Salida Colorado Events: The Grainery Delivers Thanksgiving The Grainery is a local organization that acts as a food minestry to local residents. They provide food all year long and "kick it up a notch" when Thanksgiving and Christmas rolls around. Two local real estate companies, Keller Williams (where I work) and First Colorado Land office are spearheading donations for Thanksgiving. You can still donate, either call me (719.221.6108) or mail a check to The Grainery Ministries, P.O. Box 303, Salida, CO 81201. Mark in the memo line on the check that it is for Thanksgiving boxes or if you prefer, save it for Christmas boxes.             The grainery staff and volunteers will deliver the boxes Nov. 14, 16 and 19. They deliver to folks who come in and apply and to folks who are seniors an... 11/13/2012

    Salida Colorado Real Estate Mortgage Series: USDA Loans USDA Rural Housing Loan in Colorado  The USDA Rural Development Guaranteed Housing Loan program and are insured by the Department of Agriculture. Your only option for a USDA loan is 30-year fixed. Right now, they are one of the few loan programs that can finance up to 100% of the loan and occasionally up to 115%, including miscellaneous closing costs. If there are other costs you cannot afford at closing, it is ok to get a gift from friends or family. Sellers can also pay some of your closing costs. You must qualify for the program and your home must, too. The home must in in an eligible area. Click on this USDA Eligible Address link to type in the address to see if it will be eligible. The home you want to buy cannot be “incom... 11/12/2012

Attention Sellers.Home with acreage not selling?  Think Small! Problem: In the Salida Colorado Real Estate market, many folks are selling their homes, many of which are located on large acreages. Unfortunately, in our area, the target market for these homes is relatively small due to the large acreage and higher prices. Although our in town market is still hot, our homes with acreage and vacant land are not moving anywhere near as quickly as the cute Victorian in town on a city lot. Solution:   Divide it up and list it 2-3 different ways if you do not have a mortgage on the place and would be willing to sell it a parcel at a time. You will reach different buyers in different price brackets that actually may be interested in buying the entire parcel once they see it. However, the seller'... 11/11/2012

Salida Colorado Restaurant Series: Finding a good place to eat Although Salida is a relatively small town (5500), we have amazingly good restaurants. I think being  an "undiscovered resort town" helps. We are known for downhill skiing (Monarch Mountain), white water sports, fly fishing which brings folks to town and keeps our downtown area healthy and busy.  We have restaurants for all types of food and I will feature one restaurant per post over the next couple of weeks. Check out the list below for who will be featured and when.  I have only picked restaurants that my family and friends frequent so I can recommend any of them on this list.  As the posts are completed, the list below will have a link to follow and learn more about that particular place to eat. Grab your fork and head t... 11/10/2012

Salida Colorado Real Estate: A Showing,  Picnic and a Pile of Bones A couple of years ago, I listed a 160 acre tract of land that had a gold mine on it (non working) and the remnants of the miner's cabin.. The area was spectacularly beautiful... running creek, mountains, valleys, and 2 small horizontal shafts where the mines were. The price was fabulous and we had quite a bit of interest. Since the roads were bad getting in, we had to walk about 45 minutes. Then, we bushwhacked trails around the land to show off the views, mines, homestead and creek. We love the outdoors so that part was fun for us. Our first showing was scheduled about a week after we got the listing. To do it right, we packed a lunch, water and our camera to make the experience meaningful to them.  For lunch, we picke... 10/17/2012

Salida Colorado Market Report for September 2012 The flurry of buying we saw early spring through June has calmed down a bit. As we head into fall, the charts below indicate what is going on with our 3 types of property. Residential (homes with less than an acre of land)Homes with Acreage (homes with 1+ acres)Land (can have structures but no home) The first chart depicts the number of active listings in September for each of these categories. We are a town of about 6500 with a large outlying area of homes with some land. As you can see, we have fewer residential homes than the other two. In town, we actually have a shortgage of homes that are priced properly. They do not stay on the market and often have multiple offers. This is not the case for homes with acreage or vacant land. The av... 10/01/2012

Salida Colorado Mountain Biking.. a Beginners Perspective Most folks around here bicycle, whether it is to the store, to the park, or, more seriously, on one of the 100's of trails around here. Not me. I have  had a problem with my core balance throughout my life and balancing on a bike has ranged from challenging to hilarious.  However, I am starting... what a great form of low impact excercise! I respect and admire the cyclists who scramble over precarious trails and climb up seemingly 45 degree slops. On the other hand, you will find me on the trails with less elevation and no obstacles. This series is about bicycling, whether you are a wimp (me) or ultra serious athlete. Salida is known for its bicycling, especially mountain biking.  The Colorado Trail, the Continental Divide Nation... 09/18/2012

Another day in paradise here in Salida Colorado.  I have some favorite videos and photos that I added favorite quotes to for you to read and watch. The Ball ... a charming set of clips   1 Minute that May Change Your Life ... a great motivational video   Great ad that is a metaphor for life... Don't Worry. Be Happy   If you have never heard Rufous Wainwright's Halellujah, it is a song that lifts me up ever time I hear it. The chorus is my favorite car signing. Life is good. Enjoy!         09/02/2012

Salida Colorado Real Estate: Wanted - home with acreage Sellers, I need your help. I have buyers who need a home with acreage. The market is slowly heating up in our area. Folks who have been thinking about a home around here are finally moving forward. I have more buyers than homes to offer them especially for homes with acreage. For example I have buyers who are looking for 3 bedroom 2 bath home on acreage (4 or more acres). They have a horse so the area would have to allow horses. They want to be no more than 20 minutes from town. The roads must be accessible all year. They want views, so the home would have to have at least one side with vistas of some sort. An outbuilding/barn and/or perimeter fencing are not mandatory but desirable.They want a decent producing well and in an area ... 08/31/2012

Two secrets for Real Estate Success:Trust your Gut & Expect the Best In a litigious society such as ours, my two secrets are going to seem ludicrous to some. But others will resonate with them.  I developed my abilities in these two areas when I was a teacher and they are as important now as realtor as they were with a classroom of students. I have to pay attention to my emotions, however and find a way to stay in relatively positive energy or neither one works. Feeling good is a prerequisite for both and that can be a challenge at times. So, my only caveat is to proceed with Caution ... I mean a positive state of mind 1. Expect people to be and do their best when they interact with you. According to Wayne Dyer, "If you believe it then you will see it". I had to work at this --the reali... 08/18/2012

Salida Colorado Market Activity: July 2012 The summer market in south central colorado is steady sailing. The following charts will show the average prices, number of homes on the market, days on the market, and more. I will lead you through a visual tour of what is going on in Salida Colorado Real Estate for the month of June and July. As you can see from the next two graphs,  July is not much different than June in average price and days on market.  Our The market insider graph below indicates that prices are increasing a tiny bit in July compared to june. Interestingly, the listing prices have fallen and selling prices are increasing.. a very good sign as we head into late summer and fall. If you want to explore more areas around Salida, you can pull charts up by city name... our sur... 08/07/2012

Salida Colorado Chaffee County Fair and Rodeo The first week of August is time for our annual fair and rodeo. Colorado has deep roots in agriculture and ranching -- the heart of the fair and rodeo. Straw hats in town sell out, the fairgrounds fill up and folks find a variety of ways to enjoy themselves. 4-H The two main activities for youth in town include 4-H and sports. Many do both. 4-H stands for the following: I pledge My head to clearer thinking, My heart to greater loyalty, My hands to larger service, and My health to better living, For my club, my community, my country, and my world. Kids get involved in projects over the year, whether it is cooking, sewing, art, raising animals, or  performing on horses. Fair time is when they show the community what they have accomplished ove... 08/06/2012

Reflections on a dog day afternoon in Salida Colorado....waiting for rain. The August monsoons are reportedly on their way to bring moisture to the hay fields and mountains. As they build, the humidity builds which is unusual for us. Despite the warmth, our town is bustling this weekend... the 8th Annual 3 day Salida Classic Bicycle races are in town, adding great energy as the athletes race and then relax around town.                    The Chaffee County fair and rodeo are here and lots of friends where I keep my horses are participating. Rodeo is deepling entrenched in Colorado ranch culture... I love to go.  After the collage about rodeo, I will end with a favorite Seals and Crofts song about summer days. 07/29/2012

A friend of mine who blogs and knows I do sent me this one...   Had fun with my son's Dog Photo using PicMonkey And for the finale... two dogs dealing with the heat in Salida Colorado.. river town with a storm brewing. I need to learn to do what they do!   07/27/2012

Salida Colorado Buyers: How does your Agent Help? Part Two of Two In the first post, you learned about beginning your search, having your agent show you homes and deciding on the top 2-3. If you missed this post, you can find it at Salida Colorado Buyers: How does your Agent help? Part One of Two. Making an Offer You can only make an offer on one property at a time so our best suggestion is to choose one and have a backup. We will look at the comparative sale prices which will help you decide where to start on your offer. We will also show you list to sale prices so you can get an idea as to how much below list price you can start. Our local market is heating up: Our inventory is low because buying has picked up. Home prices are going up. Homes that are priced really well are selling qu... 07/25/2012

  Salida Colorado Home Buying Process: How Does Your  Agent Help?   Pre-Showing to Making the Offer Before we Meet. First, we will assist you in determining how much home you can buy and what your options are for buying it.. cash, bank loan, owner finance, etc.  Second, we will set up a broad search for you in areas that may work so that you can get a feel for how much home/land your dollar can buy here and what the differences are in the various places to live (See the series: Salida Colorado Area Places to Live). Third, we need to know your time frame so we can include foreclosures and/or short sales in your search. In general, they take longer to close, especially short sales. We will stay in touch. Don't hesitate to ask lots of questions. We will either email or call on regular basi... 07/24/2012

Sunday, Creativity and Appreciation   Sunday morning in Salida Colorado. Birds singing, blue skies with a hint of sunrise left, and a wet tongue from our dog Jack, inviting us to get up and enjoy the day.             This is a good day for a cup of coffee on the deck, a bicycle ride on Tenderfoot mountain trail, and a visit to the barn to play with Rio and Tucker, my two horses. I hope something special happens for your day as well. As a dear friend/coach said to me once and I have used it ever since ...                "Make it a good day!" A friend sent me the video below. I found it on my email this morning...pure creativity.   What a lovely way to start my day and a reminder of the symphony we can create as a team.  Together we rock! Happy Sunday. 07/22/2012

Salida Colorado Hot Springs Enthusiasts: 5 Hot Springs to Choose from       This area of the Rocky Mountains seems to be geologically perfect for hot springs formations. We have 5 public hot springs and more for those who like to soak after arduous hikes in the mountains. This post is about the 5 hot springs nearby or in town. At the end, we have created a video highlighting the 5 hot springs. Enjoy!               The closest, right in town, is Salida Hot Springs and Pool. They have a pool for laps, a soaking pool, private pools and plans for more outdoor soaking pools. For those of you who like to swim for exercise, this is a great choice...the water is warm but not too warm to swim in. This pool is great for soaks after a full day of skiing when you just want to roll out of the soakin... 07/21/2012

Salida Colorado: After all, we ARE a Whitewater Town   Salida Colorado  is is the quintessential Colorado town..it has the big river and the big mountains.  This is the first post of 5 in the "After All" series introducing you to the big river a) whitewater, b) other riiver activities (including fishing),  the big mountains c)downhill skiing and other mountain activities (hikiing, biking and climbing) and then e) the arts - a major attraction here. The Arkansas river is what is called a freestone river...naturally fed by snow melt. Other rivers are fed by reservoirs. The Arkansas gets some water from the Twin Lakes Reservoir but it's headwaters are mountain snow runoff. Everything Whitewater The biggest Whitewater event of the year is FIBARK, First in Boats on the Arkansas. Between raft... 07/16/2012

Salida Colorado Real Estate: Six unique neighborhoods/areas to live Click on the link to search for Salida Colorado Homes for sale. This is a live link, updated hourly. I want to introduce you a good friend... small, unpretentious, beautiful and fun. My town, Salida Colorado, is all that. The following blog post will introduce you to Salida and then talk more about the Historic Downtown area.   In this post and over the next several days, I will introduce you to the places to live around here, one area at a time.     Areas: Historic Downtown Salida  Greater Salida and Poncha Springs Rural Chaffee County Surrounding Salida Down Valley:Howard and Coaldale  Cotopaxi and Texas Creek Buena Vista and Nathrop    Salida Colorado, a resort town with 5500 people, has been a favorite in magazines... 07/05/2012