Real Estate Information

Trash vs. Treasure?

I found this in the environment section of the Summit Daily News, (Summit County’s community newspaper) and felt it would be food for thought for folks in many parts of the country.

Summit County has many options for recycling and reusing durable goods year round—What about your community?

TV’s and Computers:  Many of these contain toxic materials such as mercury, zinc, lead, cadmium and more, which means it costs a bit to recycle them. The Summit County Recycling Facility at the land fill will recycle your monitor for $7 and your TV for $12.  Hours of operation 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Most are meant for recycling, not for reuse as most thrift stores and organizations do not take them, unless they are new and in good working order.

Large furniture:  In our community we are fortunate to have several options: A Furniture Find located in Dillon Town Center (call 970-409-9310), Treasures in Silverthorne (970-513-6688), in the Summit Place Shopping Plaza (near Blue Moon Baking Company), and Alpine Accents is located in Frisco at 11 Main Street, call 970-668-3113.  Each location’s inventory is unique-a phone call is the best, to see if they will be able to utilize your large furniture items.

Large Appliances:  If it is an older appliance the best bet is to recycle it.  For refrigerators, the Freon must be removed by a certified technician before it can be moved to the recycle facility or thrown away.  Any appliance retailer can help you out.  In Summit County; contact Jimbo’s Appliance (970-724-0604).  Jimbo’s offers a great service-they will pick up your old fridge and take out the Freon and recycle for only $85.00.  That would be my choice—wash my hands of my old Fridge and Freon.

Small household items:  We all have lots of stuff, books, dishes, bedding, camping gear, lamps and baskets—stuff that we no longer use, but may have value to someone else.  Options in Summit County include Summit Thrift and Treasures 340 Fiedler in Dillon, donations benefit the Family Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC).  They accept all of the above items and clean clothing in good condition-your paint covered clothes do not count.

Your community likely has a thrift store and perhaps one tied to a not for profit, check them out.

For more information about recycling, reusing and sharing your old treasures, please contact Kerry Gibson, www.kerrygibson.com or Kerry@kerrygibson.com

Buyers, Sellers Rank Real Estate Companies.  Being part of a great company like Keller Williams in this day and age is a matter of pride for me.  Keller Williams’ philosophy of Win-Win or no deal is something I believed strongly in.  The link below from Realtor Magazine proves that our beliefs are what the client wants.  Our office in Summit County service’s the ski areas of Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin and the towns of Frisco, Silverthorne, Dillon, Leadville, Alma, Fairplay and Kremmling with caring and knowledge.  Please contact us if we can help with any real estate questions.

http://www.realtor.org/rmodaily.nsf/pages/News2009073101

I'm often asked if this is a good time to buy a home. Some clients are concerned that home prices may fall further than they have already. They are assuming that the best course of action is to wait for the bottom in the market and then buy. The problem with this approach is that you don't know where the bottom is until you see it in the rear view mirror, meaning until you've missed it!

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates go up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give us a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.  Our office can be reached at 970.368.7000