If you can't take the heat....come to Red Feather Lakes, Colorado!   Yes, the winter was long...sometimes cold and windy but you can't beat the summer, all the way through Indian Summer in Red Feather Lakes! This is the time of year when I get bragging rights about the weather but I love Colorado in all four seasons so you could say I'm a little biased!  Here's the current weather forecast for this week:  Are you just sitting in your air-conditioned space wishing that you could go outside to do something fun? You can in the Red Feather Lakes area where the mountain air is already perfectly "conditioned" for all sorts of outdoor activities; hiking, biking, fishing, camping, horseback riding, horseshoes and golfing to name a few. or, just plain sitting outside with family and friends tell... 06/13/2011

*****Lots of 4th of July Holiday Festivities in Red Feather Lakes !***** Fireworks are always on Saturday.   JULY 2nd (Saturday) ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR    9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Craft Fair is located in both P.O.A. buildings, the parking lot and the Fire Barn KID'S FISHING CONTEST  (Ramona Lake)    8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Ages 4-8  Register at 8:30 a.m., Contest 9:00a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Ages 9-14 Register at 10:00 a.m., Contest 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PRIZES awarded at the Helipad - 12:30 (Kids, I just found out that fishing on Ramona is closed until the fishing contest, so they are saving those big fish for YOU to catch!)   BAR-B-QUE (P.O.A. Building Patio)    11:30a.m. to 1:30 p.m.   PARADE (Downtown)   2:00 p.m.   BOOK SALE at the Library 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.   FIREWORKS  start a dusk... 06/07/2011

There's a lot happening in the Red Feather Lakes Village to celebrate the Fourth of July! SATURDAY JULY 2ND, 2011 This post was originally written in 2009 and has been updated for 2011 Fireworks are always on Saturday!                                                           KIDS FISHING CONTEST Register at the POA Building Boys and Girls ages 4-8 Registration at 8:30 a.m. Boys and Girls ages 9-14 Registration at 10:00 a.m.    Prizes will be awarded at 12:30 after fishing is completed.     LIBRARY  BOOK SALE at the Red Feather Lakes Library. This is a great way to find great books to read and help our Library. 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.      ARTS & CRAFTS SHOW 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in the POA Building, Firebarn and the parking lot.    BAR-B-Q 11:30 to 1:30 p.m.  Downtown   PARADE - Downt... 06/07/2011

There he stood, across the road from the Red Feather Lakes Elementary School, looking a bit like an awkward teenager.  He's young; he doesn't even have his dewlap yet.  That dangling hairy dewlap (called a bell) must come later in life - perhaps like a young man's beard? This young Bull Moose is just beginning to grow his antlers; it's a process that will take all summer. His antlers will help him attract the females and are a powerful necessity during a challenge with another bull during the fall mating season. While the antlers are growing they're covered in velvet, which is a thin layer of skin that gives oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone. When the antler is fully grown the velvet falls off, or is rubbed off and the bone begins to die.  The antlers fall off sometime after that... 05/11/2011

  ****************************************************************************************************** Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR® United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net 800-531-2195 "A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul" I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, I'm here to help you. The information contained in Mary's blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author. 04/14/2011

I'm a Red Feather Lakes/Livermore Colorado Real Estate Agent. That's why you didn't see me at the Academy of Country Music Awards.... I was working on a CMA, which in my world stands for Comparative Market Analysis or some call it a Competitive Market Analysis or Comparable Market Analysis - whatever you choose to call it -  it isn't a Country Music  Award! Correctly pricing a home or vacant land in our buyer's market is critical. The CMA will tell a seller or buyer what similar homes in the area have sold for in the last 6 months, which homes are under contract, and what other properties in the area are competing for the same pool of buyers.  I always do a CMA prior to listing a property for sale and for my buyer clients before they make an offer. It's not nearly as exciting as winning... 04/05/2011

There was a small upswing in activity for the Red Feather Lakes Real Estate Market in March 2011 as we head into the traditionally busier Spring and Summer months. ADOM - Average Days on the Market CDOM- Cumulative Days on the Market It's still a buyer's market in Red Feather Lakes.  There is a wide variety of choices at every price point, too! Let me know if I can help you with buying or selling your Red Feather Lakes, Colorado property, today. Statistics from MLS are deemed accurate but not guaranteed. ************************************************************************************************ Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR® United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net  800-531-2195 "A Day in the Mountains wil... 04/05/2011

Our daughter and grandkids took a train ride from Denver to Glenwood Springs last week.  About 30 miles outside of Glenwood, the train was stopped because there was a large boulder on the tracks. They waited there for about an hour until the boulder could be removed, then the train proceeded on, slowly following the inspection truck to insure no other obstacles were in the way. I'm always checking "my tracks". I look ahead for any obstacles or necessary adjustments in order to avoid derailing a successful transaction for my clients and I look behind to evaluate my real estate business and make changes when needed. I "checked the track" for my sales statistics in the Livermore and Red Feather Real Estate Markets today. Here's my track record, to date: 23% of my sales were for properties ... 03/24/2011

What's going on around the Ponderosa Realty Office in Red Feather Lakes? The Red Feather Lakes Lumber & Supply company used to operate in the building next door to where our  Ponderosa Realty office is presently located, right on Red Feather Lakes road, which is now known as County Rd. 74E.    The building hadn't been used for several years and had fallen into disrepair; the sweet smell of freshly cut lumber no longer filled the air, the aroma evaporated years ago from the large pile of sawdust left standing on the floor. Barn swallows had claimed it as their home. All that remained was a large machine used for planing boards (I believe), paint cans, and various and assorted items that had been stored in the mill over time. This photo above of the Mill was taken in the winter of 2009. T... 03/12/2011

Medical Services in Red Feather Lakes CO I remember getting the mumps when I was little and the doctor coming to the house to make the diagnosis.  I  thought about mumps this morning because I'm not feeling very well and my throat feels like I swallowed a baseball. The days when doctors made house calls are long gone....waah, I want my mommy! Often, buyers ask me about medical services when considering  their move to Red Feather Lakes or the Livermore area. The Red Feather Lakes Medical Clinic, now known as Miramont Family Medicine is  located at 168 Main St. in Red Feather Lakes. They're open 10:00 a.m. - Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, and  Noon - 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. (summer only) Their phone number is 970-881-2885. They also have an office in nearby Welling... 03/06/2011

MLS and the Home Buying Process MLS doesn't stand for Major League Soccer or Medical Laboratory Science...... in Real Estate, MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service ~ Buyers or Sellers might be thinking "So What?" but don't click off just yet, there's a big "So What" for both of you. The Multiple Listing Service contains information on ALL* properties for sale in a given territory. The MLS also provides market statistics, number of homes sold and comparable property information.  In order to gain access to all of this information and submit our own listings, agents and affiliates (like appraisers) pay an annual subscription fee to become members.  ANY Real Estate Agent who subscribes to the MLS has access to ALL* of the properties for sale -  including those listed by Other Real Estate... 02/26/2011

Last week I was playing with my video camera, I've read that video is the way to go this year.  I dread the idea of actually getting in front of the thing and speaking - but I'm working up to it. It was cold that day, I mean really cold.  I believe it was 5 below zero but I had floor duty at the office and had to go to work.  I always enjoy the drive up to the office.  I began to wonder if the camera would see what I see.  I wondered if I could capture anything on my way to Red Feather Lakes that would make others want to come up here, too. Well, for this first video attempt, the answer is probably "NO". I took several snippets during the 12 mile drive.  Sometimes, I turned the camera sideways and "gasp" it looked like we were driving off the road! (Not a good idea for getting potential... 02/12/2011

2 new bank owned listings this week in Larimer county (NW Colorado). Only 2. I checked and Greeley had 14. This was about the lowesst week that we have seen. A great way to find the additional websites to search for foreclosures (besides having me set up a site for you) is to go to this web page: http://www.sellsrealestate.com/getagent/Pages.php?Page=0000549489&aid=011701020&temp=1107&aname=Nanci+on+The+Garnand+Group&aimg=1&agent_hasfeat=19& My pick of the day is the one at Red Feather Lakes - 189 Arapahoe Way for only $219,000. MLS # 647557 A tool that I provide to assist you in understanding home values is provided by corelogic. You put in an address and zip code (I prefer zip codes to typing in city and state) and you are able to see the "home values" of the houses around. There is a... 02/11/2011

My dog has been acting strangely lately.  She stands at the door as if to come in, and then when I open the door she turns and runs away.  It's getting a little annoying and is a bit frightening when the temperatures are dangerously cold. She's at the door, I open it - she runs away.  We played this game several times in the last week or so. This reminds me of some buyers, who seem so interested in a certain property then let their nerves get the better of them. They turn and run away, too! I can coax the dog back.....buyers will come back in their own time. .   .   .     My canine friend knows it; buyers should also know that I'm there to help them vanquish their "cold feet"! "Cold feet" in the real estate arena is sometimes called buyer's remorse.  Buyer's remorse might appear after y... 02/08/2011

Happy Groundhog's Day!   Livermore Lilly and Red Feather Randy, our local predictors are not coming out today. Most likely, that means there will be six more weeks of winter.  Many of those days ahead will be much warmer than our below zero temperatures today.     ~ You wouldn't rely on advice from a Real Estate Agent in Pennsylvania for your Livermore or Red Feather Lakes, Colorado real estate..... so don't listen to Phil! Just like all Real Estate Markets are local - so are groundhog prognosticators! Trust Livermore Lilly, Red Feather Randy and me, we work here, play here and live here. Happy Groundhog Day! ******************************************************************************** Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR® United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feat... 02/02/2011

In 1896, when Livermore was but a small ranching community, the women in the area formed the Livermore Women's Club. Thirty ladies came from ranches miles away, some on buckboard, some on horseback and some in buggies.  It was quite an effort for these women to get together, but exciting to visit with one another, participate in fund raising, and organize dances and charitable efforts for the community. I read that often the men accompanied their wives, either to insure safe travel and/or to socialize with the other men there as well. Why would these hard working families even bother driving the distance?  It's simple, People need other people. Their lives became richer with social interaction, their isolation seemed far less. ~ According to a recent article in ‘Daily Health News', when... 01/20/2011

When our little girl was about 4 she told her preschool teachers that she was allergic to broccoli. Of course she wasn't REALLY allergic; she just didn't want to try it.  Later, when she tried it, she discovered that she liked it! Human beings, little ones and grown up ones, believe we already know what we want or like, but I find it interesting that when we approach something with an open-mind, very often we change our little I'm- allergic-to broccoli-minds and embrace the broccoli! I was talking to man from out-of state recently that came to Red Feather to start looking for a retirement property.  We met at the office to talk about the area, get to know each other a little better and decide how best to communicate with one another after he went back home. He plans on being able to mov... 01/15/2011

6 new listings on 2 acres or more in Larimer county this week. Lowest price at $99,000 (modular on 2.58 acres) up to $1,500,000 on 26.7 acres with a horse barn. If you are looking at purchasing a place that has a modular on it, check out the financing first. Lenders have gotten a bit tighter again and if you like it, you want to be able to buy it! Get A FREE 2011 Guide To Northern Colorado Real Estate Prices at: www.LivingInNorthernColorado.com Features Property of the day is at 2110 Ladera Rd., Longmont (Larimer county) for $1,500,000. it is on 26.7 acres http://www.sellsrealestate.com/p/30/645690?searchtypesent=5&aid=011701020&oid=&temp=1107&aname=Nanci%2Bon%2BThe%2BGarnand%2BGroup&aimg=1&chome=&odoor=&agent_hasfeat=18&address=&mlsids%5B%5D=645690&x=16&y=7 Unable to display content. A... 01/13/2011

Did you know that the United Nations declared 2011 the International Year of the Forest? "The United Nations Declaration was made to raise awareness and strengthen sustainable forest management, conservation and sustainable development of all forests for the benefit of current and future generations." It's estimated that forests provide habitat to about 2/3rds of all species on earth, not to mention oxygen to breathe and more than 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihood, according to World Bank estimates. *   One of the benefits of living in the Red Feather Lakes area is that we are surrounded by forest.  We have easy access to the forest and many private land owners abut Forest Land.   The forest is almost in the playground of the Red Feather Lakes Elementary School, ... 01/05/2011

What will 2011 look like for our Red Feather Lakes and Livermore CO real estate markets?  What will 2011 look like for our Glacier View Meadows and Crystal Lakes real estate markets? It would be nice to have a magic crystal ball to say for sure, but these are some of my thoughts looking into 2011. There are a few exciting Commercial Changes bringing new life and enthusiasm to the Village of Red Feather Lakes in 2011. The new owners of The Trout Lodge, now known as The Ramona Lake Cabins will do a fantastic job in refurbishing and upgrading the historic lodging facilities on Lake Ramona. I predict patrons will be pleasantly surprised by the changes and enjoy their stay in the 6 updated cabins even more than in previous years. The Ramona Lake Cabins will do well in 2011 and thrive in many... 01/04/2011