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    <title>Colorado Springs Homes Blog</title>
    <link>http://activerain.com/blogs/wickhometeam</link>
    <description>Colorado Springs Real Estate, Colorado Springs Realtor, Colorado Springs Homes, Colorado Springs Relocation</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1221811/your-new-best-friend-special-pet-adoption-weekend-september-11th-through-13th</guid>
      <title>Your New Best Friend - Special Pet Adoption Weekend September 11th through 13th</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Looking for love&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/6/8/2/8/ar125191687982867.jpg&quot; height=&quot;281&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Pet Adoption Fair September 11th through September 13th&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; style=&quot;margin: 2px 4px;&quot; /&gt;We've written before about the work of the San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society, and their weekly pet adoption fairs at the North Academy Blvd. PetSmart in&amp;nbsp; Colorado Springs.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Thanks to the sponsorship of PetSmart and Hill's Science Diet, the Society will be taking part in PetSmart Charities' &lt;a href=&quot;http://adoptions.petsmart.com/adoption-events/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Second Chance For Love Fall Adoption Weekend&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Nationally, the goal is to fnd forever homes for &lt;strong&gt;18,800&lt;/strong&gt; derserving pets!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At least 75 dogs and puppies - plus a few kitties - will be along for the Colorado Springs pet adoption event, every one wishing to meet their own special human(s).&amp;nbsp; If you've been thinking of adding a new family member, you'll have plenty of lovable creatures to pick from.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Other fine animal rescue groups will also be participating, so you'll have numerous cats plus small animals to choose from as well.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Hours are&lt;strong&gt; Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Sunday 10 am to 6 pm&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; The event will take place at the PetSmart near Constitution and Powers, &lt;strong&gt;2965 New Center Point&lt;/strong&gt;. &amp;nbsp; Every adopter will receive valuable coupons and free samples, and rumor is that there will be some prize drawings, too.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Can you give a rescued pet a second chance for love and a responsible, permanent home?&amp;nbsp; In return, you'll get licks, snuggles and faithful companionship.&amp;nbsp; And possibly even undying adoration!&amp;nbsp; Doesn't that sound like a win-win situation?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Realtors serving the beautiful Colorado Springs, CO area.&amp;nbsp; They have two somewhat spoiled and quite-loved Golden Retrievers, Murray and Suzy.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:11:25 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1221811/your-new-best-friend-special-pet-adoption-weekend-september-11th-through-13th</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1200422/gracious-main-level-living-in-serenity-park</guid>
      <title>Gracious Main Level Living in Serenity Park</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some homes are just pleasing to the senses, and this is one of them.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The cul-de-sac location, main level living,&amp;nbsp; spacious rooms,&amp;nbsp; special details, soothing colors, and the professional landscaping all combine to create a highly livable house you can't wait to come home to.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Hummingbird Ct. &quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/8/2/7/9/ar125061504197285.JPG&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Real Estate&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; style=&quot;margin: 2px 4px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This lovely Saddletree home is a Vail model with the French Country finishes.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/7/7/0/ar125061552607722.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Ranch Style Home near Flying Horse Colorado Springs&quot; width=&quot;225&quot; style=&quot;margin: 2px 4px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The gracious, welcoming foyer is filled with light.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/3/8/7/5/ar125061559957839.JPG&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; alt=&quot;Main Level Living Colorado Springs CO&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; style=&quot;margin: 2px 4px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The conveniently located study with French doors has mountain views.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/9/0/3/ar125061565230951.JPG&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; alt=&quot;Saddletree Homes Colorado Springs CO&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; style=&quot;margin: 2px 4px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The great room with built-ins&amp;nbsp;is practical yet elegant.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/2/2/2/6/ar125061571762225.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Home For Sale Colorado Springs, CO $525,000&quot; width=&quot;225&quot; style=&quot;margin: 2px 4px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The formal dining room with built-in buffet makes entertaining a pleasure.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/0/3/1/7/ar12506157971306.JPG&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; alt=&quot;Home For Sale Serenity Park Colorado Springs&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; style=&quot;margin: 2px 4px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The delightful kitchen has a granite island with gas cook top.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/6/8/4/3/ar12506158834861.JPG&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; alt=&quot;Home For Sale Colorado Springs CO $525,000&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; style=&quot;margin: 2px 4px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Low maintenance stucco exterior gives you more time to enjoy life from your composite deck overlooking the scrub oak.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 4082 square feet.&amp;nbsp; Offered at $499,000.&amp;nbsp; See more&amp;nbsp; details at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com/listing/93423336&quot;&gt;http://www.wickhome.com/listing/93423336&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Realtors serving the beautiful Colorado Springs, CO area.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 800-599-8500 ext. 1120 or 719-534-7920, or visit their &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;website&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:37:31 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1200422/gracious-main-level-living-in-serenity-park</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1152690/like-new-condo-convenient-to-shopping-and-services-district-20-only-155-900</guid>
      <title>Like New Condo ~ Convenient To Shopping and Services ~ District 20 ~ Only $155,900</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;You'll have easy living in this 2 bedroom, 2 full tiled bath condo in the Presidio complex.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Presidio Point Condo&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/0/4/9/8/ar12476019389408.JPG&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs  Real Estate 2 bedroom 2 bath condo $155,900&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px;&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; With 1295 square feet, you'll have plenty of stretch-out space.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The pretty kitchen has&amp;nbsp;a tiled floor and&amp;nbsp;pendant lighting over the eating bar.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; There's a balcony&amp;nbsp;for relaxing, central air&amp;nbsp;for summer comfort, and a gas fireplace in the great room for those cozy winter nights.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Don't worry; the light, bright, neutral decor &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;go with your belongings.&amp;nbsp; And, since it's almost new, and all&amp;nbsp;appliances are included, you don't&amp;nbsp;need to&amp;nbsp;spend lots of money right after moving in.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Maybe just a special plant or painting?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Check out the extra storage.&amp;nbsp; This home is super convenient to shopping, services, the new YMCA, and the new Memorial Hospital.&amp;nbsp; District 20 schools.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Academy District 20 Condo 2 bedrooms 2 baths $155,900&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/4/2/6/5/ar124760202556242.JPG&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; alt=&quot;Presidio&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/3/5/6/3/ar124760243436532.JPG&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Condo $155,900 2 Bedrooms 2 Baths&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7920 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:20:32 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1152690/like-new-condo-convenient-to-shopping-and-services-district-20-only-155-900</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/819076/something-for-everyone-downtown-colorado-springs-shopping-and-dining-</guid>
      <title>Something For Everyone - Downtown Colorado Springs Shopping and Dining </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;There's always something special about shopping downtown during the holiday season.&amp;nbsp; There, you find tradition,&amp;nbsp;unique stores, a&amp;nbsp;festive atmosphere, and&amp;nbsp;a vast variety&amp;nbsp;of cozy restaurants and coffee shops when you need to supplement your shopping strength.&amp;nbsp; It's also a great place to catch up with friends during a holiday brunch, lunch or dinner.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And while &lt;strong&gt;metered &lt;/strong&gt;parking is always free on Sundays, you can also park in the&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;metered&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;spaces at no cost on the first three Saturdays in&amp;nbsp;December - the&amp;nbsp;6th, 13th, and 20th.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you're attending the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coloradospringsfestivaloflights.org/&quot; title=&quot;Colorado Springs Festival of Lights&quot;&gt;Parade of Lights&lt;/a&gt; on Saturday, December 6th,&amp;nbsp;it's best to be downtown early, so it's the perfect time to work some shopping in&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;grab a bite to eat&amp;nbsp;before the parade starts.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For a list of downtown services, shopping and dining, and to call for holiday hours, visit the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.downtown80903.com/DowntownGuide.aspx&quot;&gt;Downtown Guide&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If fine jewelry is on your Christmas List, be sure to visit D. Bierfeldt&amp;nbsp;Master Jeweler at 107 E. Pikes Peak Avenue (227-1361).&amp;nbsp; You can choose something gorgeous from the showcase, or for that spectacular gift, have an heirloom custom made.&amp;nbsp; Dale Bierfeldt has an eye for the exquisite, and will help you design a true treasure.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Our assistant's pick for&amp;nbsp;her favorite downtown restaurant:&amp;nbsp; The award-winning &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.medcafe-co.com/&quot;&gt;Mediterranean&amp;nbsp;Cafe&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;at 118 E. Kiowa (633-0115).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;She tells&amp;nbsp;us even though she&amp;nbsp;seeks out Mediterranean restaurants wherever she goes, this gem remains her favorite, for the superb tasting dishes at a very reasonable price.&amp;nbsp; Try the spanakopita!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:41:07 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/819076/something-for-everyone-downtown-colorado-springs-shopping-and-dining-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/815265/a-forty-two-cent-difference</guid>
      <title>A Forty-Two Cent Difference</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;For the price of a first-class stamp, and a spare moment and an extra greeting card, you can brighten a current or former service member's holiday.&amp;nbsp; (If you don't have a card, you can even download a free one).&amp;nbsp; Groups or families can also send multiple cards in one package.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;Holiday Mail For Heroes &lt;/strong&gt;campaign is a joint effort sponsored by the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes, with the goal of distributing one million holiday cards to service members, veterans and family members in the U.S. and overseas.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Holiday Mail For Heroes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/5/8/2/1/ar122815861412859.jpg&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; alt=&quot;Holiday Mail For Heroes&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px;&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; The Red Cross&amp;nbsp;began this program in 2007, at the request of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to handle the overwhelming number of cards sent to wounded service members.&amp;nbsp; This year, the scope has been expanded to include&amp;nbsp;military personnel&amp;nbsp;serving in harm's way,&amp;nbsp;veterans and families.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Security measures&amp;nbsp;are&amp;nbsp;much tighter these days, so&amp;nbsp;Pitney Bowes screens each card for hazardous materials, and then Red Cross volunteers&amp;nbsp;review, sort, and forward each card, so it's imperative that all cards be postmarked by December 10th to allow processing time.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;While there are still well-meaning emails circulating suggesting cards be sent to &quot;A Recovering U.S. Soldier&quot; care of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the hospital&amp;nbsp;is not accepting these cards (we went to Walter Reed's site to verify this.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please ensure all cards are postmarked by December 10th; cards postmarked later will be returned to the sender &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;(and we don't want to see your efforts wasted). &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; For the mailing address and&amp;nbsp;specific guidelines, please visit the Holiday Mail For Heroes' &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.redcross.org/email/saf/&quot;&gt;web page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;.&amp;nbsp; (If you're also interested in purchasing&amp;nbsp;care packages or gift or phone cards, you'll find links there, too, as these items can't be included in the holiday cards).&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 899-699-8500 ext. 1120.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot;&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:16:45 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/815265/a-forty-two-cent-difference</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/801622/open-house-sunday-november-23rd-noon-to-3-improved-price-169-960-remodeled</guid>
      <title>OPEN HOUSE ~ Sunday November 23rd Noon to 3 ~ Improved Price $169,960 ~ Remodeled</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes Open House November 23&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/7/1/0/4/ar122729719540179.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp; Are you looking for &lt;em&gt;charm,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;(maybe you don't see yourself living in a cookie-cutter home)&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;but don't have the time and/or money to remodel a home?&amp;nbsp; Is your heart really set on a single family home, but you have budget limitations?&amp;nbsp; Do granite counters and stainless appliances appeal to you?&amp;nbsp; How about a light, bright, neutral interior that's sure to go with your existing furniture and acessories?&amp;nbsp; Does a large, easy care lot work for you, so your outdoor time can be spent enjoying yourself instead of having tons of yardwork? Wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to rush out to buy window coverings and&amp;nbsp;appliances?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Or maybe you know of someone who&amp;nbsp;is looking for their first home...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes Open House November 23&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/6/0/4/6/ar122729730964065.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Then come to our Open House on Sunday, November 23rd from Noon to 3 pm to see this delightful remodel with many special touches.&amp;nbsp; The current owners have put a lot of time and love into this home, and are looking for buyers&amp;nbsp;to&amp;nbsp;enjoy their efforts.&amp;nbsp; And... The price has been significantly improved since our other open house!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes Open House November 23&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/7/7/1/6/ar122729776761774.JPG&quot; height=&quot;357&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;3 Bedrooms and 2 Full Baths&amp;nbsp; ~ Full, Finished Walkout Lower Level ~ Living and Family Rooms ~ New Lighting, Flooring and Bath Fixtures ~ Huge Laundry Room ~ Freshly Painted Interior and Exterior ~ Walkout from Lower Level Family Room to Patio and Huge Yard ~&amp;nbsp;Xeriscaping with Drip System ~&amp;nbsp;Carport and Off-Street Parking for Two Cars ~ Mountain Views ~&amp;nbsp;Established Neighborhood ~ Convenient to Dining and&amp;nbsp;Library ~&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;Now offered at $169,960&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them about this open house, or any other Colorado Springs home, call 719-660-9950 or 719-660-9940.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:04:47 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/801622/open-house-sunday-november-23rd-noon-to-3-improved-price-169-960-remodeled</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/799585/a-home-for-the-holidays</guid>
      <title>A Home For the Holidays</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Bringing a furry pet home is wonderful way to add loads of love to your household.&amp;nbsp; We give our pets a little love, and get so much more in return (at least with dogs; with cats, you sometimes have to settle for knowing that your superior house guest isn't looking for better digs). &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Every Saturday, Aileen Peek and members of her dedicated shelter staff hold Pet Adoption Fairs at PetSmart on North Academy Blvd.&amp;nbsp; To give you an idea of &lt;em&gt;how&lt;/em&gt; dedicated they are:&amp;nbsp; Their shelter, the San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society, is in Alamosa.&amp;nbsp; So, in addition to loading and unloading the pets, cages, and supplies, and spending six hours at the adoption fair, they drive almost three hours each way to find loving homes for the rescued animals.&amp;nbsp; And they've been doing this for years, because they know that Colorado Springs is filled with responsible pet lovers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;'&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Pet Adoption Fair&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/3/9/3/4/ar122721031943938.jpg&quot; height=&quot;306&quot; alt=&quot;San Luis Valley Animal Shelter &quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pumpkin&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; could be &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; Cutie Pie this Thanksgiving&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We stopped by one of the recent fairs, and found a variety of adorable puppies (is there anything cuter than a puppy?) many beautiful, friendly adult dogs, and one mellow cat who seemed completely non-plussed by the occasional barking puppy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The need is great; even though the SLV Animal Welfare Society is a no-kill shelter, their resources, including space, are limited.&amp;nbsp; So, the quicker they find homes for the dogs and cats, the more animals they can take in.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Taking in means &quot;saving&quot; - from hunger, neglect, abuse, or even death.&amp;nbsp; It's a never ending challenge to serve all the animals who need them; recently, the shelter acquired two litters of &lt;em&gt;14 puppies&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;each&lt;/em&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;All the animals are up to date on their shots; puppies are parvo-free and cats have been screened for leukemia.&amp;nbsp; The animals that are old enough are spayed or neutered.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Pet Adoption Fair&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/0/4/9/7/ar122721268279406.jpg&quot; height=&quot;328&quot; alt=&quot;San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Brother and sister&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt; Dustin and Dusty&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, above, are very attached to each other, so they must be adopted together.&amp;nbsp; Since dogs are very social creatures, in many cases it's easier to have two.&amp;nbsp; If you have one dog, and feel you can't give him enough attention, why not consider adopting a companion for him?&amp;nbsp; You're already taking that walk anyway, and your dog won't be lonely while you're not at home.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Pet Adoption Fair&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/6/4/0/6/ar122721787460469.jpg&quot; height=&quot;378&quot; alt=&quot;San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What a sweet face!&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; Fluffy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, a Labrador Retriever mix with a marvelous disposition, also has a sister waiting for a new home.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you or anyone you know is thinking of adding a new family member this holiday season, stop by the adoption fair; you could find true love.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Colorado Springs pet adoption fairs:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Saturdays from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at PetSmart at 7680 N. Academy Blvd. &lt;/strong&gt;across from Chapel Hills Mall. 719-531-7870&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For more information call 719-587-WOOF (9663) or email woof@slvaws.org.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Visit the San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.slvaws.org/&quot;&gt;website&lt;/a&gt;, where you can learn more about the organization and see a list of adoptable pets.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; Their Golden Retrievers, Murray and Suzy, keep each other company while Ken and Sandy are helping buyers and sellers.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:14:34 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/799585/a-home-for-the-holidays</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/784668/remembering-our-veterans</guid>
      <title>Remembering Our Veterans</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Veterans Day&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/8/1/5/1/ar122642824615186.jpg&quot; height=&quot;375&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Veterans Day&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Today we're celebrating Veterans Day.&amp;nbsp; The holiday is celebrated on November 11th to mark the anniversary of the end of World War I.&amp;nbsp; Armistice Day was originally proclaimed in 1919 to honor World War I veterans; since November of 1954, it has been know as Veterans Day to honor &lt;em&gt;all &lt;/em&gt;veterans. (In some other countries, this date is still celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We'd like to send a heartfelt thank-you to all our Veterans, and let you know we appreciate your sacrifices, past and present, large and small.&amp;nbsp; We're also proud to celebrate Colorado Springs' military heritage and the&amp;nbsp; contributions made by our local service members.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To find out more about the history of Veterans Day, and interesting military facts, visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.history.com/minisites/veteransday&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;History.com&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veteran%27s_Day&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:38:35 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/784668/remembering-our-veterans</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/781118/colorado-springs-real-estate-market-report-october-2008</guid>
      <title>Colorado Springs Real Estate Market Report - October 2008</title>
      <description>&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs CO Real Estate&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/1/1/6/4/ar122633907446117.JPG&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes &quot; width=&quot;300&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Home buyers are still&amp;nbsp;looking for - and finding - good deals in the Colorado Springs area.&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;649&lt;/strong&gt; homes sold through the Pikes Peak mls in October, and half of those homes closed at under &lt;strong&gt;$189,000&lt;/strong&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;60 &lt;/strong&gt;of the sold homes commanded prices of &lt;strong&gt;$400,000 &lt;/strong&gt;or more, including &lt;strong&gt;five&lt;/strong&gt; that sold at &lt;strong&gt;1 million&lt;/strong&gt; dollars plus (the sale of one of those homes for over &lt;strong&gt;3 million &lt;/strong&gt;dollars&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;helped bring the average sold price to &lt;strong&gt;$232,012&lt;/strong&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;The single family homes sold accounted for &lt;strong&gt;$149,277,925&lt;/strong&gt; in real estate transactions, and another &lt;strong&gt;$12,383,932&lt;/strong&gt; of Condos/Townhomes sold (&lt;strong&gt;83 &lt;/strong&gt;homes).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;The number of active listings (&lt;strong&gt;5841&lt;/strong&gt;) was very close to March's number, but that month had better sales activity of &amp;nbsp;(&lt;strong&gt;723 &lt;/strong&gt;sold homes).&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;From January through&amp;nbsp;October 31st, 2008,&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;7,345&lt;/strong&gt; single family homes have&amp;nbsp;sold.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Based on information from Pikes Peak Realtor Services Corp. (RSC) for the period of&amp;nbsp;March 2008&amp;nbsp;to October 2008.&amp;nbsp; Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; If you have any questions about buying or selling a Colorado Springs area home, contact them at 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:49:32 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/781118/colorado-springs-real-estate-market-report-october-2008</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/777358/colorado-fall-foliage-at-twin-lakes-co</guid>
      <title>Colorado Fall Foliage At Twin Lakes, CO</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Fall is arguably&amp;nbsp;the most beautiful time of year in&amp;nbsp;Colorado.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;As&amp;nbsp;lovely as the changing aspen leaves are in their own right, when the backdrop&amp;nbsp;includes&amp;nbsp;lakes and mountains, the view is absolutely breathtaking.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We took these photos at Twin Lakes in Lake County, Colorado.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Twin Lakes CO&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/6/9/0/2/ar122599817520969.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Fall Foliage Twin Lakes CO&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; From Highway 82, on the way to Aspen&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Twin Lakes CO&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/5/1/5/0/ar122599833905157.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Aspen Trees Twin Lakes CO&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;A view of Mount Elbert&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Twin Lakes CO&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/6/9/0/4/ar12259984840962.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Fall Foliage Twin Lakes CO&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Forebay, with Mount Elebert in the background&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Twin Lakes CO&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/8/4/2/3/ar122599954232481.jpg&quot; height=&quot;304&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Fall Foliage Twin Lakes CO&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Reflections of the aspen-studded mountains in the lake.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You can see some beautiful &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?T=1727069 &quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;panoramas&lt;/a&gt; created with our Visual Tour program.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are Colorado Realtors who love spending time in beautiful Twin Lakes, CO.&amp;nbsp; Not familiar with Twin Lakes?&amp;nbsp; Give Ken and Sandy a call at 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500.&amp;nbsp; They'd love to answer your questions!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:15:53 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/777358/colorado-fall-foliage-at-twin-lakes-co</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/775726/single-family-home-3-beds-2-baths-attached-2-car-89-000-wow-</guid>
      <title>Single Family Home ~ 3 Beds, 2 Baths, Attached 2 Car ~  $89,000!  Wow!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Are you an investor, or a first-time home buyer who is eligible for conventional financing?&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Does a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with an attached 2 car garage and a large lot&amp;nbsp;fit your needs?&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp; It's even better when it has nicely sized rooms, a large eat-in kitchen, and fresh interior paint.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The living room has hardwood floors, a cozy fireplace, and walkout to the large yard.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;There's a nice open flow between living room, nook and kitchen. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs CO Homes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/9/2/2/0/ar122591494302299.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;There's plenty of room for two or more people to cook together in this kitchen!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs CO Homes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/5/6/3/9/ar122591508293655.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The roomy nook is perfect for relaxing gatherings. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs CO Homes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/6/2/5/0/ar122591524905263.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Master Bedroom has brand new carpet and&amp;nbsp;an attached 3/4 bath.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs CO Homes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/3/3/9/8/ar122591579689336.JPG&quot; height=&quot;349&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This home needs some work, but it's priced accordingly for quick sale.&amp;nbsp; See more info and photos on this home's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com/listing/78762659&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;web page&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Call us today for more details; we'd love to tell you more about this home.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:22:38 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/775726/single-family-home-3-beds-2-baths-attached-2-car-89-000-wow-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/772847/just-reduced-171-900-completely-remodeled-single-family-home-</guid>
      <title>Just Reduced!  ~  $171,900  ~ Completely Remodeled Single Family Home </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Since this home's price has just been reduced, it's the perfect time to schedule a showing!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Don't let the front photo fool you - this home has a full, finished, walk-out basement, so it's much larger than it looks from the front.&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;1536&lt;/strong&gt; square feet, with 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/1/0/8/0/ar122576268708018.JPG&quot; height=&quot;230&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/1/1/5/7/ar122576277975115.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This home sits on a &lt;em&gt;great&lt;/em&gt; lot!&amp;nbsp; There's a good sized grassy area in the back yard, and a lot of Xeriscaping (with a drip system), so your weekends aren't filled with yard work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/4/3/5/0/ar122576305005344.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This light-filled home has been lovingly remodeled.&amp;nbsp; The neutral decor &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; complement your furniture.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/8/6/3/3/ar122576320033684.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wouldn't you love granite counters and stainless appliances?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/3/8/7/9/ar122576343497836.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes &quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Visit this home to see the many special touches.&amp;nbsp; Now offered at $171,900.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;See more details and photos on our &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:01:07 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/772847/just-reduced-171-900-completely-remodeled-single-family-home-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/769260/reflecting-on-twin-lakes-colorado</guid>
      <title>Reflecting On Twin Lakes, Colorado</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reflections on Twin Lakes, CO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Mountain Reflections Twin Lakes, CO&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/9/1/7/5/ar122549528457196.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Twin Lakes CO&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The snow-capped peaks are particulary beautiful on&amp;nbsp;a sunny June day.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Lake Reflections Twin Lakes CO&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/0/9/4/5/ar122549547654902.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Twin Lakes CO&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The smooth-as-glass lake on a gorgeous October day.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Mountain Reflection Twin Lakes, CO&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/5/8/1/7/ar122549590971858.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Twin Lakes CO&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;Thanksgiving, with just a dusting of snow on the shore.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Colorado Realtors who love spending time in beautiful Twin Lakes, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, please call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;They'd love to answer your questions about Twin Lakes!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:33:22 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/769260/reflecting-on-twin-lakes-colorado</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/767419/halloween-safety-tips</guid>
      <title>Halloween Safety Tips</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Halloween Safety&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/1/4/9/ar122540721294151.jpg&quot; height=&quot;280&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Halloween Safety&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We've all heard the Trick or Treating safety tips like: wear reflective, well-fitting clothing; don't wear masks that obscure vision; carry flashlights (never open flames); and only go to homes in well known neighborhoods with their porch lights on.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Los Angeles Fire Department has some additional tips that may not be so common:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Secure emergency identification discreetly within Halloween attire or on a bracelet.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Think twice before using simulated knives, guns or swords. If such props must be used, be certain they do not appear authentic and are soft and flexible to prevent injury. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Teach young children their home phone number and to how call 9-1-1 (from any phone) if they have an&amp;nbsp; emergency or become lost. Older children should have coins for emergency calls, or a cell phone.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review with your children the principle of &quot;Stop-Drop-Roll&quot;, should their clothes catch on fire. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do not permit children to bicycle, roller-blade or skateboard. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Plan and review with your children the route and behavior which is acceptable to you.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Our Colorado Springs weather is predicted to be much balmier than usual, so hopefully it will be a great Trick-Or-Treating night for the little tykes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Halloween has become much more of an adult holiday in recent years, and many people drive to bars or parties to enjoy some cheer.&amp;nbsp; Even though the smaller children are out early, some drivers may be returning from happy hour.&amp;nbsp; With the date falling on a Friday, it's especially important to review street crossing safety with your children, and adding some reflective tape to any dark costumes can help make your child more visible to motorists.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Have a safe and happy Halloween.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:10:16 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/767419/halloween-safety-tips</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/761878/open-house-completely-remodeled-home-1536-square-feet-3-bedrooms-2-baths</guid>
      <title>Open House ~ Completely Remodeled Home ~ 1536 Square Feet 3 Bedrooms 2 Baths</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;This delightfully remodeled home is well worth your visit!&amp;nbsp; It has a full, walk-out basement, so it's much&amp;nbsp;larger than it looks from the front picture.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;1401 Avenue A Street Colorado Springs Home For Sale $185,000&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/1/3/6/2/ar12251402126316.JPG&quot; height=&quot;230&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Open House Home For Sale&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Light, bright and neutral decor!&amp;nbsp; All new flooring, lighting and bath fixtures.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;1401 Avenue A Street Colorado Springs Open House&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/0/7/3/8/ar122514031583709.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes  $185,000 Open House&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Kitchen has granite tile&amp;nbsp;counters, custom tile backsplash, stainless appliances, and room for a table for two.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Open House Colorado Springs Single Family Home October 29&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/1/7/7/7/ar122514195377719.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes Single Family Home For Sale $185,000&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Upper Level Bath&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;1401 Avenue A Street Colorado Springs Open House&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/1/4/4/5/ar122514116654414.JPG&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes Home For Sale $185,000&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Check out those mountains!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes Open House October 29&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/9/0/9/0/ar122514158309097.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes Home For Sale $185,000&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Walkout from family room to patio and large, relaxing yard.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes Open House October 29, 2008&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/8/4/3/6/ar122514171063489.JPG&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes Home For Sale $185,000&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ready for move in!&amp;nbsp; All the work has been already done for you; this home is just waiting for you to make it your own.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Open House:&amp;nbsp; Wednesday October 29th from 4 pm to 6 pm.&amp;nbsp; 1401 Avenue A Street,&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;near Brookside off&amp;nbsp;8th Street in Southwest Colorado Springs. &amp;nbsp;Offered at $185,000.&amp;nbsp; Call Sandy at 719-660-9950 for more information.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com/listing/76726392&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;See&lt;/a&gt; more photos and a map.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7920 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:23:37 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/761878/open-house-completely-remodeled-home-1536-square-feet-3-bedrooms-2-baths</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/755713/election-day-2008-your-state-and-county-voter-guides</guid>
      <title>Election Day 2008 - Your State And County Voter Guides</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Coloado State Election Blue Book Voter's Guide&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/9/2/3/ar122513991332922.jpg&quot; height=&quot;219&quot; alt=&quot;El Paso County Colorado Election Voter's Guide&quot; width=&quot;175&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;The 2008 General Election is a little more than a week away.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We're all being bombarded by phone calls, TV ads, and slick glossy flyers about the ballot issues.&amp;nbsp; While it's hard to make sense of all the conflicting information, one thing you can be sure of, &lt;em&gt;the sponsors of those ads are trying to get you to vote &lt;strong&gt;their &lt;/strong&gt;way.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you'd like to do your civic duty, but still have some hair attached to your scalp come election day, it's time well spent to read your &lt;strong&gt;2008 State Ballot Information Booklet&lt;/strong&gt; and the similar pamphlet you received from the county.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The beauty of these publications:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You get to read - and re-read - the full text of the ballot initiatives, so you don't find yourself poring over the cryptic verbiage in the election booth, causing a line of angry neighbors to form behind you.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Pros and Cons of each issue are listed, as fairly and dispassionately as you'll find anywhere.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The state booklet has a cheat sheet you can take with you to the polling place.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We're considering 14 amendments to our state constitution and statutes&amp;nbsp;(plus four state referendums), in addition to local issues - measures that really affect us.&amp;nbsp; These publications can help assure you you're voting the way that actually fits with your beliefs, and not depending on some one else's agenda to inform you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you've misplaced or didn't receive your state booklet, go to the Colorado Blue Book's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/lcsstaff/bluebook/2008Bluebookmainpage.htm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt;, where you can download a PDF or even an audio version.&amp;nbsp; For El Paso County's Guide, click &lt;a href=&quot;http://car.elpasoco.com/NR/rdonlyres/B2DF08AB-5A26-4844-9DF8-431EAC2B5F92/0/TABOR2008Generalv9.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now, if they only had this sort of guide for the candidates...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1119. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:01:17 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/755713/election-day-2008-your-state-and-county-voter-guides</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/741750/keeping-the-warm-air-inside</guid>
      <title>Keeping The Warm Air Inside</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Realtors&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/5/6/7/4/ar122409393047658.jpg&quot; height=&quot;304&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes &quot; width=&quot;175&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;When the furnace kicked on this morning, our sweet dreams&amp;nbsp;were interrupted by that alarming sound of money figuratively being burned.&amp;nbsp; Last&amp;nbsp;night the predicted low was 32 degrees, and while our area has plenty of warm spells in fall,&amp;nbsp;winter is on its way.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Energy bills are sure to be sky-high this winter.&amp;nbsp; We're fortunate to have our utilities through Colorado Springs Utilities;&amp;nbsp;the company works very hard to keep rates as low as possible, but even with their efforts, rate increases are slated for 2009.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We thought we'd list some web sites that give conservation and savings ideas.&amp;nbsp; You probably&amp;nbsp;have heard of or practice many of the tips already, but may also find some new hints, or be reminded of some items you've meant to do.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sites quote a savings of 2% to up to 5% of savings for every degree you lower&amp;nbsp;your thermostat between 70 and 60 degrees, so it can add up to real money.&amp;nbsp; Beefing up&amp;nbsp;inadequate insulation&amp;nbsp;is also a very&amp;nbsp;effective way to trim heating costs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Even if you checked all your weather stripping and caulking last year, these items deteriorate over time, so it's worth re-visiting.&amp;nbsp; And it's not just older homes that need inspecting; owners of new homes shouldn't assume that air leaks don't exist.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;These sites will list many places to check besides&amp;nbsp;windows and doors.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.csu.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Colorado Springs Utilities&lt;/a&gt; - The homepage has several energy efficiency related links.&amp;nbsp; It's also helpful to read the newsletters enclosed with your utility bill, as they contain good information. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.energy.gov/winter.htm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;U.S Department of Energy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; Winter energy savings tips&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_winter&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Energy Star&lt;/a&gt; is also a government sponsored site&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you have any creative ideas for saving energy, we'd love to hear them!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:18:34 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/741750/keeping-the-warm-air-inside</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/731600/colorado-springs-real-estate-market-report-september-2008</guid>
      <title>Colorado Springs Real Estate Market Report - September 2008</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/2/0/0/7/ar122361301170029.jpg&quot; height=&quot;263&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes For Sale&quot; width=&quot;350&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 734&lt;/strong&gt; single family homes sold through the Pikes Peak multiple listing service in September, up from &lt;strong&gt;695&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;sold in September 2007.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The number of active listings was actually&amp;nbsp;down year over year:&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6030&lt;/strong&gt; actives during September 2008&amp;nbsp;vs. &lt;strong&gt;6767&lt;/strong&gt; last September. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The trend of stronger sales in the lower and mid&amp;nbsp;price ranges continues; half the homes sold for under &lt;strong&gt;$200,000&lt;/strong&gt;, and another &lt;strong&gt;230&lt;/strong&gt; sold between &lt;strong&gt;$200,000 and $399,000&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;374 &lt;/strong&gt;of the sold&amp;nbsp;homes had three or fewer bedrooms.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The average Days on Market for El Paso County single family homes was &lt;strong&gt;95&lt;/strong&gt; days, and homes sold for an average of &lt;strong&gt;96.5%&lt;/strong&gt; of the list price.&amp;nbsp; According to the figures from Pikes Peak RSC, Teller County residents face a few more challenges, with longer DOM (&lt;strong&gt;110&lt;/strong&gt;), and an average sales to list price&amp;nbsp;ratio of &lt;strong&gt;92.9%&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6,696&lt;/strong&gt; single family homes sold from January through September, which is in between the number of homes sold during the first three quarters of 1998 and 1999, when there were far fewer listings.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Real Estate is always local (and &quot;hyper&quot; local, as trends vary by area and neighborhood), so don't assume what you hear in the press necessarily applies to the Pikes Peak region.&amp;nbsp; We're always glad to answer your questions, so please give us a call.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Based on information from the Pikes Peak REALTOR Services Corp. (&quot;RSC&quot;), for the period&amp;nbsp;September 1998 through September 2008.&amp;nbsp; RSC does not guarantee or is in any way responsible for its accuracy.&amp;nbsp; Data maintained by RSC may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are Realtors who have been linking buyers in sellers in the beautiful Colorado Springs area for many years.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:35:23 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/731600/colorado-springs-real-estate-market-report-september-2008</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/728296/just-reduced-160-000-4-bedrooms-and-3-baths-colorado-springs-co</guid>
      <title>Just Reduced!  ~  $160,000 ~  4 Bedrooms and 3 Baths ~ Colorado Springs, CO</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;First time home buyers please take note:&amp;nbsp; This is a lot of home for your money!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Home For Sale Colorado Springs Widefield $160,000&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/1/8/9/0/ar122341262209816.JPG&quot; height=&quot;263&quot; alt=&quot;Home For Sale Colorado Springs $160,000&quot; width=&quot;350&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This well cared for Widefield home boasts just under 2400 square feet, and a great floorplan.&amp;nbsp; With Living and Family Rooms, Eat-in Kitchen and Dining Room, 4 Bedrooms and 3 Baths, huge Laundry room plus Hobby room, and the large Backyard with roomy covered Patio, its occupants won't be in each other's way!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/3/5/9/6/ar122341343369539.JPG&quot; height=&quot;263&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes &quot; width=&quot;350&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The very low maintenance exterior means you can spend less time working in the yard, and more time on other interests.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This home is just waiting for new owners to appreciate the space and make it their own.&amp;nbsp; Updating is needed, but the house is in excellent condition, and comfortable just as it is.&amp;nbsp; It's convenient to Fort Carson, schools, and a park.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com/listing/76207813&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;More Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Call us today; we'd love to tell you more about this home.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:15:21 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/728296/just-reduced-160-000-4-bedrooms-and-3-baths-colorado-springs-co</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/719721/location-location-location-it-applies-to-new-homes-too</guid>
      <title>Location, Location Location - It Applies To New Homes, Too</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Location, location, location...&amp;nbsp; It's&amp;nbsp;long been a tag line of real estate - and for good reason.&amp;nbsp; A good, or great, location will help a home's appreciation, and will make it far&amp;nbsp;easier to re-sell.&amp;nbsp; Think of the popular subdivisions in your area, where buyers and agents are always&amp;nbsp;hoping for homes to come on the market.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;So why do so many people disregard location when buying a brand new home?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs New Construction &quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/9/1/8/6/ar122297218268198.jpg&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs New Homes&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A brand new home is &lt;em&gt;exciting &lt;/em&gt;(just as is that new car smell).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;As the first owner, you're not buying anyone&amp;nbsp;else's problems&amp;nbsp;or questionable taste.&amp;nbsp; Even if you didn't get to pick your decor, you're surrounded with&amp;nbsp;up-to-date amenities.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Everything is&amp;nbsp;fresh and new - no nail holes to work around, no stains, no worn carpet.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The paint&amp;nbsp;glows and the windows don't stick.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;But don't let the euphoria of&amp;nbsp;a&amp;nbsp;potentially owning a&amp;nbsp;new home blind you to location.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp; Many people are so enthralled with a new build, that they'll settle for&amp;nbsp;lots they'd &lt;em&gt;never&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;consider in a re-sale. &amp;nbsp; Chances are, some day&amp;nbsp;they'll&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;be &lt;em&gt;selling&lt;/em&gt; that home.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Face it, lot prices are high, and land in many areas is getting scarce.&amp;nbsp; Builders are &quot;in-filling&quot;&amp;nbsp;on many urban and suburban tracts of land.&amp;nbsp; This&amp;nbsp;often leads&amp;nbsp;to some homes in the subdivision facing or backing to areas that could pose a problem for re-sale, or maybe even make living in the home&amp;nbsp;less enjoyable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We've seen just-built homes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;With their backs looking out to a penitentiary. Even if you work at that facility, do you want to look out on it during your time off? &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Looking out on overflowing dumpsters&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Backing up to&amp;nbsp;an interstate highway&amp;nbsp;which&amp;nbsp;was only about 40 feet away (seriously!)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;With sleep-impacting nighttime light pollution from commercial areas&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Next to the mega utility lines or power substation&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;With serious noise pollution issues, like being below the landing paths of airplanes&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In some of&amp;nbsp;those situations, the buyers may have been&amp;nbsp;wiser to pay&amp;nbsp;lot premium to buy a house&amp;nbsp;a&amp;nbsp;few streets over.&amp;nbsp; If only a couple of houses abut the busy street, one a few lots in&amp;nbsp;would&amp;nbsp;be a better bet.&amp;nbsp; And, in other instances, where the whole subdivision isn't in&amp;nbsp;a desireable&amp;nbsp;location, you may be better off with a re-sale home in an established neighborhood.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;But I plan to live in the home forever...&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp; You can't predict the future, and this applies to views, too! Think of future construction; the view that sells you on the house may not always be there.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now, we're not suggesting that every new home must have a large, premium,&amp;nbsp;cul de sac&amp;nbsp;lot with a postcard view - that's not realistic.&amp;nbsp; Just that, when buying a brand new home, you&amp;nbsp;look at that home with the same critical eye as you would a re-sale.&amp;nbsp; And, use a Realtor!&amp;nbsp; An experienced Buyer's Agent&amp;nbsp;who is on &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;side&amp;nbsp;will give you valuable guidance.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We've seen too many buyers who didn't use agents end up in short-sale or repo situations because the new home wasn't the &quot;deal&quot; it was made out to be.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; Any questions about home buying or selling in the Pikes Peak region?&amp;nbsp; Call them at 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:30:55 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/719721/location-location-location-it-applies-to-new-homes-too</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/710313/pikes-peak-area-fall-foliage-update</guid>
      <title>Pikes Peak Area Fall Foliage Update</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Aspen Leaves near Victor CO&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/7/0/7/6/ar122244592867079.jpg&quot; height=&quot;304&quot; alt=&quot;Aspen Leaves Colorado Springs Fall Foliage&quot; width=&quot;304&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;According to Tom Cooper of Cripple Creek's 2 Mile High Club, this should be a great weekend (September&amp;nbsp;27th and 28th)&amp;nbsp;to take in the club's Aspen &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cripple-creek.co.us/AspenTours.aspx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Tour&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Even though the tours were also held last weekend, the Aspens didn't quite cooperate as planned.&amp;nbsp; (Some trees were turning along Highway 67, but not so much in the hills surrounding Cripple Creek - the&amp;nbsp; town's elevation drops &lt;em&gt;down&lt;/em&gt; to 9494 feet).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Pikes Peak Area Fall Foliage&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/5/1/9/4/ar122256618949158.jpg&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Aspens Cripple Creek CO&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As of Tuesday, our leaf-peeping scout noted:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The scrub oak in Ute Pass hadn't started turning, except for a very few&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Aspens from Woodland Park to Divide were mostly dark green to light green&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color was beautiful on the ride from Divide to Cripple Creek, getting more colorful in the higher elevations toward Cripple Creek&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Aspens were turning&amp;nbsp;between Cripple Creek and Victor, but many were still green&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;There are more orange Aspen leaves this year than usual, and even a few red!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The most direct way to drive from Colorado Springs to Cripple Creek is to take Highway 24 west, then Highway 67 south when you get to Divide.&amp;nbsp; If you'd like to return basically the same way, you can turn at 2nd street in Cripple Creek, and see some different scenery as you head toward Victor; the road&amp;nbsp;is&amp;nbsp;part of a loop that takes&amp;nbsp;you back to Highway 67.&amp;nbsp; Or, for an alternate route, you can take Teller 1 from Cripple Creek to Florissant, and head east back to Colorado Springs on Highway 24. Teller 1 is a very scenic road, but there's not nearly as much color as on Highway 67 (it has pockets of Aspens), although you can take in the rock formations as well as the Aspens on Highway 24 between Florissant and Divide.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Aspen Trees Cripple Creek CO&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/4/4/2/0/ar122244657302442.jpg&quot; height=&quot;183&quot; alt=&quot;Fall Foliage near Cripple Creek CO&quot; width=&quot;230&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Teller 1 is part of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.goldbeltbyway.com/driving.htm&quot; title=&quot;Gold Belt Tour National Scenic Byway&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Gold Belt Tour National Scenic Byway&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Conditions will vary widely around the state according to latitude, elevation, and nature's whim.&amp;nbsp; Trees turn at different&amp;nbsp;rates, even on&amp;nbsp;the same hillsides.&amp;nbsp; As of last weekend, we heard that the leaves were almost peaking close to Montrose, CO.&amp;nbsp; Highway 24 near Buena Vista was also very colorful, and there was some&amp;nbsp;leaves turning&amp;nbsp;around Hartsel, CO.&amp;nbsp; Today, near Twin Lakes, Colorado, the leaves are close to peak (some green) and may last about another week.&amp;nbsp; It's a beautiful time of year in Colorado!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long time Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 800-599-8500 ext. 1120 or 719-534-7919.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:13:20 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/710313/pikes-peak-area-fall-foliage-update</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/698072/it-s-aspen-viewing-time-</guid>
      <title>It's Aspen Viewing Time!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/9/5/3/2/ar122178019823598.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The leaves have started changing in the high country; in fact, some of the trees are turning here in Colorado Springs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Fall Foliage&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/5/8/4/0/ar122222414604855.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Aspen Trees near Cripple Creek Colorado&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's very hard to predict &quot;peak&quot; leaf viewing time much in advance, as leaf changing is very sensitive to summer and fall conditions, and sudden cold and wind snaps can hurry up the&amp;nbsp;turning. Peak &amp;nbsp;times tend to be short, and vary by area, latitude and elevations.&amp;nbsp; Even on the same hill, you may see dark green, light green, and gold leaves, which provide a nice contrast. &amp;nbsp; The end of September is usually a good time to take in some spectacular fall color near Colorado Springs.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/6/2/7/ar122178040072651.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For a wonderful Pikes Peak area leaf peeping drive, try taking a spin to Cripple Creek.&amp;nbsp; Take Highway 24 from downtown Colorado Springs, through Cascade and Woodland Park.&amp;nbsp; When you get to Divide, go south on Highway 67.&amp;nbsp; There are several places to pull off and snap photos.&amp;nbsp; (If you don't have time for the full trip, you'll get to see some beautiful groves of Aspens between Woodland Park and Divide).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/6/8/4/4/ar122178047244869.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you go to Cripple Creek the weekends of September 20th&amp;nbsp;and 21st or 27th and&amp;nbsp;28th, you may want to take the Aspen &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.visitcripplecreek.com/AspenTours.aspx&quot; title=&quot;Aspen Tours Cripple Creek CO&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Tours&lt;/a&gt; sponsored by the 2 Mile High Club.&amp;nbsp; The&amp;nbsp;excursions are free, but donations are encouraged to provide food for the donkeys the club cares for.&amp;nbsp; Tours leave from the Cripple Creek Heritage Center (right on Highway 67)&amp;nbsp;and start at 9 am, with the last tour leaving at 4 pm.&amp;nbsp; Tours are given on a first come, first serve basis.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/8/6/8/3/ar122178062138687.jpg&quot; height=&quot;333&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For other scenic routes around the state, check out the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.colorado.com/article23&quot; title=&quot;Colorado Fall Foliage Guide&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Fall Foliage Guide&lt;/a&gt; from Colorado.com.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/7/8/6/ar122178073268722.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To give you an idea of how the leaves turned last year: these pictures were taken on September 24th, on the road between Divide to Cripple Creek.&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:34:16 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/698072/it-s-aspen-viewing-time-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/697503/home-for-sale-southwest-colorado-springs-185-000</guid>
      <title>Home For Sale ~ Southwest Colorado Springs ~ $185,000</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Your dream:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; You'd like to buy your first home, and you'd like something &lt;em&gt;nice &lt;/em&gt;(how about granite kitchen counters)?&amp;nbsp; But... you can only spend less than $200,000,&amp;nbsp; you &lt;em&gt;really &lt;/em&gt;want a single family home, and you don't have the time or money to fix up a house.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes For Sale &quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/9/8/5/5/ar12217581755894.JPG&quot; height=&quot;172&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes Ken and Sandy Wickham&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You must see the inside of this lovingly remodeled home!&amp;nbsp; Light, bright, and neutral.&amp;nbsp; This 1536 square feet, &amp;nbsp;3 bedroom, 2 FULL bath residence would make a wonderful first&amp;nbsp;home, and all the work has been done for you!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Home For Sale $185,000&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/0/3/6/ar122175829363022.JPG&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes For Sale Ken and Sandy Wickham&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;All new flooring, lighting, and bath fixtures, plus freshly painted interior and exterior.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Home For Sale $185,000&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/8/0/4/1/ar122175841314081.JPG&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Listings Ken and Sandy Wickham&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Kitchen has granite tile counters, stainless and black appliances, and room for a table for two.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes For Sale under $200,000&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/8/0/4/8/ar122175854584085.JPG&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes Ken and Sandy Wickham&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Lower level family room has a sliding glass door to the patio.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Colorado Springs Home For Sale under $200,000&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/8/5/1/ar12217586815848.JPG&quot; height=&quot;225&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes For Sale Ken and Sandy Wickham&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Relax in your large, landscaped yard.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; This home is also convenient to shopping, dining, and the library.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For more photos and details, visit this home's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com/listing/76726392&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;website&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.&amp;nbsp; To contact them about this listing, or any other Pikes Peak area homes, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:32:30 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/697503/home-for-sale-southwest-colorado-springs-185-000</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/692098/the-average-colorado-springs-home-</guid>
      <title>The &quot;Average&quot; Colorado Springs Home </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;During August 2008, the average &lt;strong&gt;sold&lt;/strong&gt; price of a &lt;em&gt;single family home &lt;/em&gt;through our MLS was &lt;strong&gt;$235,098.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; Even though it's impossible to gauge an &quot;average&quot; home, we looked for a snapshot.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Snapshot of the &amp;quot;average&amp;quot; Colorado Springs home&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/4/9/2/0/ar122150221102945.jpg&quot; height=&quot;177&quot; alt=&quot;Colorado Springs Homes&quot; width=&quot;235&quot; style=&quot;margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Seven&amp;nbsp;single family homes sold for $235,000&amp;nbsp;through our MLS&amp;nbsp;in August. We did a little filtering by:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Style. One of those was a rather unique Victorian, and&amp;nbsp;another was a 1953 home, that hadn't been updated,&amp;nbsp;in the Southwest area of Colorado Springs&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Days on the market. One home sold in two days.&amp;nbsp; It was aggressively priced, in pristine condition, beautifully decorated and staged, and had impressive landscaping and views.&amp;nbsp; Another was on the market 350 days, had an odd floorplan, and needed updating.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;High dollar amount of concessions; we're looking for a home where the net price was a close as possible to the average sales amount&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sales price to list price:&amp;nbsp; the home that was on the market for 350 days had an original list price of $272,000.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Our (subjective) winner for the &quot;average&quot; Colorado Springs area home for August 2008:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ridgeview at Steston Hills &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Falcon School District 49&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;2748 total square feet; 1851 finished&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;2 story with unfinished basement, built in 2004&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;3 bedrooms (15x13 master) on the upper level&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;3 baths (2 Full, 1 half, and master bath&amp;nbsp;has a garden tub)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Vaults, loft, and hardwood floors in kitchen and dining&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;central air&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;average&lt;/em&gt; size city lot&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;most amenities and landscaping appeared to be &lt;em&gt;average &lt;/em&gt;for a newer home&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;88 Days on the market; original list price was $244,850&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;$235,000 sold price&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;$1,000 in seller concessions (buyer's costs paid by the seller)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As of this writing, there are 31 active single-family listings in&amp;nbsp;El Paso and Teller counties &amp;nbsp;priced at $235,000, and approximately&amp;nbsp;497 in all&amp;nbsp;MLS areas&amp;nbsp;priced between $225,000 and $250,000.&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com/content/article.html?id=216531&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Search&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; for homes in the Pikes Peak region.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Based on information from the Pikes Peak REALTOR Services Corp. (RSC) for the period of August 2008. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Interested in buying or selling a home in the Colorado Springs area?&amp;nbsp; Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO, who can help you&amp;nbsp;find&amp;nbsp;the just-right home for you.&amp;nbsp; You can reach them at 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:26:53 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/692098/the-average-colorado-springs-home-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/686526/during-august-2008-what-did-199-900-buy-in-the-colorado-springs-area-</guid>
      <title>During August 2008, What Did $199,900 Buy In The Colorado Springs  Area?  </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For August, 2008, the &lt;em&gt;median&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;sold&amp;nbsp;price of &lt;em&gt;single family homes&lt;/em&gt; was &lt;strong&gt;$199,900&lt;/strong&gt;, according to the Pikes Peak Realtor Services Corporation.&amp;nbsp; So,&amp;nbsp;technically half the homes sold for less than that price, half for more. &amp;nbsp; What could that exact figure buy you&amp;nbsp;in August 2008 in the Colorado Springs area? &amp;nbsp; We found three homes that sold through our MLS for $199,900:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Home number one:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Briargate&amp;nbsp; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;4 level built in 1980&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;2689 square feet, all finished&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;4 bedrooms (15x13 master)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;4 baths (2 full, 1 three-quarter, and 1 half)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Eat-in kitchen, upper level loft, and lower level family room&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Needed carpet and paint, updating and minor repairs&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Wood fireplace&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Central air&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;2 large decks plus large patio&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Masonite siding and brick exterior&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Attached 2 car garage&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;.29 acre lot&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mountain and city views&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Academy School District 20&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Seller&amp;nbsp;concessions (buyer's cost paid by the sellers)&amp;nbsp;were $3,000, so an appraiser would actually consider the sales price to be $196,900&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This home was only on the market one day.&amp;nbsp; So, it was probably a &lt;em&gt;really &lt;/em&gt;good deal, (a good-sized single family home under $200,000 in District 20!) or the&amp;nbsp;seller (who is an agent)&amp;nbsp;had a buyer lined up ahead of time - or both!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Home number two:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Landhuis sub-area of Fountain&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;2 story with unfinished basement built in 2001&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;2621 total square feet (1745 finished)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;3 bedrooms (16x15 master has 2 closets)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;3 baths (1 5 piece master bath, 1 full, and 1 half 1 half)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;25x16 living room&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Light and bright with an open main level&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Vaulted ceilings&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Gas fireplace&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Excellent cosmetic condition&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Masonite siding with brick trim&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;.17 acre fully lot&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Fountain/Fort Carson School District 8&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;$5,500 is seller concessions &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This home was on the market for only nine days.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Home number three:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sand Creek sub-area (Southeast MLS area)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;2 story without a basement built in 2000&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;1839 square feet, fully finished&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;4 bedrooms (15x13 master)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;3 baths (a 5 piece master, one full, and one half)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;vaulted ceilings and decorator paint&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;newer appliances&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;central air&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;no fireplace&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;masonite siding&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;attached 2 car garage&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;.16 acre landscaped lot&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;mountain views&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Harrison School District 2&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;$6,000 in seller concessions &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This home was on the market for 50 days.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Based on information from the Pikes Peak REALTOR Services Corp. (RSC) for the period of August 2008.  Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Interested in buying or selling a home in the Pikes Peak region?&amp;nbsp; Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Colorado Springs Realtors.&amp;nbsp; They welcome your inquiries; contact them at 719-534-7919 or 800-588-8500 ext. 1120.&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickhome.com&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.wickhome.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Ken and Sandy Wickham (RE/MAX Real Estate Group)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:45:48 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/686526/during-august-2008-what-did-199-900-buy-in-the-colorado-springs-area-</link>
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