Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs, Colorado! As a skiing hill, Howelsen Hill has already been the proving grounds for 37 Olympians, 14 members of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame, and six members of the National Ski Hall of Fame - and has sent more skiers to international competition than any other areas in the nation. As a mountain biking hill, Howelsen Hill offers great singletrack riding immediately accessible from downtown Steamboat Springs. Billed as a quick ride to squeeze in before work, the Howelsen Hill Loop climbs 2.3 miles to a rock quarry before ripping down incredibly steep, rocky, and hard-packed singletrack. Terrain: Improved dirt road, doubletrack, and singletrack. The terrain includes sandy and rocky sections, creek-crossings, and hard-packed dirt through meadows and asp... 04/26/2010

Character: Personal success is built on the foundation of character, and character is the result of hundreds and hundreds of choices you may make that gradually turn who you are at any given moment into who you want to be. If that decision-making process is not present, you’ll still be somebody—you’ll still be alive—but you may have a personality rather than a character, and to me that’s something very different. Character isn’t something you were born with and can’t change, like your fingerprints. It’s something you must take responsibility for forming. You build character by how you respond to what happens in your life, whether it’s winning every game, losing every game, getting rich or dealing with hard times. You build character from certain qualities that you must create and dilige... 04/26/2010

  Steamboat Springs Lifestyle   The Steamboat Springs Ski Area closed on Sunday, April 11th, 2010 for the 2009/2010 Winter Season. It was sad to see the lifts end, but oh so much more to look forward to especially for the Summer Season here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The above image is a picture I took of the Yampa Valley River in Springtime! Very exciting to see all the snow melting and spring features approaching. Yesterday, was almost 70 degrees in the 'boat, excited to see whats to come. Before the Steamboat Ski Area officially closed on Sunday, April 11th, 2010 we had to do it right! First, they threw the 30th Annual Smartwood Cardboard Classic, which undertakes the traditional rite of spring celebrating its 30th year, features homemade crafts contructed only from cardboard, ... 04/13/2010

Signs are definitely present of folks taking advantage of the 1st time homebuyer tax credit that is nearing deadline on April 30th. At this time, it appears that the government will not offer another extension. Any first-time or move-up buyer who is interested in taking advantage of the tax credit much have a binding sales contract by April 30, 2010 - with the home purchase completed by June 30, 2010. There are over 100 pending sales and prices continue to reflect Seller's willingness to sell! Contact me today to start the search. angela@yoursteamboathome.com 04/13/2010

CNBC recalls that vacation homes are starting to come back again. The housing slump may be far in between of being over, but there is definitely hope and some statistics that things are suddenly hot again in some parts of the housing sales. In 2009, vacation homes have increased a woping 7.9 percent from 2008. According to the (NAR) National Association of Realtors, shows that 553,000 units were invested in its 2010 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey. It is great to hear that things finally are picking up since the last three years of slow activity. Many are buying vacation property for personal use not so much as an investment, but the investment sales increased by 15.9 percent since last year, to 940,000 units sold. People in their 30's and 40's who earn a larger income seemed... 04/08/2010

Well, we got a wallop here in Steamboat. 21" reported at the top of the mountain and not sure anyone was at work yesterday morning. Blue skies prevail this evening and there's plenty of snow to wrap up the season. Real estate is definitely on the upswing. Closings this week already include some big ticket homes. $2.8 and $4.0 million dollar homes in the mountain area closed this week. Pending sales are on the climb and so are showings. If you can make it for closing weekend, we have a lot of fun in store as well as great snow! Come for visit and let me show you around Steamboat.  angela@yoursteamboathome.com   04/08/2010

    New Listing!  "A Well Established Business in Downtown Steamboat!" Building For  Health Eco-Center Offered at $275,000   Own your piece of the "green" market today! Well established, turn key Eco-Center in beautiful, progressive Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Building For Health Eco-Center of Steamboat - is a supplier for healthy, environmentally sound, sustainable, and reclaimed building materials, appliances, and home comforts to meet every green need. One stop shopping for over 7,000 green building materials and home comforts. With over 25 years of experience in environmental construction, and product sales, providing the best in environmentally friendly products, and excellent technical support. Each and every product is thoroughly researched with building health, and a better wor... 04/01/2010

                   EXQUISITE EAGLERIDGE TOWNHOMES!   Recent sales show the quality of EagleRidge even in tough  times. Great value for a wonderful furnished 4 bedrooms townhome located for big views of the mountain and close access to the pool. 4 bedroom, EagleRidge townhome with 1 car garage. EagleRidge townhomes are just one block from the ski area, 2641 square to spread out in, granite counters, stainless appliances, hardwood floors, rock fireplace, vaulted ceiling, log railings and accents and two decks to take in the breathtaking view. 2 bedrooms on the upper level, each have their own baths. The lower level features a sitting/TV area and 2 additional bedrooms. Additional loft area is currently used as an office. This townhome is very close to the EagleRidge Lodge building with fr... 03/30/2010

If you are deciding to invest into a home for you and your family, but a down payment is holding you back, you are in luck. Families that fall below 150% of the area median income (AMI) are eligible for this new financial assistance to purchase a home that resides in Routt County. There are a few eligibility requirements such as the following. The financial assistance only helps those that are employed full time in Routt County at the time of the loan and during the load period, along with living full time at that residence.   The applicant needs to have available the greater of $1,000 or 1% of the home purchase price for a down payment is required. First come, first serve basis and a variety of funding sources are available at this time for assistance that can be used for each qualifyi... 03/30/2010

Located on the 4th floor, giving you privacy and beautiful views of the mountain is this one bedroom Trailhead Lodge unit. Great for those weekend get-aways in Steamboat or for longer stays on the mountain. A beautiful 1 bedroom / 1 bath unit with a fireplace and patio make this a welcoming place to come back to time and time again.  With amenities that include an outdoor fireplace / grilling area, a pool, fitness center, and 4 hottubs with cascading waterfalls, luxury is only a short walk downstairs. And with a gondola just outside your door that transports you to the base of the ski mountain activities begin as you roll out of bed in the morning. Click here for more information on this 1 Bedroom unit in Trailhead Lodge.   03/29/2010

As spring approaches and promises that skiing may soon give way to biking, hiking, and golf, we Realtors have observed an exciting trend....an increase in buyers!  If you are considering becoming one of those or offering your real estate for sale, here is some info you might find useful. Inventory is still plentiful, and seasonal sellers are just beginning to prep their homes for the selling season.  Currently, according to the Steamboat Springs BOR multiple listing service (where all statistics in this blog came from), there are 670 condos and townhomes on the market and 465 single family homes.  The condo/townhome category contains 487 units located near the ski area and 80 in downtown Steamboat Springs.  37 single family homes are in the downtown Steamboat Springs area and 72 are lis... 03/27/2010

The Yampa Valley was the summer hunting grounds of the Ute Indians for hundreds of years. The first white men passed through the area in the early 1800's. The name Steamboat Springs is said to have originated in the late 1820's when three French Trappers, traveling along the Yampa River, heard a ‘chug chug' sound. Thinking they had reached a major river, one yelled, "a Steamboat, by gar!" Upon further investigation, they discovered the sound came from a natural mineral spring, to be named Steamboat Springs. The Steamboat Spring still sits at the far end of town; however, it ceased to ‘chug' when the railroad bed was laid above it in 1908. Skis (in early years referred to as snowshoes) were a means of travel until Carl Howelsen arrived in 1914 and changed the lives of the town's residen... 03/26/2010

Just Listed! A Charming Steamboat Springs Home with Spectacular Mountain & Valley Views. Located on 35 acres this home provides you with an ideal vantage point to look across the valley below and out to Sleeping Giant and the Flattops for great sunset views. Whether you are watching the sun-set beyond the Flattops or a lone elk walking in the distance, everyday-living now feels as though you live in your own sanctuary. Located 8 miles to 7 eleven in Steamboat, the views looking down across the valley are picturesque no matter the time of day. Surrounding by thousands of acres of ranches and national forest, beautiful areas to explore are just minutes away. Walking into the home you are greeted ceilings creating a home that is full of natural light for most of the day. The home is constr... 03/24/2010

Steamboat Fly Fishing I came across a video of early season fly-fishing on the Yampa River. With the weather beginning to warm more and more people are beginning to be seen on the Yampa River, a river that flows through downtown Steamboat. Inspirational, it makes me want to get out on the river myself as soon as i can! Looks like these guys have had a great trip, catching quite a few fish in their afternoon on the river. For some more insights into Steamboat Springs Lifestyle, check out the rest of this cool page - Steamboat Videos. 03/23/2010

Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Steamboat Springs, Colorado!     The Steamboat Springs Yampa Valley Regional Airport has made a final decision on the summer's construction. The 2nd baggage carousel won't be operational until winter 2011-2012 the city has decided. The summer construction on the expansion to the Airport will begin this summer on the third phase of terminal at the airport, but a new, second baggage carousel won't be ready in time for next ski season. As of the third week in January county officials still were planning on delivering the new carousel for the 2010-2011 ski season. The estimated cost of the phase 3 expansion of the airport terminal is about $6.83 million. The 2010 phase of the work is expected to total $3.6 million to $3.8 million pending competitive bidding.... 03/23/2010

This week has been particularly interesting as we have seen a few larger properties go under contract and pending sales are on the increase. Cash buyers are seeking the deals and sellers are listening! Amidst the crazy lending market where every day is a new day, there is still opportunity if you have the patience. As we wind up our ski season, blue skies prevail with spring conditions on the mountain and a fun line up of free concerts... savvy buyers are scoping out the Steamboat real estate market. Ski in April for $99/4 passes. 03/20/2010

Overlooking the year of 2009 to 2010 trends of destination booking have changed incredibly. The lodging occupancy through February of 2010 nudged up a number percentage of 0.03% ahead of last season, continuing a very slow trend toward growth - Mountain Travel Research Program report. The number of mountain report communities in the Western part of Colorado was based on data from 15 of them. In February of 2010 the rate of occupancy was up 2.7% compared to February of 2009. Reservations taken in February for arrival in February through July are up 12.7% compared to 2009, a continuation of the stronger pace seen in the past few months. The average room rates declined by 6.6.%, which the fuel rate cutting has changed this growth greatly. The trend that has been happening is expected to co... 03/19/2010

The Wall Street Journal recently released an article describing the turn around for luxury/second homes. The beginning of the article describes how 'At long last, the market for luxury real estate is coming back to life. ' I am fortunate to have had a busy year already with multiple clients securing luxury properties. This has included my largest single family property transaction to date at about $1.5m less than an offer the sellers had previously rejected. People are still looking to spend their time in Steamboat. Looking to ski, mountain bike, hike or spend time with their families, many are recognizing the current opportunity to become a part of Steamboat Springs. Below is a short excerpt from the Wall Street Journal Article mentioned - 'Prices for primary residences, which plunged ... 03/16/2010

    With views of the valley, the ski mountain and Howelsen Hill, 1088 Uncochief has beautiful views with an interior to match. Featuring beautiful post and beam ceilings in the main living area with a large stone fireplace, this home gives you the perfect space to entertain your guests. With a dining room and kitchen that open out and all flow out to large deck, you can easily take in the views all day long. Southern exposure brings great light and melts the driveway when the clouds part.    With the master bedroom located upstairs and three additional rooms downstairs it is a great place for those with older children or when entertaining guests. A large game/fitness room located on the floor between, you can eaisly escape for a quick game of pool or workout in your own home. A  perfe... 03/11/2010

Steamboat 700, a plan for the annexation of 700 acres of land west of Steamboat Springs, was voted down this past weekend. Steamboat 700 was a plan designed to build between 1,837 and 2,243 residential units with...448 of them being deed-restricted community housing units. Steamboat Springs residents cast 2,592 ballots against the annexation and 1,661 ballots in favor, a 61 to 39 percent result for the mail-only vote that began in February. Designed as a slow-growth plan that would slowly come to realization over 20 years, the development was attempting to 'create a dynamic and sustainable community that provides new opportunities for Steamboat Springs residents to live, work, shop and play.' A turn in events for the future of Steamboat's growth, it will be interesting to watch in the c... 03/10/2010