After a year when everything we have seems to have lost value…….

….our Friends  continue to APPRECIATE!

Robin and I would like to wish all of you a very special holiday season and a Happy New Year!

On Thursday, December 3rd, I am presenting a short update on the impact of light rail on property values to the Government Affairs Committee of the Jefferson County Association of Realtors. Your Castle Real Estate (Lon Welsh) did an analysis two years after the southeast and southwest lines were completed.  The information has been recently updated to reflect what has happened since 2007.

 

Emelyn and Robin want to wish you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving.

While some of us at Royal Kingdom Associates participated in numerous meetings and education sessions, others were able to sneak in a little time enjoying the scenic beauty of Colorado Springs. The following photos were taken by Stanzi Lucy at Garden of the Gods and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

 

Beautiful light over the Broadmoor Hotel

Grizzly Bear at Cheyenne Mtn. Zoo

Spooky....you should see my other wrist!

 

Although no vote has occurred yet, there is optimism that an agreement will be made this week to expand and extend the first time home buyer’s credit.  However, there is optimism that it will be resolved this week.  Currently in the Senate, the provision would still have to be passed by the House. 

Below are the details of the new tax credit program.

• First-time homebuyers will continue at $8,000  – same definition as current law.
• Tax credit for “move up” purchasers will be up to $6500
  • Must have used previous home as a principal residence for 5 of the 8 previous years.
  • Income limits increased and are the same for first-time and “move up” purchasers : $125,000 for single filers/$225,000 for joint filers
  • Limitation on eligible home prices has been increased to $800,000
  • Time Frame:    December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010 plus 60 day extension if binding contract is in place by April 30, 2010
  • Anti-fraud measures have been added

If you qualify for this incredible tax credit and have been thinking about buying a home, please give us a call. We would be honored to assist you in finding your dream home.

On Octoer 23, I participated in a DAR  (Daughters of the American Revolution) field trip to the Plains Conservation Center in Aurora. Colorado history has always fascinated me, especially since my husband’s family homesteaded here back in the mid 1800’s. As a former member of “The Shady Ladies of Central City” I have spent many hours studying the roles of women in the settling of the West…from soiled doves to wives of military men…all trying to survive in a harsh environment. So visiting this preserved rendition of an old homestead had special meaning to me.

Touring the small home built of sod and mud, to sitting on the stiff, wooden bench in the one room school house, I could imagine the hardships our families endured as they set down roots in Colorado.  Even as the suburban developments creep towards this beautiful park, you can look towards the horizon and transport yourself back in time.

Building made of sod

Imagine crossing the plains in this old wagon

School supplies

 

Robin and I both attended the annual Colorado Association of REALTORS conference in Colorado Springs this past week.  Although we are both very active in the Council of Residential Specialists and participated in all of the group’s activities, we also had additional responsibilities at the convention.

Robin is the Chair Elect for the Jefferson County Association of Realtors so he attended many of the CAR (Colorado Association of Realtors) meetings pertaining to leadership and governmental affairs.

Emelyn attended the Transnational Referral Certification course and earned CE credit as well as the designation of TRC.  The course provided much information on how to do referrals and provide good service across the world. So, if you know anyone who wants to purchase or sell overseas or has property to sell across the globe, please keep us in mind. We can definitely help.

We both will be heading to the San Diego in November….Robin for his responsibilities as chair elect for JCAR will be attending National Association of REALTORS meetings. Emelyn, recently appointed National RVP for the Council of Residential Specialists, will be attending CRS Leadership and annual meetings.  All of these meetings add so much value to our real estate experience and business expertise.

Over the past month or so, my partner, Robin Lucy, and I had been discussing updating and changing our website for Royal Kingdom Associates (our real estate team at Your Castle Real Estate). I had been working hard on blogging on ActiveRain and other social networking sites teaching myself as I went along. But I found that I needed additional guidance and help to step everything up to the next level. At Your Castle, we have numerous free classes every week, so I took advantage of several social media classes taught by Drew Shope….lots of great tips and ideas were exchanged and I learned new skills to increase my productivity and professional exposure.

 But then, we wanted more from our website, so Robin and I consulted with Drew and his partner Chelsie Willis on ideas to expand our site.  After two short meetings, we were up and running. Thankfully, Robin is very tech-savvy, so he was able to follow Drew’s clear and simple instructions on how to work on our new wordpress site and I had no trouble at all posting my blog and photos.  Both Drew and Chelsie were available every step of the way to answer questions, give good suggestions and technical advice. They are a terrific team and I highly recommend them if you want to update your skills and stay on top of our ever changing technical resources.

We hope you enjoy and use our site. Please stay in touch and give us feedback.

Emelyn and Robin

With the threat of more snow in the forecast, we decided to do a short road trip to take in the colors before they fade for the season. Driving west up Golden Gate Canyon, we detoured up Robinson Hill Road and then headed up Douglas Mountain Rd….we were not disappointed.

Aspen on Douglas Mountain Rd

Just further up the road, we saw horses grazing on the ridge

Gorgeous View from Douglas Mtn Road

We proceeded through Black Hawk and up Apex Valley Road towards James Peak and the East Portal. More beautiful colors and views:

Looking towards James Peak

What a view!