Despite economy, home building rises

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) - The economy may be slumping, but home building permits in Rio Rancho are on the upswing.

The city is leading the region, surpassing neighboring Albuquerque, on the number of issued permits, according to Mayor Tom Swisstack.

Swisstack points to the fact that Rio Rancho is an up-and-coming, growing community that people want to live in.

“What I think is happening in Rio Rancho right now is that we're moving ourselves from adolescence to adulthood, and beginning to define how we want our city to look like,” Swisstack said.

One of the companies seeing the most permits is Pulte Homes.

Since December 2007, nearly 250 families have moved into their Loma Colorado subdivision.

Swisstack believes Rio Rancho’s potential for growth is what draws people in, especially as Hewlett Packard, CNM and UNM expand there.

That is how Pulte Homes’ sales manager feels too.

He told News 13 that despite the rough and tumble economy, people are still interested in buying.

“With the economy in the state it’s in, a lot of people feel comfortable with their purchasing decision, moving forward,” Joseph Maez said. “We've had some really outstanding months since the beginning of 2009, it's very promising.”

Maez also told News 13 they are seeing different kinds of homebuyers, first time buyers and veterans.

Rio Rancho is the third largest community in the state, with about 83,000 people living there.