Real Estate Information Archive

Feel like flying through the air with the greatest of ease? Or maybe learn other circus techniques like contortion, juggling or suspended, rolling fabric aerial display? Or just come watch others who have learned such circus techniques in the many Wise Fool productions and events this summer!

Wise Fool New Mexico was born in 1997 when artists from Wise Fool Puppet Intervention in California joined with Clowns Without Borders and New Mexico-based artist/activists to bring a puppet circus tour to Zapatista villages in Chiapas, Mexico. Inspired by this collaboration, a small collective of women artists began offering hands-on experiences in puppetry and circus arts as a vehicle to build community and promote social justice.

Out of garages and in old horse corrals Wise Fool built grassroots circuses, giant puppet processions and taught summer circus camps. Now a beloved and award-winning non-profit organization at the center of Santa Fe's performing arts scene, Wise Fool serves 2,000 youth with hands-on activities and 14,000 audience members annually with high-quality experiences built upon enduring core values of community, arts accessibility, and social justice.

Wise Fool welcomes adults and teens of all ages, genders, fitness and experience levels to join us for ongoing classes in circus arts and theater! Disciplines taught throughout the year include trapeze, lyra, aerial fabric, acrobalance, physical theater, juggling, unicycling, handstands, conditioning, and more.

Where does the name "Wise Fool" come from?

In medieval times, advisors to the kings were often unable to address controversial matters without fear of retribution. However, the court jester, or "wise fool," could draw upon disarming spectacle and humor to inform the views of those in power. Over the past sixteen years, Wise Fool has been utilizing this "back door" approach to opening dialogue in otherwise touchy situations in the creation of productions about social issues such as censorship, water rights and land use, domestic violence, immigration and borders.

To visit Wise Fool's website click here.

Above Photo: Alessandra Ogren, Wise Fool NM founder performing in Chiapas, Mexico

Santa Fe Bandstand is a free summer music festival on the Historic Downtown Santa Fe Plaza that runs weekly throughout the summer.  Most performers are from Santa Fe but the venue has grown since its 1995 inception to now include upcoming national acts.  To check out this summer’s performers, click on this to go to the Bandstand’s schedule and website.

This free, outdoor community-building event is organized by Outside In Productions, which began to provide free live performances and workshops to people confined to shelters, nursing homes, treatment facilities and other institutions.  Places where people would not otherwise have access to the live arts. The Santa Fe Plaza is surrounded by numerous historic museums, shops, restaurants, and hotels.

Santa Fe also hosts one the top national Farmer’s Market and Artisan Markets.  Just additional wonderful outdoor activities in the Land of Enchantment!

Voted one of the “Top Ten Farmers’ Markets” by Sunset Magazine, the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market is one of the oldest, largest, and most successful growers’ markets in the country. Serving more than 150 farmers and producers in 15 Northern New Mexico counties, the Market brings fresh food, education, and fun to our community and promotes small farms and sustainable agriculture.

Unlike most farmers’ markets in the U.S., the Santa Fe Market assures that all products sold by its vendors are always locally grown by the people selling them. One hundred percent of the vegetables, fruits, and nursery plants available at the Markets are grown in northern New Mexico. The same goes for at least 70% of the ingredients and materials used to make all processed and craft items.

At the same location, on Sundays, is the Artisan Market.  It began in 2009 and it represents a wide variety of New Mexico’s artists and craftspeople. The Sunday market offers a unique opportunity to enjoy local art and music inside the Farmer's’ Market Pavilion.  You will find pottery, painting, jewelry, sculpture, fiber arts, photography, hand-blown glass, artisanal teas and handmade herbal body products. It's the perfect place to buy a gift for yourself or a loved one, or to find one-of-a-kind souvenirs and mementos. Click here to go to the Farmer's Market website.

And, as usual, if you are in Santa Fe, please don’t hesitate to come by our centrally-located office, or give us a call or email.  We would love to go to work for you!

Santa Fe is world-renowned as an art center, and it's commonplace for the greatest works of world art be on display in the city.  Here is a highlight of three innovative shows, which have already begun and will continue until early fall.

Museo Nacional del Prado of Spain

Cathedral Park , 131 Cathedral Place

Now through October 29, 2017

The Prado Museum boasts one of the world’s finest collections of European art featuring artists such as Diego Velázquez, Bosch, Francisco de Zurbarán, Titian, José de Ribera, Rubens, El Greco and Francisco de Goya. The exhibition is free and open to the public in the Cathedral Park next to Santa Fe’s iconic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in the heart of downtown where nature and architecture merge to create an ideal outdoor gallery.  The show will consist of  93 full-scale reproductions.

“Santa Fe enjoys international prominence as one of the world’s great art cities,” said Mayor Javier Gonzales. “The arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century was a pivotal development in the creation of a unique and celebrated culture that evolves to this day. We’re especially honored to be the first U.S. site for these stunning Museo Nacional del Prado masterpiece reproductions and welcome all visitors this summer to experience them in the beautiful outdoors of our historic downtown. This exhibit will be a highlight to the Santa Fe Celebrate Global Art and Culture 2017 festivities that will happen all year long.”

Click here to learn about Santa Fe’s Global Art and Culture festivities.

Mirror Mirror: Photographs of Frida Kahlo

Spanish Colonial Arts Society

May 6- October 29, 2017

Join the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art this summer for our exciting new exhibit “Mirror Mirror: Photographs of Frida Kahlo”. Follow Frida from a self-possessed adolescent to a passionate wife and lover, an independent artist, fashion icon and object of cult-like reverence. On loan from Throckmorton Fine Arts in New York.

Lines of Thought: Drawing from Michelangelo to Now

On Loan from the British Museum at New Mexico Museum of Art

The exhibition examines the many ways artists have used drawing as a means of provoking thought from the fifteenth century to today. The artists are a ‘who’s who’ of artists through the centuries: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Albrecht Dürer, Piet Mondrian, Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, Bridget Riley, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Franz Kline and Rachel Whiteread. Combining work from master artists of the past with current artists, the show clearly demonstrates the common thread of drawing as the basis for creation.

And, as usual, if you are in Santa Fe, please don’t hesitate to come by our centrally-located office, or give us a call or email.  We would love to go to work for you!

The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Independence, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. It served as a vital commercial highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880.

It is still a vital trade, adventure and leisure route today.  Many of the things traded have changed and many have stayed the same.  Still of great desire are things like authentic beautiful Native-American jewelry, gold and most important of all: tequila!

When the Spanish Conquistadors docked their ships in the Gulf of Mexico, they brought with them a still. In Mexico, the natives served the Spanish pulque, which is a fermented agave juice.  It was pretty awful tasting, but they used the still to twice distil the pulque that gave birth to tequila, and tequila gave birth to the Margarita!

Santa Fe is celebrating the Margarita with its first annual Margarita Trail that includes more than 31 restaurants and an almost infinite amount of creative Margaritas.  Naturally, some Margaritas will contain local cuisines like green chiles and prickly pear syrup.  Like any interesting travel, The Margarita Trail will require a passport (that will NOT be strictly enforced), to learn more about the  Margarita Trail passport and Santa Fe Tourism, click here. Another great article from the Denver Post is here.

And, as usual, if you are in Santa Fe, please don’t hesitate to come by our centrally-located office, or give us a call or email.  We would love to go to work for you! Susan

For 26 years more than 150 artists living in a beautiful, spacious development south of Santa Fe have opened their home studio doors for an annual tour.  On May 20 and 21 resident artists of  Eldorado show off their talent and wide spectrum of media, which include: ceramics, digital art, drawing/printmaking/paper, fiber art, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, recycled art, sculpture, wearable art and wood.

The Preview Gallery kicks off the Tour on Friday, May 19 at 16 Avenida Torreon in Eldorado from 5-7 p.m. with an opening reception. You can meet and talk with the artists, ask them questions about their inspirations, immerse yourself in their work and enjoy music and light refreshments. The Eldorado Studio Tour is one of the largest group shows in New Mexico, which provides a unique opportunity to see and buy the work of numerous artists in a single venue.

Some artists are sponsored by individuals and the artists also give back by supporting local organizations like the Eldorado Fire and Rescue Service, Vista Grande Public Library, Eldorado Community School, and the Ken and Patty Adam Senior Center.  To learn more about the community at Eldorado click eldoradosf.org

Susan Orth has been a Gold Sponsor of her longtime friend and Eldorado Tour participant Cynde Christie for many years.  Christie says, “As far back as I can remember, I was creating something…art, food, mud pies, whatever. I just had to make something that I thought was beautiful out of whatever was around me.    

“I have had the good fortune to travel worldwide and the colors that abound on this planet of ours are breathtaking. I enjoy bringing those colors home with my palette and brushes, which I am never without.  No matter where I roam, the beautiful sunsets, adobes and landscapes of Santa Fe, my home, steals my heart every time.”

Eldorado's attractive physical setting, large areas of protected open space, protective covenants, excellent elementary school and convenience to Santa Fe have made it a popular place to live in the Santa Fe area.  Please see our April 11, 2017 blog about Eldorado to learn more and visit the following websites to learn more about the fantastic tour this month.  And as always, if you come for a visit, don’t hesitate to contact us to preview homes in Eldorado or the Santa Fe area!

Above watercolor: "Taos Pueblo" by Cynde Christie

http://www.eldoradoarts.org/studio-tour/

http://www.eldoradoarts.org/participants/

http://eldoradoarts.org/blog/studiotour/2017EldoradoStudioTour.pdf    (This is a map of Eldorado and its art studios.)

Hopefully, you are planning your getaways for this summer now!  Consider a trip to Santa Fe to see the largest and most prestigious juried Native arts show in the world.

The Santa Fe Indian Market (SWAIA.org)  is a yearly event held during the third weekend of August. Over 1,100 Native artists from the U.S. and Canada sell their artwork and the event attracts about 150,000 worldwide visitors.  Many who are professional buyers, collectors and gallery owners from all over the world.

It is a unique experience because you get to interact with the artists and often there are generations of families sitting under one booth cover. Some artists have been participating in Indian Market 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and even 60-plus years. The Indian Market is a direct reflection of the lives of Native people and the communities they represent.  Their artwork is a universal language that speaks to our heart and becomes a part of our lives.

In addition, the week preceding market is packed with events in Native film, literature, music, fashion and visual art that lead to Indian Market weekend. Even if you are just a “Looky Lou,” it’s a fun way to spend a weekend or more!

Click here to go to the Santa Fe Indian Market website, put on by SWAIA.

Click here to check out homes in Santa Fe.  If you are in Santa Fe, let us show you a home or two!

If you are planning any summer getaways, consider visiting Santa Fe for one of its world-renowned art festivals:  The International Folk Market July 14-16.  The Market is on every art- and culture lover’s don’t-miss list.  People of all backgrounds and beliefs will unite as the Market welcomes master artists, entrepreneurs, global citizens, and community leaders whose creativity provides common ground in an increasingly polarized world.

Santa Fe has for centuries been an international crossroads of culture and commerce. Since the Market’s inception in 2004, the city has become more vital as a point of connection in a globalized but fractious world.  A place where the humanity of hand-made triumphs over mass-production.

The Market, juried by two panels of experts, is carefully curated to represent the highest quality folk art made in the world.  The Market’s artist-centered model is supported through longtime partnerships with such respected global thought leaders as UNESCO and the World Craft Council.

Real Change Around the World

Every folk art purchase at the Market—90 percent of which goes home with individual artists, family enterprises, or community cooperatives—is a catalyst for economic opportunity and positive social change.   The impact is especially great for disenfranchised women and artists from developing countries, where artisan work is second only to agriculture and daily income averages less than $3.10 per day.

Since 2004, more than 800 Market artists representing 90 countries have earned a combined $25 million. They have returned home to build schools, bridges, wells, and community centers, purchase milking cows and medical supplies, and fight political dislocation, gender inequity, and other forms of social and economic oppression. Their success has collectively impacted an estimated 1.1 million lives.

As Lulama, a maker of beaded animals from Capetown, South Africa, says, “We hope that beyond owning a piece of artwork, people will remember the story of the people who created it.”

Click here to connect to the Folk Market website.

National Outlook

The U.S. economy has improved for several quarters in a row, which has helped wage growth and retail consumption increase in year-over-year comparisons.  Couple that with an unemployment rate that has been holding steady or dropping both nationally and in many localities--consumer confidence is on the rise!  As the economy improves, home sales tend to go up. It is not more complex than that.

We can comfortably say the first quarter of 2017 is off to good start in residential real estate.  There was certainly plenty to worry over when the year began.  Aside from the new national leadership and the policy shifts that occur during such transitions, there was also the matter of continuous low housing supply, steadily rising mortgage rates and ever-increasing home prices. Nevertheless, sales have held their own in year-over-

year comparisons and should improve during the busiest months of the real

estate sales cycle.

Specific Stats about Santa Fe

“Santa Fe’s housing market kicked off the year with a good increase in both sales and prices in the City of Santa Fe,” says Melissa Pippin-Carson, 2017 President of the Santa Fe Association or Realtors. “Sellers should remain optimistic with inventory levels holding steady at record lows looking back over the last ten years in our market.”

City of Santa Fe home sales was up by 26% with 196 units sold this quarter compared to 155 in the 1st Quarter of 2016.  The City median home price rose 16% from $284,000 in the 1st Quarter of 2016 to $329,500 this quarter.  

During this same period, County home prices dropped by about 8% this quarter compared to 2016 or from $434,250 in the 1st Quarter of 2016 to $399,900.  County home sales dipped a modest 2% from 148 units sold in 2016 to 145 this quarter.  The overall volume of home sales rose from $146.5M in the 1st Quarter of 2016 to $168.9M this quarter.

Condo and townhome sales jumped by 15% during the 1st Quarter of 2017 for a total of 100 units sold compared to 87 in the 1st Quarter of 2016.  The median price of condos and townhomes rose by 7% from $210,000 in the 1st Quarter of 2016 to $225,000 in 2017.  

Overall land sales were up by 25% from 35 in the same Quarter of 2016 to 44 this quarter.   Total City and County land sale prices decreased 12% or $120,000 in 2016 to $104,750 this quarter.  Inventory of homes for sale rose modestly from a total of 1,439 in the 1st Quarter of 2016 to 1,461 this quarter.  With rising interest rates, housing affordability fell to an index of 90% of what is necessary to qualify for a median-priced home under prevailing interest rates.

Santa Fe real estate is looking pretty healthy, please click on the link below to learn more or call, text or email anytime!  We would love to go to work for you!

http://www.santafehomestore.com/

In the 16th century, Spaniards in present-day Mexico heard rumors of “Seven Cities of Gold” north across the desert that is now New Mexico and Arizona. Another legend of gold, which like all enduring legends contains pieces of the truth, is the legend of El Dorado.

The origins of El Dorado lie in the Andes mountains of South America. Spanish explorers heard stories about a tribe who covered their new Chief with gold dust and threw gold and precious jewels into the lake to appease a god that lived underwater.  The Spaniards started calling this golden Chief El Dorado, “The Gilded One."

One present-day Eldorado is a coveted subdivision located about 15 miles south of Santa Fe. Eldorado is recognized for its outstanding view corridors and spectacular sunsets, an exemplary community school, wilderness hiking, a slew of retail, service and sports amenities, and a much-loved dog park.

2017 year-to-date sales for Santa Fe are approximately 30 percent over the same time period in 2016. Robust markets such as Eldorado have low inventory as a result of quick sales; turnkey homes are receiving multiple offers.  Eldorado represents the robust health of real estate investment in the Santa Fe area with Eldorado being about seven percent ahead in median price sales.  Brisk movement between the $200K to $400K market creates confidence in selling homes quickly and efficiently with the goal of upgrading to the next dream home. Those living in Eldorado that love the strength of their community can move up without moving out!

The scene depicted in this ancient artwork, on display at the Gold Museum in Bogota, Colombia shows the origin of the El Dorado myth. Legend tells of a Muisca king who would cover himself in gold dust during festivals then dive from a raft into Lake Guatavita.  Courtesy National Geographic Magazine.

 Please click on our link below to learn more about Eldorado and learn other information about Santa Fe and home sales.

http://www.santafehomestore.com/Santa-Fe-New-Mexico-Community-Page-Eldorado

New Mexico ranks number 45 in U.S. population density and that means there is lots of wildlife!  Santa Feans deeply care about preserving and restoring wildlife and one of the many outstanding organizations doing such work is the New Mexico Wildlife Center (NMWC)  located in nearby Espanola.

NMWC works year-round to conserve and restore native wildlife and their habitats through education, public awareness, strategic partnerships and wildlife rehabilitation.  NMWC is like the Medicaid for Wildlife that receives up to 1,000 injured or orphaned wild animals a year from around the state.  The hospital side of NMWC is the only permitted wildlife hospital in New Mexico and they are the happy recipients of mule deer from Chama, Mississippi kites from Carlsbad, Mexican spotted owls from Deming, mountain lions from Abiquiu and on and on.

Over 75 volunteers (and more gladly accepted!) operate like a tag team for injured wildlife from around the state. When a volunteer in Silver City receives a Harris’s Hawk with a broken wing, they deliver it directly or from city-to-city until it arrives the next day to NMWC’s hospital.

The hawk will be radiographed, hydrated and if necessary have surgery to repair the wing.  While the bird is receiving medication or requires confinement and close supervision, it remains in the hospital. When the time is right, it is transferred outdoors to one of the many “mews” where it can really begin its rehabilitation. Special diets will be devised by staff knowledgeable in wildlife nutrition. An exercise regime may be in order or, if it is a juvenile, it may be placed with an adult of its species to “learn the ropes.”

When the hawk is well enough and staff has tested it to make sure it can navigate its native environment and capture food, NMWC devises a plan for release. This plan will take into consideration: the health of the bird, its normal habitat, its origin, whether or not it migrates, if it is an adult, does it already have a mate in its original territory, what the weather is likely to be at the time of release, what time of day should the animal be released, what are the likely predators for this animal and what is the carrying capacity for this species in the release zone. Finally, a release is executed. It is a wonderful event!

As a non-profit organization, New Mexico Wildlife Center is dependent upon volunteers.  One such volunteer is City Different’s own Bonnie McGowan who has volunteered for years at NMWC on a weekly basis.  Please consider visiting Santa Fe and the New Mexico Wildlife Center. Volunteer needs include cleaning mews and enclosures, feeding the animals, special projects, transporting wildlife, website maintenance, weekend docent, grounds and facilities projects, office assistance, educators/educator handlers, and fundraising/public outreach events.