Pretty in adobe pink: Eye-catching Southwestern home pops onto Las Cruces market

A Southwestern home offering vast views of New Mexico sunsets and desert hills is on the market in Las Cruces — but the scenery isn’t the only head turner.

What sets this adobe Las Cruces home apart: it’s pink.

“It’s as rare as it can come,” said Keller Williams Realty broker Michael Maynes. Pink properties aren’t built as frequently as they were in the 1990s, when the home was built, Maynes said.

Owner Linda Smiggen, a retired teacher, said she wouldn’t necessarily describe the home as pink; she says it’s a rusty New Mexico hue that’s hard to describe. 

Smiggen listed the $590,000 home in November, three decades after custom-building it with her late partner, Las Cruces homebuilder Eddie Chavez. The 2,859-square-foot dwelling is situated among desert hills in the Las Alturas neighborhood at 4445 Echo Canyon. 

The two-story home comes with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a three-car garage and a pool and hot tub. It features a Pueblo Revival style with design elements including high ceilings, exposed vigas and a kiva fireplace.

The home blends Southwestern craftsmanship with character, comfort and charm, capturing what the listing describes as “the essence of New Mexico living.”

Chavez, a Las Cruces native who died in 2011, handcrafted the home with Smiggen in 1995. Chavez was one of the first builders to bring pueblo-style homes to Las Cruces, according to Chavez’s online obituary.

He learned the craft from his grandfather and personal research, and later opened several of his own building companies. Smiggen estimates Chavez built more than 300 homes across Las Cruces.

“His homes are welcoming,” Smiggen said. “They just have a warm feel.”

Chavez approached home design in a unique way, Smiggen said. He would look for empty plots of land with good views before grabbing a big stick and drawing invisible lines in the air, envisioning what different home angles would look like on the horizon. 

“He’d look where you could get the view and get the feel of the land and then go back and start working on plans,” Smiggen said.

Daylight views aren’t all the home offers.

With no street lights or rear neighbors, the home also showcases dark starry night skies not found in the city, despite being only five minutes from New Mexico State University and the NMSU Golf Course. Bunnies, birds and quail are frequent visitors, Smiggen said. 

Smiggen ultimately decided to list the home because it needs a little more upkeep and a few more projects than she is capable of putting into it, she said.

Smiggen said she hopes someone who appreciates true Southwest living sees the home’s potential.

“It’s quiet and peaceful,” Smiggen said. “It’s a really special house.” 

 Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You reach reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.