About Pueblo County, CO

Destination: Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado. Even though it is near the end of September and the weather is starting to cool down, this weekend was great weather to be out on the lake. Not too hot, not too cold, not too windy. Just perfect.

The Lake Pueblo Reservoir at the Lake Pueblo State Park is about an hour south of Colorado Springs. It is a popular water sport and fishing destination. The Reservoir has over 60 miles of shore line and about 4,500 acres of surface water. There are two marinas.

Boats docked at the South Shore Marina

We used the boat ramp at the North Shore Marina. I enjoyed seeing the different boats almost as much as I did being out on the water.

This weekend people were out on jet skis, people were water skiing, and lot of people were fishing. Some people, like us, were just cruising around.

Colorado: See It. Experience It. Live It.

Colorado Mountain Homes are widely available but finding something that is a custom home, within 30 minutes of a town, easy drive time in a day from Texas, Oklahoma or New Mexico and stunning views is rare indeed. Here is a very special find of 80 acres that can be purchased as a whole or in part. Take a few minutes and read through this blog post for features & photos of this special ranch.

With 80 acres of rolling hills, meadows and a ponderosa pine scented forest the scenery is stunning. Off to the West is a view that will never change thanks to a Conservation Easement on a large bordering ranch.

The opportunity to own a gentlemans ranch with a large home as well as an old barn and guest house is rare. Finding a ranch like this that has been manicured and operated from the heart is a different story. The look and feel of the ranch is obvious from the drive up off the county road as you meander up to the cabin & barn. Taking off up the road to the main house it feels like you are entering your own private Colorado. Watch for wildlife because these meadows are where they call home.

Southern charm meets Colorado architecture and views with not only a wrap-around covered porch but the look of antique charm and custom touches bring together a work of art that truly defines a custom Colorado ranch home. With over 5,700 square feet there is room for everyone and a workshop every woodworker will envy.

Walking through the front door the two story great room opens up to a view that is breathtaking. The woodwork throughout the house is but one example of the quality and custom touches found here.

With the Great Room concept the living room opens to the dining room & kitchen creating a fabulous area for entertaining as well as the covered deck access from here.

A main level master bedroom and office as well as the upstairs loft library and bedrooms give multiple areas for family & friends to come and stay. Downstairs is a walk-out basement with additional bedrooms, wet bar and a huge workshop. With so much to offer the ranch has to be seen in person to fully grasp it.

80 acres listed at $1,350,000 with main house, guest house and barn is available for purchase all or in part. Call or email for details.

Property Inspections

by Dena Stevens on January 30, 2011

It's traditional for buyers to inspect a property before purchasing it. But with the high supply and the low demand

Arkansas River

for houses it might be in a sellers best interest to have an inspection done before listing a property. Why?

If a seller is aware of any impeding issues before an offer is made and before the buyer does their inspection, time is on the sellers side. And the seller can then fix any issues on their schedule, not the buyers. Instead of rushing to get the list of problems fixed the seller can take their time in fixing the problem and maybe saving some money in the process. Usually a buyers inspection will cost the seller some money, rush the seller and maybe even kill the deal.

So if you are thinking of selling your Pueblo, Canon City area house think about getting a qualified inspector to look at it first. Get the problems fixed, save some money and make your house a better choice for a buyer.

For a list of home inspectors in the Pueblo, Canon City, Colorado City area contact Dena Stevens. Compare these inspectors by price, availability and services offered.

FHA Bank Owned Properties under $100,000 are available in the Pueblo and Royal Gorge areas. For first time buyers this means there are deals to be had! The Pueblo MLS has 19 houses and the Royal Gorge MLS has 5 listings. Most are with into Pueblo and Canon City, however a few are in outlaying areas.

Finish the story here and download property lists : http://www.realestatecoloradostyle.com/fha-bank-owned-houses-under-100000

Here are the Pueblo West real estate statistics for 4th Quarter 2010, 10/1/2010-12/31/2010. The figures in parenthesis are from the same time period in 2009. The properties on market figures do NOT include properties under contract.

SINGLE FAMILY
Of the 95 Single Family Sold, 94 were single family homes with 1 condo.

Residential homes sold 4th quarter by price:

9 < $100K
30 between $100-150K
29 between $150-200K
15 between $200-250K
12 over $250K

Residential homes sold 4th quarter by Pueblo West MLS location.

[To describe the Multiple List Service area breakdown, Pueblo West Acreage includes those lots on one acre (+) on the south side of Highway 50, not including the Golf Course area (which has smaller lot sizes), Liberty Point (the areas adjacent to Pueblo Lake boundaries) or Pueblo West East (generally areas east of the first McCulloch with smaller lot sizes). There are two designated manufactured home park areas which are on smaller lots, one on the north side and one on the south side of Highway 50.]

25 Pueblo West Acreage
17 Pueblo West East
11 Pueblo West Golf Course
5 Pueblo West Liberty Point
5 Pueblo West Manufactured Homes
32 Pueblo West N of Highway 50

Over 70% of the homes sold in Pueblo West during the fourth quarter were under $200K reflecting Pueblo West's affordability over Colorado Springs to the north and also reflecting the number of discounted homes due to short sale or foreclosure. Of the 56 residential properties pending sale, 12 are awaiting short sale approval from lender.

MULTI-FAMILY

The 1 multi-family home that sold this quarter was a duplex which sold for $166K. If you can get a loan (or are able to pay cash), it's a great time to purchase investment properties.

VACANT LOTS

Vacant lots sold 4th quarter by Pueblo West MLS location:

2 Pueblo West Acreage
1 Pueblo West East
0 Pueblo West Golf Course
0 Pueblo West Liberty Point
0 Pueblo West Manufactured Homes
5 Pueblo West N of Highway 50

Lot sales continue to reflect the depressed building situation with prices trending downward. If you live in Pueblo West or are a local builder and if you are interested in a particular lot because it is adjacent to your property or you want to build, give me a call. I've talked to many lot owners who want to sell but have decided not to place their lot on the market at this time.

To recap 2010, the residential home sales spiked during the time the $8000 tax credit was available to buyers. However, despite the tax credit, Pueblo West home sales were down overall from the previous year. Sales of vacant lots were down nearly 20% which means that new home starts were less than during 2009. Foreclosure and short sales continue to depress market value. However, now is still a good time to purchase a home. Mortgage rates are expected to slowly increase during 2011. If you plan on selling this year, your house must be in tip-top shape to get the best possible sales price. If you think you've cleaned and de-cluttered enough, go back and clean and de-clutter some more! Complete all deferred maintenance projects, clean out your septic system if you have one, have your insurance company check your roof for hail damage, and if you are still on propane-convert to natural gas.

This will be my last blog for a while. I'm looking at new opportunities outside the real estate world!

All the best,
Deb