ASPEN REAL ESTATE – Both sides wrangling over the location of a new luxury home in an active alluvial fan on a hillside in the lower Maroon Creek valley have appealed a recent decision by a Pitkin County hearing officer.The debate among the wealthy landowners, in a relatively new… Read More
City Proposes “Aspen Modern” Post-war Historic Preservation Policy, ADN
If passed, AspenModern would divide the 53 properties on the Ordinance 48 list into three classes. A property would be classified based on how high it scores on a historic value scale and what criteria it meets. Only properties in class I would be eligible for involuntary historic designation, and… Read More
Pitkin County Real Estate Sales Plunge in July, ADN
ASPEN REAL ESTATE – Real estate sales dollar volume in Pitkin County plunged 41 percent in July compared to the same month in 2009, according to a recent report from Land Title Guarantee Company, while the number of transactions declined just 4.6 percent. About $74.2 million changed hands in… Read More
The Estin Report Aspen Snowmass Real Estate Weekly Market Update: (4) Closed and (6) Under Contract: August 22 – 29, 10
I continue to refer readers to my blog post of July 11 – 18, 2010 for my present thinking on the market. But here are some immediate comments: it is end of the season, sellers are motivated, many do not not want to hang… Read More
Warm Stretch for Aspen-area Real Estate Sales Ends in July, AT
July 2010 Report: Dollar volume fell 41.5 percent this July compared to last year; year-to-date volume remains higher ASPEN REAL ESTATE – A warm streak for the real estate industry in Pitkin County hit a bump in July.The dollar volume of all real estate sales in the county dropped 41.5… Read More
In Defense of Home Ownership, NYT
It’s hard to read the headlines and not conclude that becoming a homeowner is a terrible idea…as with stocks and the weather, it is dangerous to assume any certainty in the housing market. And by wallowing too much in the misery of others, people looking for a new place… Read More
Widespread Fear Freezes Housing Market, NYT
“In the financial markets, a lack of liquidity immediately leads to falling prices,” said Lou Barnes, the founder of Boulder West Financial Services. (Boulder West was acquired last year by Premier Mortgage Group.) “In the real estate market, something different happens,” he added. “Illiquid real estate markets freeze.” That is… Read More
2010 July Pitkin County Real Estate Market Summary (Land Title)
released by Land Title 08/26/10 See July 2010 Pitkin County Market Analysis by Land Title which includes real estate sale statistics for ALL Pitkin County recorded transactions including fractionals, mobile homes, deed restricted properties, etc. encompassing Aspen, Snowmass Village, Woody Creek, Old Snowmass, and parts of Basalt, El… Read More
Aspen School District Sees Record Enrollment, AT
To get a more accurate enrollment picture, each of the three Aspen schools will do a “head count” — counting actual students in the classrooms, as opposed to those just registered on paper (currently 558 at the elementary school and 451 and 548 at the middle and high… Read More
Local Real Estate Auctions Increasing in Frequency, ADN
ASPEN REAL ESTATE – Real estate auctions becoming another way to sell property in downturn Just last week, the Aspen to Glenwood Multiple Listing Service — the local real estate listings bible — added the ability to query for auction properties. The change reflects a way to buy… Read More
Pitkin County Takes Another Step to Droste Purchase, ADN
"The Droste property as open space will have huge benefits for both the local elk herd, which migrates seasonally across the land, and for local recreationalists, who he feels can use the land for hiking, biking and horseback riding in the summer, when most of the elk are in the… Read More
Manhattan’s Luxury Real Estate Sales Gain as Housing Stalls, WSJ
"This is August, when you would think nothing is doing, but when apartments are priced right at all price points they will sell in a week," said a Manhattan broker. Across the country, inventory of unsold apartments has been rising, but in New York, brokers say it has been tightening. Read More