The merchants of historic Olde Town Arvada range from a butcher, a baker, and candlestick maker to fun shops where you can feed your creativity need, like Knit Knack. Gerri Bragdon, the owner of Knit Knack, was so helpful that she did her own write-up. I like the fact that it's in her own 'voice', so here it is as she wrote it: "Knit Knack is located in the heart of Olde Town Arvada, an Historic Shopping District dating back to the 1870's. In Knit Knack's two year history, we've created a strong and loyal customer base, and as a result, a knitting and crochet community right here in our shop. We encourage people to sit and knit, meet other knitters and enjoy a latte from our coffee bar, which adds an element of comfort. The antiques and unique displays beckon another visit to a comforta... 08/05/2009

One of the most popular merchants of Olde Town Arvada is the candlestick maker's shop, Nature's Gift Candleworks and Studio The sign in front of the store says, "Come in for the smell of it." And the 'smell of it' is quite a treat! The candles are hand-poured on site, with custom scents and combinations of flowers and herbs peeking through the wax. They will burn down the middle, so the herbs and flowers remain intact. Once it's burned down, you can place a tea light in the hollow, and continue to enjoy the beauty of the botanicals. I really like these candles better than others because the scents are neither overpowering or too sweet. They offer candles in glass containers with lids, and I overheard another loyal customer saying how much she loved those. She said she'd had one for almo... 08/04/2009

Historic Olde Town Arvada is a great place to shop - you can find the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker - along with a whole lot more. To find the Rheinlander German Bakery, just avail yourself of a free Olde Town parking space in the 5700 block of Olde Wadsworth, and follow your nose.  This is a second-generation Dimmer family business, begun in 1963 by Ed & Maro Dimmer. When I visited yesterday, I learned that they've been proud to offer suger free confections for the last 7 to 8 years, and gluten free for the last 4 to 5 years. There's a heart-felt story behind the reason why they offer these products, it's not all about marketing. Read Maro's story here.  This is an excerpt: "Today when I tell people I cannot have sugar or flour, they immediately assume that I am diabeti... 08/01/2009

Once again, there's new homes for sale in Arvada Colorado.  Arvada doesn't have much available land, so most of the new neighborhoods are small - some consisting of a single street. There is one large community going in, for those who have no qualms about living near where the Rocky Flats nuclear plant used to be (now Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Not long ago, Arvada's western border consisted of 'country' - family farms and such. Well, the farms and grasslands are disappearing under the builder's bulldozers. I am of the opinion that the slowdown in building helped Arvada begin to recover more quickly than she would have, existing-home inventory has definitely dropped. Seeing the builders going again is an indication that they have noticed the turn-around. However, the price ra... 07/29/2009

Meadowglen is snuggled up against Pomona Lake to the south, and 88th Ave. to the north, with Club Crest and Pomona on its west and east border.  That puts it at Arvada's northern border, about in the east-west center.  People like Meadowglen because of the lake, tennis courts, community pool, and heavily-treed, winding streets. Meadowglen has the feel of an out-of-the-way neighborhood, but it's near grocery stores, trails, a national wildlife refuge, bus route, bike paths, and several parks. There is a homeowner's association, which keeps the community areas pristine and enforces the bylaws. One of the negatives about life in Meadowglen is that many people feel the homeowner's association is overbearing*. The homes in this neighborhood were built in the late 1970s to early 1980s, which ... 07/28/2009

Olde Town Arvada's historic neighborhoods sprang up in 1870 along the tracks where trains passed through twice a day. Back then, life was all about gold and farming.  These days, people love Arvada's town center for its historic flavor, and long-established neighborhoods. Beautiful homes built just before and after the turn of the century - many of the old Victorians are now zoned commercial, and enjoy a new life as businesses such as shops, restaurants, and the Arvada Historical Society.  But people looking for that historical neighborhood without the hassle and expense of living in Denver can find many farm houses and cottages, and even a Victorian will pop up every now and then. Arvada also has a lot of mid-century neighborhoods, and has created two design idea books to help owners m... 07/26/2009

The Village of Five Parks is located in the northwestern quadrant of Arvada, Colorado. It is bordered on the west by Indiana St., on the north by 87th Parkway, and on the south by the Union Pacific Railroad. People like the Village of Five Parks because of its five parks, community events, main street-style small retail shops, and views of and proximity to the mountains. Negatives include some isolation from major shopping amenities, relatively high homeowner's associaton* fees, the high prices for the homes themselves, and the lack of tree canopy due to the newness of the neighborhood (building started in 2002). The Village of Five Parks has a mix of home styles, but still mainly single family detached (94%). Over half of the residents identify themselves as 'married with children'.  T... 07/25/2009

West Woods Ranch is located in the affluent 80007 zip code of west Arvada, Colorado.It is between 64th and 72nd Avenues, and mostly west of Quaker. There's easy access to Interstate 70 (Colorado's main east-west route), and someday C-470 (Denver's bypass route, still missing the last leg after about 20 years). People like West Woods Ranch because the western location affords a proximity to a more 'country' setting, rather than that 'lost in suburbia' feeling. It's an easy drive to the foothills and mountains (although watch your speed, as I found out while 'touring' with a friend in their new car!). West Woods Ranch contains seventeen smaller communities, which are served by three homeowners associations*. Residents enjoy both mountain and city (Denver) views, trails, West Woods Golf Co... 07/24/2009

Lake Arbor is one of the most popular established neighborhoods in Arvada, Colorado. The popularity is due mainly to the lake itself. Lake Arbor and its surrounding trails, grassy areas, playground, mountain views, and friendly folks hanging out to enjoy Colorado's sunny, clear days makes the neighborhood something special. There's also a public golf course by the same name. There are over 1,000 homes in the Lake Arbor neighborhood.  Lake Arbor children attend school at Little Elementary , Moore Middle School, and Pomona High School. Lake Arbor Golf Course is just north of the neighborhood. It has been recently renovated with a new sprinkler system which keeps the greens in great shape. My husband golfs there, and he says it's a reasonably easy course, tee times aren't too difficult to ... 07/23/2009

There's lots of things to do in Arvada, Colorado, like free 'Concerts in the Park'.  For family fun, pack up blankets or lawn chairs, snacks and drinks (no alcohol) and head to McIlvoy park (just south of 58th and west of Wadsworth). See the 2012 Olde Town Arvada Concert Series Lineup Every summer, Arvada's Festivals Commission sponsors a series of free concerts at McIlvoy Park in Olde Town Arvada.  This year's lineup: June 18 - Golden Eagle Concert Band June 25 - Mojomama (rock) July 16 - Papa Juke (blues) July 30 - The Long Run (Colorado's tribute to the "Eagles") In addition, there are special Children's Performances - 9:30 a.m. Friday mornings at Pioneer Pavilion, 9101 Ralston RoadJuly 10 - Eric West (music for kids)July 24 - Beth Epley (comedy & stories) My husband and I managed to... 07/17/2009

There's a one-level (ranch style) home for sale in Arvada's Pomona Lakes neighborhood, which caught the eye of a neighbor because it's larger than most (1,682 square feet on the main level plus a full finished basement). The asking price was recently lowered to $269,900. So the gentleman and his wife and I went to see the house yesterday. It is definitely good-sized, with a finished basement.  It had been remodeled some over the years (built in 1972), but doesn't have any of the 'wow' items that buyers want today, such as wood floors (there was some older parquet, that needed to be replaced), or granite counters, or new appliances.  It did look well-kept and clean, and we didn't see any deferred maintenance such as rotten fascia or leaking gutters. There are vinyl windows, lots of reces... 07/12/2009

I thought it would be fun to see what my friends who live in the towns northwest of Denver are doing for 4th of July - Independence Day. So I emailed a bunch of them and asked.  Here's what they're planning, read through for ideas of your own. We’ll be in Westcliffe to watch the parade and we’ll be thinking a lot about our founding Fathers and their beliefs. - Georgia We are having kids/grandkids over for a barbeque/Stenger fireworks.  Last year Dave and his girls took us to the Rockies game/fireworks.  I'm hoping your blog will give us some creative ideas for next year!  Hope all is well with you. - Louise (I want to do the Rockies game/fireworks one year soon too, Louise.) Derek and I are venturing up to Granby/Grand Lake for an 8-mile hike and to see the fireworks on Grand Lake with ... 07/02/2009

iPhone(r) App – for those of you who don’t have an iPhone(r), ‘apps’ are features you can add yourself. To use them, you just touch the screen. One of the fun things about owning an iPhone(r) is that total strangers who also have the phone will strike up conversations, telling you about some cool new app you must have. Now, it’s my turn to share.Trulia.com is one of the internet sites I use to market my listings. (I also answer questions posed by home buyers and sellers – you can look me up and see what I’ve said.)  They have a free app that will tell you all the houses for sale near you. That can be wherever you are at the moment, or put in any address.  So you could put in the address of the school you want your kids to attend, and immediately know all the houses for sale near it.Also... 06/10/2009

Out of the 600 homes in this neighborhood, there are only 2 for sale right now.  They’re both listed in the $270s.  Neither of them are distressed sales (foreclosure or short sale). Wow! What a change from the past few years.There are three homes currently under contract – none of them are distressed sales.  We can’t know what their final selling price will be until they close, but if they end up close to their asking prices, there’s definitely the beginning of an upward price trend for this neighborhood. The three under contract homes weren’t on the market long – it was just 7, 15, and 16 days for them to get acceptable offers.It appears that one of them is a fix & flip  – 8380 Estes was just sold Feb. 5 2009 for $154,735.  It was a short sale.  It was remodeled and re-listed on April ... 06/10/2009

Sales statistics for the Five Parks Neighborhood of Arvada, Colorado show a dramatic slowing of homes sold, and a corresponding increase in *absorption rate. *Absorption rate is the amount of time that it would take for the current number of homes for sale to close, assuming no other homes came onto the market, based on the number of homes sold in past years. 2006 saw 44 sales ranging from $250,000 to $635,000. There were no foreclosures or short sales. Many of these homes were new construction.2007 saw 44 sales ranging from $293,000 to $540,000.  There was one short sale.  A few of these sales were new construction. 2008 sales dropped to 28 homes, ranging from $232,200 to $535,000. 2009 is where we see the drastic change.  Almost halfway through the year, only 5 homes have sold, and tw... 06/08/2009

To get all your questions answered by a real, live person. Here's a question I saw on an internet site recently.  This hopeful home buyer was trying to get all these questions answered about a house she found online: does one access the garage from another street? what is the electrical service, 60, 100 or 200 amps?  city water and sewage? taxes? crime? size of hot water heater? age and performance of said? double pane windows? wood burning fireplace? If she had her own agent she could have laid out exactly what she did and didn't want ahead of time, and let the agent do all the work. If you're looking for a home between Denver and Boulder, Colorado (that's Denver's northern and northwestern suburbs) I'd love to help you. You can learn more about me, and read what past clients have to s... 06/07/2009

That is a question I received from a local home buyer recently, about a listing he found on the internet (not one of mine!).  I thought it would be a good excercise for home sellers, who are holding onto the idea that their over-priced house will sell for more than the rest, to read through the answer, from the perspective of the buyer.  Ask yourself - if I was buying a house, would any of these reasons entice me to pay more for this house? My Answer: As you can tell, this house does not have more bedrooms, bathrooms, or square footage than others. All the similar homes you've found are nearly new, have granite counters, wood floors, and stainless steel appliances.They do appear to be essentially the same, and the only way to know if this one has some outstanding feature that the listin... 06/06/2009

Chapter One:  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times - for home buyers. Low interest rates, lots of houses to choose from, yet fear paralyzed multitudes of would-be homeowners. Dire warnings from the media, old folks' tales about how much better things used to be, contributed to dark days. There came a day when a brave and wise young couple decided to go for it and get a home of their own. Their little girl needed a yard to play in, and they wanted a place they could make a home and build memories for the next decade or three.  Wise beyond their years, they knew they could only afford to buy a place that would qualify as a 'fixer'. And they wanted their new home to be in Arvada* - close to family. Their decision made and with firm resolve we set about the task of finding th... 05/14/2009

Arvada life is enhanced by her friendly, hisoric community located about midway between Denver and Boulder, in Jefferson County. The folks at HOTA (Historic Old Towne Arvada) have created another fun annual event - the Ladies Only Sample Tour.  With the participation of vendors such as Penzey's Spices, the Bead Connection, Bliss Cafe, Into the Fire and more, ladies are invited to spend an early evening strolling the historic streets, collecting samples from each shop. I attended with my daughter, Amanda, and her mother-in-law, Linda, and sister-in-law, Summer.  We wore ourselves out and had a great time.  Here's a photo of some of our 'stash'. Amanda especially enjoyed visiting the Army-Navy store, because she used to shop for 'cool stuff' back when she was in middle school.  We all fel... 05/13/2009

My, how I used to love to fly a kite! And we do have some wind here - unfortunately, it was conspicuously absent on the day of Arvada's 2009 Kite Festival.  Still, as you can see in the photos, lots of people got their kites up and had a great time with friends and family. The kite festival was an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.  Local people of all ages, all smiling, music playing, lots of good food.  I had a wonderful caramel apple, my husband had fresh-made donuts (they made them when you ordered them!). Next year, we'll be prepared with a kite of our own!            * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Arvada is a historic town about midway between Denver and Boulder in Jefferson County, Colorado. There are many different neighborhood styles and homes prices, al... 05/08/2009