It’s that time of year again, Daylight Savings!

When? This Sunday, March 14th at 2:00 am Spring forward, Fall back…

so be sure to turn your clocks forward 1 hour on Sunday night.

Does this mean it’s finally Spring? Could someone please inform the weather man it’s Spring now and to start reporting signs of warmth on the horizion!

Have a great weekend!

–
Shaheen Hangval
Broker Associate/EcoBroker with Blue Ribbon Properties

835 Main Ave. Suite # 214
Office: 970-247-8388 Fax: 970-247-8360
Shaheen’s Cell: 970-769-2441

Okay, first…Breathe.  It’s okay, relax…let’s review.

* Don’t worry when you read ….”appears serviceable”

What does that mean?   Sounds like “needs work” but actually it means from brand new to works fine.  No problem there.

* Another scary phrase is “Hire a licenced qualified professional”

Again, relax, this does not mean “watch out the house might fall down!!”  It would mean, if this is item concerns you, the inspector is not qualified to give you more info for liability purposes.  If some base board needs caulk, it’s probably safe to say you don’t have to contact a general contractor, ask a handy man.  Now, if there is water leaking out of the light fixtures…okay that would be a little more serious.  

Take each item into consideration, ask friends or family members what they think about the report and most importantly, talk to you Realtor about your options/recommendations.  Sleep on it, you don’t have to make any rash decision right away, just give it some time.  Take the inspection to the house and walk around seeing the items mentioned yourself.

Click here to read article “Don’t freak out when you get back inspection results”

* My Suggestion to sellers:

When you are about to put your home on the market get a “pre-home inspection” done on your house.  They typically are less than $300.00 but this is a great value being that it could save a deal involving thousands of dollars from falling through.  You will already have a good idea of any issues that might scare a buyer off and you can make any appropriate changes before hand.  Do keep in mind that different inspectors might find different items.

If you have any other questions about the home buying process, feel free to email me or give us a call at the office.  We are happy to help!

Thanks for reading.

Shaheen Hangval
Broker Associate/EcoBroker with Blue Ribbon Properties

835 Main Ave. Suite # 214
Office: 970-247-8388 Fax: 970-247-8360
Shaheen’s Cell: 970-769-2441

As most of you might know, Durango is a snowy mountain town and some people deal with tons of snow in different ways.  Some love it, others get what’s known as “cabin fever”.  This is an overwhelming feeling of needing to get out of the house! 

Well, Snowdown was created as a way to deal with the cabin fever.  It’s basically a week long celebration, where there are fun events hosted all week long throughout the town.  Even if you don’t want to participate in the events themselves they are all entertaining to watch! So get out of your snow surrounded house and come have a good time downtown!!!

This year’s theme…Surf’s up, life’s a beach!!!

Check out the website to see all the events click here to see Snowdown website

Here are some of the events I will personally be attending or competing in…

* The polar BEER plunge – where people jump into a giant pool of beer that has been sitting outside in the cold for days!!!

* The high-five competition

* The follies – a live performance with tons of local humor and funny skits!

* The do’s and don’t fashion show, showing off Durango’s horrible sense of fashion.

* The beard growing competition - to see who can grow the best beard in town.

* The Friday big parade down Main!

* The arm-wrestling competition at the Wild Horse

…And much, much, more!

Shaheen Hangval
Broker Associate/EcoBroker with Blue Ribbon Properties

835 Main Ave. Suite # 214
Office: 970-247-8388 Fax: 970-247-8360
Shaheen’s Cell: 970-769-2441

2010 Real Estate forecast for Durango – Positive
After speaking to lenders, investors, other realtors and looking over statistics all signs point to the positive.  We have already seen an increase in sales, things are getting better. 2010 will be a great year! For more updates subscribe to our blog, The Scoop on Durango Real Estate.

Wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday season and a new year of health, happiness and prosperity

Cheers!

Claudia Williams, Shaheen Hangval, Bruce Campbell and Stacy Engle
 
P.S. Join me in donating to sponsor a child to go to day care (playschool) in Africa, Masipumulele township outside of Cape Town, South Africa. My sister, Nicola Stehlik Nangle, runs a non-profit called Work for Love and they need our help to open the school this January. Click here for more info.  Thank you.

To donate from the US and get a charitable donation tax receipt go to this link, through Facebook - causes. You can use your credit card and do not need to sign in. As little as $10 helps put a child in playschool (daycare) for a month. $12 are about 100 South African Rand. My sister Nicola is turning 40 and her birthday wish is for donations for the new playschool. 

Siyakhula Play School-sponsor a child
Mission: Siyakhula Play School caters for the poorest of the poor in the Wetlands of the Masiphumelele. We provide food, care and love to 35 children who otherwise would play on the street.

Thank you and merry Christmas.

Claudia Williams
Owner/Ecobroker/Exchangor
Blue Ribbon Properties
835 Main Ave #214
Durango, CO 81301

970 247 8388 (office)
970 749 3555 (cell)
970 247 8360 (fax)
www.blueribbondurango.com

Looks like we are going to have a white Christmas.

Everyone stay safe out there and we should be back to normal in a day of two.  For pictures and stories on the snow day go to www.durangoherald.com and www.buzztown.com.

And here’s a link to the Durango Mountain Resort Webcam:

Happy Snow Day.

Claudia Williams

Blue Ribbon Properties

Durango Real Estate

When I first moved to Durango I immediately checked out the music venues and the Arts scene.  Even to this day I find myself attending any and almost all music shows, film festivals and art expos ~ but I have noticed a change in the last couple of years.

* Durango is moving on up in the music and art world!

(Click on any of the highlighted words to visit their home website)

* The annual Durango film festival is getting bigger and bigger each year, sold out shows and great films.

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*The Durango Arts center is now putting on more performances, such as the most recent Salt Fire Circus with all local performers.

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*The Hank theater at the Strater is hosting all kinds of events, including this Halloween’s live performance of the Rock Horror Picture show!

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* The Abbey theater is hosting bigger names for music.  Just last week I went to see Stephen and Julian Marley at The Abby for $25.00!  Wow, being that it is such a small venue, I was lucky enough to get to meet the band!

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…and this is just to name a few recent fun events…

I like where this town is going!  It keeps me entertained and I feel all ages and interests can find something fun to do in this great town!

* Check out the local independent paper The Telegraph for weekly events.

As always, thanks for reading, call or email us for any questions!

–
Shaheen Hangval
Broker Associate/EcoBroker with Blue Ribbon Properties

835 Main Ave. Suite # 214
Office: 970-247-8388 Fax: 970-247-8360
Shaheen’s Cell: 970-769-2441

Walk: The River Trail – Hike “Trails 2000″

Visit: “Old Town” Durango Historic Downtown

Train Museum

Fun: Drive the  San Juan Skyway

Ride the Silverton Train

Ice Skating 375-7395 for open times

Swim: Durango Recreation center 375-7300

Trimble Hot Springs 247-0111

Tour: Mesa Verde National Park

The honey factory on North 550

Enjoy: Live Music and Downtown Entertainment.

Plus much more…

–
Shaheen Hangval
Broker Associate/EcoBroker with Blue Ribbon Properties

835 Main Ave. Suite # 214
Office: 970-247-8388 Fax: 970-247-8360
Shaheen’s Cell: 970-769-2441

Zia Taqueria’s Fresh Mex

This is probably one of my favorite “quick stops”.  If I have a client I am driving around and we need a fast lunch or if it’s 7:30 pm and I really don’t feel like making dinner…Zia is my answer.
Located at 3101 Main Ave. on the West side of the street.
100% kid friendly and great food made fast.
Expect to spend around $10 a person, $5.00 for kids.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when a Mexican restaurant doesn’t have good, fresh salsa, your salsa is you staple and foundation. With that said, Zia has great choices in salsas! From the mild avocado tomatillo to the truly HOT mango habanero, you won’t be let down!

The menu consists of items such as burritos, tacos, quesadillas with daily changing specials such as enchiladas, chili rellenos etc. On this visit I had the ever-so-delicious Mahi Mahi fish tacos, Baja style with added cilantro pesto dressing ($8.50). The Mahi is grilled which takes about 7-10 mins extra ~ but well worth wait. Tempura fried Cod ($6.50) is an option too and cooks a little faster.  Beef, chicken or pork is already on the line ready to go.

Looking for a healthier choice? Get meat or fish in a salad bowl instead of a tortilla. This is a great way to still get plenty full and feel like you are not having to make a big sacrifice.

Don’t want the meat? Grilled veggies (zucchini, squash, corn and peppers) are an option!

This is a line, counter service set up, meaning you go through the line while they make your meal with your custom choices of ingredients and toppings. The set up and design of this restaurant is genius for consistency in quality and taste as well as efficient food production.

Great friendly atmosphere with a semi-contemporary design, well decorated with some traditional Mexican pieces and some local art.  A comfortable but fun “new age” setting.

Feel free to comment on this review.

The fact of the matter is that sometimes I can tell at the first listing appointment that the seller is really not ready to sell and is not going to consider my recommendations. They may not be willing to price the home correctly, or maybe they will, and they are not willing to prepare the property for sale to compete with other homes in their price range. There is a limitless amount of issues that can go right or wrong when it comes to listing a house. But for this exercise, let’s just say that you just know deep down, this will be a struggle between yourself and your clients from beginning to end. Is it better to list or not to list in this scenario?

Cons- Many of these are obvious, and there’s no lack of them. It costs money to market a property for sale, if you do it right. If there’s little chance that it will sell, then you could lose all the money on advertising and all the time wasted. The stress that comes along with having to fight a seller that feels they need not listen to a professional can also be a drag. There are few things worse than explaining over and over again the same thing to deaf ears that could care less.

You can also from time to time get the feeling that your peers are judging you due to the property that you list. We all know the snide comments about an overpriced listing and how we and our clients are just dreaming. Or if the house is not in great showing shape you could be the talk of the office. Plus, no one likes to see their listing expire.

The biggest Con for me is that the seller is not going to be happy with my service. What good is it to list if you already know it’s not going to sell. It’s a huge emotional drain for both the seller and the agent.

But what about the pros of this situation? I can hear agent say right now: “In the end, it is still a listing and I know a few agents that never saw a listing they didn’t like. It’s still your name on the sign in the yard and it’s still something for you to work with.”

The fact of the matter is that people search for homes for sale, not so much for Realtors. The more listings a realtor has, the more opportunities you have to attract a buyer that will be willing to work with you, even if they do not purchase one of your listings. Any listing gives you something to advertise.

Never underestimate the luck factor my friends. Once and a while even a blind squirrel finds a nut and some times even the listings that aren’t so great do sell. You never know when the right person will end up in the right place, so you do have to just put yourself out there once and a while. I’ve seen that happen a few times on listings I thought for sure would never sell, and they did, in the end, all you need is 1 Buyer, one person to fall in love with the house.

In summary, I’d rather be honest with my clients and say it like it is. Nobody is served by pretending that I can sell a house that is overprice, especially in this tough buyer’s market we are experiencing at this time. I like to take listings that have a good chance of selling and then give it my very best and get them sold. Everyone will be happy in the end. If you don’t need to sell, don’t. Wait for the market to turn. The buyers will be back, I’m sure of that. Might not be this year or next, but soon, I promise.

Claudia Williams

Realtor, Owner, Exchangor, Ecobroker

Blue Ribbon Properties

Downtown Durango, 835 Main Ave #214.

www.blueribbondurango.com

For the scoop on Durango Real Estate check out my blog.