Mobile, Modular Friendly Ideal Location Close To Town, I-25 & Rio Metro

The subject property is a 5 acre lot located in Rancho Rio Grande, a residential subdivision situated just west of Belen and less than thirty minutes south of Albuquerque. 

The Rancho Rio Grande subdivision was first created and platted in the late 1950's. It is a sprawling region which occupies thousands of acres of land across both Valencia and Socorro counties just west of the Rio Grande River and the I-25 corridor.

A hidden gem of local real estate, this community has seen considerable development over the past decade due to its generously portioned lot sizes as well as its proximity to Albuquerque. Evidenced by its consistently increasing property values, the Rancho Rio Grande subdivision stands out as an excellent location for developers as well as investors.

When we speak of property we typically use an address -- 123 Main Street for instance. 

As most vacant land does not have a physical address, however, county governments will identify it in other ways, such as a "legal description", a parcel number or a tax code. The information provided in the table to the right are the ways in which the various state and county agencies will identify this specific parcel of land. These signifiers are important to have when speaking with these agencies - whether they be the assessor, the zoning office, or even the local utilities - and may prove invaluable when initiating conversations about whatever research a buyer intends to do.

Whenever one exists or has been assigned to the land, the physical address will be included in this table.

Roads & Access: The subject property is located along Westwind Road. While Westwind is marked and better maintained further north in Rancho Rio Grande, at the subject property is it unmarked and unmaintained. In fact, the road frontage - which runs the length of the property's eastern boundary - is largely indiscernible as the two-track dirt road has, in many parts, become overgrown. That said, given the climate and terrain in this region, the road can still be easily navigated by any vehicle type.

Roads & Access, Cont'd: While Westwind Road is slightly overgrown, the other access roads leading out to the land are a combination of paved and, as you get closer to the parcel, well-maintained dirt and gravel.  For anyone purchasing the land concerned about the unmaintained nature of Westwind Road, it should be noted that Valencia County is likely to blade or maintain it if they receive a request from a tax paying landowner who's building a home in their County. Point being, while this small stretch of road may need work, getting it serviced may not be as difficult as one would expect.

Power & Utilities: While there are no residential power lines or underground utilities on this property's immediate parcel boundaries, the nearest ones can be found roughly 1,200 feet east servicing some developed home sites along Hinson Road. Because of this, as well as the constant expansion of utilities within this region, it should be relatively easy to get power extended out to the subject property. Anyone looking to investigate the cost and logistics of getting connected to the grid is encouraged to contact PNM, the utility company servicing this region.

Power & Utilities, Cont'd: It should be noted that while residential power lines do not currently run the length of Westwind Road, given the pace at which this region gets developed, it would not surprise us if PNM had plans to extend their footprint onto this road or further south in this subdivision within the coming years.

Zoning: Rancho Rio Grande is zoned RR-1 or Rural Residential 1, a designation which is "intended to accommodate rural residential development at an anticipated magnitude or density level that does not require more than a very basic level of services, such as single local-road access, individual domestic wells and septic tank sewage-disposal systems and rural fire protection..." This designation allows for everything from single family residences to mobile and modular homes and some farming uses. Anyone looking to learn more about the RR-1 zoning designation is encouraged to read this PDF which is an excerpt from the Valencia County Zoning Ordinance.

Zoning, More: Some notable provisions in the RR-1 zoning designation include: RVs may not be used as a principle dwelling but only during construction of the principle dwelling or with certain conditional use permits; Maximum building height for dwellings is 30 feet while other structures can be 45 feet; Livestock may be kept on a property but only when the property has been fenced; Number of livestock per property is specific to the square footage of the land and the type of animal; Lots may be subdivided to no less than one acre in size.

No HOA: The Rancho Rio Grande subdivision has no HOA and there are no annual dues associated with land ownership here.

Covenants & Restrictions: The Rancho Rio Grande subdivision also features no recorded covenants on file with the County enumerating any subdivisions restrictions. Because of this, anyone looking to develop land in this region will need only familiarize themselves with the zoning.

Conveyance Document: This property will be conveyed one of two ways depending on how the buyer elects to fund and close the transaction. For anyone electing to pay our Company directly and outside of escrow, Hemingway Land will provide a Special Warranty Deed. For anyone electing to close through title and escrow and purchase title insurance, Hemingway Land will provide a Warranty Deed.

The Hemingway Land Company does our best to represent the properties we list as accurately as possible. Our research, however, will always be limited. 

Because of this, included in the table to the right is a list of the relevant state and county governments, agencies and authorities as well as local utilities (and all their respective websites and contact information) which should help to answer any questions a buyer may have about developing this specific property.

Whenever possible it is best to speak with these agencies first as they will always be a far greater source of information about the local region and the regulations which govern it.  

Property Boundary Markers: It should be noted that each of the four corners of the subject property have been marked with what appear to be discarded junk tires. In actuality the tires have been used to mark (and possibly protect?) the actual boundary stakes which denote where the property begins and ends. Point being, all four corners have been marked, a fact which will help save the eventual buyer the expense of a costly survey.

Subdividing: As Rancho Rio Grande is zoned RR-1, this means that a developed home site can exist on a parcel of land no smaller than 1 acre in size. As the subject property as well as all of the surrounding parcels are five acres in size, it has led a number of entrepreneurial types to subdivide and resell their five acre parcel as four smaller 1.25 acre lots. Point being, while the subject property can work as an excellent buy-and-flip or buy-and-hold investment, it also has the potential for greater profit by further subdividing and reselling the "child parcels" for more.

About Rancho Rio Grande: The Rancho Rio Grande subdivision was first created and platted in the late 1950's. It is a sprawling region which occupies thousands of acres of land across both Valencia and Socorro counties just west of the Rio Grande River and the I-25 corridor.

When this region was first created, the developer subdivided all of the land into generously portioned five acre parcels. Because of this, the subdivision has remained to this day, one of the best and most affordable parts of this rapidly expanding county to purchase a larger chunk of land for a reasonable price. Additionally, because it's one of the few parts of the county that wasn't overly subdivided, the landowners in this region have historically displayed greater "pride of ownership" in how they've passed the land from one generation to the next and ultimately how they have developed said land.

This is why despite its rural nature, the Rancho Rio Grande subdivision, particularly on the Valencia County side, has seen both modest growth and support services to accommodate that growth, in the subsequent years. Put another way, because people decided to build out here, the County maintained the roads and the utility companies outfitted the area with power, phone and internet. This is why even the parcels of land in the less developed parts of the subdivision should be easier and more affordable to develop than other similar regions in the same county.

Because of its close proximity to both Belen as well as Los Lunas, the Rancho Rio Grande subdivision has easy access to groceries and supplies as well as big box stores such as Walmart and Home Depot. Additionally, plenty of fast-food restaurants, gas stations, post offices, banks, medical facilities and other daily necessities can be found within easy driving distance of this region. Furthermore, Albuquerque, the largest city in the state, is just a quick thirty-minute drive north along the I-25 and is likely to have whatever product or service you can't procure in Belen or nearby Los Lunas.

Commuting To Albuquerque: As noted, the largest and most populous city in the state is just a half hour drive north along the highway. Because of this, this region and the surrounding areas are sometime referred to as "bedroom communities" of the neighboring Albuquerque Metro Area. It should be noted, however, that for anyone looking to work in the city while living out here, the Rio Metro Rail Line may be a welcome alternative to highway commutes as it provides daily transportation between Belen and as far north as Santa Fe.