Wednesday, August 1, 2007

New Development opportunity in theTown of Telluride Lift 7 Area

Many locals and visitors alike feel the Lift 7 area in the Town of Telluride is more like a "back door" to the ski area and is overdue for a facelift. Once the main portal to skiing in Telluride, the Lift 7 (formerly known as the Coonskin Lift) area has been overlooked for the last 10 years since the free gondola was built, linking the Town of Mountain Village core, the ski area and the Town of Telluride at Oak St.
Recently a proposal was made to give the Lift 7 area, including Cimarron Lodge, a new look and feel. Dubbed by some as "Coonskin Rising", the Town has hired OZ Architecture of Denver to help create this new vision. OZ has won awards for projects in Boulder and Breckenridge, as well as created several developments in Keystone, Aspen and Copper Mountain. The mission of the Lift 7 subarea Plan (or "Coonskin Rising") is to implement a master plan that gives the the Town and private property owners guidelines for how best to utilize their properties, including hosting community design charettes, creating redevelopment concepts and policies, developing an infrastructure improvement plan, identifying opportunities for public/private partnerships, guiding land use decisions and identifying future sites for affordable housing. There will be a special Lift 7 Sub-area Plan joint meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Historic Architectural Review Commission on August 14th, 2007 at 7 pm followed the next morning at 9 am by a special Town Council meeting to hear recommendations. For more information and to view sketches, visit www.azarch.com/telluride.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Nicaragua Developments

I recently visited Nicaragua and was amazed at how much development is going on there. In San Juan del Sur, a little town of approximately 20,000 and located just north of the border of Costa Rica, there are more than sixty new developments going in. Some of these are developments are razing the landscape with bulldozers and attempting to limit access to the pristine beaches which locals have always enjoyed. Surfing is very popular here as the almost year round off shore breezes make for perfect wave breaks. The infrastructure to accommodate this rash of development is not in place and in fact the power company cannot keep up with the demand and there are frequent, almost daily power outages.
San Juan del Sur is beautiful and the Nicaraguan people are very friendly. It is a very poor country and this sudden influx of foreigners and their money may forever change the landscape of the country.
If you are considering purchasing property in Nicaragua, please choose carefully. There are developers who "develop with a conscience" such as NicaDev. These developers are Eco-friendly and put money back into the local economy for schools, have reforestation programs already in place, have built roads with proper drainage (there two seasons in Nicaragua; wet & dry) and building bylaws which require solar-only building and water conservation.
Regardless of how you choose to invest in Nicaragua, please try to do so in an Eco-friendly way!

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Local Real Estate Professional Certified to Address & Encourage the Benefits of Energy Efficiency and Green Features in Homes



Jill Masters has earned the EcoBroker Certified® designation, having successfully completed a unique and informative training program on the energy and environmental issues that affect real estate transactions. Jill joins the movement of professionals pushing the real estate market toward energy-efficient, sustainable, and healthier design/features in homes and buildings.

The “performance home” movement is getting a boost thanks to this type of high quality real estate professional earning the EcoBroker designation. EcoBrokers®, like Jill, throughout the country are forging this market and creating competitive advantages for their customers. With national surveys indicating that 80% of consumers consider themselves “green-minded,” real estate professionals with the EcoBroker designation are in a better position to serve the real estate consumer. “I'm always looking for the best ways to offer my clients the best value.

My EcoBroker training helps me ensure customer satisfaction, my number one priority,” Jill explains. “From windows to moisture control to energy savings, I now have more resources at my disposal to help my buyers and sellers make better real estate decisions. The EcoBroker designation doesn't make me an energy and environmental expert, but it allows me to better understand the issues and to convey this understanding to my buyers and sellers.”

EcoBroker International's education and designation program is designed exclusively for real estate professionals who care about the environment
and want to help their clients benefit from the energy-efficiency, “green,” and healthier features of homes and buildings. EcoBroker provides a complete curriculum of energy and environmental training to licensed real estate agents. Real estate professionals must complete the extensive EcoBroker curriculum and training and fulfill additional program requirements to become Certified EcoBrokers®. “Jill, is an example of the quality real estate professional the EcoBroker designation continues to attract,” explains EcoBroker International's CEO, Dr. John Beldock. “These real estate professionals are not only distinguishing themselves in a competitive market place, but they are really giving back to the community in very constructive and meaningful ways. Telluride needs more contributors like Jill. The planet and our grandchildren need them too,” Dr. Beldock said.

From her TREC office, Jill explains, “With EcoBroker training, I have broadened the range of real estate opportunities I offer my clients. Whether the transaction involves environmental assessment and mitigation (mold, radon, etc.) or the opportunity to reduce utility bills, I'm in a position to help. The real estate industry is changing, and to best serve my clients I need to understand the newest designs, technologies, and environmental issues. My EcoBroker designation helps me stay ahead of the game.”

Jill earned her EcoBroker Certified® designation in December and is wasting no time in putting the tools and additional expertise to work. Jill has already found that being a Certified EcoBroker® creates added value and customer satisfaction that sets her apart from other agents. For example, at a recent listing presentation, Jill was able to show the prospective sellers how she can highlight the benefits of their energy efficient features as well as the cost savings and increased comfort. Jill says she's looking forward to continuing to positively impacting the quality, durability, comfort, safety, and cost-effectiveness of homes and commercial buildings.

Cell: 970-729-3035
EcoBroker International provides a unique energy and environmental curriculum to licensed real estate professionals, leading to the EcoBroker Designation. EcoBroker's mission is to broaden and improve the base of training and continuing education for real estate professionals and in doing so, encourage improvements to the quality of buildings, while reducing their impact on natural resources and the environment. EcoBroker is a BuildingAmerica and Built Green Colorado Education Partner; the most successful green-building program in the United States.

EcoBroker provides state-approved continuing education courses to licensed real estate professionals in states throughout the U.S. EcoBroker can be reached by phone at 1-800-706-4321, online at
http://www.ecobroker.com/, and by email at customerservice@ecobroker.com.