In the spirit of expressing gratitude, my Thankful Thursdays will highlight someone or something worth sharing with you.
This past Thursday I was invited to attend the ‘Word Play Literacy Theatre’ benefit for the Education and Life Training Center. The event featured community leaders sharing a piece of literature or story that inspired them and related to the ELTC’s mission of literacy, inspiration and education.
The highlight of the night for me was the sharing of Jane Sullivan’s story about her husband and a beautiful letter from a soldier to his wife in the Civil War. The story left me breathless and teary but so deeply touched by the simple act of sharing something so personal and so real.
I’m a huge fan of enabling those around me and ELTC is an organization that does just that. I could go on about them (and will – just ask!) but am so deeply thankful for a night of inspiration and for the ongoing work that they do in our community.
Thank you ELTC for A Wonderful Evening!
Is there something that you are thankful for? Please share! Guest bloggers welcomed or just share it in the comments below.Part of my love affair with Fort Collins has to do with the wonderful people who live here. If there is someone who you just love (or if you share the love for someone I mention here), let me know!As always, my door is always open. Stop by and say hello or join me for a Mugs Coffee!Call Dee at 970-460-4006 |
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One of the high interest items discussed this Tuesday at the ‘State of the City’ address by Fort Collins Mayor Doug Hutchinson and City Manager Darin Atteberry was in regards to the oft-rumored Mason Corridor project. While the past years proposal was for a light rail system that was not economically feasible or aligned with the city growth plan, the revised plan for a Express Bus Rapid transit (EBR) has been approved and is in development.
Easier transportation from South to North Fort Collins, CSU student access from an expanded area of Fort Collins (easing the concentration of rentals in the College area) and a decrease of traffic along College avenue. Continued Fort Collins accolades bring a greater influx of new residents and this plan will help to eliminate the increasing traffic on the one major North-South artery (287/College).
Homeowners along Mason and Howes will see an increase in property value as commercial viability improves along that corridor. Those within a certain ‘right of way’ margin may also be approached by the City for inclusion with the project. We have already seen an increase in interest for investors looking to get ahead of the wave.
Business owners along Mason and Howes will not be moved as has been rumored, nor will they be required to make substantial adjustments to facilitate project development. They will also undoubtedly see growth from an additional source of customer traffic.
The project will involve the expansion of Mason to allow for two-way traffic as well as the already accomplished change over of Howes to two-way in Old Town. Pedestrian and Bicycle paths, as well as safe crossings, will be implemented into the planned expansion. In addition, a new South Transit Center is to be constructed south of Harmony Road.
Status
The project – currently titled the MAX Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridor (whew – say that ten times fast!) – is in the final design phase. This design includes amendments to Harmony, Horsetooth, Swallow and Bay Farm Stations.
I, for one, am excited to see what changes are in store for us over the next two years and was impressed with the consideration and foresight the City has put into its implementation.
I will keep this post updated as new information becomes available but feel free to check the City of Fort Collins website.
*Images are the property of Melissa Worth Design. Check her portfolio here for other fantastic design work.
I’d like to congratulate the Crews family on the purchase of a Nunn acreage with lots of room to grow! I previewed this fantastic deal on my blog last month and am delighted to have been able to match this great house with this great friend.
Taunya, it was a pleasure to work with you and you get a gold star for sticking through the challenges and keeping your eye on the prize. I wish you many years of enjoyment and am so excited to watch the property transform into your dream ranch. As you said “it’s about time!”.
Whether you are looking for that perfect horse property or a more suburban home, I’d love to play matchmaker for you as well. Let me put my skills and tenacity to work for you!
It's getting almost mundane to list the many, many 'Top ##’ awards that Fort Collins has been chosen to be a part of but I'll share one more with you as it reflects what many of us believe. Fort Collins has been selected as one of the Top 10 Real Estate markets to thrive in 2011. Honestly, we've been doing fairly well the last few years despite the downturn and are already seeing some exciting momentum building and confidence returning.
If you are looking for a great town to relocate to, there is a reason that Fort Collins is constantly getting accolades. It's a vibrant, active city with a rich art scene, limitless options for the outdoor or sport enthusiast and a lot of intellectual talent. The community in general is open, friendly and very laid back. What more could you ask for?
Image: Trulia.com
Families who can afford a home: 78.0%
2000-2010 job growth: 11.7%
2000-2009 net migration: NA
Why Fort Collins is unique: Fort Collins, a college town, will grow both jobs and population over the next year, continuing the trajectory it’s been on for the last decade. Low crime, high education rate, and low cost of doing business have caused Fort Collins to attract attention as a city likely to come out of the recession unscathed.
Home you can buy right now: $1.9 million mountain and lakeside six bedroom, reduced from $2.4 million
Data from Trulia uses National Assoc. of Home Builders affordability estimates, Praxis Strategy Group job data and Census migration data. Commentary by Trulia's Tara-Nicholle Nelson.
Sometimes it’s the little things that sells a home. A beautiful chandelier, a well planned cabinet or the perfect shade tree out front.
On the other hand, sometimes you see a ‘little thing’ like this:
.. and start calculating how much money you’ll need to budget for CLR and shower cleaner. That beautiful pattern on the glass is rust from the well water in that area. Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference (both good AND bad) when buying and selling a home.
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Social Media Addict, Hiker, Weekend Remodeler, Horsewoman, Entrepreneur, Recovering Perfectionist, MTB Lover, Clumsy Goofball & Fort Collins Real Estate Broker (not necessarily in that order!)
** Visit our Team Blog for Updated Content **
Leslie was raised on a horse ranch in Phoenix, AZ before moving to Colorado to attend CSU (go Rams!). She grew up watching her parents investing in Real Estate and was naturally drawn to the opportunity to work for a local home builder and then to pursue building her own business in Northern Colorado Real Estate. In the six years since, Leslie has made a pretty big name for herself in Northern Colorado Real Estate and received numerous awards and accolades.
Leslie is excited to welcome her first child with husband Jacob this year and looks forward to continuing to grow the NoCo Home Team based on client education, integrity and bulldog negotiations.
Nickname: "The Negotiator"
Likes: Meeting new people, Rotties, Jacobs homebrew, oversalted tortilla chips and winning ;).
Dee was raised on a horse ranch but also spent many summers in her fathers Real Estate offices in Southern California. She moved to Colorado four years ago and finally embraced the family business in order to combine her passions for home improvement, technology and community building. Dee worked closely with Leslie over the past year to utilize her technology background in building communications and home search solutions to provide the best service possible to our clients.
Recently married, Dee and her husband Jeff are huge DIY project junkies, boaters and equestrians (or Jeff is trying to be). Dee is focused on building a strong Real Estate business based on honesty, accountability and all things ‘geek’.
Nickname: "The Geek"
Likes: Repurposing projects, Coyote Gold, silly pets and anyone who can use parsimonious in a sentence.
With more than 8 years of combined experience and two lifetimes of learning by example, Leslie and Dee bring old fashioned ‘gut’ instincts to play in reaching your home investment goals. The NoCo Home Team operates on a few key promises:
Education - We promise to educate you each step of the way and for years to come. You have the right to be empowered to make informed decisions and its is our number one goal to give you that power.
Integrity - We promise to be forthright, honest and sincere in everything that we do. Reaching your real estate and life goals is our main goal (even when the best thing for you might not be the best thing for us).
Dedication - We promise to ‘do the work’, to push past barriers and to ‘show up’ far beyond the closing table. We are building a business for life and consider you as a partner in that dream.
Communication - We promise to pay attention, find the answers and get back to you right away. Call, tweet, skype, text, google chat or flash the bat signal – we are available to you when you need us, guaranteed.
“I worked with Leslie to buy my first home this last year. As a first time home-buyer, and a single woman, it was important to me that I understood all that was involved in buying my home. Leslie did a wonderful job as my Realtor in setting up a personalized web-page that featured homes in my area that fit my desires, arranging a multitude of showings and being available even at the last minute, articulating to me the purpose of all of the paperwork I signed along the way, and she was even able to offer the names and numbers of local contractors to help me put a new roof on the house I decided to buy. She negotiated well with the seller, was very efficient, responsive, and professional throughout the whole process. I would absolutely choose Leslie's services as a Realtor again in the future.”
Robin Clark
Fort Collins, CO
“I moved to Colorado with the purpose of buying my first home. I met Leslie through a friend at church and we quickly became friends. She sat down with me and explained the home-buying process, answered my questions, and we set up a time-line for each step in the process.
Leslie instructed me on what paperwork I would need to compile for the lender, and referred an awesome lender that she has worked with previously. After getting my loan pre-approved we started house shopping. Leslie offered her honest opinion on each property, including which ones have good selling points for when I want to sell my home.
I decided on a condo I liked and Leslie advised me on what type of offer I should make in order to be reasonable to the sellers, but would also be a good deal for me too. She explained the entire time-line for being “under contract” and referred a building inspector. While under contract she checked in with me consistently to keep me up-to-date on all that was happening.
What I appreciated most about working with Leslie is how smoothly we transitioned through each step so I didn’t have much to worry about. Every step of the way she was very professional and thorough, making it easy for me to place my confidence in her. Because of all this, I will refer any prospective buyers/sellers to Leslie knowing that they will have just as great of an experience working with her as I did.”
Michelle Severino
Fort Collins, CO
It was amazing working with Danielle. I knew she was new to the business but I am all for giving new people a chance. I have been in the mortgage/real estate business for 30 years and I was very impressed with the marketing she did for this property. She introduced things that I would have never thought of for sales options and worked with every potential buyer by going over every option on how it would fit into their resources for purchase or rent.
She was out at [the home] working to improve the property for showings and helping us to improve the value. She went over and above anything that I would have expected and with a smile on her face."
Joyce Bundy
Fort Collins, CO
"Working with Leslie as my Realtor was a great experience. Leslie listened to my needs and wants, offering her professional opinions and insights to partner with me, making me feel comfortable throughout the entire home selling process. Leslie was always professional and kind, and she was extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of the sale. Working with her made the selling process seamless and gave me peace of mind."
Margaret Cho
Sacramento, CA
“Leslie was our Realtor for a recent mountain land transaction. She was very professional to work with and showed enthusiasm and thoroughness in all aspects of our search and eventual closing on 35 acres of mountain land. Even though we took our time in finally making an offer, she was very patient and understood the unique issues of what we were looking for. She responded quickly in all communications and I am sure she is this way with all clients that she works with. If we are in need of a Realtor in the future I'm sure we will depend on Leslie to help us out.”
Kurt Kniegge
Fort Collins, CO
"Leslie represented my husband and I in a purchase of an investment property near CSU in 2009. Not only was she knowledgeable about the buying process in general, but also incredibly well experienced in the investment arena. We felt very well represented as Leslie applied her upbeat attitude and no-nonsense work ethic to our purchase. Her outgoing personality makes her likable, easy to work with and well known in the real estate community, which gets the deal done! Leslie’s experience and professional character make her an asset you’ll want on your team."
Eleesha Guido
Fort Collins, CO
"After months of worrying and fretting through a short sell, I finally just let go and left everything in Leslie’s hands. ( I would recommend that you do the same.) Several months later, I showed up at the closing and that was it. Leslie is diligent, honest, knowledgeable and a good business woman."
Larney Walker (Short Sale)
Wellington, CO
"Leslie was a wonderful Realtor to work with. We were first time home buyers and she answered all of our questions. She was professional and hardworking. We ended up buying a short sale property and Leslie did a lot of hard work with the sellers bank to get the deal to go through. We now love our house because she helped us to find a great fit for our life at a great price. We loved working with her and will go to her again the next time we need a Realtor."
Ryan and Shiloh Racicot
Loveland, CO
"I am a recent first time home buyer. Buying a home is a HUGE step in a person’s life and can be nerve racking. I knew I had to submit personal information so finding someone to trust was an enormous concern. Leslie was the perfect REALTOR for me to help with this transition in my life.
If asked what you'd look for in a Realtor, you'd most likely answer honest, knowledgeable about the housing market, experienced, proactive, personal, good communicator, patient, and hard working. Leslie is ALL of these things. I was so THANKFUL to have the privilege of working with such a trustworthy person as I made this first BIG step in my life. "
Juliana Meik
Greeley, CO
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