Boy, has Ruidoso ever changed and grown!!! (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: ski resort, real estate)

[Cathy4017]

Well, I went to Ruidoso to look at some properties.....and this was my first trip there since the winter of 1984.

Wow. 24 years do make a difference, but I didn't even recognize the place. There is now 4-lane US 70 all the way in from Tularosa, and it takes very little time to get there! It bears little resemblance to the overpriced sleepy little ski resort town we West Texans have always known.

Ruidoso is still an overpriced ski resort town, but.......!

I am finding that I am not too carried away with the way that homes have to be constructed in such an environment. I love the high elevation, and the cooler weather, but not the up and down (typical) of the general layout....and homes have to be built the way they are because no mountain area is level. You're always climbing up to something, be it from the street, garage floor, et al.....decks abound, and none of the rear yards I looked at (6 properties, ranging in price from 175-250K) were what I wanted.

If I could take Alamogordo and raise it about 2,000 ft, it would be perfect.....relatively (relatively being the key word, because Alamo is not really that flat, it's just not an up-and-down mountain town!) flat with great mountain views everywhere......and cooler because of higher elevation.

Just like Cloudcroft and Los Alamos, I like the general areas, but I don't like the closed-in massive tree cover that is so common. Some of the newer developments are more cleared....and 5 of the 6 listings were built within the last 10 years.

The drive was absolutely beautiful.....and the views coming back (White Sands/San Andres Mts) were even better.

The whole area (Alamogordo/Tularosa/La Luz/Ruidoso/Cloudcroft) is just one big beautiful place....and it WILL get better once summer is OVER.

Come on....November!!

[songinthewind7]

Did you look at the Alto area too?

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by songinthewind7

Did you look at the Alto area too?

No, I stayed close to the town itself.

I'm getting listings daily, so Alto will pop up at some point. I did see some Alto listings at their office online, but did not go check them out in person.

Did you like Alto?

[rruff]

Alto is mostly (but not all) pretty pricey second-home-on-the-golf-course stuff. My wife and I bought land off Airport Rd (just across the Bonito)... about 12 miles from downtown Ruidoso... which is technically Alto, or county or something. If you are willing to get out of the pine trees you won't feel so closed in... or if you get a place with a nice view. Our land is mostly pinion, and juniper... still very pretty. Lots of good land towards Nogal and Capitan too.

If you want to live here year round, definitely check your access... some of the roads are insanely steep and that would be no fun in winter.

If you've looked at other nice mountain property in the west, then you realize that Ruidoso is still quite a bargain. Better year round climate than anywhere in nothern NM, CO, UT, ID, MT, WY, OR, WA... even most of AZ or CA.

[Pintada Kid]

I think Ruidoso is a Beautiful place with the Most Beautiful Wal Mart Location of any in N.M. My Guess would be that Ruidoso with Flooding and Forest Fires and Dangerous icy Winding Mountain Roads is not a Great Place to live although the Girls do Outnumber the Guys 2 to 1. The Deer are in Herds in town at night on peoples lawns and i imagine all the Wild Animals that Are hungry come to town at night.Also i hate driving in Ruidoso. My Suggestion is The Capitan Area or even towards Lincoln and Hondo Land prices are Cheaper i would think and the Views and open Space would be better. IM Guessing but i think people in some of these Areas are worried about Forest Fires and Wild Animals so theres lots of Bargains in Real Estate in some of these Areas especially Ruidoso and Alto. But i still like the East Mountain Area close to Santa Fe and Albuquerque and its Friendly people and your Situated in the center of N.M. where you can explore the whole State. pintada kid at webtv.net

[catman]

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.

[hogfarmer]

Cathy, good comments. Where do you find the best way to track listings? We've been using the Century 21 link:
http://www.ruidosoidx.com/search_res...sting_count=10

But it seems a bit stale. Maybe places in this range just don't move that much, but it doesn't seem to have many new listings. Do you have a better way to track? Also, what is the best way to "guestimate" real estate taxes? No doubt properties are reassessed after a sale, so the current tax bill is pretty meaningless (except to get an idea of what the current owner paid for the place). Is there a general guideline like Ruidoso is 2%, Alto is 1.5%, etc? Thanks. And good luck in your hunt for the perfect place!

[rruff]

Originally Posted by hogfarmer

Where do you find the best way to track listings?

I like this one, but do *not* use this guy as your realtor:
http://joezagonerealestate.com/defau...&menu_id=33563

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by rruff

Alto is mostly (but not all) pretty pricey second-home-on-the-golf-course stuff. My wife and I bought land off Airport Rd (just across the Bonito)... about 12 miles from downtown Ruidoso... which is technically Alto, or county or something. If you are willing to get out of the pine trees you won't feel so closed in... or if you get a place with a nice view. Our land is mostly pinion, and juniper... still very pretty. Lots of good land towards Nogal and Capitan too.

If you want to live here year round, definitely check your access... some of the roads are insanely steep and that would be no fun in winter.

If you've looked at other nice mountain property in the west, then you realize that Ruidoso is still quite a bargain. Better year round climate than anywhere in nothern NM, CO, UT, ID, MT, WY, OR, WA... even most of AZ or CA.

That's just the point. I don't know whether I would want to live there year around, or just get a much smaller place for summer living and the occasional winter skiing. I was looking at year-around places yesterday, with a move in mind.

You're quite right about the roads...I wondered about some of them, and access during the winter. It's not going to be fun navigating those when it's icy in the morning after snow melt the day before. I have also been to Ruidoso much more often in the winter, and I can remember when downtown was covered up with snow some years.

I have looked at properties all over NM and CO, and am just starting to look at Wyoming....Ruidoso is more reasonable by comparison.

I'm glad y'all found what you wanted. Your property sounds very pretty! I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for the feedback!

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Pintada Kid

I think Ruidoso is a Beautiful place with the Most Beautiful Wal Mart Location of any in N.M. My Guess would be that Ruidoso with Flooding and Forest Fires and Dangerous icy Winding Mountain Roads is not a Great Place to live although the Girls do Outnumber the Guys 2 to 1. The Deer are in Herds in town at night on peoples lawns and i imagine all the Wild Animals that Are hungry come to town at night.Also i hate driving in Ruidoso. My Suggestion is The Capitan Area or even towards Lincoln and Hondo Land prices are Cheaper i would think and the Views and open Space would be better. IM Guessing but i think people in some of these Areas are worried about Forest Fires and Wild Animals so theres lots of Bargains in Real Estate in some of these Areas especially Ruidoso and Alto. But i still like the East Mountain Area close to Santa Fe and Albuquerque and its Friendly people and your Situated in the center of N.M. where you can explore the whole State. pintada kid at webtv.net

Capitan is neat, but it's too far out. You forget that I swim 3-5 days a week (when the dang pool isn't under repair or some such nonsense)....so I need to be closer in! Ruidoso has two options for indoor swimming, and all of the amenities to which I'm accustomed, so I wouldn't be driving all over 7 counties for whatever! Might be more expensive, but cheaper in the long run.