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I live in a relatively low development area of Rio Rancho on 1.3 acres of desert and sage. I occasionally have a scorpion in the house, but they are always dead. I find an occasional dead centipede in the house. I spray with "Home Defense" mostly because the ants want to come in on occasion but that seems to take care of the other stuff, too. I have a cat that might be killing them off. I have never actually seen a scorpion outside but there are occasional centipedes in the rocks. I have spiders but nothing dangerous. There is a spider that resembles a brown recluse but actually isn't. I'm 73 and work outside in my pond and front and back courtyards. I wear gloves mostly due to thorns. I don't think I have had a mosquito bite in 8 years. House flies are pesky at times. I had a coachwhip snake in the yard a few years ago. I have a resident coyote that passes through the yard at night. He actually owns the place and lets me live here. I'm sure there are some horror stories but, in my experience, of all the hazards we have here the sun will get you before anything else.
I'm sure there are some horror stories but, in my experience, of all the hazards we have here the sun will get you before anything else.
Yes, I believe what you say about the dangers of solar exposure, though as I said I’d be indoors most of the time, save when putting garbage cans on the street, bi-monthly food shopping and doctor/dental visits. Actually, my biggest fear of all out there would be droughts, though I heard that RR has recently became NM’s first municipality to install a large scale aquifer recharge system. Funny, I would have thought that Las Cruces in particular would have had that long ago. Indeed, their public water system is so advanced that they made a video some years ago where a city DPW engineer showed how they perfected a drinking water from urine system. True story. There’s also systems like this but given the rate of climate change, that NM being the 2nd driest state and even factoring in my age, it’s unclear how cost effective it would be. https://www.tsunamiproducts.com/products/tsunami-500
I lost my beautiful and perfect black short hair cat back in 2008 after 17 years, the year after I lost my mom. And I couldn’t replace him either as I was then still living with my dad and brother and their savage dogs. This stifling 1100 sq ft Long Island senior co-op will allow me a pet but I wouldn’t subject a cat and myself to live together in this place. But yes, if I ever make it to NM and get the home I want I’ll certainly be sharing it with a lovely scorpion killing cat, though I would hope that DIY spraying would be as effective at killing biting spiders as hiring a service.
May I ask if you’re off the power grid and/or town water supply? I’d be happy with 3/4 acres if I can build the one story house I want, but I suppose land prices are rising as fast as home prices are in RR. Ironically, while Sandoval County is big so many of the homes there for ~ $400K are nice but the plots are not especially sizable AND they're so close together-practically like here on overpopulated Long Island.
I’m not off the grid but I have a well and septic system. Heat with natural gas. Use a swamp cooler. There is a big push for solar retrofit for homes but it was more expensive for a one person household than for a family. There are partner companies that will install it but you lease it and when I did the math I was better without it. It would be different if I was younger and bought solar outright and paid it off but at my age I’ll stick with what I have.
Building from scratch was my plan. I bought a lot but the cost of building was rising too much and there were a lot of homes for sale cheaper than what my builder could build that fit my needs. The builder actually helped me pick a place. The lots where I was going to build had all utilities added except water and sewer. Drilling a well is expensive. Septic is too. I asked if city water would be extended and they said not in my lifetime. I’d have pay $90k to get it extended now. You can drill a few wells for that. Last I checked those 1/2 acre lots were very cheap but have probably come up. The developer backed out during the recession and the land was turned over to the bank. They are in the Enchanted Hills area of Rio Rancho. Not a bad location unless you have a long commute. Bernalillo has local services.
I’m not off the grid but I have a well and septic system. Heat with natural gas. Use a swamp cooler. There is a big push for solar retrofit for homes but it was more expensive for a one person household than for a family. There are partner companies that will install it but you lease it and when I did the math I was better without it. It would be different if I was younger and bought solar outright and paid it off but at my age I’ll stick with what I have.
Building from scratch was my plan. I bought a lot but the cost of building was rising too much and there were a lot of homes for sale cheaper than what my builder could build that fit my needs. The builder actually helped me pick a place. The lots where I was going to build had all utilities added except water and sewer. Drilling a well is expensive. Septic is too. I asked if city water would be extended and they said not in my lifetime. I’d have pay $90k to get it extended now. You can drill a few wells for that. Last I checked those 1/2 acre lots were very cheap but have probably come up. The developer backed out during the recession and the land was turned over to the bank. They are in the Enchanted Hills area of Rio Rancho. Not a bad location unless you have a long commute. Bernalillo has local services.
Two years from now when I’ll be looking to retire I can only pray that some things will change enough for the better to make it easier to choice first between upstate NY and NM and then among the above three NM towns/counties. RR, followed by LL, look to be the most economically robust.
SC was founded by WR Hearst’s father to mine silver. When the silver ran out copper and other ore have been mined ever since. But Grant county relies on mining much too heavily and has made no visible attempts to attract investors for creating new economic sectors. Ironically, I’ve yet to find homes of interest in my price range there. But though last I checked land was quite affordable for building, if the mines even just downsized Grant could become one big ghost town in a week.
Though RR, with ~ 5x the population, is far richer than Los Lunas, notable businesses have set up operations in LL. One is Face book’s 300 acre data center. Hopefully, they and the Village will follow through on promises to create ~ 600 jobs. Last I checked there were very nice new ~ 2200 sq ft homes there at nice prices, but again on fairly small lots. The thing is I don’t like a lot of small rooms nor a big kitchen. I’m deep into home theater and want a 27 to 30 ft long living room, a 20 ft master bedroom and a gym room, all with sloping ceilings. And a partially finished basement. The house would be ~ 2300 sq ft, but because it’s a one story with a small kitchen I had hoped that building it wouldn’t be much more than buying a two story LL or RR home.
Then if I could pay cash for all of it and to get on the grid, I could get a reverse mortgage to finance solar retrofits, a well, gas powered central HVAC and to have the whole house inspected and stuffed with caulk and steel wool against black widows, brown recluses, scorpions and vinegaroons. And if I could really afford it and could get a permit I’d install 6 ft high fencing, the bottom 3 ft being very fine mesh to keep out all biting creatures. And the top of the fencing would be barbed against burglars.
My problem is that unlike NY, NM will tax ALL of my retirement income; pension, SSI, dividends. But someone from NM internal revenue said that senior homeowners usually qualify for a number of discounts. Did any of this happen for you, at the state and local level? I know that property taxes are way lower in most places in NM than in NY, but do you get any breaks on utility rates, auto and home insurance, income, property, sales taxes and/or other discounts?
What about wildfires in RR? I think most acreage in LL is too barren of fire prone vegetation and also being ~ 30 miles from mountains, which are mostly treeless. Grant County had that Tadpole fire last year. It didn’t get anywhere close to Silver though it burned 7K acres.
But in RR, while the Sandia mountains are essentially treeless, does that brush that I see on along the outskirts of residential blocks often catch fire during lightening strikes or stupid human tricks with matches and fireworks? I only saw one small fire on the RR TV news but fire officials didn’t seem worried. But are wildfires becoming more common due to climate change?
Recycling/Bottle Bill? NY is one of the few states with a 5 cent return on some brands of bottled water and soda in glass and cans. But does RR and most of the other larger towns pickup up plastic, metal can, glass and/or paper which homeowners put out on streets for recycling?
Are you satisfied with the medical and dental care available in RR or do you have to travel to ABQ or elsewhere?
What you see of the Sandias in RR is the west facing fracture side with cliffs and steep slopes. The east side is more gently sloping and pine forested -- very different. The Sandias are the eastern edge of the very deep Rio Grande Rift. The rift is much younger than the Rocky Mountains but still some 30 million years old and probably still slowly active.
Local wildfires are not common but there are occasional fires in the Bosque forest along the Rio Grande. There seems to be more effort at controlling forest fires, especially up in the Jemez Mountains. There have been some serious fires up there in the past. No wildfires in the RR area since I have been here.
Swamp coolers are very common. I think that probably most homes have swamp coolers. You seldom keep it on all day and it will get pretty cool by 9 PM if you leave it on. I was a skeptic when I moved here but was surprised at how it worked and at a fraction of the cost. You keep your windows open a bit so if you have a lot of allergies you might want AC. Because they use water you have to maintain a swamp cooler twice a year - spring and fall.
I hear people complain about healthcare in general but I have only had very good experiences. I have the best doctor (PCP) that I have ever had and the first one that actually listens to me. I had a hip replaced in 2018 and it had a great outcome. I can get an appointment with my PCP in a couple days but it might be weeks to see a specialist. I made an eye doctor appointment a month ago for February.
In RR I have a recycling curb pick-up every other week. I haul my yard waste to the dump a couple times a year for a couple bucks.
I pay a bit higher income tax here because they fully tax my government pension. It's a big state with only 2 million population and poor state and they need the money and I love being here so I didn't care. They don't have a personal property tax like where I was. They have a gross receipts tax that is passed to customers as a sales tax. I get a senior discount on my RE tax, which is low already. There are no particular senior discounts on utilities that I see. My gas bill is mostly transmission fees and other costs, not much gas except in winter.
Your building plans sound ambitious and costly to me. You might want to subscribe to a magazine called Su Casa, a quarterly put out by the local builders group that showcases their work and periodically shows what is being built all around the ABQ/RR/LL area. I think it runs about $15 a year. Then you might want to contact a custom builder to ask questions. That is what I did before I moved here. I went so far as to buy land and have plans drawn up but pulled the plug due to rising building costs and the recession. I am glad I did. I had always "built" my own home but this one was custom built in the 1990s and could not have been built in 2013 for the asking price.
But in RR, while the Sandia mountains are essentially treeless, does that brush that I see on along the outskirts of residential blocks often catch fire during lightening strikes or stupid human tricks with matches and fireworks? I only saw one small fire on the RR TV news but fire officials didn’t seem worried. But are wildfires becoming more common due to climate change?
Woah boy, you're way off in whatever silly research you've done so far. Rio Rancho is a suburb sprawl tract housing nightmare of a development, and there is no wildfire risk (unless for some reason fire jumps from the Bosque and the fire department just parties while it thankfully takes out Rio Rathole - doubtful though).
Sandia Mountains are very tree canopied, especially on the east side. I think you should live in Rio Rancho, you'll love it!
Woah boy, you're way off in whatever silly research you've done so far. Rio Rancho is a suburb sprawl tract housing nightmare of a development…
Are you still here? You should do better research. Rio Rancho is the 3rd largest city in the state and gaining on number 2. There is a reason why people choose to live there. Maybe it is the better schools, less crime, and reasonable costs. RR is attracting retirees who have little or no need to go to ABQ for any routine reasons. There is an attitude of self-sufficiency. The city is not typical and that confuses some, especially those who think any development less than 50 years old is sprawl. It has made some mistakes and has growing pains. ABQ was half the size of RR in 1940 and is still making mistakes. RR has a lot more room for growth and that threatens some on the other side of the river.
Woah boy, you're way off in whatever silly research you've done so far. Rio Rancho is a suburb sprawl tract housing nightmare of a development, and there is no wildfire risk (unless for some reason fire jumps from the Bosque and the fire department just parties while it thankfully takes out Rio Rathole - doubtful though).
Sandia Mountains are very tree canopied, especially on the east side. I think you should live in Rio Rancho, you'll love it!
In addition to being a lifelong natural lover I’m also an avid cinephile. In the Fritz Lang crime classic “Woman in the Window”, once contented art connoisseur and talented part time painter Edward G. Robinson gets badly smitten by Joan Bennett and thereby reaches the nadir of his perfect self-destruction. The lesson of that story is to always be aware of some forms of beauty for they can be truly lethal.
Sometimes you have to be strong and mature enough to just walk away from it. So it is with many of the most alluring yet potentially deadly western vistas: The wildfire in Eagle’s Nest that killed 20 firefighters circa 2015; last year’s Little Bear file in Lincoln County that burned 200 structures, and throughout the west, now happening more often, faster moving and longer burning from climate change.
I very badly fall to pieces when I see photos and videos of southwestern landscapes and trails which I will never get the chance to visit. But my one consolation is not having the chance to be seduced by them to end up living there, even in those places not far from quality goods and services. And my long lived fear of flying precludes periodic visits. I do very much live for my stuff so I couldn’t bear to lose my house to wildfires or floods, nor can I be far from good medical, dental care and other essentials.
As for Rio Rancho and Los Lunas, if they continue failing to zone wisely and forcefully and put limits on certain kinds of growth they will quickly become not much better than overgrown rat holes.
Last edited by Longislandmire; 12-11-2021 at 03:40 PM..
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