News

Click here to view our most recent newsletter for Buyer's Resource Real Estate in Breckenridge, Colorado. ...

Real estate sales slowed in October due to the upcoming winter and holiday season.The numbers continued close on the heels of last year, with less than a 10 percent difference in the number of recorded sales. In October this year, the total sales for the month were at 264 compared to 286 sales made during the same time last year. Sales also lagged in total value compared to October last year. The ...

NOVEMBER 2016 NEWSLETTERSummit County's ONLY Exclusive Buyer's AgencyNovember 2016Quick LinksOUR WEBSITESUMMIT FOUNDATIONTHINKING ABOUT SELLING? CALL US FIRST!HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS IN FRISCOSNOW REPORTDear Chris,  As the holidays quickly approach we are especially thankful for all of our wonderful clients and friends. We wouldn't be in business without your support! September 2016 Mark...

September sales tax revenue continues to trend upward as Summit County heads into the busy season.The idea of September as a quiet shoulder season month is quickly going by the wayside. Brian Waldes, the director of finance and information technology in Breckenridge, said that despite September being a “small-dollar month” revenue continues to climb.“Those down periods aren’t so down anymo...

OCTOBER NEWSLETTERSummit County's ONLY Exclusive Buyer's Agency October 2016 Quick LinksOUR WEBSITESUMMIT FOUNDATIONTHINKING ABOUT SELLING? CALL US FIRST!Dear Chris,  Join us tonight ...Good time for a Good Cause! August StatsMarket Analysis by Area for August 2016: There were 282 transactions and $139,223,249 in monetary volume. Average trans...

Market Analysis by Area for September 2016: There were 297 transactions and $174,179,706 in monetary volume. Some trends for all 18 reported areas: $596,761- Average transaction price, $612,119- Average Residential price and $385- PPSF, all up from July and August 2016. Year to Date Market Analysis (9 months): Monetar...

For real estate agents in Summit County, the month of September can be a “warm” market as people try to buy or sell property before the coming winter months.For buyers, this can mean finding the best ski-in, ski-out condo before the onslaught of opening day. Cody Thomas, a broker associate with Paffrath & Thomas Real Estate, calls it “snow fever.”Thomas also said that some of the buyers he...

Condos are king in Summit County property sales, if this summer’s numbers are any indication. Condominiums in Dillon Valley, a small, more affordable neighborhood tucked between Interstate 70 and Highway 6, has seen average price increases of 36 to 44 percent.“They’re seeing a dramatic increase because they’re some of the last affordable listings,” Summit County Assessor Beverly Breaksto...

A proposed housing development at 2 Miners Creek Road in Frisco is drawing strong criticism from neighbors who say the project — which would replace a single family home with four separate townhomes — is inappropriate for a low-density neighborhood. During a planning commission meeting on July 21, a handful of neighbors presented a petition against the project, which is still in the initial pl...

High plateau — it’s a phrase starting to pop up a lot more in descriptions of metro Denver’s housing market.“As long as we have economic growth, we will likely bump along a plateau both in terms of price and volume,” said Mark Boud, chief economist at Real Estate Economics, which recently merged with Hanley Woods Metrostudy.Boud predicts a three-year run of double-dig...

If you live in Summit County or visit often, you’ve noticed what seems like significant jumps in weekend foot and vehicle traffic.Recently released figures show it’s not just your imagination.The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) confirmed a record number of commuters — more than 1.3 million — traveled through Eisenhower Johnson Memorial Tunnel along Interstate 70 during just th...

While there’s no crystal ball for the future of housing, Lawrence Yun’s predictions might be the next best thing. The National Association of Realtors chief economist and senior vice president of research shared his forecast for Summit County on Wednesday, with job growth as a positive indicator for the market, while low inventory and rising prices weighing in as negatives.One of the major fac...

In the transition to shoulder season, sales-tax revenues countywide still rose above 2015 levels. Silverthorne especially reaped the benefits of a strong construction year, with several projects down the pipeline.Through the month of April, the town saw a modest increase in sales-tax revenues year-to-date, up two percent from last year bringing in just over $3.16 million. The town’s excise-tax c...

http://conta.cc/28MZjH7...

A survey conducted by the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents sheds lights on the 2016 housing market as perceived in the eyes of homebuyers and the agents representing them.The March 2016 report is a compilation of anecdotal insights (revealed anonymously) from association members nationwide who weighed in on their experiences, the obstacles they currently face and their visi...

When you’re dating, you can spend years searching for the perfect relationship only to—possibly—wait too long and miss out on something great. Suddenly, over your sad microwave meal and bottle of cheap red, you’re looking back on your life choices, wondering what could have been if you hadn’t been so darned picky.Well, the same goes for house hunting. You can drive yourself crazy se...

Moving vans and cars with license plates from other states are everywhere, and that isn't a fluke. Colorado is full of people on the move.More than one in 10 Colorado households that filed a tax return in 2014 lived in another county or state the year before. That's more than in any other state.Nationally, 6.4 percent of 2014 tax returns listed an address in a different county or state the year be...

February was a choice month to sell, as continued low real estate inventory throughout Summit County coupled with strong buyer interest throughout the month.“That continues to be a story. Inventory’s still pretty low,” Realtor Kevin Crane, of Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties, said. “We would expect, traditionally, inventory would increase as we get back into summer.”Matching the high-...

If a recent survey of the membership of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (NAEBA) is correct, home buyers will face increasing challenges in 2016. Most Exclusive Buyer Agents (EBAs), regardless of which U.S. market in which they do business, predict that inventory will remain low. According to one NAEBA member Exclusive Buyer Agent, “The big challenge in our market will be the s...

While 2015 closed with unseasonably strong sales across the county, January sales dipped slightly due to a lack of property on the market. Jeff Moore, managing broker for Slifer, Smith and Frampton Real Estate, noted real estate inventory is currently at a six- to seven-year low, though demand is still strong.“Skier traffic leads to more potential buyer activity in the marketplace,” he said. �...

http://conta.cc/28N0dDN...

Real estate values continued to climb through the end of 2015, with increases across the board for all types of properties.With a busy holiday season, December brought a strong end to the year, with increased sales across the county. According to 17 months of data gathered by the Summit County Assessor’s Office, the value of townhome sales increased 24 percent, and single-family homes were up 17...

http://conta.cc/28N0nuA...

CIMARRON — Imagine we are heading to an island, says Jim Aronstein."And this," he says, stepping into a plush snowcat, "is our boat."Minutes later, he is relishing his island oasis, fat Rossignol skis sending powder billowing on a gladed slope he helped clear with his chain saw.The matter-of-fact, retired natural-resources lawyer turns into a buoyant powder hound up in his 2,000-acre paradise on...

http://conta.cc/28SEcBz...

Embers from metro Denver's scorching housing market, which cooled late last year, remain hot enough to reignite into another nation-leading performance, some forecasts are predicting.Activity slowed in the fall, and the market probably won't burn as bright as it did in 2015, a record year. But metro Denver home price gains should remain at the top of the charts nationally for a second year in a ro...

October real estate sales in Summit County took a 26 percent leap over the previous October. Total real estate sales in the county topped $157 million for the month, which improved significantly on the previous October’s sales number of more than $124 million. Total sales transactions, 283 this October, increased from 263 last October.The average home sale price for October was just over $555,00...

Business is booming in Silverthorne, with several new developers streaming in following the end of the recession. While many of the pieces are in place for urban renewal, the town is pulling together plans for a revitalized downtown.“We’ve got incredible recreational offerings … great neighborhoods, great parks, great nonprofits, we have the FIRC, great businesses, we have all of those thing...

It’s Summit’s year to shine on the pro cycling circuit.Officials with the 2015 USA Pro Challengeyesterday announced routes for the fifth year of the international cycle race, Colorado’s largest professional sporting event and easily one of the world’s most demanding road races due to four mountain passes above 9,300 feet. That’s a good 100 feet higher than the nastiest summit in Tou...

Summit County real estate sales for August 2015 improved by nearly 40 percent over the previous August, a jump of just over $33 million.The county recorded sales of approximately $119 million this August, which dwarfs last August’s figure of more than $86 million. The total number of sales improved from 176 in August 2014 to 221 in August 2015.The average sale price for August was approximately ...

A Silverthorne property recently saw a change of hands, to the tune of $7.25 million. The 1.23-acre parcel — housing Shell, 7-Eleven and Café Toro Mexican Grill — sold last month to Silverthorne Investors, LLC.“It was just time to do something different. … I just wanted to spend some time with my family,” Kim Rappleye, the previous owner of the property said. “I think they’re gonna ...

http://conta.cc/2bK9GKZ...

It’s summer, and that means the local real estate market is sweltering hot.That’s not always the case — only three years ago, Summit investors were still gun shy from the 2008 Recession — but, the past two summers have brought booming business to commercial and residential brokers, leading to a whopping $114.5 million in total transaction during May 2015. That’s nearly $20 million more t...

http://conta.cc/2bMYf51...

Summer in Breckenridge is off to a potentially record-breaking start for lodging and property-management companies, with visitors flocking to parades, taking to trails, filling lodging rooms and clogging Interstate 70.According to a Breckenridge Tourism Office report from May 31, bookings for June through November showed a 19-percent gain over 2014.That increase represents up to 22 properties or p...

http://conta.cc/2bMYf51...

Blink, and you might miss it. Pieces of the town of Breckenridge change all the time, and this mud season — albeit extra wet for construction contractors — was no exception.The town recently completed a new park on North Main Street as well as a beautification project of the roundabout entrance to town.Heated sidewalks are in the works for those steeper, shady sections that become slippery in ...

http://conta.cc/2bMYs8r...

http://conta.cc/2bMXLfz...

When it comes to buying a home, there are smart ways to go about it and less smart ways. Follow some of the wrong paths and you can end up spending a lot more than you need to or ending up with a home that isn't what you wanted, needed, or could afford. Here are seven homebuyer mistakes to avoid making.1. Not knowing how much you can afford to pay.Once you start shopping around for a new home, you...

If you’re racing to buy a home before prices and mortgage rates go through the roof, you’ll need to hire the right team to help you reach the finish line.If you’re borrowing money, start with a mortgage expert, then select a real estate agent.Sounds simple enough, but plan to be thoughtful about these selections. Getting just the right professionals can make a big difference as you...

During a high-level discussion about the outlook of the housing economy at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s National Secondary Market Conference, economists from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the MBA all predicted that the Federal Reserve will begin raising the Federal Funds Rate at some point this year, most likely in September, which will drive an increase in inte...

The pros called it from the beginning: This winter was one for the record books.In February, the Denver-based analytics firm DestiMetrics predicted that lodges in Summit County and across Colorado would break all-time revenue and visit records, based almost solely on an uptick in early reservations from out-of-state guests.Last week, the firm released its retrospective for the entire winter season...

Frisco takes barbecue to a whole new level with the 22nd annual Colorado BBQ Challenge, taking place Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20, with a kickoff concert on Thursday, June 18. This event attracts more than 70 teams from across the country to compete for top honors as the best barbecue slingers in the Rocky Mountains. The Challenge includes pig races, a 6-kilometer Bacon Burner run, live ...

The long-vacant site of a proposed lodge at Shock Hill sold yesterday to a local developer for $10.25 million, marking the final major land transaction in one of Breckenridge’s most sought-after neighborhoods.Found near the Shock Hill gondola station, the 6.67-acre plot was purchased by ROCA Holdings on May 15 for $250,000 less than the original list price. It had been on the market since 2013, ...

Editor’s note: Real Estate Roundup in an ongoing series offering a monthly glimpse at the local real estate market with transactions, historical comparisons and analysis from a rotating corps of High Country brokers.It was bound to happen eventually.After three months of noticeably improved sales, the real estate market in Summit County dipped to near-2014 levels for the first time this April, w...

The Summit County Assessor’s Office will mail out its biannual notices of valuation to local property owners on May 1. Colorado statute mandates that county assessors revalue all property within their boundaries every odd year.“Most of Summit County’s properties saw an increase in value,” Summit County Assessor Beverly Breakstone said. “The housing market exhibited marked improvements du...

The Summit County real estate market is enjoying a sort of a renaissance — unless you own a deed-restricted home.In early March, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released a new area median income, or AMI, for Summit County. This AMI benchmark is revised annually to help local property owners and organizations like the Summit Combined Housing Authority determine who qualifies ...

After years of diminishing returns and frustrated tenants, Main Street Station at the base of Peak 9 has a new owner with a new vision for retail on the south edge of Breckenridge.The property, home to 20 commercial units totaling 34,400 square feet, sold on April 24 for $5.6 million to an investor group led by Brent Martin, an Austin-based real estate manager who lives part time in Breckenridge. ...

An affordable housing complex on the northern edge of Silverthorne recently sold for twice its assessed value, making it the largest real estate transaction in Summit County this year.On March 6, the Blue River Apartments complex was purchased for $9.2 million by Tralee Affordable Bronco, an LLC registered to Tralee Capital Partners in Greenwood Village. During the last round of property assessmen...

http://www.aroundme.com/locations/12353/17-of-the-coolest-towns-in-america#slide/12/0...

The tax revenue figures for 2015 are slowly rolling in and Summit County is well on the road to economic recovery — and nearly back on par with the banner year of 2007.Across Summit, towns have reported sales increases for nearly every industry, led by traditional high performers like lodging and dining, along with the brand-new marijuana sector and a noticeable uptick in construction activity.�...

A home at the base of Keystone Resort sold for $3.05 million last week, breaking an eight-year dry spell in a town known for elusive big-money properties.The single-family residence, located at 22 E. Trade Court, sold on April 8 to a couple from Virginia for roughly $605 per square foot, down from $700 per square foot based on the original list price of $3.53 million.Despite a $500,000 price drop,...

The Summit County real estate market doesn’t quite abide by mud season rules.Then again, neither did Mother Nature this year. It started feeling like late April in early February, with lengthy stretches of warm, almost balmy weather and only a few briefs spurts of snow in between. The annual lull between ski season and Memorial Day will be muddy, for sure, but it might not feel as dull and drear...

Home prices rose faster in February in Colorado than in any other state, according a report Tuesday from CoreLogic, a California firm that tracks housing trends.Colorado home prices, including distressed sales, rose by 9.8 percent between February 2014 and February 2015, according to the CoreLogic HomePrice Index.South Carolina home values had the second-biggest jump, at 9.3 percent, and Michigan ...

 February 2015Dear Reader, A  bit belated Happy New Year!New Year... NEW WEBSITEFor many years now our mission at Buyer's Resource has been pretty simple: inform buyers they don't have to go about the complicated, confusing and often risky business of resort real estate acquisition the traditional, old fashion, good ole boy way. There's a better way.One, the traditional re...

For months, Wall Street has been focused on three little words: “can be patient.”On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve is expected to drop those words from its guidance about short-term interest rates, a small editing tweak that could trigger a big reaction among investors, affect consumers, and rattle policymakers around the world.The Federal Reserve has kept interest rates near zero since the fi...

Freddie Mac will begin offering mortgages with down payments of only 3 percent — the first time they've been this low on the GSE's loans in nearly five years — starting March 23.  The move is expected to make more credit available to entry-level borrowers.Opening the Credit Box3% Down Payments May Be Game ChangerSmaller Down Payments Lure More BuyersFHA Lowers Its Harangued Mortgage ...

Denver's tight housing market has morphed into a version of "The Hunger Games," with buyers scrounging for whatever weapons they can find to remain the last bidder standing. "Everything is flying off the shelf," said Chad Ochsner, a broker with Re/Max Alliance in Arvada. "We are used to a market where the buyer has a house to sell. It is now a market where a seller does not have a house to buy."Th...

Though separated in time, culture and continent, there was one thing that the ancient Egyptians, Japanese, Greeks and Romans all agreed upon — the value of hot tubs.Of course, they weren’t called hot tubs back then, and they came in a variety of types, from natural hot springs to wooden tubs to manmade public gathering places, each serving its own purpose.That popularity continues today, parti...

The U.S. housing market could get a major boost this year, specifically for single-family homes—especially among first-time buyers. Here’s why.I’m guessing here. My forecasts aren’t any better than anyone else’s, so don’t trade on this. But my gut is telling me that the U.S. housing market could go ballistic this spring, specifically for single-family homes—especially among first-tim...

Editor’s note: Real Estate Roundup is an ongoing series offering a monthly glimpse at the local real estate market with transactions, historical comparisons and analysis from a rotating corps of High Country brokers. The series tackles commercial and residential sales for a bird’s-eye view of the ever-changing alpine real estate market — and how Summit County compares to neighboring alpine c...

WHAT MAKES A TOWN “THE COOLEST”? In the end, it’s the same as what makes travel the coolest: the people. And yet there seem to be a few common patterns that attract cool people to certain areas, or perhaps it’s the other way around: people’s creativity and innovation helps lead their towns in a cooler direction.Either way, the kinds of towns we like:Are not just bedroom communities or su...

A hotly contested development planned for the northern end of Silverthorne is now on temporary hiatus after dozens of residents pleaded with town officials to stall construction, citing everything from impacts on wildlife and conservation to the threat of urban sprawl much like the Roaring Fork Valley.For nearly three hours, the Silverthorne Town Council heard from locals opposed to the South Mary...

Kate Barney fielded a call from a local property manager a few years ago: Would she rent her family’s home in downtown Crested Butte to vacationers for the summer? The offer was huge — almost eight months of mortgage payments.“These people are paying top dollar,” said Barney, who manages properties with her general contractor husband, allowing them to move their family to different ho...

On a clear, blue morning last week, I took my trusty Subaru onto Interstate 70, driving past snow-capped mountains, with a special destination in mind. With three breweries behind me and two to the right, I turned left, into Silverthorne, up a winding road to Summit’s newest craft beer hot spot — the Bakers’ Brewery.Upbeat music played inside as people ordered food and drinks. Out the w...

Like a towering point guard, Summit County real estate is on the rebound.Before the year began, local and national brokers predicted that real estate markets across the U.S. were in for a major turnaround, just as ESPN commentators use stats and gut feelings to predict who will win the Super Bowl (remember when it was the Broncos?), or parse out what’s going through Kobe Bryant’s sidelined hea...

There’s no doubt that 2014 was a year of recovery for real estate. Prices were up, equity increased and foreclosures were down but looming in the background is a problem which can sink the recovery: First-time home buyers have become a rare and exotic species.“Despite an improving job market and low interest rates,” says the National Association of Realtors, “the share of fi...

The Summit County real estate market is back and more bullish than ever.Or at least it’s more enticing than it has been for the past six years. When the 2007 housing crisis and ensuing recession put a damper on real estate across the country, Colorado resort markets like Summit and Eagle counties saw a major dip in sales. The worst came in 2009, when property values plummeted and construction pr...

It’s all over the news and impossible to ignore: Colorado has legalized recreational marijuana. USA Today recently published a story about how joint-rolling and Dorito eating are among anticipated pot-themed contests at the Denver County Fair in August. It seems Colorado has become the butt of a few jokes the last few months.No matter where your personal opinion lands on the new law, i...

Click Here to see the YTD-November 2014 Market Analysis.Copyright © *2014* *Land Title Guarantee Company*, All rights reserved....

A strengthening labor market, low interest rates, improving mortgage availability and growing pent-up demand will help to significantly boost single-family housing production in the year ahead and move the housing recovery to higher ground, according to economists speaking at the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas. With economic growth near four percent for the last half of 2014 and em...

UberX comes to SummitAfter a few short years and mounds of big-city controversy, Uber is coming to Summit County.The wildly popular driver service recently announced that its smartphone app is ready to launch in Colorado mountain towns. The new high-country service includes Summit County, Eagle County (home to Vail and Beaver Creek), and Pitkin County (Aspen and Carbondale).And now come the driver...

Many housing industry observers predict 2015 to be a promising one for home sales, after an underwhelming, flat performance in 2014. Booming metros like Atlanta and D.C. are among the ten hot housing markets to watch in 2015, according to Realtor.Com’s chief economist Jonathan Smoke. Among the key demand fundamentals Smoke looked at in naming the 10 markets to watch: household growth, ...

LAS VEGAS—One of the hottest debates among housing economists these days isn’t the trajectory of home sales, but whether millennials, those born in the 1980s and 1990s, want to remain urbanites or eventually relocate to the suburbs.Some demographers and economists argue that the preference of millennials, also called Generation Y, for city living will remain long lasting. And surveys of these ...

Dear Reader,Welcome WinterThe last time I was at this spot... about a week ago... I was on my mountain bike.I've often thought that the perfect transition from fall to winter would be a balmy, dry Indian summer up until, oh, about the 1st week of November ...then the snow gods would just dump, and the ski season would get under way.It happened this year. Last weekend we were enjoying one of t...

Newsletter July 2014 Dear Chris,July 4th!Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate the 4th of July and join the Buyer's Resource team at our annual client appreciation party! Great weather, fun parade and lots of laughs!                            ...