Relocating to the SF/ABQ area...where? (Albuquerque, Las Cruces: rental, crime)

[WasSoggyInSeattle]

My husband & I are thinking about relocating to the SF/ABQ area within the next year for a couple of reasons: 1). to get closer to my aging parents in Pep, NM (south of Portales), 2) SUN!

I vacationed in the area as a child and so have a bit of a skewed, romanticized view I'm sure but I have always loved NM and am excited at the prospect of actually moving there. We are originally from TX and have been in WA for about 15 yrs now and as beautiful as it is, the wet is really starting to wear on us. We are planning a trip to NM in June to scope things out but would like a little advice on areas in which to look at homes. From reading other posts and receiving relo pkgs from both cities we understand the housing market is a bit pricey... coming from the Seattle area I don't think we'll be too surprised at the prices – after seeing the home prices up here not much can shock us; its ridiculous up here (another reason to move).

Knowing that everything hinges on where we actually get jobs... we would like to have a pueblo-style home (2500 sf or so) on 2+ acres, views of something more than our neighbors & within a reasonable commute (<hour) to either ABQ or SF in a (don't laugh) $250-400K price range (cheaper is better of course). Looking online and in the relo pkgs we are thinking the following towns/communities: Placitas, Tesuque, Cerrilos, Madrid, Algodones, Las Padillas, Bernalillo, White Rock, Espanola, Las Alamos, Edgewood, Tijeras, Galisto, or Belen might be good choices.

We don't have kids so don't necessarily need to worry schools. We would like to be in a safe (reading the horror stories about crime in the cities), rural area if possible but not opposed to being closer in for the right property.

Any tips you have on what areas to absolutely avoid, areas we may not have thought of and should check out while on our trip would be appreciated.

Thanks!!

[ziaAirmac]

Some of the communities you mention might have what you're looking for, but some of them are very unlikely:

Placitas stands out as it's mostly high end customs these days.

Los (note, Los with an 'o') Alamos is a fishbowl. No space for growth, and everyone there is connected to the labs so the housing search is like musical chairs.

The outskirts of Espanola might be possible (price/land/square footage) but to be perfectly honest, Espanola proper could a difficult place for out of towners to start out.

When I was first taking in what you were looking for I thought Algodones, but like many of the other communities you mentioned, it's really small so it can take awhile for what you're looking for to come up.

Given you're considering Belen, I would also look specifically at Peralta, Los Lunas and Bosque Farms (all rural communities between Belen and Albuquerque.

Also, given that you'd have a long drive to Pep anyway, you might want to consider Las Cruces. It's really hopping down there, and if nothing else, it gives you another shot at finding the right combination of home, property and job.

[yukon]

You might want to consider renting first.

Friends of mine moved here about a year ago and started out renting in the much raved about NE foothills. Being from the midwest, they've discovered it's not their cup of tea (too snooty, in their words). They considered buying in Las Lunas, but worried about the "crime". We suggested they rent again, and they found a great rental deal in Las Lunas - a NEW house in a new, gated subdivision with a large lot. Since they'll be selling a huge place and land in the midwest once they find the perfect spot here, it's worth it to them to test the waters first by renting. Renting allows them to decide first-hand if they like the area & the commute. Had they bought the place in the NE area, they'd be stuck right now and very unhappy.

There are quite a few good deals out there right now, due to the housing downturn. And if you end up liking where you rent, the landlord might be open to selling at a good price, since a bird in hand is always better than a dozen just looking.

JHMO

[santafescribe]

See my reply on the New Mexico board...

[ABQSunseeker]

Placitas sounds right for you in most regards except for pricing. Not sure there is much below the 400,000 price break, but there are some pretty decent houses in the 400s. Take a look with a realtor. Good luck.

[EnjoyEP]

zephyrjcq -

I moved your post / question to its own / separate thread in this forum. You'll get better responses there as its own separate post / thread since it was off of the topic of this original one. (Still of course under the Albuquerque forum! ).

[DDay]

Hi Soggy:

Boy can I understand what you're talking about when you talk about Seattle. My husband & I lived there 14 years and moved to New Mexico 2 years ago. We are still trying to get rid of the mold and rust we developed over those 14 years. This was the best move we could have made. Sunshine & fresh air. No 2.5 hour commutes to go 8 miles. I am in heaven. Of course, our choice of neighborhoods wouldn't be for everyone for sure. We happen to live in Los Lunas in what is considered one of the "BAD" neighborhoods. Though we haven't had any problems though it was more of an adjustment to the neighbors than us since we are white in a highly hispanic neighborhood. People have adjusted to us and have become really friendly. It's very quiet and the view spectacular.

We lived in Nob Hill in Abq when we first moved here. Though it's a pretty respected part of town with a lot of large homes and referred to as Snob Hill, it wasn't for us. I had my truck broken into twice and my husband once. There was always something going on and a lot of noise. We moved out of Seattle and didn't want that type of surroundings again.

Your best bet is to come and explore. Like everywhere else, there are good areas and bad areas and some of them bleed into one another. It was strange to me that you could be in an up-scale neighborhood go two blocks in be in the "hood."

Good luck to you.

[WasSoggyInSeattle]

DDay,
Thanks for the post. We'll be there in June to look things over and probably a few more times before the actual move. My Dad is from NM (eastern) and I have relatives all over the state - so I'm somewhat familiar with the area as I spent every summer there as a kid but that was MANY moons ago. I will be interested to see how its changed.

Its good to hear from another rusty Seattlite that made the move and adjusted well. You moved in the nick of time, the past two years have been horrible weather-wise. I'm sure we'll complain about LACK of rain when we get there but hopefully not for a year or two! :-) We were going to go see the tulips this weekend but didn't want to tiptoe thru them in the snow... yes snow, here in mid-April. Sigh

[abqsunport]

SoggyInSeattle, we, in Albuquerque, got some snow this morning. Tuesday (4/15/08) High of 85, Wednesday High of 75+, and today we had snow this morning on my way to work with a high of low 50s, and tomorrow, high of 75. Needless to say, you will be very intrigued by New Mexico's bizzarre weather patterns.

[WasSoggyInSeattle]

I think I'd come more near expecting it there than here... since I'm only about 90 ft above sea-level. But so far they are saying snow only at the 1000' level and MAYBE sea and since they are "predicting" it, that's a pretty good indicator that it ain't gonna snow. Hope your weather guys are better than ours!!