Spontaneous Combustion  February 6, 2010 – 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

A community bonfire to kick-off the Gold Rush Weekend event.  Join us at the Frisco Bay Marina for a bonfire at dusk and fireworks 7:30 pm.  Refreshments benefit the Summit Nordic Ski Team.

40th Anniversary Salomon “Frisco Gold Rush”
featuring the SALOMON Nordic races and TUBBS Snowshoe 7K

February 7, 2010

Join us at Colorado’s oldest XC Ski & Snowshoe event – the Frisco Gold Rush hosted by the Town of Frisco and the Frisco Nordic Center. To Benefit the Summit Nordic Ski Club.

February 7
9 am 5K/10K Classic
9:45 am 5K/10K Skate
10:30 am 20K Skate
11:30 am 7K TUBBS Snowshoe

Limited Parking at the Frisco Nordic Center. Shuttles will be available from Summit County Commons building (3/10 mile west of the Nordic Center entrance). Plan to arrive early as shuttles begin at 8 a.m. and end at 2 p.m.

Colorado Romp to Stomp

March 06, 2010

Frisco Nordic Center, CO

3k or 5k Snowshoe Walk OR 3k Snowshoe Race

Strap on your snowshoes for the Colorado Romp to Stomp--a fun, family-friendly snowshoe event that is truly in a class of its own! With the majestic Rockies raising high above, thousands of people decked out in pink, and a festive atmosphere complete with live entertainment & FREE breakfast, this event is not to be missed!

Quick Facts
Benefits: Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Year started: 2003
Total # of participants since inception: 10,668
Total raised for Susan G. Komen: $468,960

Registration Costs:
Adult
Early Bird Pre-Reg Rate: $25
Pre-Reg Rate: $35
Day-Of Rate: $40

Lil Romper (Ages 6-12)
Early Bird Pre-Reg Rate: $15
Pre-Reg Rate: $25
Day-Of Rate: $30

Lil Bitty Romper (Ages 0-5)
Free with adult registration (still must be registered)

Snowed in for the Cause
Early Bird Rate: $25
Regular Rate: $35
Snowed in? Planning to sleep late? If you can’t make it to the Romp you can still participate in SNOWED IN FOR THE CAUSE. You’ll be supporting a great cause and still feel like you’re part of the action!

Suggested Fundraising Goal Per Participant: $100

Click here to register for the Frisco March 6 event.  http://tubbsromptostomp.com/event/co

WOW!! What an Inspiration

This is such an inspirational video that I felt the urge to share.  This man is celebrating his 95^th birthday skiing at Loveland Ski Area with his friends and family.  He started skiing in 1941with his wife; absolutely one for the bucket list.

http://www.9news.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=63746211001

Are you interested in earning a piece of the stimulus package pie? First-time homebuyers across the country are making the dream of homeownership a reality AND receiving up to an $8,000 tax credit. 

If you’re in the market for you’re first home, it’s important to start looking NOW! Mortgage rates are near their lowest levels in history, affordability is at an all-time high and there is an excellent selection of Summit County homes available. These three factors make it an extraordinary time to buy – and we can tell you from experience it won’t stay this good forever.

Let’s get together soon to talk about the opportunities we’re seeing right now. In the meantime, we think you will find the $8,000 Closer to Home eBook a great resource.

We look forward to helping you on your path to homeownership, contact us at www.yoursummitrealestate.com to speak with an agent on this incredible opportunity!!

http://mykw.kw.com/kwintranet/image/YFH_eBook_Tax_Credit_010710_1263329913890.pdf?id=2500

The IRS has spelled out guidelines for eligibility for the home buyer credit when co-borrowers purchase a property.

If you are single and buy a first-time home as a part owner, you can claim the full credit as long as you qualify for the credit.

For example: If you are a single person who qualifies for the credit and you have a co-signer or co-owner, such as a parent who does not qualify, you can still claim 100% of the credit says the IRS.

The IRS says the parent doesn’t qualify for any portion of the credit, but if the child hasn’t owned a home during the three years preceding the current purchase and can qualify based on income, he or she can be allocated the entire $8,000 credit.

When unmarried individuals co-purchase a home and only one of them is eligible for the credit, then the full $8,000 can be allocated to the eligible buyer.

Source: Internal Revenue Service  www.irs.gov

The last month has seen sales of existing homes increase by 7.4% over October,  which is a 44% faster pace than a year ago. Sales were up in every region of the country and all 20 of the largest metro areas with the exception of Las Vegas. In the west sales were up nearly 11%! Additionally, inventory of homes on the market has dropped 16% from a year ago.

Mortgage rates continue to stay at or below the amazing 5% level. This may not last forever and forecasters are predicting a modest increase to about 5.25%. This is still an attractive rate. Low interest, low prices and motivated sellers have made this the most affordable market in history.

The rec center was burned to the ground today at 9:40 am.  The building was completely demolished in 45 minutes.

I posted some videos of the fire on YouTube.  There are four videos, click on the “see all” link to find all of them.

http://www.youtube.com/timt1064

With the sale last month of Copper Mountain from Intrawest to Powdr Corporation a direction is certain for Copper Mountain Ski Resort. It could not come at a better time as ski resorts are needing to reexamine the future and how they do business. The baby boomers have begun to hang up their skis and snowboards and we are only at the beginning of that trend. Snow riders between 45 and 54 make up nearly 20% of the market and that number is getting bigger. The ski industry needs to cultivate a younger demographic if it wants to survive. Copper had already established itself on the cutting edge with its state of the art training center The Woodward.

The Woodward at Copper first opened The Barn on February 28th, 2009.  The Barn is the first indoor ski and snowboard training facility with 19,400 square feet of terrain park and pipe progression.  The facility allows year round training in doing all the airial flips and tricks that young people are thriving on now. Additionally, Copper hosted The Grand Prix Snowboarding Event. This was an Olympic qualifying event and all the biggest names in the sport participated. Needless to say the resort was packed with the vast majority of attendees under thirty. Copper was also the first resort in Colorado to open their halfpipe for the season.

Powdr’s business strategy centers on the mountain. According to a statement released after the sale; Powdr really focuses on providing an unparalleled on-mountain experience, and everything else is a bonus. Why do people live in or choose to visit the mountains? To ski and ride. That's why they focus on making that experience the best it can be. This is certainly a change from the Intrawest focus on the village and real estate development which resulted in Copper suffering from a lack of on-mountain improvements in recent years.

At this time you can purchase a ski-in/ski-out two bedroom in Copper Mountain for about the same as a one bedroom in Breckenridge. With the focus on the future that Powdr brings this may not last forever. Best of all, with all the growth going on in Breckenridge, Copper still has the feel of a small resort. It’s easy to find your way around and get around.

If you are looking to invest in Summit County real estate and would like to take advantage of a foreclosure be aware of the changes in evicting a long term tenant.  The Federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act has change the way new owners can evict a tenant.  If the tenant is not a child, spouse or parent of the debtor, lease of tenancy was formed in an arms length transactions and the lease or tenancy provides for rent that is not substantially less than fair market value.  The tenant may be considered to have a bona fide lease or tenancy.  Under the new Act the new owner cannot start an eviction for a minimum of 90 days.  The new owner may only start the eviction if the new owner intends to occupy the property as a primary residence, provides the required 90 day notice and then sells to someone who intends to occupy the property as a primary residence or the tenant or occupant is without a lease or with a lease which can be terminate in a shorter period of time under state law. 

Of great concern is if the new owner does not intend to occupy the home the act provides that the owner take the property subject to the lease and the tenants get to occupy the property for the remainder of the outstanding lease.  If the tenant has a lease that is 4 years and only 1 year has been used the new owner will have to adhere to the lease agreement.  It is difficult to get the information on a lease in the foreclosure process and hard work and determination will need to be used.  The tenant has no obligation to the prospective new buyer to provide any information. 

In the Summit County housing market there are a lot of leased homes and a good realtor who is willing to do there research would be very helpful in a foreclosure purchase.  Link to www.YourSummitRealEstate.com for more information on this and to speak with an agent…

REASONS TO SIGN A BUYER REPRESENTATION AGREEMENT

You’ve started looking for a home and a real estate professional to assist you, your buyer’s representative may ask you to sign a Buyer’s Representation Agreement….what is this form and why should you sign it? 

A Buyer’s Representation Agreement or Buyer’s Agency Agreement is a legal document that formalizes your working relationship with a particular buyer’s representative, detailing what services you are entitled to and what your buyer’s rep expects from you in return.  While the language used in the document is formal, homebuyers should view it as an important and helpful tool for clarifying expectations, developing mutual loyalty and most of all, elevating the services you will receive. 

Here are five (5) reasons why you should use a Buyer’s Agent:

1. Receive a higher level of service:  If you’ve formalized an agency relationship with a buyer’s rep, you can expect to be treated like a client instead of a customer…what’s the difference?? Clients are entitled to superior services, relative to customers.  While the details vary from state to state, and from one buyer’s agent to another you can generally assume that being a client means that you’ve formed a fiduciary, or agency relationship with your buyer’s rep. 
2. Get more without paying more:  in almost every case, home sellers have already agreed to pay a buyer’s agent’s commission, if they haven’t you can ask your buyer’s rep to avoid showing you any such homes.  Or you can still view the homes knowing that you will need to factor in your agent’s commission into any offer you may write.  While buyers rarely pay real estate commissions, this is an important detail you’ll want to discuss with your buyer’s rep and clarify in their representation agreement.
3. Ways to avoid misunderstandings:  A Buyer’s Agency Agreement clarifies expectations, helping you understand what you should and shouldn’t expect from your buyer’s rep and what they will expect from you…which usually centers on loyalty to one another. 
4. Agency relationships are based on mutual consent:  While most representation agreements specify a time period, like six months, they can be terminated early if both parties consent.  Most buyers’ reps are willing to end the agreement early if the working relationship isn’t going too smoothly.  Some buyer’s reps also offer representation agreements for as little as one day, for the purpose of giving both parties a brief trial period to explore working together. 
5. Strength as a team:   When you and your buyer’s rep work together within a formalized agency relationship, you have created a team dedicated to helping you achieve the best possible home buying experience! 

For more information on homes in Summit County, Colorado, please visit www.YourSummitRealEstate.com to find a representative that will be pleased to help you. 

Copper’s Safety Fest returns Jan. 16 – 18

Daily Prizes, Avalanche Dog Demos and Helicopters

Copper Mountain, CO…January 13, 2010…Copper is proud to recognize and support the National Ski Area Association’s Safety Awareness Week with Copper’s Safety Fest, featuring three days of safe ski and riding education, demonstrations, and prizes & giveaways worth more than $4,000. Make sure to check out the daily avalanche dog demos at 12:45 p.m., as well as the Flight For Life Helicopter Tour at Patrol Headquarters on Sat., Jan. 16, starting at 10 a.m.*

Copper’s Burning Stones Plaza in the Village at Copper will host Safety Fest, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Jan 16 – 18, and each day guests can visit Copper’s Safety tents to learn about safety, earn a chance for daily prize drawings and watch the avalanche dog demonstration.

This year’s Safety Fest participants include:

• Summit County Rescue Group - Backcountry awareness
• Woodward at Copper - Terrain park and pipe safety 
• St. Anthony’s Medical Center - Helmet safety and general injury prevention
• Copper Mountain Fire Department - General fire safety
• Copper Mountain Ski Patrol - General on-mountain safety practices, Skier’s Responsibility Code, Know your Space, hydration, sunscreen usage, and Emergency Contact Cards laminated at the tent
• Smith Optics (Saturday only) - Eyewear safety topics and helmet safety

Safety Fest tents are open daily from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.*, and those guests who visit all of the booths and get their safety awareness cards punched at each station will be entered into a drawing. The prize drawing will be held at 1 p.m. each day, featuring items such as: lift tickets, lodging certificates, parking passes, Athletic Club memberships and passes, Woodward at Copper One Hit Wonder Sessions, hats, down vests, helmets, ski/ride lessons, childcare at Belly Button Bakery, free rounds of golf at Copper Creek, free orthopedic screenings at Avalanche Physical Therapy, a half day Snowcat trip, gift cards, safety gear and much more. Must be present to win!

One of the highlights of Safety Fest is the Flight For Life Helicopter Tour starting at 10 a.m. on Sat., Jan. 16*, at the top of Copper’s Excelerator and Super Bee lifts. Guests can tour the helicopter and talk to the flight nurse and pilot. Flight For Life is a nonprofit, hospital-based, community service providing critical care transport for a nine state region, with the industry’s most current technology and experienced, knowledgeable staff.

Another great Safety Fest event, the kids especially won’t want to miss, is the daily avalanche dog demos at 12:45 p.m. in Burning Stones Plaza. Typically, a volunteer will “get buried” in an avalanche-type scenario and the Copper Ski Patrol Dog (yes, the dogs are actually members of the Copper Ski Patrol) will use their heightened sense of smell to find the “buried volunteers.”

Safety Tip of the Week:

Skier’s Responsibility Code

• Always stay in control and be able to stop or avoid objects.
• People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them.
• Do not stop where you obstruct the trail or are not visible from above.
• Whenever starting downhill or merging into a trail, yield to others.
• Always use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.
• Observe all posted signs and warnings.
• Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.
• Prior to using any lift, you must know how to load, ride and unload safely.

Knowing “The Code” is everyone’s responsibility!

*Schedule subject to change

For more information on vacation properties at Copper Mountain, please visit us on line at: www.YourSummitRealEstate.com.