TOTALLY ENCHANTED with The Land of Enchantment (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: sales, foreclosure)

[nmguy]

Angie,

I live in Placitas, having moved here a bit over 3 years ago.

Here are some plusses about Placitas:
• Great views
• Friendly folks
• Good elementary school
• Close proximity to Abq and Santa Fe

Here are some negatives:
• A slight feeling of isolation
• Expensive real estate compared to other areas

As you can see, I've listed many more +'s than -'s.

If you're really interested in living here, you may want to stop by La Puerta Real Estate, which you can't miss upon entering Placitas.

¡Buena suerte!

[Angie&Bill]

Originally Posted by nmguy

Angie,

I live in Placitas, having moved here a bit over 3 years ago.

Here are some plusses about Placitas:
• Great views
• Friendly folks
• Good elementary school
• Close proximity to Abq and Santa Fe

Here are some negatives:
• A slight feeling of isolation
• Expensive real estate compared to other areas

As you can see, I've listed many more +'s than -'s.

If you're really interested in living here, you may want to stop by La Puerta Real Estate, which you can't miss upon entering Placitas.

¡Buena suerte!

Gracias, nmguy, for your input I have read other people's posts where they mention Placitas and ... yeah, I guess it's a little bit expensive ... it looks like is hard to find anything nice/decent/good shape for less than 300/400k. But it seems like a real nice and beautiful place (I've looked at some pictures) and I like what you say about folks being friendly. I'm assuming they are "pet friendly" as well, right? So, I guess I would like to contact La Puerta Real Estate at some point. Can I get their phone # from the Internet? or maybe, you could get it for me, please, please? Sorry for bothering you but, you know, we are in NH now, and we would like to get in touch with some realtors soon, so that next time we go (which will probably be in Jan/Feb.) we can actually meet with them and look at a few more houses. I still have Cedar Crest in my mind, though, so we want to look at both areas and maybe Bernalillo (the town) as well. The more options and places we have, the better ... as it will helps us to get a bigger and better picture of what to expect for a certain amount of money.
Thanks, we will need 'mucha buena suerte'!
Angie

[rotorhead]

Good luck on the dog thing, I can't say as I've heard anyone thats doing that kind of work now, I know there used to be a "doggie day care" place in the Valley but I think they went belly-up (I could be wrong there).

Keep in mind that NM is perenially one of the lowest income states and a lot of its residents are permanently spring-loaded to the cheap-@ss position. That said however, there are quite a few high-earners associated with the labs and such and I've certainly seen more than a few fanatical dog owners out there. It is a LONG way to drive out to South 14 or Cedar Crest to board a dog. I would consider Belen or someplace closer (but still out of the ABQ city limits due to the new over-reaching and controversial animal ordinance) if this is purely a commercial venture.

[Homewardbound66]

We currently take our dog to a daycare center in Rio Rancho about 3 times a week for the exercise and socialization. She loves it so much she never wants to come home. We are glad its availabe as we did the same thing in Illinois for the same reasons.

I do believe the original poster is talking cats only, which is fine as we have a cat also and would love a place for just cats for boarding when we camp or are visiting family out of state. I think pet owners will pay for things for their animals. Look at the charges and extras at Petsmart and stores like that. We pamper our pets and especially people without kids often will treat them as their kids. We did that before we had our son and still often refer to Mags as his sister. Crazy I know, but we're not alone.

[Angie&Bill]

Originally Posted by rotorhead

Good luck on the dog thing, I can't say as I've heard anyone thats doing that kind of work now, I know there used to be a "doggie day care" place in the Valley but I think they went belly-up (I could be wrong there).

Keep in mind that NM is perenially one of the lowest income states and a lot of its residents are permanently spring-loaded to the cheap-@ss position. That said however, there are quite a few high-earners associated with the labs and such and I've certainly seen more than a few fanatical dog owners out there. It is a LONG way to drive out to South 14 or Cedar Crest to board a dog. I would consider Belen or someplace closer (but still out of the ABQ city limits due to the new over-reaching and controversial animal ordinance) if this is purely a commercial venture.

Thanks, Rotorhead ... but my place will be kitty-only .. a cat's heaven "Angie's Purring Lodge" ... And I understand what you say regarding NM being a low-income state. But, you know what? There are some people out there, I know it, who will go above and beyond for their pets, like we do for ours. I have already started to get in touch with some "animal people" in NM and I have learned that when you are good, people will find you and come to you ... no matter where you are and no matter where they come from. Interesting, because it's the same thing I learned when I decided to take some courses on Small Animal Care at the University of New hHmpshire ...I just learned of someone who has a doggie daycare/boarding facility in NM (not far from ABQ) and this person does not advertise ... AT ALL. She has clients ... you won't believe this ... from as far as Florida and Hawai !!! Those people (who have more money than you can imagine, of course) will send the dog to her by plane, the dog will board there for a month and then she sends the dog back home by plane, of course. And she also has a a lot of clients from Colorado and many from Santa Fe ... everybody looves her, she is that good! The other good thing is that there in NO facilty like the one I want to have ... at all.
So, please wish me "good-luck with the kitty-thing" instead of "the dog-thing" ... I feel more comfortable now that I have taken 8 courses at UNH, so I have a little bit of basic veterinary knowledge ... basic, but it's better than no knowledge at all. And, of course, my 3 1/2 years as a vounteer at our local animal shelter have been an incredible source of knowledge. Working with the animals that are old, sick, unwanted, have behavior issues, etc. is the best way to learn about them.
Ever heard of the largest Animal Sanctuary in the country? It's in southern Utah... "Best Friends" ... I volunteered there last year for one week with the kitties (over 700). It was a dream come true.
Oh, and I will look into Belen anyway, thanks for the suggestion
Angie

[Angie&Bill]

Originally Posted by Homewardbound66

We currently take our dog to a daycare center in Rio Rancho about 3 times a week for the exercise and socialization. She loves it so much she never wants to come home. We are glad its availabe as we did the same thing in Illinois for the same reasons.

I do believe the original poster is talking cats only, which is fine as we have a cat also and would love a place for just cats for boarding when we camp or are visiting family out of state. I think pet owners will pay for things for their animals. Look at the charges and extras at Petsmart and stores like that. We pamper our pets and especially people without kids often will treat them as their kids. We did that before we had our son and still often refer to Mags as his sister. Crazy I know, but we're not alone.

Hi, dear
I'm glad you see my point about having a cat-only place. It's waay too stressful when dogs and cats are in the same boarding place, even though they are in different buildings becaus they cats can still smell the dogs and hear the barking ... and I hate to say this ... but stress can make a cat sick... can even kill a cat
We have six meows but also have a small woof He goes to daycare here in NH 3 times a week, to play with his buddies and socialize. This lady also boards so the 2 weeks we were in NM Benji stayed with her. He had a great time! He ate better than he does at home and put a couple of pounds on (he is a finicky eater). My daughter stayed home with the kitties because I don't know any boarding facility around here that I could feel comfortable enough to leave them. I would never board them in a dog-cat place. Plus, boarding all six would cost me a fortune and my daughter loves to stay here while we are gone.
Of couse, you are not alone, Homewardbound66 ... there are many, many pet owners like you and me (please, read my reply to "Rotorhead", regarding the lady who boards dogs) Luckily, those people will find my "purring lodge" and will bring their kitties to take "long siestas in the sun" at my place!

[EnjoyEP]

Hi Angie - I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you - not just your post here but your Private Message. I wasn't trying to rudely avoid you and your husband...I promise! Actually, I have been finalizing relocation myself over the past month + or so and have had very limited time to get on the ABQ / NM Forum regrettably. (We are relocating to Wisconsin, but believe me, as excited as I am about it, it in no way is a negative reflection of our love and passion for ABQ...you can "take our spot" here! It has much more to do with family, roots, etc., all that fun stuff!)

At any event, I wish we'd have been able to connect with you guys when you were in town. However, from the sound of your post, at least it sounds like you had a blast afterall and found many a friendly face and voice...and I am very happy about that! I am glad you enjoyed the area that I love so much as well.

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

- We went to the Tamaya Resort one night, for a glass of wine and some appetizers.

Isn't that just awesome. Hopefully you did it on the patio...even better around sunset? I think that is one of my favorite things to do here...the views are just breathtaking.

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

- Oh, and of course we went to the FRONTIER and had a great meal. When we told the girl at the counter we were on vacation, from NH, she said "Oh, then you MUST try our cinammon rolls!" ... mmm ... they were delicious ... just thinking of them makes me salivate (like Pavlov's dogs )

Yeah, the Frontier pretty much rules. Make sure to put there free chile over anything you get (except for the dominant cinammon rolls!) such as breakfast burritos, etc., it is incredible. Darnit, I think I may have my dinner location picked out now!!

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

- We had dinner at Los Potrilllos ... hey, enjoyEP, this is for you because you spelled it "Los Portillos" instead of "Potrillos" (which means "the fowls") at first we could not find the place even though we were driving by it all the time because we were at the Holiday Inn on Cerrillos Road and the restaurant is on the same street! Finally, one night we decided to ask the people at the hotel about "Los Portillos" and they said "Oh, "Los Potrillos! ... it's right here, on Cerillos Rd!" Then, it came to me what had happened ... it was a spelling problem!

I feel badly...I apologize. I guess you can tell who is a gringo and has poor Spanish abilities! Sorry about that. I am glad you found it though. Tell me you didn't love that place though?? I know it isn't one of Santa Fe's "sexy" restaurants in the area of the Plaza, etc., however, I think they serve some of the best authentic Mexican food I have ever eaten. There gorditas there make me literally drool just thinking about them.

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

The rest of the time we spent driving around and checking out all the neighborhoods that you, invisible friends, suggested I liked Rio Rancho a lot but I get the feeling that when the wind blows the sand gets everywhere ... even inside your brain! Plus, some local people I talked to said that they have had a lot of problems with some streets getting flooded when it rains. They said that the main problem seems to be that Rio Rancho has grown really fast and is not ready for that, so the sewage system and other things are not able to keep the pace with the fast-growing community.

You have hit Rio Rancho on the head. I wouldn't rule out living there, but I think you summed up RR well.

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

Anyway, please, I would appreciate any suggestions, recomendations and the like, regarding Cedar Crest...So, please, can you give me more info about Cedar Crest?

One thing here...are you partially moving to this region (eg: Albuquerque metro) for weather reasons? At least somewhat? If that is the case, just keep in mind that Cedar Crest is SIGNIFICANTLY cooler/colder than Albuquerque. Temperature-wise (and I am solely talking TEMPS...not things like sunshine, humidity, rainfall, etc.), you are looking more at like Minneapolis type temps than Albuquerque's great temperate climate, although it won't typically get as hot in the summer there than Minneapolis. Cedar Crest is an AWESOME area...a great acquaintence of mine who is an airline pilot for a major commercial carrier lives in Cedar Crest and loves it. Great place to go up to and eat a nice, cool meal in the summertime and be "thick in the mountains." However, unlike Albuquerque that is overall warm and temperate year-round, Cedar Crest is cold/cold/cold for much of the year.

Other than the weather, I am sure it is doable. It is truly beautiful up there. But yeah, I wouldn't imagine there would be a huge influx of people driving up there from the city for business, just simply because it is a bit of a hike and somewhat isolated. If you want that really quiet, peaceful, mountain life, Cedar Crest would be great. But you would be fairly seperated from Albuquerque...even when it isn't winter...it is just a bit of a hike. Nothing life-and-death, but it can be a pain for just getting into the city for stores , etc., if you want more selection. And again, I think recruiting people up there for business from ABQ could be tricky.

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

Also, just out of curiosity... what do you think of Los Lunas?

I actually kind of like Los Lunas as an option for suburban-type living. It would be, in my opinion, be far easier to get into and out of Albuquerque on a consistent basis doing it to-from Los Lunas than Cedar Crest.

Los Lunas still has somewhat of a shaky rep in Albuquerque in terms of crime. Some people act like it is still a crime ridden crudhole...others act like it has totally been cleaned up. Likely, the truth is somewhere in the middle, although I would say more places are far safer than not now. The Meadow Lake area is near Los Lunas which has a horrible reputation for crime and I wouldn't want to live around there. However, Los Lunas' development in terms of new housing has just been booming / exploding, and in many areas like these, they are as clean, nice, safe, and family-oriented as you'll see in Rio Rancho and has a similar crowd. The houses down here go a bit cheaper than in ABQ itself, so you could save some nice $ on a house there.

Personally, knowing your situation (you were talking houses in the $250-$300K range) I would think you'd be happier in Albuquerque. I would opt for Los Lunas more if you were in my family's position - younger family, one income, can afford a decent house but need a deal and need as much for your buck as possible. However, in your range, I think you could get something so nice in ABQ that culturally you'd be happier, as well as not feeling quite as isolated.

I would easily suggest Rio Rancho over Los Lunas, if those were my two options, in your position. Just my thoughts though.

I am so happy for you and your husband and am glad to hear this is working out for you! I don't think you'll be disappointed at all!

Bienvenido

[Angie&Bill]

First things first ... thanks for making us feel "bienvenido"... that is very nice of you!
And don't worry I can imagine how busy you must be with all the "relocation stuff". At least, I know now that you were not trying to avoid us ... just kidding! And, yes, you are absolutely right, we had a wonderful time, we drove a lot in the ABQ area and Santa Fe area as well and I spoke and asked questions to as many people as I could Everybody was nice, smiley and was willing to talk and answer my questions. A lot of people were very encouraging and told me they don't know of any facility that offers what I want to offer ... I like to call it "my five-star kitty-only hotel" and they feel I could do really well. Many of them said to me they know there are animal lovers out there, people who are "owned" by a pet (by the way, I remember you being "owned" by a cat) who will go above and beyond (like I do for my guys ) and give their pets the best they can afford.

I do have a question for you:
- what do you exactly mean when you say "Cedar Crest is cold/cold/cold for much of the year" ? How cold do you think it gets in winter? It's true that one of the reasons we want to move to NM is because we are looking for warmer weather and sunny skies but I've also learned that "weather words" are relative ... I guess it all depends on where you live. It seems to me that any place in the Southwest in still warmer than NH in winter Of, course, I don't want to live in a place where I will be shoveling snow all winter because I can do that here nor do I want to be bundled up like a bear all winter because I do bundle up like a bear here!

- I would LOVE to live in ABQ but, because I need to run the business and live in the premises, I could never do it in the city for several reasons: first and most important, there is no space, the houses are built next to each other. If I could find a house with some sort of detached property in the back that I could transform into a small boarding facility it would be great, but I could run into problems because some of the nice neighborhoods we looked at are zoned "residential" only.

- I know Cedar Crest is a bit of a hike but I'm hoping to attract customers from everywhere, not just the city. Please, read my reply to Rotorhead's post ("good luck on the dog thing") and learn about the lady who has the business with dogs in Tijeras. She has people from all over the place, customers from as far as Colorado!

- I have also heard very good things about Placitas. But I read something you posted somewhere, sometime ago ... as a reply to someone and it looks like you also agree Placitas in kind of expensive.

So, anyway, thanks so much for all your help. I can only wish you the best on your relocation and even though going back to Wisconsin is like "going back home" for you and your family, I'm sure New Mexico will always have a special place in your heart.

- Last thing: What do you know about Armijo?

Angie

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

- what do you exactly mean when you say "Cedar Crest is cold/cold/cold for much of the year" ? How cold do you think it gets in winter?

Here is some detailed breakdown of averages from the Weather Channel / National and Local Weather Forecast, Radar, Map and Report -

Average Weather for Cedar Crest, NM - Temperature and Precipitation

MONTH / AVERAGE HIGH / AVERAGE LOW
Jan 42°F 18°F
Feb 47°F 22°F
Mar 53°F 27°F
Apr 62°F 34°F
May 72°F 42°F
Jun 82°F 50°F
Jul 85°F 54°F
Aug 81°F 53°F
Sep 74°F 47°F
Oct 65°F 37°F
Nov 52°F 27°F
Dec 44°F 20°F
*NOTE - These are averages. It is fairly common for daytime highs in Cedar Crest to only reach the 20s and 30s, and nighttime lows to dip near 0.

Maybe I was a little off in describing it as "cold/cold/cold"...but, it will be fairly common to see snow October through April and overnight chills start in September and don't end until May.

As for snowfall, I cannot find specific snowfall averages for Cedar Crest so I am not sure what the specific averages are. However, my closest educated guess is an average of 25 to 30 inches per year...some years more, some a little less. Remember, Cedar Crest is only a 5 mile distance from Sandia Park (Sandia Peak) which averages 100+ inches per year.

Here is a good graph / series of weather info (scroll to near the bottom of the page for the weather / climate averages and graphs):

//www.city-data.com/city/Cedar-...ew-Mexico.html

Cedar Crest seems to get less snowfall than the national averages, but then again, in those national averages, they are considering places like Syracuse, Buffalo, Duluth, etc., factored in. It still gets a great deal more than Albuquerque's sparse average of 7-to-11 inches.

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

It's true that one of the reasons we want to move to NM is because we are looking for warmer weather and sunny skies but I've also learned that "weather words" are relative ...

A few things here:

A) Cedar Crest will still boast the much sunnier skies and drier air of course than you are used to in the Northeast. So in that aspect, you'd still prefer I am guessing the sunshine quantity and the dryness aspect over the NE. However...

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

I guess it all depends on where you live. It seems to me that any place in the Southwest in still warmer than NH in winter

See, coming from Wisconsin myself, this is the same perception I had (and most people I think of the northern regions have of the Southwest), but it isn't entirely true at all. Down here in the Southwest, ALTITUDE is the key. If you are at 5000 feet (Albuquerque) or less (Phoenix is roughly 1000 feet, El Paso 3700 feet, Las Vegas NV 2500 feet, etc.)...yes, you'll overall be significantly warmer in the Southwest on average as a general rule than compared to the Midwest, Northeast, north in general, etc.

HOWEVER...once you start getting well over 5000 feet (Santa Fe is 7000 feet, Las Vegas NM is 6500 feet, Flagstaff AZ is 7000 feet, Cedar Crest is in the mountains and between 6500 and 7000 feet, etc.), it - for temperatures at least - will not be significantly warmer year-round whatsoever, and in some cases cooler, than the Northeast, Midwest, north, etc.

This is always why I try to "warn" people on these forums about coming to a high altitude Southwestern state like New Mexico or northern Arizona. They often come from - like you and I - colder weather northern locales looking to move to the Southwest to get warm year-round weather, but then they pick a place like Santa Fe (7000 feet in altitude). Santa Fe will be sunnier and drier than they are used to in the Midwest, NE, etc., however, temperature wise, it won't be all too much different, in some cases even colder. Even when not colder, it probably won't be a big enough difference if TEMPERATURE was a main consideration in the move.

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

Of, course, I don't want to live in a place where I will be shoveling snow all winter because I can do that here nor do I want to be bundled up like a bear all winter because I do bundle up like a bear here!

In Cedar Crest, you might do a little less shoveling or bundling up than you do in NH (not sure completely what the averages are where you are in NH), but you'll still do a great deal of shoveling and bundling on average.

Fortunately, this would NOT be the case in Albuquerque, Los Lunas, etc., where it is much more mild and temperate.

On average, you'll be at least 10 degrees cooler in Cedar Crest than in Albuquerque. Sometimes less, sometimes more, but that would be a good range.

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

- I have also heard very good things about Placitas. But I read something you posted somewhere, sometime ago ... as a reply to someone and it looks like you also agree Placitas in kind of expensive.

Placitas is gorgeous. You are right though...very, very expensive (at least in comparison to the rest of the metro area). Just do some searching for Placitas real estate, and you'll a) be in love with the properties you see, but also b) see very little less than $350K.

Also, again, back to the Cedar Crest scenario for weather. It is in the Sandia Mountain foothills at a higher alititude and is definitely a cooler, mountain climate versus Albuquerque/Rio Rancho/Los Lunas.

Have you looked in Corrales or Bernalillo? Those might be options...not sure though if the real estate meets your needs for business. Corrales is pricier again, but much more rural than the rest of the immediate metro area, and Bernalillo is much more affordable but is starting to see some of Rio Rancho's bleed over for development.

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

So, anyway, thanks so much for all your help. I can only wish you the best on your relocation and even though going back to Wisconsin is like "going back home" for you and your family, I'm sure New Mexico will always have a special place in your heart.

Yeah, leaving ABQ and NM is pretty much the toughest decision my wife and I have ever encountered. We truly do love the place and it will always be extremely special to us in ways I cannot start to describe...it really has changed how I look at the world. OK, before I start blubbering here, you are right. We'll miss it alot. And I can pretty much guarantee we'll be back in March's or December's for visits to warm up! But Milwaukee / Wisconsin is very special to me too, despite the weather, and with all of our family, roots, etc., now with young children, we'll have a happy place there too.

Originally Posted by Angie&Bill

- Last thing: What do you know about Armijo?

A grand total of...NOTHING! Sorry...I wish I could help you here, but I have actually never even hard of Armijo. Hopefully someone else here can help out with this one!

[finmqa1]

EnjoyEP - I will truley miss your wonderful and fair posts on this forum. I wish you the absolute best in your move back home, and NM, more specifically ABQ will truly miss such a fine ambassador!!! Best of luck to you and your family, and you are all welcome back anytime.