Broomfield, CO

Given that the average lifespan for Americans is 78, aging does not mean that life after retirement means racking up endless hours in a rocking chair. People want to stay active and enjoy traveling, sports, social activities, and other pursuits as long as they can. While they may still want the financial benefits of home ownership, they may not want the responsibilities of lawn care, the hazards of steps, or the burden of space. As they find their health slipping a bit, they want to be in a place that can comfortably accommodate change, with transportation options.

Within the Metro area, there are over 120 Denver developments geared to the over 55 population, with prices starting in the low 100's. Virtually any active adult who wants to be a homeowner can enjoy the climate, natural attractions, and reasonable cost of living that Denver is famous for and do so in a home in their choice of a single family home (often ranch style), townhouse, condominium, or high rise. Many senior adult communities offer additional amenities to make the development a self-contained social and recreational center. Some areas are viewed as over 55 properties exclusively, but others are considered good retirement properties because senior-friendly floor plans are available.

One community specifically for active adults is the Del Webb Anthem Ranch Community in Broomfield, CO. Acquired by Pulte Homes in 2001, Del Webb started building retirement communities back in 1960, when they built their first complex in Phoenix. This group now has 50 developments in 20 states, including Anthem Ranch in Broomfield. Anthem is gated and promotes a lifestyle within that includes many recreational facilities and many opportunities for developing relationships with neighbors - so much that the residents only need venture out to shop. A golf course and fitness center are on site, as well as opportunities to pursue hobbies, join clubs, or take classes. A 30,000 square foot community center further brings the residents together.

The community, only a few minutes from Denver and Boulder, is served by buses. The availability of reliable public transportation makes the location a good one for mature homeowners who might need or want to cut down on their driving over the years.

The Anthem Ranch homes are built by a company noted for its green building practices - a good fit for Colorado, a very environmentally conscious state. Since 1996, Pulte has built 70,000 Energy Star Certified Homes; currently, 70% of homes constructed by the company nationwide are built to these standards. The company has been recognized by the Department of Energy for its participation in Builder's Choice, a voluntary energy-savings program aimed at constructing homes 30% more energy efficient than typical homes built to code. Pulte also utilizes value engineering to use resources more efficiently and reduce waste in home building, plus aggressively recycles waste on the jobsite. About 8,000 pounds of waste are generated in the construction of a 2,000 square foot home; Pulte recycles over 70%.

Anthem Ranch is only one of the senior-friendly communities near Denver that bring together convenience and green goals. Another popular community with active senior adults is Heritage Eagle Bend in Aurora, CO. At Bandy Homes, we can lead you to a home you'll love in Aurora, Broomfield, or Castle Rock.

Marianne Bandy

We Work with Denver Buyers

WHO KNEW THAT BROOMFIELD HAD THE NUMBER 1 PIZZA RESTAURANT ... BROOMFIELD RESIDENTS! DENVER'S A-LIST AWARDED THE ORIGINAL PIZZA AS THE NUMBER ONE PLACE FOR PIZZA!

The owners, Ralph and Carmella are pretty famous, as you can tell by the photos on their wall, pictures with the Governor, famous Sports players ... It is a great place to take the family or friends from out of town.

They really live up to the reputation and the quote above the oven, "Great Food with a Brooklyn Attitude!"

The picture below of me with Ralph also has my husband David on my right and 2 of his great friends from Canada, Anders and John!

Time to take summer all in and SUPPORT OUR LOCAL FARMERS! The Denver Metro areas have some

WONDERFUL Farmer's Markets.

The LINK below the photo (taken July 11 09) will take you to the Star Chef's website for Farm Fresh Market locations in the Metro areas of Colordao. For those of you who are out of town, the one that indicates "FlatIrons Crossing" is in Broomfield, CO.

Star Chefs Website

You could not ask for a better and more picturesque setting than the above photo in Boulder, with goregous trees and a view of the flatirons ... GORGEOUS!

It is a great place to bring the kids and it is dog friendly ... My dog, Walter LOVED IT! TIP - THE PEACHES OUR DELICICIOUS!

A COMMUNITY FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING A SEPARATE DEVELOPMENT FOR ACTIVE ADULTS 55 AND OLDER

THIS STUNNING COMMUNITY IS IDEAL FOR ANYONE! It is surrounded by 806 acres of Open Space, 48-miles of gorgeous hiking and biking trails, water features, an UNBELIEVABLE RECREATION CENTER THAT IS 30,000 SQUARE FEET IN SIZE, including Indoor and Outdoor POOLS! If you are looking for a community that has it all this is it, INCLUDING a SEPARATE area for ACTIVE ADULTS 55 and OLDER, in addition to the single and family style homes for ANY AGE!

I practice real estate in Broomfield, CO and I'm passionate about creating higher standards in real estate. I read some posts on Active Rain about Honesty. In response, I think the issue of honesty goes much deeper than a blog post or platitudes like ‘honesty is the best policy'. I believe questionable honesty, marginal integrity, and wavering ethics are an epidemic in our industry. Years ago, I worked for The Ken Blanchard Companies (author of The One Minute Manger). Ken used to say, "perception is realty", meaning if our customers perceive us to be dishonest or unethical, then all the jumping up and down and writing blog posts about how honest we are won't change a thing. Their perception is real. Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics reveals dishonest behavior in many walks of life from school teachers, to realtors, to sumo wrestlers, based on the structure of their incentive, meaning most of us are given an incentive to be dishonest. So how do we "raise the bar" in our industry? To me, it all starts with a clear sense of shared purpose-why do we do what we do? If we answered that question, then we would create higher principles and standards around that purpose, which then leads to better people and systems, which ultimately leads to a higher quality of service to the end customer. This is where the NAR comes in--the standards are simply too low. It's all too easy for anyone with a pulse to become a realtor and start advising people on the largest financial transaction in their life, hoping they'll make a tidy commission. Or maybe, just maybe, a higher purpose starts from the ground up with a group of high minded professionals chatting on blog posts...