Housing holding pattern
With high costs and an inadequate supply of residential units in Santa Fe, area RV parks see temporary residents extend their stay
As they moved around their tightly packed Fleetwood Bounder recreational vehicle, Jeff and Candace McArthur appeared to like where they were living, at least for the time being.
They’ve made room in the 36-foot RV for two beds, a kitchenette with an oven and fridge, a couple of dogs and the neighbor’s cat, which often wanders over.
Candace McArthur said she has to continually clean the place to keep it free of animal odors.
Sometimes they step on each other’s toes and get on each other’s nerves in the small space, Jeff McArthur said.
Still, the two agreed, it’s a housing deal that can’t be beat in Santa Fe — especially as they save up money to buy a home here.
The McArthurs, who rent a space at the Piñon RV Park on Los Pinos Road, just off Interstate 25 near La Cienega, are among a growing number of people choosing to live in RV parks in the Santa Fe area, either because they can’t afford a house or apartment or because there are not enough homes to buy or apartment units to rent.
“It’s so expensive to live here that you can never get ahead,” Candace McArthur said. “The housing and rent prices here are discouraging to people with limited means.”
Quarterly data released in October by the Santa Fe Association of Realtors show the median price for a house in the city and county is about $394,000. Apartments average well over $1,000 month, according to several rental data sites.
In comparison, the McArthurs’ used RV, a 1995 model, cost the couple $7,000. They pay $500 per month for their parking space, which includes internet, utilities and water.
Denise Carro, property manager of the Piñon RV Park, said she’s seen several residents come through who are waiting to rent or buy a home.
“I have a couple in from Michigan who have come in and who are looking for a house here and cannot find one,” Carro said. “They are actually looking in Rowe now. The
housing prices are pretty pricey here.”
She recalled another couple who stayed in the park for two months before giving up on Santa Fe and buying a house in Rio Rancho.
Owners of other Santa Febased RV parks and campgrounds said they have heard similar stories.
Kathy Piva, manager of the Rancheros de Santa Fe Campground on Old Las Vegas Highway, said that in the summer months, she sees more and more people drive in with hopes of staying just a month or two while searching for permanent housing and then “extending their stays because they are either looking for homes or trying to close on homes.”
Kurt Hill, president of the Santa Fe Association of Realtors, said the real problem is that the housing supply has dropped to a 30-year-low of around 1,200 to 1,300 homes.
Recent reports also indicate there is a need for about 6,800 new apartment rental units to
meet current demand.
“We haven’t built much since the recession of 2008,” Hill said, “so it’s a challenge getting back to demand.”
While various media accounts indicate people in other cities around the nation are living permanently in RV parks as last-resort housing, there is little national data on temporary but long-term RV park residents who are hoping to one day afford another type of home.
Jeff Sims, a spokesman for the
Colorado-based National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, said his organization has never tried to collect data on why people live in RV parks.
“Recreational vehicles are not built as permanent residences,” he said.
But Sims said it makes sense that many people living in them are in a holding pattern.
“Are there occasions where people not only choose RVs as a lifestyle but out of necessity?” he asked. “I’m sure there are.”