If your home is occupied while it is on the market, then residents can begin by removing the clutter and cleaning.  The next step is to take an objective look at the property.  How do the landscaping and exterior strike you?  When you walk up to the door, what do you notice?  Does anything look unkempt or is anything in ill repair?  Take notes. 

Do the same thing upon entering the home.  What is your first impression?  Are the carpets clean?  Is there a pet odor?  Does the carpet need to be replaced altogether, or do the hardwood floors need to be refinished?

How does the furniture look?  Does it make a statement about the home, or has it seen better days?  Slip covers and throw pillows may save the day.  But, sometimes it is best to purchase a room full of new furniture to completely update the room.  A few accessories can also make a big difference. 

The least expensive way to improve the overall look of the home is to apply a fresh coat of paint.  When choosing paint colors, paint one room at a time.  Look at the sample color on the wall in daytime, evening, and night with the shades drawn and open before painting the entire room.  Over half of the color in a room comes from the walls.  Color must enhance the ambience and not take over.  And examine the window coverings to decide if they need to go or to be replaced.  If they will remain, clean them. 

Showcase the space of the home as well as the furnishings.  Too many “things” in the home are just as uncomfortable as nothing at all.

Accomplishing these tasks will all be easier for the seller who has a flare for design.  But, regardless, asking a friend for objective opinions or hiring an interior designer or asking your real estate agent for help may save you money in the long run.

If a home is empty, then the best strategy for a quicker and more lucrative sale is definitely to have it staged.  Adding furniture and accessories may make several months and tens of thousands of dollars of difference during the transaction.  Interior decorators can be a great resource to help boost the curb appeal of the home.  And, if you’d like to stay out of the picture, your real-estate agent can find a professional staging company to help out. 

Contact Jonna Beardsley at (970) 453-2200 or (800) 774-7970 for friendly and professional real-estate assistance in the area.

The non-profit facility is an important initiative of the Town of Breckenridge, who funded the design and construction.  Designed like a custom home, Timberline is a state-of-the-art facility.  The light and airy feel is partially due to the decision to build green.  Other important features include a security system, storage, meeting rooms, and a multipurpose room.

Director Leslie Davis, a 15-year resident of Summit County, has worked the gamut with children—nanny, social worker, teacher, preschool director, board of directors, including years at the Carriage House and Little Red Schoolhouse.  After a three year hiatus across the nation, Davis returned.  According to the Summit Daily News, “Part of what she loves about the area is the community feel,” and quoting Davis, “It takes a village…it’s a community that nurtures youth.”  The Town of Breckenridge consulted with Davis during the development of the Center to be sure to get all of the details right.  Both the building and the programs reflect the community’s interests.

As a sustainable and energy efficient facility, the building incorporates several alternative energy options.  Design allows more alternative energy technologies such as geothermal, solar and wind to be incorporated over time as the costs of installation are reduced by the industry.  Right now, the building is oriented and architecturally designed with roof pitch to maximize solar gain.  Other principles incorporated into the design include water use reduction, water-efficient landscaping, recycled materials, local materials, and construction waste management. 

The Timberline Learning Center is located at the corner of Valley Brook Road and Airport Road beside the new police facility.  It boosts the local capacity for early infants through toddlers by 67 spaces with enrollment, hiring, and creating a board of directors being the job of Leslie Davis.  Welcome children!

Realtor® Jonna Beardsley can be reached at (970) 453-2200 or (800) 774-7970 for friendly and professional real-estate assistance in the resort areas.

For information about real estate in Breckenridge, Dillon, Keystone, Frisco, Silverthorne, and Park County real estate, contact longtime resident and Realtor® Jonna Beardsley at (970) 390-2533.  She’ll let you know the best values for Breckenridge real estate or homes in Summit County Colorado to make your family feel right at home during the Snow Sculpting Contest and ski season. 

Back in the 1970s we always held snow sculpturing contests as a part of the Ullr Fest and the creative masterpieces lined Main Street all during the Christmas seasons.  In those days, the artists were permitted to use stabilizing structures inside the artwork and so it did last longer.  That was 40 years ago and that small community event has grown into the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Competition that we will also hold here during the latter part of January. 

Our very own Rob Neyland at Breckenridge Associates is a 30-year champion of the art and will be sponsoring the first annual local event with teammates Ron Shelton and Tom Day.  This take on the art should prove to be spectacular.  There will be no rules regarding the methods and $2,500 in prize money that has been raised by Breckenridge Associates for the event.  Participants must only obtain permission for a site for their artwork and have it completed by December 12, 2008.  Now, if your family and friends want to team up to build your own colorful celestial snowman on Main Street, contact Breckenridge Associated to learn about the details. 

The historic Town of Breckenridge is the county seat of Summit County, Colorado and boasts a year-round population of 3,500.  During the winter months, it is one of the most popular of the ski resorts in North America and offers multi-difficulty ski slopes and terrain parks on the Rocky Mountains.  Equally appealing are a plethora of summer activities such as hiking, camping, wildflower walks, fly-fishing in the Blue River, mountain biking, and boating on nearby Lake Dillon for boating as well as a full calendar of community and cultural events and festivals.

Average sales prices have marched right up the chart at a steady incline.  In 1993, we sold 796 Breckenridge CO homes at an average sales price of $145,661.  The next year we sold 738 at an average price of $174,179.  It took four years to move from $202,587 to $294,993.  In 1999, the average sales price for 766 homes was $349,030 followed by $357,591 in 200, $397,820 in 2001.  Prices hiccupped down to $374,736 in 2002 and the next year prices were back up to $395,875, followed by $403,192 in 2004. 

Average home prices took giant steps in 2005, 2006, and 2007 when we sold 1113, 1029, and 691 homes averaging $481,419, $581,876, and $688,853, respectively.

In Summit County residential real estate, there is a similar picture.  In 1993, 1952 homes sold for an average sales price of $132,769.  In 1994, 2002 averaged $154,043 and in 1995 1590 averaged $185,110.  Then it took four years to march through the $200s.  It took six years to bounce through the $300s with average prices of $317,024, $346,446, $323,244, and $325,312, $346,578, and $393,003.  Finally, in 2006, 2809 homes sold for $453, 689 and in 2007, 1993 homes sold for an average of $520,280.

During the years of the real-estate crunch, our investments continue to appreciate at astounding rates.  Residential sales in the county include a total sales volume of $1,036,918,210.  Lot sales in the county account for another $112,373,645 in 2007.  

As the community being surrounded by national forestland approaches build-out, the price points are predicted to escalate even further.  Anyone wanting to invest in second homes, vacation homes, retirement homes, and even first-time acquisitions is advised to get into their investments as soon as possible.  Interest rates, government-backed loans, and years of wonderful use of the property make the investment irresistible.

For information about real estate in the area, contact longtime resident and Realtor Jonna Beardsley at (970) 390-2533.

The Boreas Pass Road just south of Breckenridge CO homes peaks at 12,000 feet with panoramic views of the Continental Divide and Blue River Valley and large stands of golden quivering aspen from early September to early October.  Evergreens contrast with the vibrant tones of ruby, oranges, yellows, and browns, the endless fusion of color is short lived. 

Falling leaves, pristine forests, and splendid mountain peaks are why so many inquire about real estate in the historic and Victorian Town of Breckenridge.  Her unique museums, old dredge boats, gold mines, and many a tall Western tale offer a sense of continuity, small-town community, and a colorful international flair.

Why do the leaves change color?  Maybe Jack Frost did inspire the chemical processes.  Longer and warmer spring and summer days produce the pigment chlorophyll as well as yellow and orange carotenoids.  In the autumn, the shorter and cooler days stop the production of the green chlorophyll that feeds the leaves.  Then the carotenoids slowly begin to do their dance and other chemical changes may occur, causing the formation of additional pigments that vary from yellow to red to blue.  That’s when the reddish and purplish fall colors get sprinkled in. 

Much of our autumn foliage is quaking aspen that turns golden.  Oaks turn from greens to browns; beech turns golden bronze, dogwood and sumac purples.  

The degree of color may vary from tree to tree.  For example, a part of the tree that is directly exposed to the sun may turn red and leaves on the same tree with less exposure may turn yellow.  An unhealthy tree may never show bright colors.  Weather conditions also affect the year’s display.  The most vivid colors appear after a warm dry summer and early autumn rains that prevent early leaf fall.  Long periods of wet weather in the fall produce drab coloration while droughts favor the production of anthocyanin and red pigment due to the reduction of nitrate absorption.

What cannot be seen is the production of a special layer of cells at the base of the leafstalk where it is attached to the twig.  These cells gradually sever the tissues that support the leaf, allowing the twig to heal after each leaf falls.  The bed of fallen leaves provides water-absorbing humus as the potassium- and calcium-rich forest floor once again dissolves to feed the forest ecosystem.

Contact Jonna Beardsley at (970) 453-2200 or (800) 774-7970 for friendly professional real-estate assistance.

The new green code is just the beginning of a substantial effort to change the fact that 40 percent of the Summit County waste stream comes from construction and deconstruction.  This step echoes the new Summit County code and will result in Breckenridge real estate with greater efficiency and lower energy usage.  Our vacation paradise of homes around the Breckenridge Ski Resort and surrounding national forests will not go the way of many municipalities that are beset with grand issues like reducing smog and cleaning out airways and waterways that have already reached dangerously toxic levels.

Some homeowners in Breckenridge have already been using long-life light bulbs and energy saving appliances or recycling, but beginning in the New Year of 2009, a sustainability code impacting new construction.  Single-family homes, multi-family homes, additions, remodels, and the residential areas of mixed-use developments will be affected at that time.  All homeowners will be required to install energy efficient replacement windows during remodels.

Builders must earn a score of zero or better to be in compliance.  Chief building official Glen Morgan, as quoted in the Breckenridge Associates’ e-newsletter, says, “The bigger the house gets, the more green initiatives will be needed.”  Stricter guidelines are in place for homes greater than 3,000 square feet.  The complicated code outlines a series of criteria that will determine how large a home can be and how many amenities are acceptable.  If a home uses more energy, it will be required to offset that usage.   For example, solar panels could be installed to offset the energy required to heat a driveway and outdoor hot tubs. 

The fabulous Rocky Mountains, rivers, and national forests must be guarded for prosperity as a retreat and refuge tucked in the folds of Mother Nature for retirees, skiers, family vacation homes and for those of us to appreciate our pristine wonderland.  Call Jonna Beardsley of Breckenridge Associates at (970) 453-2200 or (800) 774-7970 for friendly and professional real-estate assistance in the resort areas.