One reason Albuquerque’s housing market has survived far better than others (so far) is that we are simply less expensive overall. The same type of housing that is over $500,000 in LA, for example, will cost about $200,000 or less here. So, subprime loans were not a critical tool for getting people into houses when prices went up.
Another reason is that getting out of a bad loan is far easier here. New Mexico does not allow pre-payment penalties so refinancing is far less expensive.
The result: far fewer foreclosures saturating the market.

So, the question, of course, is ‘Why this one? Why now?’

For 18 years I have been listing and selling homes in the Albuquerque area. For the last 10 years, I have been informing my clients about the local market on a monthly basis. (Click here to sign up for the Market Update.) Our economy has rarely marched in sync with the national economy and we have never experienced the big boom and bust swings that can turn a real estate market on its head in a matter of weeks. So, that frequency has always been enough – until now. A lot has changed in the last few months. And, crucially, events outside of Albuquerque are starting to have an impact.

• Credit sources drying up overnight.
• Mortgage programs that affect both high- and low-income families ending abruptly.
• And, why the heck should the failure of a bank in England or France or Germany cause problems with our sources of credit?

I’ll be trying to highlight some of those issues as they appear and include links to articles that are far more informed than I.

Come along for the ride…