Real Estate Information Archive

The interlude between spring and summer here is called Mud Season. Normally, this is due to the ‘muddiness’ caused by all the melting snow. This year, we are seeing a shortage of both snow and mud, but Mud Season is still here.  How do we know it? Because the town has emptied out, and everyone has taken their bikes to Moab.

It strikes me as funny, the thought of going on vacation as an entire town. Personally, as a beginner mountain biker, I would rather ride around Steamboat than go with everyone else to Moab. By beginner, I mean I can count the number of times I have ridden a mountain bike on three fingers. This means that if even one trail is dry enough to attempt to ride locally, I will be having an adventure. The benefit to my logic is that since the town is emptied out, there will be no one around to watch me make a fool of myself.

Last night I loaded my bike and my dog into my truck and waited for my boyfriend John to arrive so we could head towards Emerald Mountain to ride Blackmere Drive to the Quarry. This would be my first ride of the season, and fourth ride ever.  Blackmere is only a 1.9 mile ride up, but I was nervous about the grade. It starts at an elevation of 6,800 ft. and climbs to 7,800 ft., so you have 1,000 feet of vertical gain. John assured me this was doable, but I had my doubts. MAP

John arrived, and gave me a skeptical look. “I thought we would ride our bikes to the Quarry… it is visible from here.” I’d made the ultimate mistake; thinking we would drive the two miles to the trail head to unload bikes and ride two miles. I blushed, and took my bike out of my truck. Now however, I had to deal with the problem of getting my dog through the traffic of Highway 40, and then up the back streets to the trailhead. Leaving her behind was not an option, and while leashing her on a trail is one thing, riding through traffic is not really the best option.

John has the perilous mission of dating an obsessive Dog-Lover. Yes, I am self-proclaimed. Steamboat is full of other dog-addicted people; people who think their dog should be allowed in movie theaters and should enter all shopping stores with their owners. John knows better than to suggest I leave my dog at home, especially when we are going to be playing outdoors. After a little thought, we solved the problem of dog-transportation by attaching a kid-wagon to my bike. I would rather have to pull her full 60 lbs. on to the trailhead than leave her behind. You might say I looked like a college kid from Boulder, (stereotypical of course, but it was suggested) as I rode my bike through traffic with my pooch towed behind me.

The actual ride up Blackmere Drive was not as bad as I expected. Grueling, yes, but also doable. Because the trail (road?) is so wide, there was plenty of room for my erratic riding skills, and the nicely graveled road meant I didn’t have to worry about conquering natural features on my first day of trying out the sport of Mountain Biking. An added benefit is that there are other trails that feed off of Blackmere, so John, an advanced rider, could still have a little fun and meet back up with me to coach me up the hill.

I’ll admit it. There was a man walking his dog who beat me to the Quarry and passed me numerous times on the way up as we leap-frogged each other. I’m slow.  I would like to note that I put in a last minute bit of effort to pass him at the last ten feet so I could feel like I won the race up. Technically, if we were being competitive, he won, but I had to make the effort. The Quarry is the designated ‘top’ of the ride and gives a spectacular panoramic view of almost the entire valley. There are great ‘sitting rocks’ for tired legs, and a beautiful view to rest the mind.  The Ski Mountain and town are laid out in a beautiful arch in front of you; this is probably the most photographed view of the Mountain. You can even see Buff Pass and Sleeping Giant, which last night has beautiful rain clouds hovering over it that turned crimson red. It was the absolute perfect place to watch the sunset. The ride down of course was a victory lap. I would highly recommend Blackmere for an advanced rider to teach a beginner how to ride, and a great place to get the dog some exercise or watch the sunset.

A letter from Cam;

I felt that it important to inform you that the asset management company that acquired Trailhead Lodge in Steamboat Springs will be selling 39 luxury residences by auction on Sunday, May 6, 2012.  Trailhead Lodge was completed in 2009 and is located near the base of the Steamboat Ski Area with the private Wildhorse Gondola that delivers skiers directly to the base area.  It has fantastic amenities including an onsite Athletic Club, Grotto-Style Hot Tubs, BBQ Area and a 25-Meter Lap Pool.  The unit sizes being offered are studios, one, two and three bedrooms with starting bids from $110,000.  We feel that this will be a great opportunity to take advantage of bargain prices on a very high-quality property. Please contact me for an auction brochure; I will email it directly to you.

If you are considering a partaking in the auction, I will be at the auction on May 6 and will be available to place bids.   I have toured the available units and we have a wealth of knowledge on the property, so please let us know if you have any questions or would like additional information.

Thanks for taking the time to consider this unique opportunity in Steamboat Springs.

Cam Boyd

Broker/ Owner

Prudential Steamboat Realty

970-879-8100 / 800-430-4121, ext. 416

camboyd@cmn.net

We are pleased to announce that Cam Boyd and The Boyd Team have won the Chairman's Circle-Platinum for the 2011 year, ranking us as part of the top 1% of realtors NATIONALLY. It is quite an honor and we are pleased to be working with you!

It's that time of year when all of the statistics are calculated and all of the honors from the past year are going out. In addition to winning 'Best of the Boat', which is a local competition and shows how Prudential ranks locally, we are proud to announce that along with our own before-mentioned award, Prudential is home to 23 other Realtors who have been Nationally recognized. The Boyd Team is very proud to be part of such a close-knit agency with so many hard working Realtors.

As mentioned, Cam Boyd ranked in the top 1% of Realtors, nationally.

Ranking in the top .5%, Pam Vanatta and the Vanatta Group took home the Chairman's Cirle-Diamond award.

In the top 2% we are pleased to announce that Colleen de Jong, Darrin Fryer, Lisa Olsen and Beth Bishop, and Stephan Baden all received the Chairman's Circle-Gold.

In the top 3%, Cindy MacGray, Suellyn Godino, Kim Kreissig, and Dutch Elting all received the President's Circle Award.

The Leading Edge Society award, honoring the top 7%, went out to Barkley Robinson, Cheryl Foote, the Garners, Karen Hughes, Marc Small, Michelle Diehl and the Steinburgs.

Don't forget the Honor Society, which congratulates Adrienne Strook, Dave Moloney, Carolyn Nickum, and Scott Eggleston for being in the top 13% nationally!

Put faces to those names here!

Thanks to everyone who has worked with one of our agents in 2011, and voted for us in the Best of the Boat competition! Prudential has once again taken the title of 'best real estate agency' in Steamboat, thanks to all of our hard working agents and fantastic clients! Take a look at the Steamboat Pilot's great article about Prudential Steamboat Realty.

After 7 great years with Stephanie Fairchild as the Buyer's Agent for the Boyd Team, we must say goodbye and good luck! Steph is moving to Boulder and will be pursuing her passion for selling homes there. Thank you, Steph, you will be missed!

All books have pages that must turn over, and so, we welcome Bruce Carta as our new Buyer's agent!

Specializing in Steamboat Mountain Area properties and Resort Living, Bruce started his Real Estate career in 1990 working for some of the Top Producing Realtors® in the Aspen/Snowmass area. After this he became a partner and helped open the Aspen Real Estate Company office in downtown Aspen, Colorado.

Being a resident of Colorado since 1981, he has been through many of the Real Estate market’s ups and downs.  After relocating to Steamboat Springs in 1996 his career has included working in the marketing of the Steamboat Ski Area, selling vacation ownership at Trendwest Resorts and providing specialized Real Estate Marketing reports while working for a local title company.  

Bruce is currently involved in volunteering with the local church, an Official for the swim team and conservation efforts with the Fly Fishing Club.  He spends the rest of his spare time Exploring Colorado and the desert southwest with his lovely wife and son.  His Hobbies include Skiing, Mountain Biking, Scuba Diving, Fly Fishing, Fossil Hunting, Rock Hounding and being outdoors.

Sunshine Kids Winter Games returns to Steamboat

Steamboat Springs — The Sunshine Kids Winter Games, one of the true feel-good events on Steamboat’s calendar, returns this weekend as 30 sponsored teenagers living with cancer come to town for six days of ski lessons, hot-tubbing, tubing and snowmobiling intended to remind them that life still can be good and to raise their self-esteem.

“Oncologists tell us sometimes this is the perfect prescription to help these kids get back to feeling good about themselves,” said Jennifer Wisler, Sunshine Kids Foundation director of children’s services.

The beauty and excitement of a winter ski vacation, Wisler said, helps to counteract the feeling, which young cancer patients often struggle with, that life no longer is as good as it once was.

“It’s about getting them back to enjoying life,” Wisler said.

And taking on the challenge of learning to ski at one of the world’s major ski areas can do a great deal to raise self-esteem, something that can be an issue for many teens who don’t have to worry about the implications of cancer.

“Think about all of the things teens already have to worry about, and then add cancer to it,” Wisler said.

The annual Sunshine Kids trip to Steamboat is supported locally by Prudential Steamboat Realty and the annual Kent Eriksen Tour de Steamboat century ride bicycle event.

Last year’s ride, including a fundraising event hosted by Prudential, raised $60,000 for Sunshine Kids, and with an expanded number of events for 2012, organizers hope participation will grow beyond the 700 people who took part in 2011.

The Tour de Steamboat is marketed and run by Eriksen’s wife, Katie Lindquist, and her business partner at Rocky Peak Productions, Brad Cusenbary.

The Sunshine Kids Foundation has been the network-wide charity of Prudential Real Estate since 1991, and Prudential Steamboat ranked eighth among 2,000 offices nationwide in terms of dollars raised in 2011, marketing director Paul Knowles said.

The group will be staying at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort, and the week begins Sunday night with a pizza dinner, games and movies in the activity room at the hotel.

Ski lessons begin first thing Monday and continue through Thursday with excursions planned to Marabou Ranch, Saddleback Ranch and Howelsen Hill. Friday marks the last full day in Steamboat with the Winter Games themselves.

“A lot of these kids timidly step off the plane into a world the likes of which they’ve never seen,” Knowles said. “In fact, some have never even seen snow. After a truly magical week alongside 30 other kids in similar situations as their own, they exude newfound confidence. It’s a week of not just being a kid with cancer, but a week of just being a kid.”

To reach Tom Ross, call 970-871-4205 or email tross@SteamboatToday.com

There is a great article out from National Geographic that lists the best 25 ski resorts in the world. Usually, these rankings are all about snow quality (our amazing Champaign powder would help us on that list) and on terrain. (We have a great family friendly mountain for all abilities.) This list takes much more into account and has ranks that also include the views, places to stay, and friendliness of the locals. We're proud to have made the list!!!!! They also mentioned the Rabbit Ear's Motel as the best place to stay in Steamboat, and the Slopeside Grill as the best place to eat, if you have your ski gear on! Read the article to find out what other restaurants made the list, and what our best ski run is!

Click here to see the top 25 Ski Resorts in the World!

Good news... it is SNOWING!!!!!!!!!! Our winter is here; since 5am the mountain has 5" of new snow! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow......................

With our unusually warm winter here in Steamboat, some home repairs that you normally could not do will be a piece of cake. Have you ever said you just need more time to finish a project? Well, Mother Nature is finally granting that time, and has kept the snow back. Bad news for skiing, but great news for home repairs and catching up on lost time.

We found a great article on Yahoo about which home repairs should be done first. It takes into account safety, structural longevity, and which problems will suddenly get out of hand if you don't attend to them right away. If electrical problems, basement, roof, gutters, or exterior walls are on your list of things to repair, you should definitely read this article. Too often, we try not to think about these things and put them on the back burner. Maybe this winter is the time to start those projects....

 READ ARTICLE HERE.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED; WE WILL UPDATE YOU WITH FUTURE DATES FOR THIS GREAT CELEBRATION OF WINTER!

Season’s Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying the final days of 2011.

I want to invite you all to this new event at the Stagecoach State Park/Reservoir next weekend, Jan 7-8. It is a new event, with dog sledding teams, free ski bike demonstrations, snowmobile test drives, bake sales, etc. The park also rents free snowshoes, and there’s a great sledding hill too. A flyer is attached with more details.  It should be a lot of fun! Please come join us for a festive event to start of 2012!

Moving can be stressful. Moving with children can be more stressful. Moving with children over the holidays…is there even a word that accurately describes what that feels like? It happens of course. There are just some things that you can’t plan for, even when you have been planning for months. We asked some of our top van line partner’s to provide tips that they had for making a holiday move easier on everyone. Here is what they said:

• One: Remember monkey see, monkey do. If you act disappointed about moving over the holidays, or are moping because you won’t be celebrating with the extended family, your children will pick up on that and follow your lead. Be positive and excited. Tell them about their cool new room that they can paint whatever color they choose, or all about the park and mall nearby. Show your excitement and your children’s excitement will follow.
   
• Two: Don’t forget the decorations. Whether you decide to decorate at the old house and once again at the new house or at the new house only; bring the decorations in the car with you so you can set them up the minute you arrive, or buy all news ones when you get there. However you choose to do it, decorate.
   
• Three: Start a new tradition. We all have time honored family traditions at the holidays. Since you are starting a new beginning, why not add a new tradition? For example: if you plan on a driving long distance to the new location, open one present each day in the car. Or maybe buy a new decoration at each place you stop for the night. Each year when you are putting up the decorations you will remember your journey to your new home.
   
• Four: Listen to holiday music. You’re driving, so what else are you going to do? Stock up on CD’s or tune satellite radio to a station where holiday cheer can be found. It is a great way to feel connected to the familiar holiday spirit when things are feeling anything but familiar.
   
• Five: Make the trip memorable. We all remember those “fun” family vacations in the car. Why not give your children some of those memories? If you can plan your route around fun attractions, cities family members live in, historical sites, and famous landmarks. Consider staying the night in a nice hotel and make sure it has an indoor pool for the kids!