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interesting...Thanks for sharing the threads...I'm all about A/C so, add that on to the budget, fek. I'll work on that when the inspector comes out. We'll see what its rated at and what its actually doing to cool the house. I guess i ask the question again, does it cool down at night? 95% of the time?
We live in Rio Rancho, have been here 15+ years. We also have family in Rio Rancho. It seems to always cool down at night. I can't really recall it getting hotter as the sun went down. The weather is very similar to Albuquerque. But it can be various temperatures and conditions throughout the area. Rio Rancho is on the north border of Albuquerque. We live 6 miles from the Albuquerque border.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 10-03-2015 at 08:10 AM..
I guess i ask the question again, does it cool down at night? 95% of the time?
Average lows in summer are < 60F, so I'd call that pretty cool. If there is significant humidity during the day it is accompanied by clouds and rain and cooler temperatures. The "rainy season" in NM is early July to early Sept when we often get afternoon showers. More so in the mountains, and more in the southern part of the state, but you will see that in Albuquerque also.
If I was in your shoes, I'd rent for a awhile, make sure the job is solid, then probably buy a lot in Placitas and build a house that was just how I wanted. Mostly because the sort of house I want isn't like the ones that are available. Placitas is more upscale, a little higher elevation, bigger lots.
If I was in your shoes, I'd rent for a awhile, make sure the job is solid, then probably buy a lot in Placitas and build a house that was just how I wanted. Mostly because the sort of house I want isn't like the ones that are available. Placitas is more upscale, a little higher elevation, bigger lots.
And more expensive. And some other good and bad points...
Enchanted Hills is a nice location that is commercially growing in spurts now and again. The residential part is pretty much adjacent to places where you can purchase a nice lot. I bought one a few years ago (.5 acre) that had everything but water (well) and sewer (septic)...which are big ticket items if you are building. I ended up buying an existing house instead on 1.3 acres with a few neighbors.
The existing development housing is pretty tight and many lots would not likely be big enough for a pool. Google Earth shows a few pools in Enchanted Hills but not many. Local schools are good, I hear. I live reasonably close to that area and do most of my banking and other business in Bernalillo rather than fight my way south...but I'm a small town person and that appeals to me.
If you work on the west side of the river you should certainly try to live on the west side because the bridges are serious bottlenecks. Distances between Placitas and Enchanted Hills are typically not great but the traffic can be a mess in Bernalillo and at the bridge if things go wrong during rush hour. People who never experienced traffic elsewhere complain about the traffic here but it is really the river bridges that are the problem...and a few crazies on the interstates.
I moved from the hot and humid Midwest and was a skeptic regarding Swamp Coolers but I love mine. On hot days I turn it on about 11 AM and it is comfortable but gets pretty cool in the evening by 8 PM. Ceiling fans help on hotter days. If you have dust or pollen allergies you will want AC.
If you build and need a well you should expect to go 450-500 feet deep or thereabouts. I just replaced my pump and controls for about $3500 so the cost runs up pretty fast for that free water. On the other hand, I priced the cost of bringing city water to my lot and it was estimated by the city at $90k -- you can drill several wells for that kind of money.
What do you all enjoy doing for fun out there? Obviously the hiking/biking/quad potential looks awesome. Hows the fishing?
How about the food? I'm sure there are the standard chain restaurants but is there a lot of good local spots to hit up for a meal? Steak houses?
How are the schools for the most part? Do they teach "common core" out there for math? They do here, so i'm hoping my daughters not lost or for that matter the teachers when she is proving her math problems.
Got the green light on moving expenses this morning, so its pretty much a done deal. Pretty stoked at this point. Now the ****ty part. Selling my house and moving. I hate moving....haha
It all depends what you're into. Northern RR puts you very close to offroading, and the bosque (river forest) has some pretty good hiking.
Bicycling will probably be a little disappointing versus other parts of the metro; nothing's close together, and you have your choice of high-speed thoroughfares without anything keeping a drunk from ending your day (bicyclists get killed a lot this way unfortunately) or little residential dead-ends that don't connect, even for bikes. Load up your SUV and you're in for some good mountain biking either on the mesas west or the bosque east, or points beyond.
A lot of people go shooting in the mesas (at bottles, etc.). Kite-flying can sometimes be quite excellent, and model aircraft/"drone" enthusiasts will get a lot out of the area.
Bernalillo/US 550 will be your river bridge, and it's a congested mass of vehicles (still pretty tame by bay area standards) with blue collar eateries mainly. It has the odd restaurant, but you will likely find yourself driving way south to Albuquerque for the more upscale/"corporate" places to eat, particularly steakhouses.
You're also right next to the Santa Ana rez, which includes a full vegas-style casino and resort (and bowling alley). You'll probably find yourself going there frequently even if you don't gamble.
New Mexicans are very proud of their food, which differs from Californian food. 2/3 of newcomers get hooked. Just bear in mind that Sadie's (in the Santa Ana compound) runs their stuff way hot even by local standards, so may be a good idea to ease your way into the local cuisine by eating elsewhere until you get used to it.
Rio Rancho schools all tend to be part of the same RRPS system; it doesn't tend to knock it out of the park in terms of rankings versus other areas but I've often heard people fiercely defend it, which is nice to hear. The schools are mostly very new construction.
Odds are you'll love it out here. Odds are you'll wonder why you took so long.
I hear the coyote's are pretty rampid out there. Am i allowed to shoot them? haha.....i've got 3 little critters and i'm not a big fan of having to watch my dogs go take a pee and poop at night. I don't know that i'd enjoy shooting coyote's, but i'll drop them if its them or my dogs. I grew up with them in WA state and they really never bothered to get close enough in the neighborhoods. Same thing thee? They just yappy yap from the distance? Any other critters to worry about with the dogs?
It all depends what you're into. Northern RR puts you very close to offroading, and the bosque (river forest) has some pretty good hiking.
Bicycling will probably be a little disappointing versus other parts of the metro; nothing's close together, and you have your choice of high-speed thoroughfares without anything keeping a drunk from ending your day (bicyclists get killed a lot this way unfortunately) or little residential dead-ends that don't connect, even for bikes. Load up your SUV and you're in for some good mountain biking either on the mesas west or the bosque east, or points beyond.
A lot of people go shooting in the mesas (at bottles, etc.). Kite-flying can sometimes be quite excellent, and model aircraft/"drone" enthusiasts will get a lot out of the area.
Bernalillo/US 550 will be your river bridge, and it's a congested mass of vehicles (still pretty tame by bay area standards) with blue collar eateries mainly. It has the odd restaurant, but you will likely find yourself driving way south to Albuquerque for the more upscale/"corporate" places to eat, particularly steakhouses.
You're also right next to the Santa Ana rez, which includes a full vegas-style casino and resort (and bowling alley). You'll probably find yourself going there frequently even if you don't gamble.
New Mexicans are very proud of their food, which differs from Californian food. 2/3 of newcomers get hooked. Just bear in mind that Sadie's (in the Santa Ana compound) runs their stuff way hot even by local standards, so may be a good idea to ease your way into the local cuisine by eating elsewhere until you get used to it.
Rio Rancho schools all tend to be part of the same RRPS system; it doesn't tend to knock it out of the park in terms of rankings versus other areas but I've often heard people fiercely defend it, which is nice to hear. The schools are mostly very new construction.
Odds are you'll love it out here. Odds are you'll wonder why you took so long.
I don't bike here, so no loss there. Shooting, sign me up. Casino, once again, sign me up, haha. Kite flying sounds fun, i have 9 year old daughter. Traffic there does not scare me. You have no idea of my commute for 21.0 miles. Leave my house at 6:40am, drop the daughter off which is maybe a 5min detour tops. Get to work 7:55 to 8:05 if there is no wreck. If there is a wreck, 8:30 maybe? There is always a wreck 2 -3 times a week. Its CA though, it is what it is. I email my bosses sigalert pic and thats the end of the conversation haha. I work from my phone at that point if im already emailing people.
I hear the coyote's are pretty rampid out there. Am i allowed to shoot them? haha.....i've got 3 little critters and i'm not a big fan of having to watch my dogs go take a pee and poop at night. I don't know that i'd enjoy shooting coyote's, but i'll drop them if its them or my dogs. I grew up with them in WA state and they really never bothered to get close enough in the neighborhoods. Same thing thee? They just yappy yap from the distance? Any other critters to worry about with the dogs?
The local culture in both RR and Albuquerque is high CMU (cinderblock) walls partitioning every property, usually to the exclusion of anything but the most nimble of cats (strays are very uncommon, actually, compared to a number of other cities; the local authorities do so great a job that you really notice when you move elsewhere). Install a dog door and let them take themselves for a walk in the comfort and security of their own yard; takes 90% of the hassle of owning a dog away.
Coyotes are not much of a concern, particularly if you're not way out in the boonies. A little rat dog will have more to worry about in terms of birds of prey (seriously) and especially things like Parvo if you don't have them vaccinated. There may be the occasional bear but they tend to venture into town on the east side of the river far more often. There's also scorpions big time in Rio Rancho, particularly for new construction abutting the frontier beyond the city. I guess they're mostly harmless but yuck!
We've had a major outbreak of black widows these past 2 years due to all the extra rain, so be on the lookout for those as well.
any advice on rentals that accept pets? I should only be renting a month or 2. I'm more looking backup plan if i can't time everything (sell house, find house, etc). 3 little dogs. Rent around 1000-1200 would be awesome. Cheaper even better. Just looking for 2 br apartment, 1 br we could live with if needed. What kind of deposit can i expect per critter? 300? if im month to month, what can of normal deposit can i expect? Thanks.
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