One post leads to another it seems.  In looking for photos of the Collegiate Peaks in Colorado I clicked through one site to another.  In the process I found this great site for South Central Colorado - home of great skiing in winter and white water rafting in summer.  The Arkansas River stretches through this area and passes through the dramatic Rifle Gorge.  If you are planning a Colorado vacation, don’t miss this area of the state.  One of my favorite spots is the Great Sand Dunes.  Amazing!

Yesterday we went skiing at Monarch Mountain.  The snow was great, but you had to know how to keep yourself upright in deep powder to keep from doing a face plant.  As it can be at Monarch, it was cold and snowing and the wind made your cheeks pink riding the lift.  It was a glorious day with great skiing.  Tip for skiing powder:  Keep your ski tips up by redistributing your weight slightly back.

On the way home the clouds lifted and driving past the Collegiate Peaks was spectacular.  Snow covered and massive, they stretch through central Colorado and create a feast for the eyes.

Thanks to my daughter, I am providing you with the link to Track Santa through Norad’s website.  I checked it out.  It’s a fun place for the kids (big and small) to watch the old man with the white beard make his way around the world.  In the meantime, the kids can try out the Kids Countdown page and have some fun while they are waiting for Christmas Eve.

Check out the new street maps on Google.  This map location happens to be for a home I’m putting on the market on Friday, 11/28.  These new maps give buyers an even better idea about homes they want to see before they turn on their car.  What a time and gas saver!

Check out this map:
View Larger Map

Here’s another good video if you want to learn more about where we’re going in the real estate market.  Okay, so it’s a competitor speaking, but this is an equal opportunity blog.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=289004&cl=10728866&src=finance&ch=1316259

Perhaps you haven’t seen the articles by Smart Money and Forbes that put Colorado Springs in the top 10 cities to rebound the quickest from the national real estate malaise.  Yes, it is true that during 2008 a lot more homes are going unsold than are sold and for those that are selling it is taking longer than even a year ago, but many would-be sellers ARE finding renters when their homes don’t sell.  2008 hasn’t been a great time to put your home on the market if you DON’T have to sell, but it looks like we may be turning the corner in Colorado.

I’ve attached 2 links to KOAA so that you can get the latest local news.  For those buyers who are sitting on the sidelines or who are putting in offers way too low for sellers to accept, your window of opportunity may be closing.  As we all know, increased demand causes prices to go up.  Inventory is being reduced now, so when the local market turns around, it will probably do so in a way that makes sellers and homeowners very happy as their equity increases because of demand.  Everyone gets their turn for a good deal as markets change.

Click on the link below for the video.  The second link takes you to the KOAA website.

 http://static.koaa.zope.net/includes/video/480×400_zope.swf?id=x1949200974 

 http://www.koaa.com/news/

It looks like winter is creeping up on Colorado Springs this year.  We’ve had some absolutely perfect weather recently and intermixed have been a few snowy days.  There is snow on the ground at my house, but two days ago it was balmy and felt like summer was approaching.  The joys of living in Colorado - wait 10 minutes and the weather will change.  If you want to follow what’s happening on the peak, just peek at the Pikes Peak Cam once in awhile.  If you are a Colorado Springs expatriot to somewhere that’s a lot flatter and cloudier :-), you’ll get your “mountain fix”.

I subscribe to a number of real estate related websites and came across a good article on RISMedia today.  Are you sitting back waiting for the economy to improve so that you can pounce on a house once you feel the waters are safe?  Are you prepared to do this?  Have you talked with a lender to make sure you can act when you find the right house?

Read this article and learn what is new that you may not be aware of.  Could any of this affect you?  Be prepared and all your dreams CAN come true!

Wow!  I just finished listening to the latest webinar in the library and it has some tips to help just about everyone.  Did you know that you should freeze credit bureau accounts for minors and the deceased so that their accounts aren’t at risk for identity theft?  Did you know when you co-sign a loan that the amount of the debt is on your credit bureau file also so it is added to debt you have when applying for a mortgage or other credit?  Did you know just one late payment of 30 days or more can impact your credit score by as much as 100 points?  Do you know how a short sale affects your credit?  Taking time to listen to the new webinar is worth it!  Learn ways to keep your FICO score as high as possible.  800+ is possible when you pay attention to managing your credit.

Are you sitting at your desk or at your home computer working on something else and like to multi-task?  Listen to this helpful webinar and learn more about using credit wisely and understanding your credit score by viewing our latest webinar.   Access information for all archived webinars to date can be found on the webinar library page.