Video Blog: Real Estate is Local and Steamboat Springs is Improving Being a Realtor here in Steamboat Springs, I read and keep a sharp eye on national and local real estate trends. Just this morning, I noticed that real estate values are booming in Southern California and Silicon Valley. Sure Case Shiller show real estate values dropping within most cities, but that doesn't mean all homes are going down. Prices are up 14% in Beverly Hills. If jobs are great in an area, or it's a desirable place to live, or you have fresh power to ski, real estate values can and will recover sooner than other markets. So I thought I'd do a little video blog about how and why it's important to know that real estate is local and what that means to buyers and sellers of Steamboat Springs Real Estate.   02/09/2012

Steamboat Springs’ Winter Carnival - Traditional, Fun & Unique Steamboat Springs’ 99th annual Winter Carnival will be held February 8th – 12th in Steamboat Springs, CO.  The 5-day schedule includes a variety of alpine, Nordic, freestyle and snow boarding events as well as downtown Steamboat street events and activities.  Two unique attractions set Steamboat Springs’ Winter Carnival apart: the High School Marching Band on Skis and The Lighted Man skiing down Howelsen Hill. Lighted Man The Steamboat Springs Marching Band will be marching down Lincoln Avenue on skis during the Winter Carnival Parade like they have for the past 77 years. The Steamboat Springs High School Band was the first band to ever march on skis and they’ve been upholding their Winter Carnival tradition since 1935. Stea... 02/06/2012

Colorado Mountain Resort Real Estate Trends as Dubious as The Snowfall Steamboat Springs’ real estate market did not earn great marks in the recent Colorado Mountain Resort Real Estate Trends released by Land Title Guarantee Co. As compared to 5 other Colorado ski resort counties, Routt County, home to Steamboat Springs, is the only county that decreased 6% or more on 5 key benchmarks* in 2011 as compared to 2010: Gross Sales Volume: -12.01% (Eagle & Grand Counties were down >6% as well) Number of Transactions*: -23.06% (All other counties were flat to up) Single Family Average Home Prices: -22.73% (Eagle & Garfield Counties were down >6% as well) Multi Family Average Home Prices: -33.52% (Eagle, Garfield & Summit Counties were down >6% as well) New Development: -52.51% (Eagle, Garfield... 01/30/2012

WE HAVE SNOW!...and now on to the weekly real estate report..... It's a very rare occurance to find fractional and timeshare dollar volume outpacing the whole ownership market. But that's exactly what occured in Steamboat Springs and the surrounding area for this weekly report.  Pending sales dipped to a low in the 60's, now up to 83 as of this morning.  As you can see, there is quite a bit of activity in the new year. Enjoy the transaction report brought to you weekly by the Steamboat Pilot and Today, and copied to my blog with my thoughts and commentary. Anne Mayberry         970.846.1425 Steamboat Springs — ■ 2545 Cattle Kate Circle Seller: First Tracks at Wildhorse Meadows LLC Buyer: Christina and Robert Fitzpatrick Sale date: Jan. 20, 2012 Sale price: $99,000 Property description: ... 01/28/2012

Steamboat Springs Mountain Area Homes For Under $500K There’s no better address in Steamboat Springs than the “Mountain Area.” It’s where everyone wants to be in the winter and with base area redevelopment plans well underway, summer mountain activities might soon rival the world class skiing Steamboat Springs is best known for. You would think being a next door neighbor to a world class ski resort might be cost prohibitive, but surprisingly there are some great single family home deals available. Presently there are 5 single family homes for sale under $500,000 in Steamboat Springs’ Mountain Area neighborhood. The average price of the 5 homes is $428,880 and the average price per square foot is $274.38. Steamboat Mountain Area Steamboat’s Mountain Area neighborhood is in demand for mor... 01/25/2012

You Can Have a Home in Downtown Steamboat For Under $500K Downtown Steamboat Springs offers the best of both worlds as the center of community activity, and only minutes away from world class skiing at the Steamboat ski mountain. Howelsen Hill, Colorado’s first established ski area, is within walking distance, as are retail stores, restaurants, pubs, tennis courts, ice skating rink and a state-of-the-art public library. The Yampa River borders the edge of Downtown Steamboat and provides world class fly fishing along with tubing in the summer months. With urban living at your beck and call, you might not think affordable single family homes would be available, but they most certainly are. Presently there are 8 single family homes for sale under $500,000 in Steamboat Springs’ Downtown, or... 01/25/2012

Steamboat Springs Fish Creek Falls  Homes for Under $500K The Fish Creek Falls neighborhood in Steamboat Springs is the perfect family neighborhood - affordable and convenient with good sized back yards. Situated between the Steamboat Springs ski mountain and downtown Steamboat Springs, the Fish Creek Falls neighborhood is close to everything including schools. Biking/hiking trails wind through the Fish Creek Falls area and can take you just about everywhere in Steamboat Springs as long as you aren’t toting skis to the ski mountain or groceries from Safeway. Right now there are 6 single family homes for sale under $500,000 in Steamboat’s Fish Creek Falls neighborhood. The average price of the 6 homes is $437,083 and the average price per square foot is $255.53. Fish Creek Falls In Sprin... 01/25/2012

This Ain't Aspen - New Taco Stand in Steamboat Springs - Taco Del Barco Taco Del Barco in Steamboat Springs Steamboat Springs now has a taco stand. I'm talking a taco stand not a Mexican restaurant.  I'm talking about a place you can walk up to, smell the sautéed meat cooking on the griddle, hear Mexican music, order up a couple Carne Asada tacos, slap down a $5, lime-up and feast on some flavors authentic to Mexico. Now Steamboat Springs, you can do that . . . almost.   My hopes were high as I walked up to the new Steamboat Springs taco stand on Monday at 12:26  fittingly named Taco Del Barco (The ’Boat’s Tacos, in Spanish). Almost everything I had envisioned rang true. Almost. Overall, the flavors of my Carne Asada was very good. The steak was tender and very juicy. The onions, pepper... 01/23/2012

The snowfall was lacking in Steamboat Springs at the end of 2011, but the Steamboat Springs real estate market, while not booming, was finishing up the year on an overall positive note. In hindsight, the real estate market in Steamboat Springs is still trying to achieve sure footing on what has been a slippery slope throughout 2011, but there are some positive signs where a year ago we were not seeing much to be optimistic about. While some price points are doing well, others are struggling, and bank owned sales are driving actual dollar volumes down overall. So what does it all mean? While there are signs of reasons to be optimistic, there are some critical factors involved that will keep the market on its proverbial toes: the number of foreclosures poised to hit the market that haven’... 01/23/2012

Heating Cost & Buying a Home -  $300k W/Gas vs. $282k W/Oil vs. $277k W/ Propane.  Buying real estate is more about what you can afford or buying a month payment than the price of the home. With interest rates at all-time lows and real estate becoming more affordable, we can buy more of a home today than 4 years ago.  But home ownership is so much more than being able to pay the mortgage amount every month. And the cost of heating your home today must not be overlooked.  A New York Times article highlighted the rising cost of heating oil for homes. It's estimated that the cost to heat a home with heating oil this year will be $2,383. Heating with propane is $2,723. The same home heated with natural gas would be $951 for the year.  Cost per month of heating a home: •  Propane = $226 per ... 01/22/2012

Just west of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, minutes from the World Class Ski Area of Steamboat Springs, Quicksilver Resources confirmed their first horizontal well on Wolf Mountain in Routt County has demonstrated it is capable of producing 500 barrels of oil per day according to the Steamboat Today. Unlike the vertical wells drilled in the past going straight down, these horizontal wells actually drill under or near local homes in and around Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  And considering most people who own real estate in Steamboat Springs do not own the mineral rights, these home owners will not benefit from these oil wells. In fact, these well might impact the value of their real estate. It's been stated that there will be on-going testing of well-water in the areas adjacent to the hori... 01/19/2012

Home Ownership Drops Significantly for People 25-39 Years of Age and First-Time Buyers Home ownership is down and the hardest hit are the young and first-time buyers. In Steamboat Springs, Colorado we've seen two back-to-back years with over 300 foreclosures in Routt county. In 2011, 23% of the total transactions in Steamboat were bank owned or foreclosed properties. Yet people are buying these foreclosures, but home ownership drops significantly for first time buyers and those under 40. Upon a closer look, not all age groups had similar experiences throughout this cycle. Those under 25 and over 65 were mildly impacted. Largest hit were people in their 30’s which make up many first-time buyers. That group now has home ownership below the home ownership numbers of 2000, well below the he... 01/17/2012

Steamboat Springs New Restaurant: Laundry is Now Open Coming from Seattle, Steamboat lacks a little in the metro-life. We have more farming and feed stores than coffee shops. More place selling cowboy hats than sushi restaurants. So when a new restaurants opens in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, hopes are high it's not another bland experience.  Steamboat's newest restaurant is now open and it's awesome. Laundry, Steamboat Springs' freshest hip-spot is a breath of fresh air for Steamboat. Like I said the other night while at Laundry eating some fantastic food and bathing in the atmosphere, we no longer have to drive to Boulder for such an experience. As written by  OpenTable, "Laundry is the latest endeavor from creative chef/entrepreneur Rex Brice. Located in the historic Soda Creek build... 01/11/2012

It may not be a great snow year in Steamboat but sometimes that is a chance to appreciate a place for more that it's marquee attraction.  The snow is better than most of the state but not quite what we are used to after several epic years that have made our powder dreams a reality.     We along with quite a few other locals have been mountain biking up Emerald Mountain this winter not just on the roads which is often possible but on some of our best single track.  If you wonder how we are on our normal mountain bikes with just a bit of air taken out of the tires.  The snow have been friendly with a great tacky quality to it and we have had a blast.     The ride up is great practice since you do need to stay on the narrow trail, the exercise feels good and the downhills on MGM, Mollys, L... 01/09/2012

Investing Smart in Steamboat Springs Vacation Condos - Smart Money Investing Smart in Steamboat Springs Vacation Condos. How to Buy Smart in Steamboat Springs, Colorado Condo.  Before you buy that awesome condo as a ski vacation get-away that you’re banking on to pay for itself via rental income, think again. It’s a complicated question and if not done correctly, will cost you dearly. If you want to invest in a Steamboat Springs condo or townhome, you have to decide what's important to you. Prioritize things like: Your comforts and accommodation while you stay in your residence Actual income you can gain from renting the unit Cost of ownership: (mortgage, taxes, Home owner dues, property management Of course you want to be happy with your investment and you want to happy while you stay ... 01/08/2012

Many say that people are not buying large homes these days; that mansion homes sales are waning. This is true and we are seeing far less new homes being built that are over 8,000 square feet. People are leaning towards smaller residences that are more manageable, more affordable, and make more sense.  But in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, it just so happens that one of the most desirable new ski-in/ski-out condos available, all of the larger 4 and 5 bedroom residences have all sold-out and 75% of the three plus condos are sold as well. And all that remain are the smaller 2 and 3 bedroom ski condos. Edgemont, on the edge of the Steamboat ski slopes is selling well. What does this mean? Well, it means that you can't always generalize in real estate predictions. And if you want to buy a smal... 01/04/2012

Steamboat Springs’ New Year’s celebration includes the ski mountain torchlight parade and fireworks.  Steamboat Ski & Snowboard School instructors volunteer to carry the torches that light up the mountain as they ski down the slopes as part of the New Year’s Eve festivities. Fireworks follow and offer an amazing array of colors as they reflect off the snow covered ski mountain. Steamboat Springs New Year's Celebration These events start at 7:00pm, but you can begin your après ski New Year’s celebrations well before at one of the many fun and festive mountain base establishments. Here’s a few that offer great mountain views as well as après ski treats: Truffle Pig Slopeside Saddles Gondola Joe’s Bear River Terrace Umbrella Bar New Year's Eve in Steamboat Springs Be sure to check out the ... 12/29/2011

Skiing in Steamboat Springs is pretty good because of the snow making machines. If only there was some magic wand to wave over the housing market so things would start to pick up and stay up. The Case-Shiller October Home Price Index is not showing any news we can feel good about on a national level. The October report yields the following less than optimistic news: 19 of 20 cities showed home price decreases versus September numbers Versus October 2010, the 10 and 20 city composites posted annual returns of minus 3.0% and -3.4% respectively Versus September 2011, the 10 and 20 city composites were down 1.1% and 1.2% respectively Four markets (Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas) show prices below their January 2000 levels, while Atlanta and Las Vegas posted new lows in October Both ... 12/27/2011

The Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011 will begin to benefit Steamboat Springs in 2012. Steamboat Springs already has gorgeous summer weather so what else will it have to offer? Well given the fact that our Steamboat Springs’ Ski Mountain and all of the almost 3000 ski-able acres is owned by the USDA Forest Service, this means that while formerly limited to activities allowed by an outdated 1986 law, the new law will open up our Steamboat ski mountain to year-round activities. Steamboat Springs Summer Barn Sponsored by Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, and recently approved by President Obama, this new law permits non-skiing activities such as mountain bike terrain parks and trails, Frisbee golf courses, ropes courses, concerts and zip lines to share in the ... 12/26/2011

Views of Steamboat Springs, Colorado taken December 25th, 2011 This morning I woke up to wonderful sunny Christmas in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. After my nine year old opened up some gifts and after coffee and breakfast, I went for a skate ski up the back side of Emerald Mountain. This is a moderate road perfect for skating, sledding, running, or walking the dogs. And today was a great day.  There were mt. bikers riding on the trail, hikers, kids sledding, and many happy dogs. At the end of the trail is one of the best views of Steamboat Springs. Steamboat has a population of about 11,000 residences but many second home owners have residences here as well. The main area of Steamboat is made up of 3 areas. Old Town or Downtown which is the heart of Steamboat. Average price of homes in... 12/25/2011