About Santa Fe County, NM

by Michael Umphrey on July 24, 2009

Have you seen the film, Red Sky at Morning? Richard Crenna starred in this story of a boy's life in Santa Fe during World War II. It was filmed here in the neighborhood of the historic East side. Walking the street of Cerro Gordo (Fat Hill) you will find that not much has changed. The Santa Fe River slips through the sleeping city as the tones of St. Francis Cathedral hover in the air. One can take the short 2 mile trek along the river from the Plaza toward the lower slopes of the Santa Fe National Forest to the end of Cerro Gordo Road. The 20 mile long Dale Ball Hiking Trail begins there. My family and I always look forward to visiting Upaya Zen Center for the seasonal celebrations of the equinox. The area is heavily wooded and the lush, arboreal landscape is a surprise for most visitors. This weekend is the 58^th annual Spanish Market happening in Santa Fe. If you ever wanted to see the history of New Mexican Spanish arts and culture then now is the time to come. While you're here be sure to take a look at Luxury Homes For Sale On Cerro Gordo Road

Michael's Bit of Real Estate

"Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle."- Ken Hakuta

Nowadays, "free money" isn't just found on late night infomercials packed with crazy schemes. The truth is, there are a lot of real - legitimate - ways to find free money. From government tax credits to online deal finders that let you search the best deals in one place, there's actually a lot of free money out there just waiting to be found. I'll be sending you my Item of Value for this month and it will take you through some of the best ways to find free money and stretch those dollars just a bit further.

My Business to Business Referral

Since I am so active in the industry, I come across some great referrals. Let me present John Dominguez, owner of Dominguez Carpet One. If he doesn't have the carpet or tile you need he'll make sure he finds it and installs it to in a seamless fashion. John is excellent at what he does and is a person I can put my name to. He can be reached at 505.988.3022 and his address is 1000 Cerrillos Road. Let him know I referred you and he'll take extra special care of you.

I'll see you in the neighborhood!

Michael Umphrey

Do you or your clients need that little bit of information and aren't sure where to go? Well here are some wonderful websites for local and real estate information:

The Santa Fe New Mexican www.santafenewmexican.com

Santa Fe Visitor's Bureau www.santafe.org

Santa Fe Reporter www.sfreporter.com

Santa Fe Online www.santafe.com

Trend Magazine www.santafetrend.com

Journal North www.journalnorth.com

The Wall Street Journal www.online.wsj.com/public/page/news-real-estate-homes.html

Luxist - aol luxury blog www.luxist.com

CNN Money www.money.cnn.com/real_estate

.... and

Santa Fe Properties www.SantaFeProperties.com

and for me www.VictoriaSantaFe.com

I just had the most stimulating meeting at our local Christie's Great Estates office. Wonderful information pointing out what a terriffic company I am with and everything they can do for my clients, and to help me grow my business. Today we discussed the international market, the top selling homes including some very fine ones here in the United States.

Our company - SANTA FE PROPERTIES - has some truely incredible properties listed (including mine of course) but here is a link to a stunning property

http://www.christiesgreatestates.com/properties/video/mason.htm

You will be very thrilled you visited the site - believe me.

Ride your horses in your own indoor arena or into the Pecos wilderness.

Extraordinary Property! Spectacular 360 degree views, this 30 acre facility has everything a discerning horse owner, trainer or breeder could want. 2 metal barns totaling 10 stalls with mats, auto/heated waterers, and attached large turnouts, 2 tack rooms, wash bay, 1/4 bath and caretaker apt. Full size Dressage arena, round pen, 72 x 210 indoor arena, large pastures, hay storage, 2 good wells, riding trails and more. Build your dream home and use the high end modular for a guest house.

If you grew up in Santa Fe you grew up on Frito Pies from the local Woolworth's on the Plaza. They were made by slicing open a Small Fritos bag along the side, adding a wonderfully spicy mixture of ground beef, chile and pinto beans, sprinkle on some onions and some grated mild cheddar cheese. Mmmmm those were the days. Well Frito Pies are still popular in Santa Fe and they are sold at games, school fundraisers and they are served in quantities at some of our local MLS tours. I have had great success when I advertise them - lots of hungry realtors coming to see the home.

Frito Pie by the dozens

2 Large bags of Original Fritos, 2 Lbs ground beef, 2 Lbs of canned Pinto Beans (NOT refried), 3 Tablespoons of flour, 1/4 cup Red Chile Powder (less or more depending on how spicy you wnat it), 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 3 cups of water. 2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese for topping. Chopped tomatoes, onions and lettuce for garnish. In a large stockpot cook the ground beef stirring constantly to break apart. Add flour and red chile powder and garlic powder and mix well. Add beans with their juice and mix. Slowly add water until mixture is the consistency of thick soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. In small bowls place a handful of fritos, top with chile and sprinkle on grated cheese. Garnish with onions, tomatoes and lettuce.