About two weeks ago, I mentioned that a little robin had decided to build a nest in my flowering pear tree in my front yard in Lakewood, Colorado.  Every day I stop by to see how she, now known as Rosie the Robin, and her soon to be family is doing. I have been taking pictures daily and thought I would share a few more with you. Rosie seems pretty accepting of me as I come close to take photos....we will see her reaction once the eggs hatch. Rosie the Robin watches me as I take a photo.     06/20/2010

For the past hour, we have been watching the skies grow dark with large, black storm clouds rapidly blowing in from the southwest.  Before the heavy rains started, I managed to take a few photos of the fast moving clouds. Sirens started about ten minutes ago and we are under a tornado watch....other areas are getting heavy hail - news photos look like heavy snow!   06/11/2010

Last night, I enjoyed one of the most colorful sunsets I have seen in months. Unfortunately, the colors accentuated the large, dark storm clouds that were rushing into the area. Just minutes after taking the following photos, a large downpour battered the area.  Just minutes ago, there were severe storm warnings announced on the tv.       06/06/2010

Lakewood, May 2, 2010 – Crews building the Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) FasTracks West Corridor Light Rail Line re-opened West 6th Avenue 30 hours ahead of schedule, after placing a light rail bridge over 6th Avenue this weekend. The work was completed earlier than expected, allowing crews to re-open the highway just after midnight on Saturday. The westbound lanes opened at 11:30 p.m. followed by the eastbound lanes one hour later at 12:30 a.m. The roll-out of the main span of a double-track light rail bridge across 6th Avenue just east of Simms/Union could have taken up to 30 hours, but favorable conditions decreased that time to just14 hours. Completing operations early and getting 6th Avenue open between Simms/Union and Kipling substantially decreased the impact this clos... 05/10/2010

Belmar Homes For Sale - Lakewood, Colorado April 8, 2010 Belmar is a beautiful new neighborhood in Lakewood, Colorado. Belmar is conveniently located with an easy commute to downtown Denver. Belmar was built where the old Villa Italia Shopping center used to be. Belmar is a neighborhood of lofts, condos, and townhouses. There are restaurants and shopping in the Belmar neighborhood. If you're looking for an urban lifestyle in the suburbs, Belmar in Lakewood, Colorado is the neighborhood for you! Belmar home sales are a little slow. However, if a Belmar home for sale is priced competitively and marketed extensively online, it sells quickly for close to the asking price. Now is a great time to purchase a home for sale in Belmar while interest rates are still low. Belmar Home Sales In The P... 04/08/2010

Belmar Neighborhood - Lakewood, Colorado Belmar is a beautiful new neighborhood in Lakewood, Colorado. Belmar is conveniently located with an easy commute to downtown Denver. Belmar was built where the old Villa Italia Shopping center used to be. Belmar is a neighborhood of lofts, condos, and townhouses. There are restaurants and shopping in the Belmar neighborhood. Belmar is a very friendly neighborhood to walk. You can walk to a restaurant to meet friends or to the grocery store. Belmar offers an urban lifestyle in the suburbs. Belmar Homes for sale are currently priced from $180,000 to $853,000. These Belmar homes for sale range from 1,000 square feet to 2,900 square feet with one to four bedrooms and one to four bathrooms. Belmar is in the Jefferson County School District. Students ... 04/05/2010

Lakewood Real Estate Market Report Lakewood, Colorado Lakewood, Colorado is a great community located just west of Denver, Colorado. Nightlife, restaurants, and shopping are easy to get to. Outdoor activities are abundant. Green Mountain is a great place to mountain bike, hike, or run with great views. The Bear Creek trail is great for biking, running, or walking. Belmar is a thriving new neighborhood in Lakewood with shops, restaurantes, lofts and townhomes. If you're looking for a great community with a fast commute to downtown Denver and great views, Lakewood is the community for you! Real estate sales are relatively strong in Lakewood. If a Lakewood home for sale is priced competitively, it sells quickly for close to the asking price. Now is a great time to purchase a home for sale ... 03/15/2010

I know it is winter...and we have the little teasing hints of Spring, but we still have a big problem here in Lakewood with roads that are disintegrating.  Patience is a virtue, but after weeks of driving on some major roads, weaving in and out to avoid potholes that could cause severe damage to my car...I finally decided to stop and take some photos to illustrate the dilemma all of us face driving down our streets. The following photos were taken today on the 6th Avenue Service Road...just east of the highway and just east of the entrance to Wadsworth. If you are traveling west towards Wadsworth, you not only have to deal with the multiple potholes on the right hand side of the road, but  also with the traffic speeding around the corner going west on the service road.  The guardrails c... 03/08/2010

12/26/2009

Lakewood Real Estate Buyers Need To Hurry To Claim The Federal Tax Credit The federal tax credit for first-time Lakewood real estate homebuyers has been expanded. It now includes homeowners who have lived in their current home for at least five years and purchase a new home. Homeowners who buy a new home in Lakewood can claim a $6,500 tax credit. A tax credit is much better than a tax deduction because Lakewood real estate owners who buy a home will get the entire $6,500. First-time buyers will get $8,000 from the federal government. Homeowners in Lakewood who want to take advantage of this great government program need to get their Lakewood real estate for sale as soon as possible and sell their house fast. They need to get their current home sold and get under contract to purchase the... 12/23/2009

We all go through the good bad and ugly ...right. Yet getting through those rough times can be softened with humor.. So please laugh along with Dean and me...on this remix ..... Please scroll down to click on the demo. Then please scroll back up to sing along to...... ---------------------------------------. Everybody Needs a Realtor. ------------------------------------------.. Everybody ..needs a Realtor ....sometime. Everybody list their home... somehow. Something in my listining.. just told me. That you're selling ....right now.. Every buyer finds a home ...someplace. There's no telling where it may appear. Something in my heart keeps saying. Buying someplace.... is near... If I had it in ...my contract. I'd arrange.. for every close ..to have no alarm. Then every minute.. every ho... 11/12/2009

I woke up this morning knowing that we were expecting snow. At 6 a.m., we had just a few inches of the white stuff...I had several errands that I needed to get done early in the day, so around 9 a.m. I dressed for the weather and headed out. This is my front yard early this morning as I headed out.  This is a very wet, heavy snow and it is still coming down. Just two days ago, we were grilling steaks on our Weber grill in the backyard. Can't hardly even find it today. It is now around 2:30, I am so tired from shoveling snow. I made a headway, but I still have a lot to go. I think it is time to stop, get a blanket, dry off - not only me but my dog, Jake, who really loves the snow..... 10/28/2009

10/28/2009

As of October 1, 2009, based on figures from our local multilple listing service, Metrolist and analyzed by Your Castle Real Estate, overall, the Denver metro market of single family homes has about five months of inventory. The inventory increases dramatically from the lower price points to the higher price points. Number of Active Listings                        Number of Sold Listings             Months of Inventory 0 - $85,000      184                                0 - $85,000       2,807              0 - $85,000       0.8 85-135,000       678                               85 - 135,000     4,551              85 - 135,000      1.8 135 - 210,000   1,985                            135 - 210,000    8.186             135 - 210,000     2.9 210-315,000     3,614                           ... 10/15/2009

For those of us who live in Lakewood, we are very fortunate to have a wonderful dog park for our furry friends. With a gorgeous backdrop of the foothills west of W470, this park is located next to the upscale Solterra development just off the Alameda Parkway.  When we first started taking our dog, Jake (border collie/sheepdog mix) to the park, he was a little timid and intimidated by some of the larger dogs. Today, he grabs his leash to let us know that it is time for him to visit his buddies at the park. Size means nothing anymore and he enjoys interacting with all of the dogs....the more the merrier. While the dogs are playing, we humans have a great opportunity to get to know each other as well... The views are incredible....though I don't think the dogs care a bit! My husband Jim ra... 09/18/2009

I am so lucky to live so close to Belmar...a wonderful development featuring retail, multi-family homes, theatres, bowling alley, restaurants and incredible neighborhood events. This coming weekend will be the 6th Annual festival Italiano with unbelievable food, wine-tasting, vendors and entertainment. I especially enjoy the kidsl tent put on by Ballistrari Vineyards, where kids stomp the grapes for a special annual vintage!!!! I especially have enjoyed the incredible sidewalk chart artworks by some very talented local artists. Here is an example: The Festival is held at Belmar located at Wadsworth and Alameda in Lakewood. Festivities will be held both Saturday and Sunday, Sept 19 and 20th.  Please attend! 09/15/2009

This new short sale listing in Lakewood, Colorado is priced right at $189,000. This Lakewood, Colorado short sale listing is a brick ranch home that boasts 4 large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and and over 1700 finished sqaure feet. This short sale lsiting in Lakewood, Colorado has a finished basement with a wet bar, refinished hardwood floors, tile bathrooms and a covered back deck . Call now for a private showing of this New Short Sale listing in Lakewood, Colorado. For more short sale listings in Lakewood, Colorado, please visit www.5280exit.com. 09/15/2009

HERS Raters are doing an amazing job... they make a detailed inspection and come up with a report that will tell you all the energy savings you might consider then list them in the "most benefit to you" order. This is essential when you are looking at the "payback" as they give you a good look at just how fast you can expect to recover your expenditure for the EEM items. Wow. I think we all know that dual pane windows have very little energy savings and take a long time to pay for themselves... usually a lot longer than most people stay in a home but many other improvements can and do make lots of sense. Now, though windows may not be high on the "payback" with savings list they are esthetically desirable and as such can be recognized as a viable rehab item while not being that energy e... 08/21/2009

One of my favorite activities during the summer months is to visit farmers' markets and savor the incredible smells and take home wonderfully fresh produce to enjoy during the week. Here in Lakewood, we have an incredible market at Belmar featuring not only fresh produce, but delightlul booths featuring homemade soaps, wines, savory sauces, fresh baked breads, blooming plants and wide-eyed puppies looking for a home. Belmar's market even has cooking demonstrations and live music. Here are a few photos I took at my last visit....I so look forward to Sunday mornings: Freshly baked bread 07/12/2009

I spoke yesterday about the number of storms that have hit the Denver/Lakewood area over the past week and today brought the worse.....a tornado struck in Aurora causing extensive damage to the Southlands Mall as well as surrounding neighborhoods.  Just across Smoky Hill Drive in Tallyn's Reach, the twister struck the cul-de-sac that my son just moved out of about 30 days ago.  His former home was spared, but his wonderful neighbors suffered damage to their homes and yards. Fortunately, no one was hurt.  I had been hosting an open house in Northglenn when the dark clouds started rolling in.  Hail and rain helped me decide to close up early.  Driving home, I could see the wide expanse of heavy gray and black clouds surrounding Denver.  Passing O'Kane Park, I pulled over to take the follo... 06/07/2009