Cordillera is truely a magical community for all seasons.  Overflowing with outstanding ammenities and wildlife,  it is truely an experience for any outdoor enthusiast.  Taking a walk in the Ranch is always a treat.  I have a family of wild turkey's brooding along the path at my listing in the tall timbers of Timber Draw.  There is a family of elk schussing around enjoying the vast amounts  of green grasses and such that summertime has to offer. 

With sales and action remaing steady,  64 West Timber Draw is a magical stop with the feeling of being in a "tree-house"  nestled in the tall quaking aspens.

For the lover of fine botanicals and landscape,  the Cordillera Metropolitan District does an exceptional job of maintaining all the grounds to maximize the outdoor summer experience,  placing thousands of florals about.

For more information please contact Jill Hopkins  970-376-8692

jill@gatewayland.com

Calling all Fly Fishing Enthusiats!

Sit on your deck and dream of catching that perfect brown trout!

It used to be difficult to find a home on Gore Creek, the Creek that runs through Vail.  Never before has the inventory of creekside homes in Vail been greater. Buyers can be more selective and have the opportunity to evaluate the benefits of a condominium, townhome, duplex or single family home on Gore Creek.

4 Bedroom, $1,649,000 on Gore Creek

3 Bedroom, 2,400 Square Foot Log Cabin, $1,569,000

3 Bedroom 1700 Square Foot Townhome

$1,295,000

4 Bedroom, 2900 Square Foot Home

$2,595,000

From East Vail to West Vail, there are creekside property options.  Prices start at $339,000 and go up to $5,900,000

It is a Buyer's market in Vail and there are some new homes, some fixer-uppers, and some turn-key creekside homes just waiting for the fly fishing family to start building memories of that perfect catch.

For more information on these and other properties on Gore Creek, contact Teri Lester, Eco-Broker 970-376-0779 or tlester@gatewayland.com

With summer in full bloom and 2008 half over, many second home owners and locals are wondering about what's happening with the real estate market in Vail, Colorado?  Summarizing the sales of homes and looking at what's on the market will provide answers to this question.

So far, in the first half of the year only eleven homes have sold in Vail proper. Two of the homes sold in January, three in February, two in March, one in April, one in May and two in June. For sellers, those numbers represent a stagnant market. Five of the homes sold for over $3,800,000 and all the way up to $10,500,000. Four homes were sold under the million dollar mark.

For buyers, the market seems wide open. There are eighty-five homes on the market in Vail Village ranging in price from $725,000 all the way up to a staggering $19,200,000. Forty-three homes are on the market priced at $4,250,000 and above. Of those forty-three high priced homes, thirty-seven are brand new in 2008.

For more information on any homes for sale in the Vail Valley, please contact this author, Keith Thompson, at 970-331-5805 or email at keith@gatewayland.com

An articled written by Johathan R. Laing in Barron’s July 14, 2008 edition provides information indicating a turn around in the real estate market is occurring.

The article points to declining inventories of existing homes and new single family homes, a decline in the average time a home for sale is on the market, and signs prices of homes are starting to rise.

The article also shows how different indicators are providing early signs of a turn around in the market place.  The article indicates a bottoming of the market in California which has in the past, been an indicator of what is in store for Colorado.  The article is attached below.

Here in the Vail Valley the stand off between buyers and sellers continues.  Buyers think or at least are hopeful the real estate market in Happy Valley will start to bleed soon.  Unfortunately that has not been the case and frankly I don’t think it is going to happen. 

We have seen seller’s cut the fat out of their prices (finally realizing the run up in ’06 ended) and bring them in line with what market prices should be.  Beyond that, I don’t see seller’s unloading real estate.  Despite all the gloom and doom reported by the press, things remain pretty stable in the Vail Valley. 

There are a lot of owners here who are not affected by doom and gloom and as long as the Vail Valley continues to be desirable to these owners, prices will continue to move upwards.  Why?  Limited inventory and strong demand helped along by our current County Commissioners who are doing a “masterful” job of stifling any new housing inventory.

So, if you are a buyer and are waiting for “blood to run in the streets”, you might want to look elsewhere because I think we are poised for another run-up. 

It's no secret Vail has a shortage of affordable housing for workers-to rent and buy.  now for the first time ever, town officials want to ask voters for more money to pay for new affordable housing units.  A ales tax increase, a mill levy increase and or a real estate transfer tax are being considered.

"We can go to teh taxpayers to get a dedicated funding source"Vail towncouncil man Mark Gordon said Tuesday. While no specific amount was discussed, finding an additional funding source would provide catch up opportunitues for Vail workers, according to the town's new strategic workforce housing plan, which is expected to be approved in September.

Such tax increases have been discussed before, but thi sis the first time one is being formally included in a housing plan, said Nina Timm, the town housing coordinator.

contact Gerlinde Debie at Gateway Land and Development for housing opportunities in the Vail Valley. 970.471.2293 or gerlinde@gatewayland.com

Make your dream a reality with a Hot Air Balloon ride in the magnificant Colorado Rockies.  Your true mountain balloon adventure begins at sunrise.  You will watch as the balloon is inflated and prepared for flight.  Then you climb aboard and begin your journey of a lifetime.  You will have amazing views of the Colorado Rockies as you fly up to several thousand feet, traveling 2 to 10 miles an hour.  After your flight, you return to the launch site for a traditional champagne toast and breakfast.

Add hot air ballooning to your list of things to do in your lifetime.  I did and it was a thrill of a lifetime!

For information on hot air ballooning you may visit: www.balloonridesusa.com or www.camelotballoons.com.

For more information on what's happening in the Vail Valley, please feel free to contact:  Betsy Randall at (970) 401-3011 or email: betsy@gatewayland.com.

Fly Fish the Gold Medal Trout Streams and Trout Ponds near Vail, Colorado

Have you always wanted to try Fly Fishing for Rocky Mountain Brown Trout?  The Vail Nature Center, located near the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, on Gore Creek offers fly fishing classes for children, adults and families.  All the fishing equipment is included and you will have the memories of catching your first trout. 

In addition, you will learn about Vail's ecosystem, entomology, as well as basic tools and knowledge of fly-fishing.

For information on Fly-Fishing classes go to www.vailrec.com 

For information on Vail property on Gore Creek contact Teri Lester, Eco-Broker at 970-376-0779 or tlester@gatewayland.com 

Yes, you can still buy that little condo on Gore Creek for as little as $350,000.

Never before on the market!

Vail has just a few homes that everyone knows and this 4 Bedroom home on the hill in East Vail is one of them!

This Post and Beam Cedar home was engineered and built to capture the most amazaing views of the Gore Range.  It backs to the White River National Forest, so you can hike and snowshoe right out your back door.

To many it is, "The Nest," where birds you have never seen in Vail will visit and entertain you for hours.  Quiet, serene, and private, once you navigate the stairs.  There is a lift for groceries and comes with an elevator, yet to be installed. 

The home has a wood stove, gas heat, newer roof and appliances.  There is a full apartment with kitchen for guests or to rent.  The best use of the property would be to add a second home to the .62 acre lot.  The property is zoned for two homes, so you can start all over or keep the cabin for the kids and add another home in front.

The home is just steps to the free Town of Vail bus, world class skiing, bike trails, gold medal trout streams, tennis and playground.  If you want a home on a street where homes are selling for over 2 Million, give some thought to developing this property.  You will enjoy the quiet peaceful feeling of the mountains from the deck!  Price: $1,595,000

For more information contact Teri Lester, Eco-Broker 970-376-0779 or tlester@gatewayland.com 

We are all so blessed to live in this wonderful valley with all the activities available - sporting, music, and intellectual. Each year the month of July is filled with the magnificent sounds of the Bravo Vail Valley Music Festival at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, and this year is no different. Before the July 4th weekend the Rochester Philharmonic Symphony comes to town and starts the series off with both pops concerts and symhonies from Mozart to Shastakovich. Then they cap off their visit with one of the most popular performances in the Valley on the Fourth playing a Patriotic concert that is packed for Standing Room only even on the grass.

RPO is then followed immediately by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya, who amazingly conducts every concert totally without any music scores in front of him. His command of his orchestra is just phenomenal, picking up not only the different sets of strings - violins, cellos, violas and bass, but also the percussion section is huge and the brass and reed sections are perfect as well.

After Philadelphia leaves the National Repertory  Orchestra comes to town with complimentary  performances in July 17 with Carl Topilow directing. The free family concert will feature Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, and Verdi. The climax of the Bravo summer is capped off with the New York Philharmonic Symphony conducted by Alan Gilbert arriving the day after on July 19.

Nowhere in the Rocky Mountains is there ever a month to remember more than the Bravo Music Festival in July. It should be added that immediately following Bravo is the International Festival of Dance presented by the Vail Valley Foundation. I will write more about this fantastic performance later.

For more information on the many events awaiting you in Vail or Beaver Creek, for that matter, call me Judd Babcock, at 970-376-3230 for an up to date calendar of events and a tour of the Valley as well.

Coming soon to Eagle-Vail; 1282 Deer Blvd Unit B!!  This 1/2 duplex with great views is currently being remodelled and should be listed in early August 2008.  Call now for the inside scoop and to take a look before it hits the market.

Backing to a wooded hillside that will never be developed, this mountain home offers privacy, convenience, and great living spaces.  The main living room has 2 sitting areas and a deck capturing the big views to the north.  The kitchen faces the green of the treed back yard and the attached dining room with a large bay window.

The top floor has both a large master bedroom with a new walk-in closet, and a large secondary bedroom.  Both top floor bedrooms have brand new bathrooms and have their own private decks.  The lower level consists of a smaller bedroom with its own bathroom, perfect as an office or guest bedroom.  And the attached 2 car garage has a huge work bench and tons of storage.

Check it out now before everyone else does!  Please feel free to call me anytime to set up a tour, or to learn more about this great home in Eagle-Vail.

Eagle Vail, the oldest of the down valley neighborhoods from Vail is in the beginnings of a renaissance.  Fresh off a continuation of the current mil levy and a just completed Urban Land Institute Study, Eagle-Vail is moving forward with long range planning for the neighborhood.  Eagle-Vail is comprised of some 1,500 homes located between two world class resorts, Vail and Beaver Creek.

With the mil levy continuation, (Phase I) the Metro District will be able to shore up the balance sheet, begin deferred maintenance on the recreation facilities and build a new swim facility.  Phase II will be Master Planning for the neighborhood going forward for the next several years which will include identifying new funding sources to complete the Master Plan.

With that being said, Eagle-Vail is a buy right now.  Look for prices to continue to rise as the renaissance unfolds.  Today sales of duplexes are averaging $323/sq ft.  There are currently homes priced well below the $323 number. 

For instance there is a 5bd, 4,000 sq ft home with a rare and I mean rare 3 car garage listed at $284/sqft.  That’s $39/ft below the average selling price.  Lets say you wanted to make changes to the home (update it) and you spend $100K (very generous) doing it.  You would then “be all in” at $309/ft which is $14/below the average selling price of $323/ft.  Assuming you did make changes, the home would now be at the high end of sold price per ft, which would be in the $380/ft range.  

So, you buy at $284/ft, spend a generous $100K and end up with a home worth $1.5mm; sounds like a smart buy to me.        

2195 Cresta Court, or as it has been aptly named, Chateau de Mon Reve, is truly one of the finest homes you will ever see in the entire Vail Valley.

Situated on Arrowhead ski mountain, this well thought-out 13,700 square foot home provides the ultimate in a ski-in, ski-out mountain retreat!  The attention to detail and the "they thought of everything" design will rival most any home you've seen before.  (An example;  the cozy and opulent grotto,  See below!)

For those looking for a family legacy in the Rocky Mountains, Chateau de Mon Reve provides the opportunity for years of enjoyment in the lap of luxury!  All of your family members (only the ones you like of course) will flock to be with you at this fantastic on-mountain property.

For a private tour or to learn more about this magnificent home, please contact me anytime.

Summer is in full swing in the Vail Valley and there are many activities for all ages to enjoy. 

 Whitewater Rafting:  Savor a true outdoor adventure while in Vail or Beaver Creek with a Colorado whitewater rafting trip.  With the huge snowfall this past winter the rivers have been raging and have been a blast! Class 1 to Class V river trips on the Eagle, Colorado and the Arkansas Rivers  are available.  Half day, full day and multi-day river trips are available for beginners to advanced paddlers. 

Adventure Ridge & Gondola: Enjoy a breathtaking gondola ride to the top of Vail Mountain for an afternoon of fun at Adventure Ridge.  You can enjoy some disc golf, horseshoes, bocci, or volleyball.  The children can hunt for buried bones at the Dino Dig.  For the real adrenaline addicts, try downhill mountain biking.

Hiking Vail Mountain: There are many hiking trails on Vail Mountain for all levels of hikers.  You will wander through beautiful fields of wildflowers. Some of the Vail Mountain hiking trails that you may want to hike are: Eagle's Loop with great views of the Mount of the Holy Cross, Lower Fireweed which is a beautiful wooded trail between Eagle's Nest and Mid-Vail, Berrypicker which winds down from Mid-Vail or Eagle's Nest to Vail Village or Lionshead, and Ptarmigan Loop which connects with Ridge Route at Wildwood to Ptarmingan Point and bac,.  For a detail map of all the hiking trails please visit www.vail.com.

For more information on what's happening in the Vail Valley please feel free to contact:  Betsy Randall at (970) 401-3011 or email: betsy@gatewayland.com.

High above the Valley Floor in the peaceful community of Wildridge, you will find 4191 Little Point Road. I spent the afternoon there last week and was mesmerized by the views. Watching the deer stroll by below the expansive deck and the storms move across the Swatch Range the scenery changes every few minutes. Homeowners in Wildridge say they never get tired of the view. They are always inspired.

4191 Little point Road is an absolutely spectacular home. Every room is directed to the awesome views. With 2 master suites an in home theater, fantastic kitchen with an open floor plan. This house is ready for anything your family can dish up.

All this and a 1 week 2 bedroom Penthouse timeshare at the beautiful Shearwater on the Island of Kauai. Christmas or New Years week odd years starting in 2009 & 2008 as a bonus. What a perfect combination of lifestyles. Offered at $1,795,000

For more information please contact: Julie 970-376-1618

With sales of condos and townhomes reaching $1300 per foot in Beaver Creek, how does $600ish per foot sound?   There is an enclave of some 80 townhomes named Ridgepoint Condos that offer such buys. 

These units sell around $1 millionish and offer access to ski-in/ski-out.  These units have always been popular with first time buyers in Beaver Creek, have enjoyed steady appreciation and now have ski-in/ski-out access.    

The units are 3 or 4 bedrooms, and run in size from 1,600 sqft to 2,000 sqft.  Most units are offered with furniture.  Ridgepoint features a pool, tennis courts, hot tub and wifi.  The association is well managed and you have short term rental opportunities.

If you have been waiting, now would be the time to make a purchase before the next run-up in prices. 

The neighborhood of Eagle-Vail, located between Vail and Beaver Creek, scored and scored big when it was picked from numerous requests from large cities  and major new developments across America to have a panel of experts from various areas of  land planning perform an analysis of the neighborhood.  Limited to just 12 studies a year, Eagle-Vail a neighborhood of 1400+ homes, is ecstatic that they were one of the studies picked.

The ULI panel consisting of 9 panelists and a staff of 3 will spend the week of June 22, 2008 performing an intense study of the neighborhood focusing on the neighborhood’s recreation facilities, school property and the future of Eagle-Vail.   The study includes a day of “getting the lay of the land”, a day of interviewing up to 100 individuals and 2 days of being behind closed doors brain storming.  The study will conclude on June 27, 2008 with a public presentation of its finding and recommendations.

When the panel leaves town they will leave behind road map to be used by the sponsors to help determine the future direction for the aging neighborhood.

The study is funded by the Eagle-Vail Metropolitan District, the Eagle-Vail Property  Owners Association and the Eagle County School District.