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

In Sprouting New Houses, http://activerain.com/blogsview/51670/Sprouting-New-Houses , I shared my fascination with how developers seem to handle dirt when preparing building sites. Now I have an explanation. Dirt and the value of what we do with it in, Albuquerque Journal Business Outlook Monday, March 5. Richard Metcalf, before going on to explain how the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) has come up with a formula to calculate the economic impact of commercial development, writes. Dirt has been big business in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County for a long time. Commercial Developers constantly buy and sell it, move it around and build on it.As it turns out, from the dirt up, commercial development can have significant economic impact on particular sectors... 03/05/2007

I can't think of any of my friends who don't have pets. Most have two or more. Several also rescue animals. They tell me the need for animal rescuers is enormous because of a high percentage of abandonment by pet owners. The rescuers don't restrict their rescue activity to cats and dogs. Some, like my friend N. have rescued larger animals like donkeys and horses. N says she has had as many as nine or ten dogs in her home. In addition, she owns two rescued horses. Now the animal rescuers have help at the governmental level. This afternoon, the mayor of Albuquerque, Martin Chavez, "http://www.cabq.gov/mayor/" publicly added his name to the lists of animal lovers who want to stop euthanasia. In addition the mayor wants to reduce spending on rounding up stray animals across the city.The may... 02/28/2007

In another post, I wrote about Mesa del Sol, the master planned, smart growth, wedge infill development just south of the Albuquerque, New Mexico airport. http://activerain.com/blogsview/47067/Want-to-settle-in. A reader commented that the description suggested the development could qualify as being green, that is, environmentally friendly and supporting quality of life. My description of the project, of course, is based on statements made by the developers in print marketing material and oral presentations. Development of Mesa del Sol as a green community would be fitting use of the land since it is the last wedge of a circle of land left within the boundary of the city of Albuquerque, a city that has received recognition for its quality of life. Limitations exist on the expansion of t... 02/23/2007

 If you are looking for a sun-filled area with magnificent views, Mesa del Sol, Albuquerque, New Mexico may be the place for you.Mesa del Sol http://mesadelsolnm.com/index.aspx on the Albuquerque south mesa, just south of the Albuquerque airport in Bernalillo County, promises to be the largest master planned urban infill development in the entire United States. As the name implies, Mesa del Sol is atop a sun-filled mesa with spectacular views on all sides.The site will be developed over a 25-year period as a public-private partnership of Forest City Covington, the state of New Mexico, and the University of New Mexico. A city within a city, the 12,900-acre high mesa development will occur in phases, beginning with the employment sector, and when completed, will consist of:1, 800+ acres o... 02/18/2007

The Albuquerque Real Estate market just keeps chugging along.  After a strong 2004-2005, 2006 took a slight breather (I like to call it "normalizing").  I think the slower market in 06 has been healthy.  It kept us from getting "over appreciated" like Phoenix, Las Vegas, etc...  Albuquerque and Rio Rancho have continued to have steady, consistent growth.  It's great for all of us who love this community and want to see it prosper.I have seen a couple of articles that have forecasted the Real Estate appreciation for the next few years, and Albuquerque is ranked in the top ten in all the studies I have see.Here are some links to some of these articles. http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/fortune/invguide_realestate/4.html  http://www.housingpredictor.com/top25.html   Take care, Tracyhttp://w... 02/11/2007

 In New Mexico, particular architectural styles of homes can be identified with different regions. Steep, pitched roofs associated with more alpine-like regions are found in northern parts of the state with relatively heavy snowfall. In the Greater Albuquerque area, pueblo-style, stucco-finished, flat-roofed houses are more common. Particular neighborhoods within a city sometimes have distinctive architecture setting them apart. In the northeast quadrant Albuquerque, the High Desert is such and an area.  Several small communities of mostly earth tone pueblo-style homes snuggle chameleon-like in the foothills in a wild garden setting of native plants. Take a brief tour of High Desert. The sun is setting and it is time to head on home after a hard day of work.  http://www.realestateshows.... 02/08/2007