As we wind out of summer and into fall, it’s a time to reflect on our gardens and landscaping.

But if you made it through another summer and never got around to building that raised garden bed, or transition your landscaping to require less water, here are a few ideas…

Community Garden. Condo/townhome and small home living is great as it usually requires less maintenance, but sometimes there’s just not enough space for the vegetable garden of your dreams.  If that is the case, consider a community garden. Recently, CU researchers published that community gardens have a positive influence on both the individual gardener and the neighborhood.  The study finds that they “eat more vegetables, exercise more, weigh less and feel healthier than nongardeners—and even home gardeners—in the Denver-metro area.”

Landscaping.  For those who live in Boulder county, check out the Center for Resource Conservation’s Garden-In-A-Box.  These carefully designed xeriscape gardens are low-water landscapes, which utilize water-wise plants specifically cultivated to bloom in Boulder’s arid climate.

Container Gardening. If you have at least a porch but are otherwise limited with space, consider a container garden and plant your favorite herbs, flowers and small veggie plants.  It’s also great for keeping a garden as we get into the winter months.

Home Gardening. And, if you have the space, there is little more satisfying than producing your own harvest from your own backyard. David, a Colorado homeowner, blogger and gardener writes of his garden: “Even with all of that going on, our garden is still producing food like crazy! The weather is markedly cooler (no more 100 days!) and we’ve been having some fluctuation in the amount of moisture coming from the sky. Autumn is coming, but that doesn’t seem to stop our garden from tossing out the last of the season’s bounty.”

Just check out a few of his photos and you can’t help but want more garden space or start your own garden.

Garden with peppers ready to harvest, courtesy of NotQuiteHippie.com

Did you have a garden this season?  If you did, and your crops are growing strong, consider canning.

A garden's harvest turned to preserved food

And gather the cherries from the neighborhood fruit trees to make a delicious jar of cherry preserves with this recipe.

Remember it’s never to late to start planning your garden, whether it’s contained to a potted plant or a series of raised garden beds.

http://8z.com/articles/my-secret-micro-garden

John Rebchook from InsideRealEstateNews.com recently sat down with Lane Hornung, the President and CEO of 8z Real Estate for a conversation.  This monthly feature on Inside Real Estate News is themed about the Millennials (also known as the Generation Y, Generation Next and Echo Boomers) and the generation’s uneasiness about home purchases from the several years of economic downturn.

The millennials are the largest demographic category in U.S. history with an estimated 80 million members in the US. They were born from 1982 to 2000. This generation, coming to age, at least in terms of real estate purchases are an interesting group to consider.

The millennials are important for the real estate industry. There are more than the Baby Boomers, but they have a very different view of real estate.

As Lane Hornung said, “The ones who have already bought, may already have been burned by the downturn. The ones who haven’t bought are skeptical. They’ve seen what has happened to their parents, friends or other family members.”

Rather than looking forward to buying a first home many prefer to continue renting. Yet this, like many things will likely pass.  ‘They will want home ownership. But they will be buying for different reasons.  They will be buying for community, not so much for an investment.

For the full interview and more insights visit John and Lane’s article on 8z Real Estate

The news over the past several years has continued to focus on the real estate market and Colorado news is no different.

The economy has many home owners and potentially home buyers thinking carefully whether or not they can or want to buy a home at this time.

It should be no surprise then that in Colorado rents are rising and vacancies are falling. John Rebchook reported this in a recent article.

He and the experts in his article discuss the falling vacancies are influenced by a multitude of factors, from local real estate to the local economy including employment.  A few considerations include,

• The expiration of the tax credit and many first time home buyers being hesitant to buy or unable to qualify for a loan.
• Many young people moving to Colorado, where more jobs are perceived to be available.

He also reported the vacancy rates and average rents throughout the Denver metro and Front Range, in a separate article,  including:

2011’s first quarter vacancy rates by county were :

• Adams, 5.6 percent.
• Arapahoe, 6.4 percent.
• Boulder/Broomfield, 4.9 percent.
• Denver, 4.8 percent.
• Douglas, 5.3 percent.
• Jefferson, 4.7 percent.

Median rents for all counties were:

• Adams, $871.
• Arapahoe, $825.
• Boulder/Broomfield, $961.
• Denver, $818.
• Douglas, $1061.
• Jefferson, $828.

Currently the prices for renting are still less than buying.  There could be a shift in vacancies when more first time buyers choose to buy when it makes more economic sense in comparison with buying.

Trying to consider if buying a home in Colorado makes sense for you? 8z Real Estate has Colorado real estate brokers who can focus you property search for homes that meet your criteria and budget.  Or are you wanting to own Colorado real estate investment property?  We have brokers with experience in investment properties from Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs.

The beautiful views, active lifestyle and sunshine bring many retirees to Colorado.

Loveland Colorado has been voted as one of the best places to retire, including being recognized by US News.

Some of the most popular neighborhoods in Loveland include:

• Boise Village North
• Kendall Brook
• Mariana Butte
• Alford Meadows
• The Cottages At Enchantment Ridge
• The Enclave At Enchantment Ridge

Think Colorado right be the right place for you?  There are several age restricted communities, also known as 55+ communities.  They include:

• Valley Hi in Colorado Springs
• Ridge at Stony Creek in Littleton
• Anthem Ranch in Broomfield
• Gate N Green in Broomfield
• Mackenzie Place in Colorado Springs
• West Point Village in Longmont
• Windsor Gardens East in Denver
• The Centennial at Riverwalk in Littleton
• Sunflower in Fort Collins

It feels pretty far from Spring and Summer with multiple nights below zero in Colorado.  But for those who are ready for gardening season, it’s none too early.  As our Boulder neighbor reminds us in an 8z Real Estate article- an indoor garden is easy and fun to do.

All you need is:

• Pots
• Potting soil
• Herb seeds such as Basil and Parsley
• A south facing window

For more information about gardening visit your local CSU Extension Office or Master Gardeners group.

For those who enjoy gardening and are looking for a Colorado homes or Colorado land for sale, be sure to visit COhomefinder.  If you find your perfect Colorado property now, you should still have time to plant the first seeds in your garden for the season.

At HighRGround we’re fans of Colorado and the Colorado lifestyle.  One city along the Denver-Boulder corridor that allows residents to enjoy the best of Boulder and Denver is Westminster.

Westminster Colorado has over 100k residents and nearly 40k homes as reported by city-data.com.

Not just a commuter’s town Westminster has luxury neighborhoods too which draws residents in, including The Ranch Reserve and Lexington Shores.

According to COhomefinder data there are 978 properties listed in Westminster ranging from  $32k to $2.69-million.

But Westminster is still more than just homes, its about the community. A few popular highlights to Westminster for families include:

The Butterfly and Insect Pavilion which is entertaining for family of all ages.

Westminster also has several golf courses including Legacy Ridge, Hyland Hills and Heritage at Westmoor.  (For those who want to live on or near a golf course, there are lots of homes that add convenience for golfing too)

As Westminster has grown in the past several years so have the number of trails, recreation centers and shopping for everyone in the family.

And if Westminster is right for your, meet your local 8z Real Estate brokers to take a look at the homes and neighborhoods best for you.

It’s the Eve of Thanksgiving, and seems as if the holidays started even earlier this year, doesn’t it?

If you live in the Denver metro area and haven’t started to take a look at the holiday schedule, it’s best to plan ahead and keep from missing out on the best attractions.

This year visitors to the Denver Downtown area will have a new free public ice arena to enjoy – it’s the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park in the 16th Street Mall vicinity, and Arapahoe.  Of course Boulder residents have known now for several winters how much fun a trip to the local ice rink is just off of Pearl Street.

And coming up soon, is Denver’s Parade of Lights – it’s always the first weekend after Thanksgiving.  The themed parade is free to watch along the route, or you can purchase tickets for the grandstands by the City and Capitol buildings.  People from across the state visit to kick of their holiday spirit.

This year popular Denver venues will also be exhibiting their light displays for the holidays including The Botanic Garden’s Blossoms of Light, The Denver Zoo’s Zoo Lights, and the Butterfly Pavilion’s Living Lights.

So just remember that there is a lot more to the holidays than bumper to bumper shopping center parking lot traffic and be sure that you stop and enjoy the Holiday spirit this year!

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!