House of the Week: A Santa Fe Home in a Gated Golf Community
A retired couple moved to the New Mexico city from California and built a sprawling custom home in Las Campanas
By Nancy Keates
Followuly 11, 2025 3:25 pm ET
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 devastatingmudslides, 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, agated golf community about 20 minutes from the city’s central plaza. A year later, the pair moved into aental 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, andnstead opted for walls that hover a few inches off the ground. They also wanted the main living spaces tobe 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 lesshan the some $1,000 to $1,200 per square foot being charged by luxury builders today, said Tara Earleywith 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,he 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 infilm, video production and marketing, has a full studio with skylights and storage for art supplies. Thehree-car garage includes a dedicated RV bay and 50 amp EV charger.
Reason for selling?
The Robecks are planning to move with their daughter and her family to the Pacific Northwest. Until thathappens, they will most likely rent a home near Portland, Ore., or even live in their 25-foot Airstreamrailer.
They aren’t concerned about trading the sunshine of New Mexico for the rain of the Pacific Northwest. “Ipend 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, withparcels selling for $90,000 to $570,000 depending on the location. As of July 9, 2025, there are 50 activeistings 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 homesabove $3 million between June 2024 and May 2025 was $3.395 million, down 8% from a year earlier. Thenumber of homes sold for over $3 million was up 22% however, compared with a year earlier.
