Affordable lakefront home

[mike0421]

I have been to Elephant Butte, a lot, and I will disagree with a lot of posters here when one considers the homes here to be lakefront. Coming from the east coast, my idea of a lakefront home might be different, but then again, I've been to Northern California at Scott's Flat Lake, as I have also been to Lake Coeur D'Alene in Idaho. I think of a lakefront home as a home that has property right up to the lake face, an accessible docking space, a marina.


As far as I know, the following Google Street View is the closest privately owned land parcel to Elephant Butte. "Drive" around this development in Street View. What you perceive of as a conventional lakefront (like I thought the first time I visited there) might leave you instead, quite literally high and dry.


https://www.google.com/maps/place/51...076725!6m1!1e1

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by mike0421

I have been to Elephant Butte, a lot, and I will disagree with a lot of posters here when one considers the homes here to be lakefront.

I agree with you Mike, I grew up in Florida, primarily in Miami...

But the poster said "home either on the water or has a water view."... I think I can see El Rio Grande from the roof of our house in Rio Rancho...

Originally Posted by stargazer95667

We are looking for a place to retire where we can buy an affordable ($300,000 or less) home either on the water or has a water view. Does anyone know if something like that exists in N.M.?

[EnjoyEP]

While folks in this thread have given you good counsel on where lakes are located in New Mexico, my "look out radar" goes off when someone asks about "lake views" in New Mexico. Coming from Wisconsin, I know what "lake views" tends to generally mean, and you need to realize that New Mexico has per capita the lowest ratio of bodies of water of any state in the union.

My gut feel is that the only place that may be suitable for your desires on lake views - if you are heading to NM to also gain the advantage of warm weather - may be in areas in or around Truth or Consequences as mentioned by a few others. However, T or C is a fairly low populated, isolated area and probably is a little bit polarizing in terms of a place to inhabit, so I would certainly suggest spending some time there prior to relocating.

If you are looking for simply gorgeous mountain vistas, then most any place outside of areas in eastern New Mexico (which at times are more flat like the Texas panhandle) abound, including the greater Albuquerque metropolitan area (including Rio Rancho which would be a nice town to retire to). You could have a boat here and take it for day trips to places like Elephant Butte.

Again though, you'll probably want to evaluate how important lake VIEWS are to you for every day living versus simply having a lake reasonably nearby for day trips and to use. If the former, I would caution you in considering the very arid state of New Mexico. If the latter, then your options vastly open up and you have most of the state to consider relocating to in - if warm weather is of priority for you in retirement, just make it areas at 5500 feet in elevation and under, as once you get over 5500 feet, you'll start to feel as cool if not cooler than many other areas in the US.

[TKO]

Whoever commented on my comment, within their repping me (thanks!), I'm willing to have that discussion. In terms of long term planetary well being I tend to agree with you. But it's not that cut and dry.