Archives for July 2015

COURTESY OF THE CITY OF LAS CRUCES This photo shows the ARCA AirStrato unmanned aircraft. rrayburn@abqjournal.com Mon Jul 13 15
An aerospace research and development company that relocated its headquarters to Las Cruces last year plans to build a testing and manufacturing facility that will create 100 jobs over three years.
Gov. Susana Martinez announced Monday that ARCA Space Corp.will build a 14,000-square-foot hangar and manufacturing space at the Las Cruces airport.
The company, which started in 1999 in Romania, develops drone-type aircraft capable of commercial payloads weighing up to about 300 pounds.
ARCA plans to begin hiring immediately for jobs that will pay an average annual salary of $52,000.
“For Las Cruces, it signifies that we are not just a place to produce low-cost goods,” said Las Cruces Economic Development Coordinator Gary Camarano. “We are becoming an innovation hub for aerospace.”
Camarano pointed to White Sands Missile Range nearby and an office Virgin Galactic has opened in the city. Virgin Galactic plans to operate commercial rockets at Spaceport America northwest of Las Cruces.
The company became familiar with Las Cruces when it participated in the X Prize Cup Competition in 2006, which was held in Las Cruces.
“We’re proud of New Mexico’s storied history in science and innovation, and we know that ARCA Space made the right choice to manufacture their products right here in Las Cruces,” Martinez said in a news release announcing the move.
The New Mexico Economic Development Department will contribute $500,000 in local economic development funds toward the construction of ARCA’s new facility. The city is waiving first-year rental costs of office, hangar and showroom space,  worth about $60,000.
The ARCA announcement came days after the U.S. Department of Commerce ranked Las Cruces as No. 1 in the country for export growth.
By: Rosalie Rayburn (Albuquerque Journal)
Click here to view source article.

View YouTube video from NAR.
NAR releases research showing why proposals in Congress to curb 1031 tax-deferred exchanges would be a bad idea for residential and commercial real estate. That’s a top segment in The Voice for Real Estate for the week of July 13, 2015. Other segments in NAR’s twice-monthly news video look at the U.S. Supreme Court’s disparate impact ruling, which affects the Fair Housing Act, and NAR’s latest pending home sales index, which is at its highest level since 2006.
By: National Association of REALTORS®
Click here to view source article.

Business Ethics in Real Estate
4 CE’s Approved!  |  Print Flyer  |  Register Online
October 1, 2015 | 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Instructor: Bob Treece
CNM Workforce Training, Room 207 | 5600 Eagle Rock Ave NE
The Ethics course will be offered one time this year locally. We hope you’ll join us! Your participation in local courses helps offset CARNM dues fees. This course meets the REALTOR® Code of Ethics requirement which must be completed by December 31, 2015.

(Click photo to enlarge)

A new study of the best U.S. cities for recreation ranks Albuquerque near the top of the pack.

The personal finance website WalletHub studied the 100 largest metro areas in the country for things like number of parks, number of public golf course, parkland as a percentage of city area, music venues, movie theaters, coffee shops, overall cost of living and other factors.

How does Albuquerque stack up as a recreation city? No. 12 in the U.S., as it turns out, with especially high rankings for quality of parks, cost of living and climate.

The Duke City placed well ahead of cities with elevated recreation reputations such as New York (No. 86), Seattle (No. 41) and Honolulu (No. 31). It just trailed neighboring cities Tucson, Ariz., (No. 11) and Denver (No. 10).

Cincinnati was No. 1 in the study. Scottsdale, Ariz., finished third.

The full study can be seen here.

By: Mike English (Albuquerque Business First)

Click here to view source article.

From original article:

Kick off your Sunday shoes, and put on some sneakers. July is National Park and Recreation Month, which gives everyone an excuse to get moving. Americans are fond of the outdoors, after all, and it’s evident in the amount of greenbacks they invest on green space. In 2014, the most populous U.S. cities collectively spent more than $6.4 billion on parks and recreation.
And those cities should expect a handsome return on that investment. Neighborhood parks are instrumental to building community cohesion, boosting property values, improving public health and reducing pollution. In Washington, for instance, close proximity to a park increases a home’s value by 5 percent. And neighborhood parks in Sacramento, Calif., contribute an estimated savings of nearly $20 million on health care costs.
But the term “parks and recreation” encompasses far more than just park facilities and exercise. In this study, we also consider those whose favorite pastime may be exploring museums, going to concerts or even attending food festivals, all of which contribute to the overall well-being of a city.
To highlight the benefits of public spaces and recreational activities to consumers and the local economy, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 27 key metrics. In each city, we examined basic costs, the quality of parks, the accessibility of entertainment and recreational facilities as well as the climate. The results, as well as expert commentary and a detailed methodology, can be found below.
Click here to continue reading.