Kristal Kraft ~Denver Real Estate~303-589-2022

Parking Your Plane In Denver

100 Real Estate & Relocation Tips in 100 Days (Day 59)

The Metro Denver area has 5 airports, including the military airfield at Buckley Air force Base. Unless you need to park an F-16, we will limit our discussion to the other 4 civilian facilities.

Denver International Airport

First and foremost is the areas enormous commercial facility, Denver International Airport (DEN). Located to the northeast of downtown, a 45 minute cab ride away, the unmistakable architecture of the Jeppesen Terminal is a centerpiece for the 6 all weather runways, including a 16,000 foot long, 200 hundred feet wide monster designed to assist the heaviest, fully loaded airplanes in existence to climb into the thin Denver air bound for London or Tokyo. DIA was ranked as the 5th busiest airport in the country, and 13th in the world in 2008. Denver's airport is the largest in the country at 54 square miles, and the second largest in the world. It was designed to accommodate growth well past the year 2050.

Although primarily an airport for commercial air traffic, the facility can accommodate business aviation, and Signature Flight Support operates a business terminal (FBO) at DIA.

Centennial Airport

Signature Flight Support operates another FBO at Centennial Airport, (KAPA). Located southeast of central Denver in Arapahoe County, Centennial is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world, and it "biz-jet" activity rivals many major airports. In addition to Signature, the airport is served by 4 other fixed base operators. Centennial maintains 24 hour, all weather operation, operating one 10,000 foot runway along with 2 shorter runways. The FAA operates a 24 hour control tower, and there is 24/7 U.S. Customs Service at the facility.

Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport

RMMA is located northwest of downtown Denver, midway to Boulder Colorado. The FAA maintains a control tower that operates from 0600 to 2200 hours 7 days a week, although the airport is operational 24 hours a day. The longest runway is 9000 feet, which easily accommodates the large firefighting aircraft which utilize the field at times. There are 2 FBO's on site and U.S. Customs officers during the day, Monday through Friday.

Front Range Airport

Located east of the city, and just south of the approach zone for Denver International, Front Range Airport serves general aviation needs. Envisioned as a cargo reliever airport for DIA, the facility has two 8000 foot runways, and operates with an FAA licensed control tower from 0700 to 2100 hours. There is a FBO at the airport, but no customs facilities.

Real Estate Open Houses and Who Represents Who in Colorado

100 Real Estate and Relocation Tips in 100 Days (Day 64)

Realtors® have been hosting “Open Houses” since, well, since there were Realtors® and houses. The concept of the “Open House” is simple and twofold, first, to showcase the property to anyone with interest, and, second, to acquire prospective buyers. With the application of “agency law” to the real estate business, some clarification is in order.

Regarding the “showcasing” aspect of any open house, if is important for the Realtor and consumer to understand the law and the practical application of the law. The consumer should understand that every state is different regarding the fine points of agency law. In most states, it is the obligation of the Realtor® (licensee) to inform the consumer as to the licensee’s agency relationship with the seller. In Colorado, if the licensee represents the seller, that licensee cannot represent a buyer for that particular property.

The consumer should understand the licensee showing the home is not working in the consumer’s behalf, at least not in that particular home.
If, as a prospective buyer, you decide to you like the Realtor® showcasing the house, and want to work with that Realtor®, you may employ that Realtor® to work with you as your agent. That is an the second reason a Realtor will conduct an open house, that is, to acquire buyers.

The really important part of this whole subject is that licensee’s, or Realtors®, should disclose to every consumer the agency laws that affect the business relationship between themselves and the consumers. Consumers not hearing and receiving a discussion regarding disclosure early on in a potential relationship should continue their search for a Realtor®.

Where to Park your Money When Relocating to Denver

100 Real Estate & Relocation Tips in 100 Days (Day 63)

With today's electronic banking systems, many people leave their money where they came from.

Other folk like to establish a banking relationship close to their new home. Of course, there are also credit unions, many of which are national in scope, that serve many government and corporate employees, and remain a viable banking alternative for many of us.

If you would like to establish a local bank account, there are plenty of banks to choose from. Wells Fargo is the largest bank in Colorado as measured by deposits, but this huge national bank is really based in California. Other nationally recognized banks include U.S. Bank, J.P Morgan Chase, and UMB Bank. The superregional banks are represented by Bank of the West, Vectra Bank, and TCF Bank.

Of course there are many local banks, the largest of which is First Bank, with others being Citywide Banks, American National Bank, and Colorado Bank and Trust.
The largest local credit unions are Bellco, Westerra, and Elevations Credit Union.

Of course, there are many more banks and credit unions, too many to list here. For an unbiased list, the Denver Business Journal publishes results of their annual business study, including banks, in The Book of Lists. The Colorado Bankers Association may be a resource, but they are biased toward banks. For most routine commercial banking needs, selecting one of the larger banks may be just fine. For more specialized needs, such as trust services, you may wish to check with the Colorado Bankers Association.

Since branch banking become the norm in Colorado in the late 1990's, you do not have to travel far to locate a bank, including many super markets.

Relocation to Colorado requires A Colorado Driver's Exam and Vehicle Registration

100 Real Estate and Relocation Tips in 100 Days (Day 58)

If you are just passing through our beautiful state, we are glad to have you, and there are no special requirements for a privately owned vehicle or its driver. Of course you do have to adhere to the Colorado laws affecting the operation of a motor vehicle, which are probably like the rules of the road where you live now. (HEADS UP- Legislation effective July 1, 2009 makes it illegal to drive while talking or texting in a motor vehicle unless you have a hands free device.)

If you are moving your residence to Colorado, you must obtain a Colorado Drivers License within 30 days, and register your vehicle within 90 days. Vehicle registration and driver licensing are performed by separate entities, and require visits to different locations.

Let's start with your driver's license. That document is issued by the state of Colorado, so you will want to prepare for any necessary examination by obtaining a drivers handbook, which can be downloaded . The handbook is also available in Spanish, and there are versions for motorcycles and commercial licensing. Once you are familiar with the Colorado rules, you can find the nearest licensing location . The state website requires a little drilling to find everything you may need, but the site is well done and informative.

Automobile registration is a function of your county of residence, however, the information you need to register your vehicle of locate the vehicle registration office is located on the same site as driver licensing.

You now have the access points for everything you need to know about driving and vehicles in Colorado. Drive safely!