180 closings
Verified transactions over the prior five years, 112 of them buyer side.
A new construction realtor in Rio Rancho matters for one reason that catches most buyers off guard: the friendly person at the model home works for the builder.
They are not neutral, they are not your advocate, and the contract they hand you was written by the builder's attorney.
Melissa Salazar represents buyers across Rio Rancho and the wider Albuquerque metro.
This is the single most expensive mistake in new construction.
Most builders require your agent to be present or registered on your first visit. Walk in alone, sign the register, and you have usually forfeited representation on that community entirely.
It generally costs you nothing to have it. It costs you a great deal not to.
Base price is the least flexible number on the sheet.
Upgrades, design centre allowances, closing cost contributions and lot premiums have considerably more room, particularly on standing inventory near the end of a quarter.
Knowing which lever to pull is the difference between a discount and a brochure.
Get an independent inspection before drywall goes up and again before closing.
The municipal inspection is checking code compliance, not whether the work was done well. Melissa works alongside David Stafford, who has renovated over 120 houses in New Mexico and knows what bad framing looks like.
Verified transactions over the prior five years, 112 of them buyer side.
Total verified sales volume across those transactions, averaging $423,100.
Licensed in New Mexico since 2018, and a professional real estate photographer since 2016.
You are not required to have one, and you will be at a disadvantage without one. The person at the model home is paid by the builder and represents the builder. Having your own representation generally costs the buyer nothing and the builder expects it.
At the first visit, before you register. Most builders require your agent to be present or registered on your very first visit or they will not recognise the representation at all.
Base price usually moves least. Upgrades, design centre allowances, closing cost contributions and lot premiums all have more room than buyers expect, especially on standing inventory near the end of a quarter.
Yes. New does not mean correct. An independent inspection before drywall and again before closing catches things the municipal inspection is not looking for.
Tell Melissa what you are trying to do and when. If the answer is that you should wait, she will say so.