Marilyn Proctor moved to Santa Fe almost 40 years ago and went into the real-estate business, working with such old-timers as retail salesperson Frances Floersheim and later, developer Ralph Brutsche.

Floersheim owned Roadrunner agency and was the first female real-estate broker in Santa Fe, Proctor said. "After I started my family (of three girls), I couldn't do sales, so I started in doing vacation rentals a little bit."

Proctor and her husband, Daryl, later went out on their own and established Proctor Property Management. She subsequently joined with The Management Group. Most recently, Proctor was with Kokopell Property Management.

Since the beginning of October, "after playing with the big boys," as she said in a letter, Proctor has again gone on her own and re-established Proctor Property Management.

"I hope to have about 20 houses by the end of the month and already have a website," she said. "My goal is to have ... an inventory of maybe 50-60 properties. I just love the rental business."

Proctor has clients who have been coming to stay in her properties since the 1980s, many of whom appreciate her efforts to explain Santa Fe's sights and sounds and cultural affairs. "I feel I'm selling the whole city, not just a vacation rental," she said. "I feel like an ambassador for Santa Fe."

Proctor's rentals range in price from $150 to $1,500 per night, including a "great house" on Circle Drive popular with such Hollywood stars as Billy Crystal, Carol Burnett, Kevin Costner, Meg Ryan and others, Proctor said.

"We've had a lot of high-profile people over the years," she said, adding that guests come from all over the world, including Canada, Europe and elsewhere. Many families from Mexico visit during the winter to ski, she said.

Some things haven't changed with Santa Fe's short-term vacation rental business over the years, but one definitely has, and that's Santa Fe's regulation of the business.

"Owners no longer have carte blanche to rent their properties," Proctor said. "The most they rent it now is 17 times per year, and there are no three- and four-day bookings. They can only have one booking for every seven nights."

As a result, "you have to be cognizant of how you're booking the house so as to maximize the income for the owner and not lose any income," she said. "Of course, you make the most money during the high-season months. We don't like to book short stays during the peak times."

As for hard times that have reduced people's ability and willingness to spend money on travel, Proctor said she hasn't had many cancellations.

"I find the true lovers of Santa Fe are coming anyway," Proctor said. "Many have family traditions to celebrate Christmas here or to see the opera."

And most know of travel magazines' high regard for Santa Fe, including Condé Nast Traveler's 1992 ranking of the city as the world's top tourist destination.

Proctor, who is originally from New York and worked on Wall Street, found out about Santa Fe in an article that she read in a Staten Island newspaper as she was taking the ferry.

"I remember getting off the ferry and thinking that I would like to move to Santa Fe," she said. "I did that the following year. It was the best thing I ever did."

More information about Proctor's rental homes is available at www.adobedestinations.com.

Contact Bob Quick at 986-3011 or at bobquick@sfnewmexican.com.