Breckenridge Associates
Real Estate

New home sales jumped nationally last month - up 14.8% in April over March 2010. National sales rose 47.8% compared to the same time period last year and in the West sales increased 21.7%. April was the last month first time home buyers could take advantage of the government tax credit that has helped the housing market. Buyers needed to enter into a contract by April 30 in order qualify for the credits. Read the full article in the Washington Post

Each spring, after the snow melts, our communities join together for each town's Clean Up day - to pick up trash and clean up the area so we're looking our best going into the summer. This year's clean up day is May 22 for Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne and Dillon. Thank you for keeping Summit County and our communities beautiful for everyone to enjoy! Details for each clean up follow: Breckenridge - Meet at 9am at the Breckenridge Riverwalk Center. Volunteers can pick up coffee, gloves and trash bags at this location all morning. Celebrate your hard work following the clean up back at the Riverwalk Center with a Volunteer Picnic from Noon-3pm. Frisco - Meet at 9am at Walter Byron Park. Volunteers can also pick up a lunch ticket at this time for the Volunteer Appreciation starting at Noon, following the clean up. Silverthorne - Meet at 9am at Rainbow Park. Volunteers should meet back at the park at Noon for the Appreciation picnic. Dillon- Meet at 9am at Town Park, loca...

According to the National Association of REALTORS, pending home sales for March 2010 were up nationally. This is good news going in to the spring buying season. Signed contracts went up 5.3% from February 2010 and is up more than 20% over March of 2009. Affordability, government incentives (such as the tax credit) and low mortgage rates contributed to the upswing. Read the full article here.

Mortgage rates have crept up slightly to now above the 5 point mark from their record low of 4.71 in December. They were pushed down in the fall due to the campaign led by the Federal Reserve to help reduce consumer spending. The program ended in March. Current rates for a 30 year fixed loan is currently 5.06, down a tick from last week's 5.07. Read more on the MSNBC Mortgage Rates Article .

Most homebuyers in search of a home automatically assume buying a foreclosed property means they’re getting the best deal out there. However, this often isn’t the case. Purchasing a foreclosed property truly can be a great investment, but it could also be an eye-opening experience for those not aware of the process and problems that can occur along the way. Fortunately, from a property-value standpoint, we have not seen significant growth in the number of foreclosures locally as many other markets have experienced. Out of 26,765 properties in Summit County only 47 sold as foreclosures in 2009*. Unlike many areas, Breckenridge has a high number of cash transactions. This coupled with a healthy rental pool and a stable tourism-based economy, has surely helped to keep foreclosures in the area to a minimum. That’s not to say there aren’t great opportunities. There are, however you have to stay on top of the local real estate happenings in the area not to miss out. One of the reasons a fore...

After successfully closing two record-breaking sales in the past few months as well as achieving leading brokerage status in Summit & Park County sales volume for 2009, we are pleased to report a stable continued stretch of accomplishments among the Breckenridge Associates Real Estate team in what has otherwise been a challenging time for many local brokerages. The two record-breaking transactions consist of the highest-ever single-family home sale of nearly $8.3 million at the end of 2009 and the most expensive residential lot sale of $3.3 million in January of this year. Each property is ski-in, ski-out and located in the luxury Timber Trail Subdivision near Peak 8 Village of the Breckenridge Ski Resort. Breckenridge Associates Real Estate represented the seller in both sales. The $8.3 million sale surpassed the previous record holding transaction, which was also a Breckenridge Associates Real Estate listing, by more than $2.7 million. Local MLS data pulled at the close of 2009 h...

As a locally owned and operated real estate company, we are truly invested in making certain our community is growing, thriving and enjoyable for many generations to come. To help give back and show support locally, we've chosen to focus charitable efforts in the local areas of the performing arts as well as through the endorsement of successful, longstanding events. Both bring entertainment and value to our community as well as help cultivate Breckenridge’s success as a world-class, year-round vacation destination. We are proud supporters The Summit Foundation, National Repertory Orchestra, Breckenridge Music Festival, Breckenridge Film Festival and International Snow Sculpting Championships, just to name a few. Thanks to our loyal clients, our accomplishments as a company allow for us to continue to sponsor these invaluable organizations that are close to our hearts.