Mon, February 6th, 2012

COLORADO
Keystone
Breckenridge
Copper Mountain
Dillon
Frisco
Silverthorne

The new Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act that was signed into law August 7 opens the nation’s ski areas to new opportunities for summer activities. Although the Forest Service will take two years to develop the policy guidelines, the agency will accept proposals for things like zip lines, mountain-bike parks and other activities for this summer. The USFS intends to keep the activities located at already developed areas of ski resorts, while preserving more pristine areas.

The Colorado Department of Transportation is planning to award a contract early next year to a private firm to create a smartphone application to alert drivers of traffic conditions on Interstate 70. CDOT hopes to launch the application with live information on the I-70 corridor by Memorial Day 2012, and refine the system so it is fully operational by the 2012-13 ski season. The new app will be supported by advertising, not state funding.

The inventory of properties on the market has risen, but well priced properties are still selling quickly. Don't wait any longer, now is the time to put your property on the market. Contact our office for a Free Market Analysis of your property.

The Colorado Department of Transportation is geared up for winter road conditions. CDOT has more than 900 pieces of snow-removal equipment available, including 102 plows. Forty-two of the plows are equipped with high-tech devices that allow crews to input real-time weather conditions that determine what kind of de-icer, and how much of it, is needed.

The Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area is open. The 50,000-acre area extends from Copper Mountain on the east to Vail Mountain on the west; and from Interstate 70 to Camp Hale. Fees are also in effect, with individual day-use passes at $6 per person per day, and a limited number of season passes are available for $40.

Would you like to experience and enjoy the year round activities that Summit County has to offer? Start making family memories now, while staying in your own mountain property. To look at ScenicWest's current listings, click here.

Real estate in Summit County appears to have leveled off, with prices stabilized, number of sales headed up and foreclosures slightly down. Foreclosures, excluding timeshares, in the county had dropped to 157, as of September 30, down from 216 at the same time a year ago. Bank sales, year-to-date, have nearly doubled this year, which is viewed as a positive, as foreclosed properties are going to new owners and are being cleaned out of the market inventory.

Thanks to Vail's nearly $3 million investment in snowmaking, members of the U.S. Ski Team, as well members of alpine ski teams from around the world, trained last month at Golden Peak. Training kicked off, with Lindsey Vonn, Bode Miller and Ted Ligety all participating. The U.S. team will continue training at Golden Peak through the Birds of Prey World Cup races at Beaver Creek in early December. To read the article, click here.

Conforming loans are at 4.04% for 30-year fixed loans. If you are thinking about buying, do it now, and lock in at the current interest rate. Call our office for more information: 1-800-479-2040. Rates are available at ScenicWest's Rate Page.

Sales and customer traffic at the Outlets at Silverthorne are up this year, giving hope that the Outlets are recovering from the economic downturn. The Outlets make up 35% of the sales tax revenue for the town of Silverthorne. Craig Realty Group, owner of the Outlets, has hired a recruiter to attract more “quality brand names” to the shopping center.

The Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum in Vail is expanding its display of snowboarding heritage, making the display the most significant snowboard gallery in the world. The display, which will open December 8, will include a 1939 vintage prototype, along with early boards from Burton, Sims and other pioneering companies. To read more on this subjectclick here.

Our website offers FREE information. Go to our home page for information on Summit County resort activities, Colorado real estate offered by ScenicWest, tools for your real-estate needs, such as a mortgage calculator, and new projects.

The Town of Silverthorne is hoping to give its businesses a boost by rolling out incentives with $100,000 set aside from the 2012 budget to help. The incentives include a Site Enhancement Grant Program, a Town Marketing Program, Energy Efficiency Program and an Enhanced Sales Tax Incentive Program. To read more on this program,click here.

Would you like to be able to enjoy mountain biking on numerous trails, walking to world class skiing, fly fishing in the rivers and golfing on one of the many championship courses? Don't hesitate! If you have ever considered purchasing a mountain property in beautiful Colorado, buy now, and start enjoying your new mountain home.

After founding Bollé, Steve Haber turned to an online-only business model when he launched HaberVision in 2005. HaberVision makes high-quality polarized sunglasses. Haber is an avid fisherman and has added polarized, anti-fog ski goggles, with the patented Eliminator Fan. When a sensor on the goggles detects humidity, a fan flips on to dry the lens out. The goggles have been a big hit with snowmobilers and in military markets. For a detailed description of the process, technology and materials used, go to: a www.habervision.com..

In January, the Colorado Department of Transportation plans to launch a $1.8 million, 18-month study to assess the viability and cost of a high-speed rail system. The feasibility study will address three initial considerations on a rail, or advanced guideway system, proposal: technology, alignment and financials. Initial estimates for this type of rail system in the mountain corridor ranged from $10 billion to $20 billion.

If you have ever thought about marketing your property, contact our office. We will give you a Free Market Analysis of your property.

Vail Resorts is in the process of hiring some 4,500 seasonal employees between Breckenridge and Keystone mountains, along with hospitality divisions. VR’s main jobs page is http://jobs.vailresorts.com/, but the company is also recruiting through Facebook and Twitter.

The demand for world-class, four-season properties is enormous. The time to act is now. Keystone Resort has positioned itself to become one of North America's leading destination mountain resorts. It continues to evolve into a world-class, four-season, vacation destination. The area offers many opportunities to purchase a mountain retreat, from ski-in, ski-out condos to secluded mountain homes and homesites. Visit our web page for more information. ScenicWest Home Page

The Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP) released its report on winter reservations last month, which showed bookings for the period November through April are up 10.8% compared to bookings at the same time last year. Every month is showing an increase, with the biggest jump seen in December arrivals.

If you have ever considered purchasing a mountain property in beautiful Summit County, Colorado, don't hesitate! These opportunities will not be around for long. Buy now before interest rates go higher, and the selection of properties on the market goes down even more.

Summit County and the town of Breckenridge have submitted applications for about $170,000 in grants from the Colorado State Parks Trails Program. The grants include: $45,000 for a recreation path over Hoosier Pass; $45,000 to hire a crew to address maintenance issues in the recently approved Forest Service travel management plan; and, $83,450 to make trail connections in the Golden Horseshoe area.

Don't Miss Out! Own the Mountain Getaway you have always dreamed of, and benefit from the tremendous increase in property values that are just around the corner!
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The information provided herein is provided from various sources. These are tips which seem to be good ideas, products or services. ScenicWest Real Estate Company is providing this information as a matter of convenience. It has not verified the correctness of the information, or tested or used the services or products mentioned herein. Interested individuals should fully investigate products or services they may be interested in on their own.