More good news in Santa Fe! 
CNN Money has rated Santa Fe one of the top 10 markets for rising home prices.

Low inventory, sales are way up and prices are starting to rise.

Don't miss out, if you are considering a home 'In the Land of Enchantment', give us a call today. 

Where home prices are rising fastest

CNN Money http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2012/real_estate/1205/gallery.rebounding-housing-markets/index.html

The tide is already starting to turn in some U.S. housing markets, with home prices in these 10 metro areas expected to climb anywhere between 10% and 21% by the end of next year, according to Fiserv.

10. Santa Fe, NM

Median home price: $248,000

Drop since market peak: 17.1%

Forecast gain through 2013: 10%

Santa Fe not only has cleanest air in the nation, but it also should see some healthy gains in home prices as well, according to Fiserv.

This state capital in the high (located 7,200-feet above sea level) country of central New Mexico wasn't hit half as hard by the housing bust as some other parts of the nation. Helping to lift prices is Santa Fe's thriving economy.

With a population of just under 200,000, unemployment is at a low 5.5% making it one of the top 10 metro areas for jobs. The city is also attractive for other reasons: It's a center for visual and performing arts, with a major dance company and the famous Santa Fe Opera.

The New Mexico History Museum is a sparkling new (it opened on May 24, 2009), architecturally beautiful showcase of the Land of Enchantment’s singular, eclectic and culturally diverse history, covering the last 400 years. It is a sometimes turbulent, sometimes peaceful, but always a fascinating history.

It is also a relatively long history. The state’s capital city of Santa Fe bills itself as The Oldest Capital in the United States. This singular southwest American town is literally colorful and so is its history, as you will discover on your first visit to the New Mexico History Museum, located at 113 Lincoln Avenue in the heart of Santa Fe’s historic Plaza. Santa Fe was initially inhabited by a group of American Indians from the Pueblo tribe between the years of 1050 to 1150.

Exhibitions in the 96,000-square-foot New Mexico History Museum enlighten and broaden the horizons of residents and visitors alike about a vast expanse of the state’s colorful settlers, from the Spanish Conquistadores and Mexican pioneers, up to and through the period in which the legendary Santa Fe Trail guided a generation of settlers headed to all points west.

As you casually stroll among the exhibits, interactive multimedia displays and mesmerizing photographs, the artwork and handcrafted jewelry, you are bound to come across some names that just might be familiar to you, such as Kit Carson, Billy the Kid and Robert Oppenheimer.

The New Mexico History Museum strives to achieve a relatively new position within the community of Santa Fe and New Mexico as a whole. Its mission, as stated on its website, is to provide more to residents and visitors than dusty old artifacts and obscure objects. It serves as a civic hub and educational partner, actively engaged in the social life of the community.

One of the methods by which the museum is striding confidently toward its goals is through the efforts of the staff and variety of the offerings at its other campuses, such as the Palace of the Governors, the Fray Angelico Chavez Library and the Palace Press.

Hours and Admission

Hours:

10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday

Open on Mondays from Memorial Day through Labor Day

Open until 8 p.m. on Fridays

Admission:

$9 for out-of-state visitors

$6 New Mexico residents

Free on Sunday for New Mexico residents

Free on Wednesday for New Mexico senior citizens

Free all open dates for Museum Members and children under 17

Free Fridays from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

If you have ever visited or lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, you will no doubt agree that, more than any other single feature, art of all shapes, sizes, methods and descriptions is the heart and soul of this beautiful southwestern United States city. And this is saying a lot, since Santa Fe boasts a beautiful natural environment, a rich history and is the state capital of New Mexico.

Yes, there are magnificent mountain ranges dressing up the panoramic scenery of Santa Fe. Yes, there are lovely and picturesque historic churches, shops and restaurants. Yes, there is a vast, seemingly endless desert stretching to the horizon and supplying Santa Fe with breathtaking sunsets and invigorating sunrises. Yes, the climate and accompanying weather is nearly perfect year round. And, of course, there are numerous and varying other aspects, amenities and natural features that also play their individual roles in making Santa Fe the dramatic, one-of-a-kind city that it is. However, for people in Santa Fe and lovers of the city who visit, art is the definitive quality of the city, just as Dixieland music is the definitive quality of New Orleans.

The ART Santa Fe fair is a high-profile celebration and all-encompassing showcase of art, not only from the 240-plus galleries in the Santa Fe area, but also from prestigious, cutting-edge and emerging galleries, artists and dealers from every corner of the globe. It is an international event at which scene-seekers and regular people who love art rub elbows with the glamorous celebrities, the “name” artists and the stratospherically wealthy art collectors.

At the twelfth ART Santa Fe fair, running from July 12 through July 15 is held primarily at the Santa Fe Convention Center; however, the festivities don’t stop there. There is a gala celebration kicking off the event called Vernissage, which is the fancy French term describing the preview ceremony of an art exhibition. And, if you are going to attend the ART Santa Fe fair, you cannot miss its distinctive Art Santa Fe Presents keynote lecture, given by a prominent figure in today’s hip and trendy art scene.

So, if you love art and you love Santa Fe, ART Santa Fe is the place to be beginning on Thursday, July 12!

A small city with strong ties to contemporary art and great entertainment, Santa Fe is the cultural heart of New Mexico. History buffs will revel in the city’s colorful and significant past. Foodies will savor the rich cornucopia of flavors and culinary traditions that abound. Families will find plenty to do together, and couples will be hard-pressed to find a more romantic location in the Southwest. The question is not what is there to do and see in Santa Fe; it’s how to fit all you can do and see into a day!

One of the very best ways to explore what Santa Fe has to offer is to take advantage of one of the many tours that are available. The kinds of tours you can experience are as unique and varied as the different aspects of the Santa Fe way of life.

There are a number of walking tours that reveal the hot spots and hidden gems of the city, all while giving you a little exercise. The City Different: A Walking Tour of Santa Fe, for example, is a tour de force of fun and information, led by local historian, Stefanie Beninato. Historic Walks of Santa Fe are guaranteed to introduce you to the very best that Santa Fe has to offer in terms of historical sites and attractions. You will be led by professional historians and art experts, and get a glimpse into the past through historical reenactments by professional actors.

For those who want to tour the city while sitting back and relaxing, consider one of Santa Fe’s several open-air tram tours. The Loretto Line Tour Company, for example, is Santa Fe’s oldest. Its eight-mile loop takes you through many of Santa Fe’s must-see places, including the art district of Canyon Road, the Santa Fe Museum Hill area, the historic Santa Fe Plaza, and the Palace of the Governors.

All aboard! Explore Santa Fe on the Santa Fe Southern Railroad for a truly unique touring experience. Train rides are available year-round, with special-event tours happening throughout the year. With unrivaled views of the impressive Galisteo Basin Overlook, these train tours are a one-of-a-kind experience that will change the way you think about train rides.

No matter which tour you choose, you will surely learn something new about Santa Fe and have a lot of fun in the process.

Contrary to many of the stereotypes we see every year during the holidays on television and in the movies, not everyone or every family stays home for Christmas dinner. In addition to giving the family chef a rest, here are some other reasons to get out of the house for Christmas dinner:

• It can be a fun change of pace, especially for those who “always” have Christmas dinner at home
• Many of the restaurants that are open on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day will quite often have special entree and appetizer items, along with special prices on certain meals
• Popular and trendy restaurants that are often too crowded to be comfortable will likely be significantly less crowded owing to the many others who stayed at home for Christmas dinner

So, if you live in or near the city of Santa Fe, or if you’ll be visiting the area on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, and you are thinking about (or need to) go out for dinner, you are in luck.

Some of the city’s best local eateries are open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or both. Listed below are a few of these restaurants, along with a brief description of them and, where applicable, any of the Christmas Eve or Christmas Day specials they may be offering:

Geronimo: Located on the historic Canyon Road in the heart of Santa Fe, Geronimo is an 18-year-old local legend among the city’s eclectic, impressive fine dining restaurants. Geronimo’s website does not specify a particular dish special for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day; however, it is a safe bet that they will offer a traditional turkey dinner with the typical side dishes.

Fuego Restaurant & Wine Bar: Situated within the classy and stylish La Posada de Santa Fe resort and spa, Fuego Restaurant & Wine Bar is an excellent choice for those who want a true escape from the holiday bustle. A world-class wine list, a cozy fireplace setting and inventive cuisine combine to create a relaxed dining experience away from the traditional bells and whistles.

Anasazi: The Anasazi Restaurant is recognized as among the finest culinary destinations in all of New Mexico. The ambience is a seamless blend of elegant fine dining and classic American Southwestern charm. Additionally, Anasazi features special meal deals during much of the holiday season. Check them out at their website:

• Christmas Eve Dinner Menu
• Christmas Brunch Menu
• Christmas Dinner Menu
• New Year's Eve Dinner Menu
• New Year's Day Brunch Menu

La Casa Sena and Santacafé: Each of these landmark Santa Fe restaurants not only offers a glimpse into the city’s 400-year history, but they also serve up some great fare on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Santacafé dishes up Christmas Eve dinner from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Christmas Day from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. And you can fill your tummy at La Casa Sena on Christmas Eve from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Christmas Day from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Farolitos + Fire = Free Fun

At Christmas time, Santa Fe is bathed in a warm, golden light that literally shines with the spirit of the holiday season.  

Residing in a region that can arguably be called the heart and soul of the American Southwest, Santa Fe is one of the area’s signature cities. Its definitive Mexican inspired architecture, culturally rich resident population, and diverse outdoor and indoor entertainment and recreational opportunities are second to none. It’s one of the few cities that are immediately recognizable for anyone who has lived in or visited it.

Along with its natural beauty and Native American heritage, Santa Fe is a city that has developed a kind of mystical, aura about it. This magical sense that exists in Santa Fe is strongly enhanced during the holidays. One of Santa Fe’s signature seasonal events is the Canyon Road Farolito Walk, which takes place on Christmas Eve.

The Canyon Road Farolito Walk – also known as the Farolito Walk and the Christmas Eve in Santa Fe, Canyon Road Farolito Walk – is an incredibly moving and entrancing event.

Small paper bags are filled with sand and small votive candles, and then placed side-to-side along historic Canyon Road. When these candles are lit, the bags are transformed into farolitos (the Spanish word translates to small paper lantern).

On Christmas Eve, people gather in downtown Santa Fe close to the New Mexico State Capitol building. As twilight begins to darken the winter sky, the lighted farolitos provide a calming, resplendent glow for walkers and carolers as they stroll along the golden path.

Many of the businesses along the Canyon Road Farolito Walk route traditionally offer hot cocoa and hot cider to revelers, and there are usually a couple of bonfires along the way for participants to warm up before rejoining the walk or singing some carols.

You do not have to be in Santa Fe on Christmas Eve, however, to be a part of this unique city’s wondrous holiday season celebration. All you have to do is get yourself to Santa Fe’s historic Plaza in its downtown area on any chilly, star-filled night during the weeks between Thanksgiving Day and New Year’s Day.

On these meditative evenings, the adobe shops and restaurants blush with the receding light of the setting sun, and all of the trees in the Plaza come alive with the silvery glow of strung lights. The holiday season is a special time sure to create memories for residents and visitors to Santa Fe.

Archaeologists recently discovered what may well be one of Santa Fe’s earliest streets – dating from the 1600s – while working on a dig downtown.

The New Mexico office of Archaeological Studies became involved with an area a couple of blocks east of Santa Fe Plaza, an area that Drury Southwest, a hotel chain, plans to redevelop from its former life as the St. Vincent Hospital complex. During the redevelopment process in 2008, an excavation discovered a cobbled surface four feet below grade which represents four feet and four centuries of accumulated civilization. Today’s Cienega Street area was once a spring-fed marsh.

A second archaeological dig of the area commenced in September of this year and ended on October 20^th with the reburying of the site. The dig determined that the cobbled surface was a street which ran mainly north-south. The original name of the street is unknown, as are its beginning and ending points, but archaeologists believe the street ran along the path of today’s Otero Street. They surmise that street may have led to Santa Fe’s initial parroquia – a parish church. The street is not seen on the first known map of Santa Fe in 1766.

The dig exposed roughly half of what they believe to be a thoroughfare with a standard Spanish width of 7-1/2 varas (21 feet). It could be Santa Fe’s oldest street, but archaeologist Jim Moore indicated that the cobblestone is unlike European or Spanish paving techniques. “It just looks like somebody brought in a couple of loads of gravel and dumped them on the road to create a nice solid surface,” said Moore. (Santa Fe New Mexican, October 19, 2011)

Interestingly, archaeologists discovered portions of Pueblo Indian pottery, some of it glazed ware from Galisteo Pueblo and other southern villages that was no longer produced after the early 1700s. They also found types of majolica pottery from Puebla, Mexico of a type that was discontinued after the 1600s; the interpretation of these finds is that the avenue was used during Santa Fe’s first century as a Spanish city.

Another excavation a few meters away from the road surface explored a garbage pit. Several different types of objects were found, including a piece of Chinese porcelain which may have been made a century earlier than Santa Fe’s founding. Archaeologists estimate that it may have been acquired in the Philippines and was then taken by Spanish galleon to Mexico and later brought to Santa Fe by wagon along the Camino Real.

Drury Southwest is expected to retain some of the artifacts to display inside its new hotel.

Santa Fe History 101

When many people think of Santa Fe, New Mexico they think of amazing artwork, beautiful countryside, great outdoor activities and astonishingly spectacular restaurants. All of these attributes are incredibly true of Santa Fe, but were you aware that it's the oldest U.S. capital city? Dating back 400 years to its elevation to capital city status, it's filled with historic ambiance and culture. But even though Santa Fe's 400 year old road ties into the city’s prominence in the past, the city’s history is actually much richer and older.

Going back to approximately 1050 A.D., the area was originally occupied by Pueblo Indian villagers. Archaeologists concur that these villages were essentially abandoned (for unknown reasons) as early as 200 years prior to the conquistador Coronado's arrival in 1540. He claimed the area for the Spanish crown, and he didn't stop there. Coronado and his men also are credited with having discovered the Great Plains and the Grand Canyon.

Eight Indian Pueblos still exist north of Santa Fe, and there are a total of 19 pueblos across New Mexico. The rich cultural legacy of Native Americans is still in great evidence here - whether expressed in beautiful hand-crafted works of art, jewelry and clothing in local stores, via some of the many festivals which take place, or through delicious Native cuisine and their hauntingly lovely music - you can enjoy all of those aspects in modern day Santa Fe, year-round.

Fun, Cultural & Outdoor Activities and More! 

In addition to art galleries, festivals and amazing restaurants, there are several museums which can magically transport you back to a simpler day and age. Many of these offer classes, workshops, educational programs and fascinating community events. One of the city's many free walking tours is an excellent way to enlighten yourself about Santa Fe's history as well as its modern day offerings.

The area is filled with excellent outdoor activities including world-class golf and skiing & snowboarding; there's exciting river rafting; great hiking, camping and fishing; bicycling paths; numerous parks and recreation areas and more. You'll find many kids activities here, too, so there's truly something for everyone, no matter their age or interests.  Like great shopping, resorts, bed & breakfasts, performing arts centers....the list goes on.

Yes, Santa Fe's more than 400 year old history beckons you to come visit or live, learn, and enjoy its many modern day amenities.

Located in the heart of gorgeous Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Canyon Road Arts district boasts more than 100 art galleries and studios - about as close to heaven as Southwest, contemporary and experimental art aficionados can get! Some galleries exclusively feature fine painting, others show art photography, while others feature beautiful hand-crafted jewelry, just to name a few art forms to be found in the district. There's truly something here that will suit everyone's artistic tastes.

Just to the east of Santa Fe Plaza, the Canyon Road Arts district not only features amazing artistic expression, but amazing dining choices as well. So when you're ready to take a break from perusing the beautiful artwork, check out any of the following fine restaurants to replenish your energy and titillate your palette:

• Geronimo offers elite, unique dining with its "Global French Asian" menu. A multi-award winner, Geronimo’s Chef Eric DiStefano and staff ensure a dining experience like no other - delectable! 
• The Compound Restaurant features mouth-watering Southwestern cuisine prepared under the direction of award winning Chef Mark Kiffin. The Compound also has delicious holiday fare, and is a great place to spend those special occasions, or for any event.
• El Farol is Santa Fe's most historic restaurant/cantina, and its ambiance combines live entertainment and exquisite artwork, which definitely complements the amazing menu choices perfectly. El Farol also offers incredible holiday menus.

There are many other taste-tempting restaurants along Canyon Road Arts district. If you're wondering about great shopping, that's nearby as well! Directly across from Geronimo is Desert Son, one of the Southwest's treasures when you're seeking the finest handcrafted expressions of Santa Fe style and design.

As you can tell, Canyon Road Arts is a bountiful center of culture, cuisine and creativity. Santa Fe is an absolutely beautiful place to visit, and an enchanting place to live. Come visit Santa Fe and see for yourself - but a word of warning, you're bound to fall in love with its beauty!

Just ten miles NE of Santa Fe and three miles from Tesuque, lies the Village of Chupadero.  This small, fairly unknown community is a jewel located in the Chupadero River Valley along County Road 78, which is only a little more than a mile long.  This area boasts amazing views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains to the east  and the Jemez mountains to the west.  Amazing rainbows, sunrises and sunsets as well as a year round running creek.   You will find miles of trails nearby to hike or bike in the Santa Fe National Forest.  What you will not find in the Chupadero Valley is pollution… no air pollution, light pollution or noise pollution. 

After enjoying the peace and tranquility of home,  a short 10 or 15 minute drive takes you to;

-Gabriel’s Mexican Restaurant

-Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino

-The Santa Fe Opera 

-The Tesuque Flea Market 

-Shidoni Foundry

-Tesuque Village Market 

The new Encantado Resort is just 3 miles down the road with its award winning Terra at Encantado Restaurant and the Santa Fe Plaza, with its many shops and restaurants is 20 minutes away.

If you take a 30 minute drive you can spend a day at the spa, the Ojo Caliente hot springs, or visit the city of Los Alamos, or the Bandelier National Monument  and see the many ruins and cliff dwellings.  Or jump off for a day trip to Chimayo or Truchas and take the beautiful “High Road to Taos.”

Chupadero Gatherings

Do you enjoy poetry?  Join the local poetry group for monthly potluck dinners and poetry readings, including open mic segments.

In autumn-one of the most beautiful seasons in the valley-take your baskets, jars and appetite to a local apple-pressing event.  Pick you own apples, fill your jars with freshly pressed apple juice and feast at the free barbecue.

On Christmas Eve, the roads are lined with luminarias created by the youth in the area.  Enjoy their glow as you tromp through the snow to a neighbor’s home for a potluck dinner; and visit other neighbor’s homes on your way to the house where Santa always arrives and has gifts for the children.  Continue to visit with friends and neighbors as you gather to watch the huge fireworks display, followed by more munching and sipping if you saved some room.  And don’t forget the hayride that follows.  Back home and to bed with your own dreams of sugarplums.

Chupadero is a wonderful, inviting community. Residents include local artists, astronomers, attorney’s, EMT’s and fire fighters, Los Alamos scientists and computer specialists as well as Santa Fe business owners- a wide variety of occupations and talents.  If you’d like to consider a home in the Chupadero Valley, check out this great property at 7 Vista Chupadero, or see all of the available properties in Chupadero and the Tesuque Village area here.