Benny Moo

The best listing in my neighborhood: 4990 E Cliff Point

2009-11-05T14:42:06-07:00

4990 E Cliff Point Circle has returned to market. This show-stopping home has been COMPLETELY Remodeled and sits on a choice lot in the Pinecliff Community.

While neighborhoods like Pine Creek and Peregrine often get the attention of buyers looking for D20 custom homes, this house offers a superior product at a better price in a neighborhood arguably more stable in value and convenient in location that either Pine Creek or Peregrine.

Pinecliff is the most southerly neighborhood in Academy District 20. That means it is the closest to downtown Colorado Springs and yet has the award-winning schools known throughout the region (and by officers in the United States Air Force around the world it seems!) like Rockrimmon Elementary, Eagleview Middle School and Air Academy High School.

Pinecliff also has a wide variety of prices. There are condos and townhomes on the south rim that are in the $150,000's, there are single family listings in the $300,000's and $400,000's, and there are high-end listings right up against Ute Valley Park in the $600,000's, with newer, one-of-a-kind homes on Cordillera that have never seen the market worth significantly more than that. And all of this is 11 minutes from downtown.

A short walk from the home is Ute Valley Park, one of the jewels in the crown of Colorado Springs Park System. The almost 8 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails offer wilderness-like experiences with a suburban access. Just to the south and west is world-famous Garden of the Gods. More trails, more hiking, more biking, an outstanding road bike circuit, horseback riding, and of course, beginner to technical rock-climbing. Only fifteen minutes away is Blodgett Peak Open Space, 167 acres ringed by Pike National Forest and the United States Air Force Academy. And on the east side of the neighborhood is the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail which connects downtown with Palmer Lake. Connecting to the trail is safe from the home, even if you're towing a bike trailer. This is why the west-side is such a magnet for recreation buffs who live, work and play in Colorado Springs (Outside Magazine's Number One City to Live in 2009).

Nearby is the up and coming dining corridor of Garden of the Gods. Less than one mile away is Marigolds, Ai Sushi, Great Harvest Bread Company and Trinity Brewing. Jun's Sushi Bar is less than five minutes south. Three grocery stores are less than a five minute drive and downtown is exactly 12 minutes away (Bijou Exit 141 off of I-25).

Pinecliff is truly one of the finest communities in Colorado Springs. And ownership of a 5400 square foot home with:

Home Theatre by Connected Technologies
Dacor, Hickory and Granite Slab Kitchen
Dining Room for 10
Remodeled Master Bedroom with Glass-Bowl sinks, Shower for two, soaking tub and heated tile flooring
Smart House Wiring
Main Level Guest Suite with Custom 3/4 attached bath
Dining Room for 10
Great Room Living Room
Stucco Exterior, Tile Roof

For a price under $500,000... it's hard enough to find a house this loaded on a lot in Falcon for this price, but with this location, it is truly a one-of-a-kind opportunity, the best Pinecliff has to offer.

Near Everything: 2815 Downhill Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80918

2009-10-21T12:44:55-06:00

In most parts of Colorado, it is hard to find a nice 4 bedroom home for around $200,000 in a great neighborhood.

In Colorado Springs however, there are literally dozens of neighborhoods that offer home buyers this possibility. Very few are as centrally located and as convenient as Vista Grande.

Built in 1977 and updated extensively in the last ten years (and most recently in the last month), 2815 Downhill Drive in Vista Grande is a superior value home in a great area for a mere $210,000.

With four bedrooms, 3 baths, a 2 car garage, 2700 total square feet and a 10,000 square foot lot, the basic stats leap off the page at only $210,000.

With the improvements including a modern oak kitchen with newer appliances and pantry, brand new carpet and paint, the exterior painted in 2008 and the roof replaced in 2008, there is peace of mind in abundance.

The immediate area is near numerous conveniences. King Elementary is blocks away and easily walkable, Keystone Park is accessed two blocks east, Union Blvd takes the diagonal route downtown in 12 minutes and the Shops at Briargate are only 8 minutes north. The Powers Blvd Retail Corridor (Cinemark, Kohls, JC Penny, Whole Foods) is just a few miles southeast. Three military installations employing tens of thousands are less than 25 minutes away, including The United States Air Force Academy, Peterson Air Force Base and Schriever Air Force Base.

With District 11's King Elementary, Russell Middle School and Doherty High School all conveniently nearby, this is a home where you don't have to compromise quality of home, quantity of residence and quality of life!

Mountain Shadows Value: 4510 Granby Circle at $290,000

2009-10-21T11:04:40-06:00

One of the major buyer benefits of this market is the opportunity to get into a neighborhood that was unaffordable just two years ago. Mountain Shadows is a great example. Values have slid by 5% in two years (one of the lowest rates of depreciation in Colorado Springs, and in fact, in the West) and interest rates have dropped a full percent. Homes that were worth $305,000 two years ago are now worth $290,000 and the borrower can afford 11% more mortgage since the rates are now at 5.00% flat. So a $260K buyer at 6% can now afford a home that was in the low $300,000's just 18 to 24 months ago.

And even better... that $290,000 house is in a market with only 2 months of supply. Demand is out-pacing supply now in certain zip codes, and 80919 is one of them (under $350,000). With pent-up demand taking action, prices are now not only stabilized, but set to rebound.

View Larger Map

Enter 4510 Granby Circle.

At the gateway to the prestigious Mountain Shadows neighborhood, this home is a dream for those that want to live where they recreate. Across Centennial is Pinon Valley Park, home to dozens of child soccer games in the spring and fall and pick up football and ultimate frisbee on local lunch breaks. Pinon Valley sits at the entrance to 450 acres of open space, Ute Valley Park, one of the jewels in the crown of Colorado Springs Park System. The almost 8 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails offer wilderness-like experiences with a suburban access. Just to the south is world-famous Garden of the Gods. More trails, more hiking, more biking, an outstanding road bike circuit, horseback riding, and of course, beginner to technical rock-climbing. Five minutes north up Centennial to Woodmen is Blodgett Peak Open Space, 167 acres ringed by Pike National Forest and the United States Air Force Academy. This is why the west-side is such a magnet for recreation buffs who live, work and play in Colorado Springs (Outside Magazine's Number One City to Live in 2009).

With the privilege of so much to do and enjoy, it's easy to see why so many buyers compromise on their housing qualifications to live in Mountain Shadows. But why compromise when you can have:

Just under 3000 total square feet?
Master, twin 14x11 secondary bedrooms and laundry upstairs?
Master assets like vaulted ceiling, 12x10 retreat, veranda with Pikes Peak View, Five-Piece Bath and Huge Walk-In Closet?
Formal Living Room, Spacious Family Room?
Open Corridor of sight-lines between Family Room, Dining Area and Kitchen, all improved and tied together with hardwood flooring?
Kitchen with island, generous cabinet space and pantry?
Family Room with spacious room for modern media, speaker wiring and walk out to back deck?
Nine Foot Ceilings on the main, walkout lower level, private backyard, city light views, stucco exterior and high-quality Saddletree Homes construction?

This is one home that doesn't require a compromise. Mountain Shadows and modern living converge at a great price... 4510 Granby Circle.

It's that time of year... Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Parade this Weekend!

2009-10-20T13:05:42-06:00

One of the best things about showing Manitou Springs to out of town customers is the story of Emma Crawford.

Now there are ancillary details to the story provided here (a site almost as reputable as The Drudge Report), such as:

Emma came from a teetolating Northeastern Family that did not care for her hanging around local Ute Indians, who still frequented downtown Manitou in the late 19th Century.
She was a TB patient who wore a scarf around her neck to insulate her larynx. She tied her scarf around the most peaceful spot she knew above town and after returning home and going to sleep, never woke up.
Emma found a contemplative peace on the hills above Manitou. After examining their hearts, her family elected to bury her in the same place as her scarf was tied.
The storm wrecked havoc to the mountain shortly after her burial, and her coffin and remains hurdled down Manitou Ave. in the muddy wash.

To celebrate this historic exhumation, Manitou Spring's very own Chamber of Commerce has commissioned The Emma Crawford Festival. The 15th Annual Event begins this Saturday, October 24 at 11.

Maybe this is your cup of tea, maybe it isn't, but in the spirit of Keep Manitou Weird, here is rule 9 from the official entry form to the Emma Crawford Festival Coffin Race (which follows the parade of coffins, beginning at 11:00 o'clock sharp.

9. All participants must take part in the Parade of Coffins. The Parade starts with the procession of Hearses, followed by the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce Pace Coffin. You must line up behind the pace coffin in the order of your registration number. You must not begin the parade until the Pace Coffin starts.

That's right. Manitou Springs. Budget Travel's 2008 Coolest Small Town in America.

Marketing is Built Right in: Why An Ampitheatre and Trader Joe's could make Gold Hill Mesa Sing...

2009-10-07T14:22:16-06:00

I subscribe to the theory that you can't gimmick something to success.

Another theory: advertising does not work.

A third: marketing is value built right in. As a user or consumer, you see it: you want it.

I think Gold Hill Mesa is presently an overpriced neighborhood. The reason is that they have a hard sell and I am forced to think about them in conventional real estate terms... No D12 or D20, but D11, soils that freak out REALTORS probably effects future resale values, one of the major backers of the area went Chapter 11 in 2008. I can prattle on with bigger deficiencies in Wolf Ranch, Flying Horse and even to a degree Cordera, but my point is this: in it's present state of development, I am forced to think of it in conventional real estate terms. Conventional real estate thinking is usually fear-based thinking, the kind of thinking that discourages action rather than encourages action. Conventional real estate thinking removes objections to present the most unobjectionable product possible.

As a consumer, I ask: what was the last product you bought because it was so unobjectionable? Life insurance?

As a marketer, I know you are "selling" in the contemporary sense of the word when the consumer takes voluntary actions towards the product. When the consumer makes a conscious, proactive decision FOR the product... something is about to happen that is big.

I would want to buy in Gold Hill Mesa (in present market dollars) if they accepted my proposal I just sent off to them.

In fact, I bet real estate values would double in three years in a FLAT MARKET in the 1 mile radius of Gold Camp Road and 21st if this project took off. If you are a believer that Walkscore is flipping brilliant (I said flipping, so yes, I think it is brilliant), imagine the walk score for a neighborhood:

1 mile from downtown
newly constructed with parks and open space inside it
walkable to a grocery and pharmacy. Now make that grocery store Trader Joe's
walkable to an outdoor performing arts venue
a bike ride to clean-flowing water with catchable trout
and across the street from the mother-of-all El Paso County open space parks, Bear Creek Park

Seth Godin said six years ago, and I'm paraphrasing Purple Cow here, but we have so little time and so much competing for our attention... we simply want something that works and fits the bill, perfectly. That is what will the consumer will buy.

Residential development often avoids this thinking, and instead dumps a set of market-tested mixed stew into a product and then hopes to find a price point that lures activity. I'm exagerrating for dramatic effect of course. But I don't think the reality is too far removed from the hyperbole.

Gold Hill Mesa has struggled like all local residential developments. But I think their geographic location is positively magic. They have a hurdle to overcome which is the mine tailings processed on that site 100 years ago. Interestingly, the only transaction I have sold in there was purchased by a Chemical Engineer and Chemical Weapons specialist with extensive geologic training from the US Army. In other words, I'm exposed as the liberal arts doofus I really am when I'm around this client. If anyone should apply conventional real estate thinking to their decision, it is this client. He moved towards the product. He checked it out and thought the soils on the mesa was the most comprehensively analyzed and action-assessed dirt in El Paso County. He bought there without hesitation.

Imagine if instead of being perceived as a deficiency to the area... that same dirt was seen as a value built right in.

Here is my letter sent to Gold Hill Mesa today.

There is this big swath of land owned by a developer called Gold Hill Mesa that runs north from Gold Camp Road along the east side of 21^st to Highway 24… largely undeveloped. Disturbing that soil will have negative implications for Fountain Creek.

But what if…

A 1500 to 2500 seat performing arts venue was a part of that?

What if…

Part of the soils work was sponsored and organized by Trout Unlimited and Dave Leinweber with Angler’s Covey?

What if…

The retail anchor was Trader Joe’s?

What if…

The developer's political connections convinced local legislators to meet with their friends in the State Congress to repeal Colorado Blue Laws making Denver an attractive warehousing operation for Trader Joe’s and helping facilitate the expansion of the franchise throuhgout the state?

What if…

People of all political persuasions, arts focus, development focus, recreational focus, etc. created a world-class development that was not just housing, but immediate recreation, instant access to arts, anchored by a national franchise brand that is the “un-franchise” of franchises?

What if that was in Colorado Springs?

Could a developer and residential development actually create a landscape where Colorado Springs moves from a position of second city, to unique innovator in the economic growth and expansion of the State of Colorado?

Just because they built a high-quality performing arts venue, allowed the trout nuts to help with the dirt work, and brought a high-value brand grocery store to Colorado?

The World Arena cost $48 million 11 years ago. It was 100% privately financed.

What do you think the value of Gold Hill Mesa would be relative to an infill in Lakewood like Belmar? I think I would much rather live in Gold Hill Mesa than Bel Mar. Or Stapleton.

Imagine taking in a summer evening concert with a national recording act, looking north at Garden of the Gods and Northeast to the city lights. Beyond that, thunderstorms light the sky over Black Forest.

Hmmm….

How I think we can get Trader Joe's to Colorado Springs

2009-10-06T16:24:10-06:00

Yes, Colorado Springs.

If Colorado Springs wishes to shed it's image as the poor stepchild of Denver, it needs to do gutsy, collaborative things that Denver can not do. Colorado Springs needs to utilize the base of one-of-a-kind assets that exist only here and convert them into long-term benefits.

Highway 24 and 21st is the perfect place to re-define the Colorado Springs business meets arts meets recreational landscape.

At this single intersection, the former Van Briggle Building (more accurately titled "The Wheelhouse Building") has just opened with Carmichael Fitness. The world-class personal trainer of Lance Armstrong will have my favorite bike shop in town as a tenant come the end of the month as Pro Cycling joins the building. Across the street is Angler's Covey, the largest retail space devoted to fly fishing in the Rocky Mountains.

Demographically, Skyway and the Broadmoor are a heartbeat to the south.

Energetically, Old Colorado City and it's 120 year history of slightly eccentric shopping, dining and imbibing.

Two miles to the east is downtown.

And through this intersection pass hundreds of thousands of tourists and Coloradoans headed for Purple Mountain Majesty and other recreation in Pike National Forest and beyond. Garden of the Gods? A bike ride. Red Rock Canyon and superb rock climbing? Three intersections west.

Flowing through all of this is Fountain Creek. Dave Leinweber at Angler's Covey wants to organize Trout Unlimited Volunteers to do streamside habitat restoration to bring trout back to the waters of Fountain Creek... within the city limits of Colorado Springs. Wow, Denver has a thriving carp fishery below the sewage treatment plant on the South Platte. Imagine if Colorado Springs had catchable rainbows and brookies behind Amanda's Fonda?

Have I mentioned that the Manitou Arts Theatre already occupies a venue on Pecan Street?

Have I mentioned that we also need an outdoor ampitheatre for live music and play productions during the spring and summer?

That the best Farmer's Market is at Bancroft Park, six blocks away from this intersection?

Trader Joe's wants a hook before they move into new areas. Colorado Blue Laws do not prevent them from opening a grocery store with alcohol. Grocery stores can apply for a single store exception, and I know of a Safeway in Denver with a liquor license for wine and spirits. There is no question that the California (and Virginia and Minnesota) transplants would go ga-ga over Trader Joe's anywhere in Colorado. But what would really give Trader Joe's the necessary angle for development in Colorado would be to anchor great SUSTAINABLE development. This is not the grocery store in the new strip mall. This is not a cash cow (they are a cash cow anywhere and they do not need to be reminded of this). This is the local picnic basket to fuel the after-work concert goers, the sandstone scalers, the mountain bike gear heads, the fly fishing citizenry... and becomes the tourist destination of choice for foodies and culturites across the Front Range.

I have made my recreational piligrimmages to Trader Joe's in Santa Fe and to Cabela's in Sydney, NE. Highway 24 and 21st is begging to be the intersection of choice for the type of intelligent development that only Colorado Springs can produce.

I'm a REALTOR by profession and I specialize in residential real estate. There is no doubt that the impact of this style of development would greatly benefit property values and the city's pathetic commercial tax base. But the real beauty of this is that it would force "rivals" to place nice together and pull off a one of a kind project. This will synthesize developers (commercial and residential) with recreational activists (some Sierra Club folks for sure but I'm also sure plenty of NRA members) with the arts (I sit on the board of COPPeR, the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region). Would I financially gain from this? Probably. But the bigger gain would be for the city. The gain would be that the arts could be anchored by local resources in one spot with imaginative venues. That children would have access to outdoor music... and clean water with living trout. The city would have a one-of-a-kind locale that is worth talking about.

It can happen. I'm just hear to asking for fellow members in the movement. Let's help the arts. Let's help the trout. Let's help the city's tax collection. Let's get Trader Joe's to Colorado Springs.

True Marketing Disasters: Brought to you by Microsoft

2009-09-24T16:27:36-06:00

I can't believe this is real. This is sort of like real estate social media.

Except it's Microsoft.

Really?

It is so saccharine and unbelievably moronic, I almost expected it turn into a slasher flick or some practical joke at the end. Granny saying "that is one way to flow the party..." What? Is she gonna drop wanksta on the spectacled dude? Only because it violates the ultimate rule of social media did I determine that this actually originated in Redmond, WA. Can't rate it, can't comment... but you can embed it in your own blog. Reminder to myself as a marketer... don't... ever... do... this.

This Weekend: Frijole & Chile Festival!

2009-09-24T11:47:11-06:00

Local agriculture is hard at 6500 feet. Most of El Paso County is well over a mile high in elevation, and with a 90 day growing season, few cities in North America are this size with a growing season this short. Home grown produce is more novelty than reality for most individuals.

Go downhill a good 1700 feet, have access to Arkansas River irrigation and "enjoy" a couple dozen summer afternoons with temperatures well over 100 degrees and you get a totally different climate. Pueblo, CO is the ideal environment for high quality chile, and while I will always tip the hat to our neighbors in New Mexico and the quality of their Hatch and Chimayo... my heart is loyal to the local Mira Sol.

This weekend is the 15th Annual Loaf and Jug Chile and Frijole Festival. I mean, how can you not attend with a name like that? It is your opportunity to head south for a little local culture that has been native to the Front Range for centuries... yes, chile cultivation predates by centuries the more commonly celebrated "western heritage" of events like the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo. And let's face it... burgers, dogs and funnel cake ain't got nothing on hoppin' mean green made with the local Mira Sol. And if you need burgers, dogs and funnel cake you can find it at the 15th Annual Loaf and Jug Chile and Frijole Festival ...slathered in chile of course.

If you're a first timer to local chile, keep in mind that the hotter the summer, generally the more pungent the heat. This was not a toasty summer so it probably won't be so hot. If you're making chile and have a low Scoville tolerance, stick with the Anaheims. This SoCal import is conisderably milder and still rich in flavor. If you like mellow nutiness, get the extra-vine-ripened red chiles for a different, more complex flavor.

But if you really want the full-on, local experience... this is the weekend to head to Pueblo, buy a bushel of flame-kissed peppers

(does the culinary world know anything better than a rotating steel cage and a blowtorch?), stink up your car so it smells like reefer madness on the way home, and peel and bag the babies in your kitchen sink. Your freezer is blessed with Colorado's finest local vegetable.

Saturday Morning Open House near the OCC Farmer's Market

2009-09-17T14:20:25-06:00

If location is everything, then the doors are wide open at 307 N 22nd in Old Colorado City...

This 1944-built home is literally four blocks away from the Old Colorado City Farmer's Market in Bancroft Park.
View Larger Map Saturday Morning, September 19th... why not stop by and see this lovely home while on your way to support local community agriculture and artisans? That's right, an early morning open house, 8:15 to 11:30 with free Umpire Estates Coffee, Hot Tea, even a bucket of free gladiolas (first-come, first-serve!). With a location less than 1.5 miles from Garden of the Gods and Rockledge Ranch, this is a superb home for the family or individual who enjoys the great westside of Colorado Springs. In fact, only 4% of Colorado Springs has a Walkscore higher than this property's 82. Enjoy Saturday morning on the west side, and while you're out... stop by 307 N. 22nd, in the heart of Old Colorado City.

307 N 22nd Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904

2009-07-27T16:38:45-06:00

Old Colorado City sits minutes between downtown Colorado Springs and the wide-open spaces of the west side, Pikes Peak and the Mountains beyond. Lifestyle is characterized by an open embrace of the outdoors, community, simplicity, and fun. Wouldn't it be great to have a historic remodeled home within walking distance of the Farmer's Market, the neighborhood where you can actually walk to a restaurant for dinner, the location that is a 1.5 mile cruise down neighborhood streets to world-famous Garden of the Gods? Look no further.

307 N. 22nd St., C/S/C
307 N. 22nd Street is a 1944 stucco-sided rancher with abundant upgrades. The 1673 square feet enjoy 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, main level laundry and an attached one-car garage. Entering the main level, you will find the living room and formal dining room. With abundant space for guests, this home makes for great entertaining. With a remodeled kitchen, highlighted by slab granite counters, gas-fueled GE Stainless stove and stainless fridge and dishwasher, you actually will have the power and space to entertain. A few steps to the south through the Main Level Mudroom and Laundry is access to a great grilling and patio area, with a privacy fence surrounding a great yard for play, dominated by year-round a westerly view of Pikes Peak. Living quarters are on both levels with two bedrooms on the main, each with hardwood floors. One has period built-in furnishings in the closet and the other offers ample closet space. The full bath is easily accessible from either room. In the basement, a 2009 remodel has added a whole new dimension to livability with a professionally finished and permitted basement adding a master suite with 3/4 bath. This room could also be utilized as a family room. A generous storage room is off to the side where the updated mechanicals reside and the foundation is visible for inspection. With major improvements including a replaced foundation (1989), new water heater (2007) new roof (2007), kitchen (2007) and basement (2009) this is a home a buyer can view and purchase with total peace of mind, and enjoy the fundamental value of location-location-location!