from new orleans to new mexico - placitas area Q + A (Albuquerque: rental homes, homes)

[siequinn]

hello, everybody.
my boyfriend and i are college students hoping to uproot and replant in the serene, beautiful new mexico. that being said, our plans are to go to university in abq. we want to live outside of there, even twenty minutes or so is great- we like it rural. i'm not too concerned about 'crime' or anything (we are from new orleans), but budgeting is an issue. i'm guessing that we'll put the cap on rent at around 800. i'd love an adobe all secluded and beautiful - is that unrealistic? my mind is spinning and i can't seem to be able to find much out until we physically go see in january, but i am interested in the Placitas and Bernaillo areas for sure. can yall give me some insight into other areas around abq that are
somewhat off the beaten path
affordable rental homes
basic conveniences close by- gas, grocery, ...

thanks for your help, everybody

[D.A.Lobo]

Originally Posted by siequinn

hello, everybody.
my boyfriend and i are college students hoping to uproot and replant in the serene, beautiful new mexico. that being said, our plans are to go to university in abq. we want to live outside of there, even twenty minutes or so is great- we like it rural. i'm not too concerned about 'crime' or anything (we are from new orleans), but budgeting is an issue. i'm guessing that we'll put the cap on rent at around 800. i'd love an adobe all secluded and beautiful - is that unrealistic? my mind is spinning and i can't seem to be able to find much out until we physically go see in january, but i am interested in the Placitas and Bernaillo areas for sure. can yall give me some insight into other areas around abq that are
somewhat off the beaten path
affordable rental homes
basic conveniences close by- gas, grocery, ...

thanks for your help, everybody

Placitas? If I'm thinking of the location by Bernalillo then It's the place where there's a bunch of mansions. It's a very upscale location. I don't think you can find anything below $1000 per month. Bernalillo to UNM is a good 20-30 minute drive depending on traffic. I would not recommend it.

If you want to move in a rural part of town I would suggest the far NE side of town (Spain & Tramway area and north of it, google map it), the outskirts of Rio Rancho or the far NW part of town.

[karmathecat]

South Valley, if you don't care about 'crime'.

[abqsunport]

Placitias might be a little tough in your budget range, but you shouldn't have a problem with Bernalillo. Someplace that might be a little high priced is Corralles, but i can't picture something that fits your standards much better (its definitely a lot closer than bernalillo). You may also like the East Mountains, but this will be a little further than 20 minutes. The best recommendation is to come out and look around, or even to rent a place close to UNM while you look outside the area and find what fits you.

[_yb]

I think you could pull that off in Bernalillo. One upside is you will be able to utilize the rail runner for commuting to UNM.

[jiminnm]

As a Placitas resident who doesn't live in a mansion, and the vast majority of us don't, I think you'll find a full range of homes and pricing out here. Like most places, you get what you pay for in terms of both size and quality. Bernalillo would be cheaper, but you would be in a small town and not a rural or semi-rural environment.

You can start here: The Sandoval Signpost - News for Sandoval County: Placitas, Bernalillo, Algodones, Northern Rio Rancho, Santa Ana Pueblo, Sandia Pueblo, New Mexico

[trailtramp]

Another Placitas resident here...we own a nice home but it is not a mansion. The drive from Placitas down to UNM is going to be 30 minutes on a good day, almost as long from Bernalillo. If thats too far, you might check out the Tijeras area or even the close in part of east mountains, its a little shorter drive and you still get the beautiful rural lifestyle.

[mortimer]

Why would anyone want to live outside of the University area
if they plan to attend the University?

It's one thing to already be living in, say, Rio Rancho or
the far NE Heights or ( heaven forbid ) Placitas and then decide
to attend, but to be moving here from elsewhere, plan on
attending, and with-your-eyes-wide-open aim for Placitas.

Just the simple act of parking adds 20 minutes each way to
get to a location on the campus(*) -- IF you are having a
"good parking day" ( which happens about once a semester ).

If you want rural, maybe attending school in Socorro or Silver City
is a better option.

(*) After you have driven all the way down from Placitas.

[ABQConvict]

Move to Albuquerque, live in the University area. There you will have a cheap rent, meet a lot of people, get a lot of opinions on where to live when you can finally move out to a 'rural' area.

At your budget, I would look at the East Mountains. Placitas does have cheaper digs, but it is a small area and there could easily be nothing to rent at the time you are looking. Bernalillo is a small town with rural roots that is now surrounded by modern suburbs, South Valley is indeed rural but has a little bit of a gang problem.


ABQConvict

[mortimer]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

At your budget, I would look at the East Mountains.

I'm guessing that the "budget" doesn't include driving expense.

Say you find a place in the East Mountains with a 30 mi drive each way.
What does that do to the budget?

What about the logistics of living out there with one car?
"You can't go home when you want to tonight, because I ... "

What does a second car do to the budget?

Naturally, we will totally ignore the true cost of driving and only
focus on the cost of fuel ...