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There is just something about Buena Vista. For me, it is not quite big or busy enough, but the front range is a bit too busy. Yesterday I went to Denver, where there was snow on the ground and the temperature was in the 20s. When I got back to BV, it was sunny, windy and 60ish; the mountains were looking great..with peaks some 6,000 feet above our 8,000 ft valley floor.
When taking trips to the Front Range on the weekends, one thing is notable, heavy traffic is headed west on Saturday morning and headed back east on Sunday afternoon…so for me the slow traffic is usually in the other lane. I get it! We have more 14ers and better whitewater than anywhere else in the lower 48, along with great family skiing areas. This is where Coloradans come to play. Perhaps it is time for me to ignore the slowness here and just play more…after all…how great is it to live on the playground!
It’s time to buy! Currently the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers will expire at the end of November…in fact the transaction should be closed by then, so that means that a contract should be made by mid-October if you are going to get everything done. Also, interest rates are down. A 30-year mortgage is running about 5.75% in Buena Vista…and on top of that we have a nice selection of homes from which to choose.
So, if you have not owned a home during the last three years, this may be a good time to change that. I can help!
It happens every year. The aspen trees start to turn, the mountains become gold and green, then one morning the high peaks are snow capped. It happened a couple of days ago here in Buena Vista. It is a glorious sight to see the gold and green capped with white. It also means summer is over and any high climbs probably ought to be scheduled soon. Although over, autumn in the high country may go on for months. Quite often we do not get snow on the valley floor until after Thanksgiving.
This year summer did not bring many buyers to my office, but now that fall is here, the pace has picked up a bit. Almost, as if after a year of mourning…or perhaps just a year a waiting to see what the financial markets would do, buyers are ready to get on with life. We are where we are and this is probably normal now. With all the national commotion about that and that, Buena Vista is a great place to be, just to be. Come join us!
It’s getting to be aspen time in the high country of Colorado when stands of aspen quickly turn yellow and light up the hillsides. On a sunny, blue-sky day in Colorado there is nothing quite like walking through and beneath a large stand of aspen…all of a sudden the world is golden.
With real estate activity picking up a bit in the mountains, many buyers will strike gold as they look for retirement and second homes or lots on which to build. The inventory is very good here in Buena Vista, so finding the dream property is easier this year. If this is the time for you to invest in the mountains, I’d be happy to assist.
Gold Rush Days have come and gone along with the burro races that bring crowds to Buena Vista. Summertime here is a month of beginnings and endings. The rafting season will soon end, but the hiking and climbing season are in full swing, now that most of the snow has melted off the trails. Vacationers are packing the town, but that will slow down as the schools get underway, which will make room for the visitors who always wait until after Labor Day for their mountain visit. Then comes the beginning of the aspen season. One of the enjoyable aspects of living here in the mountains is the great availability of outdoor activities on a year around basis, so just about any month is the end and beginning of something.
We’d love to have you join us here. Real estate sales are down, but values are steady and inventory is up…so there is bound to be a good property for you here in our mountain valley.
The July 4th weekend is over and Buena Vista seems a bit empty. Reports from around Colorado indicate that many folks headed to what is called the “high country” to celebrate the holiday weekend. High country to those along the Front Range means the elevation of Buena Vista, 8,000 feet. For me, in Buena Vista, the high country is above 11,000 feet. At any rate, the town was packed with campers, hikers, fisherfolk and those who just wanted to enjoy a small Colorado Mountain town. The motels were full, there were lines at the restaurants, the fireworks were enjoyed, the parade was long, the quilt show was a success…all to say that Coloradans love their mountains and mountain communities. Many of us grumble when it takes more than 30 seconds to make a left-hand turn…but on mornings such as this, we realize how popular our part of the country is and how fortunate we are to live here. If you would like to join us, I’d be happy to assist you!
Not all of the traffic was on the roads…Central Colorado Regional Airport is a popular portal into our area…and it was busy with locals, second-home folks and transients. If you fly, give it a try. Traffic big and small
Should I buy a house or not? Should I sell my property or not? These are the questions being asked and fairly so. In Buena Vista, the real estate market is slow and if picking up…not doing it very quickly. Everyone is waiting for the bounce back and I’m not sure there is going to be one.
I think we are where we are. This is it for now. Certainly sales will continue and even increase as the economy strengthens, but for now we need to think of current conditions as the new norm. Decisions that are made regarding real estate or any other matter should be made on the basis of how conditions are today…not what we expect. We are not going back to the old times or to any times…we are fundamentally changing the the way business works and the way customers and businesses interact.
It is universally time for change and here it is. That means we need to learn the new ways of doing business and it has started by a jump from the Internet, which worked well and we got used to , to the social media ideas of direct contact with minimal middle persons. The social media now is in the state home computers were in the late 70s. It will be a few years before we see the full impact of SM, but I’m betting it will take us to a place we have not thought of yet!
Far from the glistening shores a wave has broken in our valley. It is a wave of folks that have come here to play and enjoy what we in the Upper Arkansas experience daily. The Collegiate Peaks bike race was yesterday with some mountain biking today. The river is full of rafters and kayakers getting ready for Paddle Fest next weekend…a big kickoff for the white-water season. There are already campers along North Cottonwood Creek and Cottonwood Pass will open this week, allowing easier access to the very high country. Daytime temperatures are hitting the 70s, lows in the 30s, the trees and flowers are out, the sky is blue and there is still snow in the mountains.
For those of us in real estate, we know that mixed in with the weekend warriors are buyers, deciding that they might as well live where they play…or at least have a second home here. There are many places in the country I have not visited, but I have never been anywhere that offers a bigger variety of outdoor adventures on a year around basis. If you are done with adventure, this is also a great place to sit, so if you can’t live here, at least pay us a visit. If you decide to check us out, I’d be happy to assist!
Now that the weather is warming and the Arkansas River flowing fuller, I have noticed more activity along and in the river. I see kayakers and fisherfolk as usual, but this spring I have noticed gold prospectors. There are a number of them around here and it is largely a hobby. I’m thinking that some folks with time on their hands and a pan in their hands could turn a few flakes into a few bucks.
While panning for gold in the Arkansas may deliver some glitter, there are a lot of old mines around here that turned out gold for years and I have to think that there are at least a few nuggets left. Many of the mines may not be safe to enter, but I would not be surprised to see an increase in the interest of mining claims as the economy decides what to do. There are never a lot of mining claims on the market, but there are some and I’ll bet there are some willing sellers. There is still time to strike it rich!
Real estate chatter in Buena Vista over the last few months has been about how far will property values drop as a result of the nation-wide real estate upheaval. Well some results just arrived in the mail from the county assessor and from all the folks I have talked to the county values are up and quite noticeably…in some cases 30% or so.
I recall the last time the valuations came out they seemed a bit high, but the market soon caught up with them. Will that be the case this time? Are property values really up that much here? None of us in the business thought there would be much of a drop, if any. Time will tell how this will pan out and once property sales pick up, we’ll have an idea of what the market is thinking…for now we know what the assessor is thinking.
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Welcome! Buena Vista, at 8,000 feet, sits in the Upper Arkansas Valley surrounded by 13,000 and 14,000 foot peaks in the heart of the Colorado Rockies. This area is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts and is a second-home or retirement community for those who love the beauty and high-country adventure. I invite you to pay us a visit.
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