By now most of us are feeling savvy about using 1031-exchanges to defer paying capital gains tax. It makes sense to use a 1031-exchange when selling property elsewhere to purchase your dream mountain home in Angel Fire. Or maybe you already own a Taos home and are ready to upgrade to a unique property for sale in Taos you have had your eye on for years. Do you see great potential in a property in Angel Fire, but it needs a little work to truly become the mountain home of your dreams? Has your family outgrown your Taos ski condo and you are ready to purchase a larger condo which needs renovating? You can use 1031 exchange money for improvements on your replacement property. This exchange option is ideal for exchangers who have additional funds left over after closing on their replacement property; it is called a "build to suit" or "improvement" exchange.

Within certain guidelines a "build to suit," also referred to as a "construction," or "improvement" like-kind exchange allows you the flexibility to build, construct, or make capital improvements to your replacement property. To accomplish this type of exchange, an Exchange Accommodation Titleholder (EAT) temporarily holds title to a property during construction. Payment of construction costs goes through the Qualified Intermediary in control of the exchange funds for acquisition of your replacement property.

At the end of the 180-day holding period for the exchange, improvements to your replacement property may already be complete. If you discovered the perfect New Mexico horse property only to find a not-so-perfect cabin sitting on it that would never appraise higher than your relinquished property, a build-to-suit exchange may allow you to purchase a replacement property of lower value and make capital improvements to increase the value to equal or greater than the relinquished property. Visit our Taos Real Estate office or the Angel Fire real esta office where our knowledgeable Realtors are eager to show you the majestic beauty of northern New Mexico.

The Angel Fire Resort annouces its Spring Break Fling March 23-30, 2008. A great time to ski or snowboard at the Angel Fire ski mountain. The mountain is 100% open and conditions are fabulous! The package is priced at $69.00 per person, per night inclding slopeside lodging and lift ticket. Stay 3 or more nights before March 30th and get a round of golf with cart. For more details or to book a reservation call 1-800-633-PINE.

While you are here, why not arrange a time to take a look at the wide variety of Angel Fire Real Estate. Whether you are looking for a ski-in/ski-out Angel Fire lot, or an Angel Fire condo, vacation home in Angel Fire, or land in Angel Fire to build your dream home...stop in at the New Mexico Mountain Properties office located at the junction of Highway 64&434 - the log home at the blinking liht. Our knowledgeable agents will assist you to SKI TODAY & STAY FOREVER!

When thinking of listing your home in Taos or Angel Fire, perhaps the simple steps below can be a start to marketing your Taos property as a "Green" home! When purchasing Taos real estate, whether it is your primary residence or if the home is intended to be a Taos vacation rental, or a second home, it is also important keep these pointers in mind.

The US Energy Information Administration tells us that about 21% of US greenhouse gas emissions are generated from household energy use. So how can we make our homes more energy efficient? There are several easy steps we can take to improve energy efficiency:

1. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. If you can switch out 5 of your most used lights you could save about 3000 kilowatts of energy per day. Each compact fluorescent bulb you replace requires 75% less energy, produces 75% less heat and can last as much as 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.

2. Make sure all leaks are plugged. Caulk and add weather stipping to windows and doors to prevent heat loss.

3. Unplug appliances, chargers and power adapters when not in use. 75% of electricity to pwer VCR's, TV's computers , stereos and kitchen applicances is consummed when these items are tunred off so be conscientious and UNPLUG!

4. Avoid keeping your hot water super hot. Lowering the temperature by 10 degrees can mean 5% less energy consumption. A lower temperature can also assist in slowing mineral building and corrosion. This results better efficiency for a longer period of time.

Taking these easy steps to consume less energy reduces greenhouse gases since less fossil fuel is required which also provides financial savings to you. It's esay to be green!

Future blogs will offer more advanced suggestions to turn your Taos home into an energy efficient well run machine. Our agents are ready to serve all your Angel Fire or Taos real estate needs whetehr you are planning to buy a home or are considering listing you Taos property. Call us for a free comparative market analysis or for the best deals and land or homes in the Angel Fire or Taos real estate market. We are here for you.

The 2007 / 2008 ski season has been a truly memorable one at Taos Ski Valley. Ask any longtime Taos local and they will tell you with a sparkle in their eye that they have never seen this much snow covering the mountain... ever! The skiing has been beyond fantastic all winter long. If this is what the climate change means to Taos Ski Valley, bring it on! With three weeks remaining in the ski season, there is no sign of the energy waning.

This weekend marks the official beginning of spring break and the last weeks of the ski season are packed full of activities. March 14-16 is the annual "Ski Turns to Art Show" in the TSV Resort Center. Even the die hard skiers in Taos know that Taos is so much more than a ski town. If you were not an artist when you came to Taos, eventually you will discover the artist within. This unique art show encourages all ski bums and TSV employees to display their hidden talents. You will be amazed at the talent lurking in the residents and visitors of Taos Ski Valley! On Saturday a mountain wide scavenger hunt will benefit the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. (they're the ones who keep our hiking and biking trails in shape all summer long). Registration is at 9:00a.m. at Rhoda's Restaurant. The "center-ring" event on Sunday is Taos Ski Valley's almost famous Tele Fun Day. Telemark skiers will compete head to head for fun and prizes.

The St. Paddy's Day bash starts right after skiing on Monday (March 17) in the Martini Tree Bar. Local favorites "Vanilla Pop" will play starting at 7:00.

And then... (drum roll please) the day we've all been waiting for, a monumental day in the history of Taos Ski Valley, the day hell freezes over, Wednesday March 19, 2008... SNOWBOARDING COMES TO TAOS SKI VALLEY!!! Grab your boards and bring the kids to witness and participate in this moment in history. Taos Ski Valley, one of three remaining ski areas exclusively for skiers will welcome snow boarders to share the unique Taos experience. Rental equipment and lessons will be available for new comers to the sport. This marks the beginning of an era which is bound to bring new life and interest to this magical mountain playground. Winter will be hard to give up this year in Taos Ski Valley. Fortunately, we still have three weeks to go and we intend to savor every moment!

Looking for a way to Ski and Snowboard today and stay forever! There is a wide selection of Taos Ski Valley condos on the market as well as wonderful homes in Taos to fulfill your dreams. Or perhaps you'd like to invest in a parcel of land to build a Taos vacation home . For the Best in Taos Real Estate our knowledgeable agents at New Mexico Mountain Properties are ready to serve you. Give us a call today!

Planning your Spring Break? The skiing and snowboarding conditions are awesome at the Angel Fire Ski Resort. With 153 inches of snow to date and 10 inches of fresh powder in the last 72 hours, the Angel Fire Ski Mountain is 100% open. The average base is 54 inches, and we are expecting more snow showers tonight.

While you are here skiing or snowboarding take an afternoon off to look at ski-in, ski-out Angel Fire lots or other Angel Fire property for sale to build your dream mountain home. Perhaps your tastes lean toward an Angel Fire Town Home or purchasing an Angel Fire Condo to put in the rental pool.

Taos Ski Valley will soon be open to snowboarders just in time for Spring Break along with world class skiing. Taos Ski Valley is also 100% open with an 111-120 inch base and all lifts operating. The snow is powder and fantastic. So while you are in Taos why not check out the Taos real estate market or land for sale in Taos, we have a team of Taos Real Estate specialists ready to assist you.

Ski today and stay forever! Angel Fire vacation homes or Taos properties are to be enjoyed in every season of the year so give our knowledgeable agents at New Mexico Mountain Properties a call today for the Best in Angel Fire Real Estate or Real Estate in Taos. We are here to serve you.

On Thursday, February 14th, the Village of Angel Fire Council unanimously voted to approve the Public Improvement District (PID). The PID has been formed to improve infrastructure (water, sewer, phones, electricity and roads) to 850 lots owned by Angel Fire Resort, and private home and landowners.

An election will take place within the next 90 days and property owners (within the identified PID area) will get the opportunity to vote for or against the PID. Should the PID be approved, the property owners will be assessed a levy ranging from $30 to $8,073 annually for over 30 years, depending on the type of improvements made. Each property owner gets one vote for every one-fifth acre and renters will also get one vote per rental. It is estimated that the Angel Fire Resort owns one third of the property within the PID.

The Village council also appointed a five member governing board for the PID. The tentative timeline is as follows: Design and engineering is to be complete by this summer, the special levy will be included on property tax rolls by December 2008, bonds will be issued in March 2009, and construction will begin shortly thereafter (Spring 2009).

Dan Rakes, general counsel for the Angel Fire Resort, said the formation of the PID is definitely a reason to celebrate! He further stated, "The opportunity for growth and economic development ahead of us now clearly rests with the votes of property owners in our valley. It's incumbent upon the affected property owners to approve the district, as this is our best chance to move forward with a plan experts agree is the right one for providing the long awaited infrastructure to these lots and enhancing the standard of living for our community as a whole."

Angel Fire has been named as the fastest growing community in New Mexico and definitely one of the most beautiful places to live in the southwest! Gorgeous mountain homes and large land parcels are interspersed throughout this breathtaking ski resort. There are ski-in, ski-out condos in Angel Fire that are very reasonably priced. The vacation homes in Angel Fire range from "fixer-uppers" to architecturally designed brand new construction. Land in Angel Fire is still available with breath taking views! Should you want to further explore real estate in Angel Fire, please take a look at www.HighMountainProperty.com!

With all the nation-wide media hype regarding the sub-prime mortgages and impending foreclosures, many people have FEAR about buying real estate. Our media forces us into this fear-based mentality so that many buyers have adopted a "let's wait and see" attitude. 2007 saw a definite slowdown in the real estate market in Taos and Angel Fire, New Mexico even though Taos, Red River and Angel Fire are vacation and retirement destinations and are not really affected by the same conditons as many parts of the country. However, 2008 looks extremely promising as people begin to come out of their shells and begin to see that there are real values out there. The selection is diverse from single family homes to a wide variety of condos and town homes. There are large and small lots available in both Taos and Angel Fire, whether you are looking for a ski in/out lot at the Angel Fire Resort or a ski in/out condo at the Taos Ski Valley, an excellent selection awaits you. If privacy, seclusion and a larger parcel size is what you are looking for, New Mexico Mountain Properties can find the parcel for you in two spectacular communities, Hidden Lake, featuring a 47 acre spring-fed lake stocked with trout, or in Taos Pines Ranch, conveniently located between Taos and Angel Fire and bordering Carson National Forest. In addition to a great selection of homes, land and condos on the market in both Taos and Angel Fire, sellers are more willing to negotiate on the price than they were in the boom years of 2005 and 2006 and are also more willing to make necessary repairs to make the sale. Many sellers are also willing to offer owner financing as an alternative with more flexibility than conventional financing. Interest rates are still low, but the projection is that they could rise substantially within the next 6 months. Prices on homes in Taos and homes in Angel Fire seem to have stabalized so now is the time to make that primary or vacation home purchase. Now is also the time to secure that perfect piece of land on which to build your retirement home. Selection is fabulous, interest rates are still low so don't hesitate any longer. For the best in real estate throughout the Enchanted Circle, give our knowledgeable agents at New Mexico Mountain Properties a call to assist you in finding the perfect home in Taos or land in Angel Fire TODAY! Check out all the listings in Taos and Angel Fire on our website under "property search" or contact us with your requirements and allow us to search for you. We are at your service.

Title insurance is a guarantee to a buyer that a seller is giving them good title to the property. It guarantees to the buyers that the seller is truly the owner of the property and has no outstanding claims against the property such as mortgages, liens, building restrictions and other encumbrances.

In New Mexico, lenders require title insurance before they approve a mortgage on the property. It gives the lender a guarantee that they will have clear title to the property in the event a borrower defaults. In addition, each time a mortgage is refinanced, a new title insurance policy must be purchased.

It is the title insurance company's role to search for any such problems with the property and to insure that the title is good. The price of title insurance is tied to the value of the home.

Feel free to contact our experienced brokers at New Mexico Mountain Properties with any of your real estate questions whether you are interested in purchasing a home in Taos or land in Angel Fire, or listing your property for sale, our knowledgeable staff is here to serve you.

New Mexico Mountain Properties is the premier real estate company within the Enchanted Circle representing Angel Fire real estate and real estate in Taos, NM. With our fabulous ski mountains blanketed in snow, perhaps you are looking for a ski-in and ski-out lot in Angel Fire, a condo in Taos, or a vacation home in Red River? You can depend on our experienced broker team to help you locate your dream mountain property so call us today!

As they say..."a stitch in time saves nine" this is so true with home maintenance. Annual home maintenance prevents small problems from turning into big headaches. The following are maintenance tasks that will save you from costly repairs: Inside Maintenance: Change furnace filters monthly- this will increase furnace efficiency Drain the water heater at least once per year -this will prolong the heater's life by draining away sediment. Clean the coils of baseboard heating units to maximize efficiency. Test the circuit breakers in your electric circuit box twice per year, turning them off and then on again. A faulty circuit breaker could mean a short in the wiring inside your walls. Check for drips- check under sinks to check for leaks. Also use a plunger for sinks and tubs whenever water doesn't drain normally. Replace regularly: Water heaters, furnaces, and the roof should be replaced before they fail. A good rule of thumb...replace the roof every 13-15 years; replace water heaters every 7-15 years; replace a furnace every 15-50 years; paint the exterior every 5-10 years; stain decks every 4-7 years Outside Maintenance: Keep water out - check each season for any signs of water damage especially around doors and windows and flashing between roofs and chimneys Check the foundation - check for gaps and cracks that could cause water damage or homes for varmints. Check for any settling of the ground around the house. Check the chimneys - clean inside of chimneys every 2-3 years and outside for any loose or missing bricks and morter. Check the roof and gutters - look for loose shingles and clean all gutters of leaves and debris All of these maintenance "must-dos" will save you money and keep your investment in top condition. For more tips on home maintenance or for any of your real estate needs, contact our real estate specialists at New Mexico Mountain Properties. We bring you the best in Taos real estate and real estate in Angel Fire New Mexico. Whether you are looking for a home in Taos or a condo in Angel Fire, our experienced agents can guide you. If you are considering listing your home in Taos or mountain home in Angel Fire, we can assist you in preparing a comparative market analysis and show you ways to best market your Taos property or Angel Fire property.

In an emergency effort to boost the US economy, the Federal Reserve has cut two key interest rates by 3/4 of a point. This marks the biggest rate cut since October of 1984! The discount rate was cut to 4%. This is the rate at which banks borrow from the central bank. In addition, the feds cut the federal funds rate to 3.50%, down from 4.25%. This is the rate at which private banks lend money and affects credit card, auto loans and home equity rates. Many experts feel that the Feds will make even more cuts this coming week at the Federal Open Market Committee meeting. What does all this mean for buyers and sellers in the Taos real estate market? The chief economist of the National Association of Realtors stated, "Today's 75 basis-point cut in the Feds funds rate to 3.50% is a very good step in the right direction to boost the economy and sends a clear message to both the market and to consumers. This strong rate cut will help lower mortgage rates and lessen the burden of adustable-rate loans that are resetting in the current environment. It can also help stimulate business investment." So, it seems that this is the perfefct time to buy investment property in Taos, perhaps a Taos Ski Valley condo, or that home in Taos you always dreamed of owning. Take advantage of the lower interst rates now! New Mexico Mountain Properties has access to all the great real estate deals in Taos and surrounding areas. Give us a call today or check out the Taos Multiple Listing Service which can be accessed from this website www.HighMountainProperty.com