Eco Lifestyle And Home News – February 2021
Eco Lifestyle And Home News – February 2021
Dear Friends, Clients, Business Associates and Neighbors,
February 2021 marks the fiftieth 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 Ski Valley, Taos County and beyond.
In this edition, we offer the following:
- COVID-19 UPDATE
- Lifestyle: Harmony
- Real Estate Market Update
- Money Matters
- Santa Fe Real Estate News
- Taos County Real Estate News
- Home Decor Insights – Decorating for the Seasons
- 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
COVID-19
GUIDANCE AND SAFE ALTERNATIVES
- Do not travel to attend a gathering – whether in New Mexico or out of state – to mix with another household, either of friends or family.
- Safe alternative: Traveling incurs unnecessary exposure risk. Stay at home. Wear a mask – covering both your nose and mouth – any time you leave the house, whether you are in contact or near other individuals or not.
- Do not gather with non-household members.
- Safe alternative: Connect with friends and relatives over a video chat service. Share remotely and safely.
- Do not spend unnecessary time shopping for groceries or gifts, and do not make unnecessary supplement trips to the store.
- Safe alternative: Order online or make arrangements for curbside pickup. Avoid as much person-to-person contact, and being in the presence of other individuals and especially groups, as much as possible.
- Do not host or attend a large gathering.
- Safe alternative: If you choose to host a gathering with individuals from outside your own household despite the risks, keep six feet of distance and wear facemasks. Consider setting up a table outside so as to minimize the person-to-person interactions indoors.
- Support local businesses
- Consider supporting local businesses by ordering takeout or delivery for smaller, meals, and by using safely distanced curbside pickup for any last-minute gift purchases. We can all go the extra mile in supporting small New Mexico businesses.
If you choose to attend a gathering with others, you significantly raise the risk of not only contracting the virus yourself but spreading the virus to friends and loved ones.
If you insist upon taking unnecessary risks and attend or host a gathering, adopt the following safeguards from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Wear a mask
- Strictly limit the number of guests in attendance.
- Talk with guests ahead of time to set expectations for safely celebrating together.
- Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces and items between use.
- If gathering indoors, make sure to open windows.
- Limit the number of people in food preparation areas.
- If sharing food, have one person serve food and use single-use options, like plastic utensils. Encourage guests to bring their own food and drink.
- Instruct guests to monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days after the event.
- Self-isolate after the gathering with others – symptoms can develop over the course of 2 weeks; even if you do not feel sick, or feel sick immediately, you can spread the virus
Making Face Masks For Family, Friends & Clients
Face masks will be with us for the next year or more, so why not have several on hand. Some people are wearing face masks as part of a fashion statement, with coordinated face masks to work with their clothing. Others are buying very expensive tech face masks, which can look very hip. Our face masks are very simple. Recycled 2 layers of cotton fabric with 1 layer of non woven interfacing, a nose bridge, and adjustable/replaceable elastic around the ears.
Read about our face mask making »
We would like to hear from you.
What are your needs?
How can we help you?
Resources & Links:
CORONA VIRUS
| Santa Fe Information: | New Mexico Information: |
| Santa Fe Information » | https://nmhealth.org» |
| https://www.santafenewmexican.com » | https://www.hhs.gov |
| Taos Information: | US Centers for Disease Control: |
| https://www.taosnews.com » | https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html» |
| https://holycrossmedicalcenter.org» | https://www.coronavirus.gov |
| https://www.taoscounty.org» | https://www.epa.gov |
Lifestyle
Harmony
Harmony is achieved when the outer relationship between who we are and the world around us is in alignment. We experience harmony when we get in touch with who we are and what matters most, and then make those things a priority in our lives.
The word “harmony” comes from the Greek word that means “joint, agreement, concord.”
Another definition of harmony states: “Harmony is the combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce a pleasing effect.” The term harmony is used to refer to notes that, basically, come together to make a whole. Chords are several notes played together to form the basis of many harmonies. A choir is filled with dozens of voices that all blend together to make a sound. If the voices all sound good together, we marvel at their harmony.
Harmony is about unity, consensus & fellowship, all coming together for the greater good. There has not been a more significant time to work towards greater harmony within oneself, ones community, ones country and in our world at large than today.
Living in community requires harmony in the midst of differing viewpoints, ideas, needs & reactions. Just like a talented conductor, it takes a skillful facilitator to bring the variety of viewpoints to a consensus.
When I look around our nation and at various planned communities, I sometimes see non-harmonious & contentious issues dividing communities; such as political polarization, debates about solar installations, the “chicken wars” of Eldorado or the anti barn restoration that was so divisive at The Sea Ranch in California. When community health is threatened by such disruptive issues, solutions need to be found that nurture & strengthen a critical mass of common community interests; as needed to maintain the harmonious balance that healthy communities require.
Creating harmony is to be at peace with one’s immediate relations, those with whom one must live with every day. Calm silence, sincerity, & courteous words, whether one is agreeing or disagreeing with others, bridges the gap between differing viewpoints.
Humanity faces many unavoidable challenges that require our best defense without us creating additional unnecessary problems between ourselves.
Kindness is the greatest catalyst of harmony.
Tips to create harmony:
• Realize that if you are at peace with yourself, then it is easier for you to be at peace with others & your community.
• Resolve conflicts with patience, tolerance, & communication. Education is the key to understanding & resolving issues.
• Recognize that people have individual lifestyle preferences when it comes to things like food, fragrances, fashion, & entertainment & that sometimes one person’s trash might be another person’s treasure.
• Recognize the abundant potential that exists for us to be adequately sustained through cooperation & an intelligent management of our resources.
• Seek to enjoy life & seek to allow others to do the same.
Thank you for reading our newsletter & feel free to pass it on to other kindred spirits. ~ Dianne McKenzie
Real Estate Market Update
Real Estate Trends for 2021
1. Home Prices are Rising
November 2020, existing home prices grew by a huge 15% compared to last year—rising to a national median of well over $300,000! This marks more than 100 straight months of year-over-year price gains.
2. Lack of Properties on the Market
Inventory has been incredibly low! Inventory was down 22% in November 2020 compared to the previous year. There just weren’t enough houses for sale over the year to meet buyer demand.
3. Mortgage Rates are Still Low
The average rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 2.31% in November 2020—the lowest it’s been since Freddie Mac started reporting nearly 30 years ago. Economists think interest rates will continue to hover around 3% in 2021.
Freddie Mac believes home prices will continue to rise in 2021, at a slower pace of nearly 3%. This is still good news for sellers because you’ll likely make a nice profit when you do decide to sell.
With all the uncertainty behind everything that happened in 2020 and with home price growth possibly slowing down in 2021, you might be wondering if the housing market could collapse. Well, it’s impossible to know for sure, but economists suggest a housing crash is unlikely.
The super low mortgage rates are motivating buyers to enter the market, which increases demand. But there’s still a very low supply of home listings. This is keeping home buying competitive and allowing home price growth to soar.
5. Loans can take upward to 2+ Months to Close
Mortgage closings don’t always happen quickly, but right now, they’re taking even longer. A big reason why mortgages have been delayed lately is volume. Low interest rates are fueling demand for new home purchases and refinances, and mortgage lenders are incredibly busy trying to keep up with everyone. Getting pre-approved is essential to help the mortgage processed.
6. New Construction on the Rise
Home construction finished the year with the biggest bang since 2006 with 1.669 million units started for construction in December (annualized). That means the worst of the housing shortage could soon come to an end.
Money Matters
2021 Econ Forecast From Fannie Mae
Optimism is running high in Fannie Mae’s first Economic and Housing Outlook of the year. The company’s Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) team says expanding vaccination efforts, the potential of greater than previously expected fiscal stimulus, and the end of winter all “point to an economy ready to take off once COVID-19-related effects begin to subside.”
The company says that economic growth probably flatlined in November and December and it revised its final GDP estimate for the year down to a negative 2.7 percent. The economy is now poised to expand, although probably not before late spring. The ESR team has raised its expectations for 2121 from 4.5 percent growth in last month’s report to 5.3 percent and by 0.4 points for 2022 to 3.6 percent.
The Federal Reserve has stated it intends to let inflation exceed its long-term target for “some time” so Fannie may has increased its inflation forecast for the 4th quarter of 2021 and beyond. Core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) inflation should reach 2.4 percent annually by the end of 2022.
The future path of the pandemic is the biggest downside risk to the current forecast. Distribution of vaccines has been slower than anticipated, however, the economists continue to assume that warmer weather and widespread inoculations will allow removal of many economic behavioral restrictions by mid-spring.
Santa Fe Real Estate News
Aldea Stats
2021 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed
SOLD: 0 Homes, DOM 0 | 0 Lots, DOM 0
PENDING: 5 Homes | 0 Lots
LISTED: 3 Homes, Avg $818,966 | 1 Lots, Avg $65,000
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.
It’s winter and the active listings are slim. However, the largest home in Aldea has just come on the market, 4,527 sqft, 4 bedrooms, 5 baths for $966,200. This home has had an extensive remodel and needs to be seen. Let me take you on a tour!
Current Listings February 1, 2021:
Tessera Real Estate Stats
2021 Stats: Sold, Pending, ListedSOLD: 0 Homes, DOM 0
PENDING: 1 Homes
LISTED: 0 Homes, Avg $0
Located in the hills of northwest Santa Fe and an adjacent neighbor to Aldea, Tessera features stunning mountain views, generous dedicated open space and an extensive trail system. Built to exacting standards and quality, the to-be-built homes at Tessera are ideal for those who enjoy customizing their home finishes to suit their personal taste.
I can take you on a model home tour and introduce you to the possibilities of personalizing your home. Let me be your Buyer Agent and represent you when you purchase a home in Tessera.
Las Campanas Real Estate News
2021 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed
SOLD: 5 Homes, DOM 69 | 1 Lots, DOM 6
PENDING:20 Homes | 16 Lots
LISTED: 25 Homes, Avg $2,075,976 | 45 Lots, Avg $202,239
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 25 homes for sale in Las Campanas
- 2 Homes under $1,000,000
- 23 Homes over $1,000,000
There are currently 45 Lots for sale in Las Campanas
- 6 Lots under $100,000
- 39 Lots over $100,000
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
Taos Real Estate News
2021 Stats: Sold, Pending, Listed
*SOLD: 8 Homes, DOM 192 | 3 Lots, DOM 224
*PENDING: 72 Homes | 36 Lots
*LISTED: 44 Homes, Avg $749,565 | 171 Lots, Avg $120,000
* Areas tracked:
Lower North, Upper North, West North, Town of Taos, Taos Ski Valley, South West, South East
See map for areas »
I receive inquiries almost daily from out of town buyers 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, 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. The are either downsizing their home and retiring 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.
In the coming months, I will be featuring such a community.
If you have been thinking about selling your home, now is probably a good time. Inventory is low and the demand for quality homes is up.
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.
Call our Taos Office: 575.776.7576
Home Decor Insights
by Dianne
Having spent most of last year, isolating, working from home and less socializing, our home has become our sanctuary, our work environment, and our place of refuge because of COVID-19. As the new year starts, with the holidays over and the political tensions lessening, we have felt a collective sigh of relief. It is now time to turn our attention on our home environment, while we are in the middle of winter. It’s time to consider a color change to help set the mood for the coming year, especially since the virus is still restricting our lives. So let’s make the most of it and focus on our home environment that has become so much more important than ever before.
Changing a paint color is the most impactful way to change the mood of a room. The colors of your room should be inspiring, not drab or dull or boring. We all know what white looks like, so how about adding an accent color to a wall, bookshelf or cabinet.
Dwell magazine has an excellent article on paint colors that you might want to read. I suggest you create a scrap book of color/design ideas wither in print form or a digital scrap book as examples of decorating with color. (photos from Dwell)
For those of us who can’t change the paint colors in our home, perhaps just refreshing accent colors in the throw pillows on our couch, can help change the look and feel of the room. Try adding flower arrangements with bold colors, either real or artificial. The dining table is where I display the seasonal decorations. Our dining table decorations have recently changed from winter greenery mixed with candy canes, cinnamon sticks and xmas ornaments. In January I start removing the xmas ornaments. Staring the second week of February, I add valentine heart mobiles and “sweet heart garland” (home made), stringing them up around the living room. It adds a festive feeling to the room. March ushers in a spring garland as a change on the dining table. Memorial day weekend kicks off the summer season with sunflower garland. In July I add red, white & blue decorations to the summer garland. Labor day weekend the table garland changes to autumn leaves. December marks the change to the winter garland. Four season decorating contributes to the ritual in our daily life, celebrating the seasons as well as all the monthly holidays.
Make your own rituals to celebrate the little things in life as it will add joy to your every day life. ~ Dianne
For ideas on decorating with autumn in mind, check out Pinterest and explore a whole new way to spend your time online and check out my Pinterest page: KachinaRealty Happy pinning! 
While you are surfing the “net” check out Flipboard for a variety of news and lifestyle reading.Sierra
CFO, (Chief Fun Officer)
Our 1.10 year old silver standard poodle
January 1-31, 2021
Sierra started her 2nd heat on January 3, 2021, a 23 day process. We are anticipating that she will be bred sometime in her 3rd year. This month has been quieter because of her heat cycle, as she has been confined to the house and yard. We made it through her heat cycle without having to announce coyote/poodle puppies in the near future, so that is a good thing!
I weigh & measure Sierra once a month, so here are her stats as of January 31, 2021: 14″ collar, girth: 24″, height to shoulder: 25″ weight: 34.5 lbs. Sierra has gained 2 pounds!
January has been rather quiet as winter has set in with very little snow and mild temperatures so far this season. We are hoping for more snow and long walks around the pasture in the month of February!
You really need to watch Sierra’s videos as they capture her spirit!
Here is the link to Sierra’s Videos »
Sierra’s 1st video explains who she is and her new role at Kachina Mountain Realty. In Sierra’s 2nd video she talks about Dianne’s role at Kachina Mountain Realty in the era of COVID-19. In Sierra’s 3rd video, Sierra talks about selling and buying real estate during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Sierra’s 4th video she talks about how staying safe in the era of COVID-19.
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
