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Three years ago, Summit County Sellers had buyers lining up to buy their property.  They were getting top dollar and receiving a nice appreciation.

It isn’t a surprise that it is a  buyer’s market out there which is great news for buyers, not so great for sellers. Sellers are no longer in a position to dictate the rules of the game and have to be careful how they respond and counter to offers, due to the fact that if a buyer doesn’t get his way he might just move on to the next seller, and there are a lot of sellers out there.

Summit County is usually last to feel a recession and last to recover. Interest rates are still very low, and now is the time to get in the market for the buyer.

If you purchased your home in Summit County within the last few years, you should not expect to make any money if you sell today.  This is the type of market we are experiencing. The good news is, if you owned a home in another part of the Country, you would be fortunate if you didn’t have to take a loss on your home.  Also, if you purchased your home within the past 5-10 years, you will most likely be able to experience a return on your investment.  The problem that we see is the Seller’s still want more money back, if this is the case than hold on to your property for a few more years.

There are a few difficult things about being a seller today. A seller doesn’t know how long it will take to sell his home and when he gets a contract he can’t guarantee whether another one will come or not. What this means is that if a seller has to sell his home then he has to be wary of scaring the buyer away.

The inspection is one aspect of a contract where a seller can lose his shirt. If trying to sell your home it is a wise idea to have your home inspected before listing your home. This way you can make the necessary improvements and will avoid being surprised by unexpected requests. Because sellers are not in a position to capitalize on their real estate investment it is more important than ever to be on top of things, in order to retain as much value as possible.

An experienced Realtor is incredibly helpful in maneuvering a tricky real estate market, enabling a seller to evaluate his home, price it appropriately and sell it in a reasonable amount of time. For more information give Leah Baxter a call 970-389-6367 or if you would like a free market analysis leah@leahbaxter.com – www.leahbaxter.com for a list of all the properties available in Summit County.

Sourced from: Kinetic Content Library

It’s fall in Summit County, but what is this snow about?
We did have a cold spell this week and received a light dusting of snow, meaning that Ski Season is right around the corner.
Have you picked up your ski pass yet? Don’t worry there is still time. Did you know you can get a ski pass for as little as $399 for the season?? Yes it is true. If you have never had a season pass, the first time you get one you do need to go in person to the designated areas and get your picture taken, then every year after that it can be renewed online. For Vail ski resorts ticket sales, or Copper Mtn. click on the links. 
What is one to do if you live out of state? Well, I think it is definitely worth your while to make a trip out and take care of it, especially if you plan on just spending one week or more here during the ski season. Think about it, it would cost you $80-$90 a day if you walked up to the ticket window.
While you are at it, come and enjoy the beautiful fall we are experiencing. Yes, it has stopped snowing and the sun is back and we are expected to get up to 70 degrees by Monday.
If you are really motivated and are still considering that dream mountain property, there are still some great investments out there folks. We currently have 1932 properties available from a studio condo to a $8 million dollar compound. Contact Leah Baxter at 970-389-6367 or visit my website www.leahbaxter.com to search for properties.
“It’s a beautiful Day in Paradise!”

Copper Mtn. September 22, 2009

Bike Path in Frisco with the Fall Colors in Full Force

Summertime in the Rockies has finally arrived!  The snow has melted and the Dillon reservoir has thawed.  The marinas are open for sailing, motor boats, pontoons, kayaking.  So what are you waiting for?  Come on up to the mountains and enjoy the summer time.  Frisco is hosting Run the Rockies this weekend , it is a Half Marathon which is 75% downhill and the Ten Mile Creek 10K is 100% downhill. Both start at Copper Mountain and finish in downtown Frisco!!

Next weekend is the The Annual Colorado Barbecue on Frisco’s main Street.The Frisco BBQ Challenge has something for everyone from live entertainment to pig races and is open to the public. So plan your vacation for a summer getaway that will create memories for a lifetime.

If you are interested in a property in Frisco, I have a great Frisco, Colorado duplex for sale located 2 blocks off of Main street.  Avoid the I-70 traffic and relax over the summer.  If you are interested in buying any other properties in Summit County, I would be happy to help you with that.  Contact Leah at 970-389-6367.

Now is a great time to buy in Summit County .  I know the news media is portraying doom and gloom for the housing market, however, they are basing their information on major cities.  We are not a major city.  We are a resort community.  People love the mountains to relax and play.  Our economy is not based on the national economy.  People choose to come in for fun or because they want to live in the mountains.

Interest rates are low,our prices are not going down, so don’t wait, because we are not in a housing bubble.  Our market continues to be strong and the sales prices continue to rise slowly, but steady. 

Source:  National Association of Realtors via Associated press:msnbc.msn.com & data research Associates. Believed to be accurate but not guaranteed.

Contact Leah Baxter at leah@leahbaxter.com or www.leahbaxter.com for more information on purchasing in summit county.  Search the Summit County MLS  free.

Now that you have chosen your land, have done a lot of your preliminary investigation, it is time to choose a builder. 

A lot of people try to do it themselves and save money by not utilizing a builder.  If you have a lot of time, patience and energy to do it yourself, than by all means go for it!  There are a lot of details that you will need to be on top of , and if you don’t have a set group of sub-contractors at your disposal, than your project could end up costing you more money in the long run.  It is hard to find good sub-contractors that are loyal to individuals in Summit County because they are generally busy working loyally for builders.

When you choose a builder make sure they have been in Summit County for a few years  and understand the process here.  Please see the following article on How to Choose a Builder.

For more information contact Leah@leahbaxter.com or www.leahbaxter.com.

Once you have found that special piece of land and you have discovered that it is buildable, now it is time to design the home.  It is best to find the land before you design the home, because than you can take full advantage of views, sunlight,  and the contours of the land.

There are several avenues on designing your home.  One is going on the internet and picking a stock drawing of a home, which is generally inexpensive.  However, beware that when you begin the building process, if there are problems with the design, you don’t really have anyone to come out to the site and fix the design problem.  Also, stock drawings do not necessarily take into consideration the essential elements of utilizing natural sunlight,  views, etc.

This may work alright in a suburb in the city, however, in the mountains, it can get  very cold in the winter, and to conserve  energy, you probably want to get the most out of the sun as much as possible.  Since  69% of our days are sunny, you want to be able to capture that heat from the sun. 

Also, when choosing an architect, it is important to use someone that is local, they have a lot more clout than someone who is out of state, and can be your alloy when you may have obstacles in your way, such as the permitting process.  See the article on Choosing an Architect.

For more information contact Leah Baxter or email at leah@leahbaxter.com

The first thing you need to do is find the right parcel of land.  There are a lot of variables in land in Summit County.  Do you want to have a septic system and well system?  Do you want to already be connected to City water and Sewer? Is the land located on wetlands, and if so, is there any way to build on these wetlands?

The difference is going to be in the price.  If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on land, than you are probably going to need a septic system and well system.  When you begin to look for land, you want to make sure that it is buildable.  One way of doing this is going to the Summit County Building Dept. and doing some preliminary investigation.  The Building department can give you an idea if this is possible if you have a parcel of land that you are interested in.  Just because the land is for sale and is located in a neighborhood, don’t assume that it is buildable.  Look before you leap.

The safer route is to buy land that is already on water and sewer, than this is one less thing that you have to worry about.  You still need to to your due diligence on whether or not it is a big enough parcel for you to build that dream home. 

There are a lot of restrictions on height, how far is it from the road?  There are certain requirements that you must adhere to when designing your home. Contact Leah Baxter or email at leah@leahbaxter.com for more information.

Yes, it is still possible to build that dream mountain home at a ski area.  One of the latest developments is at Copper Mountain.  This development is called Slopeside.

If you are familiar with Copper Mountain, Slopeside is located in Lewis Ranch and is right next to the Union Creek Chairlift.  There are only thirteen large building envelopes, which are all ski in ski out.   These lots are big enough to build a 5,000-8,000 square foot home.  The master planned community has been approved for a future gondola. 

There is an affiliated construction company that will help you build your high-quality home.  One of the home sites has a  beautiful model home that was featured in the Summit County Parade of Homes.  This particular property won several awards on Best Interior Design and Finishes, Best Kitchen, Best overall floor plan, Best interior decorating, and the list goes on. 

Click here for previous article on building.

If you are interested in finding out more about building your luxury ski-in ski out masterpiece, please contact Leah Baxter at Leah@leahbaxter.com or www.leahbaxter.com. 

Have you ever thought what it would be like to build a dream home in the mountains of Colorado?  That dream is still possible.  There are a few areas left that are selling lots, however, they are at a premium.  Summit County is expected to reach build out by the year 2013 according to the Summit County Builder’s Association.

There are some beautiful home sites available in Silverthorne called Angler’s Mountain Ranch.  These home sites are located right by the Blue River and have beautiful views of the Continental Divide.  This particular community is situated on 192 acres of historic Colorado ranch land.

Approximately half of the ranches total property will be designated for cross-country skiing, hiking and snowshoeing. There will also be an addition to the Silverthorne’s bike trail system.There will be a 13-acre lake which runs into the Blue River for those who love to fly fish for trophy brown and rainbow trout. 

Angler Mountain Ranch is located a few miles north of I-70 and Hwy 9.  This is close to Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Vail or Arapahoe Basin.  For more information contact leah@leahbaxter.com or www.leahbaxter.com.