TOTALLY ENCHANTED with The Land of Enchantment (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: real estate market, rental)

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by finmqa1

EnjoyEP - I will truley miss your wonderful and fair posts on this forum. I wish you the absolute best in your move back home, and NM, more specifically ABQ will truly miss such a fine ambassador!!! Best of luck to you and your family, and you are all welcome back anytime.

Finmqa1 - Thank you so very much for your kind words. Honestly, not only is ABQ a wonderful place to reside for all of the reasons often talked about on this forum (weather, scenery, culture, cuisine, etc., etc., etc.), but it has some of the most pleasant, kind folks you could imagine such as yourself. Hearing such kind things expressed such as this make is even harder (as if it wasn't already hard enough) to say goodbye to a good, dear friend - that friend being this region.

But...rest assured, just because I am moving to Milwaukee does not mean I will cease in being a diligent ambassador for Albuquerque (as well as El Paso) - this entire region! I will still chime in on these forums and to people that I know speaking of my extremely positive experiences in Albuquerque. Frankly, if it wasn't for the "people factor" in WI, my family and I would never leave I don't think. With a 2-year-old and a 4-month-old now, Milwaukee just offers something to us that ABQ can't - the big net of family, relatives, and friends, etc.

But I have decided I will not make this a complete "goodbye" to Albuquerque. My wife and I plan to come back and visit often (how could I never return for a magically crisp October morning to see the Balloon Fiesta, including a hot breakfast burrito and hot chocolate), and who knows? Maybe when our kids are a bit older, we'll come back (after a few Wisconsin winters to remind us why we moved here in the first place! ).

[Angie&Bill]

I absolutely agree with Finmqa1's thoughts. You have been such in incredible source of information, not only for me but for everybody who has posted a thread asking questions about ABQ and the whole region. On behalf of all the people you have helped (including myself, of course!), I want to thank you not only for all the valuable info you have shared with us but also for all the time and effort you have put into doing the research and finding the answers to our questions. You have gone above and beyond in helping everybody and I'm sure other people, just like me, appreciate that a lot. The fact that you take time to help other people with their questions is priceless, considering you have a family, your two little ones ... (and a cat! if I remember correctly) who I'm sure want to spend time with you when you get home; so, your participation in this forum is, in my eyes, even more valuable. I'm glad to know that there are people like you out there, who care for others. That is how I live my life as well, I treat people the way I would like to be treated, so whenever I can, I also do things for other people and for the animals. It's so easy to be kind and I'm totally convinced that kindness makes the world a better place. Same thing happens when we smile, it's amazing how smiles can open doors. Like I say to the kitties at our local animal shelter (where I've been a vlounteer for 3 1/2 years) ... you know, sometimes they get up in a "grumpy" mood because they are sick of living in a cage for months and I don't blame them, so I tell them: "Come on, you have to get in a better mood because if you purr, the world will purr with you .... but if you hiss ... you will hiss alone!"
Best of luck and, hopefully, we will hear from you every now and then, although I'm sure you will be busy answering questions about Wisconsin
Just out of curiosity ... if you want to share it with us... why "EnjoyEP?"

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

I absolutely agree with Finmqa1's thoughts. You have been such in incredible source of information, not only for me but for everybody who has posted a thread asking questions about ABQ and the whole region. On behalf of all the people you have helped (including myself, of course!), I want to thank you not only for all the valuable info you have shared with us but also for all the time and effort you have put into doing the research and finding the answers to our questions. You have gone above and beyond in helping everybody and I'm sure other people, just like me, appreciate that a lot. The fact that you take time to help other people with their questions is priceless, considering you have a family, your two little ones ... (and a cat! if I remember correctly) who I'm sure want to spend time with you when you get home; so, your participation in this forum is, in my eyes, even more valuable. I'm glad to know that there are people like you out there, who care for others. That is how I live my life as well, I treat people the way I would like to be treated, so whenever I can, I also do things for other people and for the animals. It's so easy to be kind and I'm totally convinced that kindness makes the world a better place. Same thing happens when we smile, it's amazing how smiles can open doors. Like I say to the kitties at our local animal shelter (where I've been a vlounteer for 3 1/2 years) ... you know, sometimes they get up in a "grumpy" mood because they are sick of living in a cage for months and I don't blame them, so I tell them: "Come on, you have to get in a better mood because if you purr, the world will purr with you .... but if you hiss ... you will hiss alone!"
Best of luck and, hopefully, we will hear from you every now and then, although I'm sure you will be busy answering questions about Wisconsin
Just out of curiosity ... if you want to share it with us... why "EnjoyEP?"

Thanks so very much for the kind thoughts Angie! I told finmqa1 this too - it is the nice, quality people like you guys that make ABQ even tougher to leave. It isn't like it is just great weather, scenery, etc., but rude people. Quite the opposite, some very kind, laid back, overall just pleasant people, and that makes leaving here even tougher.

Frankly, I really do not mind at all sharing my insights. I am very passionate about this underrated jewel of the Southwest - Albuquerque - and take every chance I get to share the pros and the cons to the area. I am a pretty reasonable fellow I think, and frankly, while there are some cons to Albuquerque, I cannot think of a great deal. The pros far outweigh.

The big thing - I hope you and others do not mind - but I still plan to hang around and post in the ABQ Forum now and then and lend my perspectives and opinions...even though as of August I won't live here. I figure for at least the next 6 months or year or so, I will still be close enough connected that even though I won't be a resident, I will be able to provide a resident's perspective. And even beyond then, I will always be able to share info on fairly constant things such as weather, food, scenery, culture of festivals like the Balloon Fiesta, Christmas at Old Town, etc. So even though I will be a Cheesehead in WI, you guys here won't be able to get rid of me too easily!

EnjoyEP? It stands for "Enjoy El Paso." I like El Paso just as much, if not more, than Albuquerque - and you know how much I have affinity for Albuquerque. Most people here in the ABQ Forum would hate to hear it...as EP isn't high generally on Albuquerqueans' lists (heck, it isn't high on many lists, including El Pasoans often!). But I really, truly have a great admiration for the area, and El Paso is right up there to me as an underrated area in the Southwest. I love El Paso for many different reasons - and some the same - as Albuquerque - and I can confidently say that come the colder months in WI, I will be yearning for the sunny, mild air in ABQ / EP, and for EP's swaying palm trees!

Thanks again!

[Homewardbound66]

Hi Angie and Bill,

We are soon relocating to Edgewood, providing our inspections tomorrow go well. We will be on 2 acres in the country and are extremely excited. Have you looked into Edgewood? Its growing and East Mountain people would easily access it. Its a thought and maybe a selfish one because I sure would love our Milo to stay in your facility. She puts up with a lot from our dog, Mags, but she sometimes is the aggressor. I'm not kidding. Dog sleeping on couch and cat comes up and bats him in the face and runs like the devil she can be. Its pretty funny. Mags wakes up and looks around like, "What was that?"

Any ways, check out Edgewood - P L E A S E!

[Towanda]

EnjoyEP:

As one who has always enjoyed your posts on this forum .... and like the others, has learned so much from you and most of all, appreciates your enthusiasm and love of the state .... I was so sad to read that you are leaving the area.

BUT.... in a later post, you reassured us that you will still visit this forum and keep posting. I am so glad to hear that!

When does the big move happen? As one who had to raise my children apart from extended family all the time they were growing up, I certainly think you are making the right decision in moving back "home" and letting your children be a part of a big extended family. Have fun! And try to visit NM as often as you can!

~Sharon

[nm_photojournalist]

Now one would almost get the idea that you fell in love with our "Land of Enchantment!" :-)

Coming from a gorgeous state on it's own in New Hampshire...that is high praise indeed. The only thing they have in common though, is the "New." LOL!

Having been here for 23 years now, I still share your enthusiasm.

We can use all the "new" arrivals such as yourselves that we can get!

[Baja Boomer]

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

The thing is, my husband says, that the longer we wait, prices are going to start going up and, say, 3 years from now we may not be able to afford something we can afford now or in a year.

Angie, that is not something you're going to have to worry about. It's much more likely that prices will DECREASE than increase. The whole country (along with Europe, Mexico, Australia & New Zealand) is in the early stages of a real estate bubble crash, and though Albuquerque is experiencing strong population growth, and job creation is strong, it will not buck the trend.

Monthly home sales in metro-Albuquerque have fallen more than 10 percent each month since last summer, but they say despite the slowdown prices have not dropped. Well, sellers are very reluctant to drop their price, understandably, so there is often a lag between hope and reality there. AND keep in mind that due to a New Mexico law, actual sales prices are not revealed in MLS listings, only the listing price. If a listing price says $500,000 but it sells for $400,000, the sales price will show $500,000. So if listing prices show a drop, you can be sure that the actual sales prices have dropped even further. Also, some cities have been slower to feel the effects of the bubble burst than others. The thing you have to look at is the number of homes on the market month over month (and compared to the same data for the previous year), how long they've been on the market and the foreclosure rate-- that is what will give you a truer picture.

Realtors tend to say it's just a "correction" and that now is the time to buy. It is NOT a "correction", it's a slow motion crash. And with all due respect to realtors, they will tell you now is the time to buy no matter what. I've been watching this carefully for a couple of years, and when the bubble began to fizzle last year everyone said, "Well sure it's happening there but it won't happen here because (supply the reason of your choice...). But it isn't working out that way.

I suggest that you look at this New Mexico blog (broken link) for some specific information (Santa Fe-based, but still applicable) and The Housing Bubble Blog for information country wide. Now is a good time to rent, and even a year from now will probably still be a good time to rent. Rent first, see how things are going, and that will also give you the opportunity to make sure you choose exactly where you want to live. You will have more choices a couple years from now, and at a better price.

Having said all that, I'm looking hard at Albuqerque myself as a possible retirement place a couple of years from now. I love New Mexico, and the weather in Albuquerque is hard to beat. Maybe I'll see you there!

[Angie&Bill]

Originally Posted by Homewardbound66

Hi Angie and Bill,

We are soon relocating to Edgewood, providing our inspections tomorrow go well. We will be on 2 acres in the country and are extremely excited. Have you looked into Edgewood? Its growing and East Mountain people would easily access it. Its a thought and maybe a selfish one because I sure would love our Milo to stay in your facility. She puts up with a lot from our dog, Mags, but she sometimes is the aggressor. I'm not kidding. Dog sleeping on couch and cat comes up and bats him in the face and runs like the devil she can be. Its pretty funny. Mags wakes up and looks around like, "What was that?"

Any ways, check out Edgewood - P L E A S E!

Hi, dear ... thanks for your nice message No, we have not looked into Edgewood yet ... I don't know exactly why ... maybe because two weeks were not enough to drive around all the places we wanted and, after driving around Cedar Crest I kind of fell in love with it. It looked very beautiful and seemed to have the ideal setting for my kitty place ... quiet, lots of green, very peaceful... it just looked perfect. However, I must say that after reading what lots of people have told me in this forum I still have my concerns about the road and about how willing people would be to drive to Cedar Crest... but I promise you that I will look into Edgewood, although what we need is another trip to NM soon, hopefully by the end of the year. I keep telling my husband that we may need a couple more trips before deciding where is that we want to buy. Personally, I would love to rent first and take time to find "the place" for us and my kitty hotel ...BUT ... am I going to find a good soul willing to rent us a house if ve have 6 meows and 1 small woof ? ... that is a lot of pets, I know, but what people don't know is that when you work with animals as I do (I do some ¨mobile kitty grooming¨ and volunteer at our local animal shelter, 3 1/2 years, plus my school background in small animals) you learn and know their behavior and know how to keep them happy, which means that I don't have any "destructive behavior" in my house, which is what some landlords are afraid of. Plus, there is all these misconceptions about pet owners, so some people believe that because you have a bunch of them, you live almost in "deplorable conditions" ... (in a pigpen, in plain English!) I won´t even waste my energy going there The other thing is that my husband thinks that renting is a waste of money, which I agree, but sometimes you have to do things that are not the best to find the best, do I expalin myself? Anyway, thanks for keeping me in mind with regards to Milo ... I will pm you so we can get in touch. I have read many of your posts and ¨conversations¨ with another mom, I think her name is ¨vegggies¨ Some of them are lots of fun and help us, women participating in this forum, to get ideas and stuff since we are all ïn the same boat¨... relocating.
So, I will check out Edgewood and let you know, although I´d rather drive around Edgewood ... hopefully soon!

[Angie&Bill]

Originally Posted by nm_photojournalist

Now one would almost get the idea that you fell in love with our "Land of Enchantment!" :-)

Coming from a gorgeous state on it's own in New Hampshire...that is high praise indeed. The only thing they have in common though, is the "New." LOL!

Having been here for 23 years now, I still share your enthusiasm.

We can use all the "new" arrivals such as yourselves that we can get!

Actually, I had heard a lot of good things about NM before even considering relocating there... that has something.... magical... spiritual ... that life is not as competitive as on the East Coast, that folks are a lot more laid back because they are not running around chasing the dollar every day ... they are more friendly, that life is just ....simpler, I guess. And I believe that a lot of that is probably true ... Plus, I just love the desert ...I always have ... I love the Atacama Desert in my native Chile with the llamas and the alpacas ... the driest desert in the world ... where it rains every 30 years or so ... talk about dry!
And you are right ... New Hampshire is very beautiful, very much like the south of Chile, which gets exactly the same colors in fall and has many lakes as well ... and the beautiful volcanoes! I have to tell you this story, I still get a kick when I remember my gringo husband Bill (I met him in Chile) talking about "the mountains in NH" ... I hope you understand this ... I grew up with the Andes ... almost 20.000 feet high, like the Rockies. So, I come here and I keep looking and asking for the "mountains" and he says to me me "those are the mountains, honey!" and I say "but you said mountains! ... those are foothills! "
Why do we want to move to NM? We want a change, mostly in weather! I don´t mind some snow but I don´t want to be 65 years old and having to deal with such a long cold season! It´s May here and we still have the heat on and need to wear layers Plus, my husband has definitely fallen in love with the Southwest. He loves to hike and when he sees all those mountains and those red rocks and the mesas ... he wants to move ...yesterday! He saw the Sandia mountains and loved them.
So, we are going to work to make our dream come true and my own dream come true, my kitty boarding place. I just ADORE animals, particularly cats and I have this wonderful connection with them... what a blessing! I have been working with humans all my life so it´s time for a change! I still have people who give me this look like I´m crazy when say I want to work with animals and stop doing what I do. I´ve always been self-employed and very successful but it´s not about the money you make, the car you drive or the clothes you wear... it´s about nurturing your soul, feeling that your heart is complete and also making a difference, like I feel I do when I work with the animals at the shelter! Plus, my husband is very supportive and wants me to do what makes me happy!

[Angie&Bill]

Originally Posted by Baja Boomer

Angie, that is not something you're going to have to worry about. It's much more likely that prices will DECREASE than increase. The whole country (along with Europe, Mexico, Australia & New Zealand) is in the early stages of a real estate bubble crash, and though Albuquerque is experiencing strong population growth, and job creation is strong, it will not buck the trend.

What we were told is that there are people who have moved to Miami and after a few years learned they cannot deal with the humid weather everyday. So, they are now selling their houses, making good money and are relocating in NM not only because they like it but also because places like Arizona and Nevada (especifically las Vegas) are already too crowded and can´t take any more people. Same thing with some people from California, they are selling their homes for a lot of money and relocating in NM. So, that is why prices may go up in the next 2 or 3 years, we were told. But what you say is very interesting and I appreciate your input. Plus, I have learned that all these things are sometimes relative ... it all depends on who you talk to and when
I´m going to check out those two blogs you mentioned. As I said to someone else in another post, I would love to rent first... but we have six kitties and one small dog .... if only we could fing some good souls out there willing to take a chance on us and our menagerie and rent us a nice house!