Steamboat Homes

“Steamboat’s Lake Catamount – early morning”

The Lake Catamount area of Steamboat is located just below Rabbit Ears Pass (refer to above photo), it is a special spot with the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the gorgeous lake right out your front door. Lake Catamount Ranch & Club offers things to do to that helps you make the most of  the time you spend with your family and friends. The charm that Steamboat Springs brings and the benefits of a private club all combine to offer the Colorado you’ve been seeking and the experiences you are looking for. From world-class skiing at the nearby Steamboat Resort to world-class golf and lake amenities, Catamount Ranch & Club allows you to experience all that Steamboat Springs, the mountains and the valley have to offer.

Lake Catamount is a truly unique community made up of the Cabins at Lake Catamount, homesteads of up to 70-acres situated around the 530-acre private lake that always seems to be mirror smooth and 6-8 acre homesites along the fairways of the Catamount Golf Course. Owners enjoy the option of club membership that includes access to the first and only private golf club in Steamboat Springs, lake activities, trails for use in every season and superior amenities.

With beautifully designed homes, privacy, and access to some of the best trails, golfing, skiing and views of Steamboat, living in a dream home of yours at Lake Catamount might just be what you are looking for in  Steamboat. For more information check out information on Lake Catamount Real Estate in Steamboat Springs or search for Real Estate in the Steamboat MLS.

Living in downtown Steamboat Springs offers a different lifestyle than homes on the mountain.  Having the ability to bike or walk easily to so many restaurants, stores, some of the best trails and sections of river in town. Downtown Steamboat has excellent walkabilitiy scores because everything is so close.  Many downtown residents will tell you they enjoy the ability to stay out of their cars for days at a time.  Living in downtown Steamboat is a great place for families as well and people of all ages. Downtown is great for kids because once they get comfortable being out by themselves they can have the freedom to walk to school and bike to friends homes easily and safely. Steamboat’s downtown is very different than many cities from a safety perspective.  You do need to know where your kids are and have a system for checking in but kids can have the same freedoms many of us grew up with in small towns like mine in St. Joseph, MI.

The types of downtown living options varies as well. Single family homes can be found extending for blocks north of downtown. Or if you are looking to live right in the middle of Lincoln Ave, Steamboat’s main street, there are a few beautiful condos and townhomes. This allows you to decide what type of property best suits you. Homes north of downtown extend for blocks and with the different styles, layouts and neighborhoods if you are interested in finding a home near the schools, trails and Yampa River, living in downtown Steamboat could be the best place for you. Luxury  condos in Howelsen Place and The Olympian provide condos  that range from studios to 3 bedroom condos, allowing you to experience turnkeyurban living in a mountain town. For more information on living downtown in Steamboat Springs, feel free to check out our website or give us a call at 970.879.0879.

The Strawberry Park area of Steamboat is located just north of downtown in a a gorgeous rural setting. With easy access to the open land and trail systems, some of the most enjoyable areas in town to are right out your front door. Only a few miles from downtown, getting to your home in Strawberry Park is an easy 5-10 minute drive to town, but when you get home you are surrounded by the Routt National Forest; Strawberry Park is a beautiful area that combines easy access to the facilities of Steamboat, while giving you the privacy and seclusion of living in a sanctuary.

With easy access to the top of Buffalo Pass, you are close to the top of Spring Creek and Soda Mountain hiking and biking trails. You can continue going up Buff Pass a bit further and reach even more hiking trails in the summer and have easy access to some of the best out-of-bounds skiing and snowmobiling in the winter. Also located near the Lower Bear and Hot Springs Trails these both give you beautiful views of downtown and the valley below. After a tough hike or ride jump in the Strawberry Park Hot Springs, a natural hot-springs just minutes from your home is a great and easy way to relax at the end of the day.

With beautifully designed homes, privacy, and access to some of the best trails and views in Steamboat, living in Strawberry Park is a beautiful area in town. For more information check out information on Strawberry Park Real Estate in Steamboat Springs or search for Real Estate in the Steamboat MLS

The first town challenge went off today at Marabou! A weekly mountain bike race series that travels to different trails around town, this was the third year in a row that the series has opened up at Marabou. Traditionally closed to the public, Marabou gracefully opens their trails up a week leading up to the race and for race day. This year over 200 participants hoped on their bikes and challenged each other and the rolling terrain of the course. A course that is flatter than the majority of the trails in town, the Marabou race is a great way to ease back into racing after a great winter on the mountain. The top riders rode the outer loop of the course, finishing the 12 mile loop in just over 50 minutes.
Marabou offers Master guides to help owners and guests best take advantage of their time in Steamboat. Providing master guides to help with mountain biking, fly fishing, nordic skiing and other activities, Marabou Ranch not only has the facilities and terrain available so that you can participate in these activities right out your front door, but also pairs you and your family up with some of the best athletes and guides in the world to help you learn the sport and best enjoy it.

For more pictures of the Marabou trail system or information on any properties in the Marabou Ranch, feel free to shoot me an email at jonw@thesteamboatgroup.com or give me a call at 970.879.0879.

Construction is set to begin this week, improving the structure and layout of the base of the Steamboat Ski Resort. ‘Tentatively, work that could happen this summer includes building the first segment of the snow-melted promenade, including pavers, from Torian Plum Plaza to the Sheraton Steamboat Resort property line…The promenade would continue as a durable concrete path all the way to One Steamboat Place. In addition, the first segment of Burgess Creek with a small waterfall and a pond would be built in the summer and fall.’

I think that this a very efficient solution. The concrete-surfaced path will be durable, and it’s OK if you plow it and salt it. And this is only the currently budgeted aspect of the project. To finish off the project in the future there will be fire pits, two bridges over the creek and public art, further tying together the base of the mountain.

With these new improvements to the base, in addition to the opening of the Truffle Pig and the completion of One Steamboat Place and Edgemont, the Steamboat Ski Resort has seen a complete remodeling of the base area. Still designed with Steamboat’s heritage and western influences in mind, the improvements will add to the beauty of the resort while hopefully improving everyone’s experience.

If you have any questions about the updates to the base area, feel free to contact me. I am an active member of the Urban Renewal Area Advisory Committee and would love to answer any questions you have.

Intrawest has recently announced that they have completed refinancing their previously outstanding debt payments. ‘The company said in a news release yesterday it has repaid its prior lenders in full and completed a new loan that is scheduled to mature in 2014. It did not disclose terms of the new loan.’ In early March it had been reported that the new debt restructuring includes Fortress, the private investment group behind Intrawest, investing more equity directly into the company.

The foreclosure notice on Highmark was withdrawn last week. ‘Fifteen units at The Highmark, at the base of Steamboat Ski Area, went on sale as part of an auction March 12. Of those, eight units were sold. The remaining seven have been on the open market since that time.’ The units that were sold at the auction at likely to cover the outstanding debt Highmark possessed. The article in The Steamboat Pilot continues stating that ‘because the remaining seven properties are selling well, it does not appear that the lien holder will put the final three units back into foreclosure after the first foreclosure was withdrawn.’ A good step in the right direction for the future of Highmark.

One Steamboat Place, Trailhead Lodge and Edgemont have seen success in their sales in 2009, but are continuing to push forward looking to better their sales in 2010. ‘According to research compiled by Bruce Carta, of Land Title Guarantee Co., from Routt County Assessor’s records, Edgemont developer Atira Group has realized $30.28 million on sales of 13 condominiums, and Trailhead Lodge, developed by Resort Ventures West, has sold 32 condominiums for a combined value of $27.43 million. One Steamboat Place, which began closing sales late in 2009, has reached $71 million, including 11 whole-ownership condominiums accounting for $40.45 million and 73 Residence Club memberships, which add $30.65 million.’

The article in the Steamboat Pilot notes that one of the most encouraging signs is seeing resort lenders come back into the market. The sales director at Edgemont stated that he was ‘impressed and encouraged by the fact that four of Edgemont’s 13 buyers were able to arrange conventional financing for the condominium purchases.’ With financing becoming easier for people interested in one of these luxury developments this should, among other factors, help initiate a stronger interest in these communities. If you are interested in learning more about One Steamboat Place, Edgemont, or Trailhead lodge feel free to send me an email or call me at 970.819.6930.

A recent NY Times article has reported on the recovery of Jumbo Loans in the US. They have reported that ‘mortgage industry executives say conditions are improving for those borrowing more than $729,750, the threshold for jumbo mortgage…Not only is it starting to get easier to qualify for these loans, they say, but rates are also coming down.’ This will hopefully ease the process for buyer in working toward their dream homes and is a sign that lenders have increased their confidence in the luxury real estate market.

The change toward jumbo rate mortgages now allows the most highly qualified borrowers to secure a 4.5 percent adjustable-rate mortgage. ‘This is about half of a percentage point lower than the prevailing rate late last year.’ In addition the average rate for a 30-year fixed jumbo loan is 5.125 percent. The amount of equity that needs to be maintained in your home has decreased from 30%, the amount needed at the end of 2009 to only 20% today. This means that you are allowed maintain a lower amount of equity in your home than previous years. This is another indicator that faith in luxury real estate market is recovering.

This is likely to increase activity and reduce inventory over the next year so it may be a good time to start looking more seriously around Steamboat. If you are interested in learning more about different real estate ventures in Steamboat, contact me at jon@mybrokers.com or 970.819.6930

According to recently released NAR (National Association of Realtors) statistics, vacation-home sales rose 7.9 percent in 2009 from 513,000 in 2008, to 553,000 this past year. An encouraging figure. ‘NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said, The typical vacation-home buyer is making a lifestyle choice, with nine out of 10 saying they intend to use the property for vacations or as a family retreat.’ The median transaction price of a vacation home also increased, from $150,000 in 2008 to $169,000 in 2009.  Vacation home sales up in 2009 shows that despite this difficult economic climate, people are still interested and committed to making changes to best suit their lifestyle and goals for themselves and family.

We are seeing similar trends occurring in Steamboat. Buyers are beginning to come back into the market. The past four months have seen sales higher than those of the same month last year. People are continuing to find opportunities that meet both their financial goals and their personal dreams. If you are interested in learning more about a vacation home in Steamboat or would like more statistics on the state of the market, feel free to give me a call at 970.819.6930 or send me an email at jon@mybrokers.com