Information about moving to Albuquerque (Hope: sales, to buy, school)

[ziaAirmac]

jam_1415: The three major economies in New Mexico are Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Cruces. All the other areas are either clearly rural, or are very specialized (Los Alamos for example). Santa Fe's focus is mostly on the State's operation, Tourism and Art. Albuquerque has the benefit of jet service direct to other jet hubs, but Las Cruces has been booming lately, and the jet service out of El Paso isn't too far away. Many actually prefer the lack of 'heavy' jets overhead. Albuquerque has really put effort into job development. It seems we have the announcement of a new company coming to town every month.

As for the crime stats, AlisonL's description was as succinct and accurate as I've read: "If you go looking for it, you'll find it.". Can I guarantee you won't be touched by crime if you move to a 'desirable' area? No. Can you minimize your chances of being affected by crime with some street/city smarts and a good house location choice? Absolutely. That's what the stats don't show you. To guide your search, know that most locals regard areas north of I-40 and especially the NE quadrant as low crime areas, but Albuquerque can be hit or miss. There are some great neighborhoods and blocks in areas that most might pass over, leaving an opportunity for getting a relative bargain on a house. The consensus seems to be if you get serious about a move, plan a 4 day weekend to poke around the place. Everyone that's done so has come away with impressions that helped solidify their decision.

Cade: 78F... My Hoffmantown's furnace would burst into flames trying to keep up with that! Seriously though, I won't tell you what should be comfortable for you. I would like to suggest you check out your insulation. We had some insulation, but southwest builders seem to forget that although it's sunny, it can get quite cold at night and during winter storms. We blew in some green insulation from Home Depot. They have a machine that you can rent from them to blow it in. It's not a job for the feint of heart, but it was affordable (the rental is actually free with a minimum # of insulation packs purchased.). Because you're blowing it in, you can kind of customize your coverage too (my wife always complained that our bedroom always seemed a few degrees colder than whatever the house was set at, so I packed on a nice pile over the bedrooms.).

We noticed an immediate savings in our next month's bill, but there were a couple of really obvious results: The furnace used to run almost constantly during winter nights and now it only cranks up every so often. The house felt much cozier than we ever imagined, even at the same temperatures we used before. If you could imagine the temperature in the house in layers of 10 degree increments, with the hottest layer at the ceiling our layers used to feel like they were mostly compressed at the top with the cooler layers being much thicker below. This meant when the thermostat was set to 70, we were feeling like it was cooler. After we blew in the insulation, it was like the heat layers at top were thickening and extending down to us, making the house feel MUCH cozier, even at the same temperature settings. Being in Rio Rancho, you probably have improved windows over mine, but I also found some serious drafts that were solved by sealing the offending windows. You'll be surprised how much a small draft can compromise how comfortable you feel in your house.

[Cade]

Oh, I can't so that. I live in an apartment and chances are they have the cheapest insulation they could get, even though I think my apartment is really nice, with an airy floorplan and lots of windows for bright sunny days. All the windows can be one of the problems in winter though because I can feel the chill coming in through the glass. Our bedroom is much cooler than the living room for some reason which in summer is awesome because we can run the ceiling fan without the air.

Did you have to take down drywall and plaster to insulate yourself, or could you reach everywhere you wanted from the attic? That sounded like quite the job!

[ziaAirmac]

No drywall or plaster work, just a long, messy afternoon in the attic, and sealing off the windows with those plastic kits. I feel for you on the apartment thing. My wife and I used to live in an apartment on Girard near Central. It was old and full of character. It was about as efficient as a tent.

[Cade]

The "tent" comment, oh god that made me laugh! Priceless!

[greyparrot2]

Albuquerque....the good points - beautiful weather, houses are relatively affordable (especially compared to CA), good food, the balloon fiesta is fun, beautiful scenery.

The down sides - I just heard on the news this morning we have the second worst food availability rate. We have a very high violent crime rate per capita. We have gangs (like a lot of larger cities nowadays). We are amongst the poorest states in the nation (last I heard we were poorer than even Louisiana, though this may have changed). Our teachers and support staff are paid the least (or at least, among the lowest) in the nation. I used to work for APS and can personally attest to this fact. We have a higher than average high school dropout rate. 40% of our state has no health insurance. I think we have the highest DWI rate if I remember correctly (or at least near the top, if not THE highest). The job market is tough and wages are low. Food is expensive. Health care is downright scary here (I work for UNM Hospital now and can attest to this fact as well). You better not get seriously sick/hurt too far outside of Albuquerque, or you'll have a several hours' drive or flight to a hospital that can handle you, and beds are VERY tight at our hospitals - patients have waited as long as two weeks to get a needed bed. We only have one level 1 trauma center for the entire state, which is also the main place for a lot of medical specialists.

I've lived here since December 1991 and am really disappointed at how much Albuquerque has changed, and am looking to move in the next 3 years or so.

[rybert]

Please do.

[QDF Kid]

Hello There,
I'm in a town called Belen, 45 minute drive south on I25 from Albuquerque.
Nothing really happens here in this town, some people like it that way. Necessities are here.
We are in Rio Communities situated on the Tierra del Sol 18 hole golf course. It's quiet, although we hear train whistles in the diatance often. Neighbors are friendly. It's safe here. We drive about 10 miles north to Los Lunas to find more places to eat. I find the house prices reasonable. Around $200,000 for a 3 befroom 2 bath 2 car garage place.
I have a house for sale here on the golf course, it's a 3 befroom 2 bath 2 car garage place on Frederico Blvd; google it. It's a two story with Pinkish roof tiles. I'll be putting it on Craigslist soon.
Albuquerque is fine by me. I'm used to a 4 million people city, so I'm content where I am now; I just have to take up golf!
Dave

[P2B702]

Hello everyone,
My husband got a job in ABQ, and we will move there by the end of this month. I am just wondering if anyone can tell me if there is any premium outlets (or fashion outlets). I will have plenty of time off this month, and I would love to go shopping there in ABQ. Please let me know if you know any of them.

I live in Las Vegas, NV. They have a couple of fashion outlets in town. I will miss those outlets, if I would not find one in ABQ.

Thanks

[Cade]

Uy, you're gonna be missing Vegas. I'm from Socal and went to Vegas periodically to shop and dine. I don't know of any of those premium outlet malls here. My husband drives truck and says there is an outlet mall in Castle Rock CO but from ABQ that is a 7-8 hr drive. He isn't sure how big or extensive it is. See if you can find some info on it online.

There are indoor malls here with all the usual stores like Macy's, Forever 21 and Dillard's. Dillard's is as close as you will find to Nordstrom's as they don't exist here. I like Nordy's much better than Dillard's.

There is a upscale outdoor mall here called ABQ Uptown (not outlets) that is nice. We had one in my old city that was much larger, and I am hoping Uptown will continue to grow.

Coming from Vegas I'll tell you that the kind of choices you're used to for shopping and premium dining don't exist here. I've lived here for 18 mos or so and I still miss all those things, and winters with no snow. My suggestion is to have a "shopping excursion" and travel to where you want to shop and make a day or a weekend of it.

[rybert]

Less is more.