About Mesa County, CO

Grand Junction is a beautiful town! It is a treasure to those of us who visit and live here. Once someone has been to Grand Junction they don't soon forget it. There is always an enjoyable story to be told and they tell it with a smile.

Just click on any of the following links to learn more about the Grand Junction area-

• Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau
• City of Grand Junction
• City of Fruita
• Palisade Chamber of Commerce
• Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce
• Mesa State College
• Mesa County School District 51, Public Schools K-12
• The Daily Sentinel, a local newspaper

Every year, since I was seven, come Memorial Weekend I knew where I was going to be, at the JUCO National World Series Baseball Tournament. This tournament goes all week long with the championship game on Saturday. I enjoy watching good baseball, in fact, when I was in high school, I would ditch school just to go watch the games. I wasn't the only kid there either. Once I had my drivers license, if my younger siblings found out I was going they would beg me to pick them up form school. It got to the point that my mom would just write a note so our absences were excused. The school district eventually changed the school schedule so that schools get out the week before JUCO starts. I don't know if it had anything to do with the missing students, but I'm sure there are less kids missing their finals. Now I have a 9 year-old boy, who loves to go to JUCO and it is so much fun to watch him get into the tournament and cheer for his favorite team. If you are going to be in the Grand Junction area, I would encourage you to try to take in a game. The evening games are the most fun to attend and I would recommend getting there at least a half hour early in order to get a decent seat. The first game will be at 9:00am this Saturday, May 24th. By the way, you can't beat the price. A tournament pass(19 games) is $25 for the entire week for adults and children are $20. You can get more information on the tournament including the teams who will be playing this year, the tournament bracket, and you can listen to the games live at http://www.jucogj.org/index.php. If you happen to go, look for me I'm usually sitting on the third base line.

There is an old wives tale about the Swan's neck. The saying goes that once the Swan's Neck has broke it is safe to plant your garden, because there won't be another freeze. The Swan's neck is part of a swan shape that forms once it has snowed on the Grand Mesa. The Grand Mesa is to the east of Grand Junction, it takes about 45 minutes drive there, is known as the world's largest flat top mountain, and the elevation is 10,000-11,000 feet. You can read more about the Grand Mesa in this article. From Grand Junction looking at the Mesa, the swan sits close to the top on the right hand side of the mountain. During the winter it is very easy to spot. Due to an above average snow fall and the colder temperatures we had, it has taken the swans neck longer than usual to break this year. Although some of the snow has melted you can still spot the swan if you look closely.

The most important thing to do is de-clutter. Paint should be very neutral. As a real estate agent it is a very hard, to tell a client, to get their Teddy Bear collection off the bed and take the moose heads down. Everyone has a different idea, about what is good decoration. No clutter, no knick-knacks, no eye catching anything, would be a good rule for a seller to follow. A buyer wants to move mentally in the house. The buyer cannot move in if there are many visual distractions. As a Realtor of 25 years I myself, catch myself looking at the stuff, not the house. If I am distracted, after seeing 1000's of homes, think about the First Time Home Buyer! Clean and clutter free is the key. Think House Beautiful! Less is better!

Elizabeth Birmingham

EB Realty

www.AskforElizabeth.com

www.RealtyinGrandJunction.com