Breckenridge Associates
Real Estate

Despite historically low snowfall during the 2009-2010 ski season coupled with a challenging economy, Vail Resorts has taken positive strides with their earnings report released today at the close of their fiscal year. Some detailed highlights follow below. The company's CEO, Rob Katz, cited some encouraging signs heading into the 2010-2011 season including: improved season pass sales, the opening of One Ski Hill Place in Breckenridge which adds on-mountain amenities including a 20,000 square foot skier restaurant, the Ski Hill Grill and an après ski venue, the T-Bar as well as the launch of EpicMix, a revolutionary new online, mobile and social media application that allows guests to digitally capture and share their skiing experience. Vail Resorts earnings highlights include: Total Performance * Total net revenue was $868.6 million for Fiscal 2010 compared to $977.0 million in the prior year, an 11.1% decrease. * Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. was $30.4 million, or

It's official, Breckenridge Ski Resort announced this week that it will debut a 22 foot Pipe in their newly made-over Freeway Terrain Park this winter at the ski area. The already "award-winning" park will launch during the Dew Tour, December 16-19, 2010 at the ski resort. The Breckenridge Team Riders will be the first to test out the new pipe and couldn't be more excited. The news of the pipe comes after last year's Olympics, where competitors rode a new and bigger 22 foot pipe. Read more from the Breckenridge Ski Resort here.

The newest luxury home for sale in Breckenridge is the historic Gondola House. They call it the Gondola House for a reason: this is the closest single family home to the new BreckConnect Gondola. This home is also located one-half block from Main Street and overlooks the Blue River for the perfect blend of convenience and comfort. The home boasts 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms in nearly 3000 square feet, but the views of the Breckenridge Ski Resort cannot be matched. Originally built in 1905, the Gondola House was recently remodeled from the foundation up. In 2007 the developers picked up the entire structure and moved it to the vacant lot next door. After excavating a lower, third level and pouring a new foundation they returned the home to its original location and continued with a massive interior renovation. No expense or effort was spared in the construction phase including brand new electrical wiring, new plumbing throughout and new insulation in the walls. The finish details at the

WOW! HERE'S THE DEAL OF THE DAY!! Price just reduced $104,000! 20% in one fell swoop! ! This seller wants it gone for sure, this fall! Could be the deal of the month! This cute threee bedroom cedar chalet sits just 50 yards from the trailhead, where you can click into your bindings and ski down to the chairlift! It's in excellent condition. It rents like crazy, so when you can't be up here, it'll generate $$ for YOU!! I lived on this street for 7 years. Loved it. Nice and quiet. Little or NO through traffic. 5 minutes from downtown Breckenridge. You don't have to worry about parking at the gondola, or anywhere else for that matter. There is a private shuttle that will take you where ever you want to go! Call us on this today!!

Grab your fishing pole and try to catch the big one in "The Tarn", a private community fishing lake just across the highway from this 4 bedroom home listed for sale in Blue River for $625,000, just 2 miles south of Breckenridge Main Street and the Breckenridge Ski Resort. Lots of privacy in your backyard for entertaining or just sit back and relax with your favorite novel amongst Aspen and Pine trees and mountain flowers. Need more action--mountain bike or hike up the road to high country lakes and the Continental Falls.

Fall is upon us. The Aspen trees are starting their annual display of brilliant yellows, oranges and reds. The evenings are cool and the nights, just down-right cold! Yep, the garden hose was frozen yesterday morning! That's the signal for us that it's time to blow out the irrigation, and start picking up stuff you don't want covered up for the winter. Downtown Breckenridge is a little quiet today, but next weekend we are cutting loose with our now, nearly-famous, OCTOBERFEST in September! This is a super fun event, especially if you like to EAT AND DRINK great beer and great food in the sunshine, and sing along with the ooompa band on that silly "ticky tacky ticky tacky ticky tacky, hoy hoy hoy" song. GREAT FUN!!!! YUMMMY!!! TWO GREAT REASONS why everyone should make it to BRECKENRIDGE AND SUMMIT COUNTY next weekend! ENJOY!!

The third and fourth weekends in September are dedicated to the Parade of Homes, benefiting the Summit Foundation. Tour some of Summit County’s most beautiful homes September 18-19 and again on September 25-26. Tickets are on sale now for $10 each. Visit www.summitfoundation.org to purchase your tickets today.

We prayed for rain and it came, hard and often. We’re accustomed to the southwest monsoon season bringing precipitation on a daily basis to our area, but not to this degree. Some rivers became unfishable. Most rivers in sections were turbid. Luckily for us, those conditions lasted less than a week. In some places, over 8 inches of rain fell in a two week period! Precipitation brought the Middle Fork’s flows to run off levels. The Blue, Colorado, Arkansas, and numerous smaller streams were also affected in sections by the heavy rains. Flash flood warnings were issued six straight days in our area valleys. And then we dried out. River flows dropped. Along the Middle Fork, fishing was incredible. Large fish were showing themselves everywhere. The rain lowered river water temps, bringing much needed cooler water into the drainages. It revitalized the streams with most rivers seeing a rebound of some hatches, especially the fabled Green Drake hatch. Fish responded in kind by eating a little

The leaves are beginning to change with the hint of crispness in the air and peak foliage in Summit County is expected the third week in September. If you haven’t had the chance to drive up Boreas Pass and do some leaf peeping in the past, we highly recommend you add it to your “to do” list this fall. If you have made the drive, chances are you’ll make it a part of your annual family outings each September as it’s one of the best mountain destinations for peak foliage. Head south through Breckenridge onto Boreas Pass Road by taking a left at the stoplight on the south side of town. You will come to a dirt road after 3.5 miles. Stay on the dirt road and you’ll be surrounded by beautiful Colorado gold as you navigate through tunnels of Aspens and gradually above timberline. Learn some history along the way – the road follows an abandoned railroad grade, which was the original route of the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad. You can turn around at any time, or continue approximately

Enjoy road biking around one of Summit County’s best and most beautiful amenities – Lake Dillon. September is the perfect time for an early fall ride. Choose to stop along the way for spectacular lake and mountain views from the Frisco Marina, Lake Dillon Marina and Sapphire Point or just power through and check out glimpses along the way. This 18 mile/1200’ climb ride has one major climb and decent over Swan Mountain Road. The last .4 miles of climbing up Swan Mountain plus two miles of descent are on a stretch of the road with no shoulder. This stretch of the road is narrow and can be dangerous. Bikers should be aware of traffic. Begin at the Frisco Marina, starting the path across from the Frisco Cemetery. Follow along past the Middle School and wind around the shoreline of Lake Dillon. The path then heads toward Dillon along the Dam Road eventually crossing the Dam. Veer right towards Dillon and merge onto Lodgepole Road into Dillon following along past Dillon Marina. The path will

Breckenridge Oktoberfest is where Munich meets the mountains. The official start of a great weekend in Breckenridge begins with the Brewmaster’s Dinner, a six course dinner paired with European bier and wines. The dinner usually sells out quickly, make a reservation now if you’re interested. The summer’s biggest party on Main Street kicks offs Saturday morning at 11am-6pm that evening and picks up again on Sunday from 11am-5pm. Traditional German fare, Paulaner bier, commemorative bier steins, Oompah and Polka music, Bavarian costumes and great people watching are sure to add to this festive weekend. View Breckenridge Oktoberfest details here.

Beetle Fest takes place all day, Saturday, September 11 in Frisco. This fun event will create awareness and educate about the evil pine beetle. Start the day with the 4k Beetle Stomp Fun Run, check out the Timberworks Lumberjack Shows throughout the day, see Smokey Bear and even “Slug a Bug” for charity. What a great way to show support of the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District and their reforestation efforts in Summit County. View Saturday’s Beetle Fest schedule here.

1. Retreat Condo, currently priced at $299,000 and has been reduced by 32% of original list price. The last sale of a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom Retreat was $442,000. Retreat Condo-$299,000 2. Bluesky Breckenridge, priced at $679,000, has been reduced by 31% of original list price. The average sale price of all 2 bedroom units has been $896,000. Bluesky Breckenridge-$679,000 3. One Breckenridge Place is priced at $899,000 and has been reduced by 30% of original list price. In 2008, these 3 bedroom townhouses were selling at about $1.1 million. One Breckenridge Place-$899,000 4. 35 Fletcher, priced at $1,699,000, has been reduced 37% ($996,000) of original list price. This price comes in 31% below the average sales price per square foot for The Highlands homes in the last 4 years. 35 Fletcher-$1,699,000 5. 18 Wild Cat is priced at $2,997,000 has been reduced 30% from original list price. This price comes in 33% below the average sales price per square foot for Shock

September is one of my favorite months of the year in the mountains. We love when the air is crisp in the morning and the days’ temperatures are in the high 60s. Let’s not forget about changing leaves and a month full of events to boot. This month, we’re celebrating all things September in the mountains and highlighting Fly Fishing , Lake Dillon Loop , Boreas Pass Foliage , The Parade of Homes & Breckenridge Oktoberfest . Before you know it, we’ll be dusting off those ski boots and tuning skis ready to hit the slopes for the 2010-2011 ski season. Click the following links for more information on Fly Fishing , Lake Dillon Loop , Boreas Pass Foliage , The Parade of Homes & Breckenridge Oktoberfest .

Sales of residential properties in August show a steady rate of sales is continuing in Summit County. The number of transactions of residential properties sold in Breckenridge, and in Summit County in general, was basically equal with the number sold in 2009. This may allude to a shift in the trend, as the first half of 2010 out paced 2009 significantly. Sales of note include a home in the Lakeshore Subdivision that was on the market for about a year and sold for $143 per square foot, a 4,300 square-foot-log home on 4 acres on the Swan River sold after just 23 days on the market for $2,100,000 (95 percent of the asking price) and 2 townhomes with ski in, ski out locations that sold for upwards of $650 per square foot. A preponderance of the sales in August were seen to have occurred on very high quality properties underscoring today’s buyers’ keen sense for value .

Breckenridge residents will determine whether to increase the town’s current lodging tax by one percent – from 2.4 to 3.4 percent – by voting on the ballot item this fall. The town-proposed tax on hotels, motels and other accommodations in the town would bring the overall lodging tax to 11.68 percent. Revenue generated from the lodging tax increase would support marketing efforts for Breckenridge. In 2010, $773,000 was taken from the town’s excise fund and added to the marketing budget to total $1.8 million for the year. And in years prior, town has had to pull from other areas to add to the marketing fund. Projected tax revenues from 2011 could amount to $2.5 million should the lodging revenue remain flat for the year. Those in favor of the increase note other ski areas have a similar lodging tax in place. Likewise, Breckenridge needs to grow its marketing efforts and presence in order to remain competitive among other destinations and resorts. Those concerned with the increase fear

REAL ESTATE DEAL OF THE DAY -- Of the 47 or so cabins on the market in the Breckenridge area, priced between $450,000 and $600,000 just ONE is situated on a lot of more than 3 acres. Now tell me, when you come to the mountains, you want some privacy, right? This cabin has it! It's neat as a pin, close to downtown Breckenridge and National Forest and, though we think we have it priced "right", the seller is open to offers! It has a two car garage and a grand loft that doubles as a sleeping area AND a second living area. Peace and quiet. Big old trees. A lily pad lake on the west boundary, 5 minutes from downtown and the Breckenridge Ski area. Yes, it's not ski in/ski out. But, it is soooo much more.

As the hot (78 degrees) August 2010 days fade to a fond memory the Breckenridge Real Estate market is showing resiliency. Continued price reductions have brought buyers in to consumate some amazing deals in the mountains. A two bedroom condo at Longbranch in Breckenridge closed in the last week of August for $295,000! What?!!?? A two bedroom skiers condo with a swimming pool, hot tubs, garage parking, on the bus route, within walking distance to the Breckenridge gondola has sold for under $300,000? YES! Prices are back now to where many more people can afford to buy, and mortgages are available at rates lower than EVER before! For example, that Longbranch condo could have closed with a 90% mortgage and a rate below 4.5%!! What? YES. That's a monthly payment under $1400. You can't even rent one for that price! Today's buyers are SMART! They are buying at THE right time > WITHOUT A DOUBT. Stay tuned > as we compile August statistics for Breckenridge and the gr