Road Trip
We left town as soon as the plows cleared our street from the last snow storm. On Christmas Eve Day we headed south to Santa Fe. The weather there was cold but clear. The customary Christmas Farolito Walk on Canyon Road was charming.
Farolitos are wax coated brown paper sacks lined with sand and a votive candle. New Mexicans line the streets and the adobe walls with them to light the way.
Bonfires are built along the street for warming carolers and passerbys. The Santa Fe atmosphere is joyous and festive on Christmas Eve.
We found a hilltop to watch the sunset Christmas Day. For the better part of 30 minutes we braved the cold, because with each passing minute the display of day’s end became more exquiste.
Denver blizzard of 2006
The snow couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time. Thousands of holiday travelers are being delayed, inconvenienced and disappointed for their holiday plans. DIA ~ Denver International Airport has been housing nearly 5000 stranded travelers.
Today after two days of being closed, the first two runways opened. Planes are now taking off and landing, but not enough to ease the congestion. The news reported the traffic going into the airport goes as far as the eye can see. People want to proceed with the holiday, they might get lucky, but most likely everyone is going to be late.
It’s a sad situation, but not one that can be blamed on anyone but Mother Nature. Who’s to predict a blizzard of this scale? Nobody can. All we can do is be patient and thing of the good things we have. No one died in the blizzard, we all came out safe. Yes, it’s an inconvenience, but so what. Change is good. Slowing down for a day or two is OK. Let’s kick back and enjoy this temporary state of weather.
In search of powder
Denver has been snowed in, the roads were closed as were the airports, malls and most stores. Nobody could get to work…BUT the snowboarders were out in full force. They didn’t need a mountain, they used the Colorado History Museum roof instead.
Here’s Vali with a great big smile on her face! No lift ticket needed, she’s got air on top of the Museum….
NOTE: do not try this at home!
Here’s a long shot to see what the building looks like from a far. That’s Vali sitting down, waiting her turn:
So what’s the big deal about Vali? She’s my daughter! She makes her Mom PROUD…Wild Woman.
Colorado is Closed
Thanks to The Holiday Blizzard of 2006 Colorado is CLOSED!
The highways to the borders in every direction are closed (with the exception of the Denver metro area). If you are in Colorado you are here until the storm passes. If you aren’t here, you won’t be getting here anytime soon.
The snow is supposed to stop by late morning on Thursday. DIA is scheduled to remain closed until 7 p.m. Thursday. Until the snow stops these are just estimates.
All in all the storm for me has been fun. I knew it was coming so I planned to not travel, except to the grocery store. That for me, was excitment enough. I got out and back ok, but when I tried to get the car in the garage, I ended up beaching it on the unplowed street. So, instead of having a workout at the gym today, I subsituted a workout with a snow shovel. I shoveled my driveway and part of the street. My car is safely in the garage and that is where it will stay.
I feel sorry for the 3000 people stranded at the Airport. It’s been reported some may not reach their destination until Sunday. That’s a long time. I wish I could help.
Zoo Lights
The Holidays at the Denver Zoo are filled with bright lights and happy smiles…see for yourself.
Real Estate Statistics for Denver Metro 2006~ Novembe
November 2006
Metro Denver Prices:
| Single Family Average Price: (Detached Dwelling) | Nov 2006 | $310,562 | |
| Oct 2006 | $306,307 | ||
| Nov 2005 | $309,030 | ||
| Condo Average Price: (Attached Dwelling) | Nov 2006 | $195,747 | |
| Oct 2006 | $189,202 | ||
| Nov 2005 | $187,194 | ||
| Combined Average Price: | Nov 2006 | $285,441 | |
| Oct 2006 | $280,551 | ||
| Nov 2005 | $281,716 | ||
| Percent of Sales Price Change: from November 2005 to November 2006 | Single Family: | +0.50% | |
| Condo: | +4.57% | ||
| Combined | +1.32% | ||
| Total Combined Number of Homes for Sale: | Nov 2006 | 27,530 | |
| Oct 2006 | 29,722 | ||
| Nov 2005 | 26,020 | ||
| Percent of Change in Available Inventory: (Nov 2005 vs. Nov 2006) | +5.80% | ||
| Number of Combined Homes Sold this month | Nov 2006 | 3,565 | |
| vs. previous month | Oct 2006 | 4,133 | |
| vs. same month last year | Nov 2005 | 3,903 | |
| Average days on Market: (Combined Sales) | Nov 2006 | 109.78 | |
| Oct 2006 | 102.60 | ||
| Nov 2005 | 91.28 | ||
| Absorption Rate: (number of weeks necessary to sell current combined inventory at current rate of sales) | Nov 2006 | 33.46 weeks | |
| Oct 2006 | 31.16 weeks | ||
| Nov 2005 | 28.89 weeks | ||
| Median Sold Price:Single Family | Nov 2006 | $240,000 | |
| Oct 2006 | $247,600 | ||
| Nov 2005 | $248,250 | ||
| Condo | Nov 2006 | $155,750 | |
| Oct 2006 | $152,000 | ||
| Nov 2005 | $165,500 |
Blossoms of Light
Visit the Denver Botanic Gardens
December 2, 2006 - January 21, 2007
Winter is the season to shine bright at Denver’s Incredible Botanic Gardens. Each evening the gardens come alive with over a million lights. Be sure to dress warm and take a stroll through the 17 acres of delightful lights.
Tonight we enjoyed the Botanic Gardens thanks to the hospitality of Starbucks…Thanks for the memories! It was wonderful.
Entrance
Surprising Stats on the Economic Impact of Culture
Visitors to Denver owe thanks to the forward thinking voters in 1988 who approved a one-
tenth of one percent sales tax increase to support scientific and cultural facilities within the metro area. The SCFD (Scientific & Cultural Facilities District) was created to provide funding to scientific and cultural organizations. The results have been bountiful.
Rebuilding Your Life after Foreclosure
Homeowners who have lost their homes to foreclosure will be glad to know there is hope for them in rebuilding their future. The most important thing to do is to start rebuilding a credit history. Mark Flanders a Mortgage Blogger talks about Creative Financing for you in his Active Rain Blog today. Stop by and let me know what you think.
Let’s Compare My Apples to Your Oranges…
Foreclosures are a hot topic these days. Some people say Colorado is #1 in foreclosures, others say it’s not so! Who do we believe and why?
The Denver Business Journal featured a good story on this very topic, “Is Colorado really worst in foreclosures?” The answer to this question is, “It Depends who you ask!”
Who Keeps the Stats on Foreclosures?
There are three sources on Colorado foreclosure statistics. What is surprising is none of them agree! RealtyTrac out of Irvine, California has given Colorado the dubious distinction of being the #1 State for foreclosures for 8 months straight! The folks at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) puts Colorado in 13th place — behind 11 states and Puerto Rico — in the percentage of total loans in foreclosure as of June 30. And Colorado ranked eighth in foreclosure sales as a percentage of total home sales during the first half of 2006, according to a report published November 16 by First American Real Estate Solutions of Santa Ana, California.
Why Aren’t The Numbers Consistent Among Researchers?
Colorado officials all agree our number of foreclosures are significant. They also agree on the fact there is no set standard for measuring the number of foreclosures, so the numbers are not necessarily correct.
“We are the only public-trustee system in the country; all the other 49 states do something different,” said Boulder County Public Trustee Sandy Hume. “There are hybrid-type situations out there where you have sheriff’s sales and sheriffs functioning in a public setting as a governmental officer, but in other states you have a private company managing foreclosure. A private trustee has no public responsibility to report anything.”
“I have no proof either way, but viscerally I think that the fact that we’re the only public-trustee state in the nation may be –underscore ‘may be’ — altering the numbers in our disfavor in terms of displaying higher rates.” Hume said.
The Public Trustee system in Colorado reports foreclosures on day one. In other states a report may not occur until elsewhere on the time line; day one, midway or when the property is completely foreclosed.
Last year 32% of the 22,894 reported foreclosures were later withdrawn, according to 
the Colorado County Treasurers’ Association. Withdrawing a foreclosure means the homeowner found a way to pay off the mortgage or refinance the loan. During this process in Colorado the lender may agree to assist the seller by providing a “short sale” to avoid the high cost of foreclosure.
Another factor that is seldom discussed, Colorado’s homeownership rate is above the national average. Nationally the average is 68.9%, Colorado has a homeownership rate of 71% This higher rate of homeownership puts Colorado in a risker position than states with a lesser homeownerhip rate.
Comparing apples to oranges makes lemons. It’s not good, but it’s not nearly as bad as some would like it to be.
This site brought to you by Kristal Kraft, a licensed Colorado Real Estate Broker
