Breckenridge Associates
Real Estate

As the market continues to shift, one industry trend seems to be making continuous waves: vacation homes. With low prices and mortgage rates still available in most parts of the country, affluent buyers—or those who have always dreamed of a cabin in the mountains—are making their move and purchasing second homes to be used as vacation getaways. According to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), sales of investment and vacation homes jumped in 2011, with the combined market share rising to the highest level since 2005. NAR’s 2012 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey, covering existing- and new-home transactions in 2011, showed vacation-home sales rose 7 percent to 502,000. It’s easy to understand why the vacation home market would be on the rebound; not only is the overall real estate atmosphere brightening, but U.S. travel expenditures are picking up too. In 2011, there was an 8.8 percent rise in travel expenditures, and according to the October 2012 Traveler Sentim...

Freddie Mac recently released its U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook showing that as we head into the spring home buying season, continued low mortgage rates, increasing house prices, and gradually improving consumer confidence will help support increased home sales. Outlook Highlights • Compared to 2012, expect home sales to be up 8 to 10 percent for 2013. • Expect housing starts to increase to 950,000 units for 2013, compared to 780,000 in 2012. • In 2012, real estate added $1.5 trillion to balance sheets, and residential mortgage debt outstanding increased by 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, indicating household deleveraging might be drawing to a close. • Because of sequestration spending reductions, expect the unemployment rate in 2013 to average about 7.8 percent, essentially flat for the year or about 0.25 percentage points higher than it otherwise would have been. • Regardless, the housing wealth effect is taking hold in the broader market which shoul...

Now turn to summer activities like biking, hiking, fishing and raft trips. Summer is also the perfect time to pursue your real estate purchase in preparation for NEXT ski season. To search all available homes and condos in Breckenridge and Summit County, please visit our web site at www.BreckenridgeAssocites.com . Tannhauser condo: A beautifully remodeled 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom condo in the heart of downtown Breckenridge. Centrally located at the corner of Ridge St and Jefferson, this condo was recently updated to include wood floors, stainless steel appliances and 2 flatscreen TVs. Priced at only $215,000 Tannhauser Unit 13 also offers the convenience of underground parking. S379405 345 Rainbow: This is a spacious duplex in Silverthorne that feels more like a single family home. The property at 345 Rainbow Court in the Willowgrove subdivision is located at the end of a private cul-de-sac and features sweeping views of the Gore Range from the living room, private deck and fenced back ya...

In March 2013, we saw an increase in most areas of residential property.  In Breckenridge, 12 Single Family Homes, 3 Duplexes, and 12 Condos sold.  Breckenridge is about 8% above 2012 residential sold properties YTD.  In Summit County, 41 Single Family Homes sold, along with 8 Duplexes, 38 Condos, and 17 Townhomes.

With only one week left of the ski season, snow continues to fall and some of the best conditions of the year are to be experienced right now, both in terms of snow pack and fewer skiers and boarders on the mountain. The first three months of 2013 have seen increased activity in the Breckenridge and Summit County real estate market. Pending residential sales in Breckenridge are almost 50% higher than this time last year. It seems that the buying public is realizing that in addition to the skiing conditions, the buying conditions could not be better right now with incredibly low interest rates and great pricing. And now for Aprils Top 5 Deals…. Liftside Condo Beautifully remodeled studio condo at Liftside Condominiums in the Village at Breckenridge. It would be difficult to find a better ski–in/ski-out location than this with the Quicksilver Chair Lift at the back door of the building. Liftside owners enjoy superb amenities with multiple outdoor hot tubs, a heated pool an...