Taos or Santa Fe? (Espanola, Ruidoso: real estate, foreclosures, low crime)

[cboriginal]

I am going to buy a house and I am very hopeful I can find something special in NM. I need help tho!

I would like opinions, the ones I don't get from realtors.

I am retired so I don't need to drive to a job daily - but I might still like to do some work. In my 50's and very young!

I know Santa Fe is so special, but it is more expensive, I think.

Is Taos a bad choice? Too remote? Too far from Trader Joes? etc.?

What would you say about surrounding areas up to and including on the way to Taos?

Sounds strange, but I need help!

Thanks ever so.

[santafescribe]

You'll ALWAYS get opinions from realtors! Before anyone answers you, opinionated or not, tell us a little more about what you're looking for. Taos and Santa Fe are completely different, although the home prices are not too far apart, so leave that aside for the moment. Are you looking for solitude...land more than an acre..big views or cosy....neighborly streets...old adobe or new construction...distance from hospitals, stores, population centers...?
Then let the opinions begin!

[cboriginal]

ok - i love historic homes - but cannot afford the beauties in SF. what i know i want is a light filled house with windows galore. presently single - so don't want to be in a bad part of anywhere, or so desolate that i would be at odds.

i am an artist - jewelry/metalsmith. i love art and artists and the whole art vibe.

i love great food. love a good coffee shop.

i don't ski - ok - maybe this is crazy !!!!!!!! but i don't have enough money to do all that and my art too.

i love vistas.

i am afraid of too many foreclosures anywhere bringing trouble and i am thinking that there may be more of them in SF just cause of the high growth and overbuilding?

help!!!!

i like neighbors - just not in my face.

i am very liberal/progressive. love a good church - just always my choice.

i am NOT a loner.

[santafescribe]

Maybe Pecos, Pilar, Taos of course, Tesuque? All these have artist communities, good coffee, vistas, neighbors at a reasonable distance.

Foreclosures - yes, we've got 'em. Probably less than 100 in Santa Fe at the moment. Due more to general economics than overbuilding, although there were some, let's say overoptimistic souls that thought there was endless demand for new subdivisions like Aldea and Rancho Viejo.

[SanfordR]

Maybe Eldorado- a kind of Santa Fe "suburb"?? In my opinion Taos is a nice daytrip destination but it's about an hour from Trader Joes. There is a kind of Whole Foods copycat in town, but even more expensive than the real thing. Eldorado might be a good fit for you, it has about everything on your laundry list. I have a few friends who live there and love it.

[gaduchman]

Think Ruidoso instead of either Taos or SF

[cboriginal]

why Ruidoso?

[ctr88]

Ruidiso is not bad & probably hugely cheaper real estate, but IMO it doesn't have near to the whole package of the Santa Fe area. Not even close.

[Santa Fe]

Ruidoso is cheaper and may have the better schools, but the latter is not an issue for you. I really don't think it is what you are looking for.

One question is how far you willing to drive to Trader Joe's etc. You can get better house prices in towns in between Santa Fe and Taos, but you need to be careful -- some of the places have drug problems. Also it depends upon what sort of a single person you are -- if you are looking for night life, then stick with the bigger places -- maybe Santa Fe.

Some places in between Taos and Santa Fe:

Pojoaque Valley which is about 20 minutes from Trader Joes in Santa Fe. The area has a lot of artists and you can find a place with vistas. Fairly low crime and you are 40 minutes from the best skiing which is Taos. Hard to find a foreclosure in the area. Maybe prices are less than half what they would be on the northside of Santa Fe

Go a little further north but stay in Santa Fe County -- you have Arroyo Seco, La Mesilla, even Sombillo etc prices drop off even more. There are a lot of American Sikhs up there and they are a stabilizing influence. 30 minutes to either SF or Taos. Area is a little scruffy in appearance.

Then skip over a bunch of places to look at the Dixon-Embudo area which is about 40 minutes from Santa Fe and twenty minutes to Taos. A lot of artists and organic farmers and community activity. Pretty small. I personally find Dixon a little ugly. In that area I'd look for something down by Embudo.

Just a few suggestions. Depends on your tastes.

[Santa Fe]

Maybe I should be more explicit. I kind of skipped over most of Rio Arriba County which is in-between Santa Fe County and Taos County. It has a serious heroin problem -- which we can see from studies and from the annual overdose rate.

Some very good, very nice, very hard-working people live there and it has some useful shopping and excellent restaurants -- but maybe not the place to live if you are an outsider moving in.

This rules out some beautiful little places like Chimayo. Eat at Rancho de Chimayo and visit the Sanctuario, but maybe don't move in.

Espanola has a Walmart, Walgreens, Loews, supermarkets, a farmers' market, its own vegetable farm right in town, etc but again maybe don't move in.