Alegria by Del Webb in Bernalillo, NM

Alegria sits on the west side of the Rio Grande a few minutes south of downtown Bernalillo, with its entrance signed off NM 528. Anyone hunting for Alegria by Del Webb homes for sale usually learns two things fast: it's gated, and it's finished. All 376 homes were built and sold years ago, so everything that changes hands here is a resale.

Where it actually sits

The mailing address is Bernalillo, ZIP 87004, and the county is Sandoval. But the neighborhood presses right up against the north end of Rio Rancho. River's Edge is on the other side of the fence line and the bosque is a short walk east. That in-between position is the whole appeal for some buyers and the sticking point for others. You get river cottonwoods and a wide view of the Sandias across the valley without paying Corrales money. You also give up walking to anything.

Residents have their own path out to the Rio Grande bosque and the Willow Creek trailhead. Flat, sandy, shaded by old cottonwoods, roughly a two-mile loop if you want the whole thing. It gets used hard in October.

The houses

Centex broke ground in 2006. Pulte bought Centex in 2009, the Del Webb name went on the sign, and the last homes closed out around 2014 to 2015. The housing stock is unusually consistent because of that. Mid-2000s to mid-2010s construction, all of it, with nothing older mixed in and no new sections coming.

Nine floor plans, roughly 1,400 to 2,325 square feet, every one of them single story with a two-car garage. Most were built as two bedrooms plus a den or flex room. That detail trips people up more than anything else out here. If you need three genuine bedrooms for visiting family, the field narrows, and the plans that deliver it move differently than the smaller ones. Worth sorting out before you start touring.

• Single-level ranch layouts, no interior stairs

• Stucco and tile roof, Southwest Contemporary with low garden walls

• Xeriscape front yards, courtyard patios, modest back yards rather than acreage

• Lots laid out for low maintenance, not for a workshop or an RV pad

Behind the gate

The 9,000 square-foot community center is the reason most people buy here. Indoor saltwater pool, outdoor pool, whirlpool, a real fitness room with group and personal training, library, arts and crafts space, game area and a kitchen for events. Outside there are bocce courts, horseshoes, cornhole, fire pit patios, a putting green and lit walking paths. A full-time lifestyle director runs the calendar, and the club list runs long: cards, hiking, cycling, wine tastings, day trips, dinner groups.

Be honest with yourself about that. The programming is the product at Alegria. Owners who show up for it tend to love the place and stay for years. Owners who keep to themselves are paying dues for a building they walk past. Dues are tiered and cover the amenities and common-area maintenance, so ask for the current schedule rather than trusting a number you read somewhere.

Golf, food and the drive

There's no course inside the gates, which surprises people who expect golf with the Del Webb name. It's a short drive north to Santa Ana Golf Club and Twin Warriors on pueblo land, with the Hyatt Regency Tamaya and Santa Ana Star Casino in the same stretch. For everyday errands, the Walmart Supercenter at 460 NM 528 is close, and Albertsons out on Enchanted Hills Boulevard covers the Rio Rancho side. Dinner in town usually means Camino del Pueblo, where the Range Cafe has been the standby since 1992.

US 550 puts you on I-25 in a few minutes, so Santa Fe is under an hour and the Sunport runs about 35 to 40 minutes depending on traffic through the Big I. The Rail Runner is the sleeper convenience here. The Sandoval County/US 550 station and the downtown Bernalillo stop are both close enough to drive to, park, and ride into Albuquerque or Santa Fe without touching the interstate.

Who it suits

This works for buyers stepping out of a two-story house they no longer want to clean, for people who want the yard handled while they travel, and for anyone who'd rather have a pool and a clubhouse than a third garage bay. It works less well if you need four bedrooms, if you have children at home (the age restriction is real and enforced), if you expect to walk to a coffee shop, or if you like gutting a kitchen without running plans past a design committee. It's one of the few genuinely amenity-driven addresses in this part of Sandoval County, and it prices accordingly against the rest of Bernalillo.

Browse the current Alegria listings below to see what's available behind the gate, from the smaller single-level plans to the larger ones with a den. If something looks close but not quite right, get in touch and we'll watch the community for you.