To quote from the September 21, 2010 RPR Blog ™, “As we complete the MLS data integration into RPR, we launch the RPR to REALTOR® members of that MLS. A NRDS ID and MLS ID from an MLS active in RPR are required to log into RPR.” So all you need to get a NRDS ID? Look at the cover of any Realtor magazine. The MLS ID? Everybody has your MLS ID. 1. What kind of security is that against banks and the general public gaining access to our “Realtors only” RPR website? 2. If accurate sold data is available to lending institutions through Realtors or by hacking, how can NAR hope to sell this data? 3. How can any website with over a million user names and passwords NOT become available to everyone who wants to get in? It will happen within a matter of days or weeks? Banks are taking it in the shorts these days, and they would love to save Realtor and appraiser fees. Remember when they needed us to establish a market value and sell the REO property? Once they have our “off market” data (sold prices, days on market and agents involved) they will further marginalize us Realtors and appraisers. If we think we stopped the banks last time, just wait until RPR goes live with data from YOUR area. If NAR thinks they can sell data that people can get for free, they’ve got another think coming.

As if the lack of security from the individual and corporate public were not enough of a flaw, RPR contracts lack a certain essential feature, and that is valuable consideration for our local MLSs. One of the parables in the New Testament has a woman searching until she finds the coin she has lost. All that time she'd held onto her coin and suddenly it was gone. That is what will happen to the sold and closed, pending, listing ans selling agent, and lots of other data that relates to realty that has gone through our local system. This is our history. They call it off-market data in their contract but it includes all of the aforementioned types of data and much, much more.

Those of us who are appaled by what we whites from back east did to the Indians under the doctrine of manifest destiny deplore the way we white men bought vast tracts of land from the Indians literally for trinkets.  Okay, so we did that. Must it be our karma now to give up vast mines of valuable data to entrepeneurs from out of state for a website? Sure the whole tribe wants the fancy for-Realtors only product being shown to us. Eyes light up now just like the squaw's eyes did then, and those in leadership positions want to get this website for our membership. What we have here in New Mexico is worth more than access to a website. And they're trying to get our data. And the only valuable consideration they're offering is nearly worthless if we can't keep non-Realtors out of the RPR website. That website cannot be protected from corporate and public snooping, so what is it really worth as a purportedly Realtors-only URL. Next to nothing!

Especially in non-disclosure states like New Mexico, this data has value. It has value because RPR can't just go to the County Assessor in Albuquerque and get the sold data. RPR has used this argument in its sales presentations - that they will get the data anyway if the local MLS won't play ball - but it won't work in any non-disclosure state. Here in NM, it not only is more costly for RPR to go to all the counties, it's close to impossible. Each county has its own rules and each one has different rules about appearing in person, writing letters in advance, etc. It is much more cost effective for RPR to get the data for free from MLSs that cover two ir three oir five or more counties. Every county database is different. They would have to hire lots of programmers to extrapolate the data and put each county's data output into the same format. They can't afford to do RPR without our cooperation. Proponents of manifest destiny had to lie, cheate and steal too.

Must this be our fate as Realtors? Must we have built up our MLS and provided lots of enterprising local people with jobs and incomes only to see all that we built of value be given away for a WEBSITE? What about our sons and daughters in the business? Are we not at least going to negotiate for a fair share of the profits in case NAR ever makes any money?

So, let us get this straight. They want us to give them all our heretofore non-disclosed data, they want to pay us back another website like Realtor.com, and they want us to do this because? What else is in it for us in return? We're sacrificing our childrens' future for what, now? Another website?!Remember Realtor.com and talk to your MLS Board leaders before it is too late. Where's the beef? Show us the money, RPR!

The more I hear and read from RPR spokespeople, the more I wonder. Is making our local MLS data available to 1.1 million Realtors all over the world a good idea, as they claim it is. Okay, so maybe your average east coast Realtor wouldn't want to invade our market and sell our houses, but certainly the big national bank based in his home city would! They cal call up Joyce or Joe Blow and get into the purportedly Realtors-only RPR website on the same day. Joe Blow will let them in. All the bankers need is our sold data in order to cut out local appraisers and Realtors and put up a Corporate FSBO sign with a toll free number to their trained sales team members.

At the other end of the line in the big city are salespeople who are employees of the bank. They don't need a license, let alone a NAR membership to market and sell products that belong to their corporation. Like employers of home building firms, they are trained and directed to sell the corporate product. The more they sell, the higher they rise in the firm and the more commissions they generate. If there's a problem with the product, their job is to obfuscate it. If there's an objection, they are trained by management to overcome it. Unlike those who espouse our Realtor Code of Ethics, the employee-salesperson can lie with impunity. And remember, they're in the Bay Area or New York City making a commission on real estate in your home town. If this sounds like your job, it is. So get to work why don't you!

As a former field rep for subsidiaries of large firms including Westinghouse, IBM and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, I can state categorically that a lot of products are sold to people who would have been better off without making the purchase in the first place, by corporate-trained sales force whose job it is to sell the product despite its flaws or risk losing their job. That sort of thing went on in the construction industry leading up to the bursting of the real estate bubble. Shoddy tract housing in the outlying areas around our cities has suffered the worst decline in values. Lots of Realtors saw how porrly some of these houses were built but turned their buyers over to the builder's salespeople just the same in return for a percent of the sale. These are poorer products in poorer locations that were sold to poorer people with stars in their eyes, often with the aid of Realtors looking for an easy buck.

Now RPR is being sold hard to us by NAR's well-trained, professional corporate salespeople in the same way  Our local MLS data is valuable consideration, yet Board after Board of Directors of MLSs all around the country is giving it to NAR in return for a flawed product. Our local data IS valuable consideration. The product that looks good on the surfaceit has one major hidden flaw. Consider the impossibility of making such a large site with so many logins and passwords secure against intrusion by corporations and individuals who want the information. You can't sell your services in evaluating and marketing property in your area if all the info you currently use is publicly available online. Even NAR can't sell a product if it's already publicly available. If this sounds bad for your business and mine (and NAR's), it is bad. FSBOs are bad for business. Big bank FSBOs would be much worse!  They own a large share of our national housing stock and they would love to cut you and me out of the deal. Will they need you or me once they have our MLS data?

Did you know that 18 of New Mexico's State Parks feature beautiful lakes ranging in size from a 3 acre Oasis in the eastern plains to the 36,500 Elephant Butte Lake between Albuquerque and Las Cruces? You can enjoy our healthy desert climate without giving up fishing, boating and water skiing. Also within a two hour drive or less of Albuquerque are Fenton Lake near Jemez Springs, Storrie Lake near the historic Victorian town of Las Vegas northeast of Santa Fe, and Santa Rosa, Conchas and Ute Lake in eastern New Mexico.

About three hours north of Albuquerque, Heron Lake and El Vado lake along the Chama River beckon vacationers. Heron Lake has been designated a quiet lake. No motorboats are allowed, so you can enjoy peace and quiet while sailing, swimming or paddling. The 3,200 acres of water in El Vado Lake, a few minutes south of Heron Lake State Park allow motorboats of all sizes and all water sports. Vacation homes are readily available in the area starting at just over $100,000.

If you prefer, you can live by a lake year-round. Ramah Lake, south of Gallup, offers world class housing west of the Continental Divide.

So if you love to swim, fish and go boating, don't discount New Mexico.

The 2010 Bosque Farms Fair came off as usual this past first weekend in August. Families with young children are the first and main focus of this annual event, and this year was no different. Horse events like western pleasure riding, reining and barrel racing abounded, with several age classes including adults, but only a few of the latter participated. Inside and outside were the usual art displays, canned goods competition, and church and political party booths. Outside was the rodeo arena and the food, lots of it from barbecue to sno-cones.

For us grown-ups, besides the food, there's a great antique car show with prizes for almost every entrant. Lots of memories! This is a fun event, not a serious competition, and the kid in every grownup had a blast looking at these antiques. The police got in on the action with their new stealth Mopar and their batmobile. Bosque Farms probably has more police per capita than any town in NM. The policemen probably should have gotten an award for stading around in navy blue uniforms on a 90 degree afternoon. Everyone of us had a favorite. One woman was heard to wonder how many of the back seats had been used by young couples parking back in the day. Remember those days? A red 1934 Ford Phaeton won best of show.  It was before my time as a Baby Boomer. I can imagine that its back seat would have featured the stars above along with passion below.

Laura Warden and I brought up our four girls in Bosque Farms and live here to this day. While they were growing up we Wardens participated in almost every Bosque Farms fair event. Allison nearly won the greased pole climb even though she was up against mostly strapping boys. Elizabeth made top points on her new paint horse Wrangler while one old horse grabbed and munched a blade of grass on the way 'round the show ring. Jessica and Elena knocked 'em dead at the talent show Saturday evening. Even Dad won the best of show in the adult singing competition one time with a performance of a number from Will Rogers' Follies. Please be reminded there's not much adult participation. Maybe not enough! Those days were fun! Maybe someday I'll sing again to set a good example for my grandchildren. Watching children grow up in a safe, secure environment is just one good reason for living in Bosque Farms, New Mexico.

You don’t need much help to grow lush green grass here in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. We have the sun 300+ days per year, the sandy loam topsoil, and the water. Water is the most important ingredient here in the high desert where rainfall is scarce, on average only 8 inches per year. The water for our farms comes from the Rio Grande, which is fed by last winter’s mountain snow flowing downriver. Dammed and partially diverted at a number of points north and south of Albuquerque, it flows into the ditches and floods our fields. All you need to do is water and keep the weed content down. New Mexico enjoys only a few inches of rain annually. Up there on the mesa 3 horses or cattle will starve on 40 acres of desert grassland, whereas they can stay fit on an acre or two of valley green! Almost any crop will grow here. Alfalfa grows at a rate of over 200 bales per year in three or four cuttings, depending on the weather. Row crops do well here, even lettuce, as long there’s shade and sprinklers on hot days. Peppers, corn and beans are a snap to grow. The grass truly is greener here on the other side of the fence! Call or text 505-263-0665 for irrigated farms currently listed for sale along the Rio Grande.

It would look a lot better in shades of green, but this excellent sandy loam Rio Grande River bottomland has lain fallow for several years since the owner stopped leasing it out to neighboring farmers.  905 Green Acres Place is within walking distance to Albuquerque Old Town. Right near the intersection of I-25 and I-40, you can raise crops or livestock to your heart's content. The price for all this land, including surface irrigation rights from the Rio Grande, is $409,000. A 1,200 sq.ft. house, site built in 1993, goes along with it at this low price. Get on your tractor and replace the weed with seed! Raise almost anything here including a family! Call or text Brian Warden at 505-263-0665 for details on this and other similar properties around Albuquerque.

And there are about 19 acres of grass with minimal weed content here at 347 Highway 116, Bosque, New Mexico. You can grow a lot of your crop of choice on this verdant valley land, which has surface irrigation rights. This property is about 10 miles south of Belen and about 40 miles from Albuquerque International Sunport. A high speed rail line called the Rail Runner links Belen to Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

You can grow almost anything here in our sandy loam river bottom soil. There are 3 growing seasons. Plant winter crops in February and again late in the summer. 300+ days of sunshine along with plenty of water from the Rio Grande assure you of a bumper crop. Our irrigated valley land is scarce and dear, as God limited the quantity of such land here in the high desert (altitude 4,500+ feet). You can buy this farm for $475,000. It's a bargain if you can make it pay. There's rural financing available but you might need at least $50,000 cash and good credit to get started, since the house is small and the land is of far greater value. Call or text Brian Warden today at 505-263-0665 for more details about this and other fine Valencia County properties.

This 2,275 sq.ft. home is located at 548 Gabaldon Road in Belen, NM. The site includes over 3 acres of pastureland with surface irrigation rights.The attractive price of $229,000 will buy you a farm within walking distance to the Rail Runner rapid train to Albuquerque and Santa Fe, yet with nearly infinite privacy and security for your crops. You can grow anything here in our verdant Valencia Valley. In fact, we have 3 growing seasons in our sandy loam soil. Our last frost is in May and our first is in October here in the very center of New Mexico, south of Albuquerque. Call or text Brian Warden today at 505-263-0665 for more information.

I've been told that when WalMart made plans to open its first store in Belen, New Mexico some years ago, they thought it was bound to be a small store. What these business people from Arkansas did not realize was that Belen is a vital small town known as the Hub City in New Mexico, the junction of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and the I-25 and I-40 corridors. Belen is an easy commute to a population base of over 3/4 million consumers in and around Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. The original WalMart store was a smash success, and soon a much bigger store was built. Your retail business could start here and grow big in Belen.

1006 NM Highway 116, Bosque, New Mexico is ripe for a retail startup. This property, once called the Bosque Trading Post, is 5 miles south of Belen, NM. It consists of the retail store building containing office space, toilets, and a commercial kitchen plus a 1700 sq.ft. residence at the back of a property big enough for a sizeable garden. It is offered for only $275,000, and the owner would finance the deal for credit-approved buyers with only 20% down! So $100K would buy the place and provide substantial initial inventory and give you a place to live too! The longtime owner would like to retire. It's your turn to make a great living here! Please call or text Brian Warden today at 505-263-0665.