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He's from the East Coast (MD) and I'm from the West Coast (OR) and we are thinking about relocating to the Santa Fe area. We know we cannot afford Santa Fe city, but we were interested in the surrounding areas. We are artists (both emerging and haven't sold too much work yet!), have mostly worked in hospitality/customer service jobs (overworked and underpaid), and both have bachelors degrees. I have seen decent housing prices (under 200K) for properties with land in Pecos, Espanola, and I really liked Madrid. How hard of a commute would these areas be to Santa Fe, especially in winter (snow??). Any information would be helpful! thanks!
The commute would not be that bad at all from the areas you mention. The highway dept does a pretty good job keeping the roads clear. Algadones, Placitas, Bernalillo, Rio Rancho and Albuquerque could be considered also. You can use public transit to get to SF if needed.
You may know, but Pecos, Española and Madrid are all distinctly different communities.
Pecos seemed rather rural to me, but with fairly easy access into Santa Fe via I-25. Probably nice if you like somewhat remote and a certain amount of snow in the winter.
There are areas within and about Española that might be okay, and certainly beautiful enough, but if I were you I'd look very closely at the proposition. Potential problems with crime. Not only that but you'll find a fair degree of traffic on US 84/285 between Española and Santa Fe; it could prove a wearing drive.
Of the three, particularly as an artist, I'd choose Madrid hands down. Haven't spent much time in town, but it is a relatively easy drive into Santa Fe and one of the northern New Mexico towns that has that artistic/hippie vibe. A small place and to a degree self contained. As far as business is concerned, you'll also probably find a lot of tourists make a point of coming there due the reputation.
Laraellen - The Santa Fe area is a wonderful place for artists. While,in fact, you could probably afford a place within the city limits, you can get more land and house for your money in outlying areas. Pecos and Madrid are neat places, with the Madrid area probably having lower housing costs. Both places are about 30+ minutes to Santa Fe, depending, of course, on where in those towns/areas you decided to live. The commute from Madrid would be on a two-lane state highway, whereas from Pecos it would be mostly on the Interstate (I-25). Madrid's got an old hippie/funky flavor to it that many artists and visitors tend to like. It's small "downtown" is more bustling than what you'd find in Pecos. Pecos is more forested and lusher due to more snow and rain, but you'll be hardpressed to find a house there for under $200K that isn't a mobile or modular home.
Another area you might want to consider is Eldorado, Lamy and Galisteo. These small communities are southeast of SF, and are between 17 - 30 minutes from SF depending on location, with Eldorado being closest and Galisteo furthest. All three have loads of artists living there, and the lot sizes are from 2 acres on up with beautiful views. Reasonably priced houses can be found in these areas. Eldorado has more of a built up, suburban feel, while Lamy and Galisteo are more rural.
All in all, I think you'll love this part of the country. My advice is to come out and visit and get a feel for the flavor of these towns before you rush into a decision about where to live.
In the city you could get a 1316 square foot condo brand new for $189,000 in a location which is not that prestigious, but fairly well located. Dreamcatcher -A
It is not to my taste, but I show it as evidence that can find something for 200K in the city.
You might also consider the Pojoaque Valley (north Santa Fe County) which is about 20 minutes from Santa Fe. Some might consider 84/285 crowded, but they don't come from the East or West Coasts. It's a few cars, hardly any trucks. It is four lane divided highway and the 20 miles has NEVER taken me more than 20 minutes since they finished the improvements about three years ago. if there is an accident, you just get off onto the frontage road and circumvent it.
Prices are significantly lower than Santa Fe City, and you have a cross section of housing types -- from trailers to 100 acre estates. There is a lot of open space because of the pueblos and the public land. There are a large number of artists with an annual studio tour. Great views of the mountains and barrancas.
Can you get a house for 200K? Yes, but few. Prices are currently soft and inventory has grown for all of Santa Fe. You might find a motivated seller.
Elevation is about 6,000 feet which means a little warmer than Santa Fe. Only problem you might run into with snow and driving is going into Santa Fe when you go up the hill at Tesuque in the morning. The hill faces north, and doesn't get the sun until later in the day. You sail along thinking the road is clear and suddenly it is slippery.
On the negative side -- I would NOT say that the public schools are the strongest. If schools are important, then consider Los Alamos. It is another 20 minutes to the west but mostly on divided four lane highway.
The smaller areas in the Pojoaque Valley are -- Nambe, Pojoaque, Jacona, Jaconita, El Rancho. I'd say Nambe is the best, but I may be prejudiced.
In between the Pojoaque Valley and Santa Fe City are Tesuque and the Las Campanas area -- a different world. These two areas are right up there with the most expensive in the city.
North of us are a few small communities like Arroyo Seco where you could probably get something cheaper. Espanola yet farther north would have housing for 200K but some consider it dangerous. If you are commuting into Santa Fe, then you would be dealing with road construction the next few years and there is no handy frontage road once you are north of the Pojoaque Valley. Expect long delays. There would jobs in Espanola but better pay in Santa Fe City
I'd recommend that you come here and check out the Pojoaque Valley and the areas to the south that have been mentioned above -- El Dorado, Madrid, etc. There is a great deal of variety and you should see for yourself. Also see what you can find in your price range. I suspect that some of the low-priced homes in Madrid are deservedly low-priced. I don't know if you can find anything in Eldorado at this point in your price range.
And wherever you look, check the water. I have heard of people to the south who pay to have their water trucked in -- a hidden cost you would want to avoid. Not a problem in El Dorado which is a planned community, but Madrid which started as a mining area?
Last edited by Devin Bent; 03-26-2008 at 11:15 AM..
Thank you all for the great advice!!! We did take a trip there this last fall, but there is only so much information you can get through one visit. Thanks for the mention about water issues. I know it is a great concern for the whole southwest, and since I'm from the Pacific Northwest I have much less experience (I had no idea that communities trucked in their water).
Thank you all for the great advice!!! We did take a trip there this last fall, but there is only so much information you can get through one visit. Thanks for the mention about water issues. I know it is a great concern for the whole southwest, and since I'm from the Pacific Northwest I have much less experience (I had no idea that communities trucked in their water).
Sorry, I was unclear. Not whole communities -- individual homes. In an area served by individual wells you can run into problems -- the well may go dry or it may be contaminated. Drilling deeper may not always work, and can be expensive in any event.
If you buy a place with a well, you should get it tested for both quality and flow -- and maybe other things that I don't know about.
If you buy a place with a well, you should get it tested for both quality and flow -- and maybe other things that I don't know about.
Quoting myself must be the height of something. But I forgot to tell you -- If you buy a place with a well, ask the people who do the title search to establish a chain of ownership for the well and then you take that material to the State and the County and establish your ownership of the well.
You are establishing that you own the well and the right to pump a defined amount of water from the well. This is not what are called water rights -- which are rights to surface water for irrigation. (You don't want to bring it into your home.) But still handy to have.
Thank you Devin Bent!!! I noticed that most of the homes I have looked at have wells and since I have never lived in a house with a well water source this is great information.
Santa Fe has the 3rd largest art market in the U.S. Great place for artists but difficult to get in the good galleries here. Easier if you do landscapes and work in a prevailing style.
Madrid is very arts and craftsy, a truly unique place, but also overrun by bikers (friendly ones) and clogged with tourists during the summer. It is super funky. It would drive me crazy to live there, unless, I lived up in the hills somewhere, and didn't need to go to Santa Fe a lot.
Between Santa Fe and Madrid, off Hwy 14, there are a few communities and just areas of houses that are much cheaper than city limits Santa Fe, and ten miles or so closer to Santa Fe than Madrid. These places are on well water and propane, as compared to the city water and natural gas in Santa Fe. There are some trailers, but not trailer parks or people crowded in together.
Eldorado is closer to Santa Fe than Madrid, located only about 10 miles outside the East instead of South like Madrid. Very pretty views. All houses on 1.5 acres or more. Very middle to upper class, almost an opposite of Madrid. However, lots of artists live in Eldorado too.
Pecos is right in and below the mountains. Very different feel from Eldorado. I have a friend who loves it there.
Espanola is a tight Hispanic community, with some drug and vandalism problems. The commute would be one of the more dangerous.
If you can, the best thing to do would be to rent, to see if you like it in a certain place. Within the city limits of Santa Fe, some neighborhoods can have such a striking different character.
It depends on what you are looking to spend, if you want to be in the mountains or looking at them from the plain, jammed in with neighbors or well spaced from them.
I own a well and there has been nothing to it for four years, and the twenty years it has been here, it hasn't gone dry or been drilled deeper. Friends of mine about four miles away, living in a beautiful house on fifty acres have had to drill deeper ten times in the last twenty years. Their well is four times as deep as mine.
Lastly, watch out for something that seems like a big bargain. There aren't those out here.
Santa Fe is unique in that "dirt road" means chic. Once they pave your road, that usually means more people will be driving on it. So, don't be turned off by a dirt road off a paved road, because that is what many areas are, even Eldorado, and areas with million dollar homes.
On the other hand, steep dirt road in Madrid....probably need 4-wheel drive.
I hate that in the city of Santa Fe, when looking for a house, anything under $200,000 or so is going to have something very undesirable about it, like be near traffic noise, or unsafe.
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All different
Reply to "Got Some More Santa Fe Questions"
. But I forgot to tell you -- If you buy a place with a well, ask the people who do the title search to establish a chain of ownership for the well and then you take that material to the State and the County and establish your ownership of the well.
