Today, I am going to recap what I saw from the Albuquerue Journal (with numbers from the Greater Albuquerque Area Board of REALTORS). I had intended to include a clip from the paper stating where the Foreclosures are highest in the Albuquerque Metro area.

You can see that Rio Rancho Zip codes(87124 & 87144) have the highest rates of Foreclosures in the Metro area. That is probably due to the layoffs at Intel last year and the local downturn in the economy locally. By these numbers, you can see that the ABQ Metro area is finally feeling the pinch of the downturn within the national economy. The chickens have finally come to roost!
But, with the announcements of a movie studio, Hewlett Packard service facility, UNM/CNM campuses, new Rio Rancho state of the art high school campus, new Presbyterian hospital and UNM Hospital, Rio Rancho is on the move!
I will take up this discussion at a later time. Off for a meeting.

Weather

Good Morning,Here is the URL from Weather.com if you’d like to find out the local weather today:

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/vacationplanner/local/87124?x=10&where=87124&GO=GO&y=11

Corrales heights Continued

It’s 75. this morning with 61% relative humidity. It’s different here than in other parts of the US. Usually, the humidity is highest in the early morning hours and drops off in the afternoon as the sun comes out to burn it off. But, with the Monsoon season upon us, the humidity stays up there. Usually during the Summer months you will find the level of relative humidity somewhere between 10-25%. Very comfortable. The Albuquerque Metro area has almost perfect temperatures during the year. That’s due in part to the high elevation and our Southerly location.
There’s usually around 310 days of sunshine in this area. Today, the sun is shining but there are clouds around the Sandias covering the crest. There’s a really nice breeze outside. Who needs air conditioning???
In yesterday’s blog, there was mention of the damn across the street. One of the important features of having the damn across the street, besides the frogs, is that it is open space with plenty of wildlife. Every year there are 2 covey of quail which come around. I have started placing bird feed in a pan set in the ground of the front yard. Every morning and evening the quail come across the street to feed. A couple weeks ago, both covey added to their numbers. There are at least 6 chicks. In the last 2 weeks they have grown quickly. The chicks are about as tall as their parents. It’s fun to watch them scratch in the bottom of the pan like chickens.
We also have cotton tail rabbits which feed from the pan. The dove which are prevalent and reside here year round feed from the pan. This Spring, a female dove built a nest over a window in our front courtyard. She bore one chick. Every night when I came home, they were there and after several days, became used to my coming and going. We have a family of roadrunners which frequent the neighborhood. Occasionally the coyotes come out of the brush and in the evening you can usually hear the pack fighting amongst themselves.
Weather, views, polybutylene plumbing, wildlife, high elevation and lack of traffic have been discussed. Proximity to amenities is crucial in Corrales Heights. As you leave the community and cross Hwy 528 you will come to a shopping center. It’s not large but houses a couple gas station/convenience stations, Target, Albertson’s, Radio Shack, Hollywood Video, Jiffy Lube, ACE Hardware,haircutting studios along with restaurants, a bank, fitness center, emergency clinic,doctor’s office and motel. If you like Asian food, The Heaven Dragon is a great place to eat. At the South end of the community there’s a State of NM MVD, nursing home and small 1 year old Suzuki dealership. At the East end of Corrales Heights are 2 retirement villas. They are very nice and not a detriment to the area. Along side those is a fairly new gated community with higher end custom homes on the edge of the bluff.
Open space was mentioned earlier. One of the features of the Open Space around the damn is a walking path which runs along the edge of the bluff. Since the community is called Corrales Heights, you can imagine that means we are above the Village of Corrales. We overlook the Rio Grande Valley and Corrales is in that valley. You can walk along the path for about 2.5 miles with Corrales city limits to the East and Rio Rancho to the West. There are many people within the neighborhood that walk the path each morning and evening. Many families take their kids on their bikes along with them.
Parks are integral to the neighborhood. Every evening you can see families and kids playing in the park of Leon Grande. There are a couple more parks embedded within the neighborhood and an elementary school. The elementary school is used as a voting polling station during elections.
OK. Enough for today’s Blog. Gotta get going. Places to go and people to meet. Until tomorrow, blessings.

Corrales Heights - A Great Place To Live

Welcome to my Blog on the community of Corrales Heights. It is one of the nicest subdivisions in the city of Rio Rancho,NM but that’s a personal opinion since I live and sell homes in this community.There are several features I like about this community. One of the most important feature is that most of the homes have NO POLYBUTYLENE plumbing!!! Approximately 95% of homes in Rio Rancho built between 1979 and 1995 were constructed with polybutylene plumbing. For those who are unaware of what this plumbing is, Google “Lawsuits on plumbing”. I think you will discover the lore of the Class Action suits which have been ongoing for probably a decade or more. The majority of the homes in this community were built prior to 1979. However, there is a section of the community which was built during the time of the polybutylene craze. I believe many of them were Custom homes, though, and, possibly, no polybutylene was installed.
Secondly is the magnificent views from the edge of the bluff which comprises this community. I will have to download some photos of the view from this community. Once in a blue moon a home comes up on the market which sets on the edge of the bluff. They are usually taken within a short period of time. My house sets across from the Albuquerque Damn #1 (of which we have been listening to the frogs croaking at night since the retention pond at the damn has enough water in it for the frogs to spawn). The night resonates with a cacophony of sound. My wife and I love to sit out in the courtyard in the front of our home with a glass of wine, look at the city lights below of Corrales, Albuquerque, Placitas and the lights at Sandia Crest and the Tram buildings at the top of the Sandias.
Since there is very little traffic which passes our home at 9 or 10 at night, it is a wonderful time to enjoy the cool High Desert nights. It has been raining here for the last few weeks. It’s the Monsoon season in the Southwest. The desert is so green and alive at this point with the scents to go along with the moisture in which we’ve been blessed. I remember the dry, drought conditions we had been having for several years. With the recent rains coupled with the snowfall we’ve had the last 2 Winters, we are seeing a lush Summer with plant life. It’s wonderful! I moved back to New Mexico a few years ago from the Seattle area and thought I never wanted to see another drop of rain! But, I will concede, I now look forward to the moisture and it’s effects in the arid High Desert surrounding Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.
Folks, I must go for now. Have run out of time for today. I will take up this Blog at a future time to continue the discussion about Corrales Heights-what a great place to live!