Albuquerque, NM - Less than perfect credit is the norm for home buyers rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of the mortgage credit crisis, according to Albuquerque REALTOR® Joe Maez.

Maez says that it's increasingly rare for buyers to come to him looking to buy their dream piece of Albuquerque real estate with perfect credit.

"Most buyers today have been scarred by the craziness that has gone on in the mortgage industry in recent years, and in some ways, it's the new normal."

He says he regularly sees buyers turning their finances around to be able to buy a home again after a short sale, foreclosure, or just a period of unemployment that led to negative credit profiles. Those who are buying homes, he says, are working hard to fix past money issues with better savings plans.

"I encourage my clients to start early correcting past credit report errors, and most of all, make every credit payment on time consistently. With some time and distance between past negative items and current ability to pay, most people will be able to buy a home again in no time."

Maez coaches buyers who want to qualify for a home loan to pay down any credit accounts to below at least 50% of the credit limit. He says this is a key ratio that lenders look at, along with other factors such as income and on-time payments.

He says even former short sellers can buy again in as little as two years, depending on circumstances.

"If you're looking for any type of Albuquerque real estate in the area, including Corrales, Los Lunas, or Rio Rancho real estate, please give me a call."

About Joe Maez REALTOR®

Joe Maez is a proven real estate professional who knows how to do things right. Every day he is out there working to make the home-buying or -selling process easier for his clients. Regardless of which way the market has gone, Maez's sales have gone up every year. He says, “If you really do a good job, you’ll always have clients,” and his track record proves it.

Joe, who has personally sold more than 500 homes in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque, has unique and extensive knowledge of the local markets. He works regularly in the Albuquerque New Mexico market, covering Rio Rancho, Corrales, and Los Lunas Real Estate.

For more information, contact:

Joe Maez REALTOR®
Keller Williams Realty Westside
8100 Wyoming Blvd NE
M4 #234
Albuquerque, NM 87113
505-401-5775
joemaez@gmail.com

Albuquerque, NM - With the explosion of social media, a Realtor's job is never done, according to Joe Maez, a top producing real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty Westside.

According to Maez, who helps buyers and sellers with their Albuquerque real estate transactions, including adjacent communities such as Los Lunas, Corrales, and Rio Rancho, social media has simply created more avenues to connect with the public.

"It's a business that's very customer-centered, it's always a good thing to connect and communicate with the public, so I embrace it."

He says he knows of agents who run from the extra bit of social interaction, but he's found that social media like Facebook and Twitter are simply tools to stay in touch and convey useful information.

"Whether I'm staying in touch with friends, family, and real estate watchers on Facebook, or Tweeting about Los Lunas real estate or Rio Rancho real estate, I look at the prevalence of social media as one of the best things that's happened in real estate."

For more information, contact:

Joe Maez, REALTOR®
Keller Williams Realty Westside
8100 Wyoming Blvd NE, M4 #234
Albuquerque, NM 87113
505-401-5775

http://www.nmhomesplus.com
https://www.facebook.com/themaezgroup
https://twitter.com/#!/joemaez

Corrales, NM – Top Corrales New Mexico real estate agent Joe Maez says there is a growing number of former short sellers who are ready to be become today's buyers. With lenders typically showing leniency to buyers who have a short sale on their credit history, he says time is healing old wounds and restoring the dream of home ownership.

Maez, who has been a top real estate agent selling Coralles real estate for years, says that since the peak in the market back in 2005 to 2007, many who sold their homes for less than they owed shortly thereafter are able to get home loans again.

"With a waiting period of as little as two years after selling a home as a short sale, many buyers are surprised how readily available financing is for Corrales homes right now."

According to Maez, when there are extenuating circumstances for a short sale, there may be no required waiting period at all, but this this unrealistic, because few lenders will be willing to lend that quickly. But he says it's entirely feasible for a short seller to be able to get a lot in just two years if their financial situation has stabilized.

"Some tricks for accomplishing this include monitoring your credit scores and making sure you don't miss any payments on anything. Having a squeaky clean record goes a long way to improving your score."

He also notes that short sellers can sometimes negotiate in their contract special language in their credit report that minimizes the damaging effect of a short sale.

"It is happening less now than it used to, but it's possible to get the wording describing the debt obligation down to something as simple as 'Satisfied.' This is much better than describing in any way as in default or still outstanding."

In short, Maez tells his clients that there is hope for those who are willing to rise above previous circumstances and become buyers again. "I'm seeing more clients who have overcome and are now ready to buy again. That's an encouraging sign, and I'm ready to help people do that."

The irony is that there's a strong chance that former short sellers may actually end up looking at buying current Corrales short sales.

"That makes it double the satisfaction for me, because I'm helping two sets of people overcome a tough circumstance."

For more information, contact:

Joe Maez
New Mexico Real Estate Agent
8100 Wyoming Blvd NE
M4 #234
Albuquerque, NM 87113
505-401-5775
http://www.nmhomesplus.com

Albuquerque, NM – With the long-anticipated end of the Federal Reserve's so-called QE2 coming at the end of the month, Albuquerque real estate agent Joe Maez says the phasing out of this technique of government-induced low interest rates will likely mean rising mortgage costs for buyers in months ahead. According to Maez, that means buyers need to act now to lock in historically low rates.

While the Fed remains undecided what monetary policy to implement in coming months to nurse the economy along, Maez says they have made clear that they don't intend to pursue QE3, a third round of Quantitative Easing that would seek to artificially lower interest rates.

"If the Fed stands by its previous statements not to engage in QE3, it can only serve to raise interest rates for anyone buying Albuquerque homes. That means the cost of home ownership will go up regardless of what home prices do."

He says that even if home prices stay the same or go down, a rising interest rate environment means buyers get less house for the same monthly payment than they did before.

"If I had been thinking about buying a house but putting it off for whatever reason, rising interest rates would get me off the sidelines. Now is the time to lock in historically cheap money and get into a better home for it."

With the combination of very low rates and home prices for New Mexico real estate, Maez says it's hard to imagine a better buying opportunity for buyers.

"For those sitting on the sidelines, this chance of a lifetime may be going the way of QE2."

For more information, contact:

Joe Maez
New Mexico Real Estate Agent
8100 Wyoming Blvd NE
M4 #234
Albuquerque, NM 87113
505-401-5775

http://www.nmhomesplus.com

Albuquerque, New Mexico - New Mexico Realtor® Joe Maez of Coldwell Banker Legacy says Albuquerque real estate shows a significant volume increase in year over year existing home sales and new home sales, with lower prices bringing in more real estate investors to the Albuquerque area. The New Mexico real estate market statistics reflect lower prices and increased volume in both existing home sales and new home sales.

Maez says this is due in part to the fact that sellers who have been resistant to lowering their price have been convinced that it's necessary to do so in order to get their home sold. He says that during any kind of market pullback, there are going to be homeowners who refuse to accept the price declines.

"Some sellers start out convinced they can outlast it. For owners who have no pressing need to sell, this is fine, but for those who become more motivated over time, the point comes when reality sets in."

Some of the motivating factors can be job transfers, a change in employment status, or a variable rate loan that has become unaffordable. Other factors can be a growing family or a suddenly empty nest. Maez says the recession has contributed to the supply as well, with foreclosures serving to bring prices for NM homes down to more affordable levels.

He says that while every seller has their own personal reasons for making the decision to sell, statistics from Southwest MLS (SWMLS) show that whatever the reason, more sellers are in fact lowering their price expectations. Those lower prices have led to an increase in the number of investors who are purchasing Albuquerque homes.

Maez says he's already sold several homes to investors in 2010 alone, some from out of state.

"Overall, I believe this is very healthy for the market in the long term. Buyers just needed more of a reason to buy, and they seem to have found it here in Albuquerque, Correles, Rio Rancho, and Los Lunas."

He says that at this rate, he doesn't believe higher prices lie too far ahead.

"With Kirtland Air Force Base and the need for off-base housing for military families, I believe the Albuquerque economy and real estate market has a lot going for it."

For more information, contact:

Joe Maez
New Mexico Real Estate Agent
505-401-5775
8100 Wyoming Blvd Ne
M4 #234
Albuquerque, NM 87113
http://www.nmhomesplus.com/

Albuquerque, New Mexico - Searching for Albuquerque NM homes just got a little easier for home shoppers wanting to browse real estate listings on their mobile phones. Albuquerque real estate agent Joe Maez wanted to provide this feature to his website visitors, and with half of all mobile phone web browsing taking place on the iPhone, it made sense to roll it out to iPhone users first.

"Mobile phone real estate search is the cutting edge of technology, because it takes a homebuyer's search out of the office computer and into the real world where home buying decisions are made. Once you have the iPhone app download on your phone, you can easily search for Albuquerque homes anytime, anywhere. It's actually very fun to use!"

Maez says that users can save their search results or favorite properties and come back to them later on their desktop computers. They can also sign up for free email alerts when new properties come on the market matching their search preferences.

He adds that one of the most convenient uses of the new mobile real estate search application is that it allows users to fit their home search into their own busy schedule.

"Everyone always has their phone with them. So when you're out driving around and see a NM home for sale, this makes it a piece of cake to view detailed information on the property right there on your iPhone. You can find out"

Buyers can search by address, MLS number, price range, city, and a host of other search criteria. They can even search for foreclosures and short sales on their iPhone.

Asked if the application will be made available for other mobile phone devices, he says that plans are underway for the release the mobile home search tool for the Blackberry and Android phones in coming weeks.

"For a society that is always on the move, we think this is one of the most convenient ways to search for New Mexico homes."

Download the iPhone app:

http://www.nmhomesplus.com/iphone

Albuquerque, New Mexico - Joe Maez has sold a lot of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho New Mexico homes as a top selling agent -- well over 500 in fact, earning him the distinction of being number one in the nation with Pulte Homes. Now he's launched a new real estate search tool that is bound to increase that number dramatically.

Employing state of the art real estate search technology and advanced localization of search results for the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho areas, he says New Mexico homes have never been easier to find than they are now on NMHomesPlus.com.

"I am very pleased with how easy it is to search for Albuquerque NM homes on this new real estate search platform," Maez says. "Already, it's received rave reviews because of its easy to use map search linked right on the home page. You don't have to go looking for it. When you visit NMHomesPlus.com, it's front and center."

Of course, there are as many ways to search for real estate as there are people searching, which is why the new site does far more than just a map search. It provides literally hundreds of different avenues for buyers to look for New Mexico real estate.

"The map search is only the first method you see when you come to the site," Maez says. He tells people to browse around a little to get familiar with it. "The more you look, the more you'll find your own way to find your dream home. Some people are very visual, and the map search appeals to them. Others want a simple keyword search, or an advanced search of the many specialized fields available in the MLS."

He says that one of the simplest ways to search is just to enter a city name into the text box at the top right. "If you enter 'Albuquerque' there, you'll get a list of articles and common real estate searches built into the site that relate that keyword."

But the true real estate geeks will want to go directly to the advanced New Mexico real estate search engine.

"The advanced search is where you can enter a lot of criteria that is unavailable anywhere else. You can search neighborhoods, schools, the style of construction, over 55 communities, even what type of heating or air conditioning a home has. For those looking for land, you can search for acreage, horse property, and more. It's very powerful."

Perhaps the most convenient feature, however, is the property alert service that's built into the site. Once a user creates an account, they can save any search they've done and come back to it, and it will always show the most current listings. They can also sign up for simple email alerts to let them know when new properties come on the market matching their search criteria.

"The best thing to do is just try it out," Maez says. "We think it's hands down the best way to search for NM homes for sale."