Let me introduce myself and tell you a bit about my background and my ideas about Real Estate and about Property Management. I'd be happy to hear from you and personally and discuss questions you may have about real estate. Phone me at the office at (505) 867-8000 or voice/text to my cell at (505) 250-6946.

• Personal
• What clients say about me
• Why I should be your Property Manager
• Why I should be your Landlord
• Why I should work with you to buy/sell property
• Education

Personal

I work with buyers and sellers on home and vacant land transactions. I also manage residential properties for lease. In the last 12 months, I closed 5 purchases/sales (homes and land) and wrote 23 new leases on properties that I manage. I work in Placitas, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and surrounding areas. I value the relationships I have with clients and spend time concentrating on their specific needs.

I am a native New Mexican (go Aggies!) and my husband and I have lived in Placitas for 36 years. We have an orchard, vineyards, dogs, chickens, and goldfish. We have one grown son who lives in Albuquerque. We definitely believe that Placitas is a wonderful place to call home.

I think of myself as a problem solver. I like to keep my mind flexible with a variety of hobbies and I feel this allows me to bring fresh and creative ideas to my work-life. Utilizing creative, critical thinking and strategic thinking, I am able to step back and see problems from a different perspective.

What clients say about me

"Thank you again for the steller management you tirelessly provided for so many years." Dave and Claire F.

"Thank you for taking such great care of our property. We truly appreciate everything you have done to maintain the house and yard. From routine fixes to larger projects and keeping the house occupied, we could not ask for better service." Tim and Rebecca

"You've been great to work with over the last two years. You are a great friend." Jeane and John (tenants)

"It goes without saying we couldn't have gotten our wonderful home without you! Your efficiency and steady hand through the process were amazing." Carol R.

"You're an amazing person, thank you for all your help. We appreciate everything you've done and your patience with all our questions." David and Lori M.

Why I should be your Property Manager

"I understand rental property owners' concerns because I AM a rental property owner."

I have owned and managed residential property in Albuquerque for more than 20 years. My husband and I now own eight units that we have worked to restore and improve. I have to say it’s a job I love—interesting people to work with and always a new puzzle to solve.

Being a rental property owner, I understand the needs of the owner: Is my property okay? Are the tenants paying the rent on time? Are my bills being paid on time and accurately? Is the value of my property being maintained or even increasing?

In managing my own properties, I fully comprehend the necessity of carefully screening and interviewing all potential tenants. Verifying the information they provide about jobs, pay, previous residences, credit worthiness. The perfect tenant pays their rent on time, does no damage to the property, and openly communicates with the property manager.

Even before we purchased investment property, I had been keeping track of financial matters. I worked as freelance bookkeeper for 25 years and I know how money works and the importance of diligent management of funds, careful budgeting, and understandable reporting.

In owning, restoring, and maintaining our properties in Albuquerque, I’ve developed a basic knowledge of all the systems in a home: plumbing, heating, cooling, roofing, electrical, and so on. While I’m not licensed to repair these systems, my knowledge helps me troubleshoot and often diagnose problems. This skill saves having the wrong professional show up to fix a problem.

I understand the use of advertising and the power of a photograph. I use online photographic media extensively in marketing my own rentals and I have found that photos are a terrific tool for verifying condition of property for repairs and for retention of damage deposits from tenants. A picture really is worth a thousand words and perfectly supplements notes about the property.

Why I should be your Landlord

I’ve been managing residential property that I own with my husband for more than 20 years. I have had many long-term tenants who find that my friendly, fair, responsive management allows them to comfortably enjoy their homes. Several of our tenants have even moved from one of our homes to a larger or smaller home as their lives have changed—they value our property management style and attentive care. I'm also pleased to say that I have tenants who are relatives of previous tenants. Their referral means a lot to me!

To be a good Landlord, you need to recognize that the tenant deserves a fully-functional, comfortable home. The house is in topnotch condition before the tenant moves in, proper maintenance and repairs are done during tenancy, and the condition of the house is evaluated fairly when the tenant moves out (and damage deposit funds are returned accordingly). A good Landlord is available by phone/e-mail/text and promptly returns messages and finds timely solutions to issues that arise. I consider myself a good Landlord and my tenants agree.

Why I should work with you to buy/sell property

Local. I live and have my office in Placitas. I’ve lived in Placitas since 1986 and lived in New Mexico all my life.

Accessible. Physically accessible and also by phone, text, email. Since I live and work in Placitas, I don’t mind last minute phone calls for showings or with questions. I try to be very flexible about hours and times to meet with people.

Prompt reply and follow-up. When I am not able to answer the phone, I make it a habit to check voice mail frequently and return calls. I check text and emails numerous times per day and respond quickly.

Knowledgeable. I am knowledgeable about Placitas and New Mexico and rural issues such as well shares, septic systems, road easements, staked surveys, neighborhood covenants, and many other topics.

Persistent, but not pushy. I do follow up with inquiries and then try to provide additional information a week or several weeks later. I want to make sure the buyer or other cooperating realtor has the information they need to make a decision. That said, I do not make a pest of myself–everyone is bombarded with emails and information and sometimes too much is too much and is counterproductive.

Detail minded. I am careful and thoughtful about the details throughout the marketing and the negotiation of the contract and then all the necessary steps leading to closing. The title binder, inspections/objections/resolutions, repairs, survey work, HOA disclosure and documents, lead based paint disclosure, septic inspections, review of closing documents prior to closing.

Accountable. I do not have a “team” of helpers. I feel it is important to have direct knowledge of what is happening with any listing or purchase. I respond to you directly without your having to talk to my assistant.

Personally interactive. I strongly believe in person-to-person and face-to face interactions. Much of the marketing of real estate is happening online through sites such as Zillow and Trulia, but when a buyer is ready for the next step of sorting through properties in their chosen area, they need to be able to talk to a person who is actually in the area and connected with the neighborhoods. Shopping for real estate online is like online dating. Every property looks and sounds wonderful until you meet up with it in person and see the warts and wrinkles.

Marketing proficient. Almost everyone looks at online realty sites such as Zillow. The key there is to have clear photos that show the aspects of your property that make it special. The photos need to reflect the reality of the home, not just be “glamorous” photos. Buyers need to be able to understand your home (layout, features, unique qualities and spaces) from the photos. The best comment a realtor can hear from a buyer when they enter a home is “Oh, wow! This looks just like the photos online!”

It is important to have a floorplan to include online. People want to be able to understand the flow of the house and see how close the bedrooms are to each other or which way the garage faces. This can be a simple floorplan or a plan done by professionals.

I think it is important to have flyers at the home for prospective buyers to take with them. I see many realtors showing homes without providing the buyers with any papers. Serious buyers will take flyers and will make notes on flyers and revisit flyers the next day with friends over a cup of coffee.

Print advertising still exists. Newspapers are less of a factor in real estate marketing than they used to be. Placitas Realty does advertise in the Albuquerque Journal and also the local Sandoval Signpost.

At the office, literature and photos of listed properties are always available. We have handouts at the office and post photos of properties on the wall. Walk-in clients like to have something immediate to refer to. We also have our own map of Placitas which we provide clients.

Real estate savvy. I own properties with my husband and that gives me an added understanding through personal experience about home systems (plumbing, electrical, roofs, stucco).

Mortgage banking experienced. I worked for several years in the mortgage banking industry that gives me an understanding of the process that buyers go through to get financing and gives me an “inside” in dealing with the lenders when necessary.

Vigilant. I would be happy to come by and check your vacant home once it is listed and make sure doors and windows are locked and check to make sure nothing has blown away after storms and such.

Focused. There is a lot of detailed work to be done between the time that you get an offer on the home and the closing of escrow. I’m a very detailed oriented person and I work diligently to take care of this part of the process. It can be nerve wracking and emotionally stressful for the buyer and seller and often requires a realtor with a cool head and focused dedication to complete the task. It requires coordinating with other people and cooperating with lenders, title companies, realtors, inspectors, repair people. There is more to selling a home than getting an approved purchase agreement.

Experts. I have a community of recommended professionals and tradesmen proficient in their fields that I can refer clients to when specific expertise is required.

Education

I have a New Mexico Real Estate License, I am a member of the local and national Realtors® associations, and the local and national Apartment Associations. I studied for my real estate license at Central New Mexico Community College and took an additional semester in Property Management. I firmly believe in continuing education. I have taken seminars in conflict management, Fair Housing, fraud awareness, photo documentation, ethics, pests in homes, and other topics.

Contact Janice Fowler, 505-867-8000 or 505-250-6946 (voice or text) for information about real estate!

E-mail Janice at placitasjanice@gmail.com