Moving to Kirtland AFB. (Albuquerque, Rio Rancho: buying a house, neighborhood, buying)
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Hello!! Trying to find info on Kirtland AFB that is a little more recent. It seems like most of the thread are a few years old.
We are considering buying a house in a good school district. We will have a child in each school (high school, middle, and elementary). Also, we really don't want to spend over 200,000 for a 4 bedroom. I think the base housing may not be a good fit for us due to the schools that service the base.
We would need it to be in a decent commute to the base. I thought I would like Rio Rancho but it's looking a little crowded. I have also looked at Sandia park but with our budget that's not looking promising for a four bedroom house.
we are open to any suggestions. Right now we are in DC and hoping to come out and house hunt ahead of time.
I have started the hunt for a good realtor. Wish me luck
I doubt there's even a 4 bedroom on the base that you can buy or rent.
All of Albuquerque (including the base) is on one school district (APS), and the schools range from poor to excellent, largely on account of the demographics of their neighborhood.
Rio Rancho and Los Lunas have their own school districts, but the quality of education is on par with some APS schools.
Try looking at Mesa Del Sol or perhaps the east mountains to keep your commute simple, have a shot at good schools, and keep your home newer and more affordable. If you like the westside, recommend you don't look too far north of I-40- there's plenty of housing up there and it tends to be pretty decent, but comparable stuff is closer to your job further to the south.
You may find you save enough from your DC lifestyle to enroll some or all of your children in private or charter schools, which may be a better option for some short commutes. Bandelier ES and Monte Vista ES are public schools close by the base that have good reputations. A decent HS will probably be the biggest challenge close to the base.
I doubt there's even a 4 bedroom on the base that you can buy or rent.
There are five different floor plans of the new housing with four bedrooms, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 baths, 1,683 to 2,665 Sq Feet, depending on rank for military. You give up your housing allowance...
I doubt there's even a 4 bedroom on the base that you can buy or rent.
All of Albuquerque (including the base) is on one school district (APS), and the schools range from poor to excellent, largely on account of the demographics of their neighborhood.
Rio Rancho and Los Lunas have their own school districts, but the quality of education is on par with some APS schools.
Try looking at Mesa Del Sol or perhaps the east mountains to keep your commute simple, have a shot at good schools, and keep your home newer and more affordable. If you like the westside, recommend you don't look too far north of I-40- there's plenty of housing up there and it tends to be pretty decent, but comparable stuff is closer to your job further to the south.
You may find you save enough from your DC lifestyle to enroll some or all of your children in private or charter schools, which may be a better option for some short commutes. Bandelier ES and Monte Vista ES are public schools close by the base that have good reputations. A decent HS will probably be the biggest challenge close to the base.
Rio Rancho may be a brutal commute in the mornings though right? Or did I misunderstand that?
Monte Vista HS has been the school for a few houses we are interested. and yes, it seems the high school is the biggest challenge. Hopefully, a good realtor can help all our issues
There are five different floor plans of the new housing with four bedrooms, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 baths, 1,683 to 2,665 Sq Feet, depending on rank for military. You give up your housing allowance...
We have lived in base housing for 16 years and I think my husband is done! With the schools that service the base being less than ideal we feel it may be best to finally buy.
Rio Rancho may be a brutal commute in the mornings though right? Or did I misunderstand that?
We have had more brutal commutes...
My wife commuted from Rio Rancho to Kirtland for about 10 years until 2011. She worked about 6 miles past the gold course (NTC). Leaving at 5:27 am it took her 32 minutes. Returning was almost an hour.
The northeast heights might offer the housing you want with a short commute to the base. The Eldorado high school area (Montgomery and Juan Tabo) offers some excellent feeder schools. Eldorado high school is rated very well. I have two nephews that are recent graduates and now attend UNM.
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for a 4 bedroom. I think the base housing may not be a good fit for us due to the schools that service the base. 
With the schools that service the base being less than ideal we feel it may be best to finally buy.
