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Durango, CO Real Estate News

By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
Every mountain in this area has distinct and pleasant aspects.   The shapes, sizes and textures are  unique.     The photo is of a range that borders downtown Durango.  It is really different from those close to it. The Craigy  sides are challenging especially if you consider climbing, but when they are covered with snow, they are spectacular.  
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
Yes!  I know it is a tree..  The question is what kind.They are lining several streets. They look as though they are getting ready to burst forth in splendid flowers.Somewhere in the back of my mind is that I once heard it called a "tupelo tree."Knowing for sure that this is miles from Tupelo Mississippi, I just want to be sure about my surroundings.All trees are an asset to our environment.  The statistic I remember was that each large tree cleans up the air for fourteen vehicles. Impressive.  Something each of us should strive for!    
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
Critters often have great amounts of tenacity!This feeder was not intended for squirrels but this one clearly did not know or care.When I watched him make a mad dash across the yard, I was intrigued.  He looked up at the feeder, made a wholesome jump , wrapped his front paws around the pole and went up where he could jump on the platform.He obviously came to hang out and snack.The seed mix met with his approval and he hung on for what seemed like a long time.  I know I would have gotten tired much sooner.When he spotted us watching an staking his photo, he unceremoniously dropped .He ran and looked back.  It felt like he was giving us a opportunity  to go away.  We didn't.  He chose to leave and we resumed watching the birds .His tenacity earned my respect.  I hope he enjoyed his snack.  
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
One of Ralphs favorite comments when we encounter difficult situations is ". When Pigs fly...!"As you can plainly see by the photo,  that concept is not all that uncommon.  The pig comes in an assortment o sizes and shapes at Dietz Market across from WalMart.This little sculpture is cute.  The real thing would be a pollution hazard on many levels.  Look at the damage done when large birds hit airplanes.Just one more reminder that we should all be careful what we wish for!  
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
One of the things on my forbidden foods list is "Pizza."It has been a favorite since my youth.I have been cheating a good bit lately.  I did go without for about four years.  Now that we have returned to the city I love, there are new places with pizza and flatbread galore.While at the Farmers Market last week we were treated to the smells of a breakfast flatbread.  This delicious offering is made on flatbread with egg, cheese, assorted meats and herbs.  It tilts the yum scale!We had green chiiis added to ours and truly enjoyed this twist on breakfast food.  Flatbread really is for breakfast!  
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By Rick Lorenz, REALTOR Emeritus, CRS, ABR, CyberStar, CNE, E-Pro
(Team Lorenz)
  The Consequences of “I Think I’ll Wait and Buy Later” Many a buyer has used that line before thinking that they were going to get a better deal in the future.  In a falling market, there would have been some wisdom in that, perhaps.  But in a rising market, (both interest rates and home values) even a slowly rising market, let me show you why that’s not good advice to follow.  I think everyone would agree that interest rates are currently on the rise; they just can’t stay at this depressed/government-subsidized level forever.  From May 2 of this year to June 18 of this year, the interest rate for a conventional 30 year fixed rate loan with no points and no loan origination fee and a 20% down payment went from 3.625% all the way to 4.25%.  That represents a 17.24% increase in the inter...
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
My focus was on how low the river has become in the short time we have been back. So I asked Ralph to grab a shot of the low river.My once professional photographer hubby saw things from a totally different perspective.The photo he came back with was this exquisite cactus.  Blooming its little heart out with the vibrant color of happiness, it proves that beauty is all around us if we simply.... just look!Taking time to luxuriate in the beauty is one of the most important things we can do.  It also helps to put things in better perspective.  
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
With the past two weeks of intense heat we began to seek out cool food.Lucky for us, there is a state of the art Yogurt perveyor.Top That Yogurt is on Main Street in downtown Durango close to College Ave.Pictured are the yogurt self serve machines.After you dispense your favorite flavor or mix as much or as little in the cup as you can fit, there is a buffet line of toppings from candy to fruit.When you complete your creation, you place the container on a scale and pay up (something around 50 cents an ounce.  Then it is time for spoonful after spoonful of delicious coolness.Treats like this are  lucious and practical.  We really do not believe  that you can top this! Is it good??  Ohhhhhhh yeahhhhhh!!!!      
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
After spending many years in crowded, pollution laced cities, we relish having clear sky and clean air.The photo says it loudly.  Sky is supposed to be blue and clouds take on a beauty all their own.Beginning and ending day after day with views like this are a healing force.  For us, the sky provides a certain hope.  We look at scenes like this as "soul food."  
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
One of the most popular tourist attractions is the "Animas river.This year due to low amounts of snow, the river is already low.  That means that rafting, kayaking and even fishing (Durango has Gold Medal trout fishing) are less effective than usual.A few weeks ago while it was still possible to see snow on the mountain peaks, we watched a rafts bottom out as it attempted to go downstream.If we think that people are inconvenienced by the low water,  imagine how the fish feel when they cannot navigate their usual paths.We need water now and many are concentrating on positive thinking about rain.In 2002 we lived through another drought.  It was a terrifying experience as forest fires consumed thousands of acres in the area. (the Missionary Ridge fire)Rain is definitely the answer.  Dry is...
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
There is something about the mountains that literally makes me happy.  Lucky for me, Ralph shares my enthusiasm.   For us all we need to have a tranquil day is to incorporate a drive into our schedule.  Try to get anything one wants without a drive.  Can't do it.   Getting acquainted with the inventory currently available is part of our daily plan while we wait to get our licenses reactivated.   There are new developments that have been built since we were here before.  Each of them have unique features to learn about.  Experiencing them will give us more insights to share.     One of this life's greatest joys is loving what you do.  We feel truly blessed to be surrounded by indescribable beauty on a daily basis.  
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
Durango BlueToday it is in the nineties!  When we lived here before, it was only hot for about two weeks out of the year!Heat is not our favorite, but the fact it is dry makes it more bearable.  There is also a nice breeze.  That makes shade tolerable.The sky is also an incredible clear blue.  We call it Durango blue.  Back in Texas the pollution was always making the sky grey.  Between that and the dirty airways, we find it easy to enjoy the heat here.  Enjoying every aspect of the Durango Blue!      
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
  Yesterday at the Farmers Market when we returned to our car, there was a tiny spider (probably 1/4 inch) waiting on the crack between doors.   I immediately determined that this little freeloader was planning to jump inside the car when the door was opened.   What a fun place that would be for a spider. Imagine the hiding places he could find.  Webs would have unending possibilities.  He could raise multiple families and entrap any bugs who managed to gain access.   I asked Ralph to come get a photo.  He also relocated Mr. spider onto another surface away from the car door.     Although our car looked like a perfect home to the spider, we did not share his vision.  We successfully thwarted the opportunity.
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
Last night we had a wonderful experience.A past client couple invited us to come to dinner and look at the improvements they have made since they bought their 100 year old treasure.It was a slightly rough gem seven years ago.  They have added paint, crown moldings and recovered the ancient oak and fir floors which were buried under carpet, varnish and in some places plywood.They have redone the kitchen and added storage in previously obscure nooks and crannies.The landscape has blossomed under their nurturing and over all the house is a many faceted jewel.It is a joy to see how when we find the right property for the right people, they both thrive!
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
In May of 2000 we had a beautiful rainbow as illustrated below.  I took it as an answer to my prayer as to whether we could move to Durango which had captured my heart years earlier.   Our time here from 2000 to 2007 was wonderful.  A little difficult to keep income coming due to just under 400 agents to serve 14,000 people!   When things got really slow we put the house we loved on the market and it sold in 3 days.   Instead of thinking things through, we went on auto pilot and headed back to Texas.  Wrong idea, bad move!   After an extremely long six years we figured out that we really had no reason to stay away from Durango and now we moved back to what seemed so much like home back then.   Today we revisited the place we got our rainbow.  There has been a lot of growth overall.     ...
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
Water is essential.  It is part of everything.Turning on a faucet and finding just a trickle is a bummer!In this area there are houses that do not have wells and rely on cisterns that you have to haul water to via a tank on a trailer, the back of your truck or by a water hauler guy.Water to keep those cisterns filled is found in an assortment of locations.  Frequently it is obtained from machines such as the one in the photo.Hauling water is not on our bucket list.  I like to know there is a steady supply of it available.    It is just one more thing to remember to do.Knowing what the water source is could be very important to prospective buyers.  Imagine locating the perfect lot after weeks of searching, and finding that it does not have a water source.Find out first so you do not run ...
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
Living on an irrigated acre offers us an extra perk.The presence of a fenced garden plot is a temptation we will not be able to overlook.While we deal with the waiting for approval to take our license test and affiliate with a local company, we can cultivate plants .Just contemplating the tomatoes, herbs and salad stuff is a joyful thought.The exercise required will be good for both of us.  The savings from not having to pay big bucks for the organic veges will be an added bonus.Having gardens has been a part of my summers for many years.  It is great to have a place and a plan.  Hopefully we will be able to share what we produce.
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
      Going green has health benefits in addition to being good for the whole planet.We have been studying about herbs and veges ever since I tried to die in late 2007',The old adage that you are what you eat became painfully apparent after my stroke!Ralph began to cut off everything we had eaten that had any taste.  He pushed protein and greens.  I resisted and sadly behaved like a five year old.When my weight dropped below 105 pounds I began to compromise.  Not a lot of compromise at first, but eventually we found diets that allowed me to have and prepare tasty green stuff!  It can be done!Using diet and exercise we have managed to beat type 2 diabetes and acute Pancreatis.  It was not a fun journey, but I am healthier than I have been in a long time.The photo is of the veges we foun...
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
    For the years we were not able to live in the mountain home of our choice, we frequently found ourselves dreaming of them   The details were not as vivid as I wished but for the most part the visions were pleasant.   Now they are just a hop and a skip from our delightful home for the next year.   Last Sunday we took some time to just refresh our memories and feed our souls.   Driving up hwy 550 we found many photographable vistas.  Here are just a few of those.  It is our hope that you can enjoy them as much as we did.     When the mountains call, it is a thrill to be able to answer.
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By Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker, Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
(Janisch & Co.)
    Many of our favorite places to dine come with an outdoor option.Such is the case with "Olde Tymers".  Located on Main Street in Downtown Durango Colorado, they have created an escape.The patio has an ancient rock wall, Buick pavers and an eclectic array of benches and tables.Flowers fill in the nooks and crannies.  Trees provide a swaying canopy that contrasts with the tables with umbrellas.The setting adds to the delicious food which is always outstanding.  When you are in need of a pleasant escape, think "Olde Tymers"    
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