« October 2004 | Main | December 2004 »
November 30, 2004
New condo for sale in Telluride
A great condo has just gone on the real estate market in the town of Telluride. Double Diamond #14 is part of a residential condominium development with 26 units. This 923 square foot condo has two bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a log fireplace and a quaint deck. It has great views of the ski area and is located just steps away from the bottom of lift 7. Amenities include a hot tub and a laudry facility for owners and their guests. The owner of this condo will receive a heated parking space in the covered parking lot located on the bottom level.
To find out more about this condo or other Telluride real estate, click the link below.
http://www.telluride360.com/listings/propdetail.cfm?pid=155
Posted by Adam at 10:46 AM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2004
The perfect beauty that is Telluride
Tucked into a deep valley in Colorado's soaring San Juan Mountains sits the achingly beautiful old mining town of Telluride. Looming above the town is its namesake ski area, awash in scenery that's made grown men cry. The frontside ski trails offer town views of snowy, steep-pitched roofs. From Gold Hill-at 12,225 feet, the area's highest lift-served point- the panorama takes in Prospect Bowl and the snowy mountains that stretch on and on and on.
While the scene from the apporpriatly named See Forever Trail includes the mighty San Juan mottle of green tress, grey rock and white snow, your imagination might well overreach gwological reality and contemplate the possibility of forever. Suddenly you recognize that Telluride includes at least a bit of Lost Horizon, a touch of Shangri-La.
By; Claire Walter and Peter Oliver
You too can call Telluride home. There are great condos, vacant land and houses on the market today, and they are going fast! To find out how you can purchase a piece of real estate in Telluride, click the link below.
Posted by Adam at 01:14 PM | Comments (0)
November 23, 2004
Lift 4 opens Wednesday for Donation Day
Skiers won't struggle with ski area terrain choices this opening day. Telluride Ski & Golf Co. officials have made it simple and are opening the 2004-05 ski season with Lift 4 only on Donation Day this Wednesday.
By the weekend more terrain on the area is expected to open but the traditional opening day benefit for the Telluride Ski & Snowboard Club will keep skiers on Lift 4 terrain.
Lift tickets on Wednesday cost $24 for everyone and all proceeds directly benefit the club - season passes, discounts, or complimentary tickets will not be accepted Donation Day but free donuts, hot chocolate, and coffee as per tradition will be, at the gondola plaza.
Ski area officials said Telluride received the most snowfall in the state over the weekend with more than 17 inches, amounting to a 39-inch base. Telski Mountain Operations officials however are waiting for more snow and mountain maintenance before giving all other lifts the go-ahead.
"We're not making a decision until we're more firm and more realistic about it," said Telski's Communication Coordinator Katie Singer. "But we're working fast to get the rest of the area open."
The much anticipated Lift 9 opening is also currently undecided, but Telski officials said when it does open it will run normally after an almost season-long bout of half-capacity loading last winter. This fall Telski Mountain Operations installed a new gearbox and are currently working on pre-season maintenance after last winter's mechanical failure. A chipped gear in the gearbox forced officials to run the lift at half-load capacity January through April, putting skiers on the lift every one or two chairs. Officials said last season that Lift 9 moves a minimal amount of traffic midweek and usually runs at half capacity, but still the limited lift access drew local skier complaints.
"Lift 9's opening is still to be announced, but when it does start running it will be running better than it ever has," said Singer.
Lift 9 was installed for the 1984-85 season and hadn't encountered a problem of that magnitude save for a few two- to three-day closure periods due to mechanical problems. Talk of replacing the 20-year-old chair is ongoing.
Lift 8 also operated under limitations last season, closing daily at 2 p.m. - one hour earlier than its regular hour of 3:15 p.m.
While running all of the lifts on the mountain - high-speed quads in Prospect Basin to the two-decade old Lift 9 - costs the ski company the same, Singer said, on the ground costs for snowmaking and grooming are different, especially this year.
This year's on-mountain budget is just a small fraction of Telski's Prospect Bowl expansion that rang in at about $14 million completed in 2001 - now three years after the expansion, on-mountain costs are the heaviest in capital expenditures and divided among Sno-cat and snowmaking purchases.
Singer said the ski company has spent $3.1 million in Sno-cats and new ski area owners Chuck and Chad Horning are moving more financing toward the on-mountain operating budget to the tune of about $3 to $4 million.
"It's a larger operating budget for everyone, including ski patrol and mountain operations," said Singer. "The Hornings are reinvesting in capital expenditures."
The area is currently being groomed by four new mainline Sno-cats that cost the company $195,000 each; a new winch cat at $225,000; and, a park piston bully at $210,000. Telski owns a total of 15 Sno-cats, and has upped its snowmobile count by 10 new machines this season.
Snowmaking, too, got a boost. Four new air compressors, costing the company $25,000, will help open the area Wednesday.
"Right now we have snowmaking efforts on various spots on the mountain, and all Sno-cats are working to access all areas," said Singer, "grooming, compacting to make [Lifts] 5 and 6 accessible. We're making snow all over."
When the ski area opens Wednesday about 24 patrollers will be working with an additional 32 to start Dec. 18, and under a higher Telluride Ski Patrol budget. Singer said the patrol roster is the largest the area's has ever had and its budget was increased accordingly.
By Kara Tatone
To find out how you can own a little piece of real estate in the Telluride area, click the link below.
Posted by Adam at 04:23 PM | Comments (0)
November 22, 2004
See You Later, Cell Phone Sam
The Telluride Ski and Golf Company has said goodbye to Cell Phone Sam and his bevy of cartoon characters, ending that company’s “Telluride –a land where people come to play” storybook marketing tactic. This year, the company is going back to doing ski resort advertising the old fashioned way – with shots of snow-capped peaks and powder skiing.
Telski’s new advertising campaign hit the pages of such publications as Ski and Skiing Magazine this fall. It depicts Telluride as a real-world ski resort (no longer a cartoon wonderland), and an affordable, easier-to-get-to ski area than potential visitors may think.
Pete Woods, director of sales and marketing at Telski, explained the overall foundation for the Telluride Ski Resort marketing campaign is the same as it’s always been: to portray Telluride as a Colorado resort so unique that it feels like it is a world unto itself.
Woods explained that the new marketing campaign evolved from “brand audit” sessions that took place this June, when a mix of 30 community members, including Telski employees and others, met to discuss what locals feel is the Telluride resort’s biggest selling point.
“We put together this group so that it wasn’t just the ski company saying ‘This is what Telluride is,’ but instead what the community’s perception is,” Woods explained. “It was interesting to see that through the process, the brand we came up with this summer was very similar to what the company developed four years ago.”
The storybook ad campaign helped the resort stand out in the print media realm, Woods explained. “We don’t have the kind of marketing budget that some of the big time ski resorts have, so whatever we do has to really stand out,” he said. It was with this in mind that members of the brand audit committee chose the new print media marketing image, a dramatic photograph of Palmyra Peak with a skier in the foreground. Telski worked with Portland-based BPN ad agency to produce the advertisements. BPN has an extensive background in outdoor sports marketing and oversees all of the advertising for Columbia clothing company.
Telski’s major marketing campaign is not concentrating on the national print media this year. Instead, the marketing department has made a strong push into their focus markets, namely the L.A., Phoenix, Chicago, New York, Dallas, and Houston areas.
This is the first year the company has utilized outdoor advertising. Billboards with the Palmyra Peak skier photograph now sit alongside interstates and high rises in the aforementioned cities, reminding commuters that they can fly directly to and from Telluride from their home airport.
Telski is also using radio advertising in these target markets. In Phoenix and Dallas, for example, radio stations are giving away listener trips to Telluride. This method of radio advertising seems to deliver the most results for the money, Woods explained.
“With the listener trips, DJs talk about Telluride for six weeks before the giveaway and for weeks afterward. It’s a cool way for people to hear about Telluride,” he said.
Telski also focused more on Internet advertising this year, offering lift ticket and other deals for those who make travel arrangements online and increased their presence on the Internet with more Telluride locations used for keyword searches.
And as always, Telski is hoping to bring in more regional visitors from Grand Junction to Phoenix and everywhere in between.
“We’ve developed some aggressive offers for our regional visitors, and have also reached out to new markets (like Flagstaff) which has paid off with regional visitor numbers up,” Woods said. The company is offering a $69 kids ski pass, along with five and ten day passes and a “Free Day” card that costs $40 and allows holders to buy $55 tickets throughout the season along with receiving one free ticket.
Telski is also offering other deals for the more destination-oriented Telluride traveler, including the popular Limitless Lesson pass and the new five-day transferable ticket packet, allowing guests to buy five transferable individual tickets at a reduced rate.
This year’s marketing campaign aims to make potential visitors aware that Telluride is less expensive and easier to reach than they think.
“Our biggest challenge is just getting people in the destination market to come here,” said Woods. “Once they’re here, they’re sold. We have an 82 percent return visitor rate, so we know that once people get here, they fall in love. Our job is just to get them to make the commitment to come here the first time.”
By Martinique Davis
To find out about Telluride Real Estate, visit Telluride360 Real Estates web site by clicking the link below.
Posted by Adam at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)
November 19, 2004
Condo-Mania Hits Telluride
The number of real estate sales may have been down for the month of October this year, but the dollar value of those sales was through the roof. Which is where the average cost of buying a home in San Miguel County is headed. According to statistics compiled by Judy Kiernan of Telluride Consulting, the average cost of a property to date in 2004 is just shy of three-quarters of a million dollars, compared to the average cost in 2003 of a mere half-million dollars.
This 50 percent increase in prices hasn’t slowed year-to-date sales, however. The number of sales through the end of October for 2004 was up 19 percent from 2003, with the total dollar value for the same period up 52 percent to $511.2 million, surpassing the previous record set in 2000 by over $20 million.
The condominium market, comprising over $100 million of this year’s market so far, has recently experienced an upsurge in sales. Through October of this year, 103 condos sold in Telluride at an average cost of over $500,000, compared to 31 single-family residences sold in town during that same time period at an average price of nearly $1.5 million.
Mountain Village has seen the same condo boom, with 73 condos selling so far this year at an average cost of nearly $900,000. Twenty-five single-family residences have sold in Mountain Village this year at an average of nearly $3.25 million each.
“We’re having a gangbuster year. The biggest movers on the market have been the in-town condos and homes,” said Lars Carlson of Peaks Real Estate. “The combination of low interest rates and locals looking to get into the market has driven the lower-priced condo market.” Carlson said there are only four or five in-town condos currently on the market under $500,000. “That’s a lot of money. Twelve months ago we had maybe 15-20 available below that price. New ones that come on the market only last a couple of weeks before getting snatched up.”
Carlson noted the new condo properties coming on the market aren’t replacing the lower-priced ones and he doesn’t foresee any new condo construction in that price range in the near future, either. “New properties are coming in at three bedrooms over a million. Locals trying to get into the real estate market are competing with the non-local buyers, forcing them to buy up a little higher,” said Carlson. “That pushes the market up more. I just don’t see that many inexpensive condos being available in the future.”
“A lot of people are turning to condos,” said Jim Lucarelli of Real Estate Affiliates of Telluride. “The low interest rates have encouraged people to buy up every last little thing they can. Small condos of no real distinction in Telluride are selling for $600 a square foot. Bigger condos now compete with single family homes, but there aren’t many of those left.”
The people buying condos are more frequently locals. “It used to be that Tomboy Lodge was mainly bed-base,” said Lucarelli. “The small condos were used for a weekend, but now people need a place to live so they’re buying these condos as a home.”
In response to the increased market demand for in-town condos, several condominium construction projects are underway. Lucarelli is the developer of one of them along with partner Dave Fruen. Located on the lot directly east of Clark’s Market, the planned condominium complex is currently being called Canyonlands.
“It will be a 15-unit condominium with one-, two- and three-bedroom units,” said Lucarelli, who expects to break ground in April. “We hope to have a garage that can accommodate the needs of the residents of the building along with some extra parking. I think it will be a significant improvement to the neighborhood.” When asked if the selling prices will be on the high end, Lucarelli replied, “I think the market has forced that.”
More than a handful of multi-density projects are currently under construction or are in the planning stages. They include a condo complex on what is locally known as the owl lot on Mahoney Drive, a luxury development on South Oak St., the White House complex behind Boomerang Lodge, and an affordable housing project next to the visitor’s center. “There has been a major run up in interest in the Town of Telluride,” said Mike Shimkonis of Telluride Properties. “Everyone wants to live in town. There’s something to be said for the authenticity and genuine feel of the place. It hasn’t been gentrified.”
The increase in interest has resulted in a run-up in prices as well for single-family homes, condos and vacant land in Telluride. “It makes Mountain Village look more appealing to some people, but it does have a different feel,” said Shimkonis. “Telluride is a spirited town full of character and quaintness. People want that and local residents know they need to get their game piece on the board. That’s why we’ve seen a combination of sales. But it is cyclical. There has always been an interest in town but it does taper and the focus turns to Mountain Village.”
Mountain Village condos, such as the Terraces project, are selling out quickly, with interest now turning to the Mountain Lodge and See Forever Village.
Another factor behind the growing interest in local real estate is the surge in the retiring baby boomer population.
“It’s happening across the Rocky Mountain West,” said Shimkonis, who sees a trend of more people using Telluride as a base of operation for their business. “People nearing retirement age are in a transitional mode, looking to live in a community they can get involved with,” said Shimkonis. “It’s now as much about a lifestyle as it is about living in a ski area.”
As to how long the market can sustain this growth, “It can’t continue to keep pace at the rate it’s currently going up,” said Lucarelli. “But it will keep going up. The only factor I see that will change things is a drastic increase in interest rates. But rates could probably double from here without seeing a problem.”
And condos will most likely continue to dominate a large share of the real estate market. “There are few homes in Telluride anywhere near the one million dollar mark,” said Shimkonis.
Lucarelli agreed, saying, “There’s nothing left. The buzzer going off in the background; that means game over. You’re either in town or not.”
By Josie Jay
Click the link below to find out how you can own a piece of real estate in Telluride.
Posted by Adam at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)
November 18, 2004
Huge Mountain Village home with wonderful views
If you are looking for a great family home in the Mountain Village of Telluride, then look no further. Telluride360 Real Estate has a 5,151 square foot home with an oversized 2 car garage that is a prefect family home. It has 5 beds, 4.5 baths, 2 master suites and a newly remodeled kitchen. One of the master suites can be locked off to allow rental opportunities for the rest of the house. The 1.59 acre lot is situated on the Telluride golf course, just minutes from the slopes. The huge backyard with a sprinkler system will be great for the kids to play on in the summer time and you can create your own private sledding area in the winter. With incredible 360 degree views, tons of sun and a heated patio with a recessed hot tub make this house a great place to entertain year round.
To find out more about this home and other land and condos in the Telluride area, click the link below. Telluride360 Real Estate would love to help you find or build your dream home in the majestic San Juan Mountains.
http://www.telluride360.com/listings/propdetail.cfm?pid=85
Posted by Adam at 09:54 AM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2004
Crystal ball cloudy for Kentucky Placer
Whether preserved in its entirety, or used for affordable housing or trophy home sites, the future of the Kentucky Placer parcel on the south side of Telluride will continue to be scrutinized by local governmental entities.
Both county and town open space commissions met in a special worksession Monday to open talks on future ownership and stewardship of the 117-acre parcel, a swath of undeveloped land flanking the San Miguel River and Town Park.
"The overall goal is to keep it open space," said Telluride Open Space Chair Roberta Peterson. "We'd like the Bear Creek Preserve to stay exactly as it is now."
Peterson said the town commission's ultimate desire for the entire Placer - particularly parcels bordering the Bear Creek Preserve - is for absolute preservation.
Members of both the Telluride open space group and their counterparts from San Miguel agreed that sharing decisions on the future of the Kentucky Placer - from second home development ideas to complete conservation - would be the best approach, though the county open space group professed the parcel did not weigh as heavily for them.
County open space staff Linda Luther said her commission has enough on its plate already.
"The county's interest in this is secondary. Because the town said it is important, we're sitting here," she said. "I am here in the spirit of keeping cooperation going Š I have a lot of projects in play right now. I personally don't want to see Kentucky Placer as priority."
A number of open space projects are already spoken for in the county's budget, Luther said. The town's commission, too, has funds already earmarked for other projects, notably preservation of the Valley Floor, leaving financing for the Placer less than assured through dedicated funding already in place. Open space members agreed acquisition through grants and matched dollars is possible.
Once the commission maps out the future of the Kentucky Placer, Telluride Projects Manager Lance McDonald said, ballpark financing will be presented to potential matching entities like Great Outdoors Colorado and the Town of Mountain Village - GOCO could potentially award the preservation project up to $700,000.
But county open space members said keeping all options open - including possible development of the triangle parcel just west of the Bear Creek road bordering the Preserve - is an important consideration due to costs and stewardship of the entire parcel.
Title to the Kentucky Placer is currently held by the Trust for Public Lands, which purchased the land from the Idarado Mining Co. last April. TPL recently appraised the land at $4.1 million, and has set the selling price to the town at $2.9 million under a purchase agreement that could be extended five to seven years. The town has until Dec. 31, 2006 to purchase the property. Failing that, TPL must find a buyer for the land or ownership reverts to Idarado.
County open space members said financial contribution - and stewardship of - the Kentucky Placer could be minimal on their part.
If homes are built on the currently platted 35-acre lots near the Preserve, road access via the Bear Creek road could be problematic. Because the road is zoned under the county's High Country zone district, it is subject to High Country restrictions, which forbids winter maintenance and major upgrades.
Of equal concern is a small stretch of land just west of the road where the Telluride Trails Project ends one of its slated trails. The Ronbo Trail (recently renamed the O'Reilly's Trail) is slated to empty out onto the lower Bear Creek road, one of five trails in a system created by U.S. Forest Service and Mountain Village officials who are planning to link the gondola summit to Mountain Village and Telluride.
Because of the trails proximity to the Kentucky Placer, commission members said the town's input and funding is critical in preserving the Placer.
"I don't think it's a total Town of Telluride decision," said Peterson.
While some county members remained skeptical, San Miguel County Open Space member Nancy Craft, who serves as the liaison between the two open space groups, said preserving the entire Placer isn't out of reach.
"I don't see it being a total daunting task," she said.
Members broke down the land's potential into five options: protecting the entire Kentucky Placer; developing part of the triangle or western edge; developing the western edge triangle and additional lands; developing affordable housing; and, a no action alternative.
A joint meeting with the Towns of Telluride and Mountain Village and San Miguel County officials will be held in December and will include an update on the Kentucky Placer.
By Kara Tatone
For more information on Telluride Real Estate in regards to homes, land or condos, visite Telluride360 Real Estates web site by clicking the link below.
Posted by Adam at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)
November 16, 2004
Telluride Mountain Village Condo With Great Views
Ernie Graham of Telluride 360 Real Estate recently listed a 2 bed, 2 bath condo in the Granita Building, located in the Mountain Village Core. With true ski-in / ski-out access this unit is in high demand. Unit number 303 is on the third floor granting it huge views of Mt. Wilson that will stay. This beautiful unit has 1,240 square feed of living space, one large deck and two smaller decks all facing Mt. Wilson and Wilson Peak. Granita is one of the best built condo complexes in all of Telluride or Mountain Village. Unit comes fully furnished with the following high end ammenities; private ski locker, underground heated parking, building security, vaulted ceilings, cherry cabinetry, granite countertops, fireplace and large deck. Visit our website to view pictures of this unit or to see other Telluride ski homes, condos, vacant land and any other real estate in the region.
http://www.telluride360.com/listings/propdetail.cfm?pid=152
Posted by Adam at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)
November 12, 2004
New lot in the Mountain Village
Have you always dreamed of building your own home? Steve Eiche of Telluride360 Real Estate just listed one of the most affordable vacant lots in the Mountain Village. Lot AR-60, a .23 acre lot is located at the end of a private cul-de-sac in the Timber Ridge development. The views of San Sophia Mountain Range and Whipple Mountain are spectacular. With only a 5 minute drive to the village core, you will be sking the slopes of Telluride in no time.
To find out more about this lot, click the link below.
Posted by Adam at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2004
Home in the Woods
Mountain Village has another great home in the woods on the market. 112 Cabins Lane is a 2,150 square foot 3 bed, 3.5 bath house located at the end of a cul-de-sac. The log home which borders open space, the National Forest and Prospect creek has excellent ski access and is very private. The large deck would be great for a hot tub or simply socializing. This house will make a great second home or primary residence, and with it's location it won't last long.
To find out how to make this mountain home yours, click the link below.
http://www.telluride360.com/listings/propdetail.cfm?pid=133
Posted by Adam at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2004
Great lot in the Mountain Village
Lot AR-34, 104 Singletree Road is one of a kind. The lot is .6 acres and has already had the soil study completed. It is ready for someone to build their dream or spec home! Any home that is built here will have 360 degree views of the mountains. It is located across the street from the golf course in the Timber Ridge development.
To find out how to make this lot yours, simply click on the link below.
http://www.telluride360.com/listings/propdetail.cfm?pid=125
Posted by Adam at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2004
Telluride has History
Rewind about 130 years and Telluride would seem like the last place on earth you'd like to golf or live. Indeed, dig into the historic town's past and you'll find that it may have been named from a send-off given to would-be porpectors venturing into the inhospitable mountain terrain. As fortune seekers would ride off, skeptics would shout, "To-hell-you-ride!"
Another opinion held that the town earned its name from a derivative of Tellurium, a non-metallic element associated with gold and silver mining.
Regardless, thanks to its location in a box canyon surrounded by the San Juan Mountains, Telluride, as it turns out, is considerably closer to heaven than it was originally made out to be by the naysayers.
Once the summer gathering place for the Utes, the Spanish explored in the late 1700s. Dissuaded by the altitiude and inclement winter weather, they passed through in a hurry, followed by fur trappers in the early 1880s.
It wasn't until the 1870s, when gold and silver were discovered in the San Juans, that this desolate mountain range was put on the map.
A new town called Columbia emerged and hopeful prospectors flocked there to make fortunes.
However, in 1880, the United States Postal Service refused to grant the town a branch office because the name was often confused with another gold mining town: Columbia, California.
Alas, Telluride was born and the rest is history-and what a history it is. The gold, silver, zinc, lead and copper mined from the mountains produced millions of dollars in ore extracted from the 350 miles of tunnels.
The town was so wealthy, even Butch Cassidy and his Hole-in-the-Wall-gang paid a visit. In 1889, the notorious outlaws rode off with $30,000 from the San Miguel National Bank in their very first bank robbery.
Today the wealth can be measured in the number of multi-million dollar homes, the magnificent golf course and the well-maintained ski area. Roughly 2,000 people call Telluride home year round.
Telluride has something to offer anyone. If your looking for a condo, a second home or land to build your new dream home, Telluride and Mountain Village are the places to invest in. The mountains completely shut you out from the rest of the world, which makes time go a little slower here. To find out how you can become a part of this magnificent valley, click on the link below.
Posted by Adam at 12:20 PM | Comments (0)