Enjoy gondola access to the ski resort

Many people visit our beautiful Colorado mountain town for the holidays, and we would like to welcome you to Steamboat Springs. We hope you are enjoying your stay here, and we wish you happy holidays, good eating, good skiing and wonderful memories. 

If you have thought about making Steamboat Springs your permanent home, or if you would like a vacation home here for making many more wonderful memories in the future, we have an ideal opportunity for you:

Homestead at Wildhorse Meadows

These new condos at the base of Steamboat Springs Ski Resort offer a comfortable and beautiful retreat with access to all that Steamboat has to offer. Features include: 

• Direct gondola access to the ski resort
• On-site fitness center, pool, hot tub, game room and more
• Shuttle service
• "Mountain modern" design with open floor plans
• Gourmet kitchens with granite counters
• Private garages
• Three or four bedrooms
• Energy efficient
• Stunning views with windows and balconies to enjoy them

We are scheduling tours now for this incredible property. If you would like to view these condos while you are visiting Steamboat during the holidays, please contact us using the form below. We can help you own a piece of Steamboat and the Colorado mountain lifestyle of your dreams. 

Is 2015 shaping up to be our best year since 2008?

October was a continuation of our positive trend in the real estate market.  We had $94.6M in gross sales which is 26% over last October and the single biggest gross sales volume month we've had since 2008!  The high dollar volume was due in large part to a $23M ranch sale.  However, even without that sale, the numbers are still good.  We had a total of 129 transactions, down slightly from last October.  Our YTD. gross sales volume is up +7.5% and transactions are at +3.09% YTD.

 OCTOBER ROUTT COUNTY STATS

There are some benefits to listing in December

So, why list your home during the holidays? It's true that there are fewer buyers beating the bushes to during December and early January, but there can be some strong benefits to selling this time of year.

Here in Steamboat Springs, our busiest week of the year for tourism is between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so now is actually a great time to get some visibility for your property. The biggest reason home sales drop in this area during the holidays is not lack of buyers – it’s because many sellers decide to take their listing off the market. Some sellers don’t want to be bothered with showings during the holiday season, and that’s understandable, but they could be missing out on a golden opportunity to sell to the thousands of tourists who could be looking for the perfect mountain home.

Now, if your home is in a rural area with winding streets that don’t get plowed often, it might make sense to take your property off the market for a month or two. Otherwise, don’t underestimate the power of year-end buyers.

Here are some reason why:

• Year-end buyers may have a tax incentive to purchase before the end of the year
• Many executives get their annual bonuses in December
• If they are shopping for real estate during the holidays, you can bet they are in a good mood
• Holiday buyers generally want to make their families happy, and real estate brings people together
• If buyers are taking time out of their busy holiday schedule to look at real estate, they are probably more serious than the average house hunter

Make sure your real estate agent knows of any days that you will be entertaining company He or she can can plan showings around your guests. It's perfectly fine to say no to showings for a couple of days. If the buyer is serious, they will be understanding. A little communication goes a long way. 

If you are considering listing your property in Steamboat Springs, or if you are searching for a perfect Colorado mountain home, contact us. We will put our nearly 30 years of real estate experience to work for you. 

Keep it simple, but festive and welcoming

If your home is the market, I give you permission to simplify your holiday decorating. Buyers want to see your house, not your decorations, but they also want to see that you’re enjoying the season. Finding that balance can be a bit tricky, but here are a few tips:

First impressions

• Make sure the driveway and walks are shoveled and de-iced.
• With shorter daylight hours, be sure that outside lights are working for safety purposes.
• Set out a welcome mat for friendly, welcoming interest, but also to grab the snow, mud and dirt from winter boots.

Interior touches

• Make sure your house is properly heated. A warm house is a welcoming house.
• Turn on the fireplace for ambiance (safety tip: ask the showing agent to turn it off, or plan to return home immediately after the showing).
• Make sure you have an entry rug for snowy boots. Prop up a nice, framed note that says, "Kindly Remove Shoes and Boots."
• We usually suggest turning off any music for showings. Music that doesn’t fit buyers’ taste can detract from their overall impression of your home.

Holiday decorating

• Keep religious decorations to a minimum to allow prospective buyers to imagine continuing their own traditions in your home.
• Be sure your holiday decorations match well with your home’s overall look and feel.
• Resist humorous or silly decorations that might be off-putting to buyers (like that Santa Claus toilet seat cover or the Star Wars menorah you won in last year’s white elephant exchange)
• Tastefully trim the tree. Skip the joke ornaments or pink flamingo lights and opt for simple, solid colors.

Finally, while cookies won’t sell your house, they are a nice touch. Leave out a plate with a note that reads, “Thanks for taking the time to look at our home. Have a wonderful holiday season!" 

If you are looking for an experienced real estate agent to buy or sell a home in the Steamboat Springs area, contact us. 

Overthinking house-hunting can lead to unnecessary stress

Buying a home is a major life event, so it’s natural for some stress to accompany the process. However, there are some simple ways to minimize the stress and anxiety – and perhaps even enjoy the house-hunt along the way.

When you set out to buy a home, remember:

There is no perfect time to buy. Many people feel high levels of stress when trying to second-guess the market, interest rates, home prices and more. The best time to buy is when it’s the right time for you. Trust your real estate agent to walk you through the details of the current market.

There is no perfect house. You can search for years and never find a 100 percent perfect house. Use your dream home checklist as a guide, but don’t be so attached to it that you miss out on a great home. Keep an open mind, and you will be surprised at what incredible options are available to you.

Trust your instinct. As you start looking for a home, you will likely ask friends and family for their opinions on neighborhoods, home features or the home-buying process. It is just fine to ask for that input, but remember that you are the one who is going to live in this home. What works for your friends or family might not work for you. Trust your own gut when it comes to making a final decision.

Think lifestyle first, then investment. When buying a home that will be your primary residence, make sure you’re buying because you love the house, the neighborhood and the amenities that go with it. Yes, you want your home to be a good investment, but it also needs to be the right fit for your lifestyle.

Give yourself permission to stress out. Then breathe. You will have moments of high stress during the house-hunting and home-buying process. Most people do, and it’s ok. The key is to understand that this stress is part of the process. Waiting for a response on an offer, lender issues, signing the paperwork at closing and several other moments are common times for homebuyers to experience stress. Again, trust your real estate agent to walk you through each of those key moments and always remember to breathe.

We work to make the home-buying process as simple and as stress-free as possible for our clients. If you are looking for your first home or your next home in Steamboat Springs, contact us. 

Fun things to do – on the slopes and off

Steamboat Springs Ski Resort opens this weekend (a bit early, thanks to some fantastic snowfall). We are all looking forward to hitting the slopes, but that is not all Steamboat has to offer in the colder months. There are so many opportunities to enjoy the area’s stunning landscapes and get a good dose of fresh mountain air.

Check out these other fun activities around the area:

• Rent a snow bike. A booming craze, locals and visitors alike are renting snowbikes to explore mountain terrain. Book your rental and lesson through Steamboat Skibikes or Steamboat resort.
  
  
• Skin up the mountain. No, that’s not a typo. Also known as uphill skiing, skinning up the mountain involves adding removable “skins” to tele-skis and climbing up the mountain. The reward for the hour-long trek is the long ski down afterward. Check the resort’s website for its uphill access policy.
  
  
• Rabbit Ears Pass. Grab the kids and the dog for a day in the snow and sun on Rabbit Ears Pass. The trail is suitable for snowshoes or cross-country skis and offers gorgeous views of Yampa Valley and the Flat Tops.
  
  
• Cut your own Christmas tree. The National Forest Service offers Christmas tree permits each year on a first-come, first-served basis. Check with the office for current availability.

We love our beautiful Colorado mountain town all times of the year. No matter the season, there is always something wonderful to see and something fun to do here. We invite you to spend some time exploring the way the Steamboat locals do.

If you are looking for a new home or vacation home in Steamboat Springs, contact us. We would be happy to show you around our town and introduce you to the range of properties available. 

How to decide if upsizing is the next step for you

Your lifestyle and current family needs have a huge impact on the size of home you need (or want). While tiny homes seem to be one hot new trend, and while many people have chosen to downsize, choosing a home with a little more elbow room makes more sense for some buyers.

Before you take the plunge and buy a bigger home, think about these factors:

• Income. Has your income grown enough in the past several years to enable you to afford a bigger home and possibly bigger mortgage? Keep in mind that a larger home often costs more in terms of utilities and maintenance, so factor those costs into your decision.
• Location. Can you afford a larger home in your target neighborhood or a neighborhood that still meets all your lifestyle needs (school district, amenities, entertainment, transportation, etc.)?
• Current market value. In order to upsize, you will want to maximize the sales price for your current home. Talk to a realtor about what kind of asking price you can expect if you do list your home for sale
• Equity. If you have been in your current home for several years, you might have a substantial amount of equity. That can help offset the cost of buying your next, bigger home.
• Staying put. In some cases, staying in your current home might be an option. Perhaps you can add on or remodel to better suit your needs, but think about if you want to take on the cost, and investment of time and energy, of major renovations.

To talk through your home selling and buying options, contact us at our Steamboat Springs real estate office. We will put our decades of experience to work for you. 

These welcoming touches help ensure a successful open house

An open house is one way to attract a large number of potential buyers at one time. Take the time to make sure each visitor feels warmed and welcome the minute he or she walks through the door. The more at home they feel, the more likely they will be to want to make an offer.

Try these welcoming open house ideas:

• Create more space. Remove some items of furniture to increase the sense of spaciousness. Especially during a crowded open house, you don’t want potential buyers to leave with the impression that your home is cramped.
• Bake bread or cookies. Pleasant aromas enhance the homey feeling you want people to have while viewing your listing.
• Light a fire. Especially during the colder months, a fire in the fireplace invites people to settle in. It also highlights a sought-after feature: Many mountain homebuyers want a working fireplace.
• Clear the counters. In both the kitchen and bathrooms, remove any items from countertops that make them feel cluttered. Leave a basket of fruit or soft towels for a decorative touch, but remember that less is more.
• Store personal items. Take down family photos so that people can imagine their own family living there; not yours. In addition, lock away valuables like jewelry and computers.
• Set the stage. A beautifully set dining table helps people imagine their family dinners there. Fresh towels or shower curtains in the bathroom help your home to feel cleaner and neater, and flower arrangements in the main areas will help brighten those rooms.
• Let in the light. Open blinds and turn on lights throughout the home for a cheery, light feeling during the open house.

If you are thinking about selling your home in the Steamboat Springs area, contact us. We will put our nearly 30 years of experience to work for you.

Why home ownership makes sense

You have probably seen the headlines recently that more people are choosing to rent than buy, but if you qualify and can afford a home, there are many reasons why ownership makes a lot of sense.

Here are just a few reasons to buy vs. rent:

• Stable costs. Unlike rent, most mortgage payments stay the same over the years. While a landlord can raise your rent each year, or more, a mortgage allows you the predictability of a fixed payment. (Be sure to talk to your realtor and lender about selecting the right mortgage for you.)
• Equity. While rent money is a sunk cost that benefits the landlord, each mortgage payment you make on your own home allows you to build equity in it.
•  Freedom and lifestyle. When you own your home, you have much more freedom to decorate, renovate and customize your home to suit your lifestyle. While you might need to seek HOA approval on some projects, you will have much more flexibility in a home you own than in a rented one.
• Potential appreciation. As you build equity and invest in upgrades to your home, you reap the benefits of both as you live there and enjoy the home. In addition, you have the potential for making money on your investment should you decide to sell at some point. Appreciation is not guaranteed, but it is a good possibility for many homes.
•  Community. Owning a home means you are more rooted in your community. Homeowners tend to settle in, get to know neighbors well and establish connections that can last for years. Rental communities tend to be more transient, and it can be more difficult to maintain that sense of community.

To learn more about owning a home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, contact us today. We would love to help you find your perfect home in our treasured community.