Looking to move to Albquerque... (Albuquerque, Rio Rancho: new home, buying, zip codes)

[evilnewbie]

I am looking to buy some land to build on and would like some input. I tried Realtor.com but the listings are incredibly incomplete and without pictures of the land. I want around 1-2 acres of land to build a large single residential home (about 5k - 6k square feet). I would like to know what zip codes I should look at in realtor.com because I am not sure where to look. Thanks!

[rybert]

Moriarty. 87035

[evilnewbie]

I ran through that zip code... is it just me or are the lands out there, weird? I am looking for city water, city sewer, and gas hookup... When I read a lot of the land over there.. there is stuff that says " Telephone lines are 1/2 mile away"... are you kidding me? I look on the map and there is nothing around, am I missing something? Is there a better website to look for land over there?

[rybert]

Sorry,

I was being a bit of an a**.

I'm not a proponent of large single family residences (but that's beyond our discussion).

I would think it would be difficult to find land within the "city proper." Maybe North Albuquerque Acres would have the land (albeit @ 80k per acre)

Also try Placitas (87043) (expensive, but I'll assume you're retiring and have some money saved)

[ziaAirmac]

In addition, try Edgewood (87015), Los Lunas (87031), Rio Rancho (87124) and Bosque Farms (87042) on Southwest Multiple Listing Service. You can select a bunch of criteria including land and size.

[evilnewbie]

Thanks zia! The website was much more helpful... I notice that a lot of property doesn't have city sewer, is this common?

[ziaAirmac]

For the areas you're looking in, it is. It's one of the reasons buying the land outright can look so inexpensive. The city hasn't spent the money installing various services (in some cases power, paved roads, sewer, etc...) so the land has less value because you'll be finding the answers to these needs, and possibly footing all or a portion of the costs. Many gorgeous new homes in Rio Rancho on large lots were left stranded in the past due to the dirt roads being washed out.

[rybert]

Avoid Rio Rancho... the infrastructure was an after-thought.