Scouting out ABQ for potential move - Corrales a good place to start? (Albuquerque: new home, buying)
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We just moved to Corrales from Florida six months ago. We're only leasing, so we could get a feel for the area and find a community we liked. Corrales is a great little village, the people are generally friendly, and we see and hear Coyote's every night, lots of quail, Road Runners, rabbits, and of course our two horses. We have 1.3 acres and find it a little small for what we have planned so we're looking at moving to a larger lot. I'm following this post because it contains some great info on the area that pretty much sums up what we've learned in our time here.
We both work from home so the commute issue doesn't apply to us. We had research Plactias extensively and like some of the areas. Search Realtor.com for the Placitas area, there's a 5 acre tract they're asking $110K for we have looked at a few times. Met with the agent two weeks ago and got all the details. It's an amazing flat piece for that area. The well is the only question, you're looking at drilling 400 - 500 feet (i.e. $20k for water), all other utilities are there and there is no HOA.
We need to go check out the Bosque Farms area, I haven't made it that far South yet, most of our travels have been North. There are some nice size chunks of land around the Madrid area, but most are off-grid and farther than 20 minutes from town, but they still intrigue me.
We just moved to Corrales from Florida six months ago. We're only leasing, so we could get a feel for the area and find a community we liked. Corrales is a great little village, the people are generally friendly, and we see and hear Coyote's every night, lots of quail, Road Runners, rabbits, and of course our two horses. We have 1.3 acres and find it a little small for what we have planned so we're looking at moving to a larger lot. I'm following this post because it contains some great info on the area that pretty much sums up what we've learned in our time here.
We both work from home so the commute issue doesn't apply to us. We had research Plactias extensively and like some of the areas. Search Realtor.com for the Placitas area, there's a 5 acre tract they're asking $110K for we have looked at a few times. Met with the agent two weeks ago and got all the details. It's an amazing flat piece for that area. The well is the only question, you're looking at drilling 400 - 500 feet (i.e. $20k for water), all other utilities are there and there is no HOA.
We need to go check out the Bosque Farms area, I haven't made it that far South yet, most of our travels have been North. There are some nice size chunks of land around the Madrid area, but most are off-grid and farther than 20 minutes from town, but they still intrigue me.
Good luck!
Thanks, sjeff! I wish you success in finding the perfect place for yourself and your horses with a well already dug, in fact!
I do lean toward preferring the north because I'd like to be closer to Santa Fe and not have to go through the city to head north. However, the Bosque area south of ABQ, I'll have to explore more, but in person to know really what I'm talking about. If you go there, I'd LOVE to hear your experience. I've come to believe Corrales won't work because of the smaller lots. We'd like at least 5 acres, and so Placitas looks more like it could work for us. Now, because of this thread, I've begun to explore the east mountains (thanks you guys!), and if you go there, I'd LOVE to hear what you think. Not that you said you were going there, but you know, maybe you'll end up there one fine Saturday afternoon...
I have a couple things that concern me about moving to the area. One is wells and water. That will take some research, but I'll find out particulars; my sense is there's a solution to that. The other is lack of trees and green, to be honest. I love trees. I mean, LOVE, trees. If you're from Florida where there's some serious green and vegetation all about, how have you fared with the vastly different terrain? I'm not talking weather or rain or dryness or heat or snow so much, but the difference in green and trees compared to where you came from. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, so I've got a lot of green around me, and I wonder what it feels like to someone coming from a similarly green and lush place to move to the desert, even a desert as colorful and beautiful as northern New Mexico.
Another vote here to check out the East Mountains and Tijeras. There is a lot of land still available out that way. Trafficwise, it's an easier drive into the city than from Placitas.
Another vote here to check out the East Mountains and Tijeras. There is a lot of land still available out that way. Trafficwise, it's an easier drive into the city than from Placitas.
Thirded. In addition, the east mountains (many parts of which are in Santa Fe county) present a nice shortcut to Santa Fe and points north and east via NM 14, eliminating Albuquerque as part of the route.
Thanks, sjeff! I wish you success in finding the perfect place for yourself and your horses with a well already dug, in fact!
I do lean toward preferring the north because I'd like to be closer to Santa Fe and not have to go through the city to head north. However, the Bosque area south of ABQ, I'll have to explore more, but in person to know really what I'm talking about. If you go there, I'd LOVE to hear your experience. I've come to believe Corrales won't work because of the smaller lots. We'd like at least 5 acres, and so Placitas looks more like it could work for us. Now, because of this thread, I've begun to explore the east mountains (thanks you guys!), and if you go there, I'd LOVE to hear what you think. Not that you said you were going there, but you know, maybe you'll end up there one fine Saturday afternoon...
I have a couple things that concern me about moving to the area. One is wells and water. That will take some research, but I'll find out particulars; my sense is there's a solution to that. The other is lack of trees and green, to be honest. I love trees. I mean, LOVE, trees. If you're from Florida where there's some serious green and vegetation all about, how have you fared with the vastly different terrain? I'm not talking weather or rain or dryness or heat or snow so much, but the difference in green and trees compared to where you came from. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, so I've got a lot of green around me, and I wonder what it feels like to someone coming from a similarly green and lush place to move to the desert, even a desert as colorful and beautiful as northern New Mexico.
Hi there,
We're going to go check out the Bosque Farms area one day soon, along with some other areas down there I want to investigate. East of Bosque Farms is Torreon, and just South of there is Mountianair. I'm curious about that entire area and will be looking into it soon. I also want to head down to Ruidoso, and Cloudcroft(I just like that name ). They're up in the mountains and appeal to me somehow.
We did check out the East Mountains last year before we moved, mostly on hwy 14 North of I-40, we looked at several houses and I would like to give that area another shot as well. Like you, I'm looking for five acres or more(More is better right)???
Water is always a major concern, but I feel that we can make that work out. I've heard tales of 1000 foot dry wells in some areas, but for the most part people seem to find water where they need it.
As far as the "GREEN", I have always been drawn to the Southwest, the rugged terrain and openness of the area, the lack of perceived "Green" doesn't bother me. If you take a look around, there are more colors than just green to been found here!
Good luck in your search and hit me up on PM here if you have any questions.
A client of mine bought either 20 or 30 acres near Tijeras last year (I forget the exact amount). He had no problem with water, utilities etc. when he built his house. The one thing he IS having issues with is the lousy internet service out there. Slightly better than dial up is about the best he's been able to get.
A client of mine bought either 20 or 30 acres near Tijeras last year (I forget the exact amount). He had no problem with water, utilities etc. when he built his house. The one thing he IS having issues with is the lousy internet service out there. Slightly better than dial up is about the best he's been able to get.
That's good to know, the wife and I both work from home, so fast and reliable internet is a must!
I think my favorite part of ABQ is Corrales, but as Poncho said it is pricey and not much in the 5 acre category can be found. I would suggest the East Mountain area or possibly Bosque Farms. Of course you talk about wild life walking through your yard, are you talking deer, small creatures, etc or just hearing and coyoies for starters. If you head toward Bosque farms you will have some wildlife, nothing like you are going to get in the East mountain area.
I'm getting such good info - all the tidbits are adding up and pointing to very specific places to search. This is good, very good.
Yukon and Zoidberg, knowing the east mountains provide an easier commute into ABQ than Placitas is very valuable to know~
Good internet service is just as important to me as traffic and commute times, which I didn't think to ask about. Where I'm living now I'm getting a blazing 1 Mbps, so I'm used to slow. Anything less than that would be a deal breaker. Slow or no internet service is the downside of living in more rural areas~
nmnita, I guess I'm primarily interested in coyotes. I love to hear them and love to see them as well. We've got a resident coyote on our back acreage, and we see him every once in a while. He also leaves his scat balanced carefully on logs we have to step over that cross the trails we've made on our property. He even leaves it on small rocks about 6 inches across! I have this vision of him backing up and strategically aiming for the log and rock. He's one heck of a trickster! He likes to leave his scat at the forks of the trails and trail heads especially. Our dog then pees on his scat, and the marking continues all week between the two. It's a hoot!
I am interested in all the native animals, even the big cats. I found a great thread about all the wildlife in the area. I learned you have animals I'd never heard about. So cool. Thanks for mentioning that the east mountains will have more wildlife than Bosque Farms. It's this kind of information that you just can't know about until you move there or someone local tells you.
Jeff, I'm following your travels, although you're definitely venturing further out than I probably will. Of course, it's best to check everything out before committing, esp when getting a large parcel. And yes, more is better! On the map, I was looking along 40 up 14 in the east mountains, too. That is likely to be the first place I go, then Placitas, Bosque Farms and then ??? - we'll see. It's good to know the other colors in the terrain and sky hold their own and shine despite less green. I do see the beauty in many of the photos on this site. Thanks for the PM suggestion. You will likely be hearing from me! I'm particularly interested in hearing how your first winter there goes.
Alright...if anyone has read this far, I have a question about the east mountains. I would assume the east mountains would be cooler, probably more snow in winter than ABQ, but compared to, say, Placitas, what's the difference in temps between the east mountains and Placitas? Is it just colder in winter, but not cooler in summer? I ask with this in mind - I'd like to find the place with the coolest summers in the area.
Yukon and Zoidberg, knowing the east mountains provide an easier commute into ABQ than Placitas is very valuable to know~
I don't know if I'd go that far. It's an easy 10 minutes from west west Placitas to northern Albuquerque.
It could easily be 45 minutes for a far-afield part of the east mountains like Paa-ko to the airport.
The fact is the best commute into ABQ is starting in ABQ.
Quote:
Alright...if anyone has read this far, I have a question about the east mountains. I would assume the east mountains would be cooler, probably more snow in winter than ABQ, but compared to, say, Placitas, what's the difference in temps between the east mountains and Placitas? Is it just colder in winter, but not cooler in summer? I ask with this in mind - I'd like to find the place with the coolest summers in the area.
Placitas is so spread out and changes so much in elevation that the easternmost stretches are pretty much identical to the east mountains because they are just about in the east mountains.
Pick someplace high altitude and wooded for coolest summers. That can be in either area, or not.
Microclimes might make this not a 1:1 truism, but expect colder winters where there are cooler summers.
Wind and sunshine factor in a lot to what feels cool and cold, and there's more of both the higher up you go.
One last thing- if you're planning on working in the city anyway, does it really matter what the daytime weather is like? Nighttime is when most people enjoy their homes.
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). They're up in the mountains and appeal to me somehow.
