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Abrazo Homes co-owner and born-and-raised New Mexican Mackenzie Bishop is among the Land of Enchantment鈥檚 loudest advocates. Yet, he says he often finds himself at odds with the state he鈥檚 trying to help grow.

鈥淭his is home; I鈥檝e grown up here. I鈥檝e lived in some other places and traveled a lot 鈥� there鈥檚 still nothing like New Mexico. But we do have challenges,鈥� Bishops said, citing the state鈥檚 lack of population growth, heavy taxation, rising home prices and affordability challenges, and bureaucratic hurdles working with local governments.

Bishop鈥檚 frustrations with the hurdles he鈥檚 encountered building homes in New Mexico for 20 years spilled onto social media earlier this month, when Bishop wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that launching operations in Texas was a 鈥渘ear weekly temptation.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 probably inevitable for anyone growth oriented,鈥� Bishop wrote in one of the comments.

In another comment, Bishop clarified that Abrazo, founded in 2010, will continue doing business in New Mexico and that any Texas move would simply mean adding a new market to Abrazo鈥檚 portfolio 鈥� not a complete relocation.

鈥淲e鈥檙e married to this place and its success, but sometimes it鈥檇 be nice to not be wholly dependent on it,鈥� Bishop wrote.

In an interview with the Journal, he added, 鈥淚鈥檓 still at a relatively early stage in my career and with our company, and so when I think about the long-term viability of what I do and what we do for my family鈥檚 well-being, for my employees and their well-being, it makes you really think.鈥�

Some of the draws of doing business in Texas, Bishop said, include major population growth, swift permitting activity, a booming job market and the lack of state income tax. The state does have downfalls, including high property taxes, but Bishop said he thinks the tradeoffs may be worth it.

鈥淲hen somebody wants to do something down there 鈥� the cities and towns there are saying, 鈥楬ow can we help? What can we pay for?鈥� Whereas, here, it鈥檚 the total opposite. It鈥檚, 鈥榃e鈥檙e poor, we can鈥檛 afford it. You need to pay your fair share,鈥欌�� Bishop said.

While Texas鈥� population is roughly 15 times the size of New Mexico鈥檚, the Lone Star State is permitting housing at nearly two times the rate of the Land of Enchantment.

In April, Texas saw local governments approve a total of 16,572 private, new housing units for construction, according to U.S. Census Bureau data compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. That same month, New Mexico had 583 units approved.

Moreover, Lubbock County 鈥� one of several regions Bishop said is outpacing Bernalillo County in permitting activity despite a smaller population of 328,906 people last year 鈥� saw 2,858 housing units approved in 2025, while Bernalillo County, with a population of 667,601 people last year, approved 1,560, data shows.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just an absolute anti-growth philosophy that prevails in a lot of the state,鈥� Bishop said. 鈥淯ntil we shift that mindset and see housing and employment growth as crucial for the vitality and long-term well-being of our state, we鈥檙e going to continue to kind of wither away. Right now, we鈥檙e just atrophying, and that鈥檚 a really dangerous place to get to.鈥�

Bishop said he knows several other New Mexico builders who are also contemplating doing business elsewhere, as well as many who have acted.

New Mexico builder Hakes Brothers, based in Las Cruces, is reportedly among those weighing the move of its headquarters. A Hakes Brothers spokesperson declined to comment.

For Abrazo, Bishop said nothing has been determined yet, but he is doing research, exploring new markets and having ongoing conversations with partners in Texas, Utah and Arizona. If an out-of-state growth opportunity arises, Bishop said the expansion would be a multiyear effort.

For years, it was Bishop鈥檚 and co-owner Brian McCarthy鈥檚 young families and strong local roots that kept them from seriously considering expansion.

The local roots are still strong, Bishop said 鈥� but now, the ongoing challenges within New Mexico鈥檚 economic and building environment, as well as what an expansion could mean for the future of the company and the families it supports, are heavy on the owners鈥� minds.

鈥淚 still believe in New Mexico, and we鈥檙e going to continue to be part of the solution and move things forward,鈥� Bishop said. 鈥淏ut just from a tactical, business standpoint, we have to wear a different hat and try to figure out how we can ensure the long-term solvency of our business.鈥�

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.