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

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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!