Rainbow World! While riding in a friend's car the other day, I noticed that when I looked out the passenger side window, everything I saw was covered in rainbow colors. I realized my polarized sunglasses had something to do with it, but it didn't happen in my car. So the type of tinting on her car windows must also have had something to do with it. Then I wondered if I could capture the colors with my camera. So, I attached a circular polarizing filter, and shot through the car window. I found if I turned the filter, I could change the colors. These two photos are the result! They were taken from the ridge on Rampart Range, outside of Woodland Park. The first photo is of Pikes Peak.    Photos taken by Debi Boucher, all rights reserved, may not be reproduced ... 01/23/2009

  A few days ago, I sadly posted a "goodbye" to my friends at Active Rain as I announced my decision to leave the Real Estate profession.  The outpouring of friendship and support was wonderful and overwhelming. Out of this came a suggestion from one of my special friends here, and this is the result of the seed she planted. Thank you, Mary Douglas! I owe you one! I have been creating slideshows for special occasions such as weddings, etc. since 2006. It is my creative outlet, and something I very much enjoy doing. I utilize a variety of software programs, including Photoshop, to create special effects, have the ability to 'fix' most photo problems, and use a top of line slideshow production program that allows me to render a show in a variety of formats, such as .avi, .flv, .mov, and m... 01/13/2009

                                                                                   It's Coming, But They're In No Big Hurry....   Regulators have finally voted to curb the discriminatory, unfair, and controversial practices of the credit card companies. That's the good news. The bad news is these practices will continue until the new regulations go into effect July 2010. What will change? Banks will be prohibited from raising your interest rate unless your payment is more than 30 days late. They will no longer be able to maximize penalties based on the way they apply your payments. No more double cycle billing, which charges interest on the previous months balance. You'll have more time to make your payment, and your payment will be applied to the higher rate balance first. And here's m... 12/19/2008

             Renters Now Allowed To Stay In Foreclosed Homes Until now, when the renter's landlord failed to pay the mortgage, and the home was foreclosed on, the renter was just plain out of luck - facing eviction even if they had been paying their rent.  Single family homes, and multi unit investment complexes would see the renters forced to move out. In the case of multi unit properties, this lack of cash flow clearly makes it more difficult for the property to sell later. Going into effect on January 9, 2009, Fannie Mae will begin acting as landlord, and will sign new leases for thousands of renters living in foreclosed upon properties. (An estimated 4,000 renters) As a part of the 700 billion dollar Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, both Fannie and Freddie were required to allo... 12/18/2008

Submit an Augmentation Plan - Or Lose Your Water! Local news station, KRDO reported that 64 households in Teller County's Deer Mountain Ranch and Lakemoor West have been informed by the state Division of Water Resources that they must file a 'water augmentation plan' with the state by January 15, or stop using their wells by January 20. If they fail to do so, they will face court action. An Augmentation Plan is one that outlines how and when the water used will be replaced so as not to deplete the source of water to a senior appropriator, (see 'What are water rights, anyway?' below). Residents say this is the first they've heard of it, had no prior information, and no warning of the situation. They have also been required to buy meters to monitor their well water use, at a cost of abou... 12/11/2008

Current Woodland Park Home Values Compared to One Year Ago The following provides information for the differences in home values in the City of Woodland Park between October 2007 and October 2008.       On the average, our prices are down 4.3%, with the greatest drop in values affecting 4  bedroom homes which are down 10%, 3 bedroom homes down 5.7%, and 2 bedroom homes down 4.1%. Current Average                                                    1 Year Ago Average 2 bedroom - 162,500                                                  169,500 3 bedroom - 200,000                                                  212,000 4 bedroom - 294,000                                                  326,600   The average price per square foot in the past year has gone down from $232.00 to $153.0, an ave... 12/05/2008

Cost Vs. Value - Home Improvement Projects REALTOR Magazine has come out with this year's report on the home improvement projects that will best help in getting the home sold, and give the seller the most return for their money. Based on national averages, they say, exterior remodel projects such as siding, decks, and replacement windows will provide the most return. On the inside, only a kitchen remodel comes close to the same return, and a minor upgrade will return more than a major remodel, 79.5% vs. 76%. The following percentages are REALTOR Magazines' 2008 Colorado average returns on the money vs. the national midrange average, for both midrange and upscale remodels and replacements: Remodels                             MidRange                        Upscale         National Avg. ... 12/03/2008

                                                             Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!                                                          Have a Wonderful and Safe Holiday!                            May your stuffing be tasty May your turkey plump, May your potatoes and gravy Have never a lump. May your yams be delicious And your pies take the prize, And may your Thanksgiving dinner Stay off your thighs! -Unknown Author   Prudential Professional REALTORS, ASP REALTOR, Woodland Park Real Estate, Woodland Park Colorado 80863 – Serving the City of Woodland Park, Teller County, Ute Pass, and Park County since 1997. 11/23/2008

                                                   This terrific website, sponsored by Xerox, consists of many different drawings by school children designed to be reproduced as postcards, and sent by us to our troops to express our thanks for their service to our country. It is a remarkable collection, and a wonderful idea. I encourage you all to take a moment, (a moment is all it takes), and choose one of these designs to be sent to Iraq! Click here to go to the site: Thanks to you ALL for your courage and dedication to our country!       Prudential Professional REALTORS, ASP REALTOR, Woodland Park Real Estate, Woodland Park Colorado 80863 – Serving the City of Woodland Park, Teller County, Ute Pass, and Park County since 1997.           11/23/2008

Colorado Jails To Provide Inmates With "Missing Persons" Playing Cards Just ran across this article by Joel Warner. I think it's a terrific idea, and may help return hundreds of children to their families, and at the very least, solve, until now, unsolved crimes against children. The Colorado Department of Corrections will replace the jail's playing cards with cards that have photographs of missing persons, and homicide victims of unsolved cases. The hope, of course, is that will lead to inmates coming forward with information to solve these crimes. I think it's a great idea. The company that manufactures the cards, claims "their cards have directly helped solve four criminal cases, with several more potential indictments on the way". Colorado has not yet started the program, but if and... 11/20/2008

      The Ute Pass Express is a new commuter bus service in the area. Finally, not all Woodland Park residents have to drive to work. Almost 50% of Woodland Park residents commute to Colorado Springs on a daily basis. The new service will provide stops in Woodland Park, Cascade, Green Mountain Falls, Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs.   The Ute Pass area project is a two year 1.2 Million pilot program of Mountain Metro. Transit.  The new program will include 15 trips a day during the week. Maybe if it popular the transit authority might add some weekend slots.  Many Woodland Park residents may soon be able to give up their daily commute to Colorado Springs. Many Colorado Springs residents can take the bus up the pass and enjoy the many local shops, restaurants and festivals. The pro... 11/19/2008

WHICH SOCIAL NETWORK DO YOU USE AND WHY?   I subscribe to both of these services but I wanted to get some feedback from AR members to see what they are using more frequently. It seems to me that Plaxo is more progressive because it utilizes Pulse. Pulse allows you to take your contacts with you(It is a service I am going to start using). You can also share content from Youtube, Flicker, Amazon and Picasa. I only discovered how many features are available on Plaxo recently.I had not realized that there were multiple features which I was overlooking. Linked In seems to be less cutting edge. If I am missing features on this service let me know. I am always looking for new tools and tricks. But, with over 30 million professional members how can one even think to overlook it as an option? I ... 11/18/2008

  Stretched Thin I talked to two people today who canceled their cable. I also canceled my cable this week. I don't have time for cable anymore because I am working twice as hard. I am working to keep up with the Tech. world in real estate.   My understanding is that the new age of real estate has a hot core through the www. Now as I sign onto my AR account I see that I have the outside blogs and the listing router on my toolbar. I have read a post by Bob Stewart on the Listing Router setup but I am still clueless as to how it works or what it means.  I only recently set up two outside blogs to send to but I have yet to get it properly working through AR.  I also recently started reading  Jason Crouch's blog. He knows every social internet networking trick in the universe. I want to tak... 11/10/2008

                                                               July 29, 2008 Well, its official:  The Los Angeles Times has published its last Sunday real estate section of its newspaper.  There's a journalism term for finishing an edition's work: You put the section to bed. When I started as a part-timer in this department 28 1/2 years ago under then-editor Dick Turpin, I never dreamed that one day I'd be putting the section to bed for good. -- Lauren Beale, Real Estate editor                                            Looks like it's NOT just the Real Estate Section   From an article by Stephanie Clifford, published October 28, 2008: "After a century of continuous publication, The Christian Science Monitor will abandon its weekday print edition and appear online only, its publisher an... 11/01/2008

We had several deer hanging out in our Woodland Park backyard this year, as well as the occasional group of elk, fox, and racoons. Whenever I saw them, I grabbed the camera and ran out to take photos. The deer hung out on a daily basis, from May to August, and gave me plenty of 'Kodak Moments". I began to refer to them as "my boys", and it was fun to watch as they matured. I was excited to realise that I had two 6 pointers, one 5X6, one 5X4, and one goofy guy that was a 2X4! These are a few of the shots I took.   You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time. All Photos taken by Debi Boucher, all rights reserved and may not be reproduced without express written permission. Prudential Professional REALTORS, ASP REALTOR, Wo... 10/28/2008

I came across this article today. It got me thinking. Many of us face hardships in these troubled economic times. It varies person to person, family to family. When we're feeling sorry for ourselves, for whatever reason, we remember the saying "There's always someone worse off than you".  We've all heard it many times throughout our lives. Every now and then, there's a reminder.   Extreme Home Makeover, Woodland Park Style Posted: 3:43 PM Oct 25, 2008 Last Updated: 12:23 AM Oct 26, 2008 Reporter: Eric Lupher-KKTV Email Address: elupher@kktv.com     She's lived in Woodland Park for over 25 years. It's home for Michaela Christianson. For over two years, she's shared her home with her 31-year-old son, who suffers with a flesh eating bacterial disease. Medical bills have emptied out her po... 10/26/2008

      McAfee Estate in Woodland Park, Co Goes Back on the Auction Block In the spring of 2007, I had the opportunity to tour the 290 acre property and home of anti-virus mogul, John McAfee. OMG! What an amazing little homestead! John himself conducted the tour of Real Estate professionals prior to the auction in May that would result in the sale of the property for 5.72 million. A disappointment, surely, for McAfee, as bidding was to start at 15 million. Even so, it was the highest priced sale in the region. I was expecting to meet a "geeky" type guy that day. Instead, John McAfee was a well preserved 60 something in jeans, a white T shirt and boots. (Not that there is anything wrong with geeky, just not what in my mind's eye was expecting). He spent a reputed 25 million to develop the ... 10/24/2008

  The Hayman Fire began on  June 8, 2002 and burned until July 2, 2002, nearly an entire month. Almost 138,000 acres burned, and the fire cost $1 billion to fight.  It was the largest fire in Colorado history. In all, 133 homes were destroyed, 1 commercial building, and 466 outbuildings. In ONE day only, 60,000 acres burned, and at one point burned 1/2 mile in just 4 minutes due to the "perfect" fire conditions at the time. The fire was  caused by arson. Those of us living in the area watched in horror as we struggled to prepare for evacuation, and watch our sky fill with acrid smoke, ashes covering everything. On June 26, 2007, a tornado tore through the area 2 miles north of our town of Woodland Park, and the next day I took my camera and went out to photograph the damage. It cut thr... 10/23/2008

              Woodland Park, Teller County, Colorado Credit and Mortgage Deficiency Rates   My fellow Active Rainer, Dean Moss from Chicago, posted a very interesting piece to his blog today. In fact, I found it so interesting that I decided, with his permission, to share it here, (the link to his informative post is below), and on Localism.com. Very interesting to me is the  NY Fed's Interactive Map , which gives credit and mortgage deficiency rate percentages for counties all over the country. This is what it says for Teller County: Credit Card deficiency rate is at 2.32% Mortgage deficiency rate is at 2.55% These numbers are an increase of 1.21% from last quarter. The mortgage deficiency rate in El Paso County is 2.02%, in Pueblo 3.06%, and Denver County is at 3.73%. The highest in t... 10/22/2008

                                  The Colorado Gold Oil Rush In 2006, it was revealed that lying 1000 feet under the surface of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming is more than 2 TRILLION barrels of untapped oil reserves. This is the largest untapped oil reserve on the planet. The oil here comes from "oil shale", which looks like  ordinary black rock. When heated, the shale produces oil. Who knew? Until it was announced in 2006, pretty much only the government knew. But they'd known for a long time. In the 1930's the government took steps to protect this area, comprising about 1.9 million acres, making it BLM land. The thing is that for the past 80 years or so, buying oil from other countries was cheaper than producing our own.   Here are the official estimates of the amount of oil available: *... 10/22/2008