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About La Plata County, CO

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DURANGO

03-27-08
Charles & Mary Rigby
Charles & Mary Rigby: Real Estate Agent in Durango, CO
  • view my blog
  • Office: (970) 375-2513
  • Mobile: (970) 946-4976
  • Secondary: (800) 834-8445
MELTDOWN: The record snowfalls we've experienced this winter have produced super-sized snowpacks of up to 151% above average in some parts of the state. As spring approaches and the days warm the snowpack will begin to melt.

Butch Knowlton, Director of Emergency Preparedness for La Plata County, said that given the high levels of snowpack at or below 8,500 foot elevations, he's watching every single storm coming into the area. "It takes very few hours of moderate rain to make a very significant change in snowmelt runoff," he said. "You're essentially pouring warm water on a frozen depth of snow."

Knowlton said his greatest concern at the present is drainage from the Upper Rio Grande Basin into the Vallecito area northeast of Durango. "A heavy rainstorm could change that river flow within hours." he said. "We got hundreds of homes sitting in the valley floor."

Colorado's mountain snows, even in deep years, tend to melt in an orderly fashion, but if high runoffs combine with intense spring rainstorms, flooding is likely. Flood danger is likely to be the highest beginning in late April and continuing through June as the mountain snows melt.

We recall the spring of 2005 when much of the Animas Valley was under water. Fortunately it involved only undeveloped lands and no structures were lost. Still, we encourage valley homeowners to check on flood insurance and to purchase coverage if none is in place.

http://homesindurango.com/

http://durangorealestate.biz/

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BENEFIT

03-27-08
Charles & Mary Rigby
Charles & Mary Rigby: Real Estate Agent in Durango, CO
  • view my blog
  • Office: (970) 375-2513
  • Mobile: (970) 946-4976
  • Secondary: (800) 834-8445
FUND RAISER: The weather was terrific and roughly 1,000 people turned out for our Fire Disaster Fund benefit. With the help of local restaurants, merchants and businesses we smoked and served about 50 briskets. Local fire fighters and Mercy Hospital nurses pitched in. It was a fun, yet very moving, afternoon and reminded us of what makes Durango such a special place to live. Over $4,000 was added to the Disaster Relief Fund.

Thank you Durango!

http://homesindurango.com/
http://durangorealestate.biz/
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DURANGO REAL ESTATE

03-02-08
Charles & Mary Rigby
Charles & Mary Rigby: Real Estate Agent in Durango, CO
  • view my blog
  • Office: (970) 375-2513
  • Mobile: (970) 946-4976
  • Secondary: (800) 834-8445
WHY REAL ESTATE? Every day we here about the down housing market, the slumping economy and Wall Street losses. There's no argument that housing nationwide has been going through a down cycle. But there's also little doubt about the housing market's long term prospects.

The United States is adding one person every 13 seconds. At the start of 2008, the country had surpassed 303 million residents, almost 3 million more than it had at the start of 2003, according to the Census Bureau. This strong growth is a good sign for the future of the housing market and real estate in general. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors says, " With a population increase of 3 million, household formation typically expands by up to 1.5 million."

It's easy to recognise the long term need for housing by examining these stats:

* U.S. population as of January 1 , 2008 = 303,146,284

* Percentage change from January 1, 2007 = +0.9

* Rate of U.S. births = 1 every 8 seconds

* Rate of U.S. deaths = 1 every 11 seconds

* Rate of international migration of U.S. = 1 every 30 seconds

Source: U.S. Census Bureau


WHY DURANGO REAL ESTATE?

A pristine community nestled in the beautiful San Juan Mountains with azure blue skies, crystal clear lakes and rivers, abundant wildlife, fishing, hiking, camping, golf, wilderness.....

AND WE'RE NOT ADDING A PERSON EVERY 13 SECONDS!!!!

http://homesindurango.com/
http://durangorealestate.biz/

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THE SPIRIT OF DURANGO!

02-29-08
Charles & Mary Rigby
Charles & Mary Rigby: Real Estate Agent in Durango, CO
  • view my blog
  • Office: (970) 375-2513
  • Mobile: (970) 946-4976
  • Secondary: (800) 834-8445
THE SPIRIT OF DURANGO! A week ago, a huge fire erupted in the 700 block of downtown completely destroying Season's Grill, Le Rendezvous Swiss Bakery and 1/2 Price Tees. Nine firefighters were injured in the fight and the community, of course, has supported and applauded their efforts.

One fact that would have been overlooked in most places (but not in Durango) is that, with the loss of three very successful businesses, roughly 70 employees of these establishments are out of work. Several area restaurants have added staff to help out but the most impressive action has come from the Durango Business Improvement District. The embers were still smouldering when this organization of business leaders established a fund to assist those left unemployed by the fire. In just a week the fund has grown to $30,000 and is expected to grow to $100,000.

We are going to approach the city Monday seeking approval to hold a BBQ benefit downtown with all proceeds going to the fund. If approved, the plans are to pull our pits curbside and serve the public for contributions.

In spite of the tragedy it is heartening to see the Spirit of Durango soar. Thank you Durango - what a place to live.

http://homesindurango.com/
http://durangorealestate.biz/
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2008 Durango, Colorado Market Statistics - so far

02-28-08
Marlene Gebhardt Durango Colorado Real Estate
Marlene Gebhardt Durango Colorado Real Estate: Real Estate Agent in Durango, CO
  • view my blog
  • Office: (970) 259-3700
  • Mobile: (970) 749-8913

After hearing all the doom and gloom about the national real estate market, I was curious enough to look into our local market statistics. Thus far, we in the Durango area, are still selling property of all types. A quick look at year to date tells me that nearly 50% of properties sold were under $300,000 and about 25% were above $500,000. Commercial opportunities were just about 4% of those sold, while many residential units sold were condos. We've had a snowy winter, and lots of people visiting our local ski resort, Purgatory, have contributed to condo sales at the resort itself. But our market also has a good supply of lower-priced units in town Durango now, and these seem to be actively selling.

While no one knows how much impact the new Federal loan regulations will have over the year, we all are hopeful for an active spring and summer sales season. Meanwhile, our office is planning upgrades in marketing and services to help us work smarter in an ever-changing market. I look forward to being more efficient and hope it will also lead us to increasing our effectiveness in serving our clients - read: SALES!

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