The benefits of a preapproval (not prequalification) for Home Loans in Ouray Colorado. Many consumers are not informed on the proper way for buying a home. No question, this is a big decision, and one that can be either immensely stressful- or immensely enjoyable- depending on how you go about the home buying process of Home Loans in Ouray Colorado and the surrounding areas. The key is to take the proper steps to educate yourself on your buying power, initial investment, and taking some time to think about your lifestyle choices. This article will cover all of these.   Education   The steps necessary to purchasing a home in Ouray, Colorado starts with getting pre-approved for your home loan. Notice we did not say get prequalified- in today’s world a prequalification is not meaningful. Y... 09/09/2019

It's been a while since I've been active on Active Rain, and that's because last October, I "retired."  However, my first love, real estate, kept calling.  So, after 4 years in the mortgage business and 9 months of retirement, I reactivated my real estate license this month and joined Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties.  I am so excited to be back!  Don't get me wrong, retirement was fun.  I've never been bored with time off.  It was great having no agenda, no commitments, and just, basically, leading a life by stream-of-consciousness, jumping from one activity or project to another as the thought and notion crossed my mind.   I dabbled in e-commerce, stock trading, followed cryptocurrency trends and invested a bit to learn more about it.  I played music, hiked, camped, traveled, wo... 07/21/2018

The Western Slope of Colorado has been getting some rain. This has lowered the temperatures and already the San Juan Mountains have gotten snow. It probably won't stick around for long, but it was a beautiful thing to see. The stormy skies added to the wintery feel. I was in the area for business on Friday, and I took a few pictures. The first picture shows the mountain everyone sees when they come into Ouray from the north. This is Mount Abrams. It's 12,721 feet high. The pyramid shaped peak in the second picture doesn't have an official name. Locally it's know as Corbett or Chipeta. The two peaks off to the right of this one are called Whitehouse Mountain. They are all over 13,000 feet. Mount Sneffles is just to the right of the peaks in this picture, it's one of the state's 14,000 fo... 08/28/2016

I think I own almost every Bonnie Raitt album she has ever produced.  I bought my first one back in 1974 when I was a student at UC Santa Barbara, the old black licorice LP type.  I am now patiently waiting for her latest release, which I pre-ordered on iTunes and will play on my iPod or stream to my stereo via Apple TV.  Yes, times (technologies) have changed!  So, what does Bonnie Raitt have to do with Real Estate? Nothing, really, other than maybe a reminder that in this wonderful and crazy real estate industry in which we work, we need synergy between work and play. Music is partly how I gain that synergy.  The other way is just living in my beautiful little Town of Ridgway, Colorado in Ouray County, at the foot of the spectacular San Juan Mountains.  These mountains are my backyard... 02/21/2016

Ridgway, CO Gateway to the San Juan Mountains and the Grammy AwardsMost people probably never thought about where the Grammy Awards are made, or they just assume there's a large factory that manufactures the trophies. In actuality the awards are handmade in a small mountain town in Southwest Colorado called Ridgway. John Billings is known around these parts as "The Grammy Man". He is the owner of Billings Artworks.Billings was once the apprentice for the original Grammy trophy maker, Bob Graves. He began making the original award in 1958. The relationship between Billings and Graves started in 1976 while both men lived in California. Realizing Billings artistic talent and attention to detail, Graves decided to teach him what he knew. Around 1983 Graves died, and Billings bought the busi... 02/10/2016

Mountain Property For Sale Western Colorado Borders National ForestThis is a great opportunity for you to own your own mountain property. This 35 acre parcel is about 35 minutes from Montrose and it's located in Ouray County. It borders National Forest land on one side and is close to area 62 for some of the best elk hunting you will find in Colorado. There is year round access right up to the first gate going into the property. A portion of the property has been cleared of scrub oak and other brush to open up some of the parcel and to expose the mountain and valley view. The Ponderosa Pines were left untouched. This area would also make a great building site. Price: $99,900This is an off the grid pracel. There are residents that live in the area full time and keep the roads open in the... 05/21/2015

We Braved the Wind, Cold and Snow and it Was Worth ItIt's a typical spring in Western Colorado...at least as far as the weather goes. The weather can be very unpredictable here. After a couple of weeks of sunny days with temperatures in the lower 70s, now we are back to winter. Often times you don't know what to expect with the weather around here. The wind, cold and snow didn't stop Lucky and I from another trip to the mountains. I think Lucky has almost as much fun on the trip there, as he does when we get there. He didn't seem to mind the cold wind on his face when I opened his window. We got to our spot in the late afternoon on Saturday. When you have a plush camper to sleep in, and a generator for power, it hardly seems like camping. I was a hardcore camper when I was younger and I... 04/26/2015

Serendipity Sunday...More Weekend Mountain FunI am holding true to my commitment to myself and Lucky to get out and have more fun. I had some work to finish up on Saturday morning, and then the two of us headed up to the mountains. This time we camped out. It was a beautiful weekend in the San Juan Mountains, but the skies were kind of hazy. I stopped in to make a quick check on my land, and then we headed around the corner to a friend's mountain place. This is where we spent the night and the rest of the weekend. Skip has a dog that Lucky really enjoys playing with. She is a Boston Terrier named Bella, but she only answers to Piggley. That name kind of fits her now. She's going to have to work hard running around to lose her winter weight. Lucky also went swimming. So while he ran arou... 04/12/2015

Ouray Highgraders' Holiday Mining Competition 2014 Colorado's mining history runs deeper than the mining holes left in the ground. Here mining isn't just a thing of the past. Small mountain towns still survive today because of their deep mining history, and to celebrate this, mining competitions are held all over the state.  Ouray hosted it's annual Highgraders competition this weekend...August 22nd to the 23rd. This is a 3 day event where both men and women compete for the title of top miner. It was held over by the hot springs pool in Ouray Miners Park. There are many different challenges the competitors face. I think the competition in the video is called jack drilling. We stumbled upon this event by accident while we were in Ouray for Grillin and Chillin. I'm glad we found it. The s... 08/24/2014

2014 Ouray, CO Brewfest...Grillin & Chillin Brew and Music Fest. This is the 7th year for the Grillin' and Chillin' Festival. It's August 23 this year. This is a family and dog friendly event. It really is a great time for the whole family. There will be a bump and jump for the kids and bring your beach balls and fribees, too. These pictures were taken at last year's festival. Here's more pictures. Bring your blankets and favorite festival chairs and get ready to settle in for a great afternoon of music. You can't beat the scenery in Ouray. Just look up and you won't want to look back down. You are surrounded by rugged mountain peaks.  General admission is $5. That will get you an afternoon of live music. The music starts at 1PM and goes until 6PM. If you want the commemorative tasting ... 07/13/2014

Financing up to 90% of your home price with low Jumbo Mortgage Rates on Ouray County CO Jumbo Loans. Are you looking for a Jumbo Home Loan in the Ouray County CO area? Right now is the time to lock in a low jumbo mortgage rate. We specialize in helping luxury home buyers who need financing for higher jumbo loan amounts. What is a jumbo loan? A jumbo loan in most counties is any loan that is greater than $417,000. However, there are some "high balance" counties in Colorado which are listed at the bottom of this article, or you can follow this link to the Fannie Mae County Loan Limits. These counties allow for "conforming" rates above $417,000 and up to the county limit. Are mortgage rates higher on jumbo loans in Ouray County? Not necessarily! Currently, we have jumbo rates available tha... 07/03/2014

90% financing and low Jumbo Home Loan Rates on Jumbo Loans in Ouray CO. Are you looking for a Jumbo Mortgage lender in Ouray CO? There has never been a better time than right now to take advantage of this program. We specialize in helping luxury home buyers who need higher balance jumbo mortgage financing. What is a jumbo home loan? A jumbo home loan in most counties is any loan with a balance greater than $417,000. There are some "high balance" counties in Colorado and they are listed at the bottom of this article or follow this link to the Fannie Mae County Loan Limits. These counties allow for "conforming" rates above $417,000 and up to the county limit. Are home loan rates higher on jumbo mortgages in Ouray? Not necessarily! Currently, we have jumbo rates available that are lower th... 06/17/2014

Red Mountain Pass...or The Million Dollar Highway Southwest Colorado. No other paved pass in Colorado stands out and is more well known than Red Mountain Pass. I usually take this pass from Ouray over to Durango. My perspective is from traveling the pass going this direction. Maybe the pass is so well known because of it's reputation for being treacherous. There are 8% grades, very few guardrails and sheer drop offs of several hundred feet. The pass is also known for having rock slides in wet weather. This picture is the view from the first overlook outside of Ouray. Look to the left and in the center of the photo. You can see the road hugging the mountainside. There are no guardrails on this stretch of road.   Occasionally some of the local residents will come out for a visit. This you... 10/19/2013

Scenes From 2013 Grillin and Chillin Brew and Music Fest Ouray, CO. Ouray is known as Little Switzerland, and once you visit there you'll see why. The mountains surrounding this box canyon are absolutely beautiful and rugged. This scenery made a great backdrop for the 2013 Grillin and Chillin Brew and Music Fest Ouray, CO.   Grillin and Chillin Brew and Music Fest had a great turnout.  This was family fun for everyone, and there were people there of all ages. For the kids there was a bump and jump and zipline, but some kids managed to have fun on their own. The event is always held in August. This was the sixth year and it keeps getting more popular every year.                       Three different Colorado bands took the stage for well over 5 hours of live music. Various food vendors w... 08/26/2013

This Doesn't Happen Everyday...But I Saw a Bear Today. You are certainly familiar with deer crossing signs and in Colorado you will even see elk and moose crossing signs, but you never see a bear crossing sign. Today I saw a bear cross the road. I'm driving along and all of a sudden I see a bear's head pop up along the side of the road. Imagine my surprise. I had to pull over and see what this bear was going to do. I've seen several bears, but not one trying to cross a highway. The bears I've seen are deep in the woods. My hands were shaking a bit. I didn't know if this bear was going to come after me. They don't like busy places. This picture was taken just north of Ridgway, Colorado on Hwy 550. I was about 100 yards away from this bear. I stayed right by the car in case he decided to ... 08/24/2013

2013 Ouray, CO Brewfest...Grillin & Chillin Brew and Music Fest. It's this Saturday, August 24th in Ouray, Colorado. This is the 6th year for this event. Dance in the park and enjoy beer and other beverages from Western Slope Breweries and Distilleries. Bring your blankets and favorite festival chairs. The 2013 Ouray, CO Brewfest...Grillin & Chillin Brew and Music Fest starts at 1pm at Fellin Park. The park is next to the hot springs pool and you can't miss it when you come into town. There's only two ways in and out of Ouray that don't involve using a four wheel drive vehicle, so you won't miss the park no matter which way you are coming from. The festival and music are free. Bring your dogs and your kids. Everyone is welcome. The tasting is $25 and includes a commemorative glass. Food... 08/22/2013

That's The Worst Fish Picture I've Ever Seen...Fishing Western Colorado. Ouch that hurts. Normally I take pretty decent pictures, but not this time. The fishing was great today, so I guess my camera skills were a bit off. OK...here's the picture in question. The one my husband is complaining about. This is a Snake River Fine Spot Cutthroat Trout. It was caught at Pa-Co-Chu-Puk between Ridgway and Montrose, Colorado. This one is 20 inches long and that's great for this type of trout. My husband out fished me today and the credit for this catch goes to him. The fisherman upstream came over to help Dan net it. So we had three people standing over the fish. After the long hard fight, we were all eager to get the fish back to the water, and not make it pose for a picture.     Pa-Co-Chu-Puk i... 06/16/2013

Fishing Pa-Co-Chu-Puk Ridgway State Park...Great River Fishing Experience. When traveling through this area of Western Colorado, Ridgway Reservoir really stands out, but a great stretch of water is often overlooked on the Uncompahgre River below the dam. Pa-Co-Chu-Puk is an Indian term meaning Cow Creek. This is one of three areas that make up Ridgway State Park. The locals just called this area "Paco". This is a trout stream that is a lot of fun without a lot of work. Wading is easy, but there's also good fishing from the bank. Here you will catch rainbow and cutthroat trout. This stretch of river is catch and release with flies and lures only. If you are looking to do a little fishing ( or a lot ) on your Western Colorado trip, Paco is a place that should be on your list. Paco isn't o... 06/10/2013

Get Lost at Ridgway CO State Park...Mountain Views and So Much More. Ridgway State Park sits at the base of the San Juan Mountains and this means the park has some of the most fantastic scenery around. Ridgway Reservoir alone covers over 1,000 acres. The park stretches for about five miles into the Uncompahgre River Valley. The reservoir was designed to catch spring water and runoff snow melt from the mountains as part of the Colorado River Storage Project. The reservoir dam was finished in 1987 and this is when a lot of land was eventually covered by water. This valley and surrounding area is also where the John Wayne movie True Grit was filmed.   The park has three areas. There's Dutch Charlie, which was the first area of the park to open in 1989. Camping, boat ramps and the beach are... 06/09/2013

Grammy Awards Trivia That Hits Close to Home...Ridgway, Colorado. Not too many people think about who actually makes the Grammy Awards and where they come from. Here on the Western Slope of Colorado, we probably think about it more than most people. That's because the Grammy Trophies are handmade in Ridgway, Colorado. Ridgway, Colorado has less than 1000 people and it's more famously known as The Gateway to The San Juan Mountains. It's also widely known as the setting for John Wayne's movie, "True Grit". Only the locals know about a little known company called Billings Artworks. In the small mountain town of Ridgway, Colorado, John Billings hand crafts each Grammy Trophy.   Billings Artworks, and owner John Billings, have an interesting history. Check out the Billings Arworks website fo... 02/11/2013