Summit County  real estate buyers are looking for lifestyle when they are choosing homes and locations. The lifestyle in Summit County is pretty relaxed.  Noone seems to be in a hurry, which is great, you can leave all your cares behind.  There is so much to do in Summit County, bike riding, hiking, fishing, dirt biking, skiing, snowboarding, nordic skiing , sailing, wine tasting, dining, etc.  You get the idea, so what are you waiting for, now is the best time in history to buy that mountain property .  As you may or may not be aware interest rates are extremely low, some under 4%.  Most people are aware of the old adage  ”would’ve,could’ve, should’ve” That time to buy is now!

Summit County Real Estate is quite different than the typical real estate market.  Did you know that 65% of Summit County properties are second homes or investment properties? Since most of these properties are mostly vacation rental properties, the owners are able to generate income to help cover their ownership costs.

Just because a property is for sale doesn’t necessarily mean the owner is desperate to sell. There are several circumstances that may motivate Sellers.  They may be wanting to take advantage of the lower prices and trade up to something bigger, they may want to cash out and move on to other things in their lives, or they may have some pressing financial issues that they need to address.

As a buyer, it’s important to take many aspects of a property into consideration before determining how much to offer. Offering an arbitrary percentage off of the asking price or some specific price per square foot is simple, but can often cause animosity with the seller and can result in an outright rejection of your offer and/or an unwillingness to negotiate with you.

Do your homework…or better yet, have a local Realtor do the homework for you. If you have a solid, fact based rationale for your offer, sellers are much more likely to enter into negotiations based on the facts. Here are some things to consider when determining your offer price:

• Look at all of the comparable sales in the neighborhood and the condition of those properties vs. the property you are considering.
• Compare and adjust for the age and style of the properties…compare apples to apples.
• How is it furnished? Is it up to date or will you have to remodel to get it to the comparable standards
• Is it the highest or lowest priced property in the neighborhood? Based on price per square foot,  is it already a great deal?
• Is it the right location for you?  Remember the old rule of “location, location, location” still holds true.
• Have there been numerous price reductions and is it now priced to sell?
• What is the county assessed value? Are you starting off with immediate gain, loss or are you breaking even?

If this is the right property for you and your family to create many memories in, whether full-time or part-time, then make an offer. Overall today’s home buyer wants to find a home in a location where he can feel a part of the community and take advantage of all that a community has to offer.

The highs and lows of the economy have many people revisiting their priorities. Family and quality of life is skyrocketing to the top of most people’s lists. What is important to you? If you are a homebuyer, this is a great time to sit down and capture your priorities. Sharing your list with a local Realtor can help assure that the homes you look at meet or exceed your criteria.

Sellers of real estate can grab onto the fact that homebuyers are looking for lifestyle and promote those aspects of what their homes have to offer. Emphasizing the lifestyle aspect of your neighborhood and all that it has to offer can open a buyer’s eyes to your unique community.

Click here to read “Homebuyers Make Lifestyle Options Priority” from Realty Times.

Sourced from: Kinetic Content Library

Leah Baxter, Realtor at ReMax Properties of the Summit

Frisco, Co

970-389-6367

leah@leahbaxter.com

www.leahbaxter.com

The Snow has arrived in Summit County, Colorado. A-Basin opened two days ago and received 22″ of snow and Loveland opened the day before. Copper Mountain and Keystone are slated to open on November 5, Breckenridge is scheduled to open November 12, and Vail is scheduled to open November 19, 2010. According to the Farmer’s Almanac it is going to be a great year for Snow sports in the high country!
So, are you tired of driving on I-70 in the traffic to go skiing? Interest rates are at an all-time low and Seller’s are ready to sell. If you have been waiting to buy that dream property in the mountains, now is the time! To look at properties available just click on my MLS and you can search for any type of property in Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper, Frisco, Silverthorne or Dillon. Give me a call 970-389-6367. Hope to see you on the slopes!

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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

Ski season has begun in the Rockies!  Last Friday, November 7th Breckenridge, Copper Mtn. and Keystone officially opened for business.  A-Basin and Loveland opened a few weeks ago.

So far the ski areas are making snow and it has been snowing a little bit each day with predictions of precipitation for the rest of this week.

 Copper Mtn. is having their 4th Annual Opening weekend festival called the  Lift Off.   This is a festival that kicks off the season with a Movie Tour Pub Crawl on Friday night, with raffles, après parties and drink specials at each location. There is a concert Saturday night featuring  the musical acts of  Boombox and Brother Ali , doors open at 8 p.m., tickets are $12. Anyone who rides the American Eagle lift on Friday or Saturday will have  chance to win great prizes like lift tickets, season passes, gear and much more!

If you are looking for a deal in Real Estate at Copper Mtn. the lowest priced property is a studio for  $189,000 which is  located in the Center Village At Copper.  This is a fantastic deal!  This condo sleeps 4.  Call Leah at 970-389-6367 or visit my website www.leahbaxter.com to view more properties like this.  See you on the slopes!