Ruidoso or Other Mountain Community (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: for sale, homes, buying)

[AustinTraveler]

We are thinking about buying a second home in NM and have started researching Ruidoso but I am not crazy about the lack of water issue. We are very conservative with our water use but lack of water also means lots of dust and fires.

So, here's what we're looking for: A beautiful scenic area that has good (meaning under 90 degrees) weather in the summer. We won't be spending winters there as we're not snow people. We are in our 50's but retired already. We love the outdoors and don't need constant entertainment.

I found the Chama area and that looks beautiful but I don't know how remote it is. Grocery stores, etc? Also would love to be close to Santa Fe but don't know if there are areas within an hour or so that have mountain communities.

Not sure of budget yet but probably around $250,000 since it will be a second home. Or, we may buy property and build a small house. If any of you can throw out some suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.

[joqua]

Ruidoso has m-a-n-y problems, depending on whether you buy within the village limit or in the county. That having been said, the climate is mild enough for year around living - but very windy these days. Extreme fire danger has become an every-spring occurrence in the last decade. It has been getting above 90F regularly each year during late spring and through the month of June. Most newer development homes are built with air conditioning.

If I were going to buy for ONLY summer use, I'd look at northern NM. There are any number of options for buying in forested areas near Santa Fe. Remote cabin sites as well as small community living are options available in the region. You might want to repost in the Santa Fe section of the NM forum in order to get more specific information.

[AustinTraveler]

Originally Posted by joqua

If I were going to buy for ONLY summer use, I'd look at northern NM. There are any number of options for buying in forested areas near Santa Fe. Remote cabin sites as well as small community living are options available in the region. You might want to repost in the Santa Fe section of the NM forum in order to get more specific information.

Thank you very much. I have actually spent the morning reading posts in the Santa Fe forum and I do believe we would be happier in the northern part of the state. I will post my question over there.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by AustinTraveler

Thank you very much. I have actually spent the morning reading posts in the Santa Fe forum and I do believe we would be happier in the northern part of the state. I will post my question over there.

I agree with Joqua. As much as I have always loved Ruidoso, I decided to buy my ski/summer getaway in SW CO rather than Ruidoso. I've looked there weekly for almost 3 years (I'm currently in Alamogordo, transplant from WTX), and I find Ruidoso really overpriced for what you get.

The restrictions are either non-existent or too severe, so I never found anything I could live with year-around.

I also wish I had gone to northern NM to start with (as I had originally planned), but that's water under the bridge now.

[Gearhound]

You might want to consider the Pecos area, about 25 miles east of Santa Fe.
When we were looking for our home in 2009, we saw a stunning home nearby with GREAT mountain views for $230,000.
For us though, the BIG drawback was the nearly vertical dirt road that accessed the house?
The nice part about that area, is not only are you just a few miles south of the beautiful Pecos Wilderness Area.....but also.....a 30-40 minute drive from downtown Santa Fe.

GOOD LUCK with your housing search!!

Steve

[mtncat]

The High Rolls area pretty much fits what you are looking for. I'm aware of at least 2 different pieces of land, both with domestic water rights that are for sale right now. One is kind of small, a half acre at most and the other is around 3 acres.

[AustinTraveler]

Thanks, I'll start looking into those areas. mtncat, if you want to send me a link to those properties via DM, I would appreciate it.

[hawk1]

Chama is beautiful but it is remote too. You might want to investigate/consider Taos, Red River or Angel Fire. It would be best to just visit and explore.

[marmom]

As I began reading your post, the first place that came to mind was Chama (and then of course you mentioned that as a possibility ). Other possibilities are Jemez Springs (also remote, but beautiful, and fairly close to Los Alamos), and areas in the East Mountains (East of Albuquerque). There are towns such as Tijeras and Cedar Crest, as well as Sandia Park, San Antonito, etc. Those would put you in proximity to Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and they also have local grocery stores and restaurants. Good luck to you! Sounds exciting to be looking for a summer getaway .

[rruff]

Originally Posted by AustinTraveler

So, here's what we're looking for: A beautiful scenic area that has good (meaning under 90 degrees) weather in the summer. We won't be spending winters there as we're not snow people. We are in our 50's but retired already. We love the outdoors and don't need constant entertainment.

Lots of options... but it helps to narrow down exactly what amenities you'd like nearby. Is a remote area with a convenience store nearby OK? Is it more important to be in the boonies, or close to other things? What sort of house... off-grid ok? How big of a property? Paved roads desirable, or not really an issue (you won't be there in winter, but floods can occur in summer)? How often would you want to go to SF, and what would you be doing there?