Pueblo West, CO

With Thanksgiving next week, now is a time to reflect on all the positives in our lives. Studies have shown that people who regularly express gratitude have a higher sense of well-being. Be grateful for what you have!

If you are cooking the big bird and accompaniments this holiday, remember that our higher altitude may require some cooking adjustments. Liquids evaporate faster, boiling occurs at lower temperatures, and baked goods will rise faster. You may have to add more liquid, less sugar or less baking powder in baked goods. Refer to high-altitude directions on packaged products and consult a cookbook for your particular holiday recipe.

Two Pueblo West churches are providing free Thanksgiving dinner to all.

• The Pueblo West Baptist Church at 180 Croyden Drive (one block south of the Pueblo West VFW post off Spaulding) will provide dinner on Saturday, Nov 21, noon-2pm. See http://www.pueblowestbaptistchurch.com/2009_11_01_archive.html.
• The Oasis Christian Church will hold Thanksgiving dinner at the Pueblo West Shrine Club from 2-4pm on Thanksgiving Day. Make reservations by Nov 23 by calling 647-8088. See http://www.theoasischristianchurch.com.

And if you want to walk off the pounds you think you may gain at Thanksgiving dinner, the Pueblo YMCA is sponsoring their 1^st Annual Turkey Trot; a free 1-K kids fun run and a (not-free) 5-K run/walk at 9am on Turkey Day. For more info and to register visit http://puebloymca.org.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Deb

Veterans Day is November 11. Please say thank you to all the men and women who served or who are currently serving in our Armed Forces.

Pueblo Veteran's Day Events

Veterans Day Parade: Pueblo's Veteran's Day Parade will take place at 10 a.m. Nov. 7 beginning at Union Avenue and B Street. The Veteran's Day Parade is free. The parade route will follow Union Avenue beginning at B Street and Union Avenue heading down Union Avenue to First Street, left on First Street ending at Greenwood.

Veterans Lunch: The Ladies Auxiliary to VFW Post No. 5812 will host a free lunch for veterans on Nov. 7 from noon to 3 p.m. All service members are welcome to attend. Family, friends and the public are welcome to enjoy the Veterans lunch for $5. VFW Post No. 5812 is located at 127 E. Spaulding Ave, Pueblo West.

Applebee's Invites All Veterans & Active Duty Military to Eat Free on Veterans Day

In recognition of service to our country, all veterans and active duty military personnel are invited to eat free at Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar Restaurants this Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009. Applebee's launched a pilot program last year on Veterans Day offering free entrees to military service personnel and veterans. Because the response was so overwhelmingly positive, Applebee's is extending the invitation nationwide this year.

Proof of former or current service required. Proof includes: U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card, U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement, Veterans Organization Card, photograph in uniform or wearing uniform. For additional details, visit: http://www.applebees.com/vetsday/.

Deb Jones, ABR, CRS, GRI, e-PRO
Realtor with Merit Co., Inc.
http://www.DebJones.com
http://www.MyPuebloWest.com
1-719-440-6202 - Email: Deb@DebJones.com
Real Estate Assistance in the Pikes Peak Region

Can you believe all of this snow and winter weather we've been having? A little early for me! However, the snow should be gone to celebrate Halloween on Saturday.

Halloween Bash: The Pueblo West Parks and Recreation Department will hold a Halloween Bash at Lovell Park on Oct. 31 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on ball field No. 1 and is free to all who attend.

Participants will receive a treat when they arrive and are invited to participate in carnival games, cake walks and a costume contest, which will begin at 3 p.m.

In case of inclement weather, the Halloween Bash will be moved inside to Pueblo West Middle School and will be held from 5-7 p.m.

Deb

This week was the Colorado Association of Realtor's annual convention at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. The convention is always a great time to meet realtors from across the state, attend continuing education classes, and view what's new at the vendor displays. It was a little disappointing that so few people attended the convention - out of about 24,000 Colorado realtors, less than 1000 attended the convention. A sign of the bad economic times I guess. One interesting thing I did learn at the convention was something that is happening in our own backyard!

I met Larry Belkin, President of Encore Communities USA. His company is developing a master planned community near the Walking Stick Vista Golf Club and Colorado State University-Pueblo. Walking Stick Vista will be a community of Tuscan Villas and Luxury Homes in a "relaxed environment" that will be closer to the amenities that Pueblo has to offer. Larry told me that they plan to have a new exit off of I-25 that will lead to the community and he says that he hopes to have some model homes completed by the end of the year. Larry also said that they will target Pueblo West homeowners who may be ready to give up their 1-acre lots for a home closer to town. You can view what's being planned at: http://www.walkingstickvista.com/. I can't wait to see what they have planned - sounds great!

Deb

Here are the Pueblo West real estate statistics for 3rd Quarter 2009, 7/1/2009-9/30/2009

Of the 141 Single Family Sold, 2 were condo/townhomes.

Residential homes sold 3^rd quarter by price

14 < $100K
44 between $100-150K
46 between $150-200K
23 between $200-250K
14 over $250K

Residential homes sold 3rd 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 are usually 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.]:

35 - Pueblo West Acreage
28 - PuebloWest East
22 - Pueblo West Golf Course
4 - Pueblo West Liberty Point
11 - Pueblo West Manufactured Homes
41 - Pueblo West N of Highway 50

Generally speaking, residential sales are up but inventory is down. I attribute the increased residential sales to first-time-homebuyers making a purchase to take advantage of the $8000 tax credit which currently expires November 30. Residential sales are still below last years sales levels.

Vacant lots sold 3rd quarter by Pueblo West MLS location:

3 - Pueblo West Acreage
4 - Pueblo West East
1 - Pueblo West Golf Course
4 - Pueblo West Liberty Point
7 - Pueblo West N of Highway 50

Vacant lot sales remain steady but at lower levels. There's just not that much building going on. Many of our local builders have closed their sales offices and ceased building spec homes. The number of homes in the year's Parade of Homes was much lower than previous years. However the number of vacant lots on the market has gone up. Vacant lot sellers have told me that they want to sell their lots since they don't plan on developing the lots or moving to Colorado and they are hoping to sell in order to get some cash. Most of the lot sellers I've talked to live in our country's mid section (Ohio, Michigan, Illinois) where marketing efforts were concentrated when Robert McCulloch first developed Pueblo West. 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.

Deb