If you’re looking at moving to Alma, you might want to know it’s not such a cowpoke town. In fact, it has a Montessori school, which is now accepting children ages 18 months through third grade this fall.

Its capacity is nearly doubling, from taking in 12 students, to 22. Director Jesse Hoehn hopes to keep expanding, up to accommodating sixth graders.

The school opened in 2006 and plans to be certified by the international Montessori association in two years.

Dillon and Breckenridge also have Montessori schools. The method of instruction engages all of the body’s senses in order for students to learn better.

Published by Breckenridge Colorado real estate

Tags: Breckenridge, Dillon, school

A new report about impacts the apparently changing climate may have on Colorado came out July 23, 2008, from the University of Maryland’s Center for Integrative Environmental Research.

A major concern for resort towns in Colorado, including Summit County, is the warming effect of the climate on skiing, and thus tourism. Colorado is the biggest ski state in the nation. In 2007, skiing created Read more »

Tags: global warming, ski, ski resort, Summit County, Summit county real estate

No, it’s not the Water Tower Place of Chicago, but it will make Frisco look a little more posh.

Developers are scraping an old, ugly shopping strip on Summit Boulevard and Granite Street in order to build Water Tower Place.

The complex will include five buildings that comprise 42 residences, as well as commercial space of 14,000 square feet. The two- and three-bedroom condos are expected to sell for $600,000 to $900,000. As part of the building deal, developers will dedicate eight affordable housing units for locals.

It also will be the town’s first green building, certified by Green Globe Standard. Construction should start at the end of July. A new road will connect Granite Street to 8th Avenue.

Provided by Breckenridge real estate

Tags: condos, construction, Frisco, Water tower place

Jesse Csincsak was just a snowboarder when he moved to Breckenridge at age 19. Now he’s famous nationwide, as being the winning bachelor on ABC’s The Bachelorette.
Bachelorette DeAnna Pappas chose to accept Jesse’s marriage proposal, and they plan to marry in May in the Bahamas. Since Jesse, a pro snowboarder, owns two homes in Summit County, the couple plans to live in Breckenridge during every winter and in Georgia every summer. From Aug. 1-10, 2008, the couple will spend time in Breckenridge so DeAnna can meet his friends and family.

The last famous couple that made big headlines in the mountain community was Trista and Ryan Sutter, who also met on The Bachelorette. They’ve since had a baby.

Tags: Breckenridge, homes, snowboarding, Summit County, winter

If you’re moving to Summit County full time and have kids who need childcare, beware: Childcare is hard to come by up here.

One friend of mine who lives in Frisco had to quit her well-paying job when she couldn’t find space to enroll her infant in daycare last year. About 120 Summit County kids are on a waiting list for daycare.

Meanwhile, some daycare centers that were open a year or more ago are closed. Kinderhut, at the base of Breckenridge Peak 8 in Breckenridge, closed April, 2008, after 17 years of business. It accommodated drop-in daycare. It has been replaced by retail stores.

The good news is that the town of Breckenridge Colorado is stepping up and building a new childcare center, called the Timberline Learning Center, scheduled to open Aug. 1, 2008. It should be able to take care of 68 kids. The bad news is that during the needs assessment the town did, it discovered two facilities, not just one, would be necessary to meet the community’s needs. For more information on Timberline, e-mail: info@timberlinelearningcenter.com.

Another daycare center that used to help local parents that has remained closed for more than a year is the Pumpkin Patch at Copper Mountain. In April 2007, it closed, after allegations that employees put unlit cigarettes in infants mouths and took pictures. Criminal charges were not filed, but the center hasn’t reopened since its licensure suspension. Copper Mountain is looking for other childcare providers to partner with and is holding the space vacant for the day another facility opens. The Belly Button Bakery remains operational for short-term daycare for tourists during the winter.

Tags: Breckenridge, childcare center, Copper Mountain, daycare, Frisco, retail stores, Summit County

Despite media reports, it’s not all bad news regarding mortgages these days.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are adequately capitalized, according to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), which closely monitors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in an effort to promote a strong real estate market nationally. That means Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s capital exceeds what OFHEO requires (and OFHEO requires more than the statutory minimums).

James B. Lockhart, OFHEO director, issue a statement July 10, 2008, that said Read more »

Tags: economy, fannie mae, market, money, mortgage, real estate

As you may know, it’s more difficult to get a mortgage loan these days, since the subprime mortgage crisis hit in 2007. Of course, lenders are still issuing loans; it may just take a little more work on both your end and theirs.

One of the keys to securing a loan is getting an accurate appraisal of the property you want to purchase. Lenders use information from a professional appraiser to determine your loan amount, but now the changing Breckenridge real estate market means appraisers need to research more to present an accurate Read more »

Tags: appraisals, Breckenridge, Breckenridge real estate, homes, Investment, lenders, market, price, property, real estate market, Summit County, Summit county real estate