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Seeking Answers - I just checked and there are 5 adobe homes for sale in Santa Fe County for sale for under $200,000.
Of those, one is in the city, and within walking distance to the plaza. The others are in the County - figure no more than a 30 minute drive into town.
Mind you, for that price you're getting pretty simple quarters - and a few are real fixer-uppers. The one you could get for $200K (the one in the city) looks move-in ready, but lacks the old Santa Fe charm. You'd have to add that yourself!
If you PM me I'll send you links to those 5 homes just so you can see what they look like. Don't feel any obligation to use me; there are a number of good Realtors in Santa Fe.
For job prospects, I'd recommend looking in or close to fairly sizeable towns as that's where the most job prospects are likely to be. Look at Las Cruces, Silver City, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Espanola and Taos. Perhaps even Los Alamos, but I'm not sure there'd be an inventory of adobe homes there.
Seeking Answers - I just checked and there are 5 adobe homes for sale in Santa Fe County for sale for under $200,000.
Of those, one is in the city, and within walking distance to the plaza. The others are in the County - figure no more than a 30 minute drive into town.
Mind you, for that price you're getting pretty simple quarters - and a few are real fixer-uppers. The one you could get for $200K (the one in the city) looks move-in ready, but lacks the old Santa Fe charm. You'd have to add that yourself!
If you PM me I'll send you links to those 5 homes just so you can see what they look like. Don't feel any obligation to use me; there are a number of good Realtors in Santa Fe.
For job prospects, I'd recommend looking in or close to fairly sizeable towns as that's where the most job prospects are likely to be. Look at Las Cruces, Silver City, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Espanola and Taos. Perhaps even Los Alamos, but I'm not sure there'd be an inventory of adobe homes there.
Wow, talk about pulling the bunny out of the hat! I'm impressed. But also a little dubious, or perhaps I should say--trepidatious. There are a couple of neighborhoods in SF where the houses still have dirt floors. Or simply flooring placed over dirt. Be sure you get a good inspection done, so that you know what you're buying into.
Still, I'd like to hear how this story turns out; it would be cool if the OP could realize her dream.
OP, be sure that whatever you buy can accommodate A/C. Best if there's central heating, which is easy to convert to a combo heat + A/C unit. Otherwise, you can get a swamp cooler, which is fine, except on the few humid days in summer.
I gotta admit, I've not run into any home here with dirt floors. Guess I travel in the wrong circles!
The adobe in the city I mentioned is on a crawl space - so floor joists resting on foundation blocks - or rocks...
Interestingly, an Indian friend of mine said that when the government built homes for one of the pueblos, the Indians ripped u the floor because they wanted their feet to touch the earth. Homes I've been in on various pueblos were all built on cement slabs, so I won't vouch for the veracity of that story - but it sounds plausible. Back in the day oxblood (and probably the blood of other animals as well) were mixed with the dirt for floors. Made the dirt more solid and easier to sweep, plus it kept the dust down. I've heard of new homes that have used that technique and might have even been in one. It looks very cool and organic. But I digress......;o)
I gotta admit, I've not run into any home here with dirt floors. Guess I travel in the wrong circles!
The adobe in the city I mentioned is on a crawl space - so floor joists resting on foundation blocks - or rocks...
Interestingly, an Indian friend of mine said that when the government built homes for one of the pueblos, the Indians ripped u the floor because they wanted their feet to touch the earth. Homes I've been in on various pueblos were all built on cement slabs, so I won't vouch for the veracity of that story - but it sounds plausible. Back in the day oxblood (and probably the blood of other animals as well) were mixed with the dirt for floors. Made the dirt more solid and easier to sweep, plus it kept the dust down. I've heard of new homes that have used that technique and might have even been in one. It looks very cool and organic. But I digress......;o)
I've seen the oxblood floor type. It's pretty cool. There's a neighborhood off of the northeast side of Paseo de Peralta--I don't know what that area is called, but it's off a dirt road where the asphalt runs out--where there are a number of dirt floor houses. I know a couple of people that bought them, and were planning to put in a real floor at some point. Of course those houses were priced lower, and therefore more within reach, of people of modest means, than houses with standard floors.
Thank you! The area I live in now I am plugged into a local junior college - its awesome. My plan is to figure out the schooling/vocation first, and mean time take trips and check out areas. I want/need my vocation down before I move. Lot of changes! Lot of lack of clarity right now, but taking baby steps. Looking for a career coach too.
Xeriscaping... I know three who do it. Xeriscaping, Landscaping, Removing trees, some concrete and brick work, irrigation systems. They hand draw what the client wants, then they do the manual labor... I know one who has been doing it 30+ years and seems to do well because he does landscaping which requires bulldozing and digging. His BobCat cost him $30,000 and he said it has paid for itself...
I do not know if AutoCAD still exists, I used it and some HP and Dec drawing software prior to the mid 90's.
Xeriscaping sounds very interesting...thats new to me. I'd love to hand draw...much more fulfilling than auto cad. Yes Autocad definitely used primarily these days...I'm not sure which software program the popular one now...that was a debate back when I was taking it. I made it to a advanced, my daughter had a emergency that I eventually dropped out of school to deal with....didn't go back as I was taking it along with trying out other classes as my 'for me' class as there is not much demand for it unless in engineering or architecture.
However then a landscape architect friend who only hand draws said she and others in her profession would have loved to have a person to lean on to draw up their drawings on auto cad.
Then, the person who posted after you indicated New Mexico is glutted in this area...due to schools offering these programs...I def. don't feel I could compete with architectural students. I can see why people would be drawn to this field in New Mexico because of the beautiful state and architecture...people just like me.
Seeking Answers - I just checked and there are 5 adobe homes for sale in Santa Fe County for sale for under $200,000.
Of those, one is in the city, and within walking distance to the plaza. The others are in the County - figure no more than a 30 minute drive into town.
Mind you, for that price you're getting pretty simple quarters - and a few are real fixer-uppers. The one you could get for $200K (the one in the city) looks move-in ready, but lacks the old Santa Fe charm. You'd have to add that yourself!
If you PM me I'll send you links to those 5 homes just so you can see what they look like. Don't feel any obligation to use me; there are a number of good Realtors in Santa Fe.
For job prospects, I'd recommend looking in or close to fairly sizeable towns as that's where the most job prospects are likely to be. Look at Las Cruces, Silver City, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Espanola and Taos. Perhaps even Los Alamos, but I'm not sure there'd be an inventory of adobe homes there.
Thank you! I'd be happy to pm you except this won't happen for at least 1-2 years down the road. Right now still have daughter in home and also trying to solidify what the heck my occupation is. A daunting time.
The money for a home will come from an inheritance from my beloved father who is still - thankfully - alive. He is 90 and I'm not wishing anything at all, just trying to objectively plan ahead.
In the meantime I will definitely stay connected to this thread and also get a trip in out there...I appreciate you listing all the communities that are large enough to support employment.
I've seen the oxblood floor type. It's pretty cool. There's a neighborhood off of the northeast side of Paseo de Peralta--I don't know what that area is called, but it's off a dirt road where the asphalt runs out--where there are a number of dirt floor houses. I know a couple of people that bought them, and were planning to put in a real floor at some point. Of course those houses were priced lower, and therefore more within reach, of people of modest means, than houses with standard floors.
I wonder how these homes with the dirt floors get heated? The idea is not unappealing to me unless its cold...Part of my leaving Sonoma County is I want to get a bit more down to earth...I cannot afford a beautiful home here, with nice yard, etc....so alas a move. And, I deeply love the traditional southwestern, and traditional Mexican architecture.
I wonder how these homes with the dirt floors get heated? The idea is not unappealing to me unless its cold...Part of my leaving Sonoma County is I want to get a bit more down to earth...I cannot afford a beautiful home here, with nice yard, etc....so alas a move. And, I deeply love the traditional southwestern, and traditional Mexican architecture.
Well, radiant heat embedded in the floor is probably out of the question. But there would be several manmade options. Certainly doesn't mean foregoing forced air or radiators.
Zillow & Redfin have great search engines to find homes. Set the filters to your needs and price. We have been looking for a couple months. Made two trips down to view home. Remember if it seems too good to be true & the pics look like a movie stars home you are viewing alternative facts. Until you walk the home don't get your hopes up too high.
Good luck
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