The House in Taos

It’s decided. Taos is going to be our new home, so the next phase of the Goldilocks Project is finding the perfect house. 

One of the reasons Taos was appealing initially was because our house budget is generous for the area. When we can theoretically afford our dream house, and we have virtually no move-in deadline, the abundance of options is overwhelming. The big question is do we settle on pretty damn good or do we wait until just right?

Another question: do we judge perfect based on present state or future possibilities?

We do have some restrictions:

1. We have to pay our taxes before we buy a house. (Done!)
2. We cannot close on a house until Cameron is able to sell company stock (May 4th). 
3. The property needs to be vegetated with something more than just sagebrush.
4. We have different home preferences, so we each get a house-style veto. Cameron has vetoed Earthships and I vetoed undeveloped land.
5. If it’s at the top of our budget, it must have a minimum of 1 acre and a casita (i.e., a guesthouse).

Perhaps surprisingly, we don’t have bedroom/bathroom/square footage minimums. In some ways, I think the smaller the better (you’ll remember that we currently live in a 100sqft van), and we have a slight preference towards a project house. We want Casa Conejo (yes, I’ve preemptively named our home “rabbit house”) to be fully our own, so necessary renovations and add-one are somewhat appealing. 

At one point I entertained the idea to getting my realtor’s license, but it’s silly to think I could provide the same service as an experienced local realtor. Not knowing anyone in the local area already, we stopped by a few well-rated realtor groups (per Google) on a Saturday afternoon and found Robban. Maybe it wasn’t the most sophisticated way to find a realtor, but I’m happy with it! I’m not sure what Robban thinks of us, but we’ve really appreciate her guidance in narrowing down the areas that we’d likely be happiest in. 

As of writing this, we have sent at least a dozen intriguing listings to Robban and Robban has given honest feedback, including “a nice house but you’ll drive through some dumpy stuff to get there” and “it’s lipstick on a pig.” Despite our initial interest in a few clunkers, we have physically toured five houses and seriously consider putting offers on three of them:

1. “But wait, there’s more!”

Pros

• Less than 1 mile from downtown’s main plaza. 
• Bordered by Pueblo land on two sides, so unlikely to be developed. 
• Four distinct living spaces: the main house was split into two apartments plus there were two sizable casitas. Each living space had its own outdoor yard. 
• Mature apple trees on the property. 
• Quirky but immediately usable. 

Cons

• Likely difficult to finance as a standard single-family home. 
• Would need work and likely tricky renovations to reconvert the main house into a single cohesive living space. 
• Owner already received an offer, necessitating a quick decision from us. 
• No additional land for potential future builds (like a workshop and covered parking). 

2. “Bathtub in the kitchen”

Pros

• 1.2 miles from Taos Plaza and 2 miles from one of the main trail heads in Kit Carson National Forest. 
• The best kitchen/dining setup of all the houses we toured. 
• Charming backyard with great mountain views. 
• 1 acre property with the potential to acquire 2 addition acres. 
• County zoning, which makes possible future builds and rentals easier. 

Cons

• Old house that will likely need many small-but-immediate fixes. An inspection might also identify concerning structural problems. 
• The house is split to have a mother-in-law-suite; that side of the house is 100 years old, is dark, has low ceilings, and has a bathtub in the kitchen. 
• Off of a semi-main road.
• Bedrooms are small and have very limited closet space. 

3. “Unlisted grandparents’ hacienda”

Pros

• Stunning expansive mountain views. 
• 16-acre property that already has everything we’d want and more: van parking, a casita that is effectively a second home, an artist studio, an amazing chicken coop, a brand-new greenhouse, and a massive garage and workshop. There is even a heated cement pad that previously housed a teepee, but which we’d likely use for a hot tub. 
• Undervalued (we think they are trying to sell quickly because of family medical reasons).
• 2.5 miles to one of the main Rio Grande Gorge access points. 
• A great party house. 

Cons

• At the very top of our budget. 
• It’s a 20 minute drive into town, and the only shop closer is a convenient store/bar which is still 5 miles away. 
• The 16 acres are mostly sagebrush, with the exception of a small-but-well-kept garden, plus there are many juniper trees surrounding the property. 
• It’s possibly too nice – there would be no modifications we could make to put our own spin on it. 

~~~

It’s tough! All three are great options, and new listings come up every day. Perhaps we’re not being patient enough, but as of this writing we have put an offer on one of these three! We’re keeping that decision private for now, but I’d love to hear which one you’d pick for us.