Fall in Santa Fe

It's that time of the year again. The aspens are turning yellow, orange and gold, and the air is crisp and clear. The mountains are snowcapped (skiing is right around the corner!). The mornings are cool, the days warm and the evenings even cooler. Just another reason why Santa Fe is such a wonderful place to live. Have I mentioned the skiing? Ski season starts around Thanksgiving at Ski Santa Fe. Most people don't realize that Santa Fe has a top notch ski area, and have some of the best snow makers and groomers in the country (for those rare winters when it doesn't snow - like last winter!). If you buy a seasons ticket in August, it will be half price. Need ski equipment? No problem. Santa Fe hosts a "ski swap" each year. It's chock full of last years' merchandise from ski store vendors from the southwest. Skis, boots, ski clothes, and everything else are available. The prices can't be beat. I digress. I meant to talk about fall, but fall always reminds me of winter, and winter means skiing!

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Retiring in Santa Fe

Santa Fe - a magnet for baby boomers. Most boomers start by saying "I'd like to retire early". I got a call the other day from someone who told me "I've paid my dues, and it's time for me to get out of the rat race". Whether one is ready to retire, or just dreaming about it, Santa Fe is a perfect choice for a better quality of life. Keep in mind - this is not South Florida. Retirees here are very active! And, they tend to look young and be in great shape. It's something about the air. Let's take a look at all the great things Santa Fe has to offer:

- Weather: About as close to perfect as one can imagine. 300 sunny days a year. No humidity. Beautiful seasons. Cool summer nights. Mild winters (with great skiing nearby!)
- Food: Being a chef in Santa Fe is akin to being a rock star. They even have a magazine here devoted to the local chefs. Food is taken very seriously here. The choices are numerous. The only thing they don't have yet is a great Thai restaurant.
- Shopping: Walking around the Santa Fe plaza, and down the streets around the plaza is a delight. The amount of boutiques and shops will dazzle you. Bring lots of money...you are sure to see things you like.
- Entertainment: Almost every restaurant and hotel here has live music regularly. Even the local pizza place and burrito place (Bumblebees has some great jazz!) In addition, there is the world famous Santa Fe Opera, as well as the Lensic Center for Performing Arts.
- Arts: It's no secret that Santa Fe is one of the art capitals of the world. Walk down Canyon Rd and peruse the many art galleries. Take in the numerous sculptures all over the city. It's overwhelming how much good art there is here!
- Physical Beauty: No matter where you go in Santa Fe, you can't help but notice the towering mountains that surround the city, and rise up in the distance. The vistas are awe inspiring.

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A Gray Day in Santa Fe

All of a sudden, the weather went from summer to fall. I actually wore a fleece this morning when I went on my bike ride. We're getting the remnants of the hurricane that hit Cabo. It's raining mostly in the south, but there are thick black clouds hanging over Santa Fe that look like they are laden with water.

Because Santa Fe has had a stronger than usual monsoon season this summer, there are flowers blooming everywhere. Fields full of wildflowers. Yellow and red flowers lining all the roads. They've seen flowers growing this summer that they have never seen before in Northern New Mexico! In the last two years alone, we have lived through a severe drought, one of the driest winters on record and one of the wettist summers on record. Go figure. But you know what? No matter what the weather here, it's ALWAYS beautiful. I read a great quote today: "The only people who don't complain about going home, are the people who live in Santa Fe." It's true.

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Short Term Rentals in Santa Fe

The debate continues. Read today's article in the Santa Fe New Mexican:
Task force endorses short-term rentals
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/48582.html

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Air Conditioning in Santa Fe

I always find it amusing when people from out of state come to Santa Fe, and are shocked to learn that a good number of our homes do not have air conditioning. I guess when you are coming from Phoenix or the East Coast, it's hard to believe that one could live without AC. Well, this is just another reason why Santa Fe is so unique. Our days in the summer get warm, but very rarely is it hot. Humidity is practically nil here. There is almost always a breeze. At night, the temperature goes down 30 degrees, making it extremely comfortable. You can sleep with the windows open, smell the pinon, and hear the birds in the morning

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New Mexico Existing Home Sales Rise 6.2 Percent Despite National Downward Trend

Another interesting tidbit on the state of the market in New Mexico.

Despite an overall decline in existing home sales in the second quarter of 2006, 20 states showed increases in sales activity from a year ago, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. After Alaska , the best performance in the western region was New Mexico, where existing home sales rose 6.2 percent. NAR President Thomas M. Stevens said that since interest rates have been trending down in recent weeks, buyers have a “window of opportunity in the market.”

visit http://www.RealEstateinSantaFeNM.com to see current Santa Fe listings.

It's 6:00 AM and it's raining. It's not often that one wakes up to rain in Santa Fe. Today is one of those days. Normally at this time the sun is reflecting beautiful pinks and oranges on the clouds as it rises up behind the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I guess we can't have beautiful sunny weather ALL the time...just close to all the time. Hopefully, we'll see some water running through the Santa Fe River today. And hopefully, the reservoirs will go up another foot.
Remember when you were a kid and you would draw a thunderstorm? Big fluffy cloud, rain coming down, and a big lightning bolt? That's exactly what the thunderstorms here look like.

New Mexico - Still Going Strong

Welcome to my blog! Here you'll find information about the Santa Fe Real Estate Market, local Santa Fe Restaurants, events of interest, general Santa Fe musings, and of course, the weather. We are currently experiencing one of the most active monsoon seasons in years. You've probably seen it on the news. After a long drought, we welcome the rain here with open arms. Everything is green and lush - hills that were once brown are now sprouting what almost looks like green grass! The reservoirs are filling up. And the sweet smell of pinon is intoxicating. If only I could bottle it....

So...how is the housing market in New Mexico? Check out this article - if you scroll to the bottom, you'll see that New Mexico is among the states with the biggest increases in existing homesales. While the rest of the country flounders, New Mexico homesales have increased by a healthy 6%!!

A Cooling Market? See the states with the biggest housing increases

Baby boomers continue to look to Santa Fe as an ideal place to retire. And why not? With over 300 days of sunshine, no humidity, beautiful winters (great skiing!), the arts, the opera, the food, and of course, the physical beauty, it's no wonder.

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