papillon
Fall/Holiday 2023
Issue 3
(pa ·pee ·aan)
FUZZY SOX DRIVE
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS SHOPPING RESTAURANTS OPEN THANKSGIVING SPOTLIGHT ON WESTERLY GRANT A DREAM MARRY THE HOUSE DUTCH APPLE PIE RECIPE MODERN CHRISTMAS DECOR
BOULDER COUNTY MARKET REPORT
papillon is French for butterfly, symbolizing change
Celebrating the Colorado Lifestyle BOULDER COUNTY'S PREMIER MAGAZINE CELEBRATING THE COLORADO LIFESTYLE
About the EDITOR Hi, I'm Mary Hill. I began my career working as an engineer for the navy. I worked my way up to managing million dollar projects, but it didn't feed my soul. With our moves throughout the country (we have resided in eight states) I recognize the importance of realtors, and how we can dramatically impact your financial future. Just properly preparing a home for sale and pricing it correctly can increase a home seller's bottom line by tens of thousands of dollars. My number sense, my ability to see potential in a house, my desire to showcase your home to its best potential, and my drive to maximize the return on your home, one of your largest investments means you are in great hands with me at the helm. I thrive on educating people on real estate, whether or not you are planning to move. If you have any real estate related questions I would be happy to answer them. Let's chat.
EDITOR in CHIEF Mary Hill
Inside 02 About 03 Fuzzy Sox Drive 04 Shopping 06 Real Estate 09 Marry the House, Date the Rate 10 Holiday Happenings 12 Dutch Apple Pie Recipe 13 New Local Restaurants 15 Grant A Dream
Fuzzy Sox Drive Support the parents of NICU babies by donating adult sized Fuzzy Sox to put into a care bag that will be delivered to Colorado hospitals in December. Contact me, Mary Hill, at 303-808-7796 or at mary@maryhillproperties.com to arrange for the pickup of your Fuzzy Sox donation. THANK YOU!
Shopping Particulars
Do you like art? If so, Particulars in Old Town Lafayette is a great place to find one of a kind art.This is a cooperative gallery and teaching studio. Several of the artists are offering free classes to those who suffered a loss in the Marshall Fire. Contact them for specifics. · · · · · · · ·
April Christenson, Drawing aprilpencilart@gmail.com Jeanne Hougen, Painting jhougen@comcast.net Laurie Adams, Various Media laurieadams588@yahoo.com Molly Hargarten, Various Media molly.hargarten@gmail.com Suzanne Connolly Howes, Various Media szconnollyhowes@gmail.com Jeff Becker Book, Arts boneheadned@aim.com Colleen Tucker, Painting colleentuck@gmail.com Cathy Faughnan, Painting 303-718-1463
Stop in to see the beautiful art on display. You may find a piece you want to purchase for yourself or for a friend.
Lottie Lane Lottie Lane, a boutique home décor and gift business, opened in Old Town Erie a year ago. It’s a must see and a great addition to the Erie business community. Lindsay Watne and her husband are the owners. Lindsay started this business because of her experience as a realtor. Buyers were always asking her advice on how to furnish their newly purchased homes. Lindsay obliged. Her love of this aspect of the real estate business expanded into her opening an online retail home décor store. With its success she decided to open a physical store, and thus, Lottie Lane was born. Lindsay wants to combine interior design with this boutique. Her husband did the build out of the store and Lindsay has plans for him to turn a portion of the store into a design center. She also plans to add more products to the store and create a gift box/design bar to assist people with finding the right gift. Her two-year goal is to start a kid’s camp to inspire them to love home design. It will be called Little Lottie. Joanna Gaines is Lindsay’s inspiration as they both love interior design. She is obsessed with the south and would love to live on a farm in Georgia or Tennessee. Her family lived near the Miller Mansion in Pennsylvania and one of her favorite childhood memories is playing in its front yard with her sister. This mansion was featured on the Oprah network. Lindsay grew up in Broomfield and attended Legacy High School. She currently resides in Colliers Hill in Erie with her husband and two children. Lottie Lane is named after Charlotte “Lottie” Wilson, a prominent member of Erie in the late 1800’s. Her husband James served as mayor three times, justice of the peace, and was a member of the Knights of Pythias. He built many houses and commercial buildings that remain today. He also built the United Methodist Church which provided a church for his wife Lottie and the community of Erie to worship. Lottie and her four children were said to have made a grand entrance at church each Sunday. Lottie Lane is a great addition to downtown Erie. Stop by and see this great store for yourself and say “Hi” to Lindsay. (You won’t be able to leave without purchasing something for your home. All the cute items will be calling your name!) And, this is a great place to pick up a gift for that special someone.
Real Estate
Does New Construction Affect the Value of Your Home? Have you noticed all of the new construction going up around us and wondered how it impacts the value of your home? That is a great question. Home prices, like everything else, are affected by supply and demand. When there is a large supply of something, prices go down and when more demand exists than supply, prices go up. As long as demand keeps pace with supply, property values won’t fall. New construction in an area indicates it is a good place to live and will increase neighboring home values. However, too much new construction may cause a glut of homes on the market and prices of existing homes may fall. So, the answer to this question is new construction in a neighborhood may cause home prices to rise, fall or have no effect. Currently with the poor supply of homes on the market, new construction hasn’t negatively impacted the value of homes in our neighborhood. To determine the true value of your home, I can prepare a comparative market analysis taking into account all factors affecting our housing market.
Westerly Westerly, a new community in eastern Erie is located across the street from Erie High School on County Rd 5. Three builders, Southern Land Company (SLC), McStain and Brightland Homes are constructing the houses in this community. Southern Land Company is a privately held full-service real estate development company based in Nashville, TN that has been in this industry since 1986. Mc Stain and Brightland Homes are well known builders here in Colorado. Westerly will increase the size of Erie by 1200 homes in the first phase – WOW! The community aspect of Westerly is similar to that of Prospect in Longmont, but even better, with a fitness studio, community room, outdoor fitness lawn, resort style pool and large front and back gathering porches. Shops and restaurants will also be a part of this community. A bonus for hikers, bikers and runners are 4.5 miles of trails that will connect with the Coal Creek trail. Both single family homes and townhouses, including ranch style homes, will be built in Westerly. Prices start at an affordable $500,000 for Brightland homes going up to $1,100,000 and more for the Mc Stain Premier Collection. Westerly is in the St Vrain School district and neighborhood schools include Soaring Heights, Erie Elementary, Erie Middle, and Erie High School. Land donated by Westerly will be the home of a future middle school. Private schools served by Westerly include The Alexander Dawson School, Vista Ridge Academy and Holy Family High School. Westerly is in the Westerly Metropolitan District. It will also have an HOA that covers trash removal, pool maintenance and snow removal. Give me a call to checkout this amazing community.
Market Highlights Average Sales Price Boulder County $1,022,306 Boulder $1,494,341 Erie $833,170 Lafayette $767,873 Longmont $742,827
Single Family Homes
Third Quarter 2023 Ad
Down 3.4% Down 11.9% Up 8.7% Down 31.2% Up 4.1%
The average sales price in Erie and Longmont were up year to year with all other localities declining in price.
Average Days on Market Boulder County 51 Boulder 52 Erie 44 Lafayette 42 Longmont 49 Sales to List Price Ratio Boulder County 96.3 Boulder 97.4% Erie 98.3% Lafayette 98.0% Longmont 99.1%
Up 3.8% Same 0.0% Up 25.7% Down 14.3% Up 4.3%
Homes sold slower than last September, but still faster than in an average market, which has 90 Days on Market.
Down 0.4% Down 1.1% Down 0.5% Down 0.9% Down 0.2%
Sold prices are congruent with list price, but houses prices aren’t being bid up.
Closed Sales Boulder County 230 Boulder 70 Erie 48 Lafayette 21 Longmont 122
Down 25.6% Down 9.1% Down 4.0% Down 40.0% Down 18.1%
Closed sales are down dramatically in all markets except in Erie. This is partially due to the continued lack of inventory of homes for sale.
from IRES MLS OCT 2023
Average Sales Price Single Family Residential
Marry the House, Date the Rate Interest rates are a bone of contention in the current housing market. They reached historic lows in the past few years and their rise is causing consternation to buyers and sellers alike. A $1M loan at 4.25% has a $4919 per month mortgage payment (principle plus interest). That same loan at 7.25% is $6821 per month. Don’t panic. You can buy down the rate for about $5000 per point. Bringing the rate down to 4.25% would cost about $15,000, a substantial amount. However, you would save almost $2000 a month in mortgage payments, making the payback period for that up-front money only 7.5 months.
A $500,000 loan at 7.25% is $3410.88 per month and at 4.25% is $2459.70 per month. A $15,000 interest rate buy down would pay for itself in 15 months. Buying down the interest rate is definitely worth considering in this market. The seller could help with the rate buy down or perhaps a family member could gift you with the extra cash needed at closing to get your payment down to a manageable amount.
Or, you could go ahead and lock in for the going interest rate and plan to refinance once rates decline to an acceptable amount. If you have found your dream home, don’t let the interest rate scare you away MARRY the house. Date the rate
Here's to your success!
Mary Hill
Holiday Happenings December Christmas Show Denver November 3 Firefly Handmade Holiday Market Boulder November 11 - 12 Holiday Craft Fair Longmont November 18 -19 Holiday Plaza Lighting Longmont November 18 Switch on the Holidays Boulder November 19 St. Nick on the Bricks Boulder November 24 and Saturdays thru December 23 Small Business Saturday Local November 25 Soul Tree Holiday Bazaar Lafayette November 26 - 27
Erie Parade of Lights Erie December 1 Lights of December Parade Boulder December 2 Colorado Chattaqua Winter Celebration Boulder December 8 - 10 CU Presents Holiday Festival Boulder December 8 - 10 Freezie Fest Boulder December 9 Gingerbread House Decorating Competition Niwot December 10 FACE Vocal Band Lafayette December 12
8Tips for Creating a Mid-Century Modern Christmas Decor Are you tired of the same-old, same-old, décor for the holidays? Switch it up and go with a MidCentury Modern approach. You can add fun, drama, and nostalgia all at once to your space. Don’t know how to do this? Here are eight tips for creating a Mid-Century Modern Christmas. The tree is the centerpiece of most people’s holiday decorating. Let’s start there. Use an aluminum Christmas tree. Aluminum trees were popular back in the fifties and sixties. You can recreate this vintage feel for yourself. Use paper geometric shapes to adorn the tree Or use a tree made of circular rings that has lights embedded in it. Buy this modern aluminum tree at modernchristmastrees.com. Matt Bliss, the owner, lives in Denver. Decorate a sideboard with ceramic trees and beads. Ceramic trees are making a comeback. Buy one at the local Hobby Lobby or Michaels and finish it yourself. The fireplace mantel is another focal point in holiday decorating. Use retro figurines and hang white stockings on strings of beads. Wreaths are also a must-have for Christmas decorating. Create your own retro/modern wreath by wrapping an unadorned one with tinsel or aluminum foil. Hang the wreath on your front door with a red ribbon. Create your own Sputnik-style Christmas ornaments. This was the space age! Get Styrofoam balls, stick cut-off straws into them, and place small beads on the end of the straws. Paint in your desired colors. Adorn your aluminum tree in pink ornaments and tinsel. Very retro and modern! Hang monochromatic stockings from a mid-century sideboard. A Christmas Village is a must-have for everyone. Add a diner as the focal point of the village. Have fun with decorating in the Mid-Century Modern style this Christmas. I plan to head to Hobby Lobby or Michaels so I can put a touch of Mid-Century Modern into my Christmas décor!
recipe Dutch Apple Pie
Ingredients 6 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 cup sugar 1 cup flour plus 2 Tbsp 2 extra large eggs 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 tsp baking powder Confectioner's sugar for dusting
Instructions Preheat oven to 350 F Grease an 8 x 8 in pan with butter and dust with flour Beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes Add 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and beat for 1 minute.
Beat in 1 cup of flour and mix until combined. It will look like wet sand with pebbles. Press this mixture into the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. While this is baking: Beat the eggs until fluffy, about 3 minutes Add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar; beat one minute. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and beat until combined. Add the 2 Tbsp flour and baking powder and beat until combined. Once the crust is cooked pour the lemon mixture on top and bake until lightly brown around the edges and the center is set, about 15 minutes. Once it is cool sift confectioner's sugar on top.
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This is one of my favorite Fall and Holiday desserts. Enjoy!
RESTAURANTS The Boulder Cork 3295 30th Street Boulder, CO
Hotel Boulderado 2115 13th Street Boulder, CO
Jill’s Rest aurant 900 Walnut Street Boulder, CO
Chaut auqua Dining Hall 900 Baseline Road Boulder, CO
The Kit chen 1039 Pearl Street BOOK NOW Boulder, CO
Morning GLory 1377 Forest Park Cir Lafayette, CO
Home & auto. Bundle & save.
I can save you time and money when you bundle your home and auto insurance. Call, click or stop by for a quote today.
Jeannie Hulse Ins Fncl Svc Inc
Jeannie Hulse, Agent
525 Briggs Street, PO Box 1005 Erie, CO 80516-1005 Bus: 303-828-4002 jeannie@jeanniehulse.com
Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®^^
Availability and amount of discounts and savings vary by state. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Indemnity Company State Farm Fire and Casualty Company State Farm General Insurance Company Bloomington, IL State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas State Farm Lloyds Richardson, TX State Farm Florida Insurance Company Winter Haven, FL
Grant A Dream's First Annual Gala MISSION: The mission of Grant A Dream is to provide chronically ill and special needs children with happy and hopeful parents. This is achieved by providing parents with respite trips. Support Grant A Dream or nominate a caregiver by going to: GrantADream.org. Our goal is to provide 250 caregiver couples a Winter Park Dream Getaway in 2024. If you or someone you know could benefit from a respite trip, go to to the link to apply.
Local Postal Customer
Let's chat today! 303-808-7796
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