Paa-Ko building ‘downsized’ homes

Posted at: 10/29/2009 10:29 AM
By: Stuart Dyson, Eyewitness News 4, and Reed Upton, KOB.com

One of New Mexico’s most luxurious resort communities has a new strategy for surviving the recession – and it’s already paying off.

The recession strategy that Paa-Ko, in the East Mountains, is pursuing is downsizing – smaller lots with smaller homes and smaller price tags.

The new houses, called casitas, are 2,000 to 3,000 square feet and sit on half acre homesites rather than the one and two acre lots that have been the rule since Paa-Ko started in 1993.

“[It’s] exciting to do something different because we’ve got larger homes and larger lots and it’s just been very exciting,” said Roger Cox, the developer of Paa-Ko.

Cox’s daughters did the interiors design on the model home and Paa-Ko provides landscape and groundskeeping maintenance.

“Maybe second home buyers, or people that travel a lot,” said Elizabeth Cox in identifying the develoment’s target market.

The casitas are designed ultra-green. They’ll be in a gated section of Paa-Ko and there are lots for 17 units, right on the fairways of the Paa-Ko Ridge golf course.

The price tag? Right around $200,000 – and that’s just for the lot. The house is extra.

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