IN THIS ISSUE >>

Real Estate Market Update 2

Market Watch 4

Buyers’ Tools 5

A New Gondola in River Run 6

A Completed Crystal Peak Lodge 6

On the Web 7

A Summit County Development Update 8

Calendar of Events 10

Winter 2008-2009

INSIDE EDGESLIFER SMITH & FRAMPTON REAL ESTATE

The Most Trusted Name in Colorado Mountain Real Estate for More Than 45 Years

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Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate has been selling real estate in the Colorado Mountains for more than 45 years. During that time, our team of professionals has gained important insights and experience that will help buyers, sellers and homeowners as they make important personal real estate decisions in the months ahead. Following are a few bullet points we’ve compiled that might help you along the way:

{For Buyers}At least once in everyone’s lifetime, a real estate opportunity comes along that they will always remember. Some will see what a smart move they made. Others will regret the smart move they could have made. Today, Summit County, Colorado is one of those opportunities. Below are some top reasons why now is the time for the smart buyer to make a real estate purchase:

• There is a great selection of properties with more than 1,800 properties currently on the market and available for purchase (compared to almost 1,200 on April 1, 2007). You have more to choose from than you did a year ago. People purchasing real estate today compete with fewer other buyers and enjoy the absolute best offerings of the market.

• Historically, Summit County has been a strong market with a general positive trend of average sales price (see graph on page 3). Summit County real estate typically emerges from “tough times” much faster than the rest of the nation. In past downturns, such as 9/11, the 1980’s recession and the Savings & Loans crisis of the 1980’s and 90’s, Summit County real estate did not experience a significant decrease in value. Even today, Summit County’s sales prices remain strong despite a national housing downturn.

• Historically low interest rates provide enticing financing options.

• The fundamentals of Summit County real estate will always be strong. The enjoyment of outdoor activities, mountain views and time with family and friends will always exist. Also, due to the limited supply of land, the demand for Summit County real estate will remain strong.

• It is not prudent to wait for the market to “bottom out”; if you wait too long, the best deals may have already been taken. By the time the bottom has been reached, prices have already started to increase. Waiting for the market to change may bring increased prices and more competition for fewer homes.

Thinking of Buying, Selling or “Staying In” Your Mountain Home?

{For Sellers}In today’s market, it is more important than ever to make your home stand out. Below are some helpful tips:

• Because of the increased level of inventory compared to a year ago, it is extremely important to price your home competitively.

• Choose a local broker who specializes in your community. Request a “listing presentation” so that you can review their experience and discuss how they will approach the marketing of your home. With a competitive market and higher inventory, professional marketing of your home is increasingly important.

• Prepare your home to sell by making it more appealing than the competition. According to national statistics a “staged home” spends 80 percent less time on the market than a non-staged home. Consider hiring a staging professional to

help you with the staging of your home (prices can range from $200 to $5,000 and might include simply rearranging furniture and removing clutter to preparing an entire home with rented furniture and accessories).

• Considering the fact that buyers have more choices, be willing to negotiate.

• Remove items from your home that you are not willing to part with, and could cause a buyer’s confusion as to what items are part of the deal.

{For Continuing & Current Homeowners}There’s no place like a home in the high country:

• Enjoy your investment! Continue to feel confident in your home in Summit County, especially as you ski, hike, golf, fish, shop, dine and take pleasure in sharing great times with family and friends!

Slifer Smith & Frampton’s team of professional brokers are always happy to help answer your questions and offer advice, regardless of where you might happen to be in the “buy, sell, ‘stay’” cycle.

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4 | INSIDE EDGE

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Average sales price continues to grow and is up over 140% in the past ten years. Residential units include all Summit County improved residential property types;

Single-Family, Duplex, Triplex, Townhome, Condominium.

20 Year Average Sales Price

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Although inventory has increased since the beginning of the year, we have seen a decrease in inventory in the past few months.

This graph includes residential properties and homesites.

Summit County Properties for Sale

12-month Trend

Market Watch

Buyers’ ToolsPlease visit one of our offices for any of the following useful buyers’ tools:

Market Statistics

• Market Insider – a monthly insight on current market trends

• The Slifer Report – an in-depth analysis of the Summit County real estate market; six month and annual reports available

• Property Searches – search available properties in your neighborhood of interest

• Comparable Analysis – be sure you are paying a fair price for a property

Maps – Summit County and specific areas yer’s Guides

Interest Rates – most current information

The Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate Update – a compilation of our available listings

Newsletters – includes up-to-date real estate, resort and community information

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Market Trends & Quick Facts• The most expensive single-family home to sell in Summit County sold for

$5,550,000 (7.15.2008)

• The most expensive condominium to sell in Summit County sold for $2,400,000 (9.25.2008)

• Currently there are 48 condominiums under contract listed over $2,000,000 (two are listed at $3,900,000)

• 2008 YTD: 151 residential properties have sold over $1,000,000 with an average sales price of $1,583,553 and a total volume of $239,116,464

• 13% of properties sold in Summit County YTD have been over $1,000,000

• 1186 residential properties have sold in 2008 - YTD

• Average sales price per square foot in 2008:

• Condominium: $462

• Duplex: $335

• Single-Family: $326

• Townhome: $367

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New Gondola in River Run! Keystone Resort opened November

7th with the new, state-of-the-

art River Run Gondola. The new

eight-passenger gondola replaced

the previous six-passenger River

Run Gondola. A key component

of the new gondola includes the

move of the bottom terminal into

Keystone’s River Run Village, which

significantly enhances the guest

experience by making access to

the gondola easier. Also, a new

mid-station is now located halfway

up Dercum Mountain with loading

and unloading in both directions,

giving skiers and snowboarders an

option to access Keystone’s upper

trails from mid-mountain and to

download at the end of their ski

day.

source: Vail Resorts, Inc.

A CompletedCrystal Peak Lodge Crystal Peak Lodge had its formal opening reception in November

and now provides ski-in/ski-out luxury residences on the snowfront

at Peak 7 in Breckenridge. An impressive 43 out of the 46 available

residences have sold and closed. Currently, there is a 1-bedroom

and two 2-bedroom residences available for purchase and ready

for the ski season, and are selling at 2006 prices. There are several

amenities including two outdoor hot tubs, a fitness facility and billiards

room. With the opening of Crystal Peak Lodge and the newly located

Independence SuperChair, Peak 7 is the perfect place for a vacation ski

home. For more information on floorplans and interior finishes, please

visit www.crystalpeaklodge.com/sar.

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On the WebWith 80% of buyers starting their real estate searches online, it is important to work with the online leaders. With most of those searches starting with Google, Slifer Smith & Frampton continues to have the top presence for key phrases, “Breckenridge Real Estate” and “Keystone Real Estate”. Below are some other highlights:

• In 2008, our award-winning website, www.summitcountyrealestate.com, received over 500,000 visits from over 115 countries.

• Our international exposure with our affiliate, Luxury Portfolio, expanded as the first luxury website to display property information in nine different languages and 22 currencies. They receive over 100,000 visitors per month with traffic from over 170 countries. Please visit www.luxuryportfolio.com.

• Another SSF affiliate, Luxury Real Estate, averages nearly 200,000 visitors per month to their website and is the most viewed luxury real estate website in the world. Please visit www.luxuryrealestate.com.

• Many of our clients are using “My Place” to save searches, favorite homes and set up email notifications for properties that match their criteria once they hit the market.

• In 2009, SSF is switching to a new, online digital real estate contract software with electronic signature capabilities, making the contract process easier for our buyers and sellers.

Staging Your HomeStaging a home is an effective way to compete with increasing inventory in your neighborhood, and sell your home more quickly, by making your home more appealing than surrounding homes. Professional stagers possess the skills of a top-level designer and are most beneficial in preparing your home to sell. Staging costs can range anywhere from $200 - $5,000 and higher; however, here are some first steps for low-cost staging you can do yourself:

• Remove scatter rugs and knick-knacks from every room for a more spacious and orderly appearance.

• Depersonalize the space by removing family photos, trophies, religious symbols, or any other items that may prevent a prospective buyer from envisioning themselves living in the home.

• Remove everything on the kitchen counters, including appliances, except for the coffee maker.

• Remove as much as you can from closets.

• Do a thorough cleaning to make the home look immaculately clean. Hire a cleaning service if necessary. Scrub floors, walls and windows. Pay special attention to the microwave, oven and refrigerator.

• Focus on the feature rooms – the living, dining, and master bedroom. Additional bedrooms are best left empty or minimally furnished.

• Set the dining room table with napkins, plates and flatware.

• Bring the outdoors inside with greenery and plants.

• When showing the house, turn on soft instrumental “buying” music, preferably classical or jazz.

source: realtor.org and stagedhomes.com

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One Ski Hill Place, A RockResortCombining extravagance, legendary service and impeccable design, One Ski Hill Place is just steps away from the Colorado and Rocky Mountain SuperChair lifts and the new seasonal BreckCon-nect Gondola, which connects Peak 8 with down-town Breckenridge. The cornerstone of the Peak 8 master plan will feature 88 wholly owned resi-dences, ranging in size from studios to 4-bedrooms. Residents will also enjoy legendary RockResorts service and proposed amenities including an aquat-ics center, fitness facility, bowling alley, conference center, owners’ ski lounge, restaurant, lively après ski bar and heated underground parking.

www.oneskihillplace.com/oshp

Water House on MainHow Breckenridge Does Luxury. Water House on Main Street is the spectacular arrival of luxury resi-dences at the base of Peak 9. Upscale and contem-porary in design and features, this ideal mountain retreat offers the resort amenities the discerning buyer expects. Start or end your day by the heated outdoor pool with seven hot tubs, or the fitness center and club lounge. Walk to restaurants and shops right outside your front door, or relax in the theater-style movie room. One to four bedroom residences are available, but are selling quickly. www.waterhouseonmain.com/sar

Sanctuary at KeystoneThe Sanctuary at Keystone encompasses upscale finishes, vast views of the ski slopes, large square footage and a prestigious neighborhood, all within a couple minutes of the chair lifts of Keystone Resort. Prices begin in the upper $900,000’s and the first phase is sold out. One 5-bedroom, 5-bath duplex will be finished mid-February and three triplex homes will be ready mid-March, 2009. This beautiful development has a private shuttle to the new River Run Gondola and a private hot tub for each resi-dence. Upon completion, Sanctuary at Keystone will have two single-family homes, two triplex homes and eleven duplex homes, totaling thirty residences. A furnished model is available to see.www.thesanctuaryatkeystone.com

A Summit County Development Update

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WaterTower PlaceWelcome to refined mountain luxury. As Frisco’s first environmentally green residences, homes at WaterTower Place raise the bar for excellence with fine finishes, luxe amenities and the ultimate atmosphere. WaterTower Place anchors the spirit of activity in Frisco with its in-town location while only steps to the Frisco Marina. Enjoy stunning moun-tain and lake views from the rooftop patios. Secure a 2- or 3-bedroom townhome today with prices starting from the $600,000’s. Delivery expected late spring, 2009.

www.watertowerfrisco.com/sar

Fox Valley at the RavenHomes in Fox Valley at the Raven are selling as quickly as they are completed. Fifteen homes have closed with four additional homes currently available for purchase. Prices range from $865,000 to $965,000. Three- and 4-bedroom floorplans are available with square footage ranging from approxi-mately 3,348. Three- and 4-bedroom floorplans are available.

Angler Mountain RanchThis spectacular new community situated on 192 acres of historic Colorado ranch land includes paired homes, cabins and 33 single-family homesites with dramatic westerly views of Buffalo and Red Moun-tains. The neighborhood is fronted by a Gold Medal trout stream to compliment a private lake for owner recreation. Nearly half of the acreage will remain as open space with hiking trails that connect to nearby public trails. Homesites vary from 0.42 to 1.03 acres and prices range from $379,000 to $559,000.

January

14 - 16 USAA Revolution Tour - Copper

17 En Fuego Fireworks - Copper

20 - 24 Snow Sculpture Championship - Breckenridge

24 River Run Winter Fun - Keystone

25 Snow Sculpture Championship - Breckenridge

31 Spontaneous Combustion - Frisco

February

1 Gold Rush - Frisco

7 Summit Foundation Cup - Breckenridge

14 En Fuego Fireworks - Copper

21 En Fuego Mardi Gras - Copper

21 - 24 Mardi Gras Celebration - Breckenridge

24 Mardi Gras Celebration - Keystone

March6 - 8 Winter Culinary Festival - Keystone7 Tubbs Romp to Stop Snowshoe - Frisco14 En Fuego St. Patrick’s Day - Copper14 River Run Winter Fun - Keystone21 En Fuego Fireworks - Copper28 Blues and BBQ - Keystone28 - 29 Kombi Event - Breckenridge

April

3 - 4 Spring Massive - Breckenridge

3 - 11 USASA Free Ski Nationals - Copper

4 En Fuego Fireworks - Copper

11 Peanut Butter and Rail Jam - Keystone

11 Sunsation - Copper

12 Ice Melt Contest - Dillon

12 Easter Egg Hunt - Frisco

12 Easter Egg Hunt - Copper

18 Imperial Challenge - Breckenridge

18 - 19 Sunsation - Copper

Calendar of Events

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