Archive for the ‘Real Estate’ Category



Barrio La Canada, Santa Fe: more neighborhood details

Posted Tuesday October 13 2009 by in Real Estate, Santa Fe Downtown, Santa Fe Neighborhoods
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Barrio la CanadaFollowing on the heels of my previous post, Santa Fe Neighborhood Quick Sketch: Barrio La Canada, this post offers more nuts-and-bolts information on the Barrio La Canada neighborhood in downtown Santa Fe:

The local elementary school is the once struggling  Larragoite STEMM, now a magnet school, which has partnered with the University of New Mexico, Highlands University, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, to reinvent itself.   Through “rigorous and relevant instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics”, it aims to focus on “real-world problem solving centered on themes of community, caring, and wellness.”

Barrio La Canada’s middle school is DeVargas; its high school is Capitol. The International Baccalaureate School, Desert Academy, is across the street.

Agua Fria, which runs parallel to neighborhood’s southern expanse, provides easy access to area shopping and dining. Two good nearby restaurants are The Tune Up Cafe and Counter Culture. Payne’s Nurseries north store is just 1/2 block south of the entrance to Barrio La Canada, on Camino Alire.

At this writing, there are just three active listings in Barrio la Canada, priced from $215K-325K. Two have three bedrooms, 2 baths, and 1090 to 1701 square feet; the third has a whopping 5 bedrooms, 3 baths and 2462 square feet.  In the last four months, three other listings have expired. The two houses that sold within the past six months are fairly typical of the area: a four bedroom, two bath home with a garage conversion and minor upgrades that sold for $239,000 and a three bedroom, two bath 1172 square foot fixer upper that sold for $175,000.Bridge

If you’re interested in this neighborhood, don’t try to find listings by the name of the subdivision (since it’s called both “Barrio la Canada” and “Barrio de la Canada”.)  Search by streets, or have your agent search in both areas 2 and 4N as listing agents do not consistently assign their properties to one area.

For census data and statistical information on the neighborhood, go to: City-Data.

For up-to-date information on Barrio La Canada’s real estate market, go to: Santa Fe Real Estate Downtown.

Santa Fe Neighborhood Quick Sketch: Barrio La Canada

Posted Tuesday September 15 2009 by in Real Estate, Santa Fe Downtown, Santa Fe Neighborhoods
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Location, community, possibility–that’s my REALTOR’S gut take on Barrio La Canada: a neighborhood I can’t claim to know, but plan to discover. I sense that Barrio la Canada is a good, longterm bet for a home purchase in greater downtown Santa Fe, and here’s why:  It’s quiet, but not without activity.  Its park, The John F. Griego Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Park, gets good use from kids and picnickers.

I’ve heard residents describe Barrio La Canada as a typical Santa Fe melting pot: young, old, newcomers, longtimers, families, couples and singles  with a range of personal interests and professions.   Many homes are in original condition–an open opportunity to create equity with some sweat, savvy and cash–and some gentrified, for those who don’t have skills or stomach for remodeling. There are also a few pockets of new construction.

The Santa Fe River, which forms the neighborhood’s northern boundary, gives the community charm and definition.  Homes on the north side of Paseo de la Conquistadora benefit most from the physical buffer to nearby Alameda, the beauty of the riverbed and, when the river is running, the lyrical sound of flowing water.

*~*~*~ BARRIO LA CANADA UPDATE, JULY 22, 2010 *~*~*

Click the link to get details on the renovation to Barrio la Canada’s entrance.

For up-to-date information on Barrio La Canada’s real estate market, go to: Santa Fe Real Estate Downtown.

Neighborhood Market Watch: Casa Alegre

Posted Wednesday August 26 2009 by in Real Estate, Santa Fe Downtown, Santa Fe Neighborhoods
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Cactus Color2.5 miles from the Plaza  is another desirable denizen of downtown Santa Fe, Casa Alegre. A residential oasis close to the bustling heart of Santa Fe, Casa Alegre strikes a winning balance between access to the action and serene removal.  Although bounded on the south by Cerrillos, one of the city’s major commercial arteries, Casa Alegre is a relatively quiet neighborhood characterized by mature trees and solidly built, older homes.  As with Casa Solana, many of the area’s homes were built by Allen Stamm (see profile in the 7/22/09 blogpost) Stamm’s classic, pueblo structures– icons of Santa Fe Style–commonly include vigas, wood floors, nichos, corbels, kiva fireplaces,  and portals.   Since the original homes in Casa Alegre were often under 1000 square feet, many residents have chosen to convert their garages to bring their home’s square footage more into line with modern tastes.

There are plenty of  good restaurants and desirable services in the vicinity. Special mention to the restaurants  India House, El Parasol, and The Pantry. The College of Santa Fe’s much loved movie theater, The Screen, is within comfortable walking distance. For more info on area amenities, go to Walkscore.com where you can check out the Casa Alegre Neighborhood’s Walkability Score (86 out of 100) as measured from our current listing at 1837 Kiva (MLS#904396).

The three public schools that serve the area are:  Salazar Elementary;  DeVargas Middle School and Santa Fe High School.  Frenchy’s Field– a popular walking park–lies opposite the area’s northern border.   Ashbaugh Park defines the eastern border and Gregory Lopez Park is tucked at the corner of San Felipe and Hano Rd.

Visit CityData.com for a detailed statistical profile of the Casa Alegre subdivision.

At this writing, there are 11 Active listings, 1 Pending on the market in Casa Alegre, ranging in price from $229,000 for a 3 bedroom, 1 Bath with 1350 sq.ft. home to $499,00 for a 3/2 with 2,220 sq. ft.  Since January 1st, 7 homes have sold.  Most (57.1%) were on the market for more than 120 days prior to their sale, reflecting the time of year as well as the slower state of the market over that time period. 42.9% sold within 60 days of their listing for an average of 95.85% of their asking price.  Statistics are only part of the picture, but from our professional perspective, Casa Alegre has shown itself to be a strong investment and is likely to remain so.

Neighborhood Market Watch: Casa Solana

Posted Wednesday July 22 2009 by in Real Estate, Santa Fe Downtown, Santa Fe Neighborhoods
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Black Hollyhock

Close to the Plaza, comparatively affordable, blessed with broad streets, mature trees and an old-fashioned neighborly feel, Casa Solana is one of our top picks for a first home, trade-up or investment in downtown Santa Fe. Located about a mile west of the Plaza, Casa Solana’s streets finger northward from West Alameda toward the neighborhood’s apex at Alamo/Camino de las Crucitas. (The Frank S. Ortiz Dog Park, a popular, off-leash dog play place for pooches, sits on the neighborhood’s upper border.) To the west is “Temblon” (which means “shaky, trembling” and, by extension, “Aspen” in Spanish). On Casa Solana’s southern border, above the Santa Fe riverbed, is Alto Park with tennis and basketball courts, a playing field, pool and bike paths (The mushroom water feature in the kiddie pool is a big hit with the tots.) On the opposite side of the street, about a block in from St. Francis, is the Casa Solana shopping center: a small strip mall with a variety of useful services including La Montanita Coop (groceries), a laundromat and five distinct restaurants: Annapurna (Chai house and Ayurvedic cuisine); Xiclo (Vietnamese); Masa Sushi, La Dolce Vita (italian/pizzeria) and Home Run Pizza. Other tenants include the Solana barbershop, Undisputed Fitness (gym), a Pak, Ship and Mail outlet, Stag tobacconists, Emmanuel’s Picture Frames and Straight-shooting Technologies. During the Spring and Summer, the center hosts the Santa Fe Artists’ market. Community services include Gonzales Elementary (more info at Great Schools.Net, Gonzales Elementary) and Police Substation #4 and reserve fire station. Casa Solana community pool, located at 1125 N. Plata Circle is open to all, although the number of memberships is limited.

The subdivision itself was established around 1950 with a cache of homes by Allen Stamm, beloved local builder. From the Santa Fe Living Treasures website:

“A visionary as well as a man of immense integrity, character, compassion and humanity…[Stamm] worked always to make [the homes he built] livable, durable, handsome, architecturally sensitive…. His homes featured hardwood floors, vigas, kiva fireplaces, nichos and other traditional touches, plus superlative workmanship. What they did not have was front-yard fences, for Stamm wanted the people living in his houses to know each other. He hired women consultants to design the kitchens. He made places for Christmas trees and highchairs, and built garages that were easily converted into bedrooms for growing families…. He elevated the building industry’s standards, here and throughout the state.

With home values as low as the mid two’s Casa Solana is one of the most affordable neighborhoods close to classic downtown Santa Fe. At this writing, there are just six homes on the market in this desirable neighborhood, priced from $275,000-369,500, all three bedroom/two bath single family homes from 1,105-1530 square feet. Since January 1 of 2009, ten homes in Casa Solana have sold. The average sales price was 95% of the listing price.

Visit City-data.com for a detailed statistical profile of the Casa Solana subdivision.

Point of interest: current Santa Fe Mayor, David Coss, grew up in Casa Solana.

The sincerest token of our respect and affection for the value and liveability of Casa Solana? In 2008, we bought a home here. My business partner, Joshua Maes, had previously sold two listings in Casa Solana. We walk our dogs here and regularly ride our bikes up and down its undulating streets. If you’re interested in buying or selling in Casa Solana, let us put our knowledge to work for you.

For up-to-date info on the Casa Solana neighborhood real estate market, go to: Santa Fe Real Estate Downtown.

~*~*~

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