Also coming up is the End of Summer Concert & Celebration that will be held at the Dillon Amphitheater on Saturday, August 30.  The Lake Dillon Foundation for the Performing Arts presents its Sunset at the Summit concerts all summer featuring a variety of music from jazz to rock.  The final 2008 performance will be held on August 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the Dillon Amphitheater.

This year in July the vibrant Town celebrated its 125th Happy Birthday with a spectacular extravaganza.  The Town of Dillon incorporated in 1883 at the site of a trading post, mirrored today by the Friday Farmers’ Markets that offer a beautiful venue for mingling with the Town’s 3,000 residents (5,200 during peak season).  These are social gatherings for residents of Summit County homes and feature the freshest produce, handmade pastas, breads, pastries, preserves, and more.  The Dillon Farmers’ Market is one of the best anywhere in the high country.  Held on Buffalo Street in the parking lot at the Dillon Amphitheater on Fridays since June 13, the last two opportunities for 2008 are August 29 and September 5 from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

The flexible Town moved three times from its original location at a stage stop.  First, it moved closer to the railroad.  Then, it moved to a location between the Blue River, the Ten Mile River, and the Snake River.  And, finally, when the Denver Water Board determined to create a reservoir at this second location to service the growing metropolitan area with water, residents once again picked up and moved to the shoreline of the new reservoir.

And it has only looked back to celebrate.  Now a full-service community, the community offers splendid views, an abundance of water and recreational activities, and proximity to several world-class ski resorts and resort activities.  For friendly and professional real-estate assistance in the resort areas of the Rocky Mountains, contact Jonna Beardsley of Breckenridge Associates at (970) 453-2200 or (800) 774-7970.

Looking closer at the needs of vacation-home owners, 66 percent want to be near water—a river, lake or ocean.  (Our playground includes the Blue River, Snake River, Dillon Reservoir and other wonderfully refreshing splashes in the forest and mountains.)  Thirty-nine percent want to be near recreational and sporting activities. (We boast a glorious array of recreational activities and year-round sports activities).  Thirty-eight percent want their vacation homes to be located close to vacation or resort areas. (That’s us!)  Thirty-one percent want to be close to mountains and other natural scenery. (We are nestled in one of the most beautiful mountain settings found anywhere.)

The average vacation-home owner earned $120,000 in 2007 and is 59 years old.  Even so, 5 percent live in manufactured homes, 22 percent in cabins and cottages, and 40 percent purchased single-family homes for their vacation residences.  Half are in resort or recreational areas, 18 percent in small towns ,and 16 percent preferred the rural areas.

Eight of 10 people drive to their vacation homes.  The survey revealed property owners in Summit County have a primary residence an average of only 220 miles away.  About 1/3 live less than 100 miles away and 1/3 are 500 miles or more.  The vast majority (3/4) purchased vacation homes for personal use and 1/3 to diversify investments.  Almost 1/5 hopes to retire to their vacation properties.

Contact Jonna Beardsley at (970) 453-2200 or (800) 774-7970 to learn about available properties in the resort areas.

There could be artifacts left in Breckenridge by nomadic tribes.  Both the White River and Middle Park Utes came here during the summertime to hunt.  More likely, deep down under, we’d find more gold and silver and other precious gems and minerals.  But if we mine those riches, we’ll lose our beautiful homes in Breckenridge and the richly rewarding experiences of our ski trips and warm-weather golfing trips.

According to Gilliland, it is true that ten years after an 1898 robbery, some local children playing on a mountainside near Kokoma discovered two gold watches, a chain, and a pearl-handled revolver.  Thankfully, the monogram on one watch led authorities to the owner, Robert Foote, who had been robbed at gun point by the notorious Pug Ryan.  Mr. Foote returned to the site with the children and uncovered still another treasured object, a large diamond that he had been missing for ten years.

With all of the ruckus and lawlessness that accompanied the gold and silver rushes into the Rocky Mountains, who knows what else we’ll find.  If one person staked a claim, hundreds more would hurry to the area to look for more gold.  Some mining camps created mighty strict rules to deal with the claim jumpers and robbers.  If someone robbed a stagecoach at 6:00 a.m. and was tracked down and put on trial, that person could be hanging from a tree by 2:00 p.m.  Even so, plenty of scoundrels like Pug Ryan were very hard to catch in the forested mountains.  (Pug, identifiable by a PUG tattoo on his arm, was finally captured during another crime in Washington State.)

Our communities slowly refined themselves over the following century.  Towns incorporated and created bylaws and infrastructure and services.  Dedicated citizens built comfortable houses, churches, schools, grocery stores, hotels, post offices, banks, and drug stores offsetting the array of saloons and red-light districts.  After the gold and silver rushes ended, the smaller communities stabilized themselves until the coming of the Eisenhower Tunnel which cleared the way for the modern ski resorts and vacation towns.

With our yards and hillsides covered with several feet of snow during many months of the year, who has time to search for buried treasure?  But, if you happen to uncover a tin can someday while you are planting a tree or putting in a fence post, take the time to look inside.   A chunk of gold is bringing in quite a lot these days.

For information about real estate in the county, call Jonna Beardsley of Breckenridge Associates at (970) 453-2200 or (800) 774-7970.

Realtors are trained.  They spend years learning all of the little nuances about buying and selling homes in Breckenridge, Keystone, Dillon as well as other Rocky Mountain resort real estate in Summit County.  The key is to hire someone more knowledgeable than you are and that means choosing the right person to go to bat for you.  They will probably save you in the long run.

Realtors are submerged in their business.  They know the homes, neighborhoods, prices on the market, problems with properties or finances.  The wealth of information comes in very handy when pricing your home.  And they will guide clients to make the best choices by highlighting all of the data and variables, market supply, demand, and conditions.  The best realtors are great negotiators.  Utilizing an impersonal approach based upon years of doing business, they can remove themselves from the emotional aspects of the transaction.  Their professional demeanor keeps the client’s interests at the forefront and ensures confidential business interactions.

Since many factors can determine how a client should proceed, real estate agents will research information to keep you abreast.  They’ll find out about market conditions, average cost per square foot for similar properties, median sales prices, average sales prices, the days on the market, ratios of list-to-sold prices, and other information.

Another important value that realtors bring to the table is their professional association with other realtors, service providers, and vendors.  They can also refer you and provide background information, for example, to a property management company.

A trained realtor stands between the buyers and the sellers, moving the interactions and transactions up a professional notch.  He or she will take the calls, filter information, and only bring you what you are looking for.  Making those long purchase agreements seem like kid’s books, they also keep tabs on the state and federally mandated disclosures.  Long after the closing, your agent can answer questions about property tax assessments, transfer taxes, and a number of other little (and big) details that come up.  With a vested interested in making you a happy client for your sake and for the sake of future referrals and repeat business, your realtor will provide the support that you need when making big decisions.