Hard to work with. Has her own agenda.

Do not work with this woman. She will screw you eight ways to Sunday.

January 23, 2009 Happy New Year! Here is my annual year in review letter of the Albuquerque Real Estate Market. What happened between 2004 and 2006 is that mortgage money became SO easy to obtain, we “presold” many, first-time home occupying “units.” In other words, we prematurely put people into homes before they were really ready to buy. We repeatedly heard the chant, “you better hurry up and buy before you are priced out of the market.” What then happened is that the frenzy heated up, prices started moving really quickly and investor/speculators started entering the market. What that created was false demand. Who responded? The builders. They stepped up production and a lot of houses were sold to non-occupants. Finally, the supply of new buyers was used up, just like when we draw a well down. The well isn’t ruined, just exhausted. The listing inventory of new spec houses rose, the listing inventory of resales rose, and demand decreased. Naturally what followed was a decrease in price. The average price in Albuquerque got as high as $240,000, and last month for the first time in six years it was under $200,000. In 2006 there were 6,611 new home permits in greater Albuquerque. In 2007 there were 4,037. Through the date of this letter, there have been 1,793 permits pulled in 2008! The creation of new supply is down 72%! That is GOOD! Apartment vacancies are approximately 7%! That too is good! In the meantime, there is the slow but constant replenishing of new households through organic growth as well as some new jobs. I don’t believe that an economic stimulus package can replace the fundamentals of supply and demand. The consumer right now is repaying credit card debt that they used to “pre-purchase” goods. As they pay off their debt, they will regain an appetite for consumer goods such as cars, houses, furniture, etc., and the economy will come back. When, of course, is anybody’s guess. For those of us who are lucky enough to live in Albuquerque, I think we are in the right place at the right time! Whew! So the big question; Is it a good time to move. Here are 2 scenarios. If you are moving up it is a fabulous time to buy. For example, a 10% decrease in price on a $500,000 house is $50,000, while a 10% decrease on a $200,000 house is $20,000. It is a great time to buy up. If you are selling a property to maximize profit/return and not re-buying, it is not a great time to buy. On a very positive note, now might be a GREAT time to refinance. Rates today are in the mid 5% range. Call me and I will walk you through the decision making process. As far as the housing market is concerned, last month 457 homes went under contract in Albuquerque. Not the numbers we hit in 2005, but still, the market is alive! If you want to move, you can! Call me if you would like to chat. I would love to hear from you. Mike Cozby Mike Cozby, Associate Broker Coldwell Banker Legacy 505.269.4267 recacoz@msn.com www.cozcorealestate.com

Albuquerque is now ranked as one of ten cities to move to ! check out www.cozcorealesate.com

Mike was awesome he drove us around and showed us the whole westside looking for a home! It was a several week search ! After seeing all the used homes he showed us new construction! We fell in love with a Brand New Home and bought it! We could have not made a good descion without his tireless work and effort showing us the whole market! He stood by us all the way through the whole process and even got us some great discounts! He is the Best! I recommend him to everyone!

Carina was amazing! Thank you for your honesty, your excitment and for helping us find our dream home! We tell everyone about you!!

Linda is just great - best website in the Internet for seeing homes!

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Mike helped us sell our home in a very slow market on the westside of Albuquerque! He was attentive , friendly and propmt. He was always available to answer questions! He is the "BEST"! I recommend you hire hinm for all your real estate needs!!

i just want to say that we have bought and sold several homes around the country over the years and we have NEVER worked with a more knowledgeable, responsive, positive energy, Realtor then Ben Levine and his partner Melanie Turner. there experience and knowledge of the market is vast and their ability to deliver white glove service was instinctual....you either know how to deliver a great service experience or you don't, it cannot be taught. I HIGHLY recommend these guys for either your listing or your purchase!!!

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I dealt with Dianne & Dale Qualle on the sale of my brother's home in NW Albuquerque. Thanks to them, it got sold after many months on the market. They do what they say they are going to do and both are very professional! I plan to use them again [and again].

Very impressed! The transaction was mooth and seamless and we got our equity amount that was promised!

Awesome, super, knowledgable, hands on, follows up and follows through! Highly recommended!!!!