Nice neighborhoods in Clovis (Albuquerque, Portales: real estate, property taxes, houses)

[jrskarpe]

Hi. I have a few more questions about Clovis. What is the real estate market like? What are the best neighborhoods in which to buy a house ? I know the northeast side of town seems to have many nice neighborhoods. Any neighborhoods to avoid? Thanks!

[High_Plains_Retired]

In recent months my wife and I had been considering retiring in Clovis having lived there in the 1970s. We currently have a home on the west side in Albuquerque. Clovis seems to be growing primarily out to the north and northeast toward Broadview and Pleasanthill. Basically the desirable areas are (as I see them) north of 14th street and east of North Prince (209). If you go south out of Clovis you quickly get into the "sandhills" and I've seen some nice properties down there sell extremely slowly and at much reduced prices. Basically, anything south of highway 84 anywhere from Texico to Clovis in Curry County I would not consider buying.

I will add that it is my belief that the Clovis real estate market, at least in the $200 to $300,000 range, is way over-inflated. Clovis home prices are nearly as high as Albuquerque which seems unjustified by the differences in business and job opportunities. Because of this, my family has decided to look at the Lubbock, Texas area where a comparable $100/ft2 Clovis horse property home sells for around $75/ft2 or even less. We also lived in Lubbock at one time and essentially there are no differences between Clovis and Lubbock as far as weather and environment. There are higher property taxes in Texas for sure but as a retiree I am quite sure I won't live long enough to pay back in taxes that extra $80,000 I would have to pay for a Clovis country home.

Don't let me dissaude you though. I'm in Clovis about every other week and it is growing like most towns in New Mexico. I still like the town very much but having lived there during a time that in order to sell my house meant carrying the note myself and selling it for the same price I had given for it ten years before has perhaps jaded me.

[clairz]

We live in the northeastern part of Clovis. We love our house, got a wonderful deal in a quick sale last summer, especially compared to the prices we were used to back east. The property taxes still seem low to me but not to the old timers here. They say the system changed a couple of years ago and the taxes went up considerably. I believe ours are around $1400/year; a big reduction for us, as we paid over $3000/year in NH, and our house was one of the lower priced ones in our fancy little town back there (some were paying $8000 and $9000).

One thing you should know about these newer neighborhoods--the fences are high, giving nice privacy on your small lot; but this means you hardly ever see anyone. I mean anyone, anywhere. What few children there are around here stay inside or in back yards, which actually isn't much different from the trend across the country. Cars go in and out of garages via the automatic door openers. Many homeowners don't even go out in their front yards for maintenance; they have gardeners who move efficiently through the development every Tuesday, leaving well-groomed lawns and silence once again behind them when they go.

Clovis overall is very friendly; just don't expect to find much social interaction in your neighborhood, at least up in this area. Below 14th there is lots more going on, and you'll see people out strolling or on their porches. But that's where the crime is...

~clairz

[High_Plains_Retired]

Clairz,

It sounds like you may have bought in or around the Colonial Park area. That is a really nice area. We've looked at that area of Clovis but, wanting some acreage with our next home, most of our looking has been further north and east.

I wasn't aware of the changes Clovis had made to its property tax system but it sounds like NH property taxes compare to those in Texas. Our 2008 property taxes in Albuquerque on a $280,000 house are only a little over $1700 so I really like New Mexico property taxes. Based on the taxes we pay on a small home we have here in Bailey County, Texas (across the border from Curry County), our property taxes on our Albuquerque home would be from $7,000 to $8,000 per year if it were in this Texas county. Even with their income tax, New Mexico taxes beat hands down Texas who does not have an income tax. Its the high property taxes that I'm sure that are holding down property values in Texas. In our price range, just the property taxes in Texas can add $300 to $400 a monthly mortgage.

I haven't totally given up on remaining in New Mexico. I am keeping my eyes peeled for one of those super deals on a country home but with the internet these days, I'm sure everyone else is as well.

[clairz]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

I haven't totally given up on remaining in New Mexico. I am keeping my eyes peeled for one of those super deals on a country home but with the internet these days, I'm sure everyone else is as well.

Yes, the Internet is a great resource for finding a home. Don't worry about the competition--I've found the last four houses we've bought online.

~clairz

[desert sun]

My adivce is dont offer the buyer what they are asking,Real estate in Portales and Clovis just a couple of years ago were alot cheaper than the rest of the state,but since the base landed its new mission prices have already gone up,many people started fixing up old houses and put big price tags on them,My Mom who lives in Clovis said many people are price gouging.

My uncle has a older remodeled house up for sale for $155,000 in just a few months they have had to drop that price to $115,000, I told them that what they were asking was way too much money for Portales and I think they are seeing that.

anyways dont let someone over-charge you, everyones got that greed mentality going on right now.

[jrskarpe]

Thank you so much for all of the information. We will definitely negotiate for a lower price when we buy a house. It sounds like Colonial Park is a good area. It looks like there are several new houses in Raintree. Does anybody know anything about that neighborhood?

[jrskarpe]

What about Glen Oaks?

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by jrskarpe

Thank you so much for all of the information. We will definitely negotiate for a lower price when we buy a house. It sounds like Colonial Park is a good area. It looks like there are several new houses in Raintree. Does anybody know anything about that neighborhood?

I believe it is called the Raintree Subdivision, approved by Clovis in 2002. This subdivision should be east just across Norris street from Colonial Park and the Chaparral Country Club golf course. The street called Raintree appears tobe so new that neither Google or Yahoo maps bring it up. I can only tell you that the area around there has some of the nicest homes in Curry County but I should defer to someone who actually lives in Clovis for more details about Raintree. I lived in Clovis some thirty years ago but I still drive over there about once a week. All the houses I find listed on the internet in Raintree are new.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by jrskarpe

What about Glen Oaks?

Try a "Glen Oaks Subdivision" search on Google maps. It appears to show it directly to the south of the Raintree Subdivision but south of Llano Estacado. Again, an area of very nice homes.