As the snow falls, bring your guests to Breckenridge real estate to work out inside at the Breckenridge Recreation Center, in the Stephen C. West Ice Arena, and the Gold Run Nordic Center will definitely improve your experiences outdoors.  But the Rec Center also offers a long list of activities, classes, and programs such as yoga, swimming, and Camp After School. 

The Recreation Department at the Rec Center offers drop-in and session-based classes including impressive options to assist with winter conditioning, strength, endurance, acquiring skills, and even social activities.  Exciting new programs are available for individuals and families.  Join up for the Holiday Calorie Burn Challenge, 4×15 Athletic Bosu Training, Mommy and Me Water Sports, expanded Family Gym Playtime, Kindermusik, and Breckenridge Mountain. 

Popular winter hockey leagues and the new Breckenridge Figure Skating Club add a great spin to the Stephen C. West Ice Arena.  Open to skaters of all ages and abilities, skaters will have a chance to practice and compete.  This season new adult specialty skating classes will be offered.

From mid November to early April, the Gold Run Nordic Center will be offering superior grooming, spacious views, and expanded terrain.  This year’s cross-country skiers will find new trails in the Golden Horseshoe area.

And finally, the newly renovated Breckenridge Recreation Center Aquatics Area is a great place to hone the strokes and play.  The Aquatics Area underwent major repairs and upgrades in the pool area and mechanical areas.  The pool has been resurfaced and repaired and features improved ADA accessibility and new digital temperature control systems.

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

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.