Thursday, November 20, 2008

Where's the Money - in Steamboat Springs Colorado???

Where’s the Money?

The Mortgage Brokers in Steamboat Springs have access to plenty! On Thursday, November 20TH, REALTORS® gathered at the Steamboat Springs Board of Realtors conference room to listen to a panel of local Mortgage Brokers talk about Credit Tips and several types of loans available to our Buyers. Thanks APC for hosting this much needed positive spin on the mortgage industry. The good news is there is money out there. Buyers don’t let the negativity of the media or the current economic conditions keep you from inquiring about a loan to purchase a home. All are welcome including poor – average credit (FICO scores), first time home buyers, and those with little down payment.

Ed Allbright from Columbine Mortgage gave many credit tips. Here are just four:
1. Don’t close old credit cards. 15% of credit scores are determined by the age of the credit file. People who have had credit for a longer period of time are thought to be less of a risk of defaulting. Use your old card once every three months or so then pay it off at the billing cycle to keep your credit scores high.

2. When you decide you would like to buy a home begin by checking your own credit score at www.annualcreditreport.com. Look for mistakes and correct them. Any item that says: “unknown, unsatisfied, not paid, or not released” should be changed to “paid, satisfied or released”. You can contact this company once per year at no charge and not receive an “inquiry deduction” on your FICO score. Your goal is to have at least three lines of credit established for two years in good standing to really improve your credit or FICO scores.

3. To help prevent Identity fraud, place a freeze on your credit reports. You can do this by contacting the three credit bureaus in writing by certified mail. Just state in the letter you want to place a freeze on your file. The bureau will not be allowed to release your credit report or any information in it without your special password. The three bureaus are: www.equifax.com, www.experian.com and www.transunion.com.

4. Eliminate junk mail by going to: www.optoutprescreen.com

If you may be unable to make several mortgage payments, look into a "Loan Modification" which is differenct then refianancing. There are numerous sites on line to help with this. One mentioned was Home Help which I found at http://www.homeforeclosurefighter.com

Carmen Ashbaugh from Vectra Bank says the current FHA Loans are the new 80/20 and are not like your dad’s FHA. 30% of the loans she does are now FHA and are ideal for 1st home buyers. The following criteria applies: Owner occupied; mortgages up to $675,000; as little as 3.5% down or can accept the down payment in the form of a gift or seller carry; full documentation of salary and assets; Co-signer allowed; OK with poor FICO scores especially if your scores have been improving over the last 12 months; no prepayment penalty; no income limits; manufactured homes OK, but no condos or condotels. She stated for developers to consider applying for an FHA approval to be the first condo development in Steamboat to qualify their buyers for FHA approved loans.

John McCollum from First National Bank of the Rockies talked about the criteria of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) Loans. He says the CHFA loan is available for a maximum purchase price of $350,000 and condos are allowed. It is designed for the 1st time home buyer or people who have not owned in the last three years; home buyer class is required that can be taken on-line; low FICO scores are accepted; as little as $1,000 down; three years of documentation are necessary; Mortgage Insurance required on loans above 80% of home value; higher interest rates then other loans; recapture tax if sold within 10 years and if income goes up significantly.

Kathryn Pedersen of Yampa Valley Bank described the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Loans that are only available to rural areas like Routt County. Must be a primary residence and can be a condo; 30 year fixed; 100% financing available; no monthly mortgage insurance premium; no reserves required; considers low FICO scores; and no maximum loan amount.

Loans are not guaranteed based on the information provided in this summary. Every day new information becomes available to the mortgage lenders that can change the loan requirements just like new properties come on the market and current active listings turn into pendings or solds on a daily basis. 85 % of home buyers begin their real estate research on-line, yet eventually secure the service of a qualified REALTOR®. As important as it is to have Buyer’s
Representation from a REALTOR®, you should also seek the advice early on of a reputable local lender. To access lender information go to www.SteamboatDream.com - Click on Steamboat Links - choose Lenders.

For all your real estate needs in Steamboat Springs, Colorado call me…

Michelle Diehl, GRI
Broker Associate
Prudential Steamboat Realty
970.846.1086

Monday, November 17, 2008

Pricing Tricks to Sell Real Estate

Pricing Tricks to Help Sell Your Home

With a growing glut of new homes and resales on the market and buyers on the sidelines waiting for home prices to fall, pricing your home correctly can have a lot to do with how quickly it sells.

To improve your chances of finding a buyer, Jonathan Clements shares several pricing tricks in today’s Journal.

Everyone knows that retailers use the “.99″ trick -– pricing something for $1.99 instead of $2.00 to make it appear less expensive. Home sellers can employ the same strategy, Mr. Clements says. The technique works because consumers naturally see the $1 first in the $1.99 price tag, and think the item is being offered at more of a discount than it is.

He explains that consumers associate “precise” numbers with cheaper items (for instance, a bar of chocolate), and round figures with prestige or more expensive things. That holds even in cases where the precise number is higher: $595,000 conveys luxury, while $595,385 is a steal, for example.

On a related note, researchers from Cornell University found that homes listed with prices ending in zeros sell for less than ones with exact figures: a home listed for $484,700 will sell for about $1,380 more than one with an asking price of $485,000, according to a story published in the Washington Post.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Wildhorse Meadows - Trailhead Lodge, The Range, First Tracks

Wildhorse Meadows
The project near the Meadows lot is Wildhorse Meadows and is being advertised by Resort Ventures West which is located upstairs in the Prudential building, however the Trailhead reps. are located downtown. There are three developments in the Meadows, so far and will also be a higher end hotel in time between Mt. Werner road and the Trailhead Lodge. The area currently consists of the Trailhead Lodge, The Range, and First Tracks. The Trailhead Lodge at Wildhorse will be an 86 suite condo/hotel at the heart of the development and just steps away from the Wildhorse Gondola, The Ranch House, the Wildhorse Athletic Club and the Steamboat Country Store. Plans include studios – three bedrooms plus den. Prices range from $865,000 to more than $2 million. Trailhead Lodge is the large building you see going up now. It is a full ownership building – no fractional ownerships. Below the Stonewood property up on the hill are single family residence lots called the Range, it was the first release in the project and has 41 single family lots for homes. The remaining lots there are under a million. Closer to the tennis bubble are the affordable housing buildings called First Tracks.

There is a model available the Trailhead we can walk through. I have a client who was a part of the initial selection day and is very happy with the progress and quality of the project. I work closely with the Trailhead team to represent Buyers. To learn more about this project go to http://www.wildhorsemeadows.com/thl_overview.php Hope this helps to give you an overview of the Wildhorse Meadows. I am happy to help you learn about any project you are interested in.

Thanks!
Michelle Diehl, GRI – Broker Associate – Prudential Steamboat Realty – 970.846.1086 – www.SteamboatDream.com – MichelleDiehl@Comcast.net

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

City Council-Vacation Rental Rules/Historic Preservation/St.Cloud Resort

Vacation home deadline extension fails
Rental operators not given extra compliance time
By Brandon Gee (Contact) - Steamboat Pilot & TODAY
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Steamboat Springs — The Steamboat Springs City Council on Tuesday rejected a request to give the operators of vacation home rentals three extra months to come into compliance with an ordinance passed last year.

At its April 8 meeting, the council voted to add the extension to the first reading of an ordinance Tuesday changing the submittal requirements for vacation rental site plans. The move came at the request of property managers who wanted extra time to work with city staff on the prospect of also changing the ordinance’s requirement for an access agreement.

Vacation home rentals are residential homes that are rented to short-term vacationers and sometimes used for private functions. The tourism-related industry has fueled clashes between homeowners and property managers for years. An ordinance passed in August 2007 regulating the properties was the subject of quasi-judicial hearings and numerous lengthy meetings in 2006 and 2007. It replaced a similarly contentious 2001 ordinance with one slightly more demanding of vacation rental owners and operators.

The extension failed, 4-3. Last week’s vote to attach the extension to Tuesday’s ordinance passed by the same margin. Councilwoman Meg Bentley voted in favor of the extension last week but changed her mind Tuesday. Council President Loui Antonucci expressed concern that council’s reversal was unfair to the property managers. Councilman Steve Ivancie disagreed because last week’s vote merely put the extension to a first reading rather than approving it. The proposed changes to the site-plan submittal requirements were approved independent of the extension.

Councilwoman Cari Herma­cinski, Ivancie and Councilman Walter Magill joined Bentley in rejecting the extension. Antonucci and Councilmen Scott Myller and Jon Quinn voted in favor of it.

“I think the owners of these commercial activities in residential neighborhoods have had plenty of time to comply with these requirements,” Ivancie said.

With discussion veering to whether vacation home rentals should be allowed at all, Myller asked whether the council wanted to reopen the entire controversial discussion. Resident Bill Jameson begged the council to stick to other priorities.

“It was divisive last time,” Jameson said. “It will be only more divisive this time. … Let this ordinance work that you’ve got on the books, and then see what the problems are.”

Also Tuesday, council members were mostly in favor of a proposed historic preservation ordinance that would replace existing city policies. The ordinance was prepared by a citizens’ committee and would not mandate the preservation of any properties in the city. Owner consent would be required for eligible properties to be listed on a local historic register, at which point they would have to adhere to mandatory design guidelines and other regulations. A revised version of the ordinance will be presented to council in coming weeks.

In their pre-application rev­iew of the planned St. Cloud Resort & Spa development at the base of the Steamboat Ski Area, council members were much more open to the scale of the project than their Planning Commission counterparts. Although its height at some points is roughly double city allowances, four of seven council members said they did not have a problem.

Quinn said the project as proposed is more attractive than some neighboring properties.

“If we have something that overshadows the architecture of the Steamboat Grand,” he said, “I think that’s a good thing.”

— To reach Brandon Gee, call 871-4210

or e-mail bgee@steamboatpilot.com

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Creekview Townhomes and Plaza - New Development in Hayden

Creekview progressing
Fourteen residential, seven retail units to be available in Hayden
By Blythe Terrell - Reporter Steamboat Pilot & TODAY
Sunday, April 13, 2008

Creekview Townhomes and Plaza development in Hayden: Three-story, 1,720-square-foot townhomes are a mix of two- and three-bedroom units with attached one- or two-car garages.

Steamboat Springs — Fourteen new housing units are about to come on line in western Hayden.

Phase 1 of Creekview Townhomes and Plaza is nearly completed, developers Stefanus and Louis Nijsten said. That section of the project will include eight condos, seven retail units and six townhomes.

The residential units will be ready this summer, starting with the townhomes in June, Stefanus Nijsten said. The one- or two-bedroom condos, which cost $180,000 to $205,000, have been reserved. The three-bedroom townhomes will cost $310,000 to $320,000.

Prudential agent Annette Hall started takng reservations for the business sites last week. She is co-listing the units with Louis Nijsten.

Retail spaces range from 600 square feet to more than 1,500 square feet and will cost $120,000 to $300,000, Hall said. An appliance showroom is planned for one spot, and the Nijstens talked about a pharmacy and possibly a coffee shop.

“We want to see businesses that attract people,” Louis Nijsten said. “We want to have people come in and go out all day long.”

The brothers are partnering with Bob Zibell on the development. The project sits on 3.21 acres south of U.S. Highway 40, east of Dry Creek and west of an alley between Fifth and Sixth streets. The land includes the Creekview Grill, which the developers run.

They opened the restaurant in fall 2006 and often have worked there after a long day on the construction site, where they do much of the building.

“We were basically running the restaurant ourselves,” Stefanus Nijsten said.

“Every night, we’d wash up, get clean jeans on and come in.”

It was tough, Louis Nijsten said, but the brothers expressed an attitude of willingness to do what it took to serve Hayden.

“That’s the philosophy of this whole project,” Louis Nijsten said. “We’re trying to provide what the town needs.”

The brothers, who are from Holland, said they enjoy working in and with the town. Louis lives in Hayden, and Stefanus plans to move from his Steamboat Springs home into one of the six townhomes. Features of those units include a garage, two or 2 1/2 bathrooms, a patio, a second-floor deck and wiring for a multiroom sound system.

“I know for a fact they’re going to be very nice,” Stefanus Nijsten said.

The brothers wanted to encourage people to live and work in Hayden, so it was important for them to add residences and businesses, Stefanus Nijsten said.

“Usually, developers do one or the other,” he said. “And then either your tax base is too small to service the residences you create, or you create jobs you don’t have homes for.”

Zibell and the Nijstens are planning 10 more residences in two complexes on the west side of Sixth Street as part of the second phase. They said they hope to complete those this summer. That land also could include a motel on U.S. 40, the Nijstens said.

“What we always wanted was a motel,” Stefanus Nijsten said. “The town would like to see it, and this is a good location.”

They did not give details but said they were in talks with someone who would operate the motel. The pair initially considered building and running the motel themselves.

“But we have so many irons in the fire, we don’t need another operation to run, as well,” Stefanus Nijsten said.

The motel would be the final part of the Creekview development.

“That motel’s going to put a wrap on this whole project,” Stefanus Nijsten said.

The Nijstens said they have more land in Hayden and more ideas. Stefanus Nijsten said they are thinking about building affordable housing in Hayden.

In the meantime, though, they’re focusing on finishing the retail units and the 24 residences at Creekview. The town is ready for the services and housing, Stefanus Nijsten said.

“It just needs to happen,” he said, “and somebody needs to do the kickoff.”
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)

To obtain information on any property in Hayden or Steamboat Springs with Buyer Representation, contact Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21 Ski Town Associates. I am happy to help...

WEB: www.SteamboatDream.com
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086

Anglers will love Alpine River Ranch

Partnering in Alpine River Ranch
Local men create private fishing country club
By Tom Ross (Contact) - Reporter Steamboat Pilot & TODAY
Sunday, April 13, 2008

Steamboat Springs — The $19.4 million sale of the More Family Ranch on the Yampa River late last year has brought the equivalent of a trout fishing country club to Routt County.

“That’s pretty much the business model, it’s pretty much like a golf club,” Steamboat Springs businessman Jarett Duty said. “There will be nonequity members and annual dues.”

He and his brother, John, own Bucking Rainbow Outfitters, an Orvis-affiliated shop in Steamboat. They have become equity partners in the Alpine River Ranch fishing club with a Pennsylvania man, Donny Beavers. The three men solicited the investment of existing club members to become equity partners and facilitate the multi-million dollar purchase.

Bucking Rainbow remains an independent business owned by Jarett and John Duty.

As of March 15, even members of the public who have several hundred dollars to spend on a guided fishing trip no longer have access to Tailwaters Preserve. It’s open to club members only.

Take me to the river
Members at Tailwaters Preserve, part of Alpine River Ranch, will pay an initial fee of $85,000 and annual dues currently set at $7,700. The majority of the members also can be expected to pay for a fishing guide to accompany them and members of their family on angling outings. The Duty brothers say they can be expected to help keep members of Steamboat’s guiding profession well employed.

Beavers established Alpine River Ranch in the Vail Valley in 2007. He already had established the successful Spring Ridge Club near College Station, Pa., an area that contains his home waters.

Beavers also acquired the well-established, Vail-area guide service, Gorsuch Outfitters and six miles of private access trout streams last year. He began attracting founding members in the Alpine River Club from among Gorsuch clients.

Alpine River Club is a separate business from Spring Ridge Club, John Duty said. But members of both clubs will enjoy reciprocal access. A 2004 article in The New York Times described members of Spring Ridge Club who value it because it is only a four-hour drive from Manhattan.

Steamboat fly shops have been sending guides and clients to the trout-rich waters below Lake Catamount on the More Family Ranch for years under the terms of a lease. Naturally reproducing trout there put on pounds year-round because the water coming out of Stagecoach Dam is cold enough in summer, and warm enough in winter, to spur metabolism of the fish.

Ski vacationers frequently have mixed in a day of guided fishing on the More Ranch and left with pictures of themselves holding a trophy that was promptly returned to the water.

The 1.75 miles of the Yampa on the ranch produced an 11-pound rainbow this past winter, and 26-inch fish are not rare.

“John and I think it’s one of the top five fishing destinations in the states,” Jarett said. “And it’s just seven miles from a major ski area.”

There is natural reproduction of rainbow trout in the river, Duty said. Other fish migrate to the rich feeding grounds below the dam in winter. They do not plant trophy trout in the river, he said.

“We don’t stock trout there, and we will never stock trout there,” Duty said.

When they learned that Beavers was looking at purchasing More Family Ranch, they approached him about joining the club for their own use.

Instead, the men became partners.

“The idea is to preserve these fishing waters. We typically don’t want to develop,” the land, John said.

However, the brothers said they can’t rule out a limited housing development on the preserve in the future to help offset the purchase price.

Floaters welcome
They also are actively pursuing land purchases or long-term leases that would bring more miles of streams and rivers into Alpine River Ranch. But they’re trying to do that with an eye to balance their own need for private water on which to guide private clients of their own, as well as the needs of the other fly shops.

“The ranchers who previously) said ‘never’ are opening their minds to the idea of leasing to a single club on a long-term basis,” Jarett said. “We added two significant pieces, two seven-mile stretches in the last month that are within an hour of town. But we’re trying to be very careful about stepping on toes and other peoples’ leases.”

Beavers was embroiled in a controversy in Pen­nsylvania when he sought to bar public boaters from a stretch of the Little Juniata River that runs through club property. He was unsuccessful in that effort.

John Duty, who has spoken out about protecting the right of commercial floaters to use rivers in Routt County, said they told their new partner they were on opposite sides of the debate and would not be a party to barring floaters from rivers here.

Beavers has engaged his club members in Pennsylvania in stream conservation, and the Duty brothers say that will be a big part of the Alpine River Ranch’s efforts here. They also intend to contract for hay production on the ranch.

As Beavers has done in Pennsylvania at the Spring Ridge Club, the Duty brothers said they look forward to a couple of occasions annually when local anglers will be invited to put their names in a hat for some fishing access at Tailwaters Preserve. Beyond that, membership in the club is the only option.

The brothers intend to join Beavers in expanding the model of Alpine River Ranch across the Rocky Mountain West to destinations such as Telluride and Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Highmark: $1.5 Million - $2.3 Million

A new day at Highmark?
High-end boutique hotel appears to be back on track
By Tom Ross - Reporter Steamboat Pilot
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Steamboat Springs — The Highmark Resort at the base of the Steamboat Ski Area appears to be back on track.

Recent developments include the listing of a dozen “condo-tel” units for $1.5 million to $2.3 million, the signing of a major luxury hotel management company and the settlement of a breach of contract suit involving seven of the units.

Construction on the six-story building at the corner of Après Ski Way and Village Drive began in 2004, and although it is complete, it has never been occupied.

Pam Vanatta of Prudential Steamboat Realty has listed the condominiums for sale and confirms that the plan is to offer a high-end boutique hotel opening in June. She said the intent of developers Steamboat Ventures Ltd. is to offer a hotel property that is unlike anything else available in Steamboat.

“The developer wants to make the Highmark Resort a high-end boutique hotel,” Vanatta said. “It’s going to be a first for Steamboat.”

Vanatta said Crescent Hotels and Resorts will manage the property.

“They will have management on site,” she added. “The level of service will far exceed” anything currently offered in the market.

Crescent features a photograph of Highmark Resort prominently on its Web site. The company has business relationships with Wyndham, Marriott, Starwood, Hilton and Radisson as well as with independents such as The Opal in San Francisco and the Georgian Terrace in Atlanta.

Buyers will be able to use the units for two weeks in the winter and two weeks in the summer, then on a space-available basis, Vanatta said. However, the units are being offered as whole ownership purchases, not interval purchases.

Buyers will also benefit from a guaranteed rental program, Vanatta said.

“It’s been done in other places, but it’s very new to Steamboat,” she said. “It’s very boutique-y.”

All of the units have been redecorated and furnished.

The property will offer a pool and a large living room for entertaining and a gourmet grocer.

Longtime Steamboat business people Bill and Kay Stuart have long planned to move Market on the Mountain across the street to the first level of Highmark Resort.

They confirmed this week they are looking ahead to making the move this summer.

“The plan is for us to take ownership toward the end of April and begin the tenant finish, putting us in there this summer,” Bill Stuart said.

Stuart said he and his wife toured the decorated units and were impressed.

“We were very pleased with the high level of the finish and furnishings,” he said.

A breach of contract suit filed last year by Steamboat Ventures against seven contracted condo buyers who never closed on their purchases was settled early this week, according to documents on file in Routt County District Court.

A Fort Lauderdale, Fla., business entity, The Formula, stepped in as settling buyer and took a joint venture interest in all seven units with the contracted buyers. Steamboat Ventures agreed to return the earnest money committed by the buyers (in the range of $150,000), with interest. The Formula will receive a fee at such time as the seven units are resold.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)

To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs with Buyer Representation, contact Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21 Ski Town Associates. I am happy to help...

WEB: www.SteamboatDream.com
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086

Condo Proposed for Burgess Creek Road

Condo proposed for Burgess Creek Road
Development group poses 11-story Steamboat Highlands
By Tom Ross - Reporter Steamboat Pilot
Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Steamboat Springs — A development group based in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, is proposing an 11-story condominium hotel on Burgess Creek Road immediately north of the existing Kutuk and Bronze Tree projects.

Brian Bavosi, project manager for Vertical Arts in Steamboat Springs, said that when Steamboat Highlands enters the public hearing process, the name of an international five-star hotel management company associated with the project is likely to become public.

The owner of the development is Gamir/Reilly Development, a privately held real estate development and management company that has built hotels and condominium projects at a number of vacation destinations in Mexico. They include Pueblito Escondito and Aldea Thai in Playa del Carmen.

Steamboat Highlands would be built on 2.11 acres comprising an elongated triangular strip bounded by Burgess Creek Road and Storm Meadows Drive. Burgess Creek runs through the property.

Jeff and Kristi Brown of Steamboat Springs sold the site to Henderson, Nev.-based Ski Country LLC for $11.5 million in November 2007.

Development plans on the site call for demolishing the 1970s era Ski Country Building.

The completed project would include 214,268 square feet of residential space and 9,500 square feet of commercial space. Conceptual drawings show a ballroom, spa and food service areas.

At the tallest peak of the roof of one penthouse suite, the building would measure almost 137 feet, well in excess of the allowable height limit of 63 feet in the zone district.

The developers acknowledge that they need a variance for the height of the building.

Among the interesting proposals in the plan is a pedestrian bridge over Burgess Creek Road, which would provide the first viable link for foot traffic to and from The Ranch development to the north.

City Planner Jason Peasley said challenges to the project include ensuring the structure addresses Burgess Creek in a desirable way and getting sufficient water pressure to the upper stories. Pluses include a plan to daylight the creek where it currently flows through a culvert in a parking lot.

Bavosi said the developers see an opportunity to build improved pedestrian trails linking the project directly to the ski area base.

Peasley agreed the project holds the potential to create the kind of pedestrian access called for in the redevelopment of the base area.

“This site has very good connectivity to Ski Time Square and with the right improvements, it could make a very good pedestrian environment,” Peasley said.

Peasley said the Steamboat Highlands developers have asked for a pre-application review of the project intended to give them feedback before they seek a development permit. No public hearings have been scheduled.

Bavosi added that the development team is in the process of determining how many residential units the building might include.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)

To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs with Buyer Representation, contact Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21 Ski Town Associates. I am happy to help...

WEB: www.SteamboatDream.com
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086

Aspens at Walton Creek

Aspens at Walton Creek attract locals
By Tom Ross (Contact)- Reporter Steamboat Pilot
Sunday, April 6, 2008

Steamboat Springs — The development team for The Aspens at Walton Creek envisioned a neighborhood of townhomes that would appeal to local buyers, and to date, that seems to be the market.

“So far, all of our buyers have been local residents, and all of them have been in their 30s and 40s,” sales consultant Shawn Donnelly said. “We have five first-time homebuyers.”

The 28 townhomes are on Aspen Leaf Way off Walton Creek Road, not far from its intersection with U.S. Highway 40.

Partners in The Aspens are John Taylor, Tony Cacioppo and Scott Lucas. The construction project manager is Todd Pansius.

Donnelly said five of the 10 units in Phases 1 and 2 have closed, with two more scheduled to close in the near future. Five more units of the total 28 are under contract, with three for sale at $599,000 and one at $615,000.

Some of the closings filed by Routt County earlier this winter for early buyers at The Aspens at Walton Creek confirm purchase prices of $475,000.

In addition to the three-story townhomes, there are two accessible units with deed-restricted affordable units above them. The developers included the affordable units before there were any city mandates to do so.

Cacioppo said though he looks forward to selling some of the three-story townhomes to vacation homebuyers, he finds it particularly rewarding that the homes have found a market with Steamboat Springs residents.

“This is something I’m proud of because all of the developers made a commitment to providing housing for locals,” he said. “We built these townhomes as if we were planning on living here. Some of our friends bought here. Cost doesn’t override quality.”

The 1,521-square-foot townhomes are on three levels including a garden level with full-sized windows. They are partially manufactured homes, with many custom interior finishes. They offer decks and single-car garages with ceilings that are high enough to offer storage potential.

“Tony tried to use the space most efficiently and bring in really nice finishes to offset the size,” Donnelly said.

The units feature real stone facing on the corners of the garage and the fireplace, wooden garage doors, a snowmelt system in the driveway and sidewalk that can be turned on and off, and solid red oak flooring that was finished on site.

The open timber-tread staircase is flanked by wrought iron balusters. There are tongue-and-groove paneled ceilings, and several of the ceilings are vaulted.

Cacioppo said one of his goals was to design a project that would have green qualities while rewarding its residents with low energy and carrying costs.

“I think part of the new green is a smaller footprint and efficient use of space,” he said.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)

To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs with Buyer Representation, contact Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21 Ski Town Associates. I am happy to help...

WEB: www.SteamboatDream.com
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086

Developments: The Range & Edgemont

On the Market for April 6
By Tom Ross (Contact) - Reporter Steamboat Pilot
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Tom Ross' On the Market column appears Sundays in the Real Estate section of the Steamboat Pilot & Today.

Steamboat Springs architect Michael Olsen confirms his office is actively working on six new homes tentatively planned for The Range single-family subdivision in Wildhorse Meadows, near the base of the ski area.

“Every house looks completely different from the others,” Olsen said.

Of the six, one has successfully completed the design review process required by developers Resort Ventures West. However, Olsen anticipates another home could be the first to begin construction — possibly in June.

Resort Ventures West Vice President Brent Pearson said he is aware of five other lot owners who are working with different architects but have not yet submitted their plans. He said he anticipates between six and 10 construction starts this summer.

Olsen said he’s not certain just how he wound up with a half-dozen projects in the new subdivision — they all come from different sources, he said.

Edgemont accepting reservations

The developers of Edgemont, a new slopeside residential project, have begun taking “exclusive priority reservations” for 42 one- to five-bedroom units being released this season.

Construction of the first phase of the luxury condominium buildings is set to begin this summer. Completion of the first release is anticipated during the 2009-10 ski season. Prices begin in the $800,000 range and increase to more than $2.5 million.

An exclusive priority reservation does not obligate buyers to purchase, Director of Sales Mark Murrell said. But, it gives them the opportunity to purchase during a one-day selection event early this summer.

“It is important to get involved now in order to be in the best position to select your residence in Edgemont,” Murrell said.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)

To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs with Buyer Representation, contact Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21 Ski Town Associates. I am happy to help...

WEB: www.SteamboatDream.com
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086

Barn Village Lots Available

Activity recommences at Barn Village at Steamboat
New subdivision sees 34 lots return to the market; 17 set to close in mid-April
By Tom Ross - Reporter for Steamboat Pilot
Sunday, March 30, 2008

Wittemyer, a Realtor with Prudential Steamboat Real Estate, said developers Bob Comes, Jim Kelly and Eric McAfee expect construction on utilities to resume as soon as the site off Pine Grove Road is dry enough to allow work.

The real estate market in Steamboat Springs has quieted since the residential subdivision saw prospective buyers plunk down refundable deposits on more than $36 million in real estate — in less than 24 hours — during Labor Day weekend in 2007. Since then, the number of reservations has been reduced to 17 of the total 54 lots in the first release.

Wittemyer said the local market began to slow down soon after the reservation event and the trend continued through January 2008. The withdrawn reservations represent a culling of people who weren’t ready to build or own for the long term, he said.

The anticipated conversion rate of nearly 30 percent, when the 17 lots close during the middle of April, is considered desirable for a new subdivision where the lots aren’t yet ready to build, he said.

Wittemyer said the one-day reservation process last September was noteworthy.

“We saw 53 of them reserved in one afternoon and by the next day, there were two deep on most of the lots and three deep on some of them,” he said.

The firm contract process began in late November and continued into December, Wittemyer said. It became clear that not everyone who reserved a lot was prepared to go to contract.

“The people who pulled out were speculators,” he said. “Their approach was, ‘Can I buy this and flip it shortly after I close?’ It’s a mindset. You don’t see many people doing that right now.”

The 17 buyers who are on schedule to close next month are people who have a long-term plan to live there as well as a number of homebuilders, Wittemyer said.

Wittemyer’s colleague, Pam Vanatta, said the evolution of the contract process at the subdivision has been healthy.

“It’s important for the general public to realize that the developers intend for that to be a great neighborhood for the long term,” Vanatta said. “Building on the lots and building right is what creates value.”

The project is a rarity for single-family subdivisions here, because it will include a 4.5-acre city park surrounding the historic More Barn, an exercise facility with a pool and no through streets within the subdivision, Vanatta added.

The subdivision approval allows primarily three types of housing. There are 12 duplex lots, 34 small lots for single-family homes in a neo-traditional neighborhood with back-loaded garages, and larger lots for larger single-family homes. The neo-traditional lots, measuring between 0.14 and 0.21 acres, sold for between $451,000 and $575,000, Wittemyer said.

The duplex lots were the most expensive in the subdivision, beginning with one lot priced at $995,000 and continuing in small increments up to $1.15 million.

Wittemyer said the developers are contemplating price increases following the closing of the initial 17 sales.

“Bob (Comes) wants to reward the buyers who were first in,” he said.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)

To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs with Buyer Representation, contact Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21 Ski Town Associates. I am happy to help...

WEB: www.SteamboatDream.com
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086

Sunday, March 30, 2008

EDGEMONT - Steamboat's Newest Slopeside Development

EDGEMONT

EdgemontRidge's first phase has been released!
Interested parties are being invited to consider an exclusive priority reservation. A refundable $10,000 deposit will place you in line for one of the new Edgemont's condominiums, which are expected to range in price from $800,000 to $2.5 million. The reservations were opened this week and will close on April 8th for priority position. Reservations after that day will be date and time stamped.

The condominiums will range in size from one to four bedrooms; developers are refining the details. It is proposed that approximately 42 condominiums will be released in the first phase.

Prospective buyers who make the soft deposit would be invited to work with the sales team through mid-April, when reservation priorities would begin to be firmed up for a one-day sales event to be held in June or July.

The reservation process is time-tested and very similar to the process used for an unrelated nearby project, Trailhead Lodge at Wildhorse Meadows. Murrell’s employer, S&P Destination Prop­erties, also handled the marketing of that project.

The Atira Group, the development company, anticipates breaking ground on Edgemont Ridge in early summer, possibly as early as May, Murrell said.

Edgemont is situated on the Stampede ski trail just south of the Christie Peak Express chairlift and north of the gondola.

“The views of the South Valley, the ski village and the Sleeping Giant are absolutely stunning,” Murrell said.

Edgemont Ridge is farthest up the ski trails among the multiple buildings in the project. The second phase of the project would comprise another large condominium building, and the third phase would include paired residences just to the south of the ski trails.

Story full details in Steamboat Pilot & Today
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)

To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs with Buyer Representation, contact Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21 Ski Town Associates. I am happy to help...

WEB: www.SteamboatDream.com
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086

Monday, January 14, 2008

Hayden - Nowhere to Live

‘Nowhere to live’- Produced by Steamboat Pilot/TODAY
Possible foreclosure forces would-be residents to find homes elsewhere
By Melinda Dudley
Sunday, January 13, 2008

Hayden — The first residents of the Villages at Hayden subdivision were expecting to move into their new homes by the end of the year, but the development’s five model homes still sit unfinished, mired in legal battles and facing foreclosure.

A skid-steer loader sat barely visible — and almost completely buried in a snowdrift — in an empty lot across from the homes on Lake View Drive on Thursday. The street, though cleanly plowed, was empty and silent.

In September, construction was halted at Lake Village, the first phase of the Villages at Hayden development, and Hidden Springs Ranch because of an ongoing legal dispute between the developers and their primary contractor. Hillsboro, Ore.-based Robinson Construction Co. filed liens against 4-S Development totaling $2.13 million — $1.41 million for the Villages and more than $700,000 for work done at Hidden Springs Ranch, according to documents from the Routt County Clerk and Recorder’s office.

Compounding the developments’ difficulties, foreclosure proceedings began last month for many of the lots in the Villages at Hayden subdivision.

Lots in Lake Village are scheduled to be sold to the highest bidder at public foreclosure auctions in February, but the developers are hoping to resolve the matter before then and finish the project, said Denver-based attorney Jay Labe, who is representing subdivision owner Mountain Adventure Property Invest­ments, in the foreclosure.

Steamboat Springs attorney Alan Keefe, representing the interests of Vectra Bank, declined to comment. The bank was still owed more than $3.13 million on the Villages properties when foreclosure notices were filed Dec. 12, according to Routt County documents.

Many of the people who had bought or reserved homes in the Villages at Hayden subdivision have been unable to sit tight until the legal issues are resolved, especially those who were trying to sell their former residences, said Colorado Group Realty broker and owner Kelda Combs Wall.

In November, developer Roger Johnson said about half the homes in each development had been sold or were under reservation. Johnson did not return calls for comment.

Combs Wall has friends and clients who once were planning to make their home there. Many of them have been forced by the construction delays to make their homes elsewhere, buying other properties in Hayden and Milner.

“They couldn’t wait,” she said.

Hayden is a particularly painful market for such a snafu, given that many families looking to buy homes there are priced out of new residential developments in Steamboat Springs and are unlikely to qualify for construction loans, Combs Wall said.

“They invest their money, their time, they find a place, they find a house — and then it’s gone,” Combs Wall said. “I just feel bad for the people who found a home, had an emotional attachment to it, and now have nowhere to live.”

The town of Hayden recently was named a party to some of the ongoing litigation with Robinson Construction Co., since some of the improvements made by the firm were to the town’s roads and rights-of-way in the subdivisions, Town Manager Russ Martin said.

Attorney Mike Halloran, who represents the town of Hayden, declined to comment on the matter last week, because he has not yet reviewed the lawsuit.

Steamboat Pilot & TODAY
To Contact: Melinda Dudley, call 871-4203

or e-mail mdudley@steamboatpilot.com
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)

To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs with Buyer Representation, contact Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21 Ski Town Associates. I am happy to help...

WEB: www.SteamboatDream.com
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Steamboat Springs Commercial Pricing January 12, 2008

Steamboat Commercial Pricing January 12, 2008:

Commercial Property Available & Pending / Price Per Square Foot (PPSF):
Active:
1. Sundance – Anglers 3 Building - $400.00 PPSF
2. Sundance – Anglers 4 Building - $450.29 PPSF
3. Welding & Fabrication Building (1778 Lincoln Ave. - $441.72 PPSF
4. Architectural Office (117 12th Street) - $730.52 PPSF
5. Fox Creek ( Hilltop Parkway) - $405.64 PPSF
6. Multi Tenant commercial/warehouse (1885 Elk River Plaza) - $169.78 PPSF
7. Copper Ridge Business Park (2670 Copper ridge Cir. -Live/Work Warehouse)- $244.73
8. Old Standard Plumbing Building (2875 Elk River Road) - $363.25 PPSF
9. Copper Ridge Business Park (2520 Copper Ridge DR - Live/Work Warehouse)- $259.43
10. 1880 Logger’s Lane - $265.63 PPSF

Pending:
11. Shops @ The Grand (Unit C7A 2300 Mount Werner) - $400.00 PPSF
12. Shops @ The Grand (Unit C5 2300 Mount Werner) - $400.00 PPSF
13. The Olympian Unit 103 – 5th & Yampa - $450 PPSF
14. Copper Ridge Business Park (2522 Copper Ridge Drive) - $249.00 PPSF
15. West Park Place Building (1125 Lincoln Ave.) - $395.00/ $300.00 PPSF
16. The Olympian Unit 101 – 5th & Yampa - $450.77 PPSF
17. The Olympian Unit 102 – 5th & Yampa - $450.20 PPSF
18. Shops @ The Grand (Unit C8A 2300 Mount Werner Circle) - $400.00 PPSF
19. The Olympian Unit #C206 (5th & Yampa) - $450.56 PPSF
20. Blades Building – (2101 Snow Bowl Plaza) - $491.60 PPSF
21. Home on the Range Building @ Torian Plum ( 1865 Ski Time Square) - $566.10 PPSF
22. 20 Mile Industrial Center (1280 13th Street Unit G) - $259.00 PPSF
23. Shops @ The Grand (Unit C7B 2300 Mount Werner) - $400.00 PPSF
24. Copper Ridge – (Unit # 4, 2655 Copper Ridge Circle) - $486.00 PPSF
25. Shops @ The Grand (Unit C8B 2300 Mount Werner Circle) - $500.00 PPSF

If you would like to learn more about these or any other properties in Steamboat Springs, call Michelle Diehl, Broker Associate, at (970)846-1086 / michellediehl@comcast.net or www.steamboatdream.com