Hi Friends,
Below is the 2016 second quarter statistical release from the Durango Area Association of Realtors. This table is great summary of what is going on in our local market. It shows the median price and # of solds in the different categories of home/land throughout Durango, Bayfield, and Purgatory area. Have a look below and call or email me if you have any questions!
Chelsea
The weather is finally heating up in Durango; flowers are blooming; rainy days are making everything green and beautiful! Just in time for a great spring event weekend to kickoff Durango's fun-fulled summer! If you don't have plans for this weekend quite yet, I suggest you check out at least one of the following events!
Source: http://www.ironhorseinndurango.com/why-stay-with-us/
MAY 13TH - SPRING GALLERY WALK
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM @ DOWNTOWN MAIN
Starting at 5pm, there are 13 galleries located downtown that are participating in the "Spring Gallery Walk." Each gallery will be displaying local and regional artists, as well as showcasing a little something new and exciting!
Source: http://www.foxfirefarms.com/tasteofspring
MAY 14TH - 15TH - TASTE OF SPRING
1:00 PM - 6:00 PM @ FOX FIRE FARMS IN IGNACIO
An amazing spring kickoff event for the whole family! Five hours of live music, petting baby farm animals, face painting, local artisans and more! Free admission!
Source: https://www.peachsneetfeet.com/event/taste-of-durango/
MAY 15TH - TASTE OF DURANGO
11:00 PM - 2:00 PM @ DOWNTOWN MAIN
Durango's annual summer kick-off party! A fabulous festival with a ton of local restaurants and craft brewery vendors. Buy tokens at the entrance and use them to sample all the incredible local food, beer, cocktails, and more! Previous years have had local attendance of 78%! Come downtown for a great Sunday with amazing music and familiar faces!
One of the greatest things about Durango is that you can ride your bike everywhere you need to go in town. Durango is not only bike friendly, but the city is continuously making improvements to our roads by add more bike lanes, and making it increasingly safer for bikers/cyclists. If riding on the main roads sounds a bit scary, Durango has an amazing river trail system just for that. Not only is the river trail great for taking an afternoon stroll, exercising and accessing the river...but it also has some great restaurants along the way.
Animas Brewing Company
Animas Brewing Company (ABC) is located right off the river trail at Rotary Park. They have great in-house brews and a delicious food menu. A great place for impromptu dinners since they don't catch the rush of people from downtown. They have great burgers and pasties (meat pies), check out their full menu on their website.
Powerhouse Science Center
The Powerhouse Science Center is located right on the river trail where Camino Del Rio meets Main Avenue. The Powerhouse is a great place to take your kids, and it is not just a museum! In the summer season, they open their tent outside and sell beer and hot dogs! Great Saturday activity for the fam! For adults, make sure to check out their Trivia night on Thursdays at 6:30 PM. Bring four of your friends to make a team of 5, and enjoy local brews while playing 5 rounds of 10 questions! Check out their website for more details.
Serious Texas Barbecue
Serious Texas Barbecue is located off the river trail and up Camino Del Rio by the Durango Mall. A little farther along the river trail, you will get a little exercise in before a yummy lunch or dinner! This Serious Texas location is great because it overlooks the river and they have a great outdoor seating. When the weather is nice, after eating you can enjoy a round of mini-golf with the kids! Perfect activity after eating a huge Texas Taco (local favorite, beef brisket with cheesy potatoes, onion and jalepeno on a flour tortilla). Check out their website for their entire menu.
Ska Brewing Co
Ska Brewing Co is a little farther than the previous three. You will have to bike across Camino Del Rio and up the sloped Girard Street. Here you can drink local, award-winning beer at the Ska World Headquarters. Don't forget to try the local seasonal favorite, Mexican Logger. To soak up some of those suds, you can grab some grub at their restaurant, The Container. The kitchen and pizza oven are located inside a shipping container attached to the main building. Find great fresh salads, sandwiches, and brick oven pizza served from 11 AM to 8 PM. Check out their website for more info and events.
RESTAURANT COMING SOON!
Stay tuned, and keep a look out on my blog! There is a new restaurant coming soon to Durango and it will be located on the river! Another great place to bike to and enjoy a beautiful summer day. I will release more details as soon as this transaction closes!
If you have lived in Colorado for more than a year, you already know that the spring weather changes daily. One day it's sunny with a high of 75, and the next day we're getting 2 feet of snow! Despite the crazy weather, the best part of spring in Durango are the events! Check out my favorite 5 springtime activities to put on your calendar this spring!
Hiking Trails
Durango has so many incredible hiking trails. Take advantage of one of these warm, sunny days and get hiking! Check out this website for different trails and their conditions. Always good to check the conditions before heading out!
Durango Bluegrass Meltdown
April 15th-17th 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM @ Downtown Durango
Come downtown and enjoy live bluegrass music for three days at various venues downtown. There will be over 20 different bands performing throughout the three days. Some bands choose to play at a few of the bars later with no cover charge! There will also be various indoor and outdoor locations for informal jam sessions. Go to this website for more information and an updated lineup.
Durango Farmer's Market
Saturdays May 14th-October 29th 8:00 AM - Noon @ First National Bank Parking Lot
Great venue full of local farmers, value-added vendors, artisans, live music, and more! All goods are grown/made by their seller. Fantastic weekly event that supports Durango locals and our community!
The Taste of Durango
Sunday May 15th 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM @ Downtown Durango
All of downtown Main closes for this epic Durango event! Many local restaurants and breweries have a booths set up where you can sample dishes and beer with tokens. Do not miss out on all the fun, live music and dancing!
Iron Horse Bicycle Classic
May 28th-30th 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM from Durango to Silverton
One of Durango's most popular events. Every year thousands of cyclists come down to Durango to race the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to Silverton. The first race was back in 1972 with only 36 riders!
Do you have any favorite springtime activities in Durango? Let me know in the comments!
If you have kids and are lucky enough to live in the Durango area, odds are you'll be riding the Polar Express annually for several years!
The train ride lasts about 2 hours and it goes out to the North Pole (aka Sleeping Beauty Ranch in the Animas Valley). The "Chefs" on board are very cute teens--in fact our nanny was one a couple years ago. They are usually theater students looking for extra money during break! Luckily the train ride is entertaining for the kids with all the singing and treats. Kids often dress in pajamas or a robe, which makes it extra cute!
This year, my mother in law came to visit and we rode the Polar Express with all the cousins! As you can imagine, it was nutty!
After the ride, the kids can meet Santa and sit on his lap. Ryder said he wanted a "quiet robot" for Christmas!!! (It's because last year Santa brought him robot that was too loud and it scared him!)
Unfortunately, the Polar Express can be expensive and there are families who aren't able to ride this train. Last year I donated 4 seats to a family in need. I found them through the Family Center who was incredibly helpful in organizing this.
Since the holidays fill me with extra gratitude, I try to help those who are less fortunate every year. This year I've adopted two families in need (one is elderly and one is disabled) and plan to do some shopping and cooking for them. I look forward to doing this, and I plan to involve my kids more in the process so they can help too.
For more information on Project Merry Christmas, click here.
Let me know ways that you like to get involved with the community. I am always looking for more ways to help!
Happiest of Holidays to you all!
Sydney here! (Chelsea's assistant if this is your first time to her blog)! Living in Durango since 2009 when I moved here for FLC (Fort Lewis College), I have come to realize that Durango has the most magnificent fall season. I have not seen another Colorado street as beautiful as Historic 3rd Avenue amidst the giant orange row of trees. We can all learn a lot from fall, besides appreciation for mother nature. We can learn that change and letting go can be truly beautiful. Since fall is my favorite season, I wanted to share some of the photos I have taken around town this season. Enjoy!
In case you weren't able to make last Sunday's Harvest Party, here are some pictures! We had an absolute blast. The morning was a little worrisome with the downpour, but it cleared out and turned into a beautiful fall day! We had family activities including punching balloons, corn hole and real goats!
Big thanks to James Ranch for such a breathtaking fall location and not to mention the DELICIOUS burgers and hot dogs they cooked up for us. Grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community and to have such amazing clients!
See you all next year!
Sutherland Farms in Aztec, New Mexico is a family owned retail and wholesale market and farm. The owners, Allen & D'rese Sutherland, have been in the farming business for 35 years, and you are likely to see three generations at work when you visit!
Not only does Sutherland Farms sell delicious food at the Purple Cow Cafe on site (think freshly roasted green chilies atop your burger, smoked brisket, and seasonal veggies--say whaat), the farm ALSO has what Chelsea would call "the best family fall event."
Every weekend in October from 10 am to 5 pm is Sutherland Farm's "Pumpkin Festival." If you can't picture what that looks like, check out the Krueger Fam photo from last fall below! CUTE!
What does the Pumpkin Festival entail you ask? For just $5 admission (kids under 12 get in free) you get to enjoy the corn maze, corn pit, hay ride, and duck races! There are also packages you can purchase for your kids. A $5 package includes face paint and a train ride or pumpkin shooter.
There are also a ton of pumpkins to choose from! Roam around with the family and find the perfect pumpkin for each of you to carve! Click here to visit their website for more info. You can also watch a video of the festival from a few years ago, here.
Until next time!
- Sydney
Photo Credit: Jerry McBride—Durango Herald
You've probably heard the recent news of the contamination of the Animas River. The EPA was reportedly doing some clean up work and caused a spill of over 3 million gallons of toxic mine waste water into our river.
A huge orange plume of contaminated water made its way down through Durango, leaving sediment and solids behind. The content is believed to be mostly metals such as iron, manganese, lead and other scary stuff like mercury and arsenic.
This is of course devastating to the community on so many levels. I'd say everyone who lives in Durango appreciates our natural beauty and environment. There are over 1,000 water wells that are affected, numerous irrigation ditches that serve our farms and livestock, and of course City of Durango pulls water from the Animas daily- an estimated 5+ million gallons. Currently they've taken measures to close off the ditches and City water system and pull water from other sources but that means strict conservation for in-town residents.
Who will be accountable to the farmers and ranchers, raft companies, fly fishermen who have hundreds of employees and currently zero income? Who will be accountable to the residents of Durango who rely heavily on this life blood for recreation, tourism, and drinking water? What about the communities downstream, like the Navajo Nation and Lake Powell and the Colorado River?
This is a very devastating event that I believe will take years to recover. I would say a couple positives have come out of this:
1. An amazing amount of people in our community are concerned and making their voices heard.
2. This sheds some light on an issue that has been ongoing for years. There are hundreds of mines north of Durango that need to be cleaned up. Our river has been polluted before. Hopefully this event will bring some awareness to getting things cleaned up.
3. This is a good reminder how precious our Earth is and how much we need to appreciate it and not take it for granted. We choose to live in a beautiful community and it's important we take care of it.
While there are many unknowns at this point, and we have very little information from the EPA regarding how bad this really is and how this will all be cleaned up, here are some resources for more information.
Background story- Very informative! This is not a new issue.
http://www.hcn.org/articles/when-our-river-turned-orange-animas-river-spill
Listen to Past Community Meetings
Listen to the most recent community meeting: http://livestream.com/durango-herald
Stay up to date with future meetings by visiting the La Plata County Website:
Sign a Petition to hold the EPA responsible for their actions. Not sure how valuable this is, they did admit fault, but as a government agency how are they going to hold themselves accountable?
I'm keeping hope that things are not as bad as they could be and we find a way to resolve things soon.
I'll keep you posted!
Hi Friends,
I wanted to share with you the new and improved Wells Group website. We've created a fresh look and have expanded property search capabilities.
Also, here's our commercial if you haven't seen it yet!
http://wellsgroupdurango.com/we-are-the-wells-group/
On our mobile app- we will soon have a feature that you can "search nearby" homes when you are out driving around!!
Let me know any feedback you may have!
Durango's Multi-Modal and Parks and Recreation Advisory boards met in early July to discuss the different possible options of extending the Animas River Trail. Currently the river trail starts on 32nd street and extends all the way to river road by Home Depot and Grease Monkey.
The expansion talk is focusing on connecting the south end of the trail at River Road to Three Springs. This will benefit the community in multiple ways. Residents of Three Springs will be able to connect to the rest of the community, as well as kids could ride their bikes to Escalante Middle School via the river trail.
This brings up the question of how. One option would be having the river trail cross over Highway 550. The other options in discussion would be adding a bridge. This would add at least $2 million extra to the expansion project. Bridge benefits would include safely crossing a busy highway, which is important to the parents of our community.
Cons of building a bridge, besides price, would include a disruption of flow for river trail goers. There would be steep areas and tight turns for bikers and runners.
Comments are open for review by the boards until July 31. The boards have not yet made a decision of how they will expand, and have not expressed a timeline for the construction plan. You can read more about the Animas River Trail Expansion in the Durango Herald here.
Source: http://www.durangogov.org/DocumentCenter/View/33
We had a great 4th of July up at Vallecito. We camped at Graham Creek campground on the east side of the lake. It has good access to the beach right from our site. We paddle boarded and did a little fishing from a ducky. The water was a perfect temperature for swimming! Vallecito does have fireworks on the north end of the lake every 4th. Overall it's a great place to spend the holiday.
Here is a link to more info on Vallecito Lake!
Besides paddle boarding and fishing at Vallecito, they have some great trails! The Vallecito Creek Trail is ranked #6 out of 161 trails in the San Juan National Forest! Here is an link to more information!
Another popular place for the 4th is Silverton, CO! It is rated one of the best and largest firework shows on the Western Slope! Before the firework show there is a parade, fireman water fight, live music, rhubarb festival, and more! Here is a website with more information.
Image Source: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/townofsilverton/july-4th-celebration
Downtown Durango also has some great 4th activities! It starts with a pancake breakfast, a 5K run at Rotary Park, and then onto the fun downtown on Main Ave. The rest of the day is filled with dancing, parades, and fireworks! Here is a link to more info on that.
Above is an image of the back of one of my buyer's properties on Mushroom Lane. Mushroom lane is right on the river at Vallecito! What beautiful views!
Hello! My name is Sydney, Chelsea’s new assistant! I just started at The Wells Group in late February, and am also an assistant to Stuart Way: another broker at The Wells Group. I have lived in Colorado since I was 3 years old. My parents and I moved to Westcliffe, Colorado from the Los Angeles area in 1994. For those of you that aren’t familiar with where Westcliffe is (everyone), it’s about an hour south east of Salida, Colorado. It’s a very small conservative ranching community, but by far the most beautiful! Below is a picture of our Sangre De Christo Mountains.
After my time growing up in Westcliffe, I decided to come to Durango to attend Fort Lewis College. I loved my time in college, and the intimacy that comes along with the small size of FLC. Part of me wanted to go to college out of state, but how could I?! Colorado is the greatest! I originally had started out working towards a basic art degree, but after my first graphic design class…I was in love. Design is a unique branch of art because it’s such an important aspect of business. Every business needs marketing. And with the photography and fine art skills I learned in high school and college, I can do a lot more with my design too. My job here at The Wells Group lets me intertwine all of my artistic abilities to create great marketing for your listing or potential new home!
Apart from my assistant/marketing job here at The Wells Group, I also work at another great Durango business—Ska Brewing Company. Craft Beer is gaining huge exposure and popularity here in Colorado and around the US. You can learn more about them by visiting their website.
Source: http://www.5280burgerbar.com/beer-styles-american-blonde-ale/
When I’m not working, I spend most of my time hanging out with friends, riding my bike on the river trail, juicing, tubing the animas, and craft-making! But most of the time, you can find me in the corner of a local coffee shop sippin’ on a latte, reading a good book, COOKING :) or browsing Pinterest and Reddit (my happy place).
One of the founders of Mercury Payment Systems, Marc Katz, has announced his plans to turn Durango’s Ewing Mesa into a public-recreational area and outdoor concert venue. He has purchased 1,850 acres, and has expressed that he is not interested in building any sort of housing on the property, which has been discussed in previous years by the former owners. For all newcomers to Durango who aren't sure where Ewing Mesa is, I've attached a map! The red pin is located on Ewing Mesa. It is also adjacent to Horse Gulch, one of Durango’s most popular trailheads (located by Sonic). In Katz’s news release, he expressed how excited he is for this project, and how great it would be for Durango to have a concert venue of our very own! No dates were given to when this large venture will start to take place. Here is a link to the full article from the Durango Herald.
A great way to combat winter blues is to get out and be active in the snow. In fact, there are so many fun activities for all ages and skill levels in Durango, and with 300 days of sunshine a year, it’s hard to find an excuse not to get outside and enjoy a beautiful winter day.
The possibilities are endless with easy access to Durango Mountain Resort for alpine skiing and snowboarding, cross country and snow shoe trails, ice skating and hockey the Chapman Hill Ice Rink, sledding, and so much more.
Cross Country skiing around Vallecito Lake is free and full of spectacular views. The trails are maintained by a group volunteers who provide the community with a groomed trail system all around the lake. Another great place to cc ski is the Nordic Center a Durango Mountain resort. They offer ski and snow shoe rentals and lessons. A trail pass for an adult is only $15 a day.
My family went sledding a Lime Creek on New Year’s Day. It was well worth the 30 minute drive up past Durango Mountain Resort. We had a blast with fantastic sledding and snow shoe options for the whole family.
Sledding at Lime Creek
Dala Mountain Park is my favorite place in town to snowshoe and it’s dog friendly! There is a good loop that hooks up to the Sailing Hawks/Animas Mountain trail head.
Hike at Dala Mountain Park
I hope you are enjoying the winter as much as I am. I would love for you to share your favorite winter activities with me. Also, if you are considering relocating to the Durango area, check out some of these links and see why Durango is the place to find your dream home in a place that matches your lifestyle.
City council has voted on a plan to expand public land in Horse Gulch. They plan to purchase 113 acres and have applied for a grant through Great Outdoors Colorado to help with the cost. They don’t know if they will receive the grant yet. If the grant is not received, City Council plans to purchase the first 60 acres this year and the remaining 53 acres in 2013. Horse Gulch provides a fantastic trail system in Durango for hiking and Mountain biking. Adding this new acreage will ensure continued trail access across Raiders Ridge in the future. I for one am excited about the expansion. Here is a link to the full article in the Durango Herald.
We recently had some family photos done to announce the arrival of baby Reese! We used longtime friends, Chowen Photography. They are so amazingly talented. I highly recommend them! They shoot destination weddings too!
Here are a few of our family.
The popular show from HGTV, House Hunters, was looking to film in Durango. My buyers and I had the opportunity to be on the show in April, 2013. We filmed in October of 2012.
It was such a neat perspective from behind the camera... certainly different from what you see on the show!
Many people have asked to see the episode after it aired and I never knew where to find it. Lately, a friend told me it was on Netflix.
You can also watch the episode here, on Amazon
Enjoy!!
Last Saturday marked my 2nd Annual Appreciation & Harvest Party. This is my way of thanking my clients for their support and friendship over the years, and celebrating my favorite season. Fall is a short season in Durango but offers the most amazing hot sun, crisp air and beautiful colors. We got lucky this year and had beautiful weather, so the kids could play in the grass.
The kids had a blast- we had about 15 of them! They pet the two resident goats, tossed bean bags, played with punching balloons and chased each other around the ranch.
Speaking of kids, everyone got to meet the newest addition to our family, Reese. She's two months old now! She spent most of the time strapped to my chest, sleeping and peaceful as always. I can't wait to watch her play with the other kids next year, probably just learning how to walk!
Every year, Cynthia and Robert at the James Ranch Harvest Grill, cook up some delicious, local, organic eats for us! This year we had harvest burgers and Durango Dawgs, fresh local veggies with home made ranch, local potato chips and home baked cookies. The hard cider was also a hit!
If you haven't been to James Ranch, the setting is magical. Cows graze in the pasture and bright yellow fall leaves contrast against the dark red cliffs of the Animas Valley. James Ranch also has a store that is open most days, selling cheeses, beef, ice cream and veggies! They offer an annual CSA, beef shares and eggs too. They are an organization worth supporting because they are the sweetest local families with a great mission.
If you didn't make it this year, I hope to see you next October!
Happy Fall!!
I recently read an article in the Durango Herald entitled "Down Payment Assistance for Local Buyers" about services offered by the Regional Housing Alliance and I thought it would be a great read for those considering buying their first home. Not being able to make a down payment may not be a deal breaker. "The Regional Housing Alliance (RHA) offers homebuyer education, financial and credit counseling and down payment assistance...Once the education is complete, a qualified buyer may obtain down payment assistance in the range of $10,000 to $25,000." What a fantastic service for first time home buyers! You can read the full article here.
