New Year-Rocky Mtn Real Estate, Las Vegas, NM-Blog It is hard to believe that 2014 has just flown by. That is what anyone over the age of 40 says. Children believe the time just drags. There is a scientific reason for this, but it escapes me just now. It has gotten very cold here in NE New Mexico. The mountains have a considerable amount of snow making the ski resorts very happy. It is so stupid, the weather folks have started naming winter storms like they do hurricanes. Every thing has to be a big event so they can get viewers on TV. For country people it makes not one single rat's ass, or that is what some of the old timers say anyhow.

Doggone summer is Gone

As far as I am concerned summer is overwith, kaput, no mas; and now we look with anticipation to the fall season. I have a chinese tallow tree near my house and it is beautiful with the leaves resplendent in their fall colors. By the end of the month the Aspen will be shimmering in their yellow plumage. The summer was good for real estate in our area as it usually is. It is still a buyers market; however, it is difficult to "qualify" for loans. As of September 1st we had 422 active listing in our Las Vegas MLS, as of January 1st we had sold 99 listings which is 23% of the listings. So, for Sellers it is still tough. We have some great listings. We have great in-town listings that are priced in the market. We have some restored historical homes near the Plaza area, we have good homes in the ETZ, and we have some great rural homes. Call us for more information.

Let me see if I can get this darn thing to work...

Benificial Rains so far in the summer of 2014

This summer of 2014 has been a good one for the town of Las Vegas. July has been good for the ranchers, farmers, and even the city folk who want to see their trees and yards look green and pretty. Many of the seasonal creeks in the country are now flowing and the tanks and playa's are full and soon the gramma grasses will head out. Even as nature has blessed us with bountiful rains the town has had some positive things happen also. The Castenada has sold and will be rennovated into a Harvey House. Thankfully, the new owners have hired local contractors to work on the resoration and that is so positive. I believe we will see a renaissance of interest in things historical. The Plaza Hotel and the Ilfeld building have also been sold to the same person who bought the Castenada and we hope that the resurgence in history will keep those establishments also reap the benifits of new growth and excitement. On Douglas street, the owners of Dick's restaurant and bar have renovated the old Serf theater next to it. It is so beautiful and will host weddings and the like.

Beautiful rain and mild temps-we are blessed

Today is the first of August, it is hard to believe that the summer has flown by so quickly. It has been years since I have seen the pastures look so green and the creeks, which for the most part are seasonal, are flowing and sending that water to the great State of Texas. Many homes and businesses have leaks they have not know about until now. Even so, I have not anyone complain about the rains we have received. Many of the rains have been precipitated by "back door" cool fronts, which of course, keep our temperatures on the cool side. Our weather is probably our best kept secret. With our weather blessing us, we have also been blessed with a resurgence of interest in the historical aspects of Las Vegas. The sale of the Castenada coupled with the sale of the historic Plaza and Ilfeld building has caused many to have hope in a revival of our historic past. It would be nice if that were the case. If you are thinking about purchasing a house, come by our offices and let one of our sales people help you with a VA loan, a FHA loan, or other traditional methods of obtaining a loan. It is rumored that loan rates which have been low since 2008 will begin to edge upward. We can help protect you in the process of purchasing a home or business. Homes are still slightly declining in value, so if you are a Buyer now is the time to flex your economic muscle. If you are a Seller, patience is the by word. The days on the market is still extended, and is more than 2\3 of a year. If you are a seller your property must be priced right or else I assure you, it will languish. According to our Las Vegas MLS we have 417 active listings, since January we have sold 47 properties and in the month of July we have 8 properties under contract. Here at Rocky Mountain Real Estate we will protect you in your real estate purchase or if you desire to sell a property we will help you determine a fair value.

Texas has its bluebonnets, but we have verbenas.

We have had some blessed rains, and as a result, as you travel north on state hwy 518 you see purple verbenas on both sides of the roadway. It is stunningly beautiful. I see tourists stopping to take pictures of its natural beauty. The rains are so beneficial for a myriad of reasons. The snow in the Sangre de Cristos mountains are just about melted. The acequias are flowing and we hope the summer rains will continue to provide the needed run-off of water to bless and make the land fruitful. Irrigation rights are so very important to New Mexico's history. If a property has irrigation rights then that is an added value to the land, and sometimes the water rights are more valuable than the land itself. We have land listed in our agency that has water rights. Many local farms need these water rights to make the land fruitful. In addition to land with water rights, another important value is if property borders a national forest. That land is also very valuable. Many people come here looking for land bordering the national forest so they can then use the forest for their playground. When a person wants to buy a ranch they often look for BlM land to lease or state lease land. That adds value to a ranch because the ranch can purchase grazing rights from the respective government agency. All of these things make New Mexico what it is--The Land of Enchantment. If you are looking for properties give us a call and we would be happy to help you find your land of enchantment!

Is the "past" the only thing Las Vegas, NM can sell?

The history of Las Vegas, NM is amazing.  The founding settlers (all Hispanic) had to fight the Comanche and plains Indians just to gain a foothold.  General Kearney stood on a roof in the Plaza to declare New Mexico\Arizona was now American and no longer Mexican.  The defining factor was the railroad.  Those iron tracks brought "Doc" Holiday, Jesse James, Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett.  There is a book that calls us the "Wildest of the Wild West".  I believe that is true.  Those were the good old days, now we need to attract people for other reasons than gambling, whiskey, women and land grabs.  We are a great community to attract Senior Citizens who are looking for a place to retire.  To do this we need top notch hospitals, shopping centers, and some degree of "culture".  As a community, we need to put forth our best face.  We need our leaders to do all that is reasonable to attract people.  Our young people trying to raise a family need to have jobs.  Are we attracting business?  Is our Chamber of Commerce attracting new business?  Is our Economic Development Corp. attracting new business?  Does the city offer incentives to a new business?  I believe I know the answer to these questions and it is not "yes".

What is the identity of Las Vegas, NM

At one time Las Vegas, NM was the largest town in the territory of New Mexico, but when the railroad went south so did the future of Las Vegas.  We, like all small towns in NM, have a myriad of problems and not the least of which is water. The State Legislature appropriated $10 million to apply to our water issue.  I pray that the $10 million does not go down a million little rat holes.  That appropriation will go along way to solving the water issue.  Another positive thing was the sale and renovation of the Castenada, a former Harvey House.  Its restoration should help the revival of the entire RR district.  We need to make sure we do not loose our RR connection.  It is important to us, but more so for the Philmont Boy Scout Ranch located south of Raton.  It would be nice for Las Vegas to position itself as the retirement center of Northeastern NM.  We need to attract new jobs, new opportunity for business, and we need to seriously reconsider our position on fracking.