LOCATION & SIZE

Highland Estates is a small but developed rural residential subdivision located within the unincorporated community of Tres Piedras. It is situated just south of where US Highway 64 meets Route 285 and within thirty minutes of the vibrant community of Taos. In addition, it is located within close proximity of the Taos Ski Valley and some of the best skiing in America.

The Highland Estates subdivision consists entirely of quarter acre parcels and the region is divided evenly by the 285 which separates Highland Estates East from Highland Estates West. It should be noted that this subdivision straddles two counties with some of the western lots falling under Rio Arriba County jurisdiction. Whenever this distinction applies, we will make note of it on the individual listing page.

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 Access: All parcels within the Highland Estates subdivision have legal access, as roads and easements were allowed for in the original plats of the area. Additionally, because so much of the subdivision has been developed, many roads here are well-maintained and can be navigated by any vehicle type. It should be noted, however, that the quality and condition of those roads varies greatly from regularly trafficked dirt roads to gravel to paved and anyone seeking insights into the accessibility of a specific parcel should review the details on that property’s individual listing page.

Power & Utilities: Unlike many of the rural subdivisions we list in – in this region, Highland Estates actually has residential power lines snaking throughout most of the roads in the community, meaning most parcels are never further than a thousand feet from the nearest power line with some being even closer. That includes the subject property which is located 500 feet from a developed home site being serviced by residential power.

Power & Utilities, Cont’d: Power in this region is provided by the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative. Anyone looking to investigate the cost of getting service extended to or connected on a property is encouraged to contact them.

Water Service: The Tres Piedras Water Association is a local water utility with a very small service area, but one which includes the Highland Estates subdivision. Because of this, those wanting to develop land in this region may be able to do so without the costly expense of drilling and installing a well. To learn more about the Tres Piedras Water Association or getting water service to a property in Highland Estates, you can visit their website here.

Septic Installation: All of the parcels in this subdivision are under the ¾ acreage requirement set forth by the New Mexico Environmental Department for traditional septic installation. While this standard may not apply to a property or a subdivision which has its own water system, anyone developing the land will need to consult the NM EPA about proper septic systems or appropriate work-arounds. It should be noted, however, that many of the developed properties in this region are under the ¾ acre threshold, suggesting that whatever is required will not be difficult or prohibitively expensive.

ZONING & RESTRICTIONS

Zoning: While most of the properties in this subdivision fall under Taos County jurisdiction, some are located in Rio Arriba County. Substantively there is not much difference in the zoning between the two as each identifies this region as 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.

Anyone purchasing land to build should check with the County zoning office to learn what permits are required on land smaller than ¾ of an acre.

No HOA: Highland Estates has no HOA and there are no dues associated with land ownership here.

Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions: Calls to Taos and Rio Arriba Counties ended with both saying there are no recorded covenants on file for Highland Estates. The Management of Hemingway Land, however, feels compelled to at least point out that such a thing defies our experience buying in developed residential regions such as these, however rural they may be. Subdivisions are usually created with some rules outlining acceptable structures, behaviors or both. While we would similarly assume that those rules are both minor and reasonable, we cannot confirm any exist.

Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions, Cont’d: Continuing on this point, our photographer sent back images of a sign posted at the entrance to Highland Estates West which stipulates no Trailer Homes, No Campers or RVs and No Camping. In all likelihood this means that these things can’t be done or used permanently. In most all residential subdivisions, exceptions are always made for things like these, if even only for narrow windows of time such as one month or “with a building permit.” In addition, there’s enough evidence to suggest that many residents don’t abide by these “rules” anyway.

TITLE INFO

Conveyance Document: This property will be conveyed one of two ways depending on how the buyer elects to fund and close the transaction. For anyone electing to pay our Company directly and outside of escrow, Hemingway Land will provide a Special Warranty Deed. For anyone electing to close through title and escrow and purchase title insurance, Hemingway Land will provide a Warranty Deed.

MISCELLANEOUS

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. 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 Highland 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.

The Little Goat House: Highland Estates is home to the Little Goat House which hosts Goat Hikes and Camping Sites throughout Tres Piedras and is home to a goat named David Lynch.

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)

Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (575) 758-2258 (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)

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)