Opinion ID: 1166304
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Purchase of the Ranch

Text: Before moving to New Mexico, Mrs. Hughes advertised in the Santa Fe New Mexican to try to find some desirable real estate. As a result of this effort the parties heard from a prospective seller, came to Santa Fe and, on February 16, 1965, Col. Hughes signed a contract to purchase one hundred sixty acres of open land near Canada de Los Alamos in Santa Fe County (the ranch). The purchase price was $35,600.00, with $8100.00 as the down payment and the balance payable in ten equal annual installments. The undisputed evidence is that the ranch is now worth $144,000.00. Mrs. Hughes was not independently employed during the marriage of the parties. She and Col. Hughes initially brought only an insignificant amount of separate property into the relationship. For our purposes here, it can be considered that the original source of money and assets used in the purchase of the ranch was the military pay of Col. Hughes. The court found that the entire down payment on the ranch was made from money accumulated by Col. Hughes while a resident of a common-law state. One annual installment was paid from the same source of funds, but a number of the succeeding installments were paid from what the court held to be community funds. Mrs. Hughes claims that her work and efforts added a great deal of value to the property. She and the children planted 1200 trees on the land. She made payments on the property from their community funds for the six years during which Col. Hughes was absent, obtained a right-of-way for access to the property and had an A-frame shelter constructed on the premises.