School is out, and it’s time for everyone to take a summer vacation. In past years when my wife, Laurie, was a teacher, we’d be gone this first week of vacation. Our lifestyle has changed, and now we can go any time of year. This year’s vacation is to London and Paris, but we will wait till this fall when things slow down a little bit. I do have a couple of short trips planned this summer. One is to Salida to go fishing with the grandkids, and the other is up to Steamboat over the 4th of July to do a little camping.
The weather is ideal in Pagosa this time of year. Temperatures are in the 70s and low 80s. Unfortunately, we are in the middle of a severe drought. There is a major fire burning north of Durango, which is over 5,000 acres at the moment. They believe it may have been caused by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train. Between that fire and a couple others down in New Mexico, there is quite a bit of smoke in the air.
Archuleta County is currently under Stage 2 fire restrictions. This means no open fires outdoors, so we won’t be cooking any marshmallows this summer until the monsoons kick in. We did get a good rain a couple of days ago, but we need a lot more.
Summer in Pagosa means its time for festivals. This coming weekend we have our 10th Annual Car Show, as well as our 13th Annual Folk & Bluegrass Festival up on reservoir hill. Both of these events are great fun for the locals and tourists alike. For more information on events throughout the summer, go to VisitPagosaSprings.com
If you’re looking for a positive out of the negative, less snow in the mountains means that the streams are fish-able right now, a month earlier than normal. I caught a huge rainbow trout out of the San Juan about a week ago. The moral of the story is get outside and enjoy what I believe is the most beautiful part of Colorado: Pagosa Springs.
Now for the latest real estate news. Overall, sales are down 12% from last year. This has been the trend over the last several months. Home sales are down 13% and inventory is up 16%. Condo sales are down 17% with inventory up 13%. Land sales are down 10% with inventory down slightly as well. Pending sales are down. We’ve got 130 transaction pending right night compared to 148 at this time last year. Unless we have a big surge in new contracts this month, we will continue to see the same trend. As I discussed in previous newsletters, I don’t think this is due to a lack of buyers. Instead, I think it is due to lack of quality inventory at the right price. One statistic that sticks out is we currently have zero homes, condos, or mobile homes available under $100,000. I can’t remember a time when this has happened before.
I have to run and pick up some flowers for Laurie. It is our 42nd anniversary. Go out and enjoy your summer!
GRI, CRS
2011 & 2014 Realtor of the Year
Phone (970) 731-4065
Fax (970) 731-4068
Cell (970) 946-3856
Email: [email protected]
