Last week my friends Allison and Tracy and I hiked to Aspen from Crested Butte, Colorado ... and back!  We left from Schofield, near Emerald Lake and hiked up about 5 miles through waist-high wildflowers to the top of the Maroon Bells where we enjoyed lunch accompanied by lovely wine.  The next 7 miles was mostly downhill with beautiful, changing scenery.          The weather was perfect.  Light, fluffy clouds, sunshine and a light breeze.  Needless to say we went thru a bit of sunscreen :-). Just near Crater Lake there is a shuttle that takes you to Aspen.  Hahhhh, what a pretty town ... Pacifico was our spot of choice for fresh seafood and fresher mojicos.  Yum!         The next day we had the hotel shuttle us back to the trailhead for the return trip.  I had thought it would be hard... 07/27/2009

The luxury real estate market has come alive in the Butte with a record breaking deal. Last week a single family home on 4th Street in Crested Butte sold for just over $2 million dollars.  This is the highest sale price for a single family home in town and it comes after a very slow start for homes sales during the first half of 2009. Other notable luxury home deals include a $1.7 million Butte Avenue home that is under contract and a Gothic Avenue house listed at $1,495,000 is also under contract. Over on Ruth's Road, a home listed for $975,000 has a sale pending. Out at the Skyland neighborhood, a Lake Grant luxury home listed for almost $2.3 million is under contract and two larger townhomes listed between $795,000 and $900,000 in Mt. Crested Butte's Pinnacle's development are under ... 07/19/2009

What is going on in Crested Butte Real Estate?  This Market Update includes sales from January to June 2009.  Number of properties sold and closed:  42Total dollar volume:   $20,941,307Average sales price:    $498,602            Click here to view SALES Crested Butte Real Estate Currently there are 29 properties under contract for a total of $20,236,400.  Click here to view.  Prices are down and properties of every kind are plentiful -- it is a good time to buy.  Interest rates are still low and the sellers who need to sell are motivated and some are offering screaming deals!  To search for properties on our MLS in complete privacy, click here. If I can serve you or someone you know with anything having to do with Crested Butte, contact me at 970.596.8480.   Have a wonderful Summer!   07/14/2009

Hello from sunny Crested Butte, This year's jam-packed July 4th celebration in the Gunnison Valley includes an evening of entertainment for all ages at Mt. Crested Butte. The festivities include the grand opening of the resort's new Adventure Park - complete with climbing tower, bungee trampolines and a year-round synthetic ice rink - as well as BBQ and beer at Butte 66, live music from the Casey James Prestwood Band, and a fireworks finale at dusk.July 4th Schedule of Events:1 - 5 pm: Adventure Park's bungee trampolines and bounce house open. Special day-pass pricing for July 4th: $10 for kids; $15 for adults. Price includes all Adventure Park activities as they open throughout the day. Tickets are available for purchase at the Adventure Center located in the Mountaineer Square courtya... 06/30/2009

View Complete Newsletter Here Hello from Crested Butte,Summer is in full swing in Gunnison County. Whitewater boaters, bikers, hikers and summer residents have arrived. I drove by the Blue Mesa Reservoir west of Gunnison last week and I am happy to report the "Mesa" was full to her banks and fishermen's boats dotted the expansive waters of this local recreational prize. I was on my way to the Bootjack Ranch in Pagosa Springs to preview an incredible ranch property listed by Sotheby's International Realty. The $60 million property's 3000+ acres feature amazing forests and valley meadows and includes 7 miles of trout fishing on the West San Juan River. The ranch hosts the Music in the Mountains Classical Music Festival.I often focus on the Crested Butte and Mt Crested Butte local resort m... 06/17/2009

Methinks you just ride your horse on in! About the photo: The house is located in Crested Butte a mountain town in Colorado where the entire town is a historic district.  Crested Butte is also named, "The Wild Flower Capital of Colorado."  If you are wanting to find it on a map look in southwest Colorado, it's just north of Gunnison by about 20 miles. Or find Aspen and Crested Butte is sw over the mountain. The town has a distinct personality, very family friendly, sports oriented place. While we were there, the townsfolk played baseball everynight on 3 different ball parks.  Now that might not seem so unusual, but this is at 8085 feet above sea level.  For some (like me) just walking and talking (without getting winded) was a feat! They also have a delightful custom of using bicycles ... 06/10/2009

Today, Crested Butte may very well be Colorado's last, and possibly best, Boom Town. Good and bad times are no strangers to Colorado mountain communities, and over the years this small town has seen its' share of both.Crested Butte, or CB as the locals call it, was incorporated in 1880 and experienced its first prosperous growth spurt as Colorado's leading mountain coal mining operation. Crested Butte real estate investors became rich. Coal was king until 1954 when the mines played out and eventually closed. Hard economic times hit...but not for long. In 1961, Crested Butte, and its sibling, Mt. Crested Butte, hit real pay dirt...snow! The combination of snow, gravity, and trails cut through the forest on the area's closest mountain, proved to be the perfect combination...Mt. Crested Bu... 06/06/2009

For the buyer, money and property will never be cheaper for the near future. Here in Crested Butte, the battle cry used to be that we are recession proof. Well ... maybe. It's true that in a resort town, there are people who will always be able to buy property. But quite possibly, this year may be different. Disposable funds have dried up somewhat and those that still have money are choosing to hold on to it, and, yes, sales have dropped below normal ... that good news for the buyer! Many sellers are motivated, and there is an abundance of inventory ... in all price levels. I'm betting on the "smart money" -- those who understand market fluctuations and realize there are deals to be had on dream properties.  Or, prime investments.  The "smart money" will be here sooner than later.   Sig... 06/01/2009

As the snow melts and the wildflowers begin to bloom, so is the Crested Butte real estate market.  Smart buyers are taking advantage of unprecedentedly low prices and interest rates to lock in savings and buy their own piece of paradise. 10 closings took place from May 1 to May 25th for a total of $4,925,000 ~Average sales price: $492,500 at 89.6% of list price on the average~Average days on market: 248, with the low 51 days and the high 709 days~The low selling price:  $75,000 for 1/3 acre in CB South~The high selling price: $1,300,000 for a 4 bedroom/4 bath luxury condo at the Lodge at Mountaineer Square, at the base of the mountain Here are the May 2009 Crested Butte Real Estate Sale Details For more information about buying or selling property or real estate in Crested Butte, contac... 05/26/2009

View Complete Newsletter Here Hello from Crested Butte,Crested Butte is heading into the busiest season of the year - summer. Yes, summer is bigger than winter in terms of visitors and tourism. Combine all of our great events and activities with our temperate Colorado weather and you can see why folks are spending their summers in the Butte. Bookings at area lodges are up - way up from last year. The Elk Mountain Lodge reports a sharp increase in summer bookings and it's a challenge to find a house to rent in town - most vacation homes for rent are reserved months in advance especially for the months of July and August.And, we are starting to see our local real estate market wake up from a long winter slumber. Year to date we've realized 28 residential sales and $15 million in volume. T... 05/18/2009

Good day from Crested Butte,Another single family home in the town of Crested Butte sold this week. 716 Whiterock - the 2005 Crested Butte Remodel of the Year - fetched $795,000. This smaller, 4 bedroom home features a landscaped yard, big detached garage and great proximity to the Town Park, Center for the Arts and Majestic Plaza district. And, the penthouse at the Lodge at Mountaineer Square, sold for $1,300,000. Unit 601 is a four bedroom condo located on the top floor of the complex. Both sales were brokered by Benson Sotheby's International Realty in Crested Butte. ANOTHER SOTHEBY'S SALE - 716 Whiterock Thanks for visiting,Channing BoucherVisit My Crested Butte Real Estate Guide 05/15/2009

Good day from Crested Butte, Another in-town property has sold in Crested Butte. The 1500 sft. townhome shown in the picture below fetched $650,000 or $433/sft last week. The 3 bedroom/2.5 bathroom duplex unit features higher-end finishes, a 230 sft garage and a location across the street from the public school and the Town Park. Thanks for visiting today.Visit My Crested Butte Real Estate Guide Channing Boucher 05/10/2009

Good day from Crested Butte, It is a buyer's market in the Butte!  Real estate values in Crested Butte are declining. There is too much inventory. Nothing is selling. Blah Blah Blah. The Gunnison County's Assessor's office just relased their next round of tax assessments on our properties and many of us are once again (every 2 years we get a new assessment) facing higher taxes because of higher property valuations. In response to the backlash from Gunnison property owners (there is always a backlash from property tax payers) the Gunnison County Assessor released a "press release" to help answer property owner questions about how they tax us on our real estate. Thanks for visiting, Channing BoucherVisit My Crested Butte Real Estate Guide Click here for the press release (PDF).    05/08/2009

We have had an interesting month in Crested Butte ... the resort closed on April 5th and the town got pretty quiet as warmer weather moved in and the snow started to melt into the streams.  It has been alternately quiet and busy.  We had only 2 properties sell and close during the month, but there is a silver lining here... read on...  First, the two sales were 830 Elk Ave in Crested Butte for $680,000 and 23 Wildhorse Trail in Mt Crested Butte for $1,370,000 - much higher than our average sales price for the last several months.  Secondly, I had noticed increased buyer activity and that is evidenced by the fact that 23 Crested Butte area properties are currently under contract!  This is a true indication that buyers are finding home prices in Crested Butte to be more realistic and they... 05/02/2009

Hello from sunny Crested Butte,As we head into our so called "summer selling season" real estate sales activity is picking up around the valley.  The first photo is the town of Crested Butte's latest single family home sale: We (Sothebys) sold 830 Elk Avenue this week for $680,000. And, the second image is a 4 bedroom home at Wildhorse at Prospect. It sold this week for $1,370,000. We have 20 residential properties under contract representing a dollar volume of just over $13 million.Thanks for visiting today,ChanningVisit My Crested Butte Real Estate Guide 04/30/2009

Real estate in Crested Butte ... it's fairly quiet , if you compare it to 2005.  Not surprisingly, our market is not dead.  The deal is that buyers are doing their homework, they know what is going on nationally and locally.  They are looking to buy  - if the deals are worthy - and they know what is going on.  Let's look at this ... if you were a buyer,would you: know of every property that is for sale in your price range? know about any of the foreclosures or soon-to-be foreclosures on the market now? about the selling vs listing prices right now? about how many properties were going under contract in the last 60 days? If you are a serious buyer, you know this and more.  Some of it scuttlebutt, some of it real.  All of it, plus what's going on in Colorado resort communities, and more. ... 04/30/2009

As you can see by the last post, condos have been selling and selling well in Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte.  Single family homes sales have been as follows: For more information about Crested Butte real estate and Crested Butte condos for sale or to sell your Crested Butte condo or home, contact Trish Giassa 970-596-8480 or visit www.Homes-in-Crested-Butte.com 04/23/2009

The last post offered sales data for vacant land properties in Crested Butte and nearby.  This second post will offer that same information for condos and townhouses for the first quarter 2009. 15 Condominiums and townhouses were sold and closed in Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte during the first quarter of 2009 for a total dollar volume of $6,056,307.    Average price: $403,753 Average days on the market: 132 For more information about Crested Butte real estate and Crested Butte condos for sale or to sell your Crested Butte condo or home, contact Trish Giassa 970-596-8480 or visit www.Homes-in-Crested-Butte.com  04/19/2009

The ski mountain has closed for the season and Spring is here, in spite of weather warning of more snow, right now the sun is shining high up in a blue, blue sky.  We're experiencing continued increased activity in real estate and it would seem that buyers agree this is a good time to buy.  They are looking and making offers.  Vacant land is one of the hardest segments to get hit in this market and there are plenty of deals to go around.  Here is what has sold so far in the first quarter of 2009 in the VACANT LAND category in the Crested Butte area: A 36.59 acre parcel in CB Meadows, sale price $415,000, at 76% of asking, cash One in CB South, at 733 Zeligman, .31 acre, sale price $60,000 was a steal at 38% of asking, cash Lot E4 at Prospect on Mt Crested Butte.  Just under one acre, sk... 04/15/2009

Is this the right time to buy a home in Crested Butte?  The answer will be different for everyone, but here are some questions to ask yourself: Do you love Crested Butte and wish you had a condo or house in town or Mt Crested Butte?  Or perhaps on the golf course? Have you always wanted to own a vacation home but were you priced out of the market by escalating - skyrocketing really - prices? Do you enjoy the outdoors?  Skiing, hiking, fishing, horses, mountain biking? Do you love the spirit, soul and friendliness of Crested Butte? Do you think you want to retire here in the future? If you've answered yes to most of these questions, then it is only fear holding you down.  Fear = False Expectations Appearing Real.  Fear can keep you from living your life at your fullest.  A little fear is... 04/10/2009