Residential Lot In Developing Area

General Location: Rio Grande Estates is a sprawling subdivision consisting of thousands of half and one acre parcels which stretches from the I-25 corridor in the west to the Manzano Mountains in the east and as far south as the Socorro County line. It makes up not only the largest subdivision in Valencia County but also the largest swath of undeveloped land in this rapidly growing region.

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.

Legal Access/Road Access: While all properties in Rio Grande Estates have legal access, some roads are easier to navigate than others. Due to the area it encompasses, it's difficult to give a one-size-fits-all answer to the quality and condition of the roads here. That said, whichever part of the subdivision you're looking to purchase land in, all buyers are encouraged to take a larger truck or off-road capable vehicle when visiting the property.

Utilities: While many properties in the western parts of the subdivision have or sit in close proximity to power lines and underground utility boxes, overall this is a region largely devoid of utilities. Anyone attempting to build, RV or camp out here should expect to rely on alternative forms of power. Any specific property that has access to power lines will be noted on the individual listing page.

Cell Reception: It should be noted that despite the lack of utilities in this region, our photographer reported a surprisingly reliable cell reception throughout the entire subdivision.

Wells & Water Table Depth: Again, because of the area it encompasses, it's difficult to give a one-size-fits-all answer to the varying depths of the water table throughout this region. Anyone considering drilling a well here is encouraged to speak with local well drillers for a more accurate sense of cost and logistics.

Zoning: Rio Grande Estates is a subdivision that consists of roughly 50,000 parcels. The vast majority of these parcels are zoned for Residential use either under the designation of Rural Residential 1 or Outland District. Despite there being two different designations for land in this region, the descriptions of the two per the Valencia County Zoning Ordinance are largely the same and anything permitted in one tends to be permitted in the other. For more information on these respective zoning designations, you can click this link to learn more about Rural Residential 1 and this link to learn more about Outland District.

Zoning, Cont'd: It should be noted that in a subdivision this massive, there will always be zoning anomalies or a small handful of parcels which may be designated differently than the rest. The above-mentioned designations cover well over 95% of the land in Rio Grande Estates.

Building/Camping/RVs: As this area is designed with residential development in mind, single family homes are acceptable here as well as mobile and modular homes. RVs are only acceptable here for thirty days at a time or up to twelve months with a building permit. Shipping container homes would likely be acceptable if erected per state building code guidelines while tiny homes, yurts and earthship homes would likely be deemed unacceptable. For specific questions about zoning, building plans or the permitting process, buyers are encouraged to contact the Valencia County Planning & Zoning office.

HOAs/Restrictions: The Rio Grande Estates subdivision has no Home Owners or Property Owners Association. There are no covenants or restrictions and no yearly dues for land owners in this region. Beyond the annual taxes you'll pay to Valencia County - which are currently assessed at roughly $5.00 per parcel - there are no additional costs to concern yourself with.

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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. 

Neighboring Property: The subject property backs up to a number of parcels that have been developed with what appears to be a home site and some fencing. Anyone reviewing this property on the satellite maps included on this listing page will notice what looks to be some overlap in property boundaries as well as driveways cutting through the subject property. For anyone with concerns about this it's important to know the following: 1) The two properties do not overlap. It may look like it on the satellite map but this is simply because of the disconnect inherent when a one dimensional map has to represent a three dimensional globe. Point being, minor discrepancies like this are common. 2) With that said, people who develop lots in a largely undeveloped region tend to, over time, worry less and less about their specific property boundaries, particularly when there are no neighbors present to argue with. While the fencing of the neighboring property suggests to us that - that property was once surveyed and staked and thus boundary lines are being honored, it's always possible that neighbor may have exceeded their land to some extent. Having said that, the driveway cutting through the region looks to have been created along what would be their legal access. In short, our photographers are as close as we get to these properties and first-hand knowledge of the situation with the neighbor is something our Company can not speak to. Anyone looking to purchase this property is strongly encouraged to scout the land in advance of placing any deposit on it. This is particularly important given the non-refundable nature of deposits and payments for land. As always, due diligence is the buyer's responsibility.

Rio Grande Estates Inventory History: Hemingway Land has bought and sold hundreds of lots in the Rio Grande Estates subdivision and we typically boast a revolving door of property here. Anyone looking to expand their parcel boundaries is encouraged to review our master spreadsheet of past and current inventory to see if we have now or have had in the past land which is adjacent to yours. NOTE: Adjacent lots are best identified by knowing the Unit/Block/Lot of your own property.

Rio Grande Estates Property Owners Facebook Group: Even though this subdivision was first created in the 1960's, the region has sat largely undeveloped since. Within our time selling land here, however, a number of like-type individuals looking to build unconventional structures and/or live an off-grid lifestyle, have purchased property from us, relocated and begun to develop the region and the sense of community within it. While there is still a great deal of undeveloped land here and plenty of privacy, a number of our past buyers have created a Rio Grande Estates Facebook group for those who own land here or are looking to relocate to help better educate people on the region. This group of land owners also acts as an excellent resource for things like surveyors, well drillers and fence builders. 

Adjacent Parcels: It should be noted that because this region was first subdivided almost entirely into 1 acre parcels, it is very difficult to find larger acreage here. For those looking for anything bigger than 1 acre of land you'll need to purchase adjacent lots which total the amount of land you're looking to develop (2 acres = 2 lots, 3 acres = 3 lots, so on and so forth). Prospective buyers should be aware that combination lots are very difficult to come by here and the larger the property you require, the less likely it is to exist. While Hemingway Land has sold a number of adjacent lots in this region (including lots combos as large as ten acres) that is the exception and not the rule in a subdivision platted like this one. In circumstances where we have two neighboring lots, they will always be sold together as they are inherently more valuable. 

Photography Disclosure: Unlike our other listings, the properties being sold in Socorro County's Rio Grande Estates are being represented with photos from different regions of the subdivision and are not property-specific. As Hemingway Land has purchased and had photographed so many parcels throughout this area - and because there is little observable difference in the roads, topography and scenery - we have elected to reuse past photos. It should be noted, however, that this is not something we would do if we didn't have hundreds of images from nearly every intersection in the subdivision. While we feel this serves as a reasonable representation of the properties, any prospective buyer looking for a more precise sense of the exact parcel is welcome to scout any property we have in inventory. 

Nearby Towns & Resources: Located just outside of Los Lunas, the Rio Grande Estates 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 twenty minute drive north along the I-25 and is likely to have whatever product or service you can't procure in Los Lunas or nearby Belen.

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