Boulder County Farmer's Market is Back!   This Saturday, April 2nd,  kicks off this year's Boulder County Farmer's Market.  The Boulder County Farmer's Market started in 1986 and has since been growing stronger and getting bigger every year. Located on 13th Street between Arapahoe and Canyon, the Boulder County Farmer's Market features Local Vendors selling products made and/or grown by local artisans and farmers. This year, there will be increased space for booths and pedestrians thanks to the City of Boulder who reportedly is spending approximately $120,000 to update and renovate the market area by removing dead and diseased trees some of which are in curbed areas known as "tree islands." This Year's Farmer's Market in Boulder is scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 2nd and  will run... 03/28/2011

Have you heard about the new movie, "Limitless"?  The main character takes a pill which allows him to use 100% of his mind.  Since we, as humans, only use a small percentage of our minds you can imagine the limitless possibilities. I have not seen this movie yet, but I plan on seeing it as soon as I can get into a theatre.  Even without seeing the movie I have been fantasizing about what I would do if I could take this "limitless" pill. First thing I would do is hit the gym hard and drop 20 lbs. Then I'd focus on my business and kick it up full blast.  All of my listings would get under contract within a week, 10% over asking price after negotiating multiple offers.  And I would only have cash offers and we would close within two weeks.  All of my Sellers would be estatic and the referr... 03/22/2011

Southwestern Boulder was once commonly referred to as “Table Mesa,” but over the years the term has lost traction. Nowadays, neighbors of this part of town call it SoBo—a more accurate descriptor for this community of mod-minded, educated folks with family priorities.  The centerpiece of SoBo is Harlow Platts community park. With its immaculate vistas, easy access to and from Boulder, bike paths and bus lines leading all over town, dog-friendly hiking trails, and quiet neighborhoods accommodating all lifestyles and incomes, it's no wonder that home buyers have traditionally made SoBo the city's premier landing spot. The Neighborhood Borders Couched into the southwest area of the city, SoBo is essentially everything you see west of Broadway beginning at Dartmouth Ave., and stretching dow... 03/20/2011

Has the recent spring forward time-leap jump started momentum in our local market? All Crest View speedometers are leaning toward “yes.” I recently compiled the complete real estate update for February 2011, which can be viewed on CrestViewPulse.com. Crest View’s sold properties and under contract properties more than doubled this past February. And the sluggish high-end market of homes over $1 million is finally starting to move! It appears that buyers who were sitting on the fence decided to move in February. The Numbers There were three homes sold in February versus one sold in January. Four listings went under contract in the month of February, up from one in January. The sale of 1680 Wilson Court certainly revived the Crest View’s high-end sales market in February. The home is a st... 03/20/2011

On February 28th I pullsed the market statistics for real estate in Martin Acres. Read below for the stats and my insight in what this means for Martin Acres buyers and sellers. Median Price: Holding steady year to date at $370,000. That's exactly what it was year to date 2010. Days to Sale: Down 10% (that's good). Properties are selling more quickly on average. The average time it takes from list to sale is 200 days instead of the 222 days it took year to date 2010. The good listings are still getting scooped up quickly and closing in 30 to 60 days but it's nice to see the overall average coming down.  Three homes went under contract in February. This was the same amount of listings that went under contract in January. Six listings came on the market for the first time in February. Thi... 03/20/2011

Eisenhower is a family-centric neighborhood that is centered around the Eisenhower Elementary School. It has a sense of family and unity that is not common in every neighborhood. Eisenhower is set just enough away from the “main trail” of Boulder to provide infinite (inside) opportunities to its eastern Boulder population: It provides denizens easy access to Colorado’s great outdoors with local trails such as the Bobolink and Centennial. And it also offers local amenities such as the Meadows Club, a swim and tennis club, which becomes a popular local hangout during the summer months. The neighborhood borders With Arapahoe Road to the north, South Boulder Road to the south, Cherryvale to the east, and Foothills Parkway to the west; it’s easy to feel like you are close to everything Bould... 03/20/2011

Son or Daughter Going to the University of Colorado (CU)?  Buy a Home Instead of Paying Rent! The CU Boulder on-campus housing (and meals) is approximately $12,400 a year. (Two semesters) This adds up. Student off-campus rent over fours years can add up to a large amount of money. Typically, this can run in the area of $24,000 to $48,000 or more, over four years. Consider purchasing a condo or single family home. You can rent out extra rooms to friends of your son or daughter to help pay the monthly mortgage costs, or, have a place to stay when you visit your daughter or son. Instead of paying a landlord you can gain equity in an investment. When your daughter or son graduates you have the option of holding the property as a rental or selling. Though home property values in Boulder are ... 03/20/2011

1060 Delta Drive, Unit A in Lafayette. I will be there hosting an Open House from 1-3pm.  Feel free to stop by and if you know of anyone in the market for a nice condo in the area you gotta tell them about this one.  Excellent value at $189,000. Owner Occupied for the past 5 years.  2 bedroom, 2 bath, 1,544 square feet.  Move in Condition. West Facing Corner Unit. Very bright with Open Floorpan, Vaulted Ceilings. Bamboo flooring on main level. 3/4 bathroom on main level.  Detached 1-car garage.  Two story with unfinished basement. Gas Fireplace. Private patio off kitchen. Mountain views from upstairs. Central air conditioning. Walk to trails and shops. Thanks--Mario   03/19/2011

Homes in Boulder, CO Once Again Threatened by Fire A fire started in Left Hand Canyon in Boulder County iin the wee hours of Friday morning, March 11th, north of the Button Rock Reservoir.  As I was driving into our Keller Williams office on Friday morning, I could already see the massive plumes of smoke rising in the otherwise blue sky. Firefighters were challenged by the high winds throughout the day on Friday making the situation more difficult and more dangerous.  Because there wasn't any storms or lightning to cause the fire, officials believe the fire was caused by humans and an investigation will ensue once the fire is under containment. Later in the day on Friday, over 220 homes had to be evacuated as firefighters from more than 12 different departments battled the fire. Tonight... 03/12/2011

Recent sold information for the Boulder, Co Heatherwood (Gunbarrel area) Neighborhood. Information from Metrolist MLS, for previous 6 months from time of posting, for detached single family homes. These homes range from 1970-1986 (year of construction). Median total days on market – 57 Ave price/sq ft - $220 Ave price/fin sq ft - $183 Address Sq ft, basement sq ft, total sq ft, fin sq ft, sold price 7898 DEVONSHIRE Way 2,251 1,020 3,271 2,251 $409,000 8055 KINCROSS Way 2,617 1,002 3,619 2,785 $555,000 7899 Devonshire 1,515 575 2090 1757 $270,000 4645 Hampshire St 1,880 648 2,528, 2,200 $340,000 7793 Cornwall CIR 2,142 1,015 3,157 2,142 $414,750 4845 Durham St 1,163 648 2,313 2,263 $445,000 8055 Kincross Way 2,617 1,002 3,619 2,785 $555,000 For more information on this area, other Boulde... 03/11/2011

Boulder Ranks As the Most Active City in America by Time Magazine Three other Colorado cities ranked in the top 15 with Arvada coming in at number 6, Denver at number 11 and Aurora taking number 15th. Only one other state had multiple cities ranked within the top 15: California had three cities placing in the top 15:  Santa Cruz, CA at number 4, Santa Rosa at number 10 and Salinas at number 14. The most active cities were predominately located in the western United States and within close proximity to outdoor recreation See what other cities placed in the top 15! Boulder is an active city located in the foothills with multiple hiking and biking trails.  It is close (within a 2 hour drive) to some of the best skiing and also offers significant challenges for some of the area's rock climb... 03/07/2011

Last week I was touring a home on 42nd in Boulder Martin Acres neighborhood and wanted to catch a video and listing review for the Martin Acres home. This Brick ranch home is in a very decent condition but could benefit from some TLC. Similar homes in the neighborhood have been selling for between $325,000 and $426,000 with the median price being $392,000. In terms of this home, it entered the market on February 16th, 2011 for the price of $409,900. This property was last listed in the MLS system in 2006 at which time the current owners wrote an offer and went under contract just seven days after the listing made its debut. 45 days after that they purchased the home for the asking price of $395,000. I wouldn't be surprised if it goes under contract fairly quickly this time around too. F... 03/01/2011

CrestViewPulse.com readers!  One of my neighbors here in North Boulder wrote me and the 8z Real Estate website about an open house she recently visited in the neighborhood.  I thought I might as well share it with you too. She wrote that 1105 Oakdale Pl in Boulder, CO 80304 is an inviting stamped concrete pathway leading up to the front door.  Not only are there great built-ins and fireplaces throughout the home, the master bath is adorned with Adagio Glass (a Boulder company) and there's a second floor balcony. My neighbor also wrote that 'This house is for people who want to get to know their neighbors.' She noted that... ...the neighbors have a basketball hoop on a driveway begging for kids to play. --> Great family location?  Perhaps! Second, the backyard faces one of the oldest Mon... 02/24/2011

When you take a drive through North Boulder's Crest View neighborhood, you're sure to notice the variety of housing inventory. There are the multi-million dollar mansions to cozy condos. To give you a true feel of the spectrum of real estate I have two properties to show you.  2400 Linden Ave., Boulder, CO 80304 This home is priced over $3 million and offers tons of space with five bedrooms and five bathrooms.  It's built to entertain with a huge deck and every kitchen amenity you can dream of. View more info about Linden in Boulder. 2739 Juniper Ave., Boulder, CO 80304 This home is nearly a tenth of the price at nearly $300k with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, skylights and fireplace.  It's a tri-level condo with condominium with amenities like a pool. It has a private yard, great f... 02/22/2011

Two weeks ago I took a look inside a home I must tell my neighbors about, 70 S 32nd Street.  Then listed at $550k.  It is a beautiful remodel and pop-top.  The home is in a great location and has mountain views. It started out as a small brick ranch and is now a truley amazing two story home in the Martin Acres subdivision. There are only two 2-story properties on the market right now in the Martin Acres Neighborhood including this home. And there were only two 2-story properties that sold in 2010 that could be considered comparable listings.   I was thoroughly impressed with this house. The flow and the design felt thoughtful and tasteful. It has high end finishes throughout and is very well cared for. Enter to a big open first floor. There is a coat closet at the entrance creating som... 02/22/2011

Pipes weren’t the only things nearly frozen this past month as I wrote on our company's website 8z.com.  Please take a read through my market update and let me know if you have any questions about the Crest View, North Boulder or Boulder real estate markets. As January transactions continued along the slow and cold path in the Crest View market, and Boulder’s market in general. The property at 1384 Quince, listed at $412,000, went under contract in December and closed on Jan. 19 for $399,000. (And this sold figure is identical to the number of solds in January 2010: 1.) More about this Crest View home sold on 8z.  All and all, a good investment at $242/psf. Only one property went under contract in January 2011, 1730 Dogwood, after being on the market for 118 days. However February is gi... 02/18/2011

This past weekend we had brunch with a few of our friends.  Nowadays when you get together with friends you always end up talking about the economy, real estate and the job market.  And the discussion can get emotional and heated sometimes.  We all know people who have been laid off, downsized or their company went out of business.  It's sad when it's people who are good friends or family.  So our brunch conversation this past weekend was not as lighthearted as it's been in the past. One of my friends kept bringing up the point that the U.S. is not doing anything to create new jobs in the economy.  He said facebook and Twitter have a lot of users but the companies are not doing anything to build a job infrastructure in the country.  He said their valuation by the banks are extremely hig... 02/17/2011

  I had the pleasure of showing a townhome for sale in Iron Flats today. I love the vibrancy of downtown Boulder, and think that this is one of the cooler downtown living developments. Built in 2001 and designed by Oz Architecture, this community is just blocks from the Pearl Street Mall, and features a mix of residences and some commercial. Its "commercial centerpiece" is the national headquarters for The Nature Conservancy, and right next door is a pleasant park and outdoor area on the corner of Pearl and Folsom.  There are currently 3 units for sale in Iron Flats, ranging in price from $499,000 to $539,000 (1335 to 1679 sq. ft., respectively). Interesting architectural details abound in the complex, and residents enjoy features such as large windows, bridges, and rooftop decks with a... 02/16/2011

Real estate in the city of Boulder as a whole finished off the year strong. Median price was up 5% New Listings were down 15% Number of sales was up 3% Well the year is off to a slow and steady start in Boulder's Martin Acres. Currently the market is... Heavy on the listing side and light on the sales side. There were 5 new listings in Jan 2011 compared to the one new listing in Jan 2010. Yet, January 2010 had 3 sales whereas we've only had 1 this year. The Martin Acres home that sold was a Cape Cod with 4bd/2ba on Martin Dr for $415k, down from original listing price of $430k in 7/2010. Under contracts are also down from last year. Three houses went U/C in January 2011 compared to the seven in Jan 2010. 2011 will need to see more sales or else the Martin Acres market will get saturated... 02/15/2011

This post is for those of you moving or considering a move to the Boulder, Colorado area.  I know a lot of people who have recently applied for Open Enrollment for their children in the BVSD and were not selected.  The schools do not have many openings so you are then left to attend your neighborhood school. For people moving to this area it's important that you understand this because it's very likely the neighborhood school assigned to your home address will be the school where your children will attend unless you consider a private school. Here is some pertinent info from BVSD as a reference for you. The Boulder Valley School District has an Open Enrollment Policy: "Students may attend their district designated neighborhood school (based on home address), or application may be made f... 02/15/2011