Info on the Evergreen/Conifer Area: 

A place to call "home" - Evergreen, and it's sister communities of Conifer, Kittredge, Morrison, Pine and Bailey, are considered by many to be the crown of the Foothills of Denver. All this magnificent beauty combined with the vast wealth of amenities in the Denver metropolitan area, just 30 miles from Evergreen, make these areas some of the moating your own special Colorado lifestyle. Access to Denver is via I-70 on the north side of Evergreen, and Hwy. 285 in south Evergreen, as well as from the Conifer, Morrison, Pine and Bailey areas. Both highways are 4 lane limited access highways.  

Some of the many attributes of these communities include the Pike and Arapahoe National Forests lying immediately West of Evergreen, the 14,260 foot Mount Evans, and over 45,000 acres of designated Jefferson County Open Space, all of which provide the residents with many year round outdoor activities right out their back door. For more information on this please go to the Jefferson County Open Space website.  

The focal point of the community is a sparkling blue mountain lake that offers year-round fishing, boating in the summer and ice skating in the winter. In addition to the lake, the Evergreen Parks and Recreation District maintains a year-round swimming pool, gymnasium, racquetball and handball courts, and other recreational facilities both indoor and outdoor. Also available in the Evergreen area are numerous hiking and biking trails. The area boasts of two golf courses, Evergreen Public course, and the nationally recognized (and very challenging) Hiwan Golf Club. Add to these recreational choices, the close proximity within one hour to many of the best ski areas in all of North America! 

A community with a future as rich as it's history, this area was first settled by the Arapahoe, Ute and Cheyenne tribes, who sought it's valleys and streams for nourishment and protection in the Front Range "hills", from the harsh winters of the Plains. The Native American tribes shared these valleys and streambeds with early explorers and trappers until the mid-1800's, when the first white settlers arrived. Throughout the end of the 1800's homesteaders discovered the area's beauty and tranquility, developing it into what we now call Evergreen. Mountain meadows, lush forests and delicate wildflowers all accentuate what we call "home". For a full history of the development of the Evergreen area, a good read is "Evergreen- Our Mountain Community", by Eugene and Barbara Sternberg, residents of the area since 1949. 

At an elevation of approx. 7200' above sea level, we enjoy clean and smog free air, with an average of 300 days of sunshine, boasting breathtakingly blue skies you think you can almost touch! The area averages 60 inches of snowfall per year, with most storms being brief then followed by those gorgeous blue skies and sunshine that melts the snow FAST! The average humidity level is 40%, with our coldest month being January (avg. of 30*), and the hottest month is July (avg. of 74*).  

The population of the Evergreen area (eight mile radius) is approx. 41,000, and approx. 10,000 for the immediate Conifer area. Of the 15,753 households in Evergreen, the median income is $86,299. The median income of the Conifer households is $80,000. The median age in Evergreen is 43.3, and in Conifer the median is 40.7. More than 75% of the adult population has attended college. The residents are a wonderful mix of people from corporate executives, to airline employees, to middle and upper management commuters to Denver and/or DIA, to local cowboys, artists, actors, entrepreneurs, and Moms with children of all ages, and a large group of retirees (many of whom have lived in the area for 50 years or more!).  

The area is in unincorporated Jefferson County (see Jefferson County in left column links), and therefore has no "city limits", OR city government, and is under the jurisdiction of the Jefferson County Commissioners. The area is protected by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Dept., and highly trained and dedicated volunteer fire and ambulance networks. Snow removal and road maintenance are also covered by Jefferson County services.  

A place to call "home"! If you desire the tranquility of mountain living and the best of the Colorado lifestyle, yet long for the proximity to a big city, then you have only to visit the Evergreen and surrounding Foothills communities to KNOW that you have found Nirvana right here in Colorado!!  

It would be my pleasure to send a relocation package to you, or to introduce you to this place I call "home", and make it yours! I guarantee you will enjoy experiencing this magical and spectacularly beautiful area! 

DENVER REAL ESTATE 

Forbes Magazine has ranked Denver the 7th best U.S. city in which to sell a home, based on a study of 40 large metro areas.
"Overbuilding and a high forclosure rate stymie Denver's housing market, which last year saw a 6.3% drop in prices," according to Forbes.com. "Still, area homes are selling, and the vacancy rate, while still at a pro-buyer 3%, last year shrunk by 20%. The 49% drop in construction starts, the 12th largest cut in the country, and 2% rise in new jobs, the 9th highest rate in the country, are good for new sellers.
The report ranked each city by its 2007 unsold vacancy rate and how much the market had changed from 2006. It also took into account construction starts, jobcreation, and the degree to which new conforming loan limits from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae would improve each market's lending conditions.
San Jose, CA topped the list as best city for home sellers. It was followed, in order, by San Antonio, TX; Denver; Providence, RI; Charlotte, N.C.; and Seattle. 

DENVER IS #1 IN THE S&P/CASE-SHILLER HOME PRICE INDEX:
March 2009
During January Denver recorded the best year-over-year return in the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Prices fell 4% from Dec. 2007 to Dec. 2008. According to the S&P/Case-Shiller report, "All 20 metro areas are reporting negative monthly and annual rates of changein average home prices. Boston, Denver, LA, San Diego, and D.C. are reporting a relative improvement in year-over-year returns, in terms of lesser rates of decline than last months values."
Denver was named the 6th best housing market in Forbes magazine. Forbes determined the best housing markets by looking at the cities monthly declines, year-over-year declines and the months of equity homeowners have lost. According to Forbes, "That slowing rate of decline, also seen in places such as Denver, D.C., & Boston, helped rank thos cities as some of the stronger markets in the country." 

BY THE NUMBERS:
4.0% - The decline of Denver area home prices from Jan. to Dec. 2008. Denver had the lowest decline of out of all 20 metropolitan tracked in the S&P/Case-Shiller Indices. The average decline for all cities was 18.5%. 

1.5% - Denver's decrease in home values from Nov. to Dec. 2008. 

5.3% - The drop in existing home sales in the nation from Dec. 2008 to Jan. 2009. This 4.49 million units sale pace was 8.6%below the 4.91 million unit pace in Jan. 2008. 

11.4% - The drop in the average days on the market in the Denver area from Jan. 2008 - Jan. 2009.  

POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE: Highlighting the Upside of the Economy in a Challenging Market 

Windmill-blade firm to bring 650 jobs to Brighton - Brighton's city council scored a big victory on 7/22 in its quest to bring primary jobs to the city: Vestas Blades America is bringing 650 of those jobs - and potentially up to 1,500 - with a manufacturing plant. (The Daily Post) 

Ft. Collins named the Second-Best Place to live in the USA - Money magazine named Ft. Collins the 2nd best place to live in America. Highlands Ranch also came out 12th out of the top 100 small cities nationwide as rated by Money. This is great news for Colorado - and it follows on the heels of last week's ranking by CNBC of Colorado as one of the Top Five Best States to do Business in America. 

Colorado 6th for VC investments during Q2: Colorado ranked 6th in the nation for an infusion of venture capital investments during the 2nd quarter, according to a new report. (Denver Business Journal) 

Denver spared worst of record home-price plunge - Home prices in metro Denver fell 4.8% for the 12 months ending in May. The decline was the 3rd smallest among 20 cities tracked by the Standard & Poor's/Case Shiller 20-city index, after Charlotte, NC and Dallas. Between March and May prices actually rose 1% in metro Denver, which could point to more stable home prices here in the months ahead. (Denver Post) 

Help for Troubled Homeowners - The senate on Staurday overwhelmingly passed a landmark housing bill that will offer up to $300 billion in loans for troubled homeowners and establish a government rescue plan for mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac. (CNN Money) 

Denver's Home Prices Inch Up - Metro Denver home prices moved higher for the 2nd month in a row in May, raising hopes that the region's long suffering housing market could be stabilizing. (Denver Post) 

Home Sales Up 2.6% in Metro for Week of July 7th Over Same Period in 2007:
BY THE SOLD NUMBERS -
Average metro-area
home sale prices week of 7/7/08 

County Sales Avg.$ Same Week Last Yr. 

Adams 174 $202,375 171
Arapahoe 191 $281,709 210
Boulder 165 $349,394 140
Broomfield 20 $328,630 45
Denver 367 $270,680 234  

INVENTORIES EASE AS PRICE DECLINES SLOW Existing Home Sales – Tuesday June 23, 2009 Record High: 7.25 mln (09/05) Percent Change from Record High: -34.2% Existing home sales rose 2.4% in May to an annualized pace of 4.77 million units. Home re-sales have declined 3.6% over the past year and are now 34.2% below their September 2005 peak. The pace of decline is slowing hence a bottom may be near. Regionally, sales gained 3.9% in the Northeast and 9.0% in the Midwest but fell 0.9% in the West with little change in the South. The inventory of homes available for sale fell 3.5% to 3.798 million which represents a 9.6 month-supply at the current sales pace. Home prices continued to plunge compared to their year ago level with median prices down 16.8% to $173,000 as average prices dropped 14.7% to $215,600. Existing home sales remain range-bound, averaging an annual pace of 4.7 million units since last October. Inventories remain elevated but down somewhat from the previous month amid steep price declines that have also eased slightly. Sales though weak are fairly steady and are expected to pick-up in the second half of this year but gains will likely remain subdued until prices bottom and excess inventories are cleared.
Click here for further information on Existing Home Sales