Nouveau New Mexico

What: One-story contemporary house with master-bedroom suite and two-bedroom attached guest quarters, 3.5 baths in 5,800 square feet on just over five acres

Where: Santa Fe, N.M.

Amenities: Four fireplaces (one outside), front and back patios, views of Sangre de Cristo mountains and Tesuque Valley. Whirlpool tub with views of the mountains.

Asking Price: $3.3 million

Opening Bid*: $2.5 million

Listing Agent: Tim VanCamp, French & French Sotheby's International Realty, 505 988-8088

Due Diligence: Though Michael Heims and his wife, Betsy, had this home custom built, don't expect them to share many personal memories of it. That's because the couple never spent a night inside the home. "We decided to move to Arizona instead," says Mr. Heims, a retired wine distributor. It was designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, who has residential and commercial projects in Mexico City, Cancun and Santa Fe. (He's also a 2001 winner of the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal; past winners include Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry.) Mr. Heims says he paid about $500,000 for the land and "about the same" amount to build the house. The dining room has a built-in limestone table and large windows with views of the Sangres. The master bedroom has shuttered windows and views of the valley. An island kitchen has stainless-steel work counters. The home sits in a gated community with about 10 others and has access to tennis courts and hiking trails.

Additional Photos

*The opening bid is Weekend Journal's estimate of a reasonable starting point for negotiations to buy the property, based on past sales, prevailing market conditions and interviews with local real-estate experts.

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