Mal's Blog

Warmth works

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:57:49 -0500

For three months it was snow and cold, snow and cold. What a winter! Properties of all types were being listed and sold. NOW....it's snow, warmth and melting. The warmth is making a difference. The snow is going away here on the valley floor, but still many feet of it remain in the mountains. Not only is the snow going away, but buyers are starting to feel the energy of Spring. It seems as though the temperature and the number of buyers have popped. What a great place this is!

Regular snow in paradise

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:05:53 -0600

After tons of winter snow in Buena Vista have just about melted, it snowed yesterday. This, however, was a regular snow. Here in the valley, a regular snow is one that melts soon after the sun comes up...so usually...even at 8000 feet in the winter there is little snow on the ground. This morning, on schedule, the snow melted and every was able to get here for a big closing. Life here certainly is great!

Snow no deterrent

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:23:21 -0600

Here in Buena Vista, at 8,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies, we have just experienced the snowiest and coldest winter on record. Today the sun is out and the temperature is in the 40s and the snow is melting. And through it all, buyers of second and retirement homes have been quite busy, getting the real estate sales season off to a great start. The hottest section of the market is $350,000 and upward which is typically where the custom-built resale market is.

Needless to say, there are some great properties to be had and many of those will be going this season. Here is one that I think is one of the best. It is cozy, affords living on one level and has plenty of guest room on the lower level walkout. For additional information go to http://www.bvcre.net/Trails%20End.html

Mountain retreat in popular Game Trail. $585,000

Welcome to Colorado's banana belt!

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:48:30 -0600

What a winter it has been. The snowiest, coldest and windiest on record. This has been a winter like no one here can remember. Usually we get a bit of snow...it melts...and the rest of the day is sunny. This year the snow has come and stayed and then more has come. On the other hand, it has been a real mountain winter and the ski areas are loving it. Those with long driveways...not so much. I must admit, the soft snow on the mountain peaks, pasted on the deep blue Colorado sky make it a dreamland. It always seems that no matter what the weather is here, I know that this is a special place.

A sign of the times

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 10:52:38 -0500

Business has been booming and it seems that there has been no time to get to the high country...really high that is. Fortunately, long-time hiking friends from Michigan let us know that they were headed this way, so I took myself off the schedule with the hope of getting some hiking in. As it turned out, the night before a planned walk on the new CDT, south of Cottonwood Pass, it snowed and the result was enchanting. The walk was cold and the trail slippery in spots, but the texture of the views, with turning aspen and willows, new snow and all gradations of rock color was stunning, This is the important stuff!

Continental Divide Trail at 12,300 ft Cottonwood Pass Road

Trail is great...business is great...how good is this!

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 11:00:30 -0500

Every year I help work on the further development of the Continental Divide Trail..one of my passions. Last week I spend four days above 12,000...how great is that! The first two days were spent walking the proposed new trail. Some of that is in and some just sited. With that effort we now have a GPS trace of the proposed trail between Cottonwood Pass and Tincup. The second two days were spent cutting in new trail along with 25 other volunteers. When done the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail will stretch 3100 miles from the north to south...border to border. (www.cdtrail.org)

And then it was time to go back to real estate...buyers everywhere and I haven't been this busy in months. A couple million in deals can make one feel pretty good. I think I might try sneaking up to the trail again.

Saturday morning at the office

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 13:43:54 -0500

The phone has been a bit quiet this morning and I was thinking that perhaps it ought to ring a bit more. And that may be my biggest problem...how good are things?

We've had a lot of rain this month and the wild flowers in the mountains are phenomenal and the valley is lush green. Don't know that I have even seen a better batch of flowers. I got some great pictures of them while I was checking out new construction on the Continental Divide Trail. I had helped survey for and site a new section of the trail for the last two summers and it was great to see the newly constructed trail. It is nearly a piece of art in the talus-laden back country of Colorado.

Meanwhile, I have a number of folks that are considering properties and my listed properties are getting shown. I developing a class for the Colorado Associatio of Realtors and right now I'm feeling pretty good.

I guess an occasional time at the office with no phone ringing is OK.

Colorado Columbine and me!

Happy 4th of July!

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:15:58 -0500

With the celbration of the 4th lasting for about a week, Buena Vista is bustling with visitors. It appears as though every room in town is taken and that will be the case now for much of the summer. This is one of the most intersting, beautiful and out-door oriented places in the country. It is so much fun working with new comers to help them find a property that suits them and allows them to come live where, in many cases, they have come to play over the years.

Now that the Upper Arkansas Valley has really caught on as a place to be, there are more brokers than ever and most seem to be do doing some business, but the key for me is the service. I work to make every transaction, fun, effortless and seamless. In each transaction that may mean different things for me deal with, but for the buyer or seller it should be a smooth ride. I'm usually available by cell...except when enjoying my Rocky Mountain High!

Everything is heating up!

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 17:38:41 -0500

Yesterday the temperature in Buena Vista, Colorado hit 90 degrees. Tyically that happens once a year...occasionally twice. The air here at 8000 feet in the Heart of the Rockies is quite dry, so that a breeze in the 80s often feels cool. But at this altitude, the sun is strong, so you can be quite comfortable in the sun, with little wind, in the 50s and 60s...so for me 80s seems hot. Hopefully there will not be any more 90-degree-days.

But the visitors love it and they are here in full force and that heat-up we do love. That means land and home sales will be picking up...although they have been quite good anyway. There doesn't seem to be much of a down-turn here in the mountains. Everyone is looking for their Rocky Mountain home. Oh yes, the prices are also going up. That makes it always a good time to buy.

This house needs a family!

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:56:22 -0500

The holiday is over and is usually the case, lots of visitors fell in love with the valley. Some dropped in our office before they left town and I'm sure that we will get calls and e-mails from others before long. And so begins another season of matching buyers and sellers. If you are in the market in our market, I have a new listing that must be looked at. This is a newer, well-cared-for and well-priced in-town house and they are a bit hard to come by. For further information you can go to: http://www.bvcre.net/Windwalker.html

Snow and Opening Day

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Fri, 25 May 2007 15:48:02 -0500

Back when I lived in Detroit, Opening Day meant the season opener at Tiger Stadium. I was a meterologist at the NBC affiliate in Detroit and that meant the forecast had to be right. On occasion the forecast included snow.

I also had my Captains license and loved being on the water. I had a Friday night gig operating the J. W. Westcott mailboat. The only boat with its own zip code. We would go out and deliver mail to the passing freighters and often change out crew members. Service stopped in the winter, but in the spring we would start operations again...that was another Spring Opener for me...and it occasionally included snow.

Now that I live in high country of Colorado...there is yet another Spring Opener. That occurs in late May when the snow plows finally open the mountain passes. In Buena Vista, it is Cottonwood Pass with an elevation of 12, 126 feet. This means we can now take the short-cut to Crested Butte and Taylor Reservoir. The night before the pass opened this year it snowed. It was only half an inch in town, but a great coating of snow up high and as we go into the Memorial Day weekend, the mountains here have a bright-white coating of new snow.

If you have not been here, you really should treat yourself. Like most of us here, once we found this alpine valley, we decided to stay...even with Opening Day snow!

True test of springtime in the Rockies

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Wed, 16 May 2007 14:30:59 -0500

I have been doing a lot of walking lately; mainly looking for survey pins on large land parcels. I find that to be one of the best parts of real estate...basically a day out of the office is always better. In walking around meadows and forests, I found the true test of the presence of spring in this area is the Pasque Flower. Sometimes it is one pushing up through the pine needles or it may be 10 or 15 all starting the season in some choice patch. Wherever they are found, they are always a gift. Do enjoy these found near Twin Lakes.

What a place!

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:30:30 -0500

Temperatures are hitting the 70s now and there is still plenty of snow on the mountains. There was a fox in the backyard yesterday as the new animals get their lives started. Buyers are showing up, ready to select their part of paradise. I had some great buyers on Saturday. We just seemed to hit it off and by afternoon we had written a offer on a wonderful 5-acre lot. To celebrate I went for a hike on Sunday and from the trail knew again why I was here and others are arriving at a steady clip.

White snowy peaks and springtime in the valley.

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 12:23:33 -0500

The flowers are beginning to come to life, the aspen buds are popping and it is springtime in the Rockies and there is still plenty of snow on the peaks. This has to be close to paradise...golf, bike, snowshoe, ski, fish, kayak, sit in the sun...all in one day and in one valley. Come live where you play!

Wonderful climate

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 10:52:16 -0500

It's snowing this morning and a pile more is on the way. The spring snow storms in this mountian valley are so much fun to experience. Yeterday the sun was out and it was just a great day under the cobalt-blue sky with the white snow-capped 14,000 foot peaks pasted on the sky. By this time tomorrow we should have 6-8 inches of new snow and in two days it will be sunny, 50s and the snow will be melting. So, we may not get any walkins today...but you never know. But come this weekend, they will be here and I can explain how snow storms work up here at 8,000 feet. It certainly is different from the Great Lakes area where I forecast weather for 30 years. There the snow comes and seems to stay forever...getting more dirty eveyday...and the sun is never able to poke though the gray skies long enough to melt it. If ever there was a great palce to live...this has to be it!

New mountain get-aways

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 15:45:35 -0500

I always enjoy working with buyers, but listing a great property is always a pleasure. Ranch of the Rockies is in western Park County and an easy trip from Colorado Springs and Denver, so a popular second home spot. It started out as an inexpensive place to have property but prices are going up and the new houses are substantial. Here are two new ones that would make great family retreats. They are about 90 min+ from Breckenridge, Vail, Copper and Keystone, but you bunk your family here for a lot less and joy all the other acitivities in nearby Chaffee County. These are availble with furniture. For more info on these you can go to www.bvcre.net or www.buenavistarealestate.com .

How about a half million dollar view?

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 15:24:45 -0500

Well, they didn't buy the $1.3 million parcel, but we did find another one for about 1/3 the price. It is a nice little glen of over 100 acres and on one side the rock out cropping allow a framed view of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Have to say one of the nicest properties I've seen for views, seclusion and feeling that you have a great little piece of the world. It's great to take buyers out and all of a sudden they know "this is the one."

A $1.3million view

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 08:57:28 -0500

Well, I never did make it to the high county with the snow shoes. I have clients coming in this weekend looking for a unique piece of property. I had picked about three to look at, but one is so snowed in that the listing agent suggested that we wait a month. That left two and the listing agent had not yet been to the $1.3m parcel because of snow, but he called and said the road was open and I should go take a look.

The road is a about 3 miles long with a climb of about 1000 feet and most of the snow was gone, in some cases the melt had left mud...but when in doubt, go higher. Wow! The views were panoramic. The valley towards Salida spread out down along the Arkansas River with the snow-covered Sangre de Cristos creating a back-drop. Up valley was Buena Vista and Buffalo Peaks and to the west was a wall of snow-covered 13,000 and 14,000 foot peaks. Altogether, the parcel has about 134 acres and backs up to National Forest land...not far from the Colorado Trail. Treed parcels of this size are hard to come by in our area...after all...about 85% of the county is public land.

This parcel was specatcular. Lots of ups and downs with arroyos, but there were a number of little finger ridges extending out from the flat forest land. Most of the land was not buildable, but the seclusion, views and feel were just right for a get-a-way. An expensive one to say the least. My wife, Edie, who went along for the ride thought we should buy it. That got me to thinking about the pricing of a parcel like this. There really was not any arguing the price. Land like this was was hard to come by in this valley, so just about any price tag would work. The buyers, however, may have a different view.

No sales dip in the high county

Mal Sillars (Century 21 Summit Realty) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:20:23 -0500

Buena Vista. What a place to live! I sit here looking at a clear cobalt blue Colorado sky and 14,000+ foot snow-covered peaks pasted on the sky. At 8,000 feet in this alpine valley, the real estate market is busy. In years past, sales tailed off around Thanksgiving and picked up in March. The rafters would be here in late April and there would be 5 or 6 cars in line at THE traffic light in June. There were always plenty of days for rafting, climbing, snowshoeing, skiing and then 2006. We have been discovered and sales are booming. We will never be Vail or Aspen, but there will be more of us. I love the business activity, but this morning, no phone calls yet, so perhaps I'll get out the snowshoes and try for 12,000 feet.