The Bakery Opens in Steamboat Springs

Steamboat Springs now has a new sweet spot, “The Bakery”, for breads, sweets, birthday cakes and more. It’s about time too – especially for many of us who grew up in a town where visiting the bakery with mom was a big deal. Open just in time for Valentine’s Day, The Bakery is sure to have some heart shaped cookies to go with the box of chocolates, flowers and card you’ll be going out for soon. The Bakery will be a great addition to the west end of Steamboat’s downtown business district and is sure to be a favorite among locals and visitors alike.

Doug Matthews, The Bakery’s new owner, offers four to five fresh baked breads, a variety of pastries and other baked goods daily. Lunch is available as well, and by March, dinner will be served too. “If it comes out of the oven, we’ll make it,” says Matthews. Nothing like a home-made sandwich on fresh baked bread to warm you up on a chilly Steamboat Springs winter day! Now you can have a home-made muffin for breakfast and a taco at the new taco stand, Taco Del Barco,  while shopping in downtown Steamboat Springs.

Hours are 6:00a.m. to 6:00p.m. and will expand to 10:00p.m. once dinner is added to the menu. The Bakery is located at 1117 Lincoln Avenue, downtown Steamboat Springs across the street from Riggio’s. Parking is available. So it’s a double win, we have  another eating establishment in Steamboat Springs, and also a place to go for fresh baked breads and pastries to complete a home-cooked meal. Now I wonder if they’ll have those numbers you had to take when you walked in my home-town bakery “back in the day”?

—For more information on buying real estate or questions regarding Steamboat Springs real estate  in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, feel free to call Charlie at 970-846-6435 or write me an email at: charlie@steamboatsmyhome.com

Thanks,

Charlie

No Craigslist 2.0 Coffee Shop in Steamboat …Yet!

Steamboat Springs has a lot of great coffee shops, but “Coffee and Power” is not one of them. I heard about this new website, coffeeandpower.com, through 1000watt Consulting. They are great about keeping a pulse on what’s up and coming, and this new site, is on their “watch” list.

Coffeeandpower.com is a new online service ramping up to connect people offering their services with those who need help with small projects. Be ready to go beyond the online realm though as coffeeandpower.com takes it a step further to facilitate a face-to-face meeting with a person you might end up working with.

Coffee and Power (great combination don’t you think?) sets up “workclubs” in local coffee shops where people can meet face-to-face to exchange information quickly about jobs they need help getting done and conversely services that can be provided. To date, only Portland and San Francisco have operational “workclubs”, but expansion is inevitable.

As a real estate agent I think this concept is intriguing as there are times when my “to-do” list is filled with things that should be done, but aren’t necessarily where my time is best spent, but a full-time assistant is not in my budget. On the flip-side, 1000watt Consulting posed an interesting idea – with all the hats we real estate agents wear, what’s to keep us from offering our services in this forum? We are well versed in many areas from negotiation to time management to neighborhood/area knowledge as well as market analysis and social media. What’s to say real estate agents couldn’t offer a menu of a la carte services to consumers who are busy enough in their own daily lives that they are willing to pay for someone else to take something off their to-do list? And who knows, your next client may be a Coffee and Power home shopping “expert” someone else has hired to do the home-finding legwork for them!

It’s always prudent to keep an eye on up and coming trends, and as the world gets more mobile and online savvy, business dynamics are bound to change. Being on the leading edge of these changes will ensure you stay ahead and remain relevant to current and future clients.

—For more information on buying real estate or questions regarding Steamboat Springs real estate  in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, feel free to call Charlie at 970-846-6435 or write me an email at: charlie@steamboatsmyhome.com

Thanks,

Charlie

A Snowy Steamboat Springs Mardi Gras

Snow has arrived in Steamboat Springs, it’s a long weekend for many thanks to President’s Day on Monday, February 20^th and there’s a great Mardi Gras celebration beginning Friday, February 17^th at Steamboat Springs’ Ski Mountain!

Come to Steamboat Springs over the long weekend and catch one or all 5 days of Mardi Gras celebrating! Free concerts, a parade, Cajun & Creole themed food  specials, you name it and the Steamboat Springs Ski Mountain will have it:

• Friday, February 17^th:  Bourbon Street at the Bear (Bear River Bar and Grill at Steamboat’sSkiMountain base)
• Saturday, February 18^th: Mardi Gras Parade from Ski Time Square into Gondola Square’s Beer Garden and Crawfish Broil
• Saturday, February 18^th: FREE concert after the Parade featuring Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk from Mardi Gras central, New Orleans
• Sunday, February 19^th: New Orleans Jazz Brunch at The Steamboat Grand and another FREE concert at the mountain base Steamboat Stage at 3:00.
• FAT Tuesday, February 21^st: Mardi Gras Snow Sculpture Contest at Steamboat Ski Mountain’s ski lifts, enjoy Fat Tuesday restaurant specials, gather your free beads and continue the celebration into the après ski hours at The Cabin and the Umbrella Bar & Bear River Terrace

If you venture off Steamboat’s Ski Mountain, there will be Mardi Gras specials all over Steamboat Springs’ downtown restaurant and retail district combined with President’s Day sales at the local retail shops. It’s going to be a fun weekend in Steamboat, and did I mention, we have SNOW now?!

Steamboat Springs’ Winter Carnival – Traditional, Fun & Unique

Steamboat Springs’ 99^th annual Winter Carnival will be held February 8^th – 12^th in Steamboat Springs, CO.  The 5-day schedule includes a variety of alpine, Nordic, freestyle and snow boarding events as well as downtown Steamboat street events and activities.  Two unique attractions set Steamboat Springs’ Winter Carnival apart: the High School Marching Band on Skis and The Lighted Man skiing down Howelsen Hill.

The Steamboat Springs Marching Band will be marching down Lincoln Avenue on skis during the Winter Carnival Parade like they have for the past 77 years. The Steamboat Springs High School Band was the first band to ever march on skis and they’ve been upholding their Winter Carnival tradition since 1935.

The Lighted Man made his first appearance in 1939 in an outfit weighing more than 100 pounds. The Lighted Man in this year’s Howelsen Hill Saturday Night Extravaganza will wear a costume weighing about 70 pounds which includes 32 Roman candles and 12 sky rockets. It’ll take 5-6 people to get the outfit on the lighted man who will then ski down Howelsen Hill to the delight of the crowd that gathers below.

In case you’re wondering, the snow that covers Lincoln Avenue for the street events and parade come from the coordination of the Steamboat Springs Public Works Department who see to it that 400 plus tons of snow are in place by 6:00a.m. each day of the downtown events. With minimal snowfall this year, those 400 plus tons of snow will probably take a little longer to gather and get here!

The Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival is sponsored by the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and produced by numerous volunteers. It is always held the second week in February. Visitors plan their vacations around it and locals look forward to this fun annual event. It’s another example of the Steamboat Springs’ community coming together to continue a tradition and to celebrate the season Ski Town U.S.A. thrives in.

—For more information on buying real estate or questions regarding Steamboat Springs real estate  in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, feel free to call Charlie at 970-846-6435 or write me an email at: charlie@steamboatsmyhome.com

Thanks,

Charlie

Steamboat Springs’ Ski Mountain annual New Year’s celebration includes the torchlight parade and fireworks on the ski mountain.  Steamboat Ski & Snowboard School instructors volunteer to carry the torches that light up the mountain as they ski down the slopes as part of the New Year’s Eve festivities. Fireworks follow and offer an amazing array of colors as they reflect off the snow covered ski mountain.

These events start at 7:00pm, but you can begin your après ski New Year’s celebrations well before at one of the many fun and festive mountain base establishments. Here’s a few that offer great mountain views as well as après ski treats:

• Truffle Pig
• Slopeside
• Saddles
• Gondola Joe’s
• Bear River Terrace
• Umbrella Bar

  

  New Year’s Eve in Steamboat Springs

  Be sure to check out the Steamboat Today newspaper on Friday, 12/30 and Saturday, 12/31 for all the New Year’s activities and celebrations going on around Steamboat Springs. Have a fun and safe New Year’s Eve celebration – Happy New Year!

—For more information on buying real estate or questions regarding Steamboat Springs real estate or renting a home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, feel free to call Charlie at 970-846-6435 or write me an email at: charlie@steamboatsmyhome.com

Thanks,

Charlie

No snow over the Christmas holiday is bad news for the Steamboat Springs Ski Mountain, but at least the snow making machines have been able to compensate with the man-made stuff and turned what could be really bad into something passable. If only there was some magic wand to wave over the housing market so things would start to pick up and stay up. The Case-Shiller October Home Price Index is not showing any news we can feel good about on a national level. The October report yields the following less than optimistic news:

* 19 of 20 cities showed home price decreases versus September numbers

* Versus October 2010, the 10 and 20 city composites posted annual returns of minus 3.0% and -3.4% respectively

* Versus September 2011, the 10 and 20 city composites were down 1.1% and 1.2% respectively

* Four markets (Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas) show prices below their January 2000 levels, while Atlanta and Las Vegas posted new lows in October

* Both the 10 & 20 city composites are barely above their all-time lows and from their peaks, the 10 city composite is down 31.9%, and the 20 city composite is down 32.1%

There is a caveat: real estate is local, and the Steamboat Springs market just posted some strong November numbers. Other areas where the local news is better include:

• * Detroit which while still below January 2000 levels, is up 2.5% over October 2010
• * Washington DC up 1.3% over October 2010
• * Phoenix which is up .3% vs. September 2011 (after 3 straight declining months) 

While the national numbers are bleak, there is rationale for the dismal report which at least helps us understand the dynamics in play:

* there continues to be a weak labor market

* high foreclosure rates in many areas are keeping home prices depressed

* fall is typically a slow sales period for homes after the busier late spring and summer months

* loan qualifications are rigorous and higher down payments are required by most banks

* would-be buyers lack confidence that the housing market has bottomed out, so they are waiting it out

Given 2012 is literally just around the corner, and it’s an election year as well, there will be many economic trends and political maneuvers to watch as we turn the calendar page. While we may remain on the roller coaster for a while, it’s my hope that everyone stays on for the ride because there are great values to be found, and like the snow that’s inevitable in Steamboat, the market turn-around will happen, and not a moment too soon.

—For more information on buying real estate or questions regarding Steamboat Springs real estate or renting a home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, feel free to call Charlie at 970-846-6435 or write me an email at: charlie@steamboatsmyhome.com

Thanks,

Charlie

2012 is right around the corner and it will bring the benefits of the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011. So what opportunities will that provide to Steamboat Springs? Well given the fact that our Steamboat Springs’SkiMountainand all of the almost 3000 ski-able acres is owned by the USDA Forest Service, this means that while formerly limited to activities allowed by an outdated 1986 law, the new law will open up our Steamboat ski mountain to year-round activities.

Sponsored by Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, and recently approved by President Obama, this new law permits non-skiing activities such as mountain bike terrain parks and trails, Frisbee golf courses, ropes courses, concerts and zip lines to share in the activity line-up. Protecting natural resources will remain a top priority for the U.S. Forest Service, and all activities will be subject to a review and approval process. Anything considered to be damaging to the natural environment, like tennis courts, water and amusement parks will not be permitted.

While this is great news for outdoor enthusiasts who will now have many more beautiful venues open to them in the summer and shoulder seasons, it’s also tremendous news for  mountain communities. Increasing year-around visitors will result in a more stable job market and ease the strain of “off-season” lulls in retail and restaurant business. More full, part-time and seasonal jobs will bolster the real estate market as well. Increasing summer and fall recreation activities will infuse new life into mountain communities who are use to seeing their communities double and triple in size during the winter ski season.

Thirteen states are home to ski resorts on public land, and Steamboat Springs has a 3000 acre ski mountain in its back yard. Now Steamboat’s back yard will be open to more recreational activities year around. It’ll give a whole new meaning to the local phrase so often heard around Steamboat Springs that people “come here for the winters and stay for the summers.” Now it won’t be just the extraordinary summer weather that keeps them here…it’ll be the full menu of community activities as well.

—For more information on buying real estate or questions regarding Steamboat Springs real estate or renting a home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, feel free to call Charlie at 970-846-6435 or write me an email at: charlie@steamboatsmyhome.com

Thanks,

Charlie

Steamboat Springs’ High School is a 4 time winner and Steamboat Springs’ Middle School is now a 5 consecutive year winner of the John Irwin Schools of Excellence award for academic performance for the 2010-2011 school year. The Colorado Department of Education issued 150 schools this prestigious award which signifies that Steamboat Springs’ secondary schools met or exceeded the requirements established for last school year’s Colorado Student Assessment Program. High schools have an additional “college readiness” requirement that is based on attaining higher levels of graduation rates and ACT scores in order to receive the award.

Given that quality of schools ranks high in any family’s decision to relocate to a town or city, Steamboat’s solid and consistent history of academic excellence is a big advantage for anyone with school age children who has Steamboat Springs on their radar as a potential new community to call home. Among the factors it takes to create a highly accredited academic environment, community support and a staff dedicated to pushing excellence to the next level year after year are significant contributors to the excellence that’s been established in the Steamboat Springs’ school system.

 Students take pride in their schools’ accomplishments as well as understanding the benefits attending a school that receives such honors provides when applying to colleges. As with any winning team, the challenge to continue achieving academic accolades is welcomed by the teaching staff as well as the students. Resting on laurels is just not the Steamboat way, but a hearty congratulations and job well done is certainly deserved. As this school year nears its holiday break and half way mark to what will hopefully be another academic year of excellence, it’s a given that Steamboat Springs’ secondary schools’ staff and students have their goals in place to yet again rank among Colorado’s finest schools.

—For more information on buying real estate or questions regarding Steamboat Springs real estate or renting a home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, feel free to call Charlie at 970-846-6435 or write me an email at: charlie@steamboatsmyhome.com

Thanks,

Charlie

Join the holiday fun at the base of the Steamboat Springs’ ski mountain at the new stage in Gondola Square where the ultimate holiday après ski celebration will take place on Saturday, December 17^th from 3:00pm – 5:00pm.

Celebration activities will include:

* Live holiday music

* Visit from Santa Clause and his reindeer

* Free hot cocoa and candy canes

* Cowboys and horses

* Lighting of the Mountain Village Tree

* Umbrella Bar serving special Christmas cocktails

* Holiday photo opportunities with Sharpshooter Imaging

* Special holiday Torchlight Parade at 5:00pm

Help make this a special Christmas for those in need by bringing a non-perishable food item to benefit the Lift-Up Food Bank.

—For more information on buying real estate or questions regarding Steamboat Springs real estate or renting a home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, feel free to call Charlie at 970-846-6435 or write me an email at: charlie@steamboatsmyhome.com

Thanks,

Charlie

Mark your calendar for this Saturday night, December 10^th – it’s the annual downtown holiday celebration for the entire Steamboat Springs community!  Lincoln Avenue will be closed to traffic and all the stores and restaurants will be joining in the festivities.

Don’t miss the NEW attraction – the Great Caroling Contest – loosely based on the annual Figgy Pudding Caroling event in Seattle. A portion of the money raised will go to Lift-Up Services. Form a team and register with MainStreet Steamboat to join in the fun!

The 2011 Merry Mainstreet festivities also include:

* Holiday Parade

* Gingerbread House Exhibits

* Fruit Cake Toss Competition

* SantaCrawl Pub Crawl

—For more information on buying real estate or questions regarding Steamboat Springs real estate or renting a home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, feel free to call Charlie at 970-846-6435 or write me an email at: charlie@steamboatsmyhome.com

Thanks,

Charlie