When my partner and I were looking to sell our single-family house in Santa Fe this summer, we…read moreimmediately thought of reaching out to the Realtor who helped us buy the very same house in 2021. Our experience working with her to purchase the property was excellent, and we had no hesitation in working with her again. However, our experience with selling our house could not have been any more different from what it was when we bought it: it was unpleasant, uncomfortable, and demoralizing. I want to acknowledge that the housing market shifted quite a bit in Santa Fe after the federal administration change earlier this year. I do not fault our Realtor for that reality, which led us to have to lower the price of our house significantly to meet the demand in the local market. However, our Realtor seemed more interested in appeasing the buyers of our house than supporting and advocating for us as her actual clients. To start, the "professional" photographs of our house were bad. They were so bad that we could have easily gotten better ones on our smartphones. When my partner tried to raise this point, she was gaslit and told that the pictures were fine. She also said that they were not even partially responsible for the slower activity in the house. The ironic part was that we knew this was wrong because we were actively buying a house at the same time. Next, our Realtor was repeatedly condescending toward my partner, which did not occur the first time we worked with her. She also induced multiple panic attacks with her unwarranted catastrophizing, unsupportive approach to communicating the buyers' questions to us, and lack of advising when her expert opinion was sought. It made the whole experience way more stressful than it should have been. Further, our Realtor stated quite defensively that she would "earn [her] keep" during contracts and negotiations when we first met in her office. We never even questioned that, so it was very odd to hear that. However, I would argue that she did not earn her keep since her only "strategy" was giving the buyers more and more money. She never attempted to help us with other types of concessions or strategies to drive interest in our house and protect our bottom line as we moved into buying our next property, which was critical for an appraisal waiver we had to maintain. We suspect that we were treated this way because our house was not worth very much in the Santa Fe market (~$400,000 vs. a median price of $850,000). However, when selling agents charge a 3% commission on the property's price, I expect much more than what we received. Let's face it: most real estate legal documents consist of boilerplate. What makes a Realtor or real estate agent valuable is their expert advice and advocacy for what matters most to their clients. When that is absent, that person becomes much more of a liability than an asset to these transactions. The only reason the rating is not 1 star is that we did ultimately sell our home on time. However, this was with huge tradeoffs, including losing a lot of money we probably did not need to lose on the deal.

We could not be happier to have found Barker Realty and specifically Stephanie Duran (at the advice…read moreof Yelp reviews we read while looking for an agent!). House hunting is a stressful ordeal, no matter what HGTV would have us all believe, and having a great realtor on your side makes ALL the difference. Stephanie was awesome: honest, on top of the details, fun to spend time with, and quick to "get" us and what we were looking for. She immediately pinpointed specific areas she knew would be a good fit and had really valuable insights--not just knowledge--about different neighborhoods in the Santa Fe area. She found us some great pocket listings, and she and Juli (her fantastic assistant) even Facetimed with us to show us listings that caught our interest online (since we were looking from out of state). We initially made an offer on a house that turned out to have some non-negotiable issues during the inspection, and Stephanie was a total professional about processing the termination quickly and going to bat for us over a slight hiccup in closing things out. When we finally found the right house, Stephanie was on her way home from vacation, but she put an offer together for us in a matter of hours--from the airport. Throughout the homebuying process, she was wonderful about proactively getting repair bids, recommending reliable contractors, and going the extra-extra mile anytime we needed her. In our interactions with other listing agents and our home inspector, it was clear that she is a highly respected and regarded real estate professional in Santa Fe, yet she's super approachable, has a great sense of humor, and gives off zero sales-y or pretentious vibes. We felt 100% confident that she absolutely had our best interests at heart. It's also worth mentioning that everyone else we dealt with at Barker was lovely too, and the communication from the entire team was on point throughout the process. We'd work with Stephanie--and Barker--again in a heartbeat. You should too!

I was fortunate enough to spot a Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera poster in the doorway leading up to…read morethis art gallery. The Webster Collection is exhibiting photographs of Frida and Diego through September 30. It's a small, yet significant collection. Seeing Georgia and Frida on the same day...what an art lover's dream come true!

Like Anastasia, I saw the poster, stopped dead on the street, bumped into my husband, and darted up…read morethe stairs. We were not disappointed, as Christopher spent a solid 45 minutes balancing informational conversation, personal stories, and allowing us plenty of time to absorb and rectify the eclectic collection of art. Freida and Diego were immortalized in lovely photos, both color and black and white, and the other artists represented (names forgotten!) included a photographer who eloquently represented 1950's Cuba with photos that seemed a cross between erotic and innocent. Given that this was a gallery with intentions to sell quality art at "quality" prices, Christopher was nonetheless so gracious and warm and inviting. The experience ranks up there with all that spontaneous moments have to offer!

Whitney Henderson was a delight to work with. She took us everywhere and was incredibly helpful…read more Would highly recommend her.

From the owner: Santa Fe Properties specializes in brokering Residential, Luxury, Commercial, and Land & Ranch…read moreproperties. With a dedicated relocation department, in-house marketing, and award-winning service, we can help you have a great experience buying or selling your property.

Peggy is a great real state agent- she's helped me a lot through the years. Peggy is very…read moreknowledgeable about the Santa Fe market, she's smart and listens to your goals and concerns.

Peggy is an absolute joy to work with! She's an exceptional expert in the Santa Fe housing market…read moreand has over 20 yrs of experience helping people find their dream homes. Peggy's a great listener, remembers my needs and is so articulate when it comes to negotiating. Go with Peggy if you want to be in great hands :)

Anne Driscoll went Above and beyond. She is highly experienced and professional real estate broker…read more She worked with us for more than 2 years in a very difficult Seller's market until we finally were able to close on our new house. We could not be happier. Highly recommend!!!

I have been working with Anna Chavez and she is a very sweet person. She works hard and knows the…read moredelicate art of negotiation. She never makes me feel bad about offer amounts that are within my budget and never argues. She's a very sweet person and is always positive. I would recommend her to anyone working with this agency.

Aaron Is a pleasure to work with. He is very prompt and professional. I would gladly work with him…read morea gain!

From the owner: Residential Home Sales, New Construction Specialist, Land and Lot Sales, Luxury Homesread more

This is just a response to Nancy's response. Now I am even more convinced that you are a terrible…read morerealtor - thank goodness I dodged a bullet not hiring you. Believe it or not, a lot of people are pretty savvy when it comes to purchasing real estate and don't need to be "saved" by a real estate agent. I've bought and sold my own homes for years, so I know exactly what you do for that big commission of yours. By the way, I love my new agent - she is the whole package, and absolutely the spirit of "New Mexico kind" to strangers when they call her AND respects my own ability to be a home buyer. She is now not only looking for my new home there in Santa Fe, but also a new home for our business. Lesson here? Be nice and don't answer the phone if you are having a bad day.

Nancy is an amazing realtor! Listen to her, and more importantly, trust her knowledge. Selecting…read moreher as my realtor was the best decision ever. My home buying experience was so smooth and quick with her guidance. As long as you do your part, Nancy will keep things moving. She communicates clearly and concisely and is there for you every step of the way. I purchased my townhome sight unseen based on her visit to it and her description of the property and neighborhood. I had no doubts or second thoughts about it and it worked out fabulously. She is incredibly efficient and no-nonsense, but down to earth and so easy to work with. Her grace and calm throughout the process is very reassuring. If you are looking for a realtor who goes above and beyond for you, Nancy is the one you want.