About Santa Fe's Vista Encantada

Being behind the camera whether it is a smart phone, iPad or digital camera is often where I begin my day. My daylight savings time day began with another opportunity to see a new Santa Fe snow painting. Lately, our winter has been arriving in the dark and leaving us with snow painting surprises in the morning. This tree caught me eye because of the happy tweeting bird sounds from within her snow covered branches. And of course, the moment before I clicked the shutter, they flew off leaving this glorious snow painted pinon (the name for our Santa Fe pine trees) behind. After all some birds are shy!

Santa Fe is in the high desert of the southwest. This means we live at 7500 feet and are blessed with four seasons. Like the landscape, we are learn to adapt just to be in the truly magical place.

If you are planning a visit or want information about our local market, do not hesitate to contact either myself at 505-660-4541 or my team partner, Ulla Allyn at 505-470-2381. We are here to make a difference in not only how you see Santa Fe but in your real estate experience.

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I think snow paints when she falls. Which is why I love Santa Fe's seasons. It is March in Santa Fe and winter decided to pay us a visit in the night like a gypsy.By dark, it looked like a mini-blizzard with all kinds of warnings about winter. Now, winter has come to Santa Fe for centuries and frankly I fail to understand why anyone has to be warned. It is as if snow is an enemy or something. For our community, snow is a blessing because it is water. At the same time, when daylight arrives and the snow has settled, the landscape in my Northside Vista Encandata neighborhood is transformed into another one-of-a-kind moment. I made this image around 8:30 this morning facing east looking towards the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. It was still snowing in the mountains when I clicked the shutter as the Santa Fe Ski Basin was completely invisible.

Now, I’m warning you. Santa Fe can become addictive! If you love the beautiful way mother nature delivers winter in Santa Fe, then just imagine what happens when she delivers spring, summer and fall. This is why I relocated here from Washington DC nearly 20 years ago. The landscape changes into another beautiful surprise every day.

Give me a call if you want to see how you can be here too. Our home and land prices are the lowest in years and mortgage interest rates are no where near the high of 15.75 percent like they were 30 years ago.

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The great thing about snow is how snow in Santa Fe helps tell people we are not a community where palm trees surround swimming pools and people live and work in a hot desert climate. Santa Fe sits at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in a high desert climate rather than one that is hot. It is hot as a destination visitor and relocation market for people seeking a Santa Fe lifestyle or to finish a dream. This photograph happened a few minutes ago just outside my studio door. I love the way the snow makes our native southwest Chamisa, also know as Rabbitbrush plant look like it is growing cotton. Enjoy!

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This snow covered Pinyon (Pine) tree whispered Merry Christmas to me this morning when the sun revealed the four inches of snow left behind last night. Her pine cones, now emptied of her treasured edible pine nut seeds, hung on the tree like hand-carved ornaments. Underneath her soft needles, I could see the footprints of two coyotes who traveled past her in the night on their way home into their deeper arroyo (dry stream bed) that makes a horseshoe mark across my land off a dirt road not far from the Santa Fe Plaza. In the distance, the Sangre de Cristo mountains were hidden from view by another blanket of falling snow.

From Santa Fe, Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad!

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The folks at Fiserv Case Shiller are extremely bullish on the Santa Fe, New Mexico real estate market according to their recent research data released in early December, 2011. If you are considering relocating to Santa Fe, now is the time to pay attention to our market given latest news. It is not the time to proscrastinate!

Santa Fe, New Mexico was named one of the Top 15 Housing Markets for the next 5 years. Imagine that? These projections are for 5 years, not just an opportunity now or in 2012. Santa Fe came in as #11 with annualized growth from 2011 to 2016 to be +9.1%. This means anyone who has already taken advantage of our real estate market in 2011 choses to gain.

Fiserv Case Shiller sees this positive trend upward due Santa Fe's current low unemployment rate of 5.4% and our median household income of $70,000. In fact, they report our overall home prices are only down 17.7% since they peaked in Q4 2007. What they do not evaluate in their report is our nearly year round blue skies and exceptional clean air, low property taxes and our Santa Fe lifestyle. Our healthy environment plus their numbers makes me bullish on Santa Fe too. If you are, let's get started on your next move or investment.

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