LOCATION & SIZE

Tres Piedras Estates is located  just off Highway 64 roughly twenty minutes northwest of the vibrant community of Taos. Situated close to the slopes and trails of the world-famous Taos Ski Valley, this master-planned subdivision was platted out and pinned back in the 1960’s with the vast majority of the region subdivided into half and quarter acre parcels.

LEGAL INFORMATION

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 above 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 the Property Details section.

ACCESS & UTILITIES

Road Conditions: All parcels within the Tres Piedras Estates subdivision have legal access, as roads and easements were allowed for in the original Plats of the area. That said, in many circumstance a four-wheel drive or other off-road capable vehicle may be required to navigate some of the roads. As is to be expected, some areas are easier to get to than others, and some roads are easier to drive on than others. As most of the developed lots are concentrated closer to Highway 64, this is the region where the most people live and where the roads are trafficked most often. Because of this, these areas are usually easier to navigate. It’s as you drive further north and south into the less developed regions, however, where roads have been maintained with less regularity.

Gates & Access: It should be noted that a few gates can be found at the turn-off from Highway 64 into the subdivision. These gates, however, were built to “keep the cows in, not keep the people out.” None of the gates are typically locked, and in the few instances that we’ve heard of one gate being locked, the next one up the road is usually unlocked. As there are numerous points of ingress and egress, one locked gate should never be a deterrent for access. People traveling through this area are simply expected to be good neighbors and shut the gates behind them as they drive into the subdivision.

Power: Power can be found nearby on the 64 and in some of the parcels closer to that highway, but city utilities have not yet been extended into the further parts of the subdivision, hence making solar energy a necessary but affordable solution.

Wells & Water Table: Due to the depth of the water table in this region, wells are generally considered either infeasible or prohibitively expensive and most residents rely on refillable tanks for their drinking water. It has been reported that there a few community wells in this region – meaning someone owns a well and let’s other residents purchase water from them – but we have never been able to confirm this or find the contact information for the well owners.

ZONING & RESTRICTIONS

While the town of Taos has numerous zoning ordinances and restrictions, Taos County has very relaxed zoning laws, particularly in rural areas like this. Tres Piedras Estates is zoned County Rural Area, a fairly permissive designation which, amongst other things, allows a person to park an RV and live out of it for 180 Days even without a building permit. This fact alone makes the area ideal for anyone with an RV looking for land they can vacation to, camp on, or park and live on for a long time without being hassled by local officials. This also makes the area fitting for other “off-grid” dwellings such as earth ship homes, tiny homes, shipping container homes, etc.

If you’re purchasing land to build you should check with the county zoning office to learn what permits are required on land smaller than 3/4 of an acre.

Disclosure: Prospective buyers are encouraged to keep in mind that while Taos County has very relaxed zoning, land in this region will still be subject to state-wide laws, building codes and environmental regulations. This is especially true as it pertains to how waste is disposed of and wells are drilled and installed. The NM EPA oversees septic permits and the State Engineer is responsible for well permits and are two organizations you or your contractor will deal with eventually. State regulations aside, however, Taos County remains one of the most ideal places in New Mexico for developing land with as few ordinances to conform to as possible.

TITLE INFO

It should be noted that while Hemingway Land normally likes to offer our buyers the option of closing on a property through a title company and thus receiving a Warranty Deed, for this particular property we are not able to extend that courtesy and will only be able to convey the land 1) without title insurance and 2) only with a Special Warranty Deed.

To explain: Title Companies in Taos County are notoriously reticent to insure land in this subdivision. During the time we have been in business we have never found one that will offer this service. Because of this, our Company is only prepared to offer a Special Warranty Deed. Anyone who would like title insurance and a Warranty Deed is welcome to call title companies in Taos County to see if anyone will insure property in Tres Piedras Estates. And if you can find one, we will be glad to work with them. That said, in our experience it’s highly unlikely you will find one.

If that is your intention, you should not initiate this transaction until you are certain you have found a title company willing to work with you.

HELPFUL LINKS

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 informat

Taos County Assessor’s Office (575) 737-6360 (Click Here)

Taos County Planning & Zoning (575) 737-6440 (Click Here)

New Mexico Environmental Department (505) 827-2855 (Click Here)

Taos County Zoning Ordinance  (Click Here)

Taos County Zoning Map (Click Here)

New Mexico State Engineer (505) 827-6091 (Click Here)

Well Drilling Info (Click Here)

Well Drilling Permit Application (Click Here)

MISCELLANEOUS

Master List Of Properties: Hemingway Land has bought and sold hundreds of lots in the Tres Piedras 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.

Parcel Size Per Unit: Tres Piedras Estates was subdivided into nine Units of land. Units 1-5 are all half acre parcels and Units 6-9 are all quarter acre parcels.

Unit Locations: Unit 1, 2, 3 and 7 are located north of Highway 64. Units 4 and 5 are located south of Highway 64. Units 6 and 8 are located closest to the highway and tend to straddle both the north and south sides. Unit 9 is – for some reason unclear to us – located five miles east of the rest of the subdivision.

Parcel Sizes: It should be noted that because this region was first subdivided almost entirely into half and quarter acre parcels, it is very difficult to find larger acreage here. For those looking for anything bigger than a half acre of land you’ll need to purchase adjacent lots which total the amount of land you’re looking to develop. Prospective buyers should be aware, however, 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 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 Tres Piedras 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 feel confident this was an adequate representation of the region. 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

Taos: 32 miles (42 min)

Santa Fe: 81 miles (1 h 30 min)

Las Vegas: 109 miles (2 h 16 min)

Albuquerque: 143 miles (2 h 23 min)

Farmington: 172 miles (3 h 29 min)

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

Things To Do In Taos (Click Here)

Taos Ski Valley (Click Here)

Taos Pueblo (Click Here)

Pueblo Balloon Tours (Click Here)

Taos Wine Tours (Click Here)

Llama Trekking (Click Here)

Angel Fire Ski Resort (Click Here)

Sipapu Ski Resort (Click Here)

Things To Do In Santa Fe (Click Here)