Boy, has Ruidoso ever changed and grown!!! (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: big house, buying)

[Pintada Kid]

I Assumed since you hadnt been to Ruidoso 40 miles away in years that you Swam more then Traveled around the State of N.M. pintada kid at webtv.net

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Pintada Kid

I Assumed since you hadnt been to Ruidoso 40 miles away in years that you Swam more then Traveled around the State of N.M. pintada kid at webtv.net

LOL!!

I have done quite a bit of traveling around the state all of my life, but especially in the last 3 years, as I was looking for a place to relocate.

Ruidoso had always been just a little ski resort town from the time I was a child in the 1950s until just very recently. You went there to ski in the winter....and to the races or to get away from the heat in the summer. Since Ruidoso doesn't seem to get a lot of snow many years, a lot of Texans just went onto CO/UT for skiing, and we were no exception. When Durango Mountain Resort (Purgatory) almost always has good snow, we mostly stopped bothering with Ski Apache. It NEVER occurred to me to even consider it for living all year around.

Last year, no change, poor snow, 12%-25% open most of the season. Ski Apache is so rough and rocky that it needs a good base/coverage for good ski conditions. At 50 bucks a pop for a lift ticket, plus the gas to get there, I'm not going to waste time trying to ski on hay or rocks!!

We'll see how it is this next season. The ONE year I take off to look/save money.....skiing was fantastic, LOL!!

Figures!!

[spoiledali]

hi,

I would never have thought of Ruidoso in terms of having the 'most beautiful Wal-Mart location' (!), but you're probably right. I agree with you about Capitan; it's in a splendid location, although the forest fire threat is real. After all, Smokey the Bear came from near there.
I'm glad y'all found what you wanted. Your property sounds very pretty! I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for the feedback!

[hogfarmer]

Hi folks,
We're looking for Ruidoso/Alto property (at least 5 acres) and amazed at the huge differences in property costs. Obviously downtown Rui is a whole lot more valuable than Val De Sol stuff, but can anyone share any insight as to a good way to figure out what a location is really worth? Is there an independent appraiser/purchaser one could hire to try and get a handle on this for us? Frankly while we would love to spend the time in the area to fully research, a couple of weeks a year vacation there doesn't give us time. Thanks! (Cathy, 70 degrees and beautiful in Central Minnesota today. Just don't ask me on January 29th what the weather is)

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by hogfarmer

Hi folks,
We're looking for Ruidoso/Alto property (at least 5 acres) and amazed at the huge differences in property costs. Obviously downtown Rui is a whole lot more valuable than Val De Sol stuff, but can anyone share any insight as to a good way to figure out what a location is really worth? Is there an independent appraiser/purchaser one could hire to try and get a handle on this for us? Frankly while we would love to spend the time in the area to fully research, a couple of weeks a year vacation there doesn't give us time. Thanks! (Cathy, 70 degrees and beautiful in Central Minnesota today. Just don't ask me on January 29th what the weather is)

LOL!! Well, it's only 76 here in Alamo today, so it's also quite nice!!

You can hire an appraiser for any property in Ruidoso, or ask the listing agent if an appraisal has been done recently....or for comps (comparable properties in the area that have sold recently). It's more difficult in areas like Ruidoso or Cloudcroft, where there is such a mix of property types, but you can at least get a general idea.

[catman]

spoiledali: The first three sentences of your post (the third one back from this one) is word for word a copy of mine on the first page of this thread. How did that happen? I don't really mind, but it doesn't look like a quote.

Cathy4017: Are houses in Alamo a lot less expensive than those in Ruidoso (for roughly equivalent homes)? I have a link to a Timberon realtor who has property for sale there in Timberon which sounds incredibly reasonable, and not run-down either.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by catman

spoiledali: The first three sentences of your post (the third one back from this one) is word for word a copy of mine on the first page of this thread. How did that happen? I don't really mind, but it doesn't look like a quote.

Cathy4017: Are houses in Alamo a lot less expensive than those in Ruidoso (for roughly equivalent homes)? I have a link to a Timberon realtor who has property for sale there in Timberon which sounds incredibly reasonable, and not run-down either.

The post not only copied part of yours, but my title and a couple of sentences from mine, too. I wondered why they'd do that...

Housing in Alamogordo is a LOT less expensive than Ruidoso. The rough equivalent to what I have here costs $80-100K more in Ruidoso for about the same space and amenities. The construction is so different (except for newer places out at the country club) that it's really hard to compare. I still don't like the decks, drop-offs and the constant up and down, but I will eventually find something somewhere!

I am just used to new (bought my first house new also in Midland), and it's hard to look at resales and everything I will have to do to it to get it like I want it! New construction in both Ruidoso and Cloudcroft is really expensive and at a premium.

I haven't looked in Timberon yet specifically to buy, so that's another ballgame.

Here's my take on it, and this is JUST my personal opinion. Timberon is beautiful and quiet..and very, very isolated. The climate is just wonderful.

If isolation is what you want, it fits the bill perfectly. There is only one paved road up to it.....and you have to get in the car and drive for anything you want. If I didn't swim 3-5 days a week, I'd consider it, even though I hate driving everywhere. I like my conveniences, and I want those conveniences within a reasonable distance.

It is hard enough here in town to get decent services--home repair, automotive, whatever work needs to be done around the house--if you're handy, no problem, but you still have to drive to Alamo/Roswell/wherever to get the materials and such.

It has to be a nightmare to get anybody to go to Timberon for things such as hot water heater replacement or any of the ongoing maintenance issues inherent in owning a home!

I think it is these issues and Timberon's relative isolation that make many of the homes reasonably priced. Some, IMHO, are grossly overpriced, too.

I couldn't be in the middle of a recipe, realize that I don't have one of the major ingredients on hand--and run two streets over to Walmart to get it! That sounds silly, but.....LOL!!

Cloudcroft has some of the same issues, but it's a lot closer to what one needs. It takes 90 minutes to get from Timberon to Alamo, and about 30 min or less from CC to Alamo.

Ruidoso? I'd have 2 choices for year-around swimming, 2 major grocery stores in town, restaurants, a medical center and basic services right there. I'd go to Roswell (75 miles) for Sam's Club, et al. I'd rarely have to drive anywhere for automotive, etc.

It's also about the same distance home as Alamo is.

So that's why I'm looking....!

I just CHOKE at the prices...!

[catman]

It seems to me that High Rolls/Mountain Park have a similar climate to Timberon's, but they're a lot closer to Alamogordo, a really handy location. I understand they're also relatively expensive. I can see why.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by catman

It seems to me that High Rolls/Mountain Park have a similar climate to Timberon's, but they're a lot closer to Alamogordo, a really handy location. I understand they're also relatively expensive. I can see why.

Yes, they are. I looked at a few properties in High Rolls, and it's a nice area, but I just didn't really see anything that I really, really wanted...and there is not that much available. There are some beautiful properties in Mayhill and such, but they are really expensive.

You're also getting into the septic system and well issues, too.

[6 FOOT 3]

As for Alamo i really like the ''Los Lomas'' subdivision over looking the city along South Florida Ave. Those houses and the view of the valley below is beautiful.