January is the coldest month in the high country of Colorado.  Check out some of these tips to help you save energy and yet stay warm and cozy...especially by the fire!

During daytime hours, keep your blinds, draperies and other window coverings open. This will enable your home to absorb the warm sunshine and will effectively add heat to the entire house.  This will also allow the moisture collected on the windows to dissipate into the air during the day.  Close all window coverings at night to keep the heat in and the cold out!

Program your thermostat, if it is programmable to reach lower temperatures while you’re sleeping or out of the house. This simple action can save you a lot of money and will ensure that your house stays at a comfortable temperature at all times.

If you have a window or two that feels drafty no matter what you do, consider installing tight, insulating shades to those particular windows. You’ll be surprised what a little bit of extra insulation can accomplish, it will cut that nasty draft in half!

A wood burning fireplace is an easy solution to add extra heat to your home without adding to your energy bill. Capable of warming the entire room, you and your family can relax at home while keeping the thermostat at a lower temperature. You know what they say about wood burning fireplaces, it gives out heat twice, once when you cut the wood and once when it's lit. 

Check doors and windows for drafts with a lit stick of incense  where air might escape or cold comes in.  The smoke from the incense will indicate where the leaks are.  Weatherizing windows and doors is a simple task that you can perform; your local hardware store  will have all of the materials you need!

When all else fails, put on additional clothing, grab an afghan and pop some corn and watch a movie all snuggled up as January is only 31 days....thank goodness!  

The Purchase Contract

Most real estate agents use standard preapproved,  pre-printed purchase contract forms, filling in the details specific to your purchase terms. These legally-binding documents are used to:

1. Set forth the terms of the sale
2. Establish the rights and obligations of the parties involved
3. Specify what actions will be taken in order to close the sale, and
4. Establish time frames for those steps to be completed

While most buyers are usually fully aware of terms regarding price, closing date, and financial arrangements, there is a tendency to overlook much of the rest of the contract. However, since all the contract terms will be binding, it is important to understand what you are agreeing to before signing the contract. Not doing so can be a costly mistake, especially if there are problems or difficulties in the transaction.

When an offer becomes a contract

A purchase contract is created when there is a “meeting of the minds” on all terms—when you and the seller have come to agreement and signed the offer form along with any counter-offers and addenda. Real estate contracts must be in writing; verbal contracts to purchase real estate cannot be enforced.

Some of the items that you may be agreeing to may include:

• What personal property will be included or excluded from the sale.
• Who will pay for required repairs or retrofits.
• What the seller’s disclosure obligations will be.
• What the seller’s obligation to maintain the property will be.
• What the seller is warranting about the property.
• What the buyer’s inspection rights will be.
• What will happen in the event either party does not comply with the contract.
• Whether or not the buyer can get out of the contract upon an attorney review and/or other contingencies.
• What will the parties’ legal rights and attorney fee provisions be in the event of a breach of contract.
• And most importantly: Closing Date and Time.

Do your homework in advance

It is highly recommended that you read and review the pre-printed forms with your buyer’s representative before you write and sign a purchase offer. That way, once you are ready to present a bona-fide offer, your focus will be on the primary issues of price, terms, and closing date.

Reviewing and understanding the purchase contract form ahead of time can also help you strengthen your negotiating position, protect yourself from incurring unnecessary costs or problems, and gain a better understanding of what you will need to do to conclude the sale.  The new contracts for Colorado starting January 1, 2011 can be found online at:  http://www.dora.state.co.us/real-estate/contracts/contracts2011.htm  take a look and inform yourself and if you have any questions, any one of our fine Realtors can help explain it to you.  Please give us a call at 970.368.7000. 

It's a Christmas snow this AM...big fluffy flakes coming down so softly and gently.  Frisco's Main Street, just as any other Main Street in the little towns across America are spiffed up and decorated for the holiday, how beautiful!  

Before we all get too busy, I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Now, bring on the big snow that is supposed to hit tonight through Tuesday....1 to 2 feet of the white and fluffy.  Remember, we have lots of beautiful homes to look at in Summit County, Colorado if you so desire.  Please go to: www.YourSummitRealEstate.com for more information and to look at our MLS for FREE! 

December 18th, 2010, The holidays come to The Village at Copper with tree lighting, carolers, photos with Santa and for procrastinators, free gift wrap for your purchases. Check out the new organic soap shop....

X Rails Qualifier, December 18, 2010, USASA is the host for a Winter X Games Rail Jam qualifier this Saturday at Copper. The race is open to all age classes of USASA competitors, there is a $20 entry fee and winners in each class with be taking all the cash. All registration must be done online IN ADVANCE at www.rockymountainseries.com. There is no same day registration. Starting with a practice session at 5PM, competitors will be jibbing and jumping their way through the park.

Santa also visits Copper on the 18th of December. He will be in The Village at Copper from 1-3 PM. Get a quick photo with jolly St. Nick for your holiday cards. One of my family's favorite, the Copper Mountain Christmas Eve Torchlight Parade and En Fuego, Christmas Eve, the Torchlight Parade with Santa begins at 5:45 PM...Cosmic Fire at 6:30PM and fireworks at 7:00 PM...

Copper Mountain is located just 6 miles west of Frisco, Colorado, come on out, dress warm and have a load of fun! Happy Holidays!

Cheap money isn’t going to last forever.  Here’s how to take advantage of today’s record-low rates before they expire.   (Borrowed from Jean Chatzky from More Magazine October 2010) www.more.com.

Jean predicts…the variable-interest rates—on your savings account, mortgage and credit card – will go up.  The fed funds rate—the rate at which banks lend money to one another and which is tied to every other interest rate—is about 0.20 percent.  It had been there since December 16, 2008 and has nowhere to go but up.  “I think the Fed will start tightening by the middle of 2011,” according to Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s economy.com.   This means there’s a decent chance that today’s rates are the lowest you and I will see in our lifetime.  Here’s how to take advantage of them….

If you want to buy a house: 

Now is your chance!  For one thing, prices are low and are expected to continue falling through the end of 2010.   “The economy may not double dip, but housing could” according to Mesirow Financial economist Diane Swonk.  Even if prices have already started climbing in your area (i.e. San Francisco and some Northeast cities), cheap mortgage money still makes this a great time to buy (primary or vacation/investment).  Every percentage point a mortgage rate falls is equal to a 10 percent drop in the price of a house. Interest rates are lower than they have been in 50 years.   (Check rates at www.dianebeaumont.benchmark.us)

If you would like more information from Jean—www.more.com

Most buyers rate an attractive kitchen very high on their priority list when they are looking for a new home. The layout of the kitchen, the amount of counter space and storage, and the age and overall condition of the appliances are all important to them. The kitchen area is basically viewed as the center of nourishment and an important place of family interaction.

Take a discriminating look at your kitchen and consider what you can do to make it a real asset. Repair any plumbing leaks or broken appliances. Scrub the room thoroughly, paying special attention to the range and oven. Clean the refrigerator and place a box of baking soda inside to absorb odors. Simple improvements can sometimes work wonders. Hang some colorful pot holders over the stove or install a new stainless steel or copper exhaust hood. Brighten the windows with new curtains and clear all clutter off the countertops.

You don't need a brand new, high-tech kitchen to impress buyers, but do whatever you can to make your kitchen look as efficient and well-maintained as possible.

VISA US HALFPIPE GRAND PRIX - December 8-11, 2010

The snowboard competition years starts out with the return of the snowboard Olympians plus a ski halfpipe event that will serve as a qualifier for the upcoming World Championships.  The weekend will also feature one of the US Ski and Snowboard Association's most popular series for developing new athletes, the Paul Mitchell Progression Session, with a slopestyle event under the lights on the 11th of December.  Hey, that should be pretty cool to see! 

US SNOWBOARDING REVOLUTION TOUR - December 13-16, 2010.  The Revolution Tour is the top junior event in the country.  The tour brings together athletes from across the country to help identify the top juniors in the slopestyle, halfpipe and cross events. Athletes  13 and older will compete in the halfpipe and slopestyle events and athletes 15 and older will compete in the snowboardcross and skicross open class events.  The US Revolution Tour is also a qualifier for World Juniors, US Open, US World Cup and USASA Nationals and Project Gold Camps.   Come on over to see this great young talent!!

SANTA COMES TO COPPER - December 18th, 2010!!!

Santa and his reindeer will be in The Village at Copper from 2-4 PM...get a quick snapshot for your holiday cards and I can just hear the whispers of the kids letting Santa know their deepest wishes for Christmas...Celebrate the joy of the season while the holidays come to life right in the Village at Copper. 

Vail Resorts released its earnings report for the first quarter of its fiscal year which showed a slight increase in net loss, compared with the first quarter of 2010, but real estate net income was up considerably due to closings at the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Vail, and lodging income was up 7.3% and mountain revenue up 4%.

Great Outdoors Colorado Wednesday provided $13.8 million of lottery proceeds to buy 13,595 acres statewide to preserve land that otherwise could be developed, as part of its funding 55 projects in 32 counties. GOCO funded land preservation projects in Routt County, Rio Blanco County, Jackson County and Pitkin County.

The Summit County commissioners have finalized the land exchange agreement with the U.S. Forest Service, receiving the 21-acre Dercum’s Dash area in Keystone in exchange for the historic townsite of Chihuahua, a 43-acre parcel along Peru Creek. The commissioners had approved a development on the Dercum’s Dash property, including 24 single-family units, and employee housing, pending the final land exchange agreement.