Salida Colorado Real Estate North of Town: Buena Vista and Nathrop Buena Vista Colorado Buena Vista's population is 2134.. a small town with a big heart. Buena Vista has been called a hardworking quiet community. With an elevation of 7965, it is higher than Salida and lower than Leadville, further to the north. Geographically, it is 1/2 way between Salida and Leadville. To the west of Buena Vista, the Collegiate Peaks rise up, many of which are considered fourteeners... over 14,000 feet. Lakes, creeks, water falls and miles and miles of trails await you, whether you are a hiker, bicyclist or horse rider.   If you like to soak, Buena Vista has 2 hot springs nearby, Cottonwood and Mt. Princeton. Cottonwood has several pools and Mt. Princeton has a lap pool, a soaking pool and Chalk Creek... 07/05/2012

Buena Vista Colorado Home Prices: 2013 at a Glance To study the list to sell ratios and other sales statistics or to look up neighborhood information on your own, go to Buena Vista Colorado Home Prices.  Prices  The over the past 3 years... a recipe for reduced inventory and rising prices. Sure enough, as you can see below, the prices have been steadily increasing since September.  Homes with 3 Years ago, Buena Vista Home Prices for residential or in-town homes were significantly down. However, in 2012 and 2013, they were up 12%. They have leveled off over the past couple of years. I predict another jump beginning spring 2014.   Homes with 1+ Acres (HWA or homes with acreage). Buena Vista homes with acreage are traditionally higher. Some of the new and  larger homes are included in this... 12/27/2011

There is a Great Hot Air Balloon Rally in Buena Vista, CO this month on July 22, 23 and 24. I am bringing my balloon named "Splash" this year. There will be 14 balloons attending this year with flights each morning at the Buena Vista Rodeo Grounds (1 miles west of BV on county road 321) at 6:00am and also this year we will have a balloon glow on Saturday night in town at the soccer fields. If you are in the area, come by and see us and our flight team, our balloon is easy to spot (see photo below) For balloon rides each morning you can contact Endeavor Balloons at 719-221-5148 07/09/2010

Here in Buena Vista, there is a lot of snow on the mountains.  It seems to me as though they are whiter than normal for this time of year...but it could be me.  The good news is that while hiking yesterday I spotted a bunch of Pasque flowers...they are the real indicator of Spring here it the Colorado Rockies.  Everyone here...well we real estate brokers...are really ready for spring.  Actually the first few months of the years showed more activity than a year ago, but those of us who have hung on are ready for some real mountain action.  There is a great property inventory here in Buena Vista and some good deals to be had.  That is not to say that values have dropped all that much, but we probably have what you are looking for...and what a great place to live! 05/17/2010

Buena Vista is central to kayaking, rafting and mountain climbing in Colorado.  It is a small town and some of the streets are still unpaved...in fact Main Street has only been paved for 50 years or so.  Now it is unpaved again...looking a bit like the old west...as we prepare for pedestrian bumpouts, benches, landscaping and new lighting along our main drag.  BV as we call it...is a popular area for retirement and second homes. Recently younger families are moving here to live where they play and enjoy small town mountain living.  It feels as though fresh thinking has reached critical mass here.  Green is in, although the valley is still wearing winter brown backed by white peaks.  We will never be Aspen or Vail...we are OK with that.  Come join us...or at least drop by. 04/13/2009

I just returned from snowshoeing in the Sawatch range between 10 and 11,000 feet.  What a day!  Typical Colorado blue sky and lots of dry crunchy snow.  The views are wonderful, the forest silent, yet alive.  One couple had just summited Mt Yale (14,200 ft) and others were asking if it is always like this in Buena Vista.  Well, pretty much.  Last year, 337 days with sunshine.  Plenty of snow in the mountains, none on the valley floor at 8,000 ft.  After 30 years as a meteorologist...I picked right.  Now I sell homes to others who have discovered the secret.   01/17/2009

It has finally happened.  With snow on and off for the last few days, Buena Vista is looking quite wintry.   There are about 6 inches of new Colorado powder on the ground with more promised.  The real treat will be when the sky clears and the very white, soft peaks of the surrounding 14,000 foot mountains stand out against a cobalt blue sky.  If you have not experienced the Colorado sun and blue sky while playing in deep powder, I invite you to try it.! Better yet, come and stay.  12/16/2008

    Every summer Buena Vista fills up and the traffic takes some getting used to.  Many are here for rafting and kayaking.  The Arkansas river is so full, I can hear it all night from my house.  The bikers are coming here on the Ride the Rockies tour.  The back-country skiers are still working the high-country remains of winter and the peak-baggers are climbing despite the snow.       Then there are the folks just walking the town streets and or course...the folks pulled off by the side of the road to take pictures of the peaks standing more than one mile above the valley floor.  Sometimes we locals forget that we live where other come to play.  How great is that!  Especially since I am a Realtor. 06/18/2008

Sunday morning at the Evergreen.  That is where you can usually find me, having breakfast with friends.  As of last week, there were many others there as well...creating the line that let's me know "the season" has begun.  The rafters are here, the bikers and fisherfolk are here.  The campers are here for the holiday weekend and this hustle and bustle will last until Labor Day.  Selling properties here in paradise...where everyone wants to be is...well, great!  05/25/2008

For three months it was snow and cold, snow and cold.  What a winter!  Properties of all types were being listed and sold.  NOW....it's snow, warmth and melting.  The warmth is making a difference.  The snow is going away here on the valley floor, but still many feet of it remain in the mountains.  Not only is the snow going away, but buyers are starting to feel the energy of Spring.  It seems as though the temperature and the number of buyers have popped.  What a great place this is! 03/18/2008

After tons of winter snow in Buena Vista have just about melted, it snowed yesterday.  This, however, was a regular snow.  Here in the valley, a regular snow is one that melts soon after the sun comes up...so usually...even at 8000 feet in the winter there is little snow on the ground.  This morning, on schedule, the snow melted and every was able to get here for a big closing.  Life here certainly is great! 03/03/2008

What a winter it has been.  The snowiest, coldest and windiest on record.  This has been a winter like no one here can remember.  Usually we get a bit of snow...it melts...and the rest of the day is sunny.  This year the snow has come and stayed and then more has come. On the other hand, it has been a real mountain winter and the ski areas are loving it.  Those with long driveways...not so much.  I must admit, the soft snow on the mountain peaks, pasted on the deep blue Colorado sky make it a dreamland.  It always seems that no matter what the weather is here, I know that this is a special place. 02/25/2008

Business has been booming and it seems that there has been no time to get to the high country...really high that is.  Fortunately, long-time hiking friends from Michigan let us know that they were headed this way, so I took myself off the schedule with the hope of getting some hiking in.  As it turned out, the night before a planned walk on the new CDT, south of Cottonwood Pass, it snowed and the result was enchanting.  The walk was cold and the trail slippery in spots, but the texture of the views, with turning aspen and willows, new snow and all gradations of rock color was stunning,  This is the important stuff!                                                            Continental Divide Trail at 12,300 ft                                Cottonwood Pass Road 09/22/2007

Every year I help work on the further development of the Continental Divide Trail..one of my passions. Last week I spend four days above 12,000...how great is that!  The first two days were spent walking the proposed new trail.  Some of that is in and some just sited.  With that effort we now have a GPS trace of the proposed trail between Cottonwood Pass and Tincup.  The second two days were spent cutting in new trail along with 25 other volunteers.  When done the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail will stretch 3100 miles from the north to south...border to border.  (www.cdtrail.org) And then it was time to go back to real estate...buyers everywhere and I haven't been this busy in months. A couple million in deals can make one feel pretty good.  I think I might try sneaking up to ... 08/11/2007

The phone has been a bit quiet this morning and I was thinking that perhaps it ought to ring a bit more.  And that may be my biggest problem...how good are things? We've had a lot of rain this month and the wild flowers in the mountains are phenomenal and the valley is lush green.  Don't know that I have even seen a better batch of flowers. I got some great pictures of them while I was checking out new construction on the Continental Divide Trail.  I had helped survey for and site a new section of the trail for the last two summers and it was great to see the newly constructed trail.  It is nearly a piece of art in the talus-laden back country of Colorado.Meanwhile, I have a number of folks that are considering properties and my listed properties are getting shown.  I developing a class... 07/28/2007

With the celbration of the 4th lasting for about a week, Buena Vista is bustling with visitors.  It appears as though every room in town is taken and that will be the case now for much of the summer.  This is one of the most intersting, beautiful and out-door oriented places in the country.  It is so much fun working with new comers to help them find a property that suits them and allows them to come live where, in many cases, they have come to play over the years.Now that the Upper Arkansas Valley has really caught on as a place to be, there are more brokers than ever and most seem to be do doing some business, but the key for me is the service.  I work to make every transaction, fun, effortless and seamless.  In each transaction that may mean different things for me deal with, but for... 07/02/2007

Back when I lived in Detroit, Opening Day meant the season opener at Tiger Stadium.  I was a meterologist at the NBC affiliate in Detroit and that meant the forecast had to be right.  On occasion the forecast included snow.   I also had my Captains license and loved being on the water.  I had a Friday night gig operating the J. W. Westcott mailboat.  The only boat with its own zip code.  We would go out and deliver mail to the passing freighters and often change out crew members.  Service stopped in the winter, but in the spring we would start operations again...that was another Spring Opener for me...and it occasionally included snow.Now that I live in high country of Colorado...there is yet another Spring Opener.  That occurs in late May when the snow plows finally open the mountain p... 05/25/2007

Temperatures are hitting the 70s now and there is still plenty of snow on the mountains.  There was a fox in the backyard yesterday as the new animals get their lives started.  Buyers are showing up, ready to select their part of paradise.  I had some great buyers on Saturday.  We just seemed to hit it off and by afternoon we had written a offer on a wonderful 5-acre lot.  To celebrate I went for a hike on Sunday and from the trail knew again why I was here and others are arriving at a steady clip.  04/30/2007

Buena Vista. What a place to live!  I sit here looking at a clear cobalt blue Colorado sky and 14,000+ foot snow-covered peaks pasted on the sky.  At 8,000 feet in this alpine valley, the real estate market is busy.  In years past, sales tailed off around Thanksgiving and picked up in March.  The rafters would be here in late April and there would be 5 or 6 cars in line at THE traffic light in June.  There were always plenty of days for rafting, climbing, snowshoeing, skiing and then 2006.  We have been discovered and sales are booming.  We will never be Vail or Aspen, but there will be more of us.  I love the business activity, but this morning, no phone calls yet, so perhaps I'll get out the snowshoes and try for 12,000 feet. 03/15/2007