Today I'm talking to you about how to buy and sell at the same time. A lot of sellers are looking to upgrade or change their living situation. This means buying another home once they're able to sell their current one. This presents a couple of challenges, mainly with financing. Here are a few tips for how to buy and sell in this market:

1. Buy first then sell. If you have the ability to purchase a new home while you still own the first one, that's always the easiest thing to do. That gives you the time to move out of your old home at your discretion and the ability to look around for a new one.

2. Make a contingent offer. We can make an offer on your new home contingent on the sale of your old one. The issue is that in today's seller's market, a contingent offer is not as strong when you're competing with non-contingent buyers. You have to put in a strong offer to win. If your current home is already under contract, that's great, but it also means that you're short on time. 

Today’s market is a seller’s market, which means sellers generally hold the advantage over buyers when it comes to negotiating. Homes are selling quickly, for top dollar, and with multiple offers. With so much competition out there, you need to know how to make your offer stand out. Here are a few tips to make that happen:

1. Make a high earnest money deposit. If you’re going to make an offer on a property, you’ll have the chance to deposit a high earnest money amount. This will show the seller you’re truly dedicated to buying their house. This fee is also refundable if you decide you don’t like the house or end up not purchasing it for whatever reason (inspections, loans, contingencies, etc.), so you’re not risking anything by putting a lot down. 

In addition to the usual market update, today I’ll give you an overview of where Santa Fe Realty Unlimited stands as a company.

We have about 30 people working for us, and last year we sold 153 homes in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Most of those took place in Santa Fe, but we achieved a milestone by opening an office for Albuquerque Realty. This has not only been a huge success, but it’s also enabled us to help customers who’re moving between markets.

We’re seeing this happen frequently due to Santa Fe becoming more expensive to live in, and we’re happy to help anyone making this type of transition. If you find yourself facing this situation, give us a call and we’ll craft a strategy according to your needs and timeline—whether that means buying first and then selling or vice versa. 2020 was indeed a great year for us. We’re growing as a team and taking on new agents all the time. 

It’s a little known fact that Santa Fe has almost 100 parks, 68 of which are developed, while 26 remain undeveloped. The city also boasts over 170 miles of walking trails.

The first stop on our city park tour is SWAN Park on the south side of Santa Fe (0:25 in the video above). The park, whose name is a pleasant acronym for Southwest Area Node, lies between Jaguar and Tierra Contenta. It has playground equipment, recreational fields, and a picturesque setting. There’s beautiful grass to relax in and ample trees to hear the breeze. 

As our state reopens, more and more buyers want to see homes again. With COVID-19 still a big concern, how do sellers stay safe when people view their homes? Here are the steps my team and I are taking.