I’ve had that song in my head all day, seemed like a great title for this month’s blog!  

Hello and happy holidays!  Hang on - I have no problem with “Merry Christmas”… it’s just that our family, and many of our friends, celebrate both Christmas as well as Chanukah, and then you have New Year’s Eve and Day in there, so “Happy Holidays” truly fits best, for me!

What a lovely time of year - so fun, so cozy, so full of joy and love and excitement- and a fabulous time to buy a house!  I just saw that mortgage rates have actually come down a bit! It’s certainly not peak buying season- so no bidding wars, or crazy offer amounts, and house shopping isn’t so bad when the weather is a gorgeous 55 degrees like today!  Are you looking for a new home?!  Connect with me and let’s chat!  I would be honored to help you give yourself the gift of a new home in 2019! 

This season can get very busy… be sure to take the time to relax and enjoy your loved ones… maybe start a new tradition!  Ice skating? Hot cocoa and candy canes on Christmas Eve? Go see a movie on Christmas Day? I sincerely wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season.

Much love and Happy Holidays,

Tracy

So - you want to sell your house or buy a new one- in November?!

This is actually a great time of year to do both - we have the summer gains holding steady, and a stable market that gives buyers a chance to get an offer in without overwhelming competition. 

It is quite typical for the denver housing market to slow down during the holidays - but it definitely continues!  You can still get a good price for your home sale, and on the buy side, it's a much calmer environment for home shopping.  It may take some creativity to coordinate closing around the planned holiday festivities, but with a experienced Realtor on your side, it is something that can certainly be accomplished!

If you are considering listing your home and/or purchasing a home in the next couple of months, please contact me so we can talk about how to make it happen! 

Tracy Alford, Realtor

Call or text 720.530.0668

Email [email protected]

Helping you make the right move... especially during the hioliday season!

By guest blogger, Kim Shepheard

Every year there are so many fall festivals to enjoy with the kids that it is difficult to choose. Some of you may be creatures of habit, a bit like us. However, don’t limit yourself to what you can experience here in Colorado. We often have great weather this time of year, and it’s rarely too hot outside to carry more than a few pumpkins home.

Our favorite one to visit every year is at Flat Acre Farms in Parker. It takes place on an actual working family farm with hayride tours included in the price of admission. You’ll ride past a rather large bee community - if you’re not allergic, that is - and get quite the education on the importance of bees in our world. You can even purchase some honey to go! There is a pumpkin patch, duck races, a petting zoo (which just expanded this year), a jump pad, balloonists on stilts, food trucks, and much, much more. I like the local feel of it all, and my little one gets excited to meet friends there every year!

We always have to try something new each year as well, and here are a few we have to choose from. I wish we could make it to all of them!

Nick’s Fall Festival is a classic area must! View a video about it on the site. Every day through Halloween! Rides, pumpkins and pumpkin weigh-off, live music, haunted house, carnival games, face-painting, bounce house and more!

Denver Botanic Gardens Pumpkin Festival (at Chatfield Farms)

Four Mile Historic Park Pumpkin Harvest 

There is also Night at the Museum coming up on November 3!

For a full list of corn mazes and pumpkin patches, go straight to the list.

Parker, Co is a quiet and cozy city just southeast of the Denver area.  It is enjoying amazing growth (like most of the metro area) and has so many fun things you'll want to check out, so I thought I would list a few for you in this month's post.  I have been to most of them (will be doing the ice trail this winter), and loved every minute - ENJOY! 

7 Great Things to do in Parker, Colorado!

1. SkyZone!!

Sky Zone is the world’s first indoor trampoline park. The inventors of “fun fitness” and the makers of trampolines as far as the eye can see. One of the greatest workouts ever combined with awesome, healthy fun. Experience WOW – the weightlessness of bouncing, flipping and landing in a pit filled with 10,000 foam cubes.  Fly high and keep it safe at Sky Zone!

https://www.skyzone.com/parker

2. Parker Fieldhouse

The Parker Fieldhouse offers 100,000 square feet of action and excitement! Sports turf, batting cages, gymnasiums, inline rink with Sport Court flooring, climbing wall, elevated track, fitness loft, personal training and an indoor playground make this building popular with sports enthusiasts of every age and ability level. Many of Parker Recreation's youth and adult sports leagues take place at the Fieldhouse.

http://www.parkerrec.com/348/Parker-Fieldhouse

3. H2O’Brien Pool

H2O'Brien Outdoor Pool features two 182' water slides, a waterworks play structure, a spray garden, sprays and geysers, a circulation and lap pool, a concession area and a shade pavilion. Individuals of all ages will enjoy this spectacular pool! H2O'Brien Pool is open Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends.

http://www.parkerrec.com/234/H2OBrien-Pool

4. Parker Ice Trail at Discovery Park

During the winter, the new Parker Ice Trail at Discovery Park, located next to Parker's new Library on Mainstreet and Pine Drive, is available seven days a week. One of the only ice trails in the country, the new Parker skating path meanders through the park reminiscent of a frozen river or canal. Skaters or visitors can stay warm next to any of the three fire pits adjacent to the ice trail, or enjoy hot chocolate while watching skaters pass by. Concessions, skate rental and restroom facilities are available for all patrons visiting the park.

http://www.parkerrec.com/1954/Parker-Ice-Trail

5. The Parker Arts & Culture Event Center

The PACE Center is home to a 542-seat theater, Bellco art gallery, event room, dance studio, culinary teaching kitchen, green room and dressing rooms, an outdoor amphitheater, and several classrooms.  The PACE Center is located on the southeast corner of Mainstreet and Pine Drive in historic downtown Parker. This state-of-the-art facility provides a wide variety of family-oriented cultural, arts, scientific and educational programming and serves as a rental venue for community, business and social events.

http://parkerarts.org/1060/About-the-PACE-Center

6. The Schoolhouse Complex 

(formerly known as the Mainstreet Center) includes a recently rehabilitated 100-year-old historic school building with an event room, meeting rooms, and a dance studio; and a newly renovated non-historic annex with a 200-seat theater, art gallery and heritage center. The Schoolhouse complex hosts community arts events and classes including theater, dance, music and visual arts. The theater lobby includes a full concession area, an art gallery curated by Parker Artist Guild, and a heritage center managed by the Parker Area Historical Society.

http://parkerarts.org/1949/The-Schoolhouse-at-Mainstreet

7. Castlewood Canyon State Park

Castlewood Canyon State Park is a Colorado state park near Franktown, Colorado. The park retains a unique part of Colorado's history, the remains of Castlewood Canyon Dam. Visitors can still see the remnants and damage from that dam which burst in 1933.

http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/CastlewoodCanyon