Crested Butte, CO

What is going on in Crested Butte Real Estate? This Market Update includes sales from January to June 2009.

Number of properties sold and closed: 42
Total dollar volume: $20,941,307
Average sales price: $498,602
Click here to view SALES

Crested Butte Real Estate

Currently there are 29 properties under contract for a total of $20,236,400. Click here to view.

Prices are down and properties of every kind are plentiful -- it is a good time to buy. Interest rates are still low and the sellers who need to sell are motivated and some are offering screaming deals! To search for properties on our MLS in complete privacy, click here.

If I can serve you or someone you know with anything having to do with Crested Butte, contact me at 970.596.8480. Have a wonderful Summer!

Hello from sunny Crested Butte,

This year's jam-packed July 4th celebration in the Gunnison Valley includes an evening of entertainment for all ages at Mt. Crested Butte. The festivities include the grand opening of the resort's new Adventure Park - complete with climbing tower, bungee trampolines and a year-round synthetic ice rink - as well as BBQ and beer at Butte 66, live music from the Casey James Prestwood Band, and a fireworks finale at dusk.

July 4th Schedule of Events:

1 - 5 pm: Adventure Park's bungee trampolines and bounce house open. Special day-pass pricing for July 4th: $10 for kids; $15 for adults. Price includes all Adventure Park activities as they open throughout the day. Tickets are available for purchase at the Adventure Center located in the Mountaineer Square courtyard. Lift tickets are sold separately.

4 pm: Butte 66 begins BBQ and beer service at the base of CBMR.

5 pm: Adventure Park grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony. Climbing wall and ice rink open for the season; bungee trampolines and bounce house remain open for the evening. The Adventure Park closes at 8 pm.

7 pm: Casey James Prestwood Band plays on the main stage at the base of CBMR.

Dusk: July 4th Fireworks display at Mt. Crested Butte Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and spread out on the lawn, however alcohol will not be permitted outside of area restaurants. Butte 66 and the 9380 decks will be open and both will serve alcoholic beverages on the premises. For more information, visit www.skicb.com.

Thanks for visiting,

Channing Boucher
Visit My Crested Butte Real Estate Guide

View Complete Newsletter Here

Hello from Crested Butte,

Summer is in full swing in Gunnison County. Whitewater boaters, bikers, hikers and summer residents have arrived. I drove by the Blue Mesa Reservoir west of Gunnison last week and I am happy to report the "Mesa" was full to her banks and fishermen's boats dotted the expansive waters of this local recreational prize. I was on my way to the Bootjack Ranch in Pagosa Springs to preview an incredible ranch property listed by Sotheby's International Realty. The $60 million property's 3000+ acres feature amazing forests and valley meadows and includes 7 miles of trout fishing on the West San Juan River. The ranch hosts the Music in the Mountains Classical Music Festival.

I often focus on the Crested Butte and Mt Crested Butte local resort markets but in this edition I included a Gunnison County-wide reflection of sales activity in 2009. We all know the national real estate market has taken a beating over the last year+ and in Gunnison County sales have been flat too. But, the following numbers reveal decent demand for our offerings.

Gunnison Country MLS Real Estate Activity Year to Date:
63 residential transactions and $25 million in sales.
(35 more properties are under contract representing approximately $25 million)

24 land sales and $3.7 million in sales.
(6 more parcels are under contract representing $10+ million)

Busiest Market Area Year to Date:
Mt Crested Butte has realized 17 home sales in 2009.
Gunnison and Rural Gunnison combined for 23 home sales so far this year.

In Lake City, at the south end of our County, the high-end market is emerging from a year long hiatus. There are two properties currently under contract, a 750-acre ranch at $6.9 million and another 32-acre ranch located on the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River at $1.7 million.

Here are some helpful links for summertime events and activities in Crested Butte:

Fat Tire Bike Week & Other Mountain Bike Events - June 24-28
Crested Butte Music Festival - Thru the Month of July
Crested Butte Wildflower Festival - July 6 - 12
Crested Butte Land Trust Wine & Food Festival - July 23-26
Crested Butte Arts Festival - August 1-2

Thanks for reading today!
Channing Boucher
Benson Sotheby's International Realty
Local Knowledge Global Reach

Methinks you just ride your horse on in!

About the photo: The house is located in Crested Butte a mountain town in Colorado where the entire town is a historic district. Crested Butte is also named, "The Wild Flower Capital of Colorado." If you are wanting to find it on a map look in southwest Colorado, it's just north of Gunnison by about 20 miles. Or find Aspen and Crested Butte is sw over the mountain.

The town has a distinct personality, very family friendly, sports oriented place. While we were there, the townsfolk played baseball everynight on 3 different ball parks. Now that might not seem so unusual, but this is at 8085 feet above sea level. For some (like me) just walking and talking (without getting winded) was a feat!

They also have a delightful custom of using bicycles to travel around town. The bikes, which I refer to as "beach cruisers" are referred to as "townies." They are found everywhere around town. I heard many are owned by the city and are available to whomever needs transportation.

The locals have their own and find on occasion the bike turns up missing, assumed to be used to ride home from the bar, but found later on.

If anyone is looking to refer to Crested Butte, I meet a great agent, Trish Giassa who sells Crested Butte Real Estate. She's also on Active Rain.

Today, Crested Butte may very well be Colorado's last, and possibly best, Boom Town. Good and bad times are no strangers to Colorado mountain communities, and over the years this small town has seen its' share of both.
Crested Butte, or CB as the locals call it, was incorporated in 1880 and experienced its first prosperous growth spurt as Colorado's leading mountain coal mining operation. Crested Butte real estate investors became rich. Coal was king until 1954 when the mines played out and eventually closed. Hard economic times hit...but not for long. In 1961, Crested Butte, and its sibling, Mt. Crested Butte, hit real pay dirt...snow! The combination of snow, gravity, and trails cut through the forest on the area's closest mountain, proved to be the perfect combination...Mt. Crested Butte Ski Resort was born. Times were good again. Of course, gravity is available all year around up here, and bikers and hikers take great advantage of Newton's discovery during the summer, too. Quite frankly, it's a toss up as to which season is most enjoyable here in CB...you will have to be the judge.
Here's a secret that locals have known for years...Crested Butte is a great place to live and own property. In the 60's, the town experienced a Boom of a different kind...real estate. And those that got in on the ground floor were extremely happy they did. In fact, through the lean years that are cyclic in mountain towns, it was real estate that held its value when all else failed. Those that missed out buying property at the upswing of prosperous times (the Boom), soon found prices out of reach in the market by waiting. Alas, hindsight is 20/20. But hopefully, potential property owners can learn from the past, and buy when values are somewhat depressed...as in today's market. It's no secret that today's economy has possibly hit bottom. But that means it is on its' way up...that cyclical thing again. So when is the best time to buy? Right now, when sellers are motivated, inventory is plentiful and prices are lower than anytime in recent history. No one can predict when the economy will completely recover (although some say they can), but history has taught us that it will recover...and it will recover in CB with style.
Missed opportunities are just that...missed. In 2004 when CBMR sold their skiing operations to Triple Peaks LLC, an East Coast Ski Company, real estate values jumped 35% overnight, and in some cases more. It was a buying frenzy. No other mountain community in Colorado saw increases that high and that fast. While property values have recently dropped from those levels, it is certain that a base has been established and real estate is poised for another comeback...probably not as dramatic, but it will come back. Recently CNL stepped in and added a strong financial resource to the ski resort.
Don't be another "missed opportunity" statistic. Crested Butte will certainly once again become a Boom Town, and you can be part of it.
Contact me for properties and real estate in Crested Butte, Mt Crested Butte and surrounding area, including single family homes, ski chalets, vacant land, golf course homes, townhomes and condos in Crested Butte. Or, search listings to match your needs at my website.