DURANGO'S COOL!

OPEN SPACE: Durango has been singled out as one of the bright spots in conservation efforts to keep open space beyond the reach of development.In a report released last Monday, the Colorado Conservation Trust cites approval by Durango voters last year of a half-cent sales tax, half of which is to...

THE WORD IS OUT! Durango is the darling of the glossies this year. Fresh on the heels of being named the nation's top mountain biking mecca by Outside magazine, our fair city is again in the headlines. In its September issue, National Geographic Adventure tapped Durango as one of its top "Amazing...

WATER FACTS: Approximately 66% of the annual water flows from the Colorado watershed occurs during the late spring/early summer runoff. These water flows cannot be fully utilized by Colorado agriculture, communities and residents unless they are stored in reservoirs. Vallecito, Lemon, McPhee and ...

WATER RIGHTS: We find that one of the most confusing things for newcomers to our area to grasp is Colorado water law. Since the 1860s, The Colorado Doctrine has defined the four essential principles of Colorado water law: 1. All surface and ground water in Colorado is a public resource for benefi...

WINTER'S COMING: Everyone who pays a heating bill is looking for ways to same money. Electric Thermal Storage Heat (ETS) may be the answer. Here are some of the most common questions and answers about EST heat.What is an ETS heater? ETS heaters are 100-percent efficient units designed to use off ...

WHO REPRESENTS YOU? One of the hot topics facing the real estate world right now is the issue of agency. Some would have you believe that it really doesn't affect you, the buyer, and that not much has really changed. They are wrong!The question of agency is important to you as a buyer because it ...

TAXES: What's the difference between death and taxes? Death doesn't change every time Congress meets. But taxes certainly did in 1997, and the Taxpayer Relief Act of that year made a dramatic difference in the tax liability of those who sell their own homes. As it stands today, almost no one will...

TREES & GARDENING: Gamble Oak, Ponderosa Pine, Juniper and Pinion are some of the most common native trees in our area. Aspen trees occur naturally in the cooler, moist terrain of altitudes above 7,400 feet. Fir and spruce trees also thrive in the life zone and higher.The many orchards of apple, ...

BEARS: New to the area? Take a quick look at your new surroundings. If you have oak brush habitat surrounding your new home, a fairly common occurrence in the area, you may at some point be visited by one of our most curious, adaptable and intelligent residents - the black bear.Black bears tend t...

FICO SCORES AND YOU: A FICO score is a credit score developed by Fair Isaac & Co. Credit scoring is a method of determining the likelihood that credit users will pay their bills. Fair, Isaac began its pioneering work with credit scoring in the late 1950s and, since then, scoring has become widely...