Cherry Creek Properties has 16 offices in Colorado. The home office is at 5655 South Yosemite, Suite 109, Greenwood Village, CO 80111 Phone: (303) 713-9000
#holidays
#photos
#lights
#realestate
#Boulder
#Colorado
#homes
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Happy Holidays from Ron Rovtar
Here some of my favorite homes decorated for the Holidays this year. Best wishes to all! Have a safe and magical Holiday Season!
Ron Rovtar is a broker associate at Cherry Creek Properties LLC in Boulder County. He can be reached at 303.981.1617 Please visit
Ron's website for more information or to start your search for homes. Ron does business as Front Range Real Estate, Ltd.
Cherry Creek Properties has 16 offices in Colorado. The home office is at 5655 South Yosemite, Suite 109, Greenwood Village, CO 80111 Phone: (303) 713-9000
#holidays
#photos
#lights
#realestate
#Boulder
#Colorado
#homes
Cherry Creek Properties has 16 offices in Colorado. The home office is at 5655 South Yosemite, Suite 109, Greenwood Village, CO 80111 Phone: (303) 713-9000
#holidays
#photos
#lights
#realestate
#Boulder
#Colorado
#homes
Monday, November 10, 2014
Is Rocky Mountain High Country Living for You? Consider the Pros and Cons Before You Decide
Boulder County's mountain real estate is again selling more briskly after suffering a very slow period that started during the recession and persisted for a few years afterward.
We are guessing this trend will continue into next year and beyond.
According to the IRES multiple listing service, sales of mountain homes in Boulder County reached more than 270 in 2006, dropped steadily to the mid-170s in 2009 and have been in 250s each of the last two years. So far about 240 sales have closed this year, with more than a month-and-a-half left on the Calendar.
So this might be a good time to consider the pros and cons of mountain living, which really is different from living elsewhere.
Mountain living can be incredibly rewarding. But it has drawbacks.
It definitely is not for everybody.
Many of us (myself included) are perfectly content living in higher country.
But we have seen a number of people move back to town in very short order, sometimes in less than a year. This can make it a very expensive experiment!
There is much that is very good about mountain living!
Mountain living does put you in closer contact with nature, provides breathtaking views on a daily basis and lets you participate in a slower lifestyle.
Few experiences are more enjoyable than standing on your deck during a cool spring morning, hands wrapped around a warm a cup of coffee, watching a doe and her fawns, a fox or some wild turkeys foraging!
I always will remember the astonished look on my daughter's face when she came outside in her stocking feet and let her toes hang over the side of the deck. Shannon's bright red socks attracted several pecks from a confused hummingbird.
It sometimes seems the ever-changing light on the mountains is never exactly the same especially in the morning and evening. You never get fully used to the remarkable interplay of light and land and sky.
And then there are the unusual phenomena. Two of my favorites: very light rain or snow inexplicably falling from a blue sky and inch-long crystals of hoar frost on the pine needles after a cold autumn night. These always bring a small smile to my face.
But, there are issues as well. After a while, the ride to town can become tedious.
The range of wildlife also includes bears and cougars. It does feel a special moment when you catch a glimpse of these larger wild residents, but only if it happens from a safe distance.
Bears occasionally break into kitchens in the fall as they fatten up for hibernation and mountain lions do take pets as well as wildlife. If you have children or grandchildren, you will want them close as the sun sets and afterward.
In most cases, you will maintain a water well and septic system. Boulder County's SepticSmart program will ensure you move into a home with a good septic system, but you may have maintenance concerns later. You should have your tank pumped every couple of years.
You probably will heat with propane, which is more expensive than natural gas and a minor inconvenience (or potentially a major inconvenience if you do not check the tank and order more before a cold snap).
The forest has become overgrown since people arrived in the west. This means fire now is more of a danger. And forest pests are moving in and killing over-abundant trees.
Responsible mountain residents spend time and money thinning trees and watching for mistletoe, pine beetles and other parasites. If your trees become infected, you will want to take action before the problem spreads.
And, as much as you might hate it, you may have to remove some of the trees near your home for fire safety. Your insurance carrier may require removal even if you resist.
Boulder County does a wonderful job of clearing snow from main roads so the school buses get through in the morning and afternoon. This usually makes getting to town and back relatively easy except in the worst weather.
You will have to do something about your own driveway. Some people hire a plowing company. Others do it themselves. If you are far back from the road, you will occasionally stay home for a day or two.
Weather knocks out power more often in the mountains. It sometimes takes longer for the electric company to get to mountain outages. They rightly fix problems in more populated areas first.
Don't get me wrong, many of these issues are fairly rare. But, taken together they do concern some people and you should consider them before moving to the mountains.
If these issues worry you, perhaps you should explore compromise solutions. You can reduce drive time by moving closer to Boulder City and other Front Range cities.
Or you can move to an area with more amenities.
If you will look near Boulder, Pine Brook Hills, has natural gas lines and its own water system. There are fire hydrants for emergencies. Pine Brook also is closer to the city. However, you will have your own septic system and your lot may be smaller than elsewhere in the mountains, probably around an acre.
But Pine Brook and other areas like it still offer many of the positive attributes of living a little above it all.
If you have questions, feel free to give me a call. I'm always happy to talk about life in the Boulder-Denver areas.
Ron Rovtar is a broker associate at Cherry Creek Properties LLC in Boulder. He can be reached at 303.981.1617 Please visit Ron's website for more information or to start your search for homes.
#mountains
#realestate
#Boulder
#Colorado
#homes
We are guessing this trend will continue into next year and beyond.
According to the IRES multiple listing service, sales of mountain homes in Boulder County reached more than 270 in 2006, dropped steadily to the mid-170s in 2009 and have been in 250s each of the last two years. So far about 240 sales have closed this year, with more than a month-and-a-half left on the Calendar.
 |
| Mt. Meeker from a location near Allenspark ©Ron Rovtar |
So this might be a good time to consider the pros and cons of mountain living, which really is different from living elsewhere.
Mountain living can be incredibly rewarding. But it has drawbacks.
It definitely is not for everybody.
Many of us (myself included) are perfectly content living in higher country.
But we have seen a number of people move back to town in very short order, sometimes in less than a year. This can make it a very expensive experiment!
There is much that is very good about mountain living!
Mountain living does put you in closer contact with nature, provides breathtaking views on a daily basis and lets you participate in a slower lifestyle.
Few experiences are more enjoyable than standing on your deck during a cool spring morning, hands wrapped around a warm a cup of coffee, watching a doe and her fawns, a fox or some wild turkeys foraging!
I always will remember the astonished look on my daughter's face when she came outside in her stocking feet and let her toes hang over the side of the deck. Shannon's bright red socks attracted several pecks from a confused hummingbird.
It sometimes seems the ever-changing light on the mountains is never exactly the same especially in the morning and evening. You never get fully used to the remarkable interplay of light and land and sky.
And then there are the unusual phenomena. Two of my favorites: very light rain or snow inexplicably falling from a blue sky and inch-long crystals of hoar frost on the pine needles after a cold autumn night. These always bring a small smile to my face.
 | |||
| Sego Lily, Sunshine Canyon. |
But, there are issues as well. After a while, the ride to town can become tedious.
The range of wildlife also includes bears and cougars. It does feel a special moment when you catch a glimpse of these larger wild residents, but only if it happens from a safe distance.
Bears occasionally break into kitchens in the fall as they fatten up for hibernation and mountain lions do take pets as well as wildlife. If you have children or grandchildren, you will want them close as the sun sets and afterward.
In most cases, you will maintain a water well and septic system. Boulder County's SepticSmart program will ensure you move into a home with a good septic system, but you may have maintenance concerns later. You should have your tank pumped every couple of years.
You probably will heat with propane, which is more expensive than natural gas and a minor inconvenience (or potentially a major inconvenience if you do not check the tank and order more before a cold snap).
The forest has become overgrown since people arrived in the west. This means fire now is more of a danger. And forest pests are moving in and killing over-abundant trees.
Responsible mountain residents spend time and money thinning trees and watching for mistletoe, pine beetles and other parasites. If your trees become infected, you will want to take action before the problem spreads.
And, as much as you might hate it, you may have to remove some of the trees near your home for fire safety. Your insurance carrier may require removal even if you resist.
Boulder County does a wonderful job of clearing snow from main roads so the school buses get through in the morning and afternoon. This usually makes getting to town and back relatively easy except in the worst weather.
You will have to do something about your own driveway. Some people hire a plowing company. Others do it themselves. If you are far back from the road, you will occasionally stay home for a day or two.
Weather knocks out power more often in the mountains. It sometimes takes longer for the electric company to get to mountain outages. They rightly fix problems in more populated areas first.
Don't get me wrong, many of these issues are fairly rare. But, taken together they do concern some people and you should consider them before moving to the mountains.
If these issues worry you, perhaps you should explore compromise solutions. You can reduce drive time by moving closer to Boulder City and other Front Range cities.
Or you can move to an area with more amenities.
If you will look near Boulder, Pine Brook Hills, has natural gas lines and its own water system. There are fire hydrants for emergencies. Pine Brook also is closer to the city. However, you will have your own septic system and your lot may be smaller than elsewhere in the mountains, probably around an acre.
But Pine Brook and other areas like it still offer many of the positive attributes of living a little above it all.
If you have questions, feel free to give me a call. I'm always happy to talk about life in the Boulder-Denver areas.
Ron Rovtar is a broker associate at Cherry Creek Properties LLC in Boulder. He can be reached at 303.981.1617 Please visit Ron's website for more information or to start your search for homes.
#mountains
#realestate
#Boulder
#Colorado
#homes
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Report Published by Boulder Housing Partners Offers Glimpse into Housing Dilemma Facing City
 |
| Downtown Boulder |
Putting one's finger on exactly what these changes will mean for the city is more than a little difficult. But given current trends it seems that decisions made in the coming months will have much to say about what Boulder will look like for decades to come.
So understanding what we can about these changes is exceedingly important as Boulder City Council struggles with land use issues, development pressures and a lack of affordable and middle-income housing.
The city is under enormous pressure to make critical decisions about these hot-button issues. But the city seems frozen in its tracks by a dilemma that will not easily be resolved.
On the one hand, an historic approach favoring limited development is now producing potentially disturbing negative consequences. At the same time, limiting development is so ingrained in the collective Boulder identity that fiddling with this tradition seems almost sacrilegious to many.
Yet doing nothing could be the least beneficial long-term option.
This is where a largely overlooked report published on the Boulder Housing Partner's website might help. Sometimes a hard look at the numbers can be very enlightening.
The report, compiled and copyrighted by consultant cbzLLC, makes it clear that, as a group, Boulder homeowners are getting older and wealthier.
It also makes it clear the city cannot now house many hard-working employees who commute to Boulder from elsewhere. We can assume many of these teachers, police officers, clerks and others would live here were it financially feasible.
The cbzLLC report notes Boulder offers a robust job market with 93,749 jobs in 2010. More than half these jobs pay less than 61 percent of the area median income.
The report says nearly 56,500 non-residents commute into Boulder. An additional 37,533 live and work in Boulder. Just 13,400 Boulder residents commute to jobs outside the city.
Boulder is definitely a hub of regional employment activity.
Many inbound commuters come from nearby cities like Longmont, Louisville and Lafayette. But data shows that Boulder jobs are attracting commuters from a widening arc.
This is distressing for a city that takes pride in both its strong stance on reducing energy consumption and its reputation as an entrepreneurial center. All those cars coming into the city jointly create a huge carbon footprint.
Why do so few of those working in Boulder choose to live here? You probably know the answer. Boulder is a very desirable place to live. Like many coveted communities, Boulder's home prices keep rising, squeezing out those with more modest incomes.
And that appears to be exactly what in happening in Boulder. According to the cbzLLC report, numbers associated with Boulder's economic and age demographics appear to be rising.
Here are some conclusions of the report:
The number of owner-occupied households in Boulder grew by just 1.7 percent, from 19,373 in 2000 to 19,588 in 2012. It is safe to say the recession had something to do with this slow level of construction, but city growth restrictions certainly played a part.
During the same period, the number of owner-occupied homes valued less than $300,000 fell from 11,316 to 4,442, a 61 percent decline. At this rate, Boulder will lose about 573 affordable owner occupied units per year leaving no affordable units available by 2020, the report suggests. (Actually, home price inflation this year has been so robust that 2020 may be an optimistic projection.)
Also during the 2000 to 2012 period, the number of owner occupants ages 25 to 54 fell from 12,648 to 10,096 while the owner-occupant population 55 and over grew from 6,490 to 9,099, the report indicated.
Meanwhile, the number of owner households with income under $100,000 fell by 3,730 to 9,715, while the number with income of $100,000 and more jumped 3,515 to 9,658. Most of the increase occurred in the over $150,000 income range, which rose by 3,241.
The report also notes that between 2008 and 2012, condos accounted for 80 percent of home sales below $200,000; manufactured homes, 14 percent; and houses, a mere 6 percent.
Of all Boulder owner-occupied homes, 6,086 are owned by families with children, 6,637 are occupied by families without children and 6,650 are occupied by non-family owners.
Affordable rental units also may be evaporating. the report suggested.
Every year Boulder is losing 471 affordable rental units (those costing under $750 a month), the report suggested.
In 2012, there were just 7,729 apartments with rents below $1,000, according to the report. If Boulder's 34,000 low-wage workers and students double up, their need for affordable rentals would still be more than twice available supply the report observed.
One warning. This report cannot be considered statistically rigorous. Many comparisons are made between the 2000 U.S. Census Report and the 2012 American Community Survey. There almost certainly were variations in how data was collected by the two sources.
Also importantly, there appear to be no adjustments for inflation during comparison period. Inflation starting in 2000 and ending in 2012, a favorite comparison period in the report, was 33.3 percent, according to a calculator at the U.S, Bureau of Labor Statistics website.
And wages, especially in more moderate pay categories, do not always move in lockstep with consumer prices or with home prices.
So the price point at which a home should be considered "affordable" probably changed between 2000 and 2012. But it might be hard (if not impossible) to say how much.
And one would expect a rise in the number of households earning more than $100,000 during the 12-year period simply due to income inflation in this category.
Boulder Housing Partners (BHP), which is Boulder housing authority, published the report online along with a draft of its new strategic plan. BHP is asking for feedback about the plan. Both the report and draft can be downloaded at this page.
The cbzLLC report also credits the Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment, and other sources for some data.
––––––––––––––
Ron Rovtar, dba Front Range Real Estate, Ltd., is a broker associate in Boulder, CO. Please call Ron with all your questions. He can be reached at 303.981.1617. To learn more about Ron, please visit his website. For more about life in Boulder County and nearby, check out our facebook page.
#Boulder
#realestate
#homes
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
New "Real Estate 4 Geniuses" Facebook Page Offers Space for Serious Dialogue
Seems like it happens all the time! And it can be frustrating!
If you are looking for new ideas and perspectives you might want to "like" my very new Real Estate 4 Geniuses facebook page.
I built this page to foster conversation at a higher level.
Whether you are a homeowner, a real estate agent, a buyer or a seller; this page should help you find the information, opinion and and discussion that can really makes a difference
I look forward to seeing you there!
––––––––––––––
Ron Rovtar, dba Front Range Real Estate, Ltd., is a broker associate in Boulder, CO. Please call Ron with all your questions. He can be reached at 303.981.1617. To learn more about Ron, please visit his website. For more about life in Boulder County and nearby, check out our facebook page.
#realestate
#homes
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Sunflowers Populate Area Severely Damaged in Boulder Flood Last Year
As many know, Boulder County took an enormous hit from an unexpected storm last September. So I couldn't resist stopping for photos of these wild
sunflowers along Linden Ave. near Wonderland Hill Ave. in Boulder. Thousands of blooms populate the area that
required much reconstruction after the floods.
(Photo © Ron Rovtar. All Rights Reserved.)
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