When you're listing the priciest house in the state, you may need to wait a while for the right buyer: someone who will love the magnificence of your listing and have the ability to afford it.
This majestic home in New Mexico demands patience. Nestled in gently rolling hills in Santa Fe, it is listed for $13.65 million. On the market for over two years, it's waiting for the right buyer to emerge.
"You know you're in a pretty spectacular place when you're there," says listing agent Tim Van Camp. The sellers, who built the home in 2006, "brought in materials from all over the world to make this happen. The quality of the finishes and the workmanship is all spectacular."
The 13,779-square-foot home was designed to be in harmony with, rather than fight, its natural surroundings. The generous use of stone and wood outside the home, as well as the well-appointed landscaping, help it become one with its environment.
The home's 13 fireplace mantels were handcrafted by a German stonemason. There are six bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and two half-baths. Sitting on 16.6 acres on the north side of Santa Fe, the home can easily accommodate horses or a pool should a new owner want them, Van Camp notes. For overnight visitors, there's a two-bedroom guesthouse.
The home includes formal living and dining rooms, a family room with fireplace, and a kitchen with granite countertops, two ovens, and two islands. Bedrooms are situated in separate wings, so an owner is assured privacy even if guests are visiting in the main house.
Reclaimed hickory, mesquite, and walnut woods throughout the home give it a warm feeling. "It's very comfortable," says Van Camp.
With the Santa Fe market still coming back from the worst of the recession, the pool of local buyers for the most expensive house in the state is rather small, so the luxurious mansion is being marketed internationally as well.
But the area isn't traditionally a big market for international buyers, notes Van Camp, who has had the home on the market since 2014. It's the potential buyers' loss if they don't consider this house with its views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which offer a true taste of the grandeur of the American Southwest.