A great many of our clients in the Taos real estate market come from other areas of the country. Vacation homes, ski chalets and land are popular purchases. This is a unique and beautiful area, offering a living experience unlike anywhere else in the world. Some of the features and characteristics that contribute to this uniqueness are the the same ones that make buying Taos real estate a bit different also.

This is not a sales pitch for hiring a full service buyer broker, though we do offer the full service option, as well as a consulting option that saves buyers a lot of money. Instead, we want to set out the high points of concern for buyers in the Taos market. This isn’t a complete list, but it does address what we believe are the most important things of concern to buyers:

• Access and easements on the land, even if a home is already there.
• Old farming fuel containers as a possible contaminant source.
• Old septic systems that haven’t been properly abandoned.
• Careful examination of covenants and restrictions.
• Getting a good survey or Improvement Location Report, and understanding it.
• How to negotiate in the Taos real estate market, as it isn’t typical.
• On negotiations, they are different with absentee and vacation owners.
• The Taos home inspections and repair negotiations process.
• What is and isn’t covered in a standard owner’s title insurance policy.
• Which exceptions you should have removed from the standard title policy.
• The stringent septic system requirements, and the many that aren’t up to code.
• How the county planning and zoning systems function, and how to deal with them.

That’s a partial list, but it hits those items which tend to cause the most problems for buyers. Far from a cookie cutter subdivision environment, the Taos real estate market is one that requires a bit more study and adaptation for a smooth buying process.

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