Just west of Denver lie a couple of foothills communities that have grown popular with their long time residents. I’m talking of Evergreen and Conifer. They’re popular commuter town to a portion of the Denver area workforce who prefer to return home to scenic views and wildlife rather than next door neighbors feet away from their own house on postage sized home lots.

So what is it about Evergreen and Conifer that allures its residents?

Many of the homes have larger lots. A home still within an Evergreen or Conifer HOA may still have larger lots. It’s not infrequent for home owners to find properties with 2-4 acres or even more.  This allows great privacy, and also, a little bit of wildlife viewing from their living room or kitchen windows.  One friend regularly snaps photos of elk wandering through her yard from the kitchen of her Conifer home. It is noteworthy though, that bears and mountain lions live nearby too, which requires a couple more precautions from those who relocate to these mountain communities for a change of lifestyle. This includes supervising children and pets when outdoors, carefully securing doors and windows, along with keeping garbage inaccessible by wildlife. However many residents find these precautions of little inconvenience for the mountain lifestyle.

The mountain lifestyle and community amenities are preferred by many.  There are great parks and open space to venture throughout the year.  This includes the Upper Bear Creek which not only winds past many Evergreen homes but also runs down to Evergreen Lake. This is a popular community spot where 5k races such as the Evergreen Town Race, benefitting the Alpine Rescue Team, are held, a spot to find fishermen on the shores or in a boat, as well as ice skating in the winter months.

Other residents also prefer the small town feel these mountain communities have with local businesses and restaurants that are unique to the area.  For those who don’t mind the cooler winter temperatures and heavier snowfall, these communities are accessible to Denver but provide an adequate retreat from it as well.

It’s summer time, and for those who have teenagers at home on summer break, you’re probably looking for something to entertain them.  Luckily for Colorado residents there are lots of activities indoors and out to find something that will entertain them.

If you live in the Denver area there are lots of great day trips not to miss.  A great site for you to take a look at to plan the family’s Denver activities is provided by the Denver gov.  There are great museums such as the Denver Arts Museum, Museum of Natural history with IMAX presentations that are worthwhile to make your summer visit to, or send the kids to for educational entertainment.

If you are living in a suburb, you can also find listings for arts and entertainment by Denver suburbs such as Broomfield, Arvada and Thornton at your finger tips

There are also a lot of great non profit organizations in Colorado that are always in need of volunteers, some of which also benefit Colorado youth.  As the college selection process often looks in favor of those who teenagers who are involved with extra-curricular activities and volunteer work, summer is a great time to get involved.  For families that live in Fort Collins or Northern Colorado, a great local non profit is the Fort Collins Youth Broadcasting Inc which gives high school age teenagers to learn and participate in local broadcasting.  For those who live in Fort Collins and volunteering outdoors there are eco-adventure volunteering activities to clean trails and streams so you can continue to enjoy in the future.

Wherever you live in Colorado, be it, Boulder, Evergreen or Windsor, there are great things to do outdoors too including parks and trails within a short drive.  Enjoy your summers!

Once again it’s summertime in Colorado!  If it has been a little too hot in the city, you just may want to plan a weekend or day trip to the foothills or mountains to cool off and get some fresh air!

Generally the traffic is not as bad heading up to the mountains in the summer time as it is in the winter with skier traffic.  Even if you prefer not to wander too far away with your all too short weekend, there are lots of places nearby that are entertaining and relaxing for the whole family.

Two of my favorite nearby summer destinations are Estes Park and Winter Park.

Estes Park is the gateway community to Rocky Mountain National Park, and boy is it beautiful in the summer time!  When heading into Estes Park it is hard to miss Lake Estes and downtown.  Summertime at Lake Estes has lots of outdoor activities.  At the marina  you can rent a kayak or boat to explore.  Or if you would rather stick on land, bring your bike or rent one to go along the Lake Estes Trail.  It is also a nice spot to sit on their small sand beach to soak in the mountain sun or for a picnic.

For those looking for dining and shopping Estes Park has the cutest little downtown which is easy to walk through.  There are galleries, souvenir shops, and food and snacks aplenty.

Summertime is also the best time to visit Rocky Mountain National Park while you stay in Estes Park.  There are numerous easy hiking trails that you can walk to see scenic lakes and streams.  Trail Ridge Road is only open in the summer and is a site to see for those who haven’t driven on the highest paved highway!  There is a visitors center that you can stop at and look out at the scenery, high above treeline.

Estes Park, being located near the North Central part of the state is very accessible to front range residents, particularly from Boulder or Fort Collins.  If you are travelling on a busy weekend, you can avoid I-70 altogether—just another perk of Estes Park for a day or weekend destination.

Winter Park is another great destination not to miss.  During the winter, it is a popular ski town to Denver residents, but in the summer time it is just as fun with activities to do on the mountain.  Once the snow melts you can take a ride on their alpine slide—it’s the longest in the world.  Or if you find adventure in mountain biking, the mountain’s ski trails open up for the fearless mountain biker.  There are also Frisbee golf and miniature golf courses for those who prefer not to participate in gravity accelerating sports.

One advantage of weekending in a ski town during summer is that there are usually great last minute rates to book a room or condo for a Denver getaway.  The drive from Denver to Winter Park has only a short distance on I-70, with a scenic drive over Berthoud pass.

These are a few popular destinations.  If you’re feeling stir crazy and need to hit the open road, there are lots of great Colorado destinations within a short distance to your home in Colorado!

They say, in Colorado, if you don’t like the weather, wait fifteen minutes, it will change.  While it has felt extremely hot for too many consecutive fifteen minute intervals to me, the adage holds year after year.  In fact, only a month ago heavy snow filled my sidewalks to be melted by afternoon sun.

Perhaps one of the greatest part of living in Colorado are the number of sunny days each year- over 300 annually to be exact.

Yet on days that the weather hits, it helps to be prepared.  Here are a couple tips for Colorado residents to be prepared for snow, rain or even tornadoes, all of which occasionally hit “home”

1. If you’re planning on driving, it’s often your best bet to check the Colorado Department of Transportation’s website for road conditions.  This foresight is helpful for choosing your highway route, or postponing driving depending on the road restrictions.

2. Local television and radio stations are good at alerting Colorado residents year round of imminent weather.  When the metro cities and counties such as Denver or Boulder are on ‘accident alert’ for winter driving, you’re sure to learn about it on your TV screen or radio, but can visit websites such as Newsradio 850 KOA.

3. As we are currently in tornado season, its worthwhile to know what to do in the case of your neighborhood emergency alarms going off.  Just a few years ago the city of Windsor was hit hard with hundreds of houses damaged or demolished by a giant tornado.  Further South on the Front Range, Parker, and surrounding cities were taunted by a funnel cloud that did less damage.

While we’re not Kansas, it is important to know what to do during a tornado watch or warning in your community.  A tornado watch indicates that you should be on a lookout for funnel clouds while a warning indicates that a funnel cloud has been detected by site or radar.  Should you be in the path of a funnel cloud, go to a basement room of your house, if there is no basement, protect yourself by staying in the bathtub.  If you are outside in the open, leave it to professionals to chase the tornado storm, but make yourself small, and away from large objects that could be thrown in the funnel cloud’s fury.

Hopefully these words of advice are not necessary this season for Colorado residents, but when the weather is likely to change as quick as a coin toss, it helps to be prepared!

For many who can’t claim the Colorado native license plates, one trip to Colorado was all it took to entice them to a relocation.

That is probably because there is something for everyone in Colorado.

Are you an avid outdoorsman? There are year round activities accessible across the state for those looking for an adrenaline rush.  Besides resort and backcountry skiing, many visitors and residents enjoy snowmobiling and ice climbing in some of the most popular yet secluded destinations such as Vail or Ouray.

For those who are a little less inclined to pack an emergency kit there are cities and small towns across Colorado that entertain the rest of the family.  Many local artists have relocated to Colorado because of the beautiful mountain scenery – don’t be surprised to see a few thriving art galleries in some of the small towns in the backroads of Colorado including Redstone and Ridgeway.

While the small towns are often vacationers’ favorite places to go in Colorado, many times it is difficult to continue professional careers there, and choose to relocate to the front range.  The Denver metro, Boulder and surrounding communities have been recognized for their recovery with a growing Boulder technology sector.

While these front range communities may not have the same small town character, the convenience for weekend trips is still first rate.  With just a weekend communities like Red Feather Lakes and Estes Park are popular destinations in Northern Colorado.

Boulder residents can easily take a trip into Nederland in an afternoon, or hike and camp at Gold Hill.

From Denver or Evergreen, a short drive can take you to hike Colorado’s 14ers such as Grays and Torreys Peaks, Mount Evans and Mount Bierstadt.  Restaurants, breweries, and specialty shops are abundant for those who would rather not lace up the hiking boots on a weekend.

From the Southern Front Range and easily accessed from Castle Rock or Colorado Springs, there is the cute little town of Woodland Park, or go further south to Canyon City and visit the Royal Gorge bridge.

If Colorado lured you into becoming a resident, be sure to share which city or attraction, big or small, that convinced you to wait at the Colorado DMV for your new driver’s license.  And of course, if you haven’t been to Colorado before, and are reading up about it to plan your trip, but be sure to pack enough – you just may decide to stay!

Fort Collins has been a popular Colorado community through numerous rankings comparing the best places to live in the country.  So what is it about Fort Collins that makes it so desirable?  Could it be the charming Old Town with local bars and restaurants?  Perhaps that it has it’s own university, yet is not “just a college town?”  Or is it because residents love the local microbreweries?  Each of these may hold some merit, but many people will tell you that they love Fort Collins because of its athletic, outdoors oriented lifestyle.

Fort Collins’ location is near the Northern foothills, and has easy access to communities such as Red Feather Lakes and Estes Park—both destinations for Northern Colorado outdoor activities such as area hiking, camping and fishing.

Not only is Fort Collins accessible to the foothills, there are plenty of parks and trails to entertain runners and cyclists throughout the season.  There are trail systems throughout the city, which make many Fort Collins neighborhoods condusive to an outdoors lifestyle.  Some of these Fort Collins trails include the Poudre River Trail, Spring Creek Trail and Fossil Creek Trail.

Additionally, a popular destination for Fort Collins residents as well as those from nearby communities such as Loveland, Windsor, Berthoud, enjoy spending afternoons, holidays and weekends at Horsetooth Reservoir just west of Fort Collins.  The reservoir is open year round and surrounded by open space- convenient for boating, water-skiing, fishing, and camping.

Many relocators are looking for a community lifestyle that matches well for them and their families. Fort Collins is just that for about 120,000 Coloradoans!

See a peak of Fort Collins Colorado for yourself in this CNN YouTube video when Fort Collins was ranked the number one city to live in, in the United States.

Fort Collins Colorado, Best Places to Live

Arvada Colorado is a Denver suburb to the northwest with a convenient location to Boulder and the foothills– but there is a lot more to Arvada than just being another Denver suburb.

As early as 1850, the earliest traces of the city of Arvada were on the map when Lewis Ralston discovered gold in what is now known as “Ralston Creek“  flowing through Arvada.  While Arvada didn’t prove the gold riches that many were seeking during the nineteenth century gold rush- it has remained on the map for many other reasons.

The communities in Arvada vary from Olde Town Arvada to the newer neighborhoods, some including horse property.

For the neighborhoods nearest to Olde Town Arvada, the ‘walkability’ of  a home or business is important.  Olde Town Arvada has had plenty of investment as new businesses have moves in including restaurants, specialty shops and community oriented bars such as the “D Note.”  The main streets that comprise Olde Town Arvada include Olde Wadsworth and Grandview.  The area has some turn of the century home as well as newer lofts and apartments.

Outside of Olde Town Arvada are several other neighborhoods that meet the needs of Arvada residents and families.  Arvada schools are within the Jefferson County School district which is well regarded in the state for testing scores and achievement.  Additionally there is access to trails and recreation with nearby Stanley Lake and the APEX center.

The span of Arvada has grown North and West with several neighborhoods benefiting from the accessibility to Highway 93 to Boulder.  This provides a nice Denver metro alternative for those who work in Boulder but do not want to pay the premium to live in Boulder.

While Arvada is still very accessible to Denver with Highway 58 and I-70, you need not wander far for cultural activity.  There are several cultural resources including annual festivals in Arvada and the Arvada Center for the Performing Arts with enrichment programs for youth and adults.

Arvada is a community of its own rather than just a suburb of Denver or commuter’s city from Boulder, and has a lot to be discovered by residents as well as nearby communities.

Most people dread moving, and can relate to the common frustrations- “which box was this packed in,” “where is that?”  Yet purchasing a new home is a big step for first time homebuyers and move-up home buyers alike.  However with a little bit of organization prior to packing, many of your moving frustrations can be solved, leaving you to enjoy your new home or condo.

In an article titled, “The Organized Move,” several great suggestions are listed to save you time and frustration, by someone who obviously has experience packing a home a time or two.

Often times the little things are the most difficult to plan for and organize.  One suggestion from the mentioned article includes backing up computer files.  This would be especially important if you are planning an out of state relocation or have a home that is still for sale while you are moving.

Speaking of out of state moves, you may also be weary of hiring a moving company.  Scams exist in the moving industry.  These include moving companies charging an additional charge before the final delivery after the items were already packed.  The American Moving and Storage Association has resources to assist you in finding the credible moving company near you.

Hopefully a little bit of pre-planning and research will save you time and allow you to enjoy your new home sooner!

On Oct 15, a month after the Credit Crisis exploded onto the public’s radar screen, I took a quick snapshot of the Boulder luxury real estate market (defined as homes priced at $1 million or higher), and what I found was the beginning stages of a slow down.

At that point, however, I only had a month’s worth of data, so the signals were mixed, but certainly not positive. See Boulder Luxury Home Market: Fall Out from the Bail Out

Now, we have a full 2 and a half months worth of data, Sept 15 to Nov 30, to analyze the impact of the Credit Crisis on the Boulder luxury market…and the results are by no means pretty, but perhaps not as ugly as one might suspect.

No question, the transactional volume, as measured by the number of closes in the period of 9/15 to 11/30, are down this year. 10 homes closed in Boulder proper at $1 million or more this year compared to 17 closes last year. That’s a 41% drop.

The leading indicator of the number of homes that have gone under contract tells a more promising story. 16 homes in 2008 went under contract during the period compared to 18 in 2007. Statistically flat. Not horrible.

However, the absorption rate in the million dollar market remains a concern. As of Dec 1, 148 homes were listed in Boulder proper priced at $1 million or more. Only 9 of those homes are under contract.

In the last month, only 4 homes have actually closed with a price higher than a million. An inventory of 148 homes and 4 closes per month translates to a market absorption rate of 37 months.

If you have 3 years to sell your home, no problem…but most sellers don’t!

In this market, only the most attractive properties, boasting a rare location, a huge lot, drop dead views, the wow factor of impeccable design, or a combination of all these attributes, is going to sell…and on top of all that, the home must be priced within reason. Not necessarily a deal, just within reason.

So where does the Boulder luxury market go from here? My prediction is that demand for high end Boulder homes will remain soft through the end of the year. Sellers who have to sell, such as folks who’ve already moved or spec builders experiencing a cash crunch, will cut their prices, and we’ll see some good, perhaps even great, deals between Thanksgiving through Super Bowl Sunday.

During this time, I think we’ll see Jumbo mortgage rates fall as the Credit markets continue to thaw, increasing the demand for high end homes.

As a result, look for the Boulder luxury market to pick up in the first part ‘09 and prices to stabilize in the Spring.

Of course, if unemployment in Boulder County spikes and the daily topic of conversation again becomes the Great Depression, all bets are off!

Well, it’s been over a month since that fateful day on September 15. The day that Lehman went bankrupt and the Credit Crisis truly went mainstream.

Since then, the DOW has dropped more than 20% and the Great Depression is a daily topic of conversation.

Within that contextual background, my gut told me that the real estate market most severely impacted would be the high end market. In Boulder, “high end” means homes $1 million and over.

My hunch- the market for Boulder luxury homes slowed dramatically in the 30 days from Sept 15 to Oct 15.

Why? The Credit Crisis and the resulting collapse on Wall Street in the stock, bond, and credit markets had a much larger impact, both financially as well as psychologically, on potential home buyers in the luxury market. High net worth folks are typically more in tune with what’s happening on Wall Street and have a lot of their assets invested in the financial markets, so when a 156 year old firm like Lehman goes under, it means something.

These same buyers also often have the luxury of simply sitting on the sidelines until the dust settles and order is restored in the financial markets. They don’t have to buy or sell a home or move, so they hold off, thereby brining the high end market to a screeching halt.

That was my hunch. But what does the data say?

Market data for the high-end Boulder market reveals a mixed message. It’s a story of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. First…

The Good:

Contrary to my suspicion that the high-end market came to a standstill on Sept 15, the number of homes priced above $1 million in Boulder proper that went under contract from 9/15/08 to 10/15/08 was 10, twice as many as the 5 homes that went under contract in the same period a year ago.

Wow, the high end market is on fire! Credit Crisis……Schmedit Crisis….luxury buyers remain above the fray and my hunch of a slow down is all wrong! Well, not so fast…

The Bad:

The number of million plus homes that actually closed and sold from 9/15/08 to 10/15/08 in Boulder proper was 3. That’s right….3 closes in a 30 day period. Ouch! Last year, 12 million plus homes closed in the same period. From 12 to 3, that’s a 75% reduction in transactional volume year over year.

The Ugly:

A key statistic in determining the state of a given market is the Absorption Rate. It’s a fancy term that describes how long it will take at current sales volumes to absorb all of the homes currently on the market. The actual figure is determined by dividing the number of active listings by the number of closed sales in the last month.

This is where things get ugly in the Boulder high end market. As of 10/15/08, there were 140 active single family homes listed in Boulder proper for more than $1 million. At 3 closes in the previous month, that comes out to staggeringly high 46.7 months of inventory on the market. In other words, it will take nearly 4 years to absorb today’s inventory of high priced homes.

In short, based on my own feel for the market and the actual data since Sept 15, I believe that the market for higher priced homes in Boulder and all of the other luxury markets across the Front Range are going to slow considerably through the Fall.

I would not be surprised by a 50-75% reduction in sales in Q4 of this year compared to last year for homes above $1 million. I will keep you posted with updates as new market data comes available.

Q: Where in the World is the Front Range?

A: The Colorado Front Range is an informal, colloquial term for Colorado’s most populated region.  It’s just east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and contains the state’s largest cities and suburbs.

From north to south, Colorado Front Range communities include:

As well as:

Centennial, Larkspur, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, Colorado Springs, Fountain, Pueblo, Estes Park, and others.  View a complete list of cities Colorado HomeFinder serves.

Colorado has a long and rich history beginning with the gold rush attracting residents from far and wide, and today, the state’s economy is diversified, noted for its concentration of scientific research and high-technology industries.  Other booming industries here include food processing, transportation equipment, machinery, chemical products, minerals, and tourism.

But with the help of Coors Brewing Company in Golden,  Colorado also produces the largest amount of beer of any state. Not coincidentally, Coors Field in LoDo is always a good place to pick up a brew. But it’s not just all fun and games.  The federal government is also a major economic force in the state, hosting important federal facilities including NORAD and the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. NIST makes its home in Boulder, and the U.S. Geological Survey and other government agencies are located at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood. In downtown Denver, you’ll find the governmental landmarks of the Denver Mint and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

In any case, when you visit Colorado, you’re going to want to drink up.  Cheers to that.

Consider the vast area of Colorado: Colorado bears the distinction of being the highest low point of any U.S. state. The Colorado Mineral Belt, stretching from the San Juan Mountains in the southwest to Boulder and Central City on the front range, contains most of the historic gold- and silver-mining districts of Colorado.

At the southwest corner of the state, in an intersection commonly called the Four Corners, it is possible to stand in four states at once: Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado.  And then there are the “fourteeners”–peaks that rise to or above 14,000 feet above sea level.

To look for the property that’s right for you in this vast expanse that attracts national attention with its natural and man-made offerings, turn to our maps, complete with Google’s satellite imagery and detail, and explore:

• Map the 100 Newest Colorado listings
• Map Colorado houses
• Map Colorado condos
• Map Colorado land
• Map Colorado farms and ranches
• Map Colorado income property

When browsing your preferred locales at COhomefinder these days, you’ll find a new-ish feature called Top Categories. And if you happen to be browsing Colorado Springs listings, you’ll find under the “top” category Colorado Springs top neighborhoods, school listings and more.

Particularly if you’re new to learning about Colorado homes and real estate, or the Colorado Springs area, the “top” listings are a great place to start, since these categories are of interest to most home buyers getting a jump on the market. And if top Colorado Springs neighborhoods are where most of your interest lies, the following are today’s Colorado Springs top picks–the neighborhoods with the most activity and buyer interest. They are:

Happy hunting. It’s sure to be a success when you take it from the top.