About Santa Fe's Historic Eastside

True or False? All things based on our experience elsewhere fail in New Mexico. At least, this was what Lew Wallace believed when he was the Territorial Governor of New Mexico in 1881. Of course, he was writing Ben Hur at the same time while living in the Governor's quarters on our now historic Santa Fe Plaza.

My answer is false. Why? Santa Fe has some of the cleanest air in the country along with blue skies most of the year. We are continually rated as a top destination for travel and also for living. In fact, Case Shiller recently reported Santa Fe to be one of the top 15 housing markets in the USA for the next five years. And this month, US News and World Report, named Santa Fe a top retirement community. OK, I am biased. I live here. I love Santa Fe. And I sell Santa Fe.

Of course it is one thing to be a Territorial Governor of New Mexico in 1881 vs. being a Realtor in Santa Fe today. Obviously, there are different perspectives in play making this quote relative. Just look at this home for example. This property was built in the 1700's and today is on the market as one of the finest of Santa Fe's historic estate properties. It is on the market for just under $4 million.

I would say all calculations based on experience tend to succeed in New Mexico! What do you think?

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Today was the first day of winter in Santa Fe, New Mexico and mother nature decided to bring both snow and sunshine to make a difference in my day. These three bears can be found in the Gerald Peters Gallery. I usually pass by them once or twice a day as my office at Santa Fe Properties is across the street. Today, they were exceptional in the way they wore their new snow clothes. Somehow, just looking at them warmed my heart and made me smile. From Santa Fe, New Mexico... Happy Winter!

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The Santa Fe River is more of a stream often hidden in the trees as it makes its way from the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range to the Rio Grande. It is actually a tributary of the Rio Grande and runs intermittently for nearly 46 miles. It is considered an endangered stream and one many in our community work tirelessly to protect and improve our watershed. These images were made on a Fall afternoon in early November and the other a few days ago along East Alameda on the bridge at Paseo de Peralta. It is one of our treasures and why I love Santa Fe...everyday!

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And the most artistic community goes to Santa Fe, New Mexico according to a news story by Atlantic Monthly's AtlanticCities.com answer to which U.S. cities and metros have the most extensive artistic communities? Richard Florida, Senior Editor of The Atlantic decided to find out. Santa Fe, New Mexico is number one!

If you have ever been to Santa Fe, New Mexico, you would know in a nanosecond just be looking around we are an artistic and art driven community. Yet, The Atlantic team wanted to look deeper. They wanted to know which communities in the USA had the largest concentration of artists relative to their population. They created an interesting measurement called "location quotient" or LQ which is simply a mathematic ratio comparing a region's share of artists to the total number of artists. For more details on their formula, see the story here.

Thanks to The Atlantic for recognizing our artistic community as number one!

By the way, if your imagination is looking for a new home, it is never to late to join our community and help us all make a difference by seeing differently.

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