Blizzard's Effects Melt Off Fast

We went up to Fort Collins to see our daughter up at Colorado State University on Saturday, and I took the this photo from in front of the Starbucks at Union and Briargate (my favorite). You can see that although the Peak is nice and white, the storm we had Thursday was already melting off pretty good. We saw lots of cars still in the ditches along I25, so we know the roads got pretty bad, but they were clear and dry for us. Ft Collins seemed to have a little less snow than we did, and it was also melting fast. It was almost 60 on Sunday, but it started snowing again this morning around breakfast. Springtime in the Rockies!
When we filled up before our little trip (it is only 2 hours each way), I was somewhat shocked by how fast gas has risen in the last week or so. My last fillup at this particular station was a full $.20 / gallon cheaper. Some of the issue here in the Springs is that every Spring and Fall, they switch the formulations around, and the winter blend gas is different (more ethanol I think?). While I don't know if that was the problem, it was annoying to be paying close to $2.00 a gallon again :-( I know, it isn't $4.00, but considering that the $4.00 gasoline was probably caused by our now government owned banks speculating on oil futures, I'm not sure that is a good comparison either.
I showed one of my listings yesterday to a couple who has moved here from San Diego, and it reminded me of how many of our residents come from elsewhere, and how happy they are to be here. Recently I got an email from one the families that has moved here from the mid west recently, and their comment was 'We've been in Colorado Springs for just over five months now and we love it even more each day. It is everything you said it would be and more.'
I have other clients from new Hampshire that when I see them, they just can't stop grinning with delight that they live here now. Whether it be from Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, Missouri, North Dakota, Virginia, Nevada, Washington, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or elsewhere, people love coming here.

Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784!

Spring Blizzard Is Over

After a dry spring, winter came back with a vengeance yesterday. It isn't really that deep out there (6-8 inches?), but the temperature dropped so fast and snow came on so heavy initially, it has left the streets an icy mess, and there are a lot of drifts.
The morning was very pleasant, though cool, and I went for a short walk downtown while waiting for my brother to have some minor surgery. We were out for lunch when the storm really started, and the temperature dropped 12 degrees in the 15 minutes it took to drive home! Even the mall was closed with this one. Hopefully the warming trend over the weekend will help melt most of it off pretty quick, though not today. We sure needed the moisture, this should green up some lawns too!
When it snows like this, most people just stay home. Some like to test their 4 wheel drive vehicles, and others just have to report to their jobs (police and fire for instance) and they can't stay home, but many books get read, many movies watched, and a lot of work that can be handled on the Internet happens. This was one of those storms that will not have as many people out sightseeing, as it wasn't as dramatic when it was done as bigger storms that drop several feet of snow. We are still a good month away from the last threat of serious snow, and it was good to finally get some.
The ski resorts got pounded again with the storm, most have increased their base levels by more than 2 feet since Sunday! Copper Mountain lists 32 inches of fresh in the last 7 days.
Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784!

Certified Distressed Property Expert Course Was Well Worth It!

We always have opportunities to get smarter in our business, and sometimes I am so busy working IN my business, I don't have enough time to work ON it. This week however, I finished the the CDPE Course (Certified Distressed Propery Expert), and I have to say it was one of the best classes I have taken in a while. Alex Charfen is an excellent instructor, and his knowledgeable presentation on the ins and outs of short sales and foreclosures will be very useful in helping my clients and their friends and families.
One of the many important points that was brought out, was how important it is to NOT let your house go into foreclosure if at all possible. Realistically, for this to be an issue, homeowners are often behind on their payments to begin with. But there really can be time to come up with a better solution, and while it doesn't necessarily mean they can keep their current house, it does mean that they may be able to replace it again at some point, not always an option when foreclosure happens. Also, sometimes the homeowner can see hardships coming, and the consequences of foreclosure are far more devastating than people think. Doing something about it before it is too late can make a huge difference in how the future will look. Sometimes there really are MUCH better options, and it was good to hear more details about how it can work.
Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784!

Winter Is Back!

After a very dry early spring, the central mountains are getting a good dose of winter again, with 1 1/2 feet already, and more coming. We skied last week (and weekend) up at Copper Mountain, and although the weather was fantastic, the snow could really use some freshening up, so this is a good thing both for the resorts and the water supply. Here in the Springs we woke up to just a dusting this morning, but the temps are definitely cooler than the weekend was, and we also have more on the way. Thankfully I turned the sprinklers off again before this latest cold snap!
After all the hooplah about the Federal government 'saving the housing industry' by printing more money and buying up bad investments from the banks, mortgage rates are right where they started, around 5%. So much for using tax money to help. Sales are picking up, nationally as well as locally. Progress on the national front helps us locally, in that relocating buyers who have houses to sell can buy more easily if their existing home is sold.
Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784!

Ski Season Isn't Over Quite Yet

I just got back from Copper Mountain from a couple of days of skiing, and am excited to go back again tomorrow. While the extremely warm early spring is good golf weather down here in the Springs, we still had a blast skiing, and the scenery was amazing as always. It is starting to melt, but the slopes are still well covered, and sometimes some spring slush can be just the ticket to soften up some of the moguls for those of us who aren't pro bump skiers.

The new programs coming out of Washington for the housing industry sound positive, but I am skeptical they will have the affect that the press has been touting. While some are gleefully assuring us that rates will hit 4%, we should be happy if they just hang around 5%. Not that I wouldn't like to see 4% interest, but there are too many factors pushing against that happening, not the least of which is the multi -trillion dollar borrowing the government itself is doing!
It was a gorgeous sunny day today, with a little summery looking clouds once in a while. I spent most of it working, but it was still great!

Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784!

Sun and Fun

One of my brothers is here from Michigan on a visit (the other ones already live here:-), and while I was working yesterday (another closing, yeah!), they all went out golfing for the day at Fort Carson. The course at Fort Carson is open to the public, and the only one to my knowledge that has a GPS system in the golf carts to help you plan a perfect approach shot with the right club. Golf in March is not the same as golf in June. The ball rolls further, and grass is brown. But it was in the mid 60's (not any one's score from what I heard), bright sunshine (they got burnt a little), and all in all, a great way to spend an unseasonably warm spring day. It was so warm I decided to turn the sprinkler system on, there is no rain in sight, overnight lows are above freezing, and the little bit of snow that fell on Friday did not do much.
St Patrick's Day today is going to be another beauty, over 70, and then tomorrow we go up and do some spring skiing. Time for serious sun screen and lighter jackets for sure!
The market seems to be picking up, my closing yesterday was on a townhome in Monument that only lasted a week on the market, and I had another listing go under contract last week that was less than 2 weeks on market. property that is in good shape and priced well is definitely selling!
Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784!

Colorado Ranked 4th For Well Being

I love all these surveys and studies that rank places to live. Trying to quantify such subjective stuff is really hard. But I thought this one (http://www.ahiphiwire.org/WellBeing/) by Gallup, Healthways and America's Health Insurance Plans was an interesting one, not only because it makes Colorado look good, but it also shows our neighboring states of Utah and Wyoming as pretty good as well (Utah was actually ranked 1st, though in my visits there I can't really see why!). The mountain west has really always had a great reputation as a place to live, especially if you are lucky enough to be able to make a living and live here at the same time, not always as easy as it sounds, especially in the current economy. The sunny skies, majestic scenery, and lack of real congestion has a kind of universal appeal. Anyway, this was just another example of the fact that sometimes, there is even data to back up the reputation!
What an interesting cold snap hit the night before last. With virtually no warning, we woke up to some very slippery roads. Thankfully the sun came out (as usual) and completely melted (and dried) the little bit of snow and ice on the roads, but it was a brisk 14 degrees this morning!
Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784!

Time Change Not All Bad

I am a creature of habit, and the daylight savings shuffle can be a little annoying sometimes. The flip side of it for me, is that I've got a little more daylight for showing property to people when they get out of work in the afternoon. With so many of the homes for sale also being vacant, and in some cases without utilities on, it has been kind of tough to see much past 5, so this will be a nice improvement, at least for some of my local clients who can't look at property until then.
The little dusting of snow we had on Saturday was nice, and while it doesn't exactly offset the dryness we've experienced, it does add a little moisture. We could use some more! The ski areas are getting some fresh this week, that will be good for our plans next week to get some skiing in.
Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784!

Colorado Springs Mild Winter Continues

They say that you talk about the weather when there is nothing else to talk about, but the fact is, we are having an incredibly mild winter here. There is virtually no snow in the 10 day forecast, and we are in our normally snowiest months in March and April. That is good news for golfers, but not so much for skiers.
It also isn't great for firefighters, as the warm (60's and even low 70's) temps usually come with wind this time of year, making for some interesting fire danger conditions. Fort Carson had a big grass fire break out early in the week, although they seem to have it under control now. These are fairly common when they are doing live fire exercises, all those explosions mixing with dry brush tends to be a bad combination, and dry windy weather doesn't help.
I've seen many people running their sprinklers already to take some of the "crunch" out of the grass. The city is planning on watering a lot less this year for budget reasons, so I'm hoping the more normal pattern of rain in the afternoon in the summer kicks in to keep the parks from getting too dry.
I'm looking forward to things greening up with the spring. It sure is nice not having to wear a coat when out showing property so early in the season!

Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784!

February Home Sales A Little Better

The board (Pikes Peak Association of Realtors) doesn't release the final numbers for another week yet, but preliminary data for February Colorado Springs home sales show sales up from January, at 504 units, but still down 9.4% from last February. Prices also firmed up from January, with the average at $206,608, and the median at $177,500, down 8.9% and 10.1% respectively from February of 08, but both up from January. You can see more details by clicking this link: Colorado Springs Home Sales Trends
It was a beautiful day today, almost 60 degrees, and it is hard to remember that spring is a way off still, even though the time change is happening next Sunday already! March and April tend to be our snowiest months, and March is one of my favorite ski months. My brother is coming out for a ski vacation in a couple of weeks, I feel like I haven't skied hardly at all this winter, so this will be a great excuse! Tomorrow they say almost 70, what kind of winter is this? Even Pikes Peak is looking a little bare!