Could the Center for Disease Control and Preventions blog post, "Preparedness 101- Zombie Apocalypse" be the best blog post of 2011?
Just before Christmas, I was at a BierWerks, a pub in Woodland Park listening to the Mike Maddux Band. All of the people in my group loved to run and we talked a lot about running. Then, one of the ladies in my group, an engineer, started talking about the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) article about preparing for a zombie apocalypse. She wondered could a zombie apocalypse really occur. Now, a lot of the Army guys I work with LOVE talking about zombies and how they would fight them. They get so excited about it that you would think that zombies are real. Generally, I’ve always just kind of tuned them out. Zombies aren’t really real. Are they? Anyway, the engineer’s comments about the CDC peaked my curiosity.
The next day I did a Google search. Sure enough there really was a blog post last May about preparing for a Zombie Apocalypse. The post was so popular that at one point that the blog's server crashed. And…..7 months later people are sitting in a bar talking about a Center for Disease Control blog post.
The blog, released just before hurricane season on May 16 by Dr. Ali Khan, was designed to be a “tongue in cheek campaign to engage new audiences in disaster preparation. See: Preparedness-101 ZombieApocalypse, It turned out to be a wildly successful.As of today, the post had 700 comments. Prior to the blog post, the CDC reportedly had 12,000 followers on Twitter. Two days after the post, they had 1.2 million followers. As of today, the CDC has over 1.325 million Twitter followers. http://twitter.com/CDCemergency

Why has this blog post been so popular? The pictures? The great disaster preparedness checklist? The zombie history? The humor behind it?
How can this post help us in the real estate community?
1. Do you have a disaster preparedness kit in your car? At home? If not, this might be a great attainable New Years Resolution. http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/
2. Do you know who the target audience is that you are trying to reach with your blog? Are your blog posts geared towards that audience? Be willing to think out of the box.
Yesterday, an October snow storm swept through the Colorado Springs area. Fortunately, I did not have to deal with any crises since my water pipes had been wrapped and the tender plants were in. After having lived in College Station, Texas, where it rarely snows, I thought the snow was pretty exciting.
Granted, I was disappointed that I had to work. I would rather have been able to enjoy the snowy day at home with a cup of hot chocolate and a toasty fire. I still managed to take a few photos.
The snow and the cold weather makes me look forward to catching up on some of the indoor chores that I've put off.
It makes me look forward to the rapidly approaching holidays. It makes me look forward to planning for next year. The first snow makes me realize that winter has arrived.
What does the first snow mean to you?
This "Rearing Horse" sculpture, by Don Green, is one of my favorite sculptures that I have found in the Colorado Springs area. It is located between Centennial Hall and the Pikes Peak Fine Arts Center in downtown Colorado Springs.
I know the economy has been tough, but that doesn't mean that you have to stop planning and dreaming. Could your home simply benefit from a little updating or new landscaping? Is your house or apartment allowing you to live each day to the fullest or is it cramping your style? If you have children, is your home located in a good school district?
Do you have enough room to entertain family and friends? Is it too big or too small? Do you spend too much time commuting? Or, are you ready to get away from the city? Are you dreaming of a quiet place in the country or in the mountains?
Take time to dream. Take time to plan for the future.

This morning, I took this photograph from my porch at the Cactus Creek Ranch. The Cactus Creek Ranch is located midway between Colorado Springs and Pueblo. The ranch offers a horse motel and full care horse boarding.
Colorado: See It. Experience It. Live It.
Kit Carson was a trapper, scout, Indian agent, solider, and a rancher. He was an authentic legend of the West even prior to his death.

Kit Carson’s legacy is carries on. Fort Carson, the Army post in Colorado Springs, was named in honor of him.

Kit Caron (1809 -1868)
Colorado Springs: See It. Experience It. Live It.
Despite all the doom and gloom that you hear on the news, land IS selling in the Colorado Springs area. In fact, 7 more land transactions closed this year between June 1 and Sept. 29 as compared to the same time period last year. Over the last four months, 34 land transactions closed as compared to 27 last year. Additionally, more expensive tracts have been selling this year.
The source of my data is from the Pikes Peak MLS. It may not include all transactions that occurred. For a sale to qualify to be listed in this particular snapshot, the land had to be in El Paso County and be a minimum of two acres.

Land values in the Colorado Springs area vary GREATLY based on location and whether or not the property is in a subdivision. For example, the rolling plains properties sell for significantly less per acre than the mountain properties.
Other factors that affect price include the quality of road access, fencing and the availability of water and utilities.
Land Sales June 1 – Sept 29, 2011
| Sold Date | MLS # | City/Town | Acres | List Price | Sold Price |
Cumulative DOM |
|||
| 6/1/2011 | 551006 | Yoder | 33.45 | 24,000 | 20,000 | 429 | |||
| 6/3/2011 | 619974 | Colorado Springs | 2.5 | 95,000 | 85,000 | 277 | |||
| 6/7/2011 | 757687 | Colorado Springs | 2.23 | 650,000 | 650,000 | 326 | |||
| 6/8/2011 | 649500 | Monument | 5.36 | 149,000 | 138,000 | 7 | |||
| 6/15/2011 | 763137 | Peyton | 2.51 | 57,000 | 57,000 | 45 | |||
| 6/16/2011 | 437488 | Colorado Springs | 6.64 | 175,000 | 167,500 | 723 | |||
| 6/16/2011 | 673066 | Monument | 2.5 | 75,000 | 70,000 | 210 | |||
| 6/17/2011 | 660409 | Colorado Springs | 5.01 | 100,000 | 92,000 | 373 | |||
| 6/20/2011 | 638439 | Colorado Springs | 2.5 | 175,000 | 150,000 | 95 | |||
| 6/27/2011 | 657928 | Colorado Springs | 35.07 | 378,000 | 300,000 | 511 | |||
| 6/29/2011 | 651031 | Colorado Springs | 2.5 | 95,000 | 75,000 | 277 | |||
| 6/29/2011 | 668060 | Fountain | 4.85 | 137,900 | 122,000 | 321 | |||
| 6/30/2011 | 622179 | Monument | 2.5 | 180,000 | 180,000 | 1428 | |||
| 7/5/2011 | 648884 | Peyton | 39.31 | 85,000 | 167,000 | 54 | |||
| 7/6/2011 | 665712 | Colorado Springs | 4.53 | 200,000 | 185,000 | 312 | |||
| 7/28/2011 | 664961 | Colorado Springs | 3.61 | 88,000 | 80,000 | 78 | |||
| 7/28/2011 | 744789 | Peyton | 5.11 | 150,000 | 130,000 | 20 | |||
| 7/28/2011 | 674534 | Peyton | 5 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 279 | |||
| 7/29/2011 | 679322 | Chipita Park | 35 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 259 | |||
| 8/11/2011 | 666154 | Colorado Springs | 2.5 | 99,000 | 75,000 | 538 | |||
| 8/15/2011 | 780829 | Peyton | 5.49 | 69,000 | 60,000 | 7 | |||
| 8/16/2011 | 663820 | Black Forest | 5.16 | 210,000 | 190,000 | 145 | |||
| 8/18/2011 | 640862 | Monument | 2.51 | 190,000 | 130,000 | 127 | |||
| 8/19/2011 | 619580 | Monument | 2.84 | 82,500 | 65,000 | 274 | |||
| 8/26/2011 | 504853 | Colorado Springs | 160 | 1,040,000 | 1,000,000 | 188 | |||
| 8/26/2011 | 602346 | Yoder | 35.52 | 19,500 | 16,000 | 184 | |||
| 8/30/2011 | 522860 | Colorado Springs | 23.52 | 385,000 | 350,000 | 306 | |||
| 8/31/2011 | 566743 | Monument | 3.28 | 212,000 | 212,000 | 1149 | |||
| 9/2/2011 | 670596 | Colorado Springs | 40 | 27,995 | 22,500 | 44 | |||
| 9/7/2011 | 497838 | Colorado Springs | 2.64 | 385,000 | 230,000 | 1145 | |||
| 9/23/2011 | 620072 | Colorado Springs | 5.06 | 89,900 | 78,000 | 189 | |||
| 9/28/2011 | 742432 | Peyton | 5 | 69,900 | 62,000 | 10 | |||
| 9/29/2011 | 784163 | Monument | 2.78 | 169,000 | 150,000 | 74 | |||
| 9/29/2011 | 666726 | Peyton | 5.01 | 87,500 | 75,000 | 120 |
The property that sold for the most per acre was in the highly sought after area of the Broadmoor Hotel.
The 160 acre tract was in El Paso County. However, it had to be accessed via Rampart Range Rd in Woodland Park, Teller County. It is a very nice property. The photograph above was taken on that property. (No, my client was not the buyer.)
The source of this data is from the Pikes Peak MLS. It may not include all transactions that occurred. For a sale to qualify to be listed in this snapshot, the land had to be in El Paso County and be a minimum of two acres.
For more detailed information, please contact your Realtor. If you are not working with a Realtor, do not hesitate to call or email me. I'll be glad to help you however I can.
Colorado Springs: See It. Experience It. Live It.
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