We asked the relatively new home owner, who is also a newcomer to Santa Fe, why he chose the city and why he built a home and a home here this time.
Best time to put down roots
Brian Burrell and Kaitlyn Kimsey
Kaitlyn Kimzey and Brian Burrell say this is the right time in their relationship and financially to jump into home ownership. That’s how it works,” says Kimsey, who met Burrell at work a month after arriving in Santa Fe from Colorado four years ago.
For about two years after becoming a couple, I casually looked around the house. With interest rates low during and during the pandemic, and each working from home, Burrell and Kimsey decided now was the right time to move from casual to serious. .
“We both work in finance,” says Kimzey. So, in October 2021, they purchased a home near Arroyo Pass, which leads to Atalaya Peak and hiking trails near St. John’s College. The outdoorsy pair have found their place, and two Rhodesians, his ridgebacks Gigi and Paisley, are happy they have found their place. Burrell sees the location of their new home as “a good compromise between being close to town and being a little farther and quieter.”
Initially, the couple wanted a house they could move into immediately, but they quickly realized that buying a home that needed work would not only save them money, but would make the home their own. We started looking for something more adaptable,” says Kimzey. She adds: it suits us. ”
Burrell was drawn to the facility’s many distinctive outdoor areas. At the entrance of the house is a circular area with a fireplace social area and a rustic wooden portal for alfresco dining separated from the kitchen. and a cabana that the couple plans to make into a storage room.
Barrel, who has a green thumb, has turned a struggling tree or shrub into a thriving one by installing an irrigation system. It’s been great to see things emerge and grow,” he says. “We are rooted both literally and figuratively,” jokes Kimzey, and Burrell laughs in agreement.
The couple plans to complete several major renovations by Thanksgiving. This includes rearranging the bath and closets. In the meantime, they continue to rent in the Railyard District, which has successfully provided a lifestyle for young professionals.
culture, color, community
When Gianna Hernandez moved from the Midwest to Santa Fe to teach biology at Santa Fe Community College (SFCC), the decision to buy her first home proved to be an easy one. After researching her rental market, she decided buying was the best long-term option. Amidst the challenges of her COVID-19 pandemic, she felt moving and buying a home was right for her.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Hernandez finds comfort in the similarities between the Spanish colonial architecture of Old San Juan and the architecture of Santa Fe. The use of adobe and stucco here made her feel at home from the start, and the natural landscape of Santa Fe made home here for her Hernandez, a lifelong learner dedicated to the study of living things. It makes owning it even more meaningful.
Centrally located, Hernandez’s new home is a 5-minute walk from local hangouts like Backroad Pizza and New Mexico Hard Cider Taproom. 10 minutes by car, she wears a lab coat and is the class leader teaching, building and extending knowledge to her students.
Over homemade hummus and four cats, Hernandez showed me around her new find. The first is a cozy fenced backyard, already overgrown with tomatoes and herbs. “I love the place. Nice, clean. I can own it. will continue.”
Despite the pandemic lockdown and learning to live in a new place, Hernandez has found a way to connect with his community. “I love being able to go for walks and being so close to downtown,” she says.
Whether you’re strolling around the neighborhood, heading downtown for delicious food, or hiking trails just outside of town, Hernandez finds wonders in every direction. Santa Fe’s color, culture, and community confirm her belief that she made a great choice.
Wendy Eileen Freedman
Peyton Zeller-Av and Sydney Bender
After nearly two-and-a-half years of touring the country in a revamped 40-square-foot van with their five-year-old Shepherd mix, Luli, recently married newlyweds Peyton Zeller Av and Sidney Benda wanted to put down roots. rice field. “That chapter of our life [traveling] It was done,” says Benda.
When COVID began, the formerly Minneapolis-based couple temporarily settled in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to stay with relatives during the lockdown and disruptions to daily life. Zeller-Av admits that given the small size of the town, it didn’t take long for her cabin fever to kick in. Meanwhile, he and his then-fiancé, now his wife, Sydney, decided that Santa Fe was the right place for them.
Zeller-Av and Benda knew they were done in big cities and too small in small towns. City Different was a happy medium. They made several visits to the area to research and explore. Avid skiers and outdoor enthusiasts, the couple also knew that Northern New Mexico suited their lifestyle.
“Van offered trial periods in various locations to keep an eye on people’s energies,” Bender says. I thought Santa Fe had a nice atmosphere. They also liked the 380-acre Frank S. Ortiz Dog his park. But it was New Mexico’s first sunset that really captivated them.
Luckily, after more than two years of living rent-free and working remotely (Zeller-Av is a software developer and Benda is a textile designer), the couple were ready to move their down payment and finances permanently. “It’s a huge privilege,” she says, Zeller-Av, of being able to work from her home and enjoy financial security. The couple could live and work anywhere.
With the help of a local realtor, they began searching for a Santa Fe home remotely through a video tour. “She took us on a driving tour of different neighborhoods before we put our finances together,” says Benda. “Then, when she showed us the house, she pointed out all the flaws and good things about it. [Our Santa Fe house] It was my first time buying a home and the real estate agent helped me understand every step of the process. ”
The result is a location they describe as “West of Zia Road, near Ragle Park.” Zeller-Av said:some called [it] Candlelight area. Others call it the “Southwestern City”. ”
Regardless of the name, the neighborhood and home ticked all the boxes for couples: three bedrooms, a studio space, a guest bedroom, their own office space, a large kitchen, and a dog yard. I wanted a quiet, calm and safe place,” says Bender.
And dogs love it too. “She would say she loves it here if she could talk,” she says Benda.