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I posted a question in the main forum asking about Ruidoso or other mountain communites where we could buy a small second home and spend the summers in cooler temperatures than Austin. After reading a lot about Ruidoso and the area, I think we would be happier closer to Santa Fe. I don't mind remote but I have to get a dose of civilization once in a while.
So, another poster responded with this:
If I were going to buy for ONLY summer use, I'd look at northern NM. There are any number of options for buying in forested areas near Santa Fe. Remote cabin sites as well as small community living are options available in the region. You might want to repost in the Santa Fe section of the NM forum in order to get more specific information.
Does anyone have any suggestions on places I might start researching?
Buy a copy of New Mexico Road and Recreation Atlas by Benchmark Maps. They are very good maps that will answer your questions. In the meantime try Tesuque and El Dorado. Try some Google Street Views. Good luck.
PS I only know about New Mexico because I am slightly obsessed and want to rtetire there.
Ruidoso is beautiful but very remote. There are a few hotels and restaurants but it isn't a true community. It's a place people go for a long weekend.
Santa Fe is a much better option; higher population and things to do. For better pricing you can look on the outskirts. Maybe El Dorado would be a good option, but I don't think there are too many small homes out there -- it's mostly a nice middle class community with 3-5 bedroom homes but surely there must be smaller stuff.
The realtors association has a great website where you can search on all of the towns surrounding Santa Fe. It's at Moderator cut: Please, no links to real estate sites. . You could use that handy map to pick potential towns and the use the MLS listings on sfar.com to see if there's anything in your price range.
How far from Santa Fe are you willing to be? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? an hour? There are a lot of beautiful mountainous areas to the East about 30 minutes drive in Pecos and Glorieta.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 03-14-2011 at 01:50 PM..
I live in one of the smaller homes in Eldorado (1400 sf).
VERY nice community to live in with lots of amenities.
Housing prices in Eldorado are pretty reasonable compared to many areas of Santa Fe.
But do not expect to find an inexpensive house there, unless it's a "short sale" or bank foreclosure?
Thanks everyone for your replies. I would want to be no more than an hour from Santa Fe. And I'm really not looking for suburban areas; definitely more of a cabin in the woods/mountains kind of area.
I'll start looking into the suggestions. Thanks again!
Some places to consider for a more rural cabin that's less than an hour from Santa Fe would be Pecos, Glorieta, Canoncito, Nambe, Chupadero and Rio en Medio.
Thanks everyone for your replies. I would want to be no more than an hour from Santa Fe. And I'm really not looking for suburban areas; definitely more of a cabin in the woods/mountains kind of area.
I'll start looking into the suggestions. Thanks again!
You also might want to look at the high road to Taos up in the mountains above Santa Fe: Truchas, El Valle, Trampas, Ojo Sarco, Peñasco, Chamisal, Rodarte. Our wooded home is at almost 8,000 ft elevation up against National Forest. I've noticed a number of places for sale lately in Penasco area.
If I were looking today for a "cabin in the woods" but close to civilization, I'd choose somewhere in SW Colorado - Durango / Pagosa Springs / Gunnison-Lake City. Much better infrastructure, more sophistication generally, and less dishonesty in local govt.
And going further afield, there are all sorts of opportunities in the Montrose / Cedar Edge / Ouray / Teluride region - arguably the most beautiful (spectacular) scenery to be found anywhere. (IMO).
Last edited by joqua; 03-16-2011 at 07:46 AM..
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