Some good friends of mine have a New Year's Day party each year. It's a good time with a lot of food and friends. Their son is going to be married soon, and his girlfriend is a falconer. Her bird of choice is a red tailed hawk. She was there for the party, and I got up close and personal with this bird of prey. Alesha has a license to keep this bird...who's name is John Wayne. She has a special box that he travels in. At home he has a large shed in which he freely flies around. When he's outside she keeps him tethered unless he's hunting. Yesterday she took JW out for some rabbit hunting. I'm sorry I missed that. This isn't a pet. Even though Alesha has raised this bird since it was four months old, the bird doesn't show any affection towards her. It's purely a working relationship. Ale... 01/01/2017

Imagine that! Two days before Christmas and it's really starting to look like the season of giving out there. The snow that fell is very wet and heavy. It's our second wet snow of this winter season.  I drove up on Cedar Mesa to get a picture of the town, but it was so foggy you couldn't see a darn thing. It's just a sea of grey over Cedaredge and the surrounding area. The roads are clear, but wet. Temperatures are hovering just above freezing. The Chapel of the Cross always looks good...spring, summer, fall and winter. I haven't gotten any recent snow reports from Grand Mesa. The last report I received said the snow settled and there was almost 50 inches up there. The water amount is at 105% of what we expect at this time of the year. That report is almost two weeks old. I'm sure the l... 12/23/2016

It's been two months since I've done a market report on this segment of the market. There have been some changes since my last real estate report on four bedroom homes in this area. This report will include those four bedroom homes listed in the local multiple listing service (MLS for short). It will cover Cedaredge and the other small mountain towns of Austin, Eckert and Cory. Together these towns make up what's known as the Surface Creek Area of Delta County.  Since my last report five new listings have come on the market. There are a total of 18 active listings and three of these are under contract pending a sale.  Prices start at $139,900 and go up to $649,000. The average list price is $306,333 and the median list price is $287,900.  House sizes begin at 1533 square feet and go up ... 12/23/2016

I guess there is no right answer to that question. At least that's what came out of the office debate we had this afternoon. Growing up I always called the thing that heats my water a water heater. It's simple to me. The thing heats the cold water that goes into it. The guys in my office both call it a hot water heater. Is that grammatically correct? I suppose so. Although I'm not one to be on the grammar police squad. Is it redundant? I personally think so. Break it down like this...are you heating hot or cold water? There is an argument for both sides. The water heater heats up the cold water that goes into it. It also keeps the hot water in it hot.I can also argue that tankless water heaters aren't usually called tankless hot water heaters. Whether you have a tankless water heater or... 12/21/2016

There aren't a lot of foreclosed homes on the market at this time. We have really seen the number of bank owned homes shrink over the last few years, and that is a good sign of market recovery. Since last month's real estate report on foreclosed homes, one new listing has come on the market. This report will cover those bank owned homes in and around the Cedaredge area of Delta County. It will include the surrounding small towns of Austin, Eckert and Cory.  There are two active listings and one home pending a sale.  Prices start at $80,000 and go up to $209,900. The average list price is $139,133.  One active listing is out of town and one is a trailer in Cedaredge. Delta, Colorado foreclosure homes for sale.  This information comes from the local MLS. This is the property information r... 12/19/2016

This neighborhood has a great location just north of town. It also has wonderful Grand Mesa and valley views. The neighborhood is spread out and has area on both the east and west side of Highway 65. Nothing has changed since last month's real estate market report. This information comes from the local MLS. This is the property information site that all of the REALTORS® in this area use.  Last month one property had just come on the market and it went under contract in 17 days. It's listed at $193,000. So far this year four homes have sold. The average sales price is $293,750 and the median sales price is $292,500.  Sales numbers and prices have certainly gone up in this neighborhood over the last. I will take a more in depth look at the year's sales activity in my January report.  Thro... 12/15/2016

The overall number of listings in Cedaredge and the surrounding area still remains low, but we've seen some new listings come on the market in the five bedroom and larger home segment of the market. This real estate market report will cover the small mountain towns of Austin, Eckert, Cory and Cedaredge. It will also include Grand Mesa cabins. This report will include those homes with at least five bedrooms that are listed in the local MLS. The new listings are great to see and give you some more options if you need a home with a lot of bedrooms. Now remember these bedrooms can be used for a variety of things...not only as bedrooms. They make great home offices, dens, storage rooms and craft rooms.  There are a total of three homes on the market. One is under contract pending a sale. One... 12/14/2016

This neighborhood normally sees low turnover, because it's one of those neighborhoods that people love to call home. It's an older, established area close to most everything in town. Let's face it...Cedaredge is a small town and everything is close by. While sales and listing activity has been slow this year, the neighborhood has shown some major price improvement. This neighborhood was plagued by foreclosures, but in the last year we've seen property values come up and foreclosure activity go down.  At this time no homes are listed for sale.  So far this year four homes have sold. The average sales price is $206,500 and the median sale price is $200,500.  Last year the average sales price was $127,500...so the neighborhood has seen a 62% price increase.  What does this mean? Well if yo... 12/14/2016

The number of active listings for condominium and townhomes for sale in this area is holding steady since last month's real estate report on this segment of the market. This report will cover the Surface Creek Area of Delta County. That includes the communities of Austin, Cory, Eckert and Cedaredge. Overall this isn't a fast moving segment of our market. That's due to the lack of this type of housing in the area, and the low demand. The highest concentration of townhomes is on the golf course.  At this time there is one townhome on the market. It's on the northwest side of Cedaredge. It's priced at $85,000. So far this year five townhomes and condominiums have sold. The average sale price is $140,900 and the median sale price is $170,000. The large difference between the average and med... 12/10/2016

Cedaredge Estates is an affordable neighborhood near the downtown area. Real estate sales are slow in this neighborhood, because there aren't a lot of properties that have been on the market. This is one of those neighborhoods that really has a lot to offer. Most of the lots are larger, and there's no thru traffic. One side of the neighborhood backs up to Surface Creek, and another side backs up to open space for a nice view. There have been some changes since last month's real estate market report. This information comes from the local MLS. One new home has come on the market. Another listing is pending a sale, and there's a smaller, two bedroom home on the market as well. The average list price is $175,300 and the median list price is $194,500. The current list prices start off at $12... 12/08/2016

It was another great parade done in small town fashion with horses, four wheelers and a lot of firetrucks. Main Street was lined with people of all ages waiting for the parade to start. The parade marks the official arrival of Santa Claus. For some residents this is a big deal and something to see inspite of the cold weather. Many local organizations and clubs had floats including the award winning Cedaredge Marching Bruins (our local high school band), the Surface Creek Animal Shelter, the 4H Club and the local Pickel Ball group. Several of the Main Street businesses were open including Cedaredge Land Company, 4Bs Brewery and Annie's Pizzaria. Our office served hot chocolate, and it was a good place to come in out of the cold. The brewpub had live music and there was a standing room on... 12/04/2016

There isn't a lot of new information to report concerning foreclosure listings in the Cedaredge area of Delta County. While we saw the number of listings in Delta jump up a bit over the last month, we aren't seeing much happening in the Cedaredge and surrounding area. This real estate market report will cover the bank owned properties listed for sale in the local MLS. This report will cover Cedaredge and the surrounding small towns of Austin, Eckert and Cory. This area is known as the Surface Creek Area of Delta County.  Two new bank owned properties have come on the market since last month's market report. One of them is already under contract. It's a larger home outside of town priced at $129,000. The other one is a trailer in the town limits priced at $80,000. Foreclosure homes for s... 11/29/2016

If you want some elbow room, but still would like to be close to town, then the Northridge area might just be the perfect place for you. Lots are larger and there is plenty of privacy. Some of the lots are wooded, and there are open lots with great Grand Mesa and valley views. Right now it's difficult to find a home in the Northridge Subdivision. There haven't been a lot of homes come on the market over the last year, and when they do...they sell fairly quickly. Since last month's real estate market report, one new home has come on the market, and it's already under contract. It went under contract just 17 days after it came on the market. Four homes have sold so far this year with an average selling price of $293,750.The market is getting tighter in Delta County. The inventory is low a... 11/22/2016

This real estate market report covers the small mountain towns of Cedaredge, Austin, Eckert and Cory. Cabins on Grand Mesa are also included. It will include those five bedroom, and larger, homes listed for sale in the local MLS. There are no new listings or sales to report on this segment of the market since last month's five bedroom home market report.  There is only one active listing and that's a cabin on Grand Mesa. It's listed for $299,000. There haven't been a lot of five bedroom homes that have come on the market so far this year. Only three five bedroom homes have sold since the first of the year. All of these homes had out of town locations. House sizes ranged from 2000 square feet to over 3200 feet.  Due to the lack of listings we've seen come on the market this year, you mig... 11/20/2016

You don't hear a lot of people getting excited when a winter storm is heading their way, but in Colorado we do a little happy dance. When your economy and winter sports activity rely upon a good snow pack, you get happy when you hear there's snow coming. Also our summer irrigation water is heavily dependent upon how much snow we get during the winter months. Grand Mesa has over 300 lakes and reservoirs. Most of these are used to collect water to be used as a domestic water source and for irrigation water. If these lakes don't fill up, then we don't get the water we want and need for the orchards during the  spring and summer. The Grand Mesa is also a destination for those that like to snowmobile, cross country and downhill ski. Last year we had the best snow in the state. People travele... 11/20/2016

The West Ador neighborhood in Cedaredge, CO is centrally located within town. This is one of those neighborhoods that people love to call home. There haven't been many homes on the market in the last several years. Property values are rising in this neighborhood, and it's a great time to sell a home in West Ador.There haven't been any changes in this neighborhood since last month's real estate market report. No new listings have come on the market and there aren't any active listings to go under contract.  Four homes have sold so far this year with an average selling price of $206,500. In 2015 the average selling price was $127,500. This neighborhood has seen prices go up by almost 62%. If you are thinking of selling your home then now is a very good time to get it on the market. Buyers... 11/18/2016

I got the news at the office this morning, and it made my week. Two of the feral cats I trapped and took to the shelter were adopted today. One was the gray momma kitty and the other was her kitten. I called them Blue (momma kitty) and Fuzz Butt. Blue had a slight chance of finding a loving home as a house cat, but not Fuzz Butt. The kitten was too feral to get tamed down unless someone can spend a lot of time with her. Now they are both going to the same home as barn cats. The news I received said the couple that adopted them is very knowledgeable in handling feral cats and getting them acclimated to a new area. You can see both of them in the picture.This is bittersweet news for me. I have been considering adopting Blue. At least now she can stay with her kitten and they will both be ... 11/18/2016

It will be two years in February since I adopted Lucky. I still don't know which of us is the luckiest. I've made some new friends because of him. This dog has changed a lot in my life. He's protective, loving and funny. One of the things he really loves to do is to get a blanket out of his bed. Somehow he manages to get it all wrapped around his head so he can't see, and then he walks through the house until the blanket falls off. Then he starts the process all over again. I have no idea why he does this, but it's so funny to watch, and it makes him happy and me laugh.Since I've adopted him, Lucky has learned to swim and fetch. He loves both of those activities.Some of you may remember reading the story of how I found Lucky. He was an injured dog running lose. He ran his way right into... 11/17/2016

I'm a late comer to this challenge hosted by Debbie Reynolds. Here's the link to the 10 Day Thanksgiving Post Challenge in case you missed it, too. This is my day 1 post. Some weird Karmic misfortune had me born in the Midwest. I made my first trip to Colorado when I was five years old. For me there was no looking back. After that trip I knew I was destined to live in the Rocky Mountains. It didn't have to be Colorado. It could be anywhere there were high, rugged mountains. I absolutely knew this at a very early age. Now here I am, and I've been in and around the Rocky Mountains since I was 19 years old (with the exception of a short period of time when my family made me buckle down and graduate college). Regular readers of my blog know how much I love Western Colorado. I'm so very than... 11/16/2016

I had as much fun taking these pictures as the dogs did playing in the snow. They were both worn out after this play session. Most of you know the black dog is my dog, Lucky. Madison is the other dog, and Lucky's special friend. I did share some pictures from this play session in an earlier post back in February. I didn't share this particular picture, though. This is another entry I'm submitting in the 2016 ActiveRain Photography Contest. I wanted to share this photo for a couple of reasons. The first reason is because you can really see how much fun the dogs are having. Look at the wild look in Lucky's eye. He looks like he's auditioning for the part of Cujo in a remake of the original movie. If you saw that wild eyed looking dog with those big white teeth coming at you...what would y... 11/12/2016