"Great home for the first time home Buyer"

If you are thinking about using the extended and expanded home buyer tax credit to purchase a home this year you better act fast.  Now is the perfect time to get a great deal on a home in Summit County or surrounding areas. The tax credit can be used on homes purchased by July 1, 2010, but the homes must be under contract by April 30, 2010. The prices of Single Family homes and other types of properties (i.e. Condo’s, Duplexes, Town homes) have come back down to price points we were seeing in 2006.   You have a little more than a month to locate your new home. Check out the MLS on current listings in Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, Frisco, Silverthorne or Dillon.

What does this mean?  The tax credit is for two types of buyers, first time home buyers (home buyers who have not owned a home in the past 3 years) or home owners who have lived in their home for 5 of the past 8 years and want to purchase a new primary residence.
Important aspects of the tax credit include:

• Homes must be closed by July 1, 2010, under contract by April 30, 2010.
• Homes must have a value of $800,000 or less and must be the buyer’s primary residence.
• There are income restrictions, $125,000 for singles, $225,000 for couples.
• The credit is also affected by being single or married. Married couples who file together are entitled for up to $8,000 for a first home buyer, up to $6,500 for current homeowners. Single people are entitled for up to $4,000 for a first time home buyer and $3,250 for a current homeowner.
• The credit will need to be repaid if you sell your home within a time period of 36 months.

Leadville is only 30 minutes to Summit County and there is a perfect 3bd/2ba home for Sale for $230,000.  The Summit Stage runs between Copper Mtn. and Leadville for $5, so you don’t have to even worry about the commute.  What are you waiting for now is the time and it is  running out! Contact Leah Baxter,  or  email leah@leahbaxter.com at ReMax in Frisco  to start looking for your new home if you intend on using the tax credit.

Phone direct-970-389-6367

]]> http://blog.leahbaxter.com/2010/03/30/thinking-about-using-tax-credit-toward-buying-a-home-in-summit-county-colorado-act-fast/feed/ 0 http://blog.leahbaxter.com/2009/09/26/its-fall-and-snow-is-in-the-air-in-summit-county-colorado/ http://blog.leahbaxter.com/2009/09/26/its-fall-and-snow-is-in-the-air-in-summit-county-colorado/#comments Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:23:38 +0000 lbaxter http://blog.leahbaxter.com/?p=117 Continue reading It’s fall and snow is in the air in Summit County, Colorado]]>

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

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?

 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.

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

Did you know that Copper Mountain’s Super Pipe was the first to open in the country this season?  In fact, it is the 4th season in a row that they have been the first to open. 

This Thurs-Saturday the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix will be hosted at Copper.  Here is the schedule Thursday, Dec. 11
10:30 a.m. – Women’s Halfpipe Qualifiers

Friday, Dec.12
9 a.m.- Men’s Halfpipe Qualifiers

Saturday, Dec. 13
11 a.m. – Halfpipe Finals
7 p.m. – Paul Mitchell Progression Session (night exhibition event)

This is going to be a very exciting competition with athletes from all over the world.  It is supposedly going to be of Olympic caliber.  Come on out and cheer on the U.S. Team. This competition is going to be very competitive.

These athletes  are just a few names  of several of the famous competitors that will be competing – Mason Aquirre, Tommy Czeschin, Steve Fisher, Scott Lago, Gretchen Blieler, Hannah Teter . 

The snow is great at Copper right now and we are expecting a major storm today!  Hope to see you at the games.

Remember if you are in looking for that piece of property to call your own, give me a call 970-389-6367 or email me leah@leahbaxter.com.  Also don’t forget to check out my website www.leahbaxter.com to view all properties in Summit County, Colorado!

A Jumbo loan in Summit County has been raised this year to a loan limit of $729,750.  This is good until January 1, 2009.  This could go up or down depending on what the government decides to do and since our average home price is between $600,000-$800,000, now would be a great time to get that second home in the mountains that you have been dreaming about, especially since  a 30 year fixed mortgage is averaging about 5.5%.

Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your enemy; profit from folly rather than participate in it.
Warren Buffett 
a quote from Warren Buffet -"

 I realize people are nervous with the economy, but that is the best time to get into the real estate market, because people are more willing to negotiate, and prices are stable here in Summit County.As soon as consumer confidence increases so do the real estate prices.  So what are you waiting for?  Give me a call 970-389-6367 and let me help you find your dream property….   

Take a look at my market snapshot and find out more about prices in Summit County.

Inventory levels have increased since the winter in Summit County.  The market here is becoming a little more neutral than a full on Seller’s market.  Now is a good time to buy in Summit County because of the choices.  Some properties have been on the market for more than a few months and perhaps the seller may be a little more negotiable than in prior years when there are not a lot of choice. 

Our market has never experienced a bubble like other areas in the nation.  WE have been consistently growing anywhere between 10-25% appreciation a year.  It has stabilized a little this year due to the economist portraying doom and gloom everywhere.  However, we are not experiencing a decline in prices or do we experience foreclosures here.  Generally if a property is going to foreclosure, it is usually sold or rectified before that even happens.

If you are interested in new projects that are in the planning phase, click here.The following are inventory levels in each town which include condos, duplexes, town homes and single family homes:

Frisco-current inventory 110 properties

Copper Mtn. -current inventory 61 properties

Breckenridge-current inventory 653 properties

Wildernest/Silverthorne- 214 properties

Dillon-130 properties

Keystone-142 properties.

Feel free to contact Leah at 970-389-6367 to help you with your property needs.  www.leahbaxter.com

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.