Breckenridge Associates
Real Estate

Grab your friends, some warm clothes and a shovel. Head out to the best snowy spot, load up some snow and get to work creating your best snow sculpture in town! Before the International Snow Sculpting Championships was what it is today, this is how it started - artists joining together and finding their own snow for a snow sculpting competition on Main Street Breckenridge. This year the International Snow Sculpting Championships, which is set for January, is celebrating 20 years as a world-class event in Breckenridge. As a tribute to all those snow artists out there and in an effort to continue to draw attention to the artform, we wanted to return the event to its roots on Main Street, Breckenridge. We wanted to create a smaller scale snow sculpting event all about the locals coming out to compete in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Thus the Breck Snowflake Challenge started last year and returns for the second year December 5-12. Not only will you have a great time seeing your sculpture...

Please bring your canned food donations to Breckenridge Associates Real Estate by December 11, 2009. We are located at 229 South Main Street between Bubba Gumps and Starbucks in Breckernidge, Colorado. Land Title is doing a statewide drive and we will be contributing all of our donations to them on December 11. We hope to have an overwhelming amount of food to donate to those in need this holiday season.

Concertmaster, Oscar Soler, Returns to Summit County on January 23rd Seating is limited, please reserve your seats now! The 2009 NRO Alum Concertmaster, Oscar Soler, returns on January 23, 2010. He will be joined by Rosalie Gilbert at the Keystone Conference Center in Keystone, Colorado. Join us at the Keystone Conference Center and enjoy the sounds of the violin and harp as they're played for us. At 6:30pm you'll nosh on hearty appetizers and wine while you chat with friends - both new and old. The music begins at 7:15pm and will include solos and duets by these two talented musicians. All this for just $25 per person. For more information on how to purchase tickets, please call the NRO Office at 970-453-5825 or email Julie Chandler at julie@nromusic.com

The Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), an indexing series created by the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo and used first used 18 years ago, indicates that the third quarter of 2009 is near its highest level for the third consecutive quarter since it's first series was created in 1991. Nationwide housing affordability, affordable interest rates and low pricing are all factors. The report concludes that 70.1% of all new and existing homes sold July-September, 2009, were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,000. This is down slightly from a near record in the second quarter and up from 56.1% in the third quarter of last year. With the tax credit extended and expanded to appeal to a wider group of eligible home buyers, we hope to continue to see a sales trend continue to grow. Interest rates are now lower than the last quarter and the tax credit encourages more parties to enter into the the market, stimulating home sales, stabilizing prices an...

Park City, Utah-based Powdr Corp. is set to purchase Copper Mountain Ski Resort for an undisclosed amount with the deal expected to close in December, pending approval from the U.S. Forest Service and Federal Regulators. Intrawest Corp., the current resort owner, ran into financial trouble about a year ago and rumors circulated that the company may need to sell assets to raise cash to finance current loans. Powdr Corp. brings years of ski industry operations experience to the table and is the owner of and operator of seven resorts: Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah, Killington Resort and Pico Resort in Killington, Vermont, Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon, Boreal Resort and Soda Springs Resort, both in Donner Summit, California, and Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Adding Copper Mountain to the resort family seems to be a natural fit. Copper Mountain has 2,433 acres of skiable terrain with 22 lifts. Guests can expect "business as usual" ...

Come out and support the National Repertory Orchestra with a dinner celebration at Blue River Bistro. Enjoy a Wine Pairing Dinner at 6:30pm on December 2, 2009. Cost is $75 per person with all proceeds going to the NRO. Reserve your spot today at blueriverbistro.com, or by calling 970.453.6974.

Breckenridge Associates Real Estate and the Breckenridge Resort Chamber proudly present the 2nd Annual Breckenridge Snowflake Challenge on Main Street, December 5-12. In this week-long event, local teams will compete to design the best snow sculptures for a chance to win big cash prizes. The founders of the Budweiser International Snow Sculpting Championships, celebrating its 20th Anniversary in January, have come together to host this fantastic grass roots competition for the 2nd year in a row as both a return to the roots of how the long-standing event got its start and as a way to give something great back to the community. Calling all entries! Individuals and business teams are invited to sign-up and create their own one-of-a-kind sculpture and compete for cash prizes. To learn more or sign up today, call Breckenridge Associates Real Estate at 970.453.2200. More information will be made available to the public soon, including a schedule of events for the week. Check back to our blo...

Early ski season is a great time to head out on the local ski slopes for a few fun runs to get the feel of your ski legs and start to get back in the groove of winter skiing and riding. As the snow falls with Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, A-Basin and Loveland opening more terrain daily, ski area conditions continue to get better and better. But, ask a Breckenridge local what to do late October and early November when it’s time to put the mountain bikes away and the hiking boots up, and you’ll hear many get out our cross country touring gear and the hit the north facing slopes for a little ski tour. Locals love those unexpected early season snows where even a couple inches in town can mean several inches or more in our secret stashes. A couple favorites begin in the French Gulch area - in the open space that is now owned jointly by the Town of Breckenridge and Summit County. This area, once owned by B&B Mines Company, hosts tons of winter and summer hiking, biking and sk...

There is exciting news for potential homebuyers and homeowners, the existing government tax credit has now been extended and expanded. The first-time homebuyer tax credit has just been extended through the end of April. In addition, an expansion of the program now includes a tax credit of $6,500 to homeowners who have lived in their principal home for at least five years and are purchasing a new residence. Qualified buyers will be able to claim the tax credit on 2009 or 2010 tax returns. Some restrictions on income limits, property type and eligibility may apply. View details on the tax credit via this RIS Media Article and learn the answers to questions about the buyer and owner credits through the Q&A via The New York Times .

Breckenridge officially kicked off the 2009-2010 ski and snowboarding season today with 108 acres of terrain and more snow on the way for the weekend. Congratulations to Breckenridge on kicking the ski season off right and best of luck for a great season of snow!

Copper Mountain Ski Resort opened today with top to bottom skiing, including the Eagle Jib Park. They open with several intermediate runs accessed by the American Eagle lift as well as the Easy Rider lift enclosed area for those still perfecting their snowriding skills. Keystone Resort opened yesterday with ABasin and Loveland opening early October. Breckenridge is scheduled to open November 12. Then officially all mountains in the Summit County, Colorado area will have kicked off the 2009-2010 Ski Season!

Keystone Ski Resort opened today, November 5, one day earlier than planned. They kicked off this beautiful Colorado day with top-to-bottom skiing running the River Run gondola. Guests can enjoy the new ease of the skier bridge that allows you a shorter walk to enjoy quicker access to skiing. More terrain expected to open soon, but what a great start to the year. Loveland, A-Basin and Keystone ski resorts are now opened. Copper is set to open tomorrow, November 6 and Breckenridge ski area opens on November 12! Welcome Winter! See you on the slopes.

Comcast announced this week it's jumping from broadband to wideband, launching DOCSIS 3.0 technology in some of Colorado's mountain communities, including Summit County, Granby, Rifle, Glenwood Springs, Winter Park and Aspen. This change is already in effect, beginning this past Tuesday, November 3. Users can expect the fastest speeds available with wideband technology with download speeds of up to 50 MBPS. It will double speeds for most and at no additional cost. For more information on wideband in your neighborhood, click here or call 1-800-COMCAST.