Keep Yourself Cool This Summer

Well, summer weather is officially upon and minus the crazy days of hail and dramatic thunderstorms, the sun and warm times have found their way to Denver and I would say, bring on the summer fun! As you and the family get ready to enjoy this warm weather, I would remind you to take precautions when being out in the sun for long periods of time and have compiled a list of ways to stay hydrated whether you are enjoying a Rockies baseball game or a day of exploring in the mountains, we live in one dry climate and on top of the heat, it’s important to keep yourself hydrated!

• Who says that you have to drink your hydration? A summer favorite fruit, watermelon, is one of the best thirst quenchers in the book. The fruit is made up of 92% water mixed with salt, calcium and a bit of magnesium making this ideal for rehydration. Also if you are more of the veggie type, celery is a good choice because the stalks are 95% water and its packed full of fiber and minerals.
• Sometimes we just don’t want to drink water, understandable, so throw in a few other beverages such as milk (studies show it is better than both water and sports drinks for rehydration and recovery after exercise). Smoothies are both refreshing and nutritionally packed, a bonus!
• Drink water until you feel like a fish, not really, but as humans we need a lot of water on the daily and many of us barely get even close to the right amount. For women, it’s around 11 cups a day and for men it’s around 15 cups a day but remember, that includes 20% from food intake.
• We all love a good cocktail on a sunny patio somewhere in Denver, who doesn’t? But be careful while consuming alcoholic beverages which lead to additional fluid loss. For every alcoholic beverage you consume, make sure to have one non-alcoholic beverage, and always drink in moderation.

Besides staying hydrated it is also important to stay cool and below are a few great pools to head to with the family:

• Denver Parks and Recreation has 13 indoor pools and 16 outdoor pools, because summer is when outdoor opens, make sure to take advantage of the ones listed:
  • Outdoor: Aztlan , Green Valley Ranch, Barnum Park, Harvey Park, Berkeley Park, Harvard Gulch, Congress Park, La Alma/Lincoln, Cook Park, Mestizo-Curtis Park, Eisenhower, Ruby Hill, Garfield Park, Southwest, Globeville Argo, Swansea

Maybe you would like to have the comfort of a pool in your own backyard? If that is the case and you are thinking it may be time to look for a new house with such pool, give me a call today and let’s grab some hydrating drinks and discuss what exactly you are looking for.

Photo by ivanastar/iStock / Getty Images

10 Breweries & Tap Rooms to visit in Colorado

Colorado is known for many things, 300+ sunny days a year, outdoor adventures right our your back door, and the many beautiful cities and towns. One thing Colorado is also renowned for is the amount of craft brew pubs and tap rooms located throughout the state. In Denver alone there are over 100 breweries, 33 found here in the city limits. The city is gathering the reputation for being the Napa Valley of Beers which is not a problem for all of the breweries and tap rooms looking to open in Denver and the surrounding areas.

So the question is, how do you choose where to go with all these wonderful brewery and tap room selections to choose from? I have compiled a list of ten places to go in Denver and surrounding areas where you can quench your thirst on any hot summer day or evening:

1.    Rock Bottom Brewery – Englewood, CO - These guys believe the best beer is the freshest beer so everything is crafter onsite by dedicated brewmasters.

2.    Breckenridge Brewery – Denver, CO - Like many brewpubs, Breckenridge started off in a home brewer’s basement. With three locations in Colorado, this is a favorite of many Coloradoans. 

3.    Great Divide Brewery Tap Room – Denver, CO - This brewery has racked up more awards than you can count on your hands and feet combined. A favorite visit destination for beer lovers worldwide, this brewery is a great spot to see Denver’s beautiful skyline.

4.    New Belgium Brewing Company – Fort Collins, CO - Founded in 1991, New Belgium has been an absolute favorite with its signature fat tire. In the summer you can head up to FoCo and take a little bike brewery tour where you are sure to make a stop at New Belgium.

5.    Avery Brewing Company – Boulder, CO - Founded by entrepreneur Adam Avery in 1993, Avery Brewing was created at the right time in the brewing market and continues to impress beer drinkers to this day.

6.    Dry Dock Brewing Co. – Aurora, CO - The two owners of this brewery did the best thing they could for the home-brew store, they built an actual brewery to go with it and have been winning awards ever since.

7.    Oskar Blues Brewery – Longmont, CO - The thing that is unique about Oskar Blues is that they decided to put everything, yes all of their beers, into cans instead of glasses. All of their beers can be found in resealable aluminum containers or in cans, makes it easy to take home and enjoy!

8.    Steamworks Brewing Co. – Durango, CO - Known for their German-style beers, this favorite hangout in Durango is a place you can find many locals enjoying their cold ones.

9.    Denver Beer Co. – Denver, CO - Located in the booming Riverfront neighborhood, this taproom has an outdoor patio where you can always find friends and families gathering.

10. Vine Street Tavern – Denver, CO - Sister brewery to the Mountain Sun and Southern Sun in Boulder, Vine Street has won medals across the globe including six gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival.

It doesn’t matter where you are in Colorado, there are always good beers right around the corner. And if you are considering your own brewing adventures and are looking for a great space to let your dream grow, I have an amazing space located in Brighton Colorado that is just dying to be filled. If that interests you feel free to give me a call today and I can tell you more about this special location where you could being to brew the new great American beer!

Photo by Rike_/iStock / Getty Images

Just Listed! Stunning Penthouse Loft Designed by The Zeppelin Group - 1050 Cherokee #401

There’s something to said about living in an area of Denver with so much history. The area called ‘The Golden Triangle’ located in the Civic Center neighborhood is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Denver with many bungalows and single family homes being built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Starting in the 1990s, due to the ever-growing Civic Center area in both residential homes and governmental buildings, not to mention the Central Library, the neighborhood began transforming into a fully functional neighborhood with the addition of new condominium and loft developments. There were many old supply buildings, vacant lots and garages in the area that were taken and transformed into beautiful living and working environments.

I have the pleasure of listing one such unit in the Golden Triangle area at the Grand Cherokee Lofts. Built back in 1998 by the renowned Zeppelin Group located in Denver, these beautiful one-of-a-kind lofts were developed from a vacant lot up. Made up of a bottom level with three stories of 36 lofts above, these beautiful lofts residences are home to an art gallery, a graphic design business and of course, all the wonderful residents who live there.

These units do not come on the market often because people love the building and love the area. So when I got the call about to help list one of the Grand Cherokee units, I jumped at the chance to help someone find this beautiful gem to call their own.

Unit #401 is 1529 Sqft with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms overlooking mountain and city line views. It's two levels and offers ample light, ultra tall ceilings with huge windows, 2 parking spaces plus a storage locker and updated bathrooms (always a bonus!). The unit has an industrial feel to it mixed with the softness of the wood floors and warm painted walls.

Sound like something you would be interested in? Then make sure to give me a call at 303.408.2600 today so we can set up a time for you to tour this stunning unit that is sure to not be on the market long.

Finding the perfect neighborhood is key, finding the best home is ideal, and finding the two together? Well, you just can’t ask for much more than that. 

Things to do in Denver this Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, which means one of two things; either you are staying in the city to have a bbq or you are heading out of the city to do on a short vacation. If you are staying in Denver this weekend, I poked around to find some great activities to do for you and your family because it is a long weekend and you should go out and enjoy!

Downtown Denver Arts Festival – May 22nd – 24th

This is all weekend long and features the best of Colorado visual artists. More than 125 artists from all over the state will be there exhibiting and selling their art. A fun way to meet local and Colorado artists and see what talent can be found in our great state!

Denver Day of Rock – May 23rd

Downtown Denver will be transformed into a massive free rock concert for all of Denver to enjoy one day and one day only. With 20+ bands taking to five different stages, you are sure to find something to get down to. The performances will take place all down 16th Street Mall, making it easy to get from performance to performance. Bring the whole family to enjoy food, beverages, and of course, the music.

Take a Colorado State Capitol tour –

Modeled after the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., the Colorado State Capitol building is a stunning structure with beautiful stained glass depicting people and events essential to Colorado, combined with elegant Colorado white granite, rose onyx, and Yule marble. Even if you have been a Colorado native your whole life, this is a great building to go see inside and take a guided tour. There’s also a 99-step spiral staircase to an open-air deck offering spectacular views of the city skyline and Rocky Mountains just be sure you wear a good pair of shoes!

Coors Brewery Tour –

For those of you 21+, heading up to Golden and going on the free, self-guided Coors tour is kind of a must. What better weekend to do it then this holiday weekend? Coors Brewery is the world’s largest brewing site and they continue to use the same Rocky Mountain spring water their found Adolph Coors discovered in 1873, sounds tasty to me.

Colorado Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants – May 22nd – May 24th

What is better than a day spent with the Rockies eating hotdogs and spending time with your family? Catch a game this weekend and make sure to cheer loudly for our boys!

Denver Comic Con – May 23rd – May 25th

For all the comic and science fiction fans out there, this is the event for you. Held at the Colorado Convention Center, this fun event brings out the fans young and old. Make sure to go dressed as your favorite character and enjoy meeting some of the Comic Con greats.

Red Rocks Amphitheater –

The first Film on the Rocks is this Saturday May 23rd with the showing of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. If you are an early morning person, head out Saturday morning for the Fitness Challenge and enjoy a heck of a workout while you take in the beautiful scenery.

Whether you are staying in town this weekend or heading off to a vacation, I want to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday. I also want to take a quick minute and say thank you to all the men and women who have served our country and those who are serving today, thank you for all that you do. 

Photo by kwasny221/iStock / Getty Images

Sprucing up your home for the big sale

Spring and summer here in Colorado are the biggest seasons for selling and buying houses. Sellers know when the weather changes, buyers are out and about looking for their next purchase. These sellers also know that putting in some money to the appearance of their house after the winter will attract more buyers, add value, and potentially give them more offers at the end of the day. One of the biggest recommendations I have for homeowners is to keep your house up-to-date with inspections, presentation and overall wellbeing. If you keep your house functioning but don't give it updates when needed or replace appliances when they falter, you will have a much bigger job on your hands when it comes time to sell your home. To be able to put your house on the market with little work will keep your selling experience less stressful and will keep buyers more interested in what your beautiful house has to offer.

I have compiled two lists; one is for things to do during the years to keep your house up-to-date and the other is what to do when it is time to put your house on the market, how to get your house selling ready!

List 1 - What to do yearly to keep your house in good condition:

• Have your appliances checked - There are professionals out there who would be happy to stop in and check on your appliances from your water-heater to your stove. Keeping your appliances up-to-date and working properly will keep you from having expensive replacements if the new buyers find issues with the appliances before moving in.
• Maintain your yard - Your yard really is the first things buyers will see when they pull up to your house so keeping a good curb appeal is like putting the finishing jewelry or shoes with a great outfit, the wrong shoes could wreck the whole outfit just as a yard unappealing to the eye could turn buyers off immediately. Mow, prune trees, cut bushes, pull weeds, and plant flowers yearly to keep your yard looking extra beautiful.
• Paint, it's cheap and makes things look fresh - If you notice the paint on your house or inside your house is starting to look a bit drab, maybe it is time to add a fresh coat. Giving your house this extra love is a sure way to show potential buyers that you care about this house and care about who the house is sold to. 

List 2 - Preparing to put your house on the market:

• First impressions are everything - This is more true then you would expect but you want every buyer to pull up to your house, enter your house and think to themselves, I could definitely live here. Curb appeal as well as entrance appeal are a must to make a potential buyer see what your wonderful house has to offer.
• Paint, paint, paint! - Again, paint is cheap and can really add character to a room. While many of the rooms in your house should be neutral to let buyers put there own vision in each room, adding a bit of color throughout will give the house a unique appearance. Maybe even having a room or two have a theme when staging them, from a beach room to your backwoods room, giving your home that homey feel and character can really help buyers imagine what can be done in those spaces.
• Keep it light and keep it bright - Don't over clutter your home with a bunch of furniture and decorations, you want buyers to see the amount of space in each room so arrange your furniture in each room to show off the whole area. Also, let the sunshine into each room, make sure shades are open and drapes are pulled back to let all the light into each room.
• Focus on the heart of the home - As many people will tell you, the heart of the home can be found in the kitchen. If you are going to put money into redecorating or refurbishing rooms in your house, the kitchen is a great place to start. Update appliances and make sure to give the kitchen a real warm feeling so buyers can envision family dinners and friends coming over for potluck in that space.
• Don't forget the garage - Yes, buyers will go look at this space!  First, make sure it is clean and then try to put up shelves and organize the area to show how that space can be used in many ways not just as a place to park cars. 
• Hire a realtor - I cannot stress enough how much work goes into selling a house and to help you with that, make sure to really consider having a real estate agent help you. If you are looking to sell your house this summer, give me a call and I would be happy to sit down with you and go over recommendations I would have to spruce up your place to get it market ready. 

Photo By: Victor Fossen