Vail Homes & Real Estate Blog

During January, February, and March 2011, the low-end and high-end of Eagle County real estate sales lead the way in encouraging signs for the market in the Vail Valley region.  Eagle County includes several acclaimed resort and mountain communities.  Among the high-end sales—over $4 million—are Vail real estate, Beaver Creek real estate, Red Sky Ranch and other gated communities.  The high-end market accounted for 38 percent of the total dollar volume.

For all residential transactions (single-family homes, multi-family homes, and vacant residential land) during 1st Quarter 2011, there were 267 transactions with a total dollar volume of $267,423,458.  The average sales price hovered around $1 million.  Under $500,000, there were 124 transactions totaling $37,832,958 with an average sales price of $305,105.  High-end residential included 13 transactions totaling $97,225,900 and medium-range residential accounted for 106 sales totaling $128,475,700.

In which Vail Valley neighborhoods have properties been selling at a high rate?  The towns of Avon and Eagle sold 49 and 45 respectively, followed by the far western Vail Valley town of Gypsum at 36.  Other communities in the double-digits include Vail Village with 18, Lionshead with 15, East Vail and Bighorn with 14 and Beaver Creek with 16.  There were 22 properties sold in Basalt, El Jebel and other rural county areas.

Trevor Theelke of Land Title Guarantee Company produces a monthly report.  On May 4, 2011, Theelke led off his report with good news. “March real estate in Eagle County showed the highest number of transactions, 129, since October 2008.  For the last 29 months, Eagle County has averaged 92 transactions per month.”  The upturn in March is an annual trend with the exception of 2009.  The total dollar volume in March is about equal to the total in March 2010.

Foreclosures are playing a part and it is good.  The sooner the banks unload the distressed properties, the quicker the market with stabilize.  Throughout the 1st Quarter of 2011, nineteen percent of the properties sold were REO or bank-owned properties.  Those sales averaged $354,820 each or $172 per square foot.

For information about ski and golf real estate and great values for luxury mountain homes in Eagle County, call Joe Johns of Grand Seasons Real Estate Team and co-owner of Keller Williams Mountain Properties at (970) 471-1432.

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Perfect at any retirement age, beautiful homes in Vail Colorado nestle in the national forests of the majestic Rocky Mountains.  Along with Vail real estate, the growing Eagle County communities in Edwards, Avon, Eagle, Gypsum and Wolcott offer retirees legendary skiing and excellent golf opportunities.

The large number of golf courses makes Vail homes attractive golf-retirement destinations.  GreatPlacestoRetire.com ranked Vail CO real estate #5 in the nation for a sunny and dry climate for retirement.  The area ranks low for natural hazard risks.

Perched at 8,270 feet, most people know Vail Colorado as an excellent ski resort.  Vail Mountain offers over 5200 acres of skiable terrain and 193 trails accessible via 33 lifts, and superb views.  Vail offers great skier services and instruction.

Also, consider Vail Valley real estate for its fantastic mountain golf communities.  Fifteen minutes west of Vail, Cordillera CO homes span four elevations of electric Nicklaus, Fazio, Hale, and Pelz golf.  Golf digest and Business Week proclaimed The Summit Course at The Club at Cordillera in Edwards on its list of top mountain golf courses.

Further west is the 700-acre Red Sky Ranch gated golf community.  Red Sky features Fazio and Norman courses and a David Leadbetter Golf Academy.  Cordillera and Red Sky Ranch are located about 25 minutes from the Eagle County Regional Airport and Jet Center.

To find the best place to invest in retirement real estate, forward-thinking people take the time decades before retirement to visit several communities to find out where they belong.  Folks desiring to settle away from the city vacation in Vail Valley and get a feel for the area during several seasons.  We have country amenities, medical facilities, an airport, ranches, spas and wonderful activities for guests.  Here is a sampling of some of Vail’s Bests:

• Breakfast – Ludwig’s Buffet at the Sonnenalp
• Sandwich – Lobster-Rocket at Larkspur
• Picnic – Atop Blue Sky Basin
• Entre – Dover Sole Meuniere at La Tours
• Dessert – Toffee Pudding at Sweet Basil
• Spa – aria Spa at Vail Cascade Resort
• Indoor Climb – Vail Athletic Club
• Films – CineBistro

Add gold-medal fishing, horseback riding, hiking, and social activities and friendly mountain communities with a sophisticated flare and get winning destinations for full-time and seasonal retirement.

For information about ski and golf real estate and great values for luxury mountain homes in Eagle County, call Joe Johns of Grand Seasons Real Estate Team and co-owner of Keller Williams Mountain Properties at (970) 471-1432.

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Homestead subdivision in Edwards Colorado owns 400 acres of open space adjoining Lake Creek Valley and the Creamery Gulch subdivision.  It is located in Vail Valley real estate south of Edwards.

The Eagle County commissioners would like Homestead to put conservation easements on some or all of its open space, even though conservation easements put a damper on Homestead’s future development.  Eagle County wants to spend $3.25 million to buy 160 acres additional acres in Homestead for open space.  This land borders the 400 acres of Homestead open space.

Homestead real estate in Vail Valley offers a variety of options single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes, townhomes and condominiums.  The family oriented community features the Homestead Court Club for tennis and swimming and children’s camps.  [See previous posts entitled “Vail Valley Homestead Court Club in Edwards Colorado,” “Edwards Vail Colorado Real Estate in Homestead,”“Trail Ridge Subdivision of Homestead in Vail Valley Colorado.”]

Residents of Edwards Colorado homes in the Homestead subdivision have been outlining their preferred terms for the Eagle County commissioners.  David Firmin, attorney for Homestead’s HOA board of directors, recently wrote the county commissioners.  “The Board of Directors, on behalf of the association, would be interested in discussing partnering with the county to work toward preserving this parcel of land.”  So far, the Homestead HOA has not agreed to anything.

Conservation easement discussions go back and forth.  The county commissioners would ideally like the two neighborhoods to contribute healthy amounts for the easements.  At one point, Homestead was going to buy the 160 acres for a conservation easement but does not want the added expense of maintenance and taxes.

The Eagle County commissioners now propose using the Eagle Valley Land Trust, a tax supported open space fund, to buy the 160 acres.  Moreover, they want Homestead to put its 400 acres under conservation easement—and pay $70,000 to do so.  In addition, they would like Creamery Gulch to add $400,000 for conservation easements in Lake Creek Valley.

Slow down, Eagle County.  Homestead residents want to call the terms.  They want to be involved in the design and they want to impose restrictions.  For example, they only want to put 120 acres into the conservation easement.  They want to determine the location of trails and public access to the land.  They want only non-motorized and pedestrian access through Homestead’s open space to the Forest Service land above the subdivision.  They want the county to pay for new sidewalks, since the public may be walking through the community.  And Homestead residents do not want to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining the area.

For information about ski and golf real estate and great values for luxury mountain homes in Eagle County, call Joe Johns of Grand Seasons Real Estate Team and co-owner of Keller Williams Mountain Properties at (970) 471-1432.

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A half hour south of Vail Colorado real estate, the 10th Mountain division prepared for World War II battles from a base at Camp Hale.  A few of the men cruised what we now call Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek Mountain, envisioning fabulous recreational ski terrain.  Most of the real estate in Vail Valley—including successful neighborhoods of Vail homes, Beaver Creek properties, Cordillera CO homes in Edwards, and other developments—owes its quality lifestyle and probably its very existence to these foresighted soldiers who came back to start up Vail’s ski industry.

Last week, the Warren Miller film crew, along with three residents of Eagle County homes, set out to the original training grounds at Camp Hale to shoot a segment for a feature on the 10th Mountain division.  Geoff Mintz of the Vail Daily Newspaper covered the story, following Vail native Chris Anthony and a cast wearing rudimentary ski gear from the 1940s.

Anthony told the Daily, “This is a project I’ve been trying to put together for about five years to acknowledge the 10th Mountain Division.”  The story is just about complete and will debut this fall.

Why did the U.S. need mountain troops?  Long before the establishment of Camp Hale, a million Russian troops invaded Finland.  The outnumbered Finnish, however, employed their top-notch backcountry skills to surprise the attackers by traversing the mountains.  At the same time, Japanese were moving into United States territories off the coast of Alaska in the Aleutian Islands.

As fervor mounted in the hearts of Americans, volunteers joined the ranks of drafted troops.  In 1940, the American Alpine Club and then Charles Minot Dole, Chairman of the National Ski Patrol Association in the National Ski Association, pressured the Department of War and President Roosevelt to develop elite mountain troops.  Training began at several installations with the National Ski Association advising, reviewing equipment and helping train the soldiers.

Camp Hale in Central Colorado became the mountain training base for 14,000 troops.  They included the 85th through 90th Mountain Infantry Regiments; 604, 605, and 616 Field Artillery Battalions; the 10th Mountain Division Artillery, Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop, Military Police Platoon, Antitank Battalion, and QM Battalion; the 10th Medical Battalion and Veterinarian Company; the 112th Mountain Engineer Battalion, the 710th Mountain Ordnance Company; the 110th Mountain Signal Company; and HQ Special Troops.

During winter 1943-1944, these troops learned endurance through long-distance marches and cross-country ski trips.  They became skilled in rock climbing, downhill skiing, winter and mountain survival, and combat.  In the heat of summer, they moved to Camp Swift in Texas and had to conquer heat as enemy #1.  In January 1945, the 10th Mountain Division deployed to Italy where the warm weather rendered their skiing skills void.  However, the skilled climbers overtook the Germans at Riva Ridge and continued to capture mountain peak after peak and then the PO Valley before Germany surrendered on May 2, 1945.  The WWII era of the 10th Mountain Division ended later that year.

In 1962, Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton founded the Vail ski resort.  During their training with the 10th Mountain Division, they men discovered a perfect peak.  Construction of the ski resort began in a valley devoid of civilization.  The resort is the father of beautiful Vail Valley communities located along Interstate 70.

For information about ski and golf real estate and great values for luxury mountain homes in Eagle County, call Joe Johns of Grand Seasons Real Estate Team and co-owner of Keller Williams Mountain Properties at (970) 471-1432.

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Mingling with exclusive Vail Valley Cordillera CO homes in the gated Ranch at Cordillera community, US Bank presents the Heuga Memorial Golf Tournament at Cordillera Mountain Golf Club on June 5 and 6, 2011.  Beautiful Cordillera Colorado homes and breathtaking vistas mitigate play on the arduous mountain-slope golf course that nestles at 8,250 feet in the Central Colorado Rockies,

The award-winning Cordillera Mountain Golf Course is a natural choice for visiting buyers of second homes and Cordillera real estate.  Heuga Memorial Golf Tournament: Tee Off and Transform Lives offers a limited 132 players the experience Cordillera homeowners enjoy any time of the year—fabulous scenery, vibrant community, and peak opportunities to ski, golf, fish, hike, and ride horses.

At this four-person-scramble golf event on Sunday, players warm up to high-altitude golf at the Dave Pelz Short Course in The Divide at Cordillera community and a welcome at the Dusty Boot Steakhouse.  Monday begins early with 8:00 a.m. breakfast at the elegant log-style Cordillera Mountain Clubhouse and a 9:00 a.m. shotgun start, followed by the awards luncheon at Timber Hearth Grille.

The early summer Rocky Mountain fundraising event sustains the dreams of Olympic skier Jimmie Huega.  Huega’s athletic dream changed dramatically after MS clipped his wings.  Working diligently to transform challenges into possibilities, the determined skier never gave up.  In the spirit of Jimmie Huega, all skill levels Can Do the 18-hole Cordillera Mountain Course.  Just watch out for the true roll, huge breaks, doglegs, lakes along fairways, and exceptionally fast greens.  A putt can be “impossible to stop near the hole if you miss.”

American alpine ski racer James Heuga (1943-2010) began competition at age 5.  In 1958 at age 15, he made the U.S. Ski Team.  Racing for the University of Colorado, he won the 1963 NCAA Championship in slalom and went on to capture an Olympic bronze the following year in Innsbruck.  After his MS diagnosis in 1970, the high-caliber athlete ignored medical restrictions to a sedentary lifestyle. Instead, he developed a mind/body/wellness-based approach to managing the disease, transforming the way the MS field approaches it.

In 1984, he started the national nonprofit Can Do MS to empower others with MS.  Proceeds fund Can Do MS’s lifestyle empowerment programs across North America.  Can Do MS, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, donors may send gifts to the Jimmie Heuga Endowment Center at 27 Main Street Suite 303, Edwards CO 81632.

The Ranch at Cordillera in Eagle County is 10 minutes from downtown Edwards and 30 minutes from Vail Village.  The Eagle Vail Regional Airport is 25 minutes west and Denver International Airport two hours east on Interstate 70.

For information about Cordillera Residence Club, ski and golf real estate, and great values for luxury mountain homes in Eagle County, call Joe Johns of Grand Seasons Real Estate Team and co-owner of Keller Williams Mountain Properties at (970) 471-1432.

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Cordillera’s Valley Golf Course is open. Moment by moment spring emerges round Cordillera CO real estate on the private Valley Golf Course—Just enough for the imagination to soar.  Walking golfers notice animated bird chatter and fragile young deer strengthening their strides.

Residents of Cordillera CO homes choose the Valley Club for easy access to Interstate 70 and the shops, businesses, and restaurants in the Town of Edwards.  On the warmer Vail Valley floor, these beautiful Cordillera homes offer a longer playing season, from April to October, than other Vail or Cordillera golf courses.

The western style of the Cordillera Valley Club features 145 elegant residences with architecture akin to early Colorado territories.  Enclave properties include seven Cordillera homes in Fall Creek, seven in Seven Eagles, the 22 homes in Legacy Trail, and a cluster of log homes in the Sanctuary.  Single-family custom homes, many on one level, blend into the sagebrush of the setting.  Some real estate in Cordillera backs to the golf course, other to BLM lands.

Cordillera real estate comprises four highly acclaimed, gated mountain communities with world-class amenities and services.  Surrounded by miles of National Forest, Cordillera homes are less than 30 minutes from Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts in the Central Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Fazio’s par 71, high-desert masterpiece offers magnificent vistas and other natural hazards. Views of the greening landscapes snow-spotted mountain peaks, billowing clouds swimming by in the April breezes.  Cordillera Valley Clubhouse is a wonderful retreat for lunch and dinner at Chaparral Restaurant, to get help from the pro shop, or to meet friends at the pool and tennis complex.

The Cordillera communities are located in the growing Eagle County, an area about two hours west of Denver.  Cordillera is about 25 minutes from the Eagle County Regional Airport and Jet Center.  Cordillera’s Valley Club offers southern exposure.  As sunbeams zap the snow crystals, Cordillera Valley Club and its 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed golf course beckon.

For information about Cordillera Residence Club, ski and golf real estate, and great values for luxury mountain homes in Eagle County, call Joe Johns of Grand Seasons Real Estate Team and co-owner of Keller Williams Mountain Properties at (970) 471-1432.

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Check out this cozy Rocky Mountain townhome near the Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts and multiple glorious golf courses in Eagle County, Colorado.  Offered at $339,900, the Edwards Vail Colorado real estate (MLS V323064) is set in the Upper Homestead subdivision.

Joseph Johns, Grand Seasons Real Estate Team and co-owner Keller Williams Mountain Properties, is happy to present this great value for a primary or secondary Vail home or for investment rental income.  It features two upstairs bedrooms with their own baths.  For timely information about this two-story Edwards CO property and hideaway, call Joe at 970-471-1432.

Trail Ridge Townhome at 640 Homestead Drive (G-29) Edwards CO is steps from fitness facilities, indoor/outdoor tennis courts, childcare, and swimming at Homestead Court Club, the center of the Homestead community.  The perfectly located Vail townhome for sale is five minutes from the Edwards Riverwalk and Eagle River bike path.  The townhome overlooks the splendor of Vail Valley, the Sawatch Mountains and Gore Range.

Homestead’s Trail Ridge Townhome G29 boasts a central location for real estate in Vail Valley.  Imagine a home base with a super-soft leather couch to sink into, a blazing fireplace, and a full kitchen where everyone can manage his own snacks.  Imagine sleeping in, tucked away upstairs in this quiet neighborhood or waking up to the chirping of birds fluttering in the bushes below.  Mature landscaping and pathways surround the home.

Relax while the children pedal joyfully along Homestead’s pretty hillsides, attend Kids Camp, or get in some tennis or swim lessons.  Imagine that senior tennis league that you’ve always wanted to join or take up lap swimming for the first time in your life.  Adopt a wild bunny or hang your bird feeder out back and count the varieties of birds that can’t resist the mix.  Stroll at eventide and point out the families of deer.

Now get out and follow your heart to a new and wonderful adventure into the Great Outdoors.  The ski lifts in Beaver Creek are 15 minutes from the front door, Vail 25 minutes.  Hop on a horse and explore the White River National Forest.  Cast your fishing line or paddle through the river.  This Trail Ridge Townhome invites the family to bicycle to festivals and concerts in the ski towns and small mountain villages or hike through the wildflower meadows.

Eagle County School District 50, Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy, Vail Christian School, and St. Clare of Assisi School serve the families residing in Homestead.

Eagle Vail Regional Airport and Jet Center is located 20 minutes west of Edwards and Denver International Airport is two hours east of the community.

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In the February 2011 Market Analysis from Land Title Guarantee Company, Eagle County Colorado real estate sales totaled 132 between January 1, 2011 and March 1, 2011.  Volume of sales for single-family homes and multi-family homes in Eagle County equaled $162,328,358 with an average transaction price of $1,229,760.

Eagle County real estate markets include Vail Valley real estate in Rocky Mountain resort and ranching towns that lie north and south of Interstate 70 and west of Vail Pass.  The sales report includes Vail real estate from Bighorn and East Vail to Vail Village, Lionshead, Cascade Village and Sandstone to West Vail and Minturn and Red Cliff.  It listed transactions for Beaver Creek real estate from Bachelor Gulch and Arrowhead, Avon, and Mountain Star; Edwards CO real estate including Singletree, Homestead, South 40, Lake Creek, and Cordillera CO homes; and Eagle Colorado real estate to Wolcott and Red Sky Ranch and Gypsum.  Eagle County communities farther from I-70 such as Basalt and El Jebel are also included.

The top ten areas for numbers of transactions Year to Date through February include:

1. Avon (27 transactions)
2. Gypsum (15 transactions)
3. Eagle (11 transactions)
4. Beaver Creek (10 transactions)
5. Bighorn/East Vail (9 transactions)
6. Basalt, el Jebel and rural county sales (9 transactions)
7. Lionshead (8 transactions)
8. Vail Village (6 transactions)
9. Eagle Vail (6 transactions)
10. Arrowhead (5 transactions)

The top five areas in dollar volume include:

1. Vail Village ($32,120,000)
2. Bachelor Gulch ($23,413,000)
3. Lionshead ($21,527,800)
4. Beaver Creek ($20,202,000)
5. Avon ($13,372,900)

Trevor Theelke of Land Title explained that there were 82 transactions in Eagle County in February totaling just over $82,000,000, “creating an overall average sales price of $1 million.  The numbers so far for 2011 are not far from last year at the same time but prices are a bit lower and total dollar amounts lower.

In February 2011, there were 68 transactions for existing homes:  30 under $500,000, 18 between $500,000 and $1 million, and 10 between $1 million and $1.5 million, and 10 over $1.5 million.  Of the 68 transactions, 18 were for single-family homes and 50 for multi-family homes.  In addition, there were nine transactions for empty lots.

For information about ski and golf real estate and great values for luxury mountain homes in Eagle County, call Joe Johns of Grand Seasons Real Estate Team and co-owner of Keller Williams Mountain Properties at (970) 471-1432.

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Vail Valley real estate in the Homestead community offers property owners an active lifestyle near downtown Edwards.  Homestead features beautiful single-family homes on large acreage, townhomes and multi-family options for over 800 residents—a pleasant mix of full time and seasonal singles, families, and retirees.  Along Interstate 70, Edwards Colorado real estate is just minutes from top-ranked ski resorts at Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek Mountain.

In the heart of the 760-acre Homestead community is the beloved Homestead Court Club, a year round tennis and fitness facility.  Homestead Court Club offers Vail Valley homeowners a perfect list of amenities including indoor and outdoor tennis, swimming, fitness and yoga, childcare, and social events.  The Club opens at 5:55 a.m. on weekdays and 6:30 a.m. on weekends and remains open until 10:00 p.m.

When it comes to Homestead Court Club, the engaging community uses it to offer a broad spectrum of creative programs having to do with tennis, swimming, fitness, and children.  Residents and guests of this comfortable Vail real estate participate in classes and committees.  Camaraderie grows through various avenues including a monthly newsletter via email, informational bulletin board, Homestead Owners Association, and surveys and meetings.  Perhaps even more engaging are special events such as the Homestead Easter Egg Hunt with coffee and pastries.  An overgrown Easter Bunny frequents these types of occasions.

The Child Care Center at Homestead Court Club is open mornings and late afternoons during the week and on Saturday mornings.  In addition, the Homestead Court Club offers Kids Camp.  Spring Break Kids Camp runs April 18 – 22, 2011 and Summer Kids Camps start on June 13.

Homestead Court Club hosts a variety of tennis clinics, leagues, and practice times.  Right now, it is time for spring tennis clinics and leagues, junior tennis and afterschool tennis, adult tennis, and possibly a Homestead USTA team for match play.  Vail Mountain High School also uses the tennis facilities.  Special clinics tailored for teens, advanced beginner, cardio tennis, Superstars or Future Elite Junior, Co-ed, etc. offer everyone a way to participate.

The regular pool schedule includes lap swim at 6 a.m., 1 p.m. and 9 p.m., afterschool swim, and junior fit swim.  The Homestead Swim Team plunges in for the 2011 season beginning on April 27 at 4:20 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

The fitness center at Homestead Court Club includes weight rooms, aerobic classes, an indoor pool, hot tubs, steam room, and racquetball, squash and paddle courts as well as the indoor and outdoor tennis courts.  Classes range from Spin to Super Sculpt, to Core and Pilates, to Horizontal Conditioning and Athletes Edge, to several types of Yoga.

Call Joe Johns of Grand Seasons Real Estate Team and co-owner of Keller Williams Mountain Properties at (970) 471-1432 for information about ski and golf homes and great values for luxury mountain real estate in Eagle County.

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