By Nancy Keates

Stephen Robeck and his wife, Susan Robeck, were living in Santa Barbara, Calif., when they decided they needed a change. Their house had been robbed twice and the area had suffered devastating mudslides, killing 23 people.

"We were ready to try something new," said Susan, 73.

During a trip to Santa Fe in 2018, the Robecks bought two lots for a combined $715,000 in Las Campanas, a gated golf community about 20 minutes outside of the city's central plaza. They were drawn to the community's privacy and amenities. A year later, the pair moved into a Santa Fe rental and hired local architect Lorn Tryk to build their new contemporary home.

The couple say they were very hands-on when it came to the design, and were influenced by the minimalism of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. They didn't want baseboards or crown moldings, and instead opted for walls that hover a few inches off the ground. They also wanted the main living spaces to be open to each other, but also separate -- something they achieved using countertops and walls that don't reach the ceiling, visually breaking up the space.

Building the house

The cost to build their house in 2019 and early 2020 was around $600 per square foot -- significantly less than the some $1,000 to $1,200 per square foot being charged by luxury builders today, said Tara Earley with Sotheby's International Realty, who has the listing with Ricky Allen of Sotheby's International Realty.

"When you buy something already built you might sacrifice something and not get exactly what you want, but the value is so much better," says Allen.

Can't-miss features

The house is designed to maximize privacy. The main bedroom and the couple's workspaces are at one end, the living spaces are in the middle and the two-bedroom, two-bathroom guest suite is at the other end.

There are 17-foot-tall ceilings in the dining area. Stephen, a photographer who is retired from a career in film, video production and marketing, has a full studio with skylights and storage for art supplies. The three-car garage includes a dedicated RV bay and 50 amp EV charger.

Stephen is especially proud of the home's audio and speaker system, designed by Scottish based company Linn. There are five separate zones controlled by one smartphone app.

Reason for selling?

The Robecks are planning to move with their daughter and her family to the Pacific Northwest, where they want to build a family compound with two homes. Until that happens, they will most likely rent a home near Portland, Ore., or even live in their 25-foot Airstream trailer.

They aren't concerned about trading the sunshine of New Mexico for the rain of the Pacific Northwest, they say. "I spend most of my days in the studio so I wouldn't care if it was raining," says Stephen.

Market snapshot

Las Campanas has over 1,000 homes and spans roughly 4,900 acres. There is still land available, with parcels selling for $90,000 to $570,000 depending on the location. As of July 9, 2025, there are 50 active listings priced from $925,000 to $5,950,000.

Prices in the overall Santa Fe high-end market have started to soften. The median sales price for homes above $3 million between June 2024 and May 2025 was $3.395 million, down 8% from a year earlier. The number of homes sold for over $3 million was up 22% however, compared with a year earlier.

Write to Nancy Keates at Nancy.Keates@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 11, 2025 15:25 ET (19:25 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.