The Westside is a large area that starts at the western bank of the Rio Grande, and extends west up and over the western escarpment, to the north is bordered by the City of Rio Rancho, and south to Central Avenue (Old Route 66). There are great options for housing, education, and recreation.  The Albuquerque Real Estate on the west side includes affordable home options such as townhomes, and large master planned communities like Vantana Ranch, Paradise Hills, Taylor Ranch, & 7 Bar Ranch.  Also found on the west side are gorgeous luxury homes and estate properties.  It's also possible to get horse property on the west side.  One great feature of west side is that some of the best views of the Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande Bosque can be found here.Several West Side neighborhoods are... 04/27/2007

The North Valley, which includes the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, is located along the Rio Grande and is considered the rural heart of Albuquerque.  With its tall trees, green pastures and beautiful nature filled setting, it offers the opportunity to be in the City, yet with a true rural feel in many parts.  While there are many residential neighborhoods here that are typical of other areas of Albuquerque, there are also farms and ranches, larger lots, estate properties, mature cottonwood trees, and the extensive ditch system called acequias.While you might live in a groomed subdivision in the North Valley, your drive to home can include seeing goats, chickens, cows and horses out in their pastures.  I have lived mostly in the North Valley and love the area.  Being from a hobb... 04/27/2007

Keep Albuquerque Beautiful. To report graffiti anywhere within the city limits, call the Citizen Contact Center 24 hours a day by dialing 311. For more information and additional contact info use the following link: http://www.cabq.gov/solidwaste/graffiti.html Graffiti will be removed free of charge and usually within 24 hours. Graffiti will be removed from homes, businesses, walls, signs ect.  Please use this service and KEEP ALBUQUERQUE BEAUTIFUL!! 04/27/2007

Run for the Zoo and walk with us too!May 6, 2007 is the 22nd Annual Run for the Zoo and walk with us too! presented by Presbyterian and the New Mexico BioPark Society.Run for the Zoo! and walk with us too! is the largest road race in New Mexico and is opened to people of all ages and fitness levels. Register to run or walk and receive an official t-shirt, free race day zoo admission, refreshments and more. The Zoo run consists of a one mile fun run, 5K fitness run/walk and 5K Timed Run (USATF certified) or 10K Time Run (USATF certified)  All proceeds benefit the Rio Grande Zoo. Volunteers are needed to help on race day. Please help support our great zoo!Support the sponsors who help make this a great run!    Ashley Drake Gephart, Associate Broker, REALTOR®9201 Montgomery Blvd., NE Suite... 04/22/2007

Silver Hill Neighborhood Association Located in Albuquerque NM Silver Hill is having a neighborhood clean-up Saturday June 30th, 2007 9:00 AM - 12 Noon. They will be meeting in the parking lot at Gold and University at 9am. They are picking up trash and weeds covering the area that is bound by Central to Lead and Sycamore to Yale. You may bring large items to be picked-up by the City of Albuquerque to the parking lot by 11:30AM. No refrigerators, please. Silver Hill will be providing the trash bags, bring your own gloves and tools.  Help Keep Albuquerque Beautiful!View current list of UNM South homes for sale. Ashley Drake Gephart, Associate Broker, REALTOR®9201 Montgomery Blvd., NE Suite 101 Albuquerque · NM 87111Cell: 505.261.0389 * Office: 505.271.8200 * Fax: 505.271.8217Albuquerque ... 04/22/2007

Eloise Gift  http://eloisegift.com/  History-making AcquisitionSunCal Development Company made history when it acquired all 57,000 acres of the Atrisco Land Grant http://www.deshaw.com/articles/20061219.pdf holdings in Northwest Albuquerque from Westland Corporation http://www.westlandnm.com/ / in 2006. If SunCal does what the New Mexico Business Weekly reports, they are likely to make history again. Historic New Development PlannedAccording to the paper, in its first phase of development, SunCal http://www.suncal.com/community/?id=66 is planning a 1,500 acre mixed-use project that would rival Mesa del Sol (133 acres) already in its initial stages just south of the airport, the newly opened Uptown Center in the northeast and Downtown Albuquerque. Citywide Advantages Beyond rivalry, the ... 04/14/2007

Eloise Gift http://eloisegift.com The old town square is at the center of Old Town, the original city center that the Spanish settlers established some three hundred years ago. Old Town is the cradle (la cuna) so to speak, of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The well-preserved Spanish-style plaza dominated by San Felipe de Neri, the oldest Roman Catholic Church in Albuquerque, http://www.sanfelipedeneri.org/, is a destination for tourists visiting Albuquerque. Old Town is the perfect place to buy gifts of all kinds for friends back home. One side of the square is dedicated to Native American craft and jewelry. On your way in or out of nearby restaurants and shops, you may stop to buy native-made items spread out along the sidewalks. The square is lined with gift shops, book stores, restaurants,... 04/12/2007

 Eloise Gift http://eloisegift.com Albuquerque, New Mexico is over 300 years old. It was not always the city that it is now, of almost half a million people. Before the Spanish explorers arrived, Pueblo Indians chose the fertile spot on the bank of the Rio Grande to grow their crops. With the arrival of the Europeans, the small trading post established in the same area grew. Now spanning both banks of the Rio Grande (the Nile of New Mexico) Albuquerque has grown to be the state's largest city, http://www.albuquerque300.org/index.aspx?pk=47&temp=2.Early YearsIn its early years the city expanded north and south along El Camino Real, http://elcaminoreal.org/home.php, old Route 66, and east-west as the route got realigned along Central Avenue. Old Town, built in traditional Spanish style ar... 04/12/2007

http://Eloisegift.comAs the housing market continues its shift, news reports continue to be conflicting not only nationally but locally within cities and sometimes neighborhoods. Consider the latest evening news in the New Mexico Business Weekly, http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/. D.R. Horton, announces a drop in home sales during the last quarter, and Barelas neighborhood subdivision opens with 22 new homes, http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/dailyedition.html#17 D.R. Horton has been the leading new homes builder not only in the Greater Albuquerque but in the entire nation. http://www.drhorton.com/. The D. R. Horton can't be far different from those of other builders. Despite news of cancellations and fewer home starts we also hear of new developments being planned or... 04/10/2007

The Far Northeast part of Albuquerque is where you'll find many of the newer neighborhoods and homes.  As the City grew from the Downtown / Old Town Albuquerque area by the Rio Grande River, the development moved toward the Real Estate north and up to the Sandia Reservation, and east to the Sandia Mountains.  Here you will find homes in traditionally developed neighborhoods, to homes on an acre or more and in many styles.  From Southwestern to Traditional to Contemporary.  Again, the Sandia Mountains are the boundary to the East and many of the homes in the "foothills" have phenomenal views of the City of Albuquerque below and the Rio Grande River Valley.  In the far Northeast, you'll find many of Albuquerque's premier neighborhoods including High Desert, Primrose Pointe, Tanoan, North ... 04/08/2007

The Real Estate in the Northeast part of Albuquerque is primarily made up of traditional suburban neighborhoods  including the Princess Jeanne neighborhood.  Homes and subdivisions in this area started being built during the Albuquerque, NM Real Estate boom of the 1950s.  In general the homes in this area are on residential size lots and are a more traditional style that you would see in other parts of the country in planned developments . Still, you will see a good amount Southwest style in the homes .  Since many of these neighborhoods are more established, you will find that the landscaping is more mature than the newer neighborhoods around Albuquerque and New Mexico.  The parks have large trees and nice shady spots and you will find tree-lined streets with large mature trees in this... 04/08/2007

 Albuquerque gives a whole new meaning to red light district!In 2004 the City of Albuquerque began the new red light camera program. The goals: to prevent accidents, reduce violations, and most importantly, to save lives. What started off as a couple of cameras has quickly blossomed to 19 with more being planned for this year.  The first two were placed at two dangerous intersections in Albuquerque; Eubank/Montgomery and San Mateo/Montgomery.  As a long time resident, I can tell you I would do anything to avoid driving on or through Montgomery. It was a scary road to be on. In less than 2 years, you can really see the effects the cameras have had.  I no longer feel I must avoid Montgomery at all costs due to safety. The numbers tell the whole story. In 2006, 705 tickets were issued for ... 04/06/2007

Eloise Gift www.eloisegift.com A Giift for real estateIncreasingly, not only individuals and special interest groups, but city and state governments are becoming proactive on conservation, and sustainability issues. Water Conservation Measures- The mayor of the city of Albuquerque, Martin Chavez, set a goal to reduce Albuquerque's water usage by 40 percent by 2014, and the Water Authority has a plan in place to achieve this goal.The city has been offering rebates and incentives to Albuquerque city and Bernalillo county residents to convert their old, water-wasting systems to more efficient ones-water-efficient toilets, washers, landscapes, rain barrels like those provided by a local colleague, http://www.aridsolutionsinc.com/page/page/952139.htm, recirculating hot water units, and sprin... 04/02/2007

Eloise Gift www.EloiseGift.com A Gift for all seasons No oil wells in Chaco Canyon /Mayor Chavez on Wal-Mart's ExpansionChaco Canyon - My post http://activerain.com/blogsview/37103/Albuquerque-a-great-place  Albuquerque a great Place, featured Chaco Canyon as a delightful spot, a day trip destination from Albuquerque. I am pleased to see that the land commissioner intends to take steps to keep Chaco a delightful place. According to today's Albuquerque Journal's front-page article, land commissioner will ask the energy company, [Cimarex Energy] to trade for sites not near national park. (Leslie Linthicum, Staff Writer)The commissioner said his office was peppered with complaints about allowing drilling close to a national treasure. He will ask the oil company to trade sites and if they r... 03/28/2007

  This recently completed Dekker/Perich/Sabatini building in the picture is in the news again - this time as a winner.For several months I drove by it to work almost every day and watched it being built, intrigued by the red projection on the front facade.You may recall my earlier post http://activerain.com/blogsview/55744/Taking-up-the-Green, whenI used it as an example of green building in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Today I read that it received the highest level of certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/dailyedition.html#8According to the Albuquerque Bizjournals, the award was based on external features. The verdict is not yet out on the internal feature... 03/27/2007

eloise Gift www.EloiseGift.comMy open house today has been on the market for six months. It is a new, never-lived-in patio home in a still-under-construction, gated community on the edge of a five-year-old established neighborhood of single-family, detached homes. Outside the walls of the community across the street, is a large vacant lot. As I left the open house, I noticed a van with the name and logo of a local television station parked on the lot. Some cars were also parked there. A few people were standing around. others were leaving. I could guess what was happening. Yesterday, in preparation for the open house, I walked the neighborhood and listened to several residents who were eager to talk about the new Walmart store that was planned for the vacant lot across the street from m... 03/25/2007

I am beginning to think Sellers should order a duct scope if they have in-floor ductwork before listing their property.  The cost to remedy collapsed ducts or ducts that have rusted out is very expensive.  Ductwork problems cause considerable emotional and financial trauma.  I believe it is $250 - $300 well spent before the home is listed so if there is a problem, it can be mitigated and the price of the home can be determined accordingly.  03/24/2007

On Thursday, March 20, the CEO of Tesla Motors, Martin Eberhard, addressed business owners in Albuquerque, New Mexico., describing the cars he plans to start manufacturing in New Mexico next year.it is no secret that Tesla Motors was coming to town. I read about the plans for the new factory in the New Mexico Albuquerque Journal several weeks ago, and we can go online to read everything Mr. Eberhard told us Thursday, about the cars. http://autos.msn.com/as/minishow/article.aspx?contentID=4024172&s=Pebble2006 But it was interesting to hear him talking, in person, about the cars and their capability as he compared alternative types of fuel and the possibilities for their production and explained the significance of manufacturing attractive, efficient, low carbon emission electric cars - c... 03/23/2007

Market Holding Steady Eloise Gift www.EloiseGift.com The Greater Albuquerque area's official residential market report for February is out.The Albuquerque Metropolitan Board of Realtors reported that in February 2007, the residential real estate market is moving more slowly than in February 2006. Although new listings decreased in to 1,897 in February, 2007 from 1,952 in February 2006, inventory remained high with almost five hundred residential  properties in the system.Time on market increased, and in February, 2007, the average time on market was 82 days compared to February 2006 when houses were on the market for an average of 72 days.In February, supply remained strong relative to demand. However, in spite of the high supply and apparently low demand, both median and average prices... 03/16/2007

Albuquerque's green challenge - A mayor's and a young man's needEloise Gift http://www.eloisegift.com/ I know a young man, Matt (not his real name) from another state. He is forced to live an isolated and restrictive environment to avoid getting sick. He limits his social interactions, including shopping, going to the cinema, and even family gatherings. He almost missed attending his brother's wedding for fear of the ill effects of irritating detergent or dry cleaning chemical residues in the fabric of his tuxedo. His apartment is stripped down to bare necessities - no carpeting, rugs, drapery, or over-stuffed sofas. Matt reacts unfavorably to pollutants present in building materials, home furnishings, cleaning and laundry supplies. It is possible that Matt's house intended to provide s... 03/10/2007