Taos County, New Mexico

Carson Estates

Acreage Range ∞--∞ Acres
Price Range $∞-$-∞
Photograph of Hemingway Land Company property

Notes about Purchasing

The page you are currently reading is what we like to call a "master information page" which we create for subdivisions where we have a larger volume of inventory than normal. We provide this as a way to concentrate all of the available information about this region, and the properties within it, into one page where buyers can better learn about the zoning, road conditions, availability of utilities and any of the other salient details we feel a prospective landowner would want to know. We also use this page as a way to present important details about all of the available properties within the region, this way potential buyers won't have to click from listing to listing.

For anyone interested in purchasing land in the subdivision profiled here, we encourage you to read over the information provided to better compare and contrast individual listings and ultimately choose the one that is best for you. While you cannot purchase a specific property on this page, the table of available listings linked below will give you the opportunity to navigate to individual listings pages, where payments options will be presented, and purchases can be made.

Currently Sold out

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Subdivision Details

Location & Size

 

Carson Estates is located off Highway 64 just past the iconic Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and roughly five minutes outside the vibrant community of Taos. Situated within easy driving distance of 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 entire region subdivided into quarter acre parcels.

Taos County, New Mexico

0.25-1.25 Acres

Taos

Not Designated

87549

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 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.

See Individual Listing Pages

See Individual Listing Pages

See Individual Listing Pages

$5.00 per lot

Access & Utilities

 

Road Conditions: All parcels within the Carson 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. 

Power: The nearest power lines stop at Highway 64, servicing only a small number of the developed home sites along Sheep Herder Road with the vast majority of the Carson Estates community being without residential power lines. Because of this, most residents here rely on solar panels or other alternative methods to bring power to their properties.

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 lets other residents purchase water from them - but we have never been able to confirm this or find the contact information for the well owners.

Yes

Undefined

See Individual Listing

Undefined

See Individual Listing

See Individual Listing

Catchment System or Holding Tank

Septic/Alternative

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. Carson 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.

County Rural Area

None

None

None

None

Title Info

...

Free & Clear

None

None

None

None

Special Warranty Deed

Notary Close

$150.00

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 information about the local region and the regulations which govern it. 

(575) 737-6360
(575) 737-6440
(505) 827-2855
Click Here
Click Here
1-800-WATERNM
Click Here
Click Here

Misc.

 

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

Unit Locations: Carson Estates consists of six units of land numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 11. Units 1, 4, 5 and 11 are all located off of Sheep Herder Road in the northern part of the subdivision. Units 2 and 3 are in a separate location to the south and are accessed off of W. Rim Road. 

Parcel Sizes: It should be noted that because this region was first subdivided almost entirely into quarter acre parcels, it is very difficult to find larger acreage here. For those looking for anything bigger than a quarter acre of land you'll need to purchase adjacent lots which total the amount of land you're looking to develop (two lots = a half acre, four lots = 1 acre, so on and so forth). 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 Carson 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. 

 

Subdivision FAQ

Only where indicated on the spreadsheet. If we have two or more properties that are next to one another we will always sell them that way as they are inherently and exponentially more valuable than if sold separately. 

No. If they were adjacent we’d combine them into one listing.

No. If you look at the spreadsheet we have linked on this page you’ll see the Legal Descriptions of the properties. These are written logically. Unit 1, Block 1, Lot A would be adjacent to Unit 1, Block 1, Lot B. So on and so forth. If you’re looking at two properties wondering if they’re adjacent - or even close by - simply review the legal descriptions or hyperlinked GPS coordinates.

No. This entire area was subdivided over fifty years ago into quarter acre lots. There is nothing larger, and the only way to get something larger is to purchase adjacent lots. 

Highly unlikely. That much adjacent acreage in this region is the rural land equivalent of a unicorn. But if it’s that important to you we’d encourage you to subscribe to our weekly newsletter or YouTube channel. New properties debut on our site every Friday and are announced in those platforms first. By subscribing to either you’ll be among the first to know should we ever have a listing like that.

No. That’s what the website, the email blast and the YouTube channel are for. 

Quite a few reasons:

1) When the subdivision was first created in the 1960s, these lots were sold as investment properties outside of a rapidly developing Taos community which would “one day soon” be worth a lot of money. Hence, they were sold for expensive prices that precluded most casual investors from purchasing more than one.

2) Environmental laws adapted throughout the state in the 1970’s devalued the viability of a quarter acre lot. Because of this, most of the people who purchased these ten years prior suddenly lost interest in their land. Because they lost interest in the land, they never bothered to insure that the property would transfer to a next of kin upon death. Hence, a lot of dead people own land in this region that their families can’t sell and that we/you/no one can buy.

3) Because most family members/next of kin continue to pay the rather negligible yearly tax bills on the land they don’t own, the land has never been foreclosed on by the state and resold at auction.

4) Because the tax bill is so small, most family members continue to pay it rather than attempt to navigate the probate process required in New Mexico to formally and officially put the land in their names.

5) Because the tax bill is so small, it has to be in default for longer than the customary Three Year period allowed for in New Mexico law before the state will foreclose on it. Put another way, it costs more to resell it at auction than it does to leave it in default accruing interest and penalties.

Yes.

There are a few main, named roads throughout this subdivision such as Sheep Herder Road which are the easiest to navigate. Despite the fact this region receives a decent amount of traffic from the people who call it home, however, most of the other roads are rough and will require a larger truck or off-road capable vehicle to traverse.

No.

No. Taos County Planning & Zoning is fairly laid back about the use of real property within the rural areas of its county, particularly in this subdivision. This is why so many people tend to create ‘alternative’ or ‘unconventional’ housing situations out here like tiny homes, shipping container homes and yurts and why this area has become such a haven for the Earth ship community.

Yes.

According to Taos County zoning law, people are allowed to park/live/camp in their RV for up to 180 Days. And with that said, it’s questionable anyone is enforcing this timeline.

That’s the conventional wisdom, yes, but the reality is there are numerous “work-arounds” when it comes to getting permits to build. Most of the “¾ acre restrictions”, particularly in regards to septic installation, have to do with New Mexico Environmental Law. Numerous “green” alternatives, however, have been created in recent years which may make it easier or more affordable to circumvent the traditional septic system regulations. For further questions about this, we recommend you explore the NM EPA’s website here or contact their offices at (505) 827-2855.

Our understanding is that for lots under ¾ of an acre, septic options may include Advanced Treatment Units, Split Flow Systems and ET Beds. All buyers, however, are strongly encouraged to contact the NM EPA with specific questions about septic systems, septic installation, proper permitting, etc. Additionally, if your intention is to build on the land, you may want to address your questions to vendors in the local Taos County region.

Probably, but questions like this are best addressed to the Taos County Planning & Zoning office, whose number is (575) 737-6440.

Not throughout the subdivision, no, but obviously the closer you get to the highway and other homes, the closer you’ll get to power and hence, the more affordable it may be to get power extended to your property. It should be noted, however, that solar panels and other alternative forms of energy are very popular in this region as traditional sources of power may either be too impractical or prohibitively expensive to get extended and installed. Anyone looking to build in Carson Estates should anticipate relying on alternative energy sources as the primary method for powering their new home site.

Our understanding is that the water table is quite deep out here. It may not be impossible to drill a well though it may be prohibitively expensive.

Holding tanks and rainwater catchment systems are popular alternatives and are used quite a bit in this region. We’ve heard of a communal well that exists out here where residents can pay a nominal fee for a gallon of water. That being said, we can’t substantiate this and all buyers are encouraged to investigate this potential source of water on their own.

Having no first-hand experience with it ourselves, we can’t speak to this issue directly. That being said, we’ve had a number of people scout properties in this region and no one has ever reported any problems using their smart phones to locate the lots.

Yes. Please do. We encourage anyone who’s going to buy from us to view the land they’re interested in prior to purchase.

No. We’re investors, not realtors. Additionally, we have no office in New Mexico nor staff on standby waiting to give people guided tours.

It’s easy. Each listing page will have an interactive map you can study to locate both the property as well as the best route to take to access it. In addition, there are a number of mapping apps which can help with locating vacant land or land which doesn't have a formal address. MapRight is one our photographers use all the time and recommend highly. 

In addition, anyone purchasing from us will be provided with GPS coordinates for the four corner points and center of the parcel. While these are not a substitute for having the land professionally surveyed, they can provide a reasonable sense of the property's location.

No.

Not recently and not by us, no.

This entire region was platted out years ago. Stakes or pins may have been used to mark property boundaries but it’s questionable whether they still exist or can be found. While they may be there, we’re not making that guarantee to our buyers.

The GPS coordinates we give you to locate the lots are fairly accurate and should get you to a location that will give you an excellent sense of precisely what chunk of land it is that you’d be buying. For a specific sense of where the lot begins and ends, it is ultimately best to hire a local surveyor.

Three reasons:

1 - For our purposes of creating listings, we have software that tells us everything we need to know about the property’s size, shape and location.

2 - We never know if our end buyer will want or require a survey.

3 - If the survey costs us $1,000 we’re simply going to goose the price of the land $2,000. Hence, it’s ultimately cheaper for the buyer to pay for the survey themselves.

The GPS coordinates we typically provide for our listings are ones we get from software that pulls its data from county records. Because our software does not provide the same degree of insight about lots in this region it suggests that while most of Taos County is online, the necessary mapping files for this region were never computerized or digitized. That of course is just speculation. Whatever the case, the coordinates provided on our listing pages are ones gotten directly from conversations with the County GIS office.

As is to be expected, because the County GIS has other things to do with their time besides look up the approximate locations of lots in their county, they do not go out of their way to provide the same breathe and depth of information to us that we normally like to provide to our buyers. As with all the properties we sell, we encourage our buyers to get the land surveyed, particularly if they plan to construct a home or fence on the property. This is especially true of these lots, whose coordinates were gotten from a third party who does not have the same obligations for accuracy to us that we have to you. We’ve checked the coordinates off a plat map overlay on Google Earth, and have tweaked anything that seemed incorrect. Keep in mind, however, we’re eye-balling a one dimensional map on a three dimensional globe, so there’s going to be greater room for error than if these coordinates had come from our software.

Yes. That said, it’s unlikely you’ll get much from reviewing them but they are linked here - Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 11 - and in the gallery at the bottom of this page. For anything more specific than this, such as a particular Block or Lot, you’ll have to contact the County Clerk’s office directly and request a plat of that specific region. If such a plat is available, it’ll likely provide more detail than what can be found on the Unit maps.

Simply click the ‘Buy Now’ button at the top of the listing page of the property that interests you most. This is the blue/turquoise square with the price and the words ‘Buy Now’ written on it. We also have ‘Buy Now’ links in the spreadsheet. Simply find the property that interests you and then navigate over to the N and O columns of the sheet. ‘Buy Now’ buttons are also linked there.

You can try and we’re certainly willing to entertain the attempt, but most title companies in Taos County won’t insure land in this region. Because of this, it’s best to call them in advance and find out if they’ll cooperate with such an effort before discussing the purchase/potential down payment with us.

We’ve heard a number of excuses from Spanish land grant issues dating back a couple hundred years to the fact the Clerk’s office burned down in the 1930’s. In our estimation, however, it comes down to typical title company apathy and indifference (Translation: there’s not enough money in it for them).

Yes.

Quarter Acre Lots - $300 Down + $100/Month x 16 Months

Half Acre Lots - $500 Down + $100/Month x 24 Months

No Financing is offered on lots greater in size than a half an acre.

Only if you pay it off as slowly as humanly possible.

Our contracts contain only pre-payment incentives and no pre-payment penalties.

Additionally, every contract will come with a 90-Days-Same-As-Cash clause.

To see an example of one of our generic land contracts, click here.

If you pay us all the money at once, it will be deeded into your name immediately. If you elect to finance the land, we will not deed it into your name until such a time as all the payments have been made. Until that time, the land contract linked above will be the document that demonstrates your equitable interest in the property.

As soon as you give us money, it’s yours to do with as you please.

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