The 45-day countdown: Day 24

I think it’s day 24. It’s something like that. It’s all becoming a blur.

Today we’re signing the termination of the attempted purchase of the Calle del Norte house; that’s the one with the casita that ended up with a destroyed yard due to a septic install gone bad.

Also today we are trying to nail down whether there is actually anything wrong with the roof at Academy Ridge. If we’re not convinced there is, then there’s no way we’ll be able to convince the seller that there is! We expect to close on that townhouse on Friday.

And ALSO today, we’re making an offer on a house in Rio Rancho. John is hesitant to buy in Rio Rancho, which is considered by Burqueños (Albuquerque-ians) to be less desirable than Albuquerque.

But then, a lot of people who live in Rio Rancho would never want to live in Albuquerque. In Rio Rancho you can get a bigger, newer house for the same amount of money. And there’s a lot of old, rundown houses in Albuquerque. I think it’s just rivalry. Rivalry and the opposite of the grass-is-greener syndrome. There is definitely a tendency to imagine that what you chose is better than what someone else chose.

And it’s true, Rio Rancho is a suburb. But so is the Albuquerque NE Heights area where the Academy Ridge house is located. I am deliberately targeting the “leafy” suburbs where there’s less traffic, newer houses, and better schools. And some of the schools in Rio Rancho aren’t very good, but either are some of the schools in Albuquerque. And the schools in this particular district are good.

And finally, some people are concerned that the Intel plant (which has been going downhill for some years) will actually pull out altogether, causing Rio Rancho property values to crash. I doubt Intel will pull out, but even if it does, I don’t think Rio Rancho values will crash.

The neighborhood I’m looking at in Rio Rancho is centrally located and an easy commute to anywhere in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque. It’s immediately contiguous to Albuquerque, and only a few blocks away from an exclusive rural enclave called Corrales.  (Where John and I met for our first date, by the way!)

Actually, that is a funny story. Back when we met, I was living in Albuquerque and he was living out in Placitas. So he chose a Corrales restaurant for our first date. Yes, it was “fair,” we both had to drive halfway. But he was the one out in the middle of nowhere, asking me on a date. Don’t you think he should have driven to Albuquerque? Apparently it didn’t bother me at the time! And anyway, he brought biscochitos. (A type of local cookie.) He had me at the cookies.

But back to the house – it’s in great shape with nice countertops and floor tiles, in a newer neighborhood.

Plus, it has an arroyo with a walking/biking trail behind the backyard. Not only is that great for walking, but it provides a very open feel around the house.

Look at this low-maintenance yard with a view!