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Happy Tuesday Las Cruceans.
First off, let me apologize for the book like length of this post. I was just reading over an older thread of a poll asking residents their opinion of LC. Some of the replies seemed as though they could have been written by people living in Florida a few years ago. The last of this thread was July of 2008 so it kinda ended there, but got me thinking.
I have lived here in SW Florida for over 20 years and saw the growth explode. We went from a small retirement town to a speculators feeding frenzy. Growth is a double edged sword I am aware, but on the scale we had here in Florida it was out of control.
Now we are paying the price, oh good God are we paying the price! The speculation and influx of new people arriving by the what seemed like busloads drove home prices beyond what most working people here could afford. Very low wages for most is the norm. House prices shot through the roof with it being very difficult for most folks to earn a real living here.
Is there a better base of employment in Las Cruces? Here we had construction and service industry jobs as the leaders. No manufacturing, large scale offices, etc. It was stores or building stores and houses. I know from this experience if you cannot employ the new comers then you are headed for big problems down the road. When I read the threads on house prices shooting up with growth exploding and low wages it was deja vu.
What we are left with is street after street of foreclosed homes. Homes cannot be rented out because there are no takers, rents have plummeted. Our unemployment stands at 9.9%. Jobs are non exsistant. My own home has gone from a 275,000 purchase price to a value of 145,000 in just 3 years. I have 4 homes on my road, 3 are empty due to foreclosure. Is a bubble building in Las Cruces or has the economic down turn corrected your hot growth market? Give me your take on the current situation in LC. I wouldnt wish this mess on any other city.
swFL4now........are you in Ft.Myers ?? Las Cruces isn't hurting anywhere near that SW Florida is going thru. Although the population is growing fast it's still only around 90,000 with 100's of miles and miles of desert and mountains and hidden gems to explore.
Last summer my family moved here and we took 4 months to find a house. There were/are MANY homes available, but IMO the prices still relatively high. In the 4 months we were actively looking for a home, all homes were still on the market when we finally put down a contract. I think we looked at about 50 home.s. Maybe they all sold after we bought our home, but I don't think so. Right now I see houses keep going up (about 5 are being built in my neighborhood) all over town, and there are still many new and existing homes for sale.
swFL4now........are you in Ft.Myers ?? Las Cruces isn't hurting anywhere near that SW Florida is going thru. Although the population is growing fast it's still only around 90,000 with 100's of miles and miles of desert and mountains and hidden gems to explore.
I am in the NorthPort/Port Charlotte area. I think I read recently that one in every 94 homes in our area is in some stage of foreclosure and there are no jobs to be had. It just concerned me that I may be moving into the same scenario in New Mexico. I was planning on waiting 3 or 4 years for the price to come up a bit to try to sell my home here in Florida but I think I have had enough, this place is too depressing. I will gladly bring money to the closing table just to be able to say adios to this place.
I so look forward to desert plants and rocks in my yard instead of mowing twice a week in summer! I am hoping to nurture some saguaro I have currently growing here that I grew from some seeds purchased at an Indian reservation on a trip through AZ.
A few more questions on LC-
I have an ongoing battle with raccoons here (some very funny and not so funny stories), does LC have many raccoons or are they not desert dwellers?
What is an average homeowners insurance policy sell for there? Here I used to pay $3200 a year for my non-waterfront 1850 sq ft homeowners insurance and was tickled when I found a company to sell me one for $1600!
Folks have mentioned that the wind is wicked in March-June there, I have been through many a tropical storms and Hurricane Charlie beat the bejesus out of my home, so wind I understand. But are you required, as we are, to have wind damage provisions or riders on your homeowners policies or does the wind you get not cause damage to home and yard structures?
I am in the NorthPort/Port Charlotte area. I think I read recently that one in every 94 homes in our area is in some stage of foreclosure and there are no jobs to be had. It just concerned me that I may be moving into the same scenario in New Mexico. I was planning on waiting 3 or 4 years for the price to come up a bit to try to sell my home here in Florida but I think I have had enough, this place is too depressing. I will gladly bring money to the closing table just to be able to say adios to this place.
I so look forward to desert plants and rocks in my yard instead of mowing twice a week in summer! I am hoping to nurture some saguaro I have currently growing here that I grew from some seeds purchased at an Indian reservation on a trip through AZ.
A few more questions on LC-
I have an ongoing battle with raccoons here (some very funny and not so funny stories), does LC have many raccoons or are they not desert dwellers?
What is an average homeowners insurance policy sell for there? Here I used to pay $3200 a year for my non-waterfront 1850 sq ft homeowners insurance and was tickled when I found a company to sell me one for $1600!
Folks have mentioned that the wind is wicked in March-June there, I have been through many a tropical storms and Hurricane Charlie beat the bejesus out of my home, so wind I understand. But are you required, as we are, to have wind damage provisions or riders on your homeowners policies or does the wind you get not cause damage to home and yard structures?
swFLA4now.....i'll let those posters who live in las cruces answer your questions about housing etc. as they'd know better than me as i live about 75 miles east of it.
I don't think the LC/Mesilla Valley is anywhere near the situation found throughout Florida. Home prices have softened here a bit, but sales are still pretty strong and would be stronger if more people wanting to relocate could sell their homes elsewhere.
Home prices don't rise because new subdivisions are built...they rise because DEMAND is high, and prices will fall when demand drops off. Things find their own natural level.
All those Einsteins in Florida who were speculating by buying houses with no money down so they could flip it in 6 months for "big profits" are learning that in a big way right now. Their mortage lenders are also learning a big lesson about loaning to people for speculation. A ship of fools.
You don't need extra coverage for wind/storm damage here. I have standard but good coverage and the insurance co. replaced my roof 3 years ago following a whopping big hailstorm that hit Mesilla. They were a pleasure to deal with, gave good advice, and actually put on a better roof that won't be so easily damaged by golf ball hail. Broke two skylights too.
Las Cruces has a large government/education sector which helps insulate it.
My homeowner's insurance is like $500-$600 or so I think, for a new 1700+ sqft house. Wind usually doesn't cause too much damage, unless you live in a mobile home then all bets are off.
I have never seen a raccoon here. I have seen scorpions, centipedes and other creepy crawlies.
Saguaro don't do well in Las Cruces because it gets too cold in the winter, but there are plenty of other cacti that thrive.
No worries about raccoons. My family had to live with them in Amarillo and I was not happy with their antics. Yes, LC has lots of insects and I have seen coyotes, a rattlesnake, and an owl (barn, I think), as well as rabbits and hares, and lots of roadrunners. I love the wildlife and hikes around here. You will love that, if you like outdoor activities.
Insurance is not really expensive compared to what you are paying, and if you are familiar with hurricanes, the winds here will seem wimpy to you! As a matter of fact, the winds in Amarillo made me cry and I could barely keep my car doors closed. It is NOTHING like that here. Well, one day the cover blew off of the hot tub...and the locks were on. I guess it might depend on the wind.
I am in the NorthPort/Port Charlotte area. I think I read recently that one in every 94 homes in our area is in some stage of foreclosure and there are no jobs to be had. It just concerned me that I may be moving into the same scenario in New Mexico. I was planning on waiting 3 or 4 years for the price to come up a bit to try to sell my home here in Florida but I think I have had enough, this place is too depressing. I will gladly bring money to the closing table just to be able to say adios to this place.
I so look forward to desert plants and rocks in my yard instead of mowing twice a week in summer! I am hoping to nurture some saguaro I have currently growing here that I grew from some seeds purchased at an Indian reservation on a trip through AZ.
A few more questions on LC-
I have an ongoing battle with raccoons here (some very funny and not so funny stories), does LC have many raccoons or are they not desert dwellers?
What is an average homeowners insurance policy sell for there? Here I used to pay $3200 a year for my non-waterfront 1850 sq ft homeowners insurance and was tickled when I found a company to sell me one for $1600!
Folks have mentioned that the wind is wicked in March-June there, I have been through many a tropical storms and Hurricane Charlie beat the bejesus out of my home, so wind I understand. But are you required, as we are, to have wind damage provisions or riders on your homeowners policies or does the wind you get not cause damage to home and yard structures?
There are raccoons in this area, but probably in the valley along the river. I don't think they're out in the desert areas.
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