Sierra
CFO, (Chief Fun Officer)
Our 5 year old female silver standard poodle
March 1-31, 2024
We just got another snow day, possibly the last of the season. Sierra loves the snow and wants to play catch for 30 minutes at a time. It is so fun to watch her romp in the snow.
We celebrated Sierra’s 5th birthday on March 18. We bought her some new stuffed things: Starbarks coffee & champagne toys. We feel so grateful for living with her for 5 years now.
I weigh & measure Sierra once a month, so here are her stats as of March 2024: 14″ collar, girth: 24″, height to shoulder: 25″ weight: 34 lbs.
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!
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) & email. I return calls promptly, seven days a week!
Taos Office: 575.776.7576
Go Green:
Dianne & Sierra
