What makes Santa Fe different? Many things do for sure. But the extraordinary food is certainly one the main reasons Santa Fe stands out as one of the best places to buy a home. Here's a few choice selections you might want to try.

Sazon

Rated the best restaurant in Santa Fe by Trip Advisor, Sazon stands out as a fine dining experience. Since 1991, Chef Fernando Olea has been offering Santa Fe diners his unique blend of traditional and contemporary Mexican cuisine. The menu is kept small so that he can focus on the quality of the dishes, which feature fresh produce and meat. The food is only matched by their outstanding service!

Restaurant Martin

Chef Martin Rios, a native of Guadalajara, created this restaurant with his wife, Jennifer, as a place where people could enjoy award-winning American cuisine in an environment that was both refined and comfortable. They feature dinner items such as Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon, Maple Leaf Farm Duck Breast, and Pan Seared Colorado Lamb Loin. And they also have space to book your next event.

Radish & Rye

If you're in the mood for farm fresh American cuisine, the the Radish & Rye won't disappoint. You can dine in their intimate dining room, or in the lively bar. This establishment is certainly a great experience that delights many reviewers who comment on the outstanding quality of both the food and service.

There’s more to Santa Fe than just great skiing. Did you know that Santa Fe has one of the largest art scenes in the US? Artists are irresistibly drawn to Santa Fe because of its natural beauty. And who can blame them? Generations of artists have come here from all around to form this artistic community.  They sell their works at over 250 local galleries, which certainly is telling of the strong artistic vibe here.

For four centuries, Santa Fe has been a melting pot of cultures.  You can see it in the food, architecture, and the diversity of its people.

One great example of Santa Fe’s food is the local favorite, Tomasita’s restaurant, which serves up authentic New Mexican fare, along with their famous chili. The owner of Tomasita’s does his best to stay with traditions, while innovating to stay with the times. Margaritas are serious business here. They even have a backup machine.

As far as the art scene goes, Meow Wolf is certainly one of the most unique art attractions in Santa Fe.  They turned a bowling alley into a hub of innovation and immersive art. It acts like a science fiction, with alternate realities and secret passageways, all meant for you to explore and experience, like a 3D book.

If the art and food scene of Santa Fe speaks to you, then why not buy a home here? Start your search for a home in Santa Fe today with our powerful home search tool.

Check out our May Calendar of Events.

http://tinyurl.com/santafehomestore

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.

Santa Fe makes the lists...again!

For many people, searching for a home has some aspects of fun, adventure and creativity, but it can also be a wearying exercise. More specifically, searching online for homes can be frustrating. Sure, Google will give you ten bazillion search results, but let’s face it, these can be tough to wade through when you’re trying to find the perfect home.

When you’re combing through a mountain of search engine results, it can be hard to be confident in what you see. Is what you’re seeing complete? Is it up-do-date and unbiased? Even when you’ve found a company or website you trust, limited search options can make scrolling through listing after unwanted listing tedious. With Susan Orth’s free Multiple Listing Service (MLS) search engine, finding the perfect abode in New Mexico has never been easier.

Search options include everything from number of bedrooms to the age of the building. You can even be updated about your Santa Fe home search with daily email alerts. It searches the entire MLS for the Santa Fe area and there is absolutely no obligation to use it.

There are few things you can get for free nowadays. The peace of mind that you could have about property listings by using this free service will definitely be a boon to you and yours. You have enough to take on as a home buyer. Why shouldn’t you do everything in your power to make it easier?

You can choose, for example, to limit your search to listings that offer a fireplace if that’s what you want most. Or, you could expand your search to include a particular style of architecture as a search option. How you choose to view the listings on the market, how you want to slice and dice it, is up to you. New listings can be sent to your email daily, so that you never miss a property that meets your criteria. All this and more makes this free MLS search program a no-brainer.

Susan Orth has been a real estate professional for over 25 years. She is dedicated to providing you with an ideal experience when buying or selling a home. Her fellow agent, Isabella Luconi, is also passionate about her work and experienced in the field. There is no doubt that you are in good hands when you are browsing homes at the Santa Fe Home Store.

So give yourself a break and some peace of mind. You’ve earned it.

“The American Dream” – for most people, this traditionally means owning their own home. Similar to the effort needed to make any dream come true, being a homeowner takes a lot of work. Buying a home means committing to making any repairs that are or will be needed, along with a commitment to maintenance and landscaping chores as needed. Home ownership for some means having to worry about break-ins when you could be relaxing on vacation, or it may mean settling for living in an area that wasn’t your first choice.

If these kinds of considerations give you pause, why not consider living in a condominium instead? For some people, a condo purchase represents a stage prior to buying a traditional home; for others it is the best fit for their lives over the long term.

The condominium market in the United States is growing in popularity. In bustling, artistic, urban settings condo life is ideal. Living in the midst of a city gives you access to public transportation and puts you within walking distance of shopping and dining. In areas like Santa Fe, New Mexico, this means being in the beating heart of the city’s art, music and entertainment 24/7. Even in areas outside the center of the city, many buyers enjoy the security – matched with the elimination of maintenance and yard work – that condos offer.

The sense of community one gets from condo living attracts many buyers. Since all the residents have a vested interest in keeping the building(s) clean, safe and quiet, condos are the ideal environment for people who value an extra level of protection and camaraderie.

Here’s another advantage to condo life that might not occur to everyone. While many condos have very large square footage, condos typically have less square footage than similarly priced single family homes. For many condo buyers, this means making a commitment to wise use of space and to dealing with accumulation of “stuff.” For single family homeowners, it can be easy to fill room upon room of a house with items, including many that lack even sentimental value. Soon, you’re not even able to park your car in the garage anymore. But the compact coziness of some condos makes it imperative to budget your space. When you’re not filling up empty rooms, you are bound to live a cleaner, more organized life.

Being a homeowner is a big decision. It’s also not for everyone. If you want fewer home maintenance tasks, or if you just prefer a simpler, more organized life, perhaps condo ownership is your cup of tea.

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 are thinking about buying a home in the Santa Fe area, but are concerned about the real estate and home buying markets (and who wouldn’t be after watching the national news for the last few years?), you can study the real estate section of the newspaper and visit some open houses with renewed vigor, encouraged by the knowledge that the home buying market in Santa Fe is sliding back into a positive groove.

While the real estate industry is known for sometimes taking an overly rosy view, the data really do tell us some good things. A detailed report issued by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in June said that May’s pending home sales matched the highest mark in the last 24 months. According to NAR, yearly and monthly gains were reached in each region of the country, and the price tag for existing homes (as opposed to new construction) nationwide is predicted to jump 3 percent this year and perhaps an additional 5.7 percent in 2013.

NAR’s economist brain wizards, however, indicate that evaporating inventory is negatively impacting unit sales. They suggest that if the credit climate snapped back to normal and more inventory was available, specifically in low to middle price ranges, even more contracts would be successfully completed. In layman’s terms, supply cannot meet the demand in the housing market at this time.

The unbiased real estate website, Trulia, supplies us with some detailed information specifically focused on the Santa Fe area. Here are some pertinent numbers for you to crunch concerning the three-month stretch from January to March 2012:

• Median home sales price: $259,250, a 9% ($25,750) decrease from the same time frame last year
• The number of home sales decreased by 56.2% from the same time frame last year
• Average home listing price: $702,420 in the week of June 20, a 0.4% (about $2,630) decline from the previous week

While the real estate market certainly can’t be described as roaring, it’s good to hear good news when it happens.

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!