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Hello,
I am looking to retire in Albuquerque, coming from Phoenix. I want to get out of the heat and go to more of a four season climate. Can anyone recommend a good realtor? Please PM me if you have a recommendation.
Is Albuquerque safe? I want to buy a home in a good and safe neighborhood. Aside from my 5 lb Maltese, I will be living alone. I don't want to be afraid. Advice, anyone? I had originally wanted to retire in Santa Fe, but prices are just too high for a single family home.
I was in your position years ago. I liked the Santa Fe vibe, but its houses were beyond my reach. I discovered Placitas, about 15 miles north of Albuquerque and bought a place there. Glad I did it, because it was more affordable than SF and had access to the amenities of Albuquerque. Neighbors, views, and privacy were wonderful. There were lots of dog owners, also. It might be worth it to you to take a look.
Hi Suaz. We were in the same boat as you (relocating from another state), and luckily ended up with a nice honest realtor. We ended up purchasing in the East Mountain area of Cedar Crest (10-15min outisde of ABQ), and were extremely happy with the process. Since we purchased while not living here, we were pretty anxious, but it all worked out quite well.
The realtor grew up in the eastside and knows it quite well, and ironically he's married to a real-estate agent who specializes in the Nob Hill area. If you would like either of their contacts, feel free to PM me. Cheers, and best of luck!
Like Phoenix has areas of high crime that you just would avoid to be safe, the same is true in Albuquerque. You'll just avoid the pockets of crime and pick a place to live that is as safe as anywhere in Phoenix.
I hate to be a contrarian again, however, for a retiree, I would not suggest Placitas or especially the East Mountains. While its true that suaz is retiring in ABQ to escape the scorching Phoenix heat, I think that Placitas or the East Mountains may be a bit of a culture shock to her, feeling as though she retired to Buffalo or Cleveland.
My recommendations to look at:
1. Northeast Heights
2. North Valley or Corrales
3. Downtown/Nob Hill area
4. Four Hills area (south side of town)
5. Los Ranchos de Albuquerque (in case you want to be a little hoity toity, which there is nothing in the world wrong with that in retirement!)
6. And yes, for comparison's sake, the Northwest side of town or even Rio Rancho (Rio Rancho actually was started as a bit of a retirement community)
If you live in any of the areas that I just suggested, crime is likely to play very little a role in your life.
Oh and P.S. Albuquerque kicks Phoenix's butt. You'll love the move once you make it.
Thanks, everyone. But tell me, why would it be a culture shock to move to Placitas or East Mountain area? In what way?
I never said "culture shock"... Each person and/or family is different. I like Placitas, to a degree... "East Mountain area"? That is a large area which no one here has really defined. There are some parts which I do not like. But I don't know you and what you are really looking for and what you would except...
You started off by saying "I am looking to retire in Albuquerque, coming from Phoenix.". My wife and I are now retired and are staying where we have been fo 15+ years. We still look around because we have moved around over the years. I have been to Phoenix several times in the past over the years. It is a nice city, just a bit to hot for us.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 06-27-2017 at 12:50 PM..
I spent last weekend in Phoenix, it IS a nice city! I feel wistful pangs at seeing all the gardens and cactus varieties that can be grown there because the winters are so mild. It's definitely more 'lush' than ABQ. But yes those summers get really hot, and unlike ABQ, the nighttime temps don't offer heat relief.
There are many safe and wonderful neighborhoods in ABQ. This might sound funny and is just my opinion, but you can get a sense for the crime level of a neighborhood by how entire streets of houses have decorated their yards. If there are zero nice plant pots and the only patio furniture is an old living room recliner or sofa, or dirty cheap resin chairs, maybe you want to look elsewhere for your new home. People don't put out nice stuff if it's likely to be stolen! But if you see (as a neighborhood or street essence) pretty yard landscaping and pretty plant pots, maybe a charming bistro patio set, it's probably a nice safe neighborhood.
My husband and I were in the same boat. We have been living in the East Mountains for over five years and have not regretted it. I believe it's much safer out here. Places that I would consider would be Edgewood (there is a Senior Center there), Tijeras, Sandia Park, and in general all of East Mountains. I wouldn't consider living in Albuquerque unless it was the far NE part (boundaried by Paseo del Norte to Tramway and areas north and east of that intersection.
In re: Placitas, when my husband and I were looking for a home, we went to Placitas and what we found were $$$$$ too expensive for us. The area there is very pretty (as it is in the East Mountains). The East Mountains are quiet; however there are two senior centers which are fun and lively.
This person thinks that you are originally from a large city and that's what you're used to. In the East Mountains, it is peaceful. Cedar Crest is a great area to live in.... not too far away from the Tijeras Senior Center. Edgewood has as much if not more amenities as Cedar Crest. Edgewood has neighborhoods and it's flater than Cedar Crest. Edgewood has neighborhoods though I haven't seen any condos there but they could be, and I haven't seen them. Edgewood has a wonderful Senior Center there with a bus that will pick up and take home senior people.
Poncho_NM, it was EnjoyEP who suggested to the OP that after Phoenix, Placitas or the East Mountains might be a culture shock to her, making her "feel as though she had retired to Cleveland or Buffalo." Since I've never been to Phoenix but find the industrial Northeast to be utterly different from anywhere in New Mexico, I'm not at all sure what EnjoyEp had in mind.
In any case, Placitas is practically as expensive as Santa Fe, so if Santa Fe is financially out of the question of the OP, I think Placitas would be, too.
It's hard to tell just from an online post what a person considers to be adequately safe. But considering that safety is one of the OP's main concerns, I think EnjoyEP's recommendations need to be fine-tuned a bit. There are parts of the Northeast Heights that are not all that safe, and there is a lot of crime downtown. You need to look at crime patterns in specific neighborhoods over a period of months. Fortunately, there are some online tools that are helpful. Trulia.com includes crime maps with their house listings, and the Albuquerque police department has some useful links: https://www.cabq.gov/police/crime-statistics
Hope this helps.
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