Thinking about buying a home in the beautiful Denver to Boulder corridor? Did you know that the term, 'agent' has special meaning in Colorado?  That's one way Colorado's different than many other states when it comes to buying a house. It's an important term to understand, and we're required by law to explain it. Understanding what 'agent' means in Colorado will protect you. It will keep you from sharing private info with someone you thought was working for you when they're really working for the seller. In Colorado a person is not your agent - they are not working on your behalf - unless you've signed a written agency agreement. Here's some examples. You find a house for sale on the internet, call the listor and ask to see it. The friendly listing agent meets you there, and shows the h... 06/05/2008

Last week, my friend Dee and I were thinking about doing something just for fun. Preferably something easy and cheap. So we kicked around ideas - what would we do if we were tourists visiting here?  What have we wanted to do and just not gotten around to?  She suggested the Celestial Seasonings Tour - and it met all the criteria, so off we went. Easy - couldn't be easier. They're open for tours every day except major holidays. No reservations needed, just show up.  Tours start every hour and while you wait, there's plenty to do. Sample teas, check out the displays, or have something to munch at the cafeteria. Also easy to find - just go to their website for directions.  Just a short drive from Arvada, Broomfield, Westminster. Cheap - couldn't be cheaper (free!). At least, it's free unti... 05/27/2008

I never thought I'd have much to say about tornadoes, living as I do in Arvada, Colorado between Denver and Boulder. I've lived here 15 years, and only heard of small tornadoes way out east in the farm lands.  But as you know if you've seen the news the past couple of days, we have six or seven tornadoes on Thursday, and one of them was a biggie! It went right through the town of Windsor, which is too close to the college town of Fort Collins for comfort. Afterward, thousands were without power, hundreds hurt and one killed.  I never did hear how many ended up homeless.  Shelters were open within a couple of hours. That's all pretty standard news after a destructive event like a tornado, hurricane, or earth quake. But I heard on last night's news something different - something that spe... 05/24/2008

If you're over 60, and your house needs to be painted, call Brothers Redevelopment right away (303-202-6340).  You do have to demonstrate financial need, I don't have the details on that. But peeling paint is something that needs to be taken care of.  A new paint job will save money on future repairs, and stave off problems when you want to sell. What a great way to add value and life expectancy to your real estate! If you want to sell your house, most buyers will be getting FHA loans, and FHA will not approve a loan on an older home that has peeling paint because of concerns over lead. So why wait until you're stressed out, in the middle of trying to sell your house, and you're forced to slap up some paint under pressure?  If you know someone who needs this service, you can nominate th... 05/17/2008

For the areas of Jefferson County North, Jefferson County North Central, Jefferson County West and the little bit that falls in the North Suburban West, following are monthly sales statistics:April - 140 total home sales.  Price up to 250,000 (81 home sales), 250,001-500,000 (53 home sales) and 500,000-4,000,000 (6 home sales)May - 169 total home sales.  Price up to 250,000 (84 home sales), 250,001-500,000 (65 home sales) and 500,000-4,000,000 (20 home sales)June - 172 total home sales.  Price up to 250,000 (96 home sales), 250,001-500,000 (64 home sales) and 500,000-4,000,000 (12 home sales)July - 127 total home sales.  Price up to 250,000 (70 home sales), 250,001-500,000 (47 home sales) and 500,000-4,000,000 (10 home sales)August - 137 total home sales.  Price up to 250,000 (71 home s... 01/27/2008

According to Shaklee, an average home generates over 25 pounds of toxic hazardous waste each year.  Much of this waste can be attributed to household cleaning products. The EPA says that only a fraction of the more than 75,000 registered chemicals have gone through testing for human health concerns.According to the 15-year study presented at the Toronto Indoor Air Conference, women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. The study concluded that this was a direct result of the increased exposure to toxic chemicals, many of which are found in common household products.More than 9 out of 10 suspected poison exposures occur at home with household products.For more information about environmentally friendly cleaning products that are saf... 07/16/2007

Home sales are up from February!!  For the month of March total home sales for the Arvada area were up by 37 homes from the month of February.  For single-family residential homes, in the price range of $0-$250,000 there were 58 sales, from $250,001-$350,000 there were 36 sales, from $350,001-$450,000 there were 10 sales, from $450,001-$600,000 there were 8 sales, and from $600,001-1,000,000 there were 2 sales.  I pulled this information from MLS (Metrolist).  Condos, townhomes or mobile homes were not included in my search.  Remember that Arvada has a small portion of homes that fall into Adams County.  04/03/2007

I attended a meeting spotlighting Arvada.  Here is a list of some of the new housing coming to the Arvada area: Arden Acres Subdivision 7300 West 62nd Avenue - Single family (approved)Arvada Retirement Residence 72nd & Kipling - Senior housing (under construction)Arvada Water Tower 54th & 55th & Olde Wadsworth - Apartments, townhomes, condos, lofts (under construction)Boyd Property 64th & Quaker - Mixed housing (approved)Carr Street Townhomes 5171 Carr Street - Townhomes (approved)Cimarron Park 96th & Indiana - Single family and multi family (approved)Cottonwood Ridge 7025 West 61st Avenue - Single family (under construction)Delmonico Annexation 7898 Alkire Street - Single family (under review)Eagleview Estates 13745 West 76th Avenue - Single family (under construction)Estates at Ralsto... 03/05/2007

I attended a meeting a couple weeks ago spotlighting Arvada.  Following is a list of non-residential property development going on in the Arvada area.Arvada Marketplace at 52nd & Wadsworth - gas station (under review)Arvada Retail Shoppes at 55th & Wadsworth -  Commercial (under review)Arvada Ridge at 51st & Kipling - Big 5, Jack-in-the Box and Panda Express (under review)Arvada Water Tower at 55th & Wadsworth - Retail (approved)Cottonwood Park Professional Offices at 69th & Indiana - Commercial (under review)Echter's Greenhouse at 51st & Garrison - Greenhouse/Nursery (under review)Executive Plaza at Tower Place at 53rd & Xenon - Industrial (approved)Faith Bible West Parking Lot Expansion at 6250 Wright Street (approved)Grandview Plaza at Grandview & Olde Wadsworth - Commercial (under c... 03/05/2007

Ever drive by a sign for a parcel of property for sale and wonder what the zoning code means?  Well, here is a list of of some of those zoning codes:A-1 - Agricultural DistrictC-1 - Conversation DistrictR-E - Residential Estate DistrictR-L -  Residential Low Density DistrictR-SL - Residential Small Lot Low Density DistrictR-I - One and Two Family Residence DistrictR-MD - Residential Medium Density DistrictR-M - Residential Multi-Family DistrictPUD-R - Planned Unit Development Residential DistrictPUD-BPR - Planned Unit Development Business Professional Residential DistrictPUD-BP - Planned Unit Development Business Professional DistrictP-1 - Professional OfficesB-1 - Neighborhood Business DistrictB-2 - General Business DistrictB-3 - Central Business DistrictB-4 - Intensive Business Distri... 03/05/2007

For the month of February total home sales for the Arvada area were a little bit less than for the month of January (but I suppose there were less days too).  For single-family residential homes, in the price range of $0-$250,000 there were 47 sales, from $250,001-$350,000 there were 15 sales, from $350,001-$450,000 there were 10 sales, from $450,001-$600,000 there were 5 sales.  I pulled this information from MLS (Metrolist).  Condos, townhomes or mobile homes were not included in my search.  Remember that Arvada has a small portion of homes that fall into Adams County.  03/05/2007

With all that you hear on the radio, television, and in the newspaper, you would think that NOTHING is selling in Colorado.  Well here it is....for the City of Arvada, during the month of January, there were a total of 85 homes sold!  For residential homes, in the price range of $0-$200,000 there were 25 sales, from $200,001-$350,000 there were 41 sales, from $350,001-$500,000 there were 15 homes, and from $500,001-$5,000,000 there were 4.  So, there is hope, and there are people buying!!!  I pulled this information from MLS (Metrolist).  Condos, townhomes or mobile homes were not included in my search.  Did you know that Arvada extends into Adams County??? 02/12/2007

The City of Arvada is a home rule municipality (is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a state to government at national, regional or local level. It differs from federalism in that the powers devolved may be temporary and ultimately reside in central government, thus the state remains, de jure, unitary) located in Jefferson County and Adams County of the State of Colorado. Arvada is located 7 miles (11 kilometers) northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Arvada was 103,966 in 2005, an increase of 1.77% since the 2000 census. Arvada is the eighth most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 241st most populous city in the United States.The first documented gold discovery here oc... 02/12/2007

Mainstage TheaterThe Subject Was RosesJanuary 30, 2007 - February 25, 2007Do I Hear a Waltz?April 17, 2007 - May 13, 2007The Best Little Whorehouse in TexasJune 26, 2007 - July 29, 2007Black Box TheaterQueen of BingoFebruary 6, 2007 - February 18, 2007Doña Rosita's Jalapeño KitchenMarch 9, 2007 - March 10, 2007Mainstage Theater Special EngagementsThe Capitol StepsMarch 4, 2007Children's TheaterThe Dinosaur PlayFebruary 13, 2007 - May 4, 2007Children's Theater Special EngagementsLazer VaudevilleApril 1, 2007Upcoming Concerts and Special EventsThe PersuasionsMarch 24, 2007, 7:30PMFront Range Youth Symphony Spring ConcertApril 23, 2007, 7:00pmJeffrey Siegel Keyboard Conversations®Liszt: The Devil Made Me Do It!April 4, 2007, 7:30PMMusic with a ViewMercury EnsembleFebruary 22, 2007, 7:00PMM... 02/10/2007