Lisa VonBargen Estes Park Real Estate Expert

Greetings from Estes Park!

One of the things we encounter in real estate is the thought that "I wish I would have bought that property 10 years ago!" The price was great, interest rates were better and now it would be worth that much more. Wishful thinking in a typical market, however...

George Harvey is a friend of mine and a very successful REALTOR in Telluride, Colorado. He will be the president of the Colorado Association of REALTORS next year, and he made the headline statement at the winter meetings in Denver a few weeks back. I think he's absolutely right, we have a rare opportunity at this moment to "buy 10 years ago right now". Interest rates are low, prices are good...so NOW is the time! Whether you're looking for a residence, second home in the mountains, rental income or commercial property or just looking for an alternative to the stock market, NOW is a fantastic opportunity to buy real estate!

Greetings from Estes Park!

For the second year, another local business and The Yellow Mailbox Real Estate Services have co-sponsored a Valentine's Day "Road Show" featuring a barbershop quartet called the "Senior Moments" and my sons delivering cards made by their classmates at the Estes Park Elementary School.

We started out at Prospect Park Living Center, our local nursing home, then made our way to the Good Samaritan Village and finished things up at the Estes Park Senior Center. I'm not sure who had more fun, the barbershop quartet in one car and me and my kids in another racing from location to location, or the senior citizens being serenaded by the barbershop quartet and receiving the cute elementary school cards!

Greetings from Estes Park!

With the tax credits available for first-time homebuyers, and interest rates being so low, now is a great time to purchase a home in Estes Park. I was fortunate to be part of an Estes Park Housing Authority symposium regarding the need for attanable/affordable housing in our area. Since we are a resort town, our prices are above USDA and FHA upper limits. That motivated me to initiate a program for downpayment assistance for the working families of Estes Park. The Board of REALTORS, in conjunction with the Housing Authority, are setting up a non-profit foundation that can receive CARHOF funds, monies from Estes Park Board of REALTORS fundraisers and local donations to aid families in purchasing a market value home that can be above the USDA/FHA limits. I am hoping that we will be ready for our first recipient by the end of the summer!

Greetings from Estes Park and the Rocky Mountains!

My family and I wish you and yours a beautiful holiday! Lisa VonBargen, The Yellow Mailbox Real Estate Services

Greetings!

Yesterday, my real estate company sponsored two groups of school kids in a Christmas visit to the retirees at Good Samaritan Village in Estes Park. My 5th grade son's class, with the efforts and support of his art teacher, Valerie Bowles and his home room teacher, Caroline Evans, made ornaments in art class to pass out to the seniors.

The Middle School group that sang Christmas songs to the seniors is called "Friends of Rachel" and was started by the friends of one of the Columbine shooting victims in Denver. The concept of the group is to create happiness for others and inspire them to do the same, creating a widening circle of goodwill. Nice.

My son promised the 50 kids that I would provide lunch, so I ordered 13 pizzas from our local favorite, Village Pizza, and the kids snarfed them ALL before their lunchtime performance in the Good Sam dining room. (I was hoping for at least one leftover pizza so I wouldn't have to worry about dinner....)

The event will be in the local papers with the cute kid photos...it was a great way to promote my business, allow 50 kids to volunteer and bring handmade gifts and music to senior citizens. That was a win/win!

The photo is of my son, Zachary, with one of the Good Sam residents...Happy Holidays from Lisa and The Yellow Mailbox Real Estate Services!