Sailing on Lake Dillon

Have you ever been to the mountains in the summertime, such as Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, Keystone, Copper MT.?  If not, you are missing a hidden secret.  Many people come skiing here in the wintertime and have a wonderful time, yet they have never experienced a Summer here.

There is so much going on every weekend.  Every Friday there is a Farmer’s Market in Dillon, every Wednesday there is one in Frisco.  We have a BBQ challenge next weekend in Frisco, bike races going on.  There is a half marathon and 10k run from Copper-Frisco and beyond.  This weekend is a film festival happening in Breckenridge.  There are music concerts every Sat. night at the Dillon amphitheater that are FREE.  I can go on and on, if you want to find out more information check on my calendar of events on my website www.leahbaxter.com

Also don’t forget all of the free activities, hiking, biking, camping, just kicking back and relaxing and people watching.  If you are thinking about a second home in Summit county check out the MLS for free to see what you might be able to buy, or just give me a call Leah Baxter 970-389-6367.

It is now the end of April, we are finally heading into our Spring.  Most of the Ski resorts are closed for the season and everyone is gearing up for our Summer Season.

Have you been thinking about buying property for quite some time, but wonder if it is a good time or not?  Now is a great time to buy properties in Summit County!  We are experiencing price points from 2007 and 2006.  Our market is currently flat,  and Seller’s seem to be a little more motivated these days .  The best part about buying now are that Interest rates are at an all time low under 5%. 

Resort real estate is a great long term investment, even if you are just trying to get into the market, you can get a studio for as low as $124,900.  That is the lowest prices studio in Summit County.  There isn’t as much competition between buyers now, so don’t wait until the frenzy begins again, which historically will happen as soon as consumer confidence emerges. 

So, if you have thought about that mountain property, and would like to see what is available, give me a call 970-389-6367 or check out my website www.leahbaxter.com.

Also check out all of the properties Summit County has to offer, what are you waiting for?

Have you been dreaming about that Mountain home in the heart of Breckenridge, but can’t spend over a million dollars?  Well, I have the solution for you.  You could own this luxury 4 bedroom, 3 bath, fully furnished  3931 square foot home for $425,000.

Yes, it is true, it is called a quarter share ownership property.  The way that this works is you have a deeded 1/4 share and use the property one week a month.  The weeks rotate forward every year, so you will get a holiday week at least every four years,if not, more often.  It is a great way to own property in Breckenridge without robbing the bank. 

This property is a perfect mountain home with all the trimmings, located in Breckenridge and offering million dollar views!  Exquisitely furnished to the last detail to insure you feel completely at ease including your own personal storage spaces.This 25% Fractional Ownership Opportunity is designed for the buyer with discriminating taste that will appreciate this beautiful home .

For more information contact Leah Baxter at 970-389-6367 or email leah@leahbaxter.com.

 If you are considering a second home in Summit County, but don’t want to own a Single Family home what are your options?  Well, your choices are a Condo, Duplex or Town home.

 Condo is a property that shares interior hallways and sometimes has a common exterior door.  The property that you own is inside your front door. The common areas (which are considered the exterior, grounds, etc.) are typically for the use of everyone and these areas are maintained by a homeowner association.  The association dues are what you pay for this exterior maintenance, ( i.e. trash removal , water, sewer, grounds, exterior insurance,  snow removal, and  usually cable TV is included).  As an added bonus, sometimes the heat and gas may also be included in the association fees. Several of the condos do have various amenities which may include a clubhouse, pool, hot tub, fitness area, tennis courts.  The fees are pro-rated according to the square footage of the condo that you own.  Also, the more amenities and maintenance that is  required, the fees may be higher. If you don’t want to worry about anything as far as maintenance is concerned, this is probably a great option for you. Here is an example of a condo listed in Frisco.

Town home- Typically have their own exterior maintenance and there may be only 3 units attached to each other.  These units usually have a garage, in most cases, and you usually do not share hallways.  The association fees typically operate the same as a condo complex, however, generally speaking,  the heat and gas are usually not included.  These units are usually larger than condos, and  typically have rooms upstairs and downstairs which makes it  feel more roomy than a condo. Example of a town home listed in Frisco.

Duplex- This is the closest that you will come to a single family home.  A duplex typically has some land with it (your own yard) or space.  There is only one other property attached to this.  In Summit County, several duplexes are attached at the garage area, so you may not even notice your neighbors.  The advantage of a duplex is that they can be as large as a single family home, if not even larger.  The price is usually not as high as a single family home.  Most duplexes have some type of association agreement, but usually you are responsible for maintenance and upkeep of your own property including water, sewer, heat,cable etc.  The fees are much lower on a duplex. This is a great option for an owner to occupy full-time or as a second home.

This is an example of a duplex listed in Frisco.

For more information on listings in Summit County check on the MLS.

Contact Leah Baxter at Leah@leahbaxter.com or 970-389-6367 for more information.

The market in Summit County, Colorado which consists of Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mtn., Frisco, Dillon and Silverthorne ended up pretty well last year. 

The most expensive condo to sell in Summit County was $2.4 million. The Most expensive single family home sold for $5.5 million . There were 646 condominiums sold in Summit County with the lowest price of $122,500.

The lowest priced  non-modular home Single family  home sold for $300,000. A total of 324 Single Family homes sold in Summit County.  The average Sold price was $950,000 and the Median Sold Price was $755,000.  The percentage of Asking price was 95.7%.

The total number of residences sold was 1199.  The average sales price was $463,000 and the percentage of asking price was 96.5%.

Please visit my website www.leahbaxter.com or simple go to the MLS and search all properties available in Summit County.  Leah Baxter can be reached at 970-389-6367 for more information.

Breckenridge is hosting the 18th year of the snow sculpture championships which is sponsored by Budweiser.  If you have never been to a snow sculpture exhibit, this is an amazing venue to see.  The sculptures will be on display until Feb 1, 2009.

Artists come from all over the world and can only use hand tools and their hands to build their masterpieces.  They are all given a 12 foot block of snow to create their snow sculptures.

Why does the News media always portray such doom and gloom, because that is what sells News.  You can’t always believe what you read, in fact when the Press is analyzing the housing market, they are just talking in generalizations and are not specialists in every market.

It’s important to understand that Summit County has been one of the hottest real estate markets in the country…with continued increases in value averaging in the 10-20% range year after year. But unlike the rest of the country, the foreclosure rate is remaining low (the lowest in Colorado) and selling prices have not declined.

There was a correction in the market in 2008 on  listing prices.  These prices  declined last year because early in the year (when people generally list properties…and prior to the credit crunch), people were still listing their properties based on the 10%-20% annual increases they had seen over the previous 5+ years. When the properties didn’t sell, people either pulled the listings or lowered the prices to the 2007 levels.

We have definitely moved from a sellers market to a neutral market…or even perhaps one that is slightly favoring the buyer…but we are not seeing the foreclosures like the rest of the country and we’re not seeing the huge discounts and/or price reductions as people sell to avoid foreclosure.

If you keep waiting until you think prices are going to drop further, you may regret your decision.  Interest rates are at an all time low, and there are some great properties out there to choose from.  Please feel free to search the MLS and my website.  Leah Baxter can be contacted at 970-389-6367 or leah@leahbaxter.com

Have you ever considered Snow shoeing?  It is a great form of exercise and a nice way to take a break from skiing or snowboarding. 

This weekend there are two large events happening in Summit County.  The first one is called the Swift Skedaddle Snowshoe Adventure and is sponsored by the town of Silverthorne.  It consists of a 3K romp and a 10K race.  This event is a United States Snowshoeing Association (USSSA) regional qualifier.  What this means is if you are competitive you may get a chance to compete at a national level.  Now, if you just want to go and have some fun, just do the 3K romp, it is a family friendly event and it will take place at the Raven Golf course.  This event occurs on Sunday, Jan, 2009.

The other event that is happening is also on Sunday and begins at the Gold Run Nordic Center in Breckenridge.  The course goes between Breckenridge and Frisco and follows the Recreation path.  You will have a choice of either snowshoeing or Cross-country skiing. The event is sponsored by Friends of the  Dillon Ranger District.   They encourage everyone to wear costumes and have a good time!  When you reach the finish line they will have prizes, food and beverages.    This event is called Tour of the Summit, it is a snowshoe and x-country fun festival. Should be a lot of fun!

You may think I am crazy suggesting that it is a great time to buy, but think about it?

The interest rates are at an all time low, under 5.5 %.  There are a lot more choices to look at in our market.  Our prices aren’t really going down, they are staying flat (reflecting last year prices).  However, they are not decreasing like a lot of areas in the country. 

If you buy that second or first home here in the mountains, chances are your values will not drop, but increase down the road.  This is historically true for the resort industry.  When consumer confidence rises, so do our prices.  People are panicking now and feel lucky if they sell.  It would be a much better investment than the stock market or 401K. 

If you have children and are thinking about sending them to college some day, why not buy a mountain condo that you can use, rent out and than sell in 10 years and use that money for college for your children. 

If I would have bought Real Estate with my 401K money instead of investing it, I would have tripled it within the past 10 years, instead of losing half of it, and waiting until the market comes back. 

 There is a great article in the New York Times that discusses why now is a great time to buy.  So what are you waiting for?  Give me a call 970-389-6367 or email me leah@leahbaxter.com.  I’m sure I could find you something that you would love and enjoy!

www.leahbaxter.com -To search for properties.

The Woodward Camp at Copper Mountain is scheduled to open in the early part of 2009.  You may be wondering what is the Woodward Camp.  It is a huge indoor arena for athletes to practice Action Sports, snowboarding, skateboarding, gymnastics, with supervision. It is a  year round ski and snowboard program offering winter day camps and week-long summer camps.

This is going to be a great facility for training or for someone who just wants to get better at their sport.  There are 3 other camps in the United States, one in California, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

This is very exciting news for Copper Mountain and for Colorado.  www.leahbaxter.com.