18th Annual Fire Hydrant 5 Event Information (AND YES, we're a Bolder Boulder qualifying race) Bring your canine companion and join us for this morning of fun to benefit the homeless animals of Northern Colorado! When Does the Fun Begin? The Fire Hydrant 5 is Saturday May 10, 2008 at Edora Park in Fort Colllins. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. 5K Race begins at 8:30 a.m. 3K Walk and Fun Run begins at 9:30 a.m. Pet Fair is 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The Fire Hydrant 5 is a Bolder Boulder qualifier. This event will be held rain or shine!  How Do I Get There? The Fire Hydrant 5 is held at Edora Park in Fort Collins, Colorado. From I-25 take the Prospect Road exit and head west to Riverside Avenue. Turn south on Riverside Avenue and proceed to the parking lot at the EPIC (Edora Pool and Ice C... 05/02/2008

Larimer County's housing market remains stronger than national trend, an article from The Coloradoan, reports that in the Larimer County housing market, March home sales were down 12.2%, but average sales prices were up 4.5%.  According to Prudential Rocky Mountain Real Estate of Fort Collins, for the first quarter, home sales were down 13.8% with sales prices up 5.1% from last year to $257,625.  Eric Holsapple of Loveland LLC said the residential construction market will start to rebound this year.  He said, "We have one of the best residential markets in the state. The existing 'for sale' market has stabilized, and we're not really out of balance with lots.  We will be one of the leaders in coming back in the single-family market."  He added that the surplus of homes dumped at discoun... 04/25/2008

Airport plans developing, an article from The Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald, reports that the airport steering committee is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to hammer out a deal regarding a Martin Lind proposal for development at and around the airport.  The airport steering committee consists of the mayors and city managers of Loveland and Fort Collins.  Martin Lind, president and developer of Water Valley in Windsor said, "What we are talking about is opening the airport up for business.  We love this downtown NoCo area, and I would really like this airport to come to life."  Lind has proposed building another fixed-based operator, the fuel station for an airport, at the airport in northeast Loveland.  He would also like to develop more aviation-related businesses aro... 04/18/2008

Colorado Foreclosure Hotline sees surge in calls, an article from The Coloradoan, reports that the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline has seen a recent increase in homeowners seeking help and many of those calls were directed to a local housing counseling agency.  Housing experts said the increased traffic is a promising sign that people aren't waiting so long before asking for help.  Zachary Urban, hotline administrator said, "Traffic has been simply amazing.  People are reaching out for help and responding to our outreach."  The hotline was created in October 2006 to better facilitate communication between lenders and borrowers.  In March alone, the hotline received 3,050 calls and more than 8,000 calls have come in since the beginning of the year.  Billie Jo Downing, a local Realtor with R... 04/11/2008

03/31/2008

Yes, I am a bit surprised by this since I think we have a bunch of crazies on the road. I guess everyone has their share of bad drivers but this puts things in persepective. When I was living in California, they had road rage, here in Northern Colorado they have tailgaters. I'll take my chances with someone with a bad habit versus a bad temper all day. 03/20/2008

REGISTRATION OPENJoin us in Denverfor Green Real Estate 2008EcoBroker® Annual Conference & Expo with theAssociation of Energy & Environmental Real Estate ProfessionalsThis year Green Real Estate 2008 will be an energy-filled two-day conference and expo with national speakers, business building tracks to help maximize your utilization of green real estate tools and resources, and a green products expo that will help take your business and community service to the next level!Topics for discussion include: •·    Affordability, durability, comfort, and homeownership•·    The latest in green finance options for your clients•·    Working with conservation easements, energy raters, and real estate consumers•·    The latest energy technologies and real estate applications•·    Greening the MLS•... 03/14/2008

03/13/2008

Longmont, Firestone on collision course, an article from The Longmont Times-Call, reports that this month, Firestone officials are scheduled to decide whether to annex land across the street from Longmont city limits.  Longmont leaders will in turn ask Firestone to slow down before voting on the annexation or before adopting an updated master plan that would stretch to Longmont's borders.  The land being considered for annexation is Fairview Estates, 74 acres on the northeast corner of Colo. Highway 119 and Fairview Street.  Firestone planning coordinator Rebecca Toberman said Fairview owners submitted applications Feb. 13 to Firestone to annex into the town and zone the land for residential and commercial development.http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=6964 Hope Now: We've helpe... 03/04/2008

Harmony filling out with construction, an article from the Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald, reports that east of Timberline Road, Harmony Road is filled with construction crews who are bringing multiple developers' visions to life.  Soon, the area will see many new restaurants, retail stores and mixed-use developments.  Harmony School Shops is a development that offers approximately 100,000 square feet of retail space.  According to Robin Nicholson, who is leasing the space through SullivanHayes Brokerage, all but 25,000 square feet have been leased.  Construction on The Pads at Harmony started last year and will consist of seven buildings, two of which are already completed.  According to Gino Campana, building developer and owner of the project through Harmony Executive Park LLC, Pads ... 02/28/2008

Big potential for ConocoPhillips site, an article from The Rocky Mountain News, reports that on Thursday, several experts said the 432-campus in Louisville purchased by ConocoPhillips could be rezoned to easily handle 10,000 or more people.  Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp., said if you do the math the land easily supports well in excess of 10,000 on the site.  Clark said, "This would dwarf any economic development deal in the history of the state."  Paul Wood, planning director for Louisville, said ConocoPhillips could easily rezone the property from industrial, allowing 5 million to 5.5 million square feet of a wide range of buildings, from offices to industrial to research and development facilities, and even retail and hotels.  Bill ... 02/22/2008

Photovoltaic and Home Wind Turbines- The time is now to embrace these technologies. The old-school needs to step aside and let PROGRESS lead the way. Prices are coming down!Solar Tubes!- Awesome Daylighting Systems, like a skylight on Ginseng! Supercharged!Natural Materials- Bamboo, natural stone, recycled glass tiles, reclaimed wood productsWool Carpet- or NO carpet- The stench of new carpet is evil and disgusting. It's called Off- Gassing and it's dangerous. Insulation- Recycled newsprint or Cellulose- blown in to R-40, also recycled Denim is HOTSips panels- Structural Insulated Panels-pre cast, pre-cut, pre insulated and the wave of the future. Half the build time, and twice the energy efficiency.  02/21/2008

 Okay here's the run down of Environmentally responsible building practices, materials and energy efficient technologies. In a nutshell.Ready set go.Tankless water Heaters! - Top of the list for a reason- tanks are huge energy wastersEnergy Star Appliances- Especially the Fridge!!Front Load Washer- It saves more than water ( use non toxic soap!!!)Energy Star Lighting Fixtures and Compact Fluorescent- Nearly HALF the energy is used!Sustainably Harvested Materials- Forest Stewardship Council wood products, locally sourced if possibleRecycling Materials and Material Waste- This is a no brainer, but the construction industry is mostly BLIND to the need for this.Low VOC Paints and Coatings- Linseed oil on wood, natural plasters add texture- Healthier Living environmentHigh Efficiency Furnace... 02/21/2008

SAVE THE DATEJoin us on in Denverfor Green Real Estate 2008EcoBroker® Annual Conference & Expo with theAssociation of Energy & Environmental Real Estate ProfessionalsThis year Green Real Estate 2008 will be an energy-filled two-day conference and expo with national speakers, business building tracks to help maximize your utilization of green real estate tools and resources, and a green products expo that will help take your business and community service to the next level!Topics for discussion include: •·    Affordability, durability, comfort, and homeownership•·    The latest in green finance options for your clients•·    Working with conservation easements, energy raters, and real estate consumers•·    The latest energy technologies and real estate applications•·    Greening the MLS•·... 02/21/2008

As of Feb 20 there are 257 homes on the market in Fort Collins ColoradoThese are priced between 150,000 and 250,000 with at least three bedrooms and two baths.Of these 57 are Under Contract and 13 are Bank Owned or REO foreclosed homes.Just a snapshot but it is telling, in that the national media depicts a much worse market in terms of absorption and foreclosure activity.I know that my partners and i have been very busy through the winter, posting sales worthy of the Keller Williams Platinum Award for the second year in a row.I expect the increased commercial development along the Harmony corridor to help the soft housing market in our area. These jobs and tax revenue will help our economy and also the real estate outlook.   02/20/2008

02/20/2008

02/20/2008

Market Statistics for Fort Collins in the month of January, 2008. This first chart deals with the number of homes sold in Fort Collins (excluding condos) in the month of January 2008 compared to the previous 2 years. This next chart shows both the average and the median selling prices for single family homes in Fort Collins.  The median sales price really acts as a market sentiment indicator.  It is found by dropping the highest and lowest sale prices and proceeding toward the midpoint in price.   This chart outlines the average days on market for single family detached homes in Fort Collins. This chart shows a comparison of various housing types and their relative median sales prices. This chart shows the number of listings taken at the month's end.  The next chart shows the absorption... 02/20/2008

  Got News!  Council declines request to change City Plan, an article from The Colorodoan, reports that council members declined city staff's request for direction to change the City Plan to accommodate what it calls inevitable retail growth along I-25.  Mayor Pro-Tem Kelly Ohlson said, "I am supportive of moving forward and discussing all of the (interchanges), but we need to have more information about that before we can move in any direction. I would like to know if (any proposed changes) conflict with other areas of the City Plan."  City staff told council members that replacing the interchanges being dubbed "gateways" to Fort Collins is a key component to any retail development, adding that growth projections show there is room for another retail hub in Northern Colorado - a hub th... 02/15/2008

02/09/2008