Hello from Snowy Crested Butte,Conde Nast Magazine's Reader's Choice Survey for the Best Places to Ski and Stay in North America 2009 resulted in a great ranking for Crested Butte. Readers ranked Crested Butte 12th overall.Ski resorts were rated on a five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor on the criteria of Terrain & Conditions, Lifts & Lines, Après-Ski/Activities, Local Dining, and Local Ambience; ski hotels were rated excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor on the criteria of Rooms, Service, Dining/Food, Location, Overall Design, and Activities/Facilities. Criterion scores, which represent the percentage of respondents rating a ski resort or hotel excellent or very good, were averaged to determine the overall score. Only ski resorts and hotels that received a re... 01/03/2010

Happy New Year from Snowy Crested Butte!In spite of global economic conditions and the highly publicized bankruptcies of western U.S. ski resorts including Tamarack in Idaho, the Yellowstone Club, and Moonlight Basin in Montana, Crested Butte appeared to weather the financial storms of 2009. Christmas ski vacationers poured into town this month, the snow has been good and our real estate market scratched and clawed its way to almost $90 million in total sales.2009 in our little ski town will be remembered for some high flyer real estate transactions, community-wide turmoil over the National Forest Service's rejection of CBMR's plan to expand its resort onto Snodgrass Mountain and today's announcement in the Crested Butte News that the proposed Foothills Annexation is now off the table, ... 12/31/2009

The Obama administration has put $75 billion towards helping homeowners avoid foreclosures through its loan modification program. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be working as well as it may have sounded on paper. The program tries to encourage lenders to modify existing mortgages by paying them $1000 for each modified loan and a further $1000/year for another 3 years if the borrower avoids foreclosure during that time. This program was based on the assumption that homeowners would prefer to stay in their homes as long as they can make the monthly payments. It seems to me (and this position has been taken by Warren Buffett as well) that the problem is not the home's value, but the homeowner's ability to pay the monthly bills. Wouldn't this $75 billion be better spent creating jobs or ... 12/30/2009

Hello from cold and sunny Crested Butte Colorado!As we head into the 2009-2010 ski season in Crested Butte, it's time for a little market recap and "look back" at this year's sales data and how it compares to previous years. The numbers don't lie.While we have experienced some record breaking sales for homes in our valley this year it is obvious that the real estate market is depressed. Prices went down and the number of transactions across all categories of our real estate is lower than previous years.Still, demand exists for our offerings and buyers appear to be taking advantage of lower prices and a huge inventories of homes, condos and vacant land. These documents were prepared by Benson Sotheby's International Realty representatives. They are in a printable, downloadble PDF format.... 11/17/2009

Crested Butte Real Estate Market Update & Information Alas, Summer is over in Crested Butte and we've managed to do a good bit of catch-up on the real estate sales end.  The first few months of the year were dismal in sales, but recent months have been stronger d showing some remarkable sales which show that there are buyers understanding value, both in real estate and lifestyle.Of the 22 closed sales in the month of September for a total of $11,951,600.  Here is an overview and some highlights: ...2 sales in CB South: 99 Cascadilla with nearly 2000 sq ft of living space and garage sold for $325,000.  A mere $172/sf!  and 123 Huckeby, single family with over 2000 sf sold for $154/sf or $330,000.  This was a bank-owned home and an amazing deal!... 5 condos and homes sold in town of Crest... 10/08/2009

View September 2009 Newsletter (HTML)Happy Fall from Crested Butte! Supplies of Crested Butte homes and land for sale are as high as they've ever been and in spite of improving demand for area homes and condos and a record breaking home sale, buyers are seeking and getting good deals on our real estate. There are 695 homes and condos for sale and 427 listings for land and ranches for sale from Almont north to Mt. Crested Butte. After a very slow start to 2009, many sellers faced facts and prices began to fall. By mid-summer, it seemed like a "buy button" was pushed, shoppers became purchasers and our market gained momentum. Of the 98 homes and condos sold so far this year, 60 of these deals occurred after July 1. (There are an additional 30 homes and condos currently under contract.) By... 09/29/2009

Fall Foliage Crested Butte Colorado.  Yesterday we were heading out Kebler Pass to enjoy the single largest aspen grove anywhere in the world but decided to detour onto Ohio Creek Road since we had never been on it before. Add Ohio Creek (connects from just outside Gunnison to just after the Irwin turn off on Kebler Pass Road) to the 6 Places to Find Fall Foliage in Colorado. This narrow dirt road is smooth enough to travel without 4 wheel drive, with little or no traffic, offered stunning vistas with lots of spots of intense color, views of Castle Rock and stunning valleys.  Ohio Creek is close enough to Crested Butte to give you ample time to enjoy a fantastic dinner in our historic town after you enjoy your visual feast. Folks, the leaves are beginning to peak.  This coming week to 1... 09/20/2009

Crested Butte Harvest Festival Vinotok this Weekend.  Already today, as I sat outside Pitas in Paradise at lunch time there were various characters walking around in costume in anticipation of the festivities which have already begun.  I missed Story Telling and Liar's Night but will definitely be on hand for the burning of the Grump. Burning the Grump, along with everyone's grumps and complaints which have been collected in several boxes about town will cleanse us of any "bad" or unwanted feelings and start the season off fresh, ready for fall and a winter full of skiing.  Crested Butte is a whimsical, friendly community with lots of unique celebrations that are embraced by the community.  Vinotok, I have heard, is a throwback to the Croatian Fall Festival, which is where many of the o... 09/18/2009

The Colorado Grand is in Crested Butte, Colorado, tonight .... on its way from Vail and off to Breckenridge tomorrow. So what is possibly better than driving a great sports car on twisty roads with fantastic views?How about driving great sports cars (and old race cars) on twisty roads with great views and a police escort!  Never have to worry about speed traps, that's for sure! So the Colorado Grand left Vail today for a 1000 mile tour of Colorado and stopped today in our little town of Crested Butte on its route around the stunning mountain roads of Colorado. 85 entries of pre-1961 vintage sports cars and sports racers including a 1960 Ferarri 250 Testa Rossa, two Mercedes-Benz 300SL gullwings, a Bugatti type 57 and type 35 grand prix race car along with 80 other spectacular vehicles. ... 09/14/2009

Fall Foliage for Crested Butte, Colorado ... yes, that time is nearly here!  I started checking out the development of our fantastic Crested Butte Fall Foliage last week, when a few aspens here and there were showing signs of beginning to turn golden.  A week later and there is more gold to be seen, on the edges of most of the aspen groves.  There is still plenty of green though and my expectation is that the real Crested Butte fall foliage season will begin in about a week or so. My husband and I hiked the Upper Loop - Tony's Trail from Crested Butte to the base of Mount Crested Butte on our way to the Fall Festival: Brews & Chili-Cook-Off, which was a blast with sunshine and good food and beer, live music!  We took some photos along the way to give you an idea.  I hope you enjoy them.... 09/13/2009

Looking for Fall Foliage in Colorado?  Below are 6 places to drive or hike and enjoy the golden color of our abundant aspen trees.  The hikes are easy, none of the drives require 4 wheel drive. Crested Butte is a little known jewel of an historic town with aspen trees all around that shimmer like gold in the light breeze.  It so happens that Ski Colorado lists a number of drives and places to see the aspen trees in all their golden glory and many happen to be in and around Crested Butte.  Lucky for me and for you, if you can make it here.  Crested Butte is a mere 1/2 hour from the Gunnison Regional Airport, a lovely 4-4.5 hour traffic-free drive from Denver and the front range.  Once you get to Crested Butte, we will delight you with fine and casual dining in our historic village, our m... 09/07/2009

Crested Butte Real Estate Sales Market Update & Information for August 2009.  It has been an excellent month for Crested Butte real estate and home sales.  There are certainly signs that buyers are recognizing great values and making investment and lifestyle decisions that go hand-in-hand.  Clearly the purchase of a fabulous, well-priced Crested Butte Vacation Home will provide more long term pleasure for you and your family than a stock portfolio.  Don't get me wrong, a strong stock portfolio is a wonderful thing.  Yet, it is even more wonderful to have a diversified portfolio that includes real estate, especially when that real estate is at the gateway of skiing, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, golf, fishing and 2 million acres of open space to play in! August 2009 saw 27 p... 09/03/2009

There are several WestWall Lodge condos for sale in Crested Butte, Colorado, making this a great time to buy a ski-in ski-out luxury residence at the foot of WestWall lift at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.  With Winter and ski season approaching, you and your family and friends could be skiing right out of your door each morning and enjoying the year-round outdoor pool, hot tub and superb amenities of the West Wall Lodge.       There are currently 19 beautiful homes for sale in the WestWall Lodge of Crested Butte.  Spacious 700 sq ft plus studios in the low $600'sComfortable and luxurious 2 and 3 bedroom homes Home-sized 4 bedroom homes with room for a larger contingentAverage asking price per square foot is $682Average asking price is $1,254,357Median asking price is $1,173,600 Click h... 09/03/2009

Trish Giassa of Crested Butte, Colorado has been certified as a Resort & Second Home Specialist (RSPS).  Introduced in January 2006, the Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist Certification is a nationally-recognized certification awarded by the National Association of REALTORS® to real estate professionals who wish to demonstrate their expertise in the resort market specialty. According to an NAR survey, more than 140,000 REALTORSÒ  currently work in resort area and second home markets.  In Crested Butte, only five other real estate brokers hold this certification.  "The RSPScertification program is unlike any other professional certification or designation," said Allan ‘Dutch' Dechert, 2008 chair of the NAR Resort & Second-Home Committee and a RSPS. "It takes specialized skills an... 08/31/2009

Julie & Julia - The Movie - Playing at the Majestic Theatre in Crested Butte.  The timing was perfect ... after a beautiful morning spent tasting and buying amazing, fresh, organic produce at the Crested Butte Farmers' Market, clouds rolled in and produced a short but dynamic rainstorm.  Enough to get us off our bikes and to the matinee to see Julie & Julia.  What a wonderful little movie!  As a fan of the French (I know not everyone is) and lover of food (most everyone is), this was an entertaining and somewhat educational movie.  I have been known to add "I love to eat" to my interests so I was really pleased that Julia Child stated that was what she truly loved to do.  What an amazing, truly unique american woman.  She was full of life and energy, and an inspiration to any of us who ... 08/30/2009

Buying real estate, whether a home, condo or investment property, is a BIG decision which should not be made lightly.  If you're looking at a lifestyle change, whether it be a dream vacation retreat, a waterfront lodge that you can fish from everyday, or the equestrian property you've been dreaming about since you were a kid, the time to seriously look at buying is NOW.  Prices in Crested Butte have come down and inventory is up, giving you lots of choices and options to make smart decisions for your family's future and legacy.  But you want to know what you're getting into: Search the MLS to learn about the properties that appeal to you; Review all our Crested Butte listings to see what's for sale; Review our Crested Butte market data information and statistics Review Gunnison & Creste... 08/24/2009

Good day from Crested Butte! Mid-summer real estate sales activity in Crested Butte picked up enough to give our market a very important "shot in the arm" confidence booster. We limped into the historically busy summer selling season after a dismal end to 2008 and first half of 2009. Our market was down almost 65% and by the end of May things were looking pretty grim for summertime sales. But, in July and August we experienced some very impressive buying activity particularly for luxury homes at the higher end of our market. Our market rebounded with July 2009 sales numbers actually doubling (over $13 million) that of July 2008 numbers ($6.3 million). The market is now down about 47% year-to-date compared to 2008. This is a moral victory considering where we were just a few months ago. ... 08/24/2009

Flight schedule to Crested Butte this Winter.  Yes, we're a bit out of the way but ONLY 35 minutes from Gunnison Airport and travel to CB is easy!  See below for the current schedule: WINTER 09/10 FLIGHT SCHEDULE: American AirlinesSystem wide flights on American Airlines to Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport (GUC) via non-stop flights from Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) GUC-DFW (Dallas) Daily 737 -December 17, 2009 - April 5, 2010Depart DFW 1:35 PM, Arrive GUC 2:35 PMDepart GUC 3:30 PM, Arrive DFW 6:25 PM Delta Air LinesSystem side flights on Delta Air Lines to Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport (GUC) via non-stop flights from Salt Lake City (SLC) and Atlanta (ATL) GUC-ATL (Atlanta) Saturdays Only 757 -December 19, 2009 - March 27, 2010Depart ATL 11:30 AM, Arrive GUC 1:05 PMDepart GUC... 08/20/2009

Crested Butte Real Estate has seen a marked thaw this July!  A real estate market that had been fairly dormant all Winter and well into Spring, finallyt went into high gear.  We have had several significant sales, of particular note: the Idlespur Bulding -where Maxwell's Restaurant is located in for $1.65 million and a stunning single family residence at 13 Fourth Street at $2,037,500! Click below to see the property details for each of our July sales:     Properties sold in July 2009   Average sales price for July: $527,190 Totol volume:  $11,071,000Average days on market:  253We also currently have 37 properties under contract, including  4 properties between $1 and $2 million and 4 homes over $2 million.     All properties currently under contract      Free Crested Butte Home Valuati... 08/06/2009

In this week's Crested Butte News the news is encouraging for real estate "Real Estate Sees Major Boost in July Sales!  It's great to see the market picking up! Check out our great Crested Butte listings for yourself or contact me for information on Crested Butte real estate, homes and land.   Check the 10 top reason to relocate to Crested Butte.  07/31/2009