Santa Fe has many allures for the vacation homebuyer including its climate, diverse culture, and community. It is a city that represents the ultimate Southwestern experience. From its sweeping pastel artwork reminiscent of beautiful western sunsets, to the distinct light-washed adobe style homes, Santa Fe attracts desert and mountain lovers from around the world. The warm, temperate weather (more than 300 days of sunshine per year!) and beautiful surrounding landscapes don't hurt either.
The city has a balanced mix of both old and new neighborhoods. There are a number of planned communities for families and seniors, as well as open ranch-style land parcels outside of the city. And the addition of new housing developments around Santa Fe in the past few years has increased competition, particularly in the under $500,000 price range, making Santa Fe more affordable for second homeowners.
Renowned for the arts, Santa Fe offers an annual film festival and an array of first-class restaurants and galleries. A half hour's drive takes residents up to steep mountain slopes among shimmering aspens. Here, popular activities include skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. Santa Fe is also known as the third major market in the U.S. for alternative healing practitioners and holistic medicine, with approximately 2,000 alternative healers.
Beyond the city limits is a landscape as varied, remarkable and soul enhancing as any on the planet. The Santa Fe National Forest encompasses 1.6 million acres of golden aspen and ponderosa pine, deep river gorges, and monolithic mountain peaks. At the forest's southern edge, Pecos National Monument houses a pre-Columbian pueblo and two early Franciscan missions.
At 7,000 feet above sea level, Santa Fe has warm days and cool evenings during spring, summer and fall (a jacket or sweater is advisable, even during the summer). Day temperatures reach an average low of 40 degrees during the winter months, and an average high of 91 degrees during the summer. Nights are cool year-round in this high desert city. Santa Fe usually receives 6 to 8 snowfalls a year between November and April. Heaviest rainfall occurs in July and August.
Whether you are seeking a mountain top estate with views to forever, an original adobe home close to the historic Plaza, or a casita for long or short-term rental, Santa Fe is bound to have a second home that perfectly suits your needs.