better zipcodes

[trappedinNM]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

Hello all,

I was wondering what would be a good zipcode(s) to search for homes in the albuquerque area. I know that sounds kind of arrogant but I'm looking for the cheapest house in the best neighborhood. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I'm looking for something a little newer with a resonable commute to Albuquerque downtown area.

Thanks

I live in 87122, and it not the best commute to downtown. Paseo to I-25, then to downtown can get crowded. There are areas near UNM that are great. The foothills further south are very nice (Vista Del Mundo, for example) near Tramway and Indian School (East 87112) 87111 is another great zip code near Academy. Lots of great homes.

Much of 87122 is comrised of North Albuquerque Acres and Sandia Heights. NAA is primarily platted one-acre homes. Many were built in the last five years, and are very expensive. Sandia Heights has many older homes situated near the base of the mountain. They are designed to blend with the environment, much like Santa Fe. It is not a traditional neighborhood (front yards, grass, tract-homes) It is a collection of custom homes. Sandia Heights is a good 40 minutes to downtown depending on time of day.

In general, each of us defines what is a great neighborhood. 87109 across the street of 87122 is a collection of smaller, older homes. There are many that are well-kept, and they cost half as much as 87122.

[MMAllen]

You guys are funny! Cold temperatures in Albuquerque are not a consideration! If it's cold it's warm by noon and if it snows (rare) it melts before noon. You want cold, go up to Jemez Springs in the winter! Albuquerque is easy living, weather-wise.

As for zip codes...my advice if you have not come to NM yet are are looking at real estate is to open your mind as big as possible and then pry it open again a few more notches first. You will find a mansion next door to a hovel and it won't bring anyone's value up or down much...it's a real mix unless you are talking the suburban neighborhoods. If you want character and charm, look downtown, Old Town, North Valley, South Valley. Near UNM are nice adobe and stucco houses. There is a lot of new/newer stuff in Albuquerque but there are also older areas that are very peaceful to live in. I lived there from 79-95, then moved into the mountains and commuted til 2005, now live part time there and part time in the UK. I found the best part of Albuq to live in for my taste was the North Valley and out toward the Alameda area. If you want the New Mexico experience. For my taste, a lot of the houses in the northeast suburbs could be Anywhere America, yawn.

I'd say the worst problem a newbie will have moving to New Mexico is preconceived notions and false expectations. Remember: Whatever the rules of life, gravity and physics may be elsewhere, expect the reverse in New Mexico. And have fun!

[TrappedinMI]

You guys don’t know what cold is. Moderator cut: links to competitive sites not allowed named ZIP: 87111, "Albuquerque Foothills, NM" (is that a separate incorporated suburb rather than part of Albuquerque city? lol), the best affordable suburb in New Mexico.

Keep in mind that "affordable" often seems to mean different things to the American media compared to much of the American population...see Business Week readers’ comments for proof of that. Any 1 bedroom apartments for $500-$600/month in 87111? If not, what’s the low-end range there? What would be some alternative Albuquerque zipcodes with $500-$600 rents and hopefully not a lot of crime? My boyfriend liked Albuquerque very much ten years ago and wants to move back there with me!

America's best affordable suburbs - Buying a House - MSN Real Estate
America's best affordable suburbs
Real Estate December 13, 2007, 12:01AM EST
Home buyers can still find reasonable deals in good communities that have low crime, quality schools and a decent commute -- if they know where to look.
By Prashant Gopal, BusinessWeek


Best Affordable Suburbs 2007 - BusinessWeek
Albuquerque Foothills
ZIP: 87111
Nearest metro area: Albuquerque
Population: 60,653
Median home price: $349,500
Median household income: $59,042
Unemployment rate: 3.3%
Commute time: 23.1 minutes
Violent crime index: 7

[yukon]

Any 1 bedroom apartments for $500-$600/month in 87111? If not, what’s the low-end range there?

Yes.

At Academy & Wyoming are two older complexes, Wyoming Apartments and Academy Heights. The one bedroom at Academy Heights is going for $559 right now and is decent - small closets and patio, but has a very nice indoor pool. I don't have prices handy for the other complex.

La Paloma, behind the Walmart at Wyoming & Academy is nice and newer, but also more expensive ($750 I think for 1 bedroom).

You might also check out some places on Eubank (north of Montgomery). The Overlook was nice, they have 3 different sizes of one bedrooms and prices start at $575. Mesa Verde, also in the same area of Eubank, has a wide assortment of studios and one bedrooms, the one I looked at was $580 month, but there were two smaller units for less (don't have price handy, sorry). What I liked about this part of Eubank is there's a nice shopping center midway with a grocery store, shops, health club, dry cleaner, etc. Almost all of the complexes on this part of Eubank were nice. There's probably 8-9 complexes on Eubank between Montgomery and Juan Tabo.

Broadstone High Desert, up in the foothills, is very, very, VERY nice but also the priciest of the apartments I looked at. Seems like the one bedroom I liked was around $850, which is high (even by my Florida standards). Some friends live in one of the townhomes there with a garage, seems like they said they're paying $1200 or so for a 2 bed/2 bath (ouch).

If you don't need the swimming pool, check out the many duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes in the NE area. I found a very nice 2 bed-1bath triplex on Menaul just off Tramway for $650. Be careful about units on Chelwood Park, however - some are really nice and the one next door can be totally run down. Pictures on craigslist can be deceiving

It's not zip 87111, but it's convenient to I-40 and ABQ Uptown - on Louisiana, just north of Montgomery there is a very nice complex called Villa del Oso. One bedrooms are large, about 700 sf, and they rent for $580 (includes gas for hot water & heat, and water, you pay electricity). No washer/dryer hookups but each building has a small laundry room in it. Older complex but VERY well maintained.

If you're looking for a house instead, give yourself a day or two to get used to the architecture here. Depending on where you're from, there's a few things you may have to get used to before you seriously house hunt:

1. Lack of grass in the front yard does not mean the house is run down or the neighborhood is bad (for you southerners used to grass). Rocks & desert plants equal landscaping. Dirt & tumbleweeds are not landscaping.

2. Bars on the windows and doors does not always indicate a bad neighborhood (but only you can decide if you want to live behind bars). I found white bars to be a little less annoying that the black ones.

3. Houses DO come in many colors here - brown, tan, taupe, beige, bisque, chocolate, sienna (getting the idea?). Just kidding, some are painted really pretty earthtones. I'm surprised there aren't more green houses here (desert sage shades, for example).

4. Pueblo style architecture looks run down fast if it's not maintained properly.

Happy house hunting!

[Tim Rankin]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

Hello all,

I was wondering what would be a good zipcode(s) to search for homes in the albuquerque area. I know that sounds kind of arrogant but I'm looking for the cheapest house in the best neighborhood. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I'm looking for something a little newer with a resonable commute to Albuquerque downtown area. Thanks

I didn't see this question asked in the thread, but are schools a factor? If not, I personally might recommend the 87110 zip in the uptown area. I wouldn't say the homes are newer, but i think you can find some really great buys there, and it's fairly close in to the city.

[NURSEYDUDE]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

Hello all,

I was wondering what would be a good zipcode(s) to search for homes in the albuquerque area. I know that sounds kind of arrogant but I'm looking for the cheapest house in the best neighborhood. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I'm looking for something a little newer with a resonable commute to Albuquerque downtown area.

Thanks

WELL, LIKE MOST CITIES, THE NORTHERN SIDE IS MORE DESIREABLE THAN THE SOUTH AND I-4O IS PRETTY MUCH THE DIVIDER. THE NORTHEAST BECOMES MORE DESIREABLE THE FURTHER NORTHEAST YA GO, ENDING UP IN ALBUQUERQUE ACRES WHICH STOPS AT THE INDIAN RESERVATION. THESE HOMES ARE MONSTERS AND CAN BE IN THE MILLIONS. PRICES ARE HIGH BECAUSE THE CITY CAN NO LONGER GROW IN THAT DIRECTION (BECAUSE OF THE RESERVATION.) SAME ISSUE SOMEWHAT TO THE SOUTH, SO THIS TOWN IS GONNA GO WEST YOUNG MAN. LOL MOST FEEL WEST OF THE RIVER IS NOT AS DESIREABLE AS THE FAR NORTHEAST, MAINLY BECAUSE ITS NEWER AND THE OLD REPUTATION OF LIVING OUT IN THE BOONIES STILL REMAINS A BIT. THATS CHANGING FAST. ALMOST ALL AREAS NORTH OF i-40 ON THE WESTSIDE ARE GREAT, BUT NEWER. COORS BLVD, THE MAJOR NORTH/SOUTH ROUTE IS QUICKLY FILLING UP WITH NEW RETAIL BUSINESS, AND I THINK THAT WAS PROBABLY FACTOR FOR NOT LIVING OVER HERE AT ONE TIME. I LIVE JUST NORTH OF I-40 OFF COORS IN THE LADERA DISTRICT. ITS A BIT OF A TRANSITION AREA WITH MOST SPOTS BEING PRETTY GOOD. RIO RANCHO AND THE NORTHWEST IS GROWING QUICK, BUT YOULL NOTICE THERES NO FREEWAYS UP THAT WAY AND SO THE COMMUTE TO DOWNTOWN IS GONNA BE SOMETHING COMING UP HERE. I ONCE LIVED IN RIO RANCHO AND THE AMOUNT OF INCREASED TRAFFIC IS PRETTY NOTICEABLE, BUT THEYVE DONE PRACTICALLY NOTHING TO ALEVE WHATS COMING. WHATS NEEDED IS A FREEWAY CONNECTING 1-40 TO I-25 AND RUNNING THRU RIO RANCHO, BUT IVE HEARD NOTHING PLANNED AS OF YET. ANYONE? SO WITH THAT IN MIND, GO HOUSE SHOPPING. ZIP CODES CAN BE MISLEADING HERE AS ALBUQUERQUE GREW ALONG THE RIVER. STRAIGHT NORTH AND SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN (NORTH VALLEY AND SOUTH VALLEY) WERE/ AND STILL ARE A BIT AGRICULTURAL AND A STRIP OF FERTILE LAND WITH COTTONWOOD TREES GROWS ALL ALONG. GO A MILE OR LESS IN EITHER DIRECTION AND ITS DESERT. THE TREES ARE OBVIOUSLY DESIREABLE, SO THE AREA HAS BECOME FILLED WITH ESTATES, HORSE STABLES ETC. VERY EXCLUSIVE. WHAT ALSO REMAINS ARE THE LITTLE FARMING SHACKS/BUSINESSES FROM THE PAST. NOT UNCOMMON TO HAVE A MANSION SITTING NEXT TO A SHACK WITH A TRANSMISSION SHOP IN THE MIDDLE. ALL PERFFECTLY ACCEPTABLE FOR US. SO WITH THAT IN MIND, DONT KEEP SO TIED TO THE ZIP AS YOU MAY HAVE A BIG SURPRIZE, ESPECIALLY IF THE HOUSE SITS CLOSE TO THE RIVER. GOOD LUCK.

[NURSEYDUDE]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

Thanks for your honesty. In checking MSN real estate I can see the prices. Murphys law is usually right. If something is too good to be true it usually isn't. Thanks for the relpy. I was planning on comming out in jan or feb to check out the weather. I'm a So Cal native so I was wondering what the weather is like. I looked on weather.com and it says that the high in the day is around 45 50 degrees. That doesn't sound bad but the sub 30's at night might be an issue

DONT WORRY.....ITS A DRY COLD! LOL

[NURSEYDUDE]

Originally Posted by mortimer

Chowhound worried:

> > 87122 is the "most elite" almost handsdown. ...

> Murphys law is usually right. If something is too good to be
> true it usually isn't.

Murphy's law says [Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong].
I don't think there is a 'rule' or 'law' regarding the "... too good ... " bit.

Nonetheless, the "... too good ... " bit is something the people seem to always forget until after the fact when it comes to investing.

You'll find that the lower priced homes in that zip code are by an intersection or are 'cheapies' that some developer managed to to insert into the neighborhood without someone noticing. These places are still desireable for their proximity to Tramway Road and the foothills, cooler summer temperatures and later freezes than happen in the valley. Probably, their investment value is still good because of the land that they sit on. My guess is that as Albuquerque builds out there might be a suspicious fire or two among these buildings some day.

> I'm a So Cal native so I was wondering what the weather is like.
> ... but the sub 30's at night might be an issue

You can count on a few nights in Albuquerque going down to zero deg F every single year. (Last year, the lowest I saw was 5, but that's so close to zero ...

I HAVE LIVED HERE 5 YEARS AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN 0. 10 MAYBE, LIKE THIS YEAR. KEEP IN MIND THO THAT WE DONT GET TOO MUCH SNOW TO SHOVEL, AND I THINK THATS MORE OF AN ISSUE, DONT YOU?