​The Luna County Area

• Luna County is located in the high plains Chihuahua Desert.
• Florida Mountains, Tres Hermanas Mountains, and Cooks Range are prominent features. Large swaths of land are owned/controlled by US BLM and State of NM. Weather is mild in winter, hot in summer.
• Housing is inexpensive.
• Services are sparse, jobs limited.
• Electric power lines are mostly located along improved roads. Self-contained solar is a good option.
• Water rights on ranchette lots are only for 1 domestic well. For farming, ranching and commercial activities water rights have to be purchased separately.
• Municipal water and sewer are not available for most ranchette lots.
• Luna County allows construction on lots less than ¾ acre only if an "advanced sewage treatment system" is installed. Most roads in ranchette subdivisions are unimproved; when wet they are usually impassible.

​Local resources for sellers and buyers

-Parcel map:  names & addresses of all landowners by location of property: https://lunacountynm.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=f707154f34a640f594f4a995789b3777  
-Road and address map:   https://lunacountynm.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Solutions/s2.html?appid=da49a51bb9b045f89bd0a4f6bea322a1
-Comprehensive Plan for Luna County 2012:  https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/6661202/approved-comprehensive-plan-luna-county
-Covenants by sub-division:  http://www.lunacountynm.us/government/clerk/subdivision_covenants.php#revize_document_center_rz762
-Flood plain maps (yes, even deserts can have floods): https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home  
-Soil maps:  https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/new_mexico/lunaNM1980/Luna.pdf
 -Property values:  Luna County Assessor 575.546.0404 values established for taxation.
-Documents legally filed: Luna County Clerk and Recorder 575.546.0491 repository for all recorded documents in Luna County including deeds, mortgages, covenants, easements etc filed on a property, this is the place to file death certificates
-Real Estate Taxes by owner number: Luna County Treasurer 575.546.0401
-Building Permits: Luna County Planning 575.543.6621 Building inspections are done by building inspectors in Las Cruces, NM
-Road Maintenance: Luna County Road Department 575.546.2703
-Septic System requirements: Luna County Environmental Dept 575.546.1464; inspections are done by the Silver City office
-Well drilling permits: NM Engineer District office 575.546.2851
-Electric service: Columbus Electric 575.546.8838 or PNM 888.342.5766
-Title companies:

• Luna County Abstract & Title 575.546.2739
• Legacy Escrow LLC 575.546.0218

-Appraisers

• Ace Appraisal Service 575.544.4475
• Smith Appraisal Services 575.546.4979

-Real estate companies are listed on the web; search – “Deming NM real estate agents” 

​Interesting facts about the current market

• The Luna County tax delinquent report lists over 15,000 ranchette lots tax delinquent. About 12,500 are 3 years or more delinquent.
• According to the 2012 Luna County Comprehensive Plan, there are approximately 80,000 half acre ranchette lots.
• The County assesses all vacant ranchette lots at $600 market value for taxing purposes. Unfortunately not all are created equal. Real market value varies by amenities like electric service at the lot line, having improved road access, how deep to available groundwater and the quality of the water (some areas have high arsenic, high fluoride salts and/or micro sand). Some lots were laid out in flood zones.

​Common options for selling

• List with a local real estate agent. Most agents require a minimum fee of $500 to sell vacant land. If you have 2 lots located a distance from an unimproved road and electric service, my experience says it’s maybe worth $300 at most per lot. To list with an agent (if you can find one that will list ranchette lots) most likely will require the seller “bring money to the closing table” ie the sale price doesn’t cover all closing costs.
• Craigslist is sometimes a productive way to sell vacant land (list under the Las Cruces, NM market) Craigslist.com.
  
• Contact adjacent owners; they may be looking for additional lots. (I’ve purchased land this way).
• Donate to Luna County contact the County Manager  575.546.0494
• Go to to our Facebook group and list your property. You must be a member of LCROA to post in the group and you will need to respond to the given questions for approval to participate in the group. 

Ranchettes For Sale

Lots posted are available for anyone to purchase, you do not need to be a member to purchase a lot listed in the Facebook group. 

Compiled by: Carol Felsing, LCROA Vice President, 2.15.2019 updated 11/30/21