The best spots in Denver for Easter Services and Easter activities

Well we just had our first day of spring and I must say, we didn’t have much of a winter but I am ready for spring! The weather has started to change, the plants are starting to pop out of the ground and the sun stays out a bit longer. I especially like this time of year because Easter is upon us and this is a special time to me. For those of you around Denver, there are many great churches you can go to for Easter service and lots of great activities around town to celebrate the holiday. The best way to look for Easter services is to look them up online, some churches offer services at different times that day or may offer multiple services.  My favorite church to attend Easter service is the church I've been attending since 2007, Flatirons Community Church.  If you haven't found a church yet or are looking for a church that is unique and different, maybe give Flatirons a try.  There are several campuses around the Denver metro area so there's got to be one out there for you.

And don't forget about all the fun activities that come along with Easter.   Below I have listed some great activities that you and the whole family can enjoy.

Brunch: Easter and brunch seem to go hand in hand so here are some restaurants having some great brunch deals for the day:

·      Avelina – 3-course meal

·      Sarto’s – special Easter menu

·      Charcoal Bistro – 3-course meal with bottomless cocktails

·      Max’s Wine Bar

·      Ocean Prime – brunch specials

·      Denver Aquarium – breakfast with the Easter Bunny

Easter Egg Hunts & Activities –

·      Brighton Spring Celebration – Sat. March 31st - The city of Brighton will be celebrating spring with downtown local businesses handing out candy and treats to the kids. The Easter bunny will also be in attendance so make sure to bring your camera!

·      Bunny Bolt – Sat. Mach 31st – Head to City Park for a 5k, 10k and kids 1k run around the park. Kids will also have the opportunity to meet the Easter Bunny, get their face painted and look for eggs. Adults can enjoy yoga and the Golden Egg Hunt.

·      World’s largest Easter egg hunt – Sun. April 1st – If you are ready for an Easter egg hunt like none other, head to Copper Mountain for the hunt of a lifetime. Over 2,500 acres are used with 65,000 eggs for kids of all ages to find. There are prizes and goodies for everyone to win and each age group has their chance to find eggs.

·      Easter candy hunt at the Mile-High flea market – Sat. March 31st

·      Broomfield Eggstravaganza – Sat. March 31st

·      Glendale Easter Eggstravaganza – Sat. March 31st

·      Golden Family Easter – Sat. March 31st

·      Highlands Ranch Community Easter Egg Hunt – Sat. March 31st

·      Parker Easter Egg Hunt – Sat. March 31st

Hope you all have a blessed Easter and if you are thinking this spring might be the time to get into the housing market, contact me today! I would love to sit down with you and figure out how we can make your real estate dreams a reality.

Time to turn your clocks forward!

Hard to believe we are already heading into spring and with that comes the changing of the clocks. This Sunday, March 11th, at 1:00am the clocks will cruise forward giving us earlier morning sun and much more sunlight with sunsets taking place around 8:00pm. It’s a great way to get excited for spring and summer but also can throw people a bit for a week or so, especially anyone with small children who need to get used to going to bed with the sun still shining!

There have been many arguments over the years about taking away daylights saving time in the United States. Many countries did away with daylights saving or have never even used it but the US continues to use it. Arizona, for example, can be a bit tricky because some of the parts of the start recognize daylights saving and other parts of it do not so if you happen to be traveling there, make sure to ask around to figure out what time it is.

The history of when daylights savings started goes all the way back to 1895 to a entomologist from New Zealand named George Hudson. He proposed a two-hour time shift so that he would have more after work hours of sunshine. He wanted to have more time to go bug hunting was his main purpose. Then about seven years later, a British builder named William Willett thought up the same idea while he was out horseback riding. He brought the idea to England’s Parliament as a way to prevent the nation from wasting daylight. The idea was shot down by the British government and didn’t come back to light until 1916, two years into World War 1 when the German government was brainstorming ways to save energy. They knew of Willett’s idea and decided to implement it into their daily lives. Back then, coal power was king and so by changing their clocks, people really did save energy by not having to use so much coal.

Today, there is still a lot of back and forth because as many people have pointed out, changing the clocks no longer saves any energy. There also have been studies around the changing of clocks and how it has been linked to higher car accident fatalities, heart attacks and other negative outcomes. But these effects are just temporary, thought to be due to sleep deprivation and circadian rhythm changes.

So before you go to bed Saturday evening, make sure to turn your clocks back and don’t be alarmed if you feel a little groggy on Monday morning! With this weather changing you might be thinking it is a good time to get into the real estate market and if that’s the case, give me a call today I’d love to grab a cup of coffee with you and chat about how we can make your real estate dreams come true!

The Oscar Goes To...The Premier Condo Market

The Premier residential market was feeling the love in February with its sales volume increasing 6.18 percent month over month, and 12.12 percent year over year. Sellers loved that their homes were not taking as long to sell in February with the days on market down 32.74 percent from the prior month to 76 days. No President’s Day sales were happening in the Premier single-family segment of the market, as the price per square feet increased 4.32 percent from the prior month. The average price of a single-family home in the Premier market was  $589,683 - up 0.07 percent from the prior month. With 999 active residences (single-family) at the end of February, and 1.99 months of inventory, buyers had more to choose from compared to homes under $500,000, but needed to act quickly when a listing came on the market. In the category of highest year-to-date percentage increase in sales and sales volume, 2017 over 2018, the Oscar goes to…the Premier condo market at 24.83 percent sold and 23.93 percent sales volume at over $100 million. Days on market for Premier condos was striking at 237 days, down 27.30 percent from the prior month. There were 261 active listings and 3.18 months of inventory in this segment of the market, so buyers had more to choose from in the Premier condo market over other segments of the market.  Download the full March market trends report here.  

Plan Your Weeked! Open House At 3630 Lipan St, Denver

Come tour this new build in the heart of the highlands! Presented by Deviree Vallejo with Kentwood City Properties and hosted by Brigette Modglin and Mary-Carol Jones

Add a little flair to your house with tile

As we work out way into spring, many of my clients are coming to me and asking what they can do to upgrade their homes either to enjoy themselves or for when they decide to put their home on the market. There are so many great things one can do to keep their house looking fresh and up-to-date. I always recommend re-painting their home every 5+ years for the exterior and keeping the indoor colors tons that future buyers could enjoy. I talk to them about the exterior of their homes and how curb appeal is so important when trying to sell a house but also keeping a nice yard will have benefits for my clients as well.

When it comes to actually updating the house, everyone knows that the two most expensive rooms to remodel are the kitchen and the bathrooms. These rooms require a lot of changes when it comes time to remodel, upgrading appliances alone can cost thousands of dollars. Bathrooms, if budgeted right, can be better to upgrade because if you don’t have to buy the top of the line products, you can still find a lot of great bathroom materials that look expensive but don’t hurt the wallet.

One feature that many people invest a lot of time in when redoing these rooms are the backsplashes and the floors. There are so many different ways to do these both and one thing that can really add flair or keep a room looking crisp is the addition of tile.

Tiles have been around for quite a while but are now being used more and more as actual art pieces within bathrooms and kitchens. When it comes to backsplash for example, you have the opportunity to buy bright, colorful glass tiles that can take any white kitchen from looking plain to all of a sudden looking like a kitchen you might find in a magazine.

Terracotta tiles are a big hit in the kitchen because they have a very natural look to them and instantly bring warmth and comfort to the space.

Subway tile is classic and will continue to be around for a long time. One way to make it stand out more is to add a colored, dark grout to make the space look more unique.

Patterned tile can add so much flavor to a kitchen and can act as more of an art piece then actual tile.

Black and white tile was popular a while back but it has been making a comeback as more and more people are looking to have a classic feel within their homes.

Tile can be expensive so that is something to budget for when you are thinking to remodel. But it doesn’t have to break the bank and it can add so much to your home in the long run!