Buena Vista is central to kayaking, rafting and mountain climbing in Colorado.  It is a small town and some of the streets are still unpaved...in fact Main Street has only been paved for 50 years or so.  Now it is unpaved again...looking a bit like the old west...as we prepare for pedestrian bumpouts, benches, landscaping and new lighting along our main drag.  BV as we call it...is a popular area for retirement and second homes. Recently younger families are moving here to live where they play and enjoy small town mountain living.  It feels as though fresh thinking has reached critical mass here.  Green is in, although the valley is still wearing winter brown backed by white peaks.  We will never be Aspen or Vail...we are OK with that.  Come join us...or at least drop by.

Many of the blogs I read discuss what it will take to fix the housing market ...not to speak of the rest of the economy. Fixing something requires that we know the end product. However, we are in changing times. Change usually brings something that we have not had before.  To be expecting a better...or more profitable... version of what we have before is not change.  Change in general is not popular and sometimes scary. The best we can do is to guide the process to the best of our ability and sign on for the ride. The economic landscape is changing.

Customers dropped in the other day.  They had heard on the radio that housing values were up here in the Colorado mountains, specifically Chaffee County, and decided it was time to jump on the bandwagon and get a property of their own.  Now I had sort of thought that values had not dropped any...or at least much...in the last year.  So I decided to check out the source.  What I found was that although total home sales for 2008 were down by some 30%, the average sale price was up by nearly 8%.  That really isn't a true value of property values...which I think have held pretty well, but it may be a significant number...or not.  The number I would like to see go up would be the numer of sales.  I'll have to wait on that one.

Customers dropped in the other day.  They had heard on the radio that housing values were up here in the mountains, specifically Chaffee County, and decided it was time to jump on the bandwagon and get a property of their own.  Now I had sort of thought that values had not dropped any...or at least much...in the last year.  So I decided to check out the source.  What I found was that although total home sales for 2008 were down by some 30%, the average sale price was up by nearly 8%.  That really isn't a true value of property values...which I think have held pretty well, but it may be a significant number...or not.  The number I would like to see go up would be the numer of sales.  I'll have to wait on that one.

I just love showing property here on the side of the Continental Divide...surrounded by 13- and 14,000 foot peaks.  The beauty is astounding and so far, the housing market is holding tight.  I have not noticed any real slip in property values, although sales numbers were down for 2008.  On the other hand, I have the longest list of potential buyers that I have ever had at this time of year and many of them are actively looking and plan to buy this Spring.  This early season activity is supported by my colleagues in other offices, which makes us feel very buoyant and the troubled economy quite far away.  We do feel safe in the mountains!

Over the last few weeks I have read a number of blogs and articles that ask 'how do we do business in these unsettled times?'  The goals should be the same as they always were.  Service to the client, buyer or seller, should be the focal point.  If one keeps that purpose firmly in the forefront, everything else will fall into place.  How we do business changes with technology, and some deals may offer new learning experiences, but helping the client is the key.  Often I see the goal change to save the deal and get a commission once the contract is in place. That often leads to problems. Service works.

I just returned from snowshoeing in the Sawatch range between 10 and 11,000 feet.  What a day!  Typical Colorado blue sky and lots of dry crunchy snow.  The views are wonderful, the forest silent, yet alive.  One couple had just summited Mt Yale (14,200 ft) and others were asking if it is always like this in Buena Vista.  Well, pretty much.  Last year, 337 days with sunshine.  Plenty of snow in the mountains, none on the valley floor at 8,000 ft.  After 30 years as a meteorologist...I picked right.  Now I sell homes to others who have discovered the secret.

January is the month when many of us in business take time to reinvent ourselves or update business plans for the new year.  With the unsettledness of the economy, and perhaps recent financial downturn for some, it is easy to get caught up in the drama that we see around us.  Drama is great fun.  It makes us feel alive and part of what is going on.  It is also a giving away of our creative ability.   Rather than buying into other's drama, sit back, take a deep breath and relax.  With practice the needed answers and ideas come easily.  It is called intuition.  We all have it and it is the more expansive part of our consciousness sending information to the "front line." How many times have you ignored that voice from somewhere and two weeks later wished you hadn't? Paying attention makes life much easier!

Change is coming and I think that the change that is coming is major. The world seems to be ready for it and if you felt the energy in Grant Park on election day...whether you were there or not...you could tell there was something different.  The critical mass has been achieved and change is underway.  Keep in mind that change ususally brings something different...not just a better version of what we have.  So as the year progresses, stay flexible and enjoy the new...a lot of old will be leaving. 

It has finally happened.  With snow on and off for the last few days, Buena Vista is looking quite wintry.   There are about 6 inches of new Colorado powder on the ground with more promised.  The real treat will be when the sky clears and the very white, soft peaks of the surrounding 14,000 foot mountains stand out against a cobalt blue sky.  If you have not experienced the Colorado sun and blue sky while playing in deep powder, I invite you to try it.! Better yet, come and stay.