NextHome Majestic Properties

#HumansOverHouses

Wolf Creek Pass

Colorado / General / Nature / Rocky Mountains / Snow Report / Wolf Creek Ski Resort

Covered In Snow!

It snowed in Colorado this past weekend… A lot! Wolf Creek Pass received 14 inches of powder overnight, and Pagosa Springs woke up to steady snowfall! With snow starting to fall, now is the time to prepare your home for winter. Check our Winter Prep Guide out to see what you should do to prepare for winter!

Wolf Creek Pass

It isn’t too cold to sell your home or buy a dream home! Give us a call at (970) 507-8655 to talk to a Southwest Colorado real estate expert! If you would like to look at our current listings in Pagosa Springs and surrounding areas, click here!

Winter Is Coming!

Colorado / General

How To Prep Your Home For Winter Weather

Winter Wonderland

Prepare For Emergencies – Every year, harsh winter conditions get the best of hundreds of people in the US. It’s important to be prepared in case you are unable to leave your home for supplies. Here’s a list of supplies we recommend keeping in your home this winter:

  • Non-Perishable Food and Bottled Water for at least 3 days
  • Flashlights/Headlamps & Batteries in case the power goes out.
  • Snow Shovels ( To get out of your home!)
  • Ice Melt & Sand – Use the ice melt first, and then throw sand over the melted ice to give traction.
  • Alternative Heat – If your main heat source fails, it is good to have backups such as kerosene heaters and wool blankets.
  • Tool Kit – Most residences already have one, but it’s a good idea to keep a tool kit stocked with common tools and any specialty tool you may need for heaters, lights, etc.

Inspect Roof – The worst time to realize your roof has a leak is after the first snow hits. Luckily, it is easy to inspect your roof for possible issues beforehand. You don’t even need to get on the roof! Grab a pair of binoculars and work your way around the house, looking for the following:

  • Broken or Missing Shingles
  • Cracked Caulk or Rust Spots on the Flashing
  • Shingles that are Buckling or Curling Up
  • Moss or Lichen Growing on the Roof (this could indicate the roof is decaying beneath the surface)

If you aren’t comfortable tackling these issues yourself, you can get a professional roof inspection for roughly $119-$300.

Insulate Windows – Windows that don’t seal property can let cold drafts into your home, driving your energy bills up and comfort down. To prevent these drafts, you can re-seal the window with silicone, line the window with draft blockers, or even seal it with shrink wrap! If your window is cracked, clear nail polish can temporarily fix the window until it can be replaced.

Inspect Fireplace/Woodstove – It is a good idea to have your fireplace/woodstove inspected every year before using it. This is to ensure that there are no birds nests or other blockages that could catch fire in your chimney and cause problems. These inspections can cost anywhere between $79 and $500 depending on your area and the type of fireplace you have.

Clear Decks and Pathways – With winter comes snow, and with snow comes snow shoveling! Cleaning everything off your deck will make shoveling snow so much easier than it would be trying to navigate around summer furniture! Clear wide paths to outbuildings and anything else you may want access to after the snow flies.

Following this steps will help you prepare yourself and your home for winter! If you enjoyed this post and would like to talk to one of our Southwest Colorado real estate experts, give us a call at (970) 507-8655. To view the homes we currently have for sale, click here!

 

Wildfire Defensible Space

Colorado / General / National Forest / Nature / Outdoors / Pagosa Springs / Rocky Mountains / San Juan National Forest

Wildfire Defensible Buffer Zones

wildfires

Wildfire Buffer Zones can be used to reduce fire damage to buildings and sensitive areas in landscapes prone to wildfire. This guide from the USDA National Agroforestry Center shows what you can do to to increase the defensible space around your home and property. If you have any additional questions regarding wildfire safety, see the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control’s website here.

Zone 1. A minimum of 30 feet is needed for firefighters to protect a structure from wildfire. On a slope, increase the distance to 100 feet downhill of the structure. Use low growing and low flammability plants, spaced apart from each other. Remove dead material.

Zone 2. Deciduous trees and shrubs and widely-spaced conifers may be used in Zone 2. Remove branches within 8 feet of the ground (but no more than 30 percent of the height of the tree) and space trees so that crowns remain at least 10 feet apart at maturity. Remove ladder fuels which are tree limbs and other materials that allow fire to burn into the tree crown.

Zone 3. Manage this zone to maintain forest stand health and other landowner objectives. Limit number of dead trees or snags but save some for wildlife (1 to 2 snags/acre). Check with your local forester for additional guidelines.

Characteristics of Low Flammability Plants

• Supple moist leaves and water-like, thin sap

• Little or no accumulation of dead vegetation on the plant

• Open and loose branching structure

Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/buffers/guidelines/5_protection/11.html

If you liked this post be sure to check our others out here! We would love to help you find your Next Home. Give us a call at (970) 507-8655 to talk to a Southwest Colorado expert! You can view our current featured listings here.

Real Estate Myths

General / Open House / Real Estate

Debunking Common Real Estate Myths

Real estate is an industry that, while most people will be involved in it at some point, there is a lot of misinformation in the general public. In this post we will be debunking some of the most common real estate myths:

Real Estate Myths

  • Price Higher Than You Expect To Get – Contrary to what many believe, listing your home at too high a price may actually net you less money! Many people are wary of homes that have been on the market more than 3 weeks, so listing your home too high and letting it sit on the market is not the best plan!
  • Renovate Before You Sell – Major renovations are not always the best plan when trying to raise your home value. Prospective buyers may not share your taste, so you’re better off just fixing small things and leaving the big renovations to the next owner! There are many myths about renovating before you sell. To see the renovations that are worth taking on, see our blog post on the topic here!
  • The Market Will Go Up – Home values have been going up recently, and many people have already forgotten the recent recession. They think the market just goes up, without considering how it could plummet again in the future. It happened in the mid-70s, early 80s, early 90s, and again in 2008. This is a good thing to consider when purchasing a home. How will you and your home be affected if this happens again?
  • Get Pre-Approved After Finding Your Home – One of the most common myths in real estate is that buyers don’t need to be pre-approved until the have found their home. This is simply not true and can be a big mistake! Pre-approval should be the first step in your house-hunting adventure. It can be devastating for buyers to find a home, make an offer, and have it accepted, only to find out they aren’t approved for a loan for the home. Get pre-approved first!
  • Open Houses Sell Homes – Many sellers love the idea of having their home open every weekend for people to walk through. A common myth in real estate is that open houses sell a lot of homes. While this can be true in some areas, the National Association Of Realtors tells us that only 2% of all homes are sold are a result of an open house. So while an open house can provide good exposure, it probably won’t sell your home directly!

We hope you were able to learn something new from this blog post! Real estate can be a complicated industry, so we try to break things down wherever we can to inform current and future clients! If you would like to talk to one of the NextHomies in our office, give us a call at (970) 507-8655! To see NextHome Rocky Mountain Rental’s current featured listings, click here! We want to get you into your Next Home!

Do Something Nice Day

Community / General / Holiday Posts / Respect

Today is National Do Something Nice Day!

October 5th is National Do Something Nice Day! It’s a day to remind everyone how easy it is to be nice and to do kind things for one another.

Do Something Nice Day

There are so many ways to do something nice, the possibilities are endless and most of them are easy! What are you going to do to celebrate this holiday? If you would like to talk with someone from our office, give us a call at (970) 507-8655. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook to view our weekly Virtual Open House Series!

Healthier Mountain Living

Colorado / General / National Forest / Nature / Outdoors / Pagosa Springs / Rocky Mountains

Why Living In The Mountains Is Healthier

It’s easy to fall in love with the mountains. Fresh air is abundant, the weather is fairly temperate, and the views are some of the best mother nature has to offer. Living in the mountains can actually be healthier for you too, believe it or not. If you don’t believe me, here are a few facts to convince you!

Healthier
Lake San Cristobal – Photo By: Gavin Kiker

 

  • Inspiration To Be Active – The rocky mountains are inspirational simply by nature. The peaks tower over everything else, begging to be seen. When you are surrounded by views as beautiful as the rocky mountains, you are sure to become inspired to explore and be active!
  • Altitude Burns Calories – Studies have proven that the human body burns more calories while expending energy at high altitude than it does while at lower altitudes. This means that a mile hike in the mountains will burn more calories than the same hike down lower; plus you get to enjoy the mountain views!
  • Clean Air – There’s nothing better than taking a deep breath of fresh mountain air. Less pollution at higher altitudes can directly improve asthma symptoms and other acute respiratory symptoms. The smell of pine, which is especially common in the rockies, has been proven to help alleviate stress and depression. If you have trouble sleeping, try to find some lavender at the base of the pines. It can help you fall asleep!
  • Less Risk Of Heart Disease – Studies have shown that people who live at higher altitudes can have a certain gene activated that significantly decreases the risk of dying from ischemic heart disease. When your body has to work harder every day to take in oxygen, it automatically improves your cardiovascular fitness! This makes your heart stronger and more resilient to rough conditions.
  • Statistically Longer Life Span – Researchers have found that the 10 million people who live over 4,900ft above sea level typically live one to three years longer than people living closer to sea level. This is just another benefit of living at high altitude!

Thanks for reading through today’s post! If you have any questions, or if you would like to talk with a NextHomie, give us a call at (970) 507-8655. To view our current listings, see our featured homes page here. We can’t wait to help you find your Next Home.