The 16th Street Mall Exudes a Sense of Youthful Energy Blended with Chic Sophistication.

Denver’s 16th Street Mall, which celebrated its 25th birthday in October, exudes a sense of youthful energy blended with chic sophistication.

The 16th Street Mall spans 16 blocks to make up the heart of Downtown Denver’s commercial district. Both residents and visitors love this charming one-mile stretch of sidewalk cafes, shopping, horse-drawn carriages, street cart vendors, and entertainment. The mall is also home to numerous residential properties and office buildings. Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) provides a free Mall Ride shuttle to over 15 million visitors per year.

The 16th Street Mall is especially enjoyable during the holiday season when visitors are delighted by hundreds of illuminated trees. The mall, one of the top tourist attractions in the Denver area, will be a prime destination during next summer’s 2008 Democratic National Convention. A few popular venues along the mall include the Denver Pavilions, Tabor Center, Tattered Cover and the Shops at Writer Square.

According to the Downtown Denver Partnership, the 16th Street Mall opened in October of 1982 as a joint collaboration between several Denver agencies including the City of Denver, Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP), Downtown Denver Business Improvement District (BID) and the Regional Transportation District (RTD). The mall, which originally spanned 13 blocks from Broadway to Market, was eventually expanded to Denver’s Union Station, during the height of Lodo’s revitalization.  

Every 25 year old needs to evaluate its future while celebrating the past. The Denver Post recently reported that Downtown Denver representatives plan to spend up to 18 months and $250,000 to evaluate possible changes to the mall’s maintenance including widening the sidewalk and adding streetcars in lieu of buses.

For more information on the 16th Street Mall or regarding other Denver area attractions, please contact TeamCox Realtors.

Cherry Hills Village was Created with a Vision of Large Homesites in a Country Like Atmosphere

There aren’t many suburbs that rival the beauty and the exclusivity of Cherry Hills Village. Ideally situated on the western edge of Arapahoe County, Cherry Hills Village dates back to post World War II, when metro Denver’s housing demand was spreading to the south. Founded in 1945, Cherry Hills Village was conceptualized with the vision of large lots in a countrified atmosphere. 

Cherry Hills Village was created with the goal of maintaining large residential lots in a private country like atmosphere. Today, most Cherry Hills Village homes are situated on one to ten acre lots that are perfect for accommodating luxurious single-family homes and estate properties. Throughout the years, distinctive upper-end custom home subdivisions were developed including Glenmoor, Cherry Hills Farm, Devonshire, Buell Mansion, Covington and Charlou. Today, these subdivisions are home to some of the most magnificent luxury custom homes in Colorado that many local celebrity-types call home.

Limited commercial zoning is enforced in Cherry Hills Village to preserve the city’s rural atmosphere that features expansive open space and picturesque residential sites. The prestigious Cherry Hills address covers a mere 6.5 square miles and boasts average sales price of approximately two million dollars. Cherry Hills Village real estate ranges in price from $350 to $400 per square foot.

Strategically located adjacent to Greenwood Village and the Denver Tech Center, Cherry Hills Village is only a 15 minute drive to downtown Denver and 10 minutes to the Cherry Creek Chopping Center. For running and biking enthusiasts, Cherry Hills Village boasts an extensive trail system and is close to the Highline Canal bike path. The renowned Cherry Hills Country Club and the Glenmoor Country Club, both within city limits, offers residents many elite golfing and social opportunities.

Cherry Hills Village Elementary, West Middle School and Cherry Creek High Schools, all highly regarded schools within the award-winning Cherry Creek Schools, serve the Cherry Hills Village community. For private education, Kent Country Day School and St Mary’s Academy are also located within the perimeters of Cherry Hills Village.

If you have questions about Cherry Hills Village or regarding tthe general Denver real estate market, please feel free to call a TeamCox member at 303-400-6060.   

Tour Five Beautifully Decorated Cherry Hills Village Homes While Supporting a Great Cause!

What could be lovelier than attending the 31st Annual L’Esprit de Noel Annual Holiday Tour and Boutique? Enjoy touring five gorgeous homes in the exclusive Cherry Hills Village community while supporting the Central City Opera Guild. The 31st Annual Home Tour will run on November 16, 17 and 18 between 10:00am and 4:00 pm and will feature five homes in the Cherry Hills Village neighborhood. Each home will be fashionably decked out in holiday style. Pre-tour tickets are available at King Soopers for $18. For additional information, call the Central City Opera Guild at 303-292-6700 or visit their website at www.centracityopera.org.

The Denver Housing Market was a Little Spooky in October!

Similar to the Halloween decor that adorned our homes last month, the Denver real estate market was a bit spooky during the month of October. 

According to a recent article in The Denver Post, prices and sales of existing homes declined in October from September and from October of 2006. The numbers aren’t pretty – sales of existing homes were down almost six percent from October of 2006 and the median single-family home price dropped 5.4 percent to $234, 200 from October of 2006. 

The Denver condo market didn’t fare much better. According to The Denver Post, the median price of Denver condos decreased 6.7 percent in price to $140,000. However, the Rocky Mountain News reported that condo sales shot up over ten percent from October of 2006.

Is there a bright side to all of this? Many experts agree that October shaped up to be a better month than expected The Rocky Mountain News reported that there was a 7.3 percent increase of homes placed under contract from September to October, which is only a small (1.5 percent) decrease from the number of homes that were placed under contract in October of 2006.

In addition, the Denver real estate market hasn’t seen the more dramatic decreases that other areas across the country have experienced.

This picture could not be rosier for potential Denver homebuyers. Don’t miss your chance to be in the driver’s seat. For more information on the Denver housing market, please contact TeamCox Realtors. We constantly monitor the ever-changing conditions of the Denver real estate market and would be more than happy to share our insight with you.

Lone Tree, Colorado, one of the most popular communities in the Denver metro area, continues to thrive in the wake of the struggling Denver real estate market.

Lone Tree’s motto of, "It is a great day to be in Lone Tree," is certainly ringing true these days. It is easy to understand why construction is still booming in Lone Tree. The Douglas County town’s attractiveness to homebuyers and developers alike stems from its top-notch location that offers convenient access to the new light rail system, the state of the art Sky Ridge Medical Center and the renowned Park Meadows Mall.

Here are just a few more reasons why, "It’s a Great Day to be in Lone Tree!"

RidgeGate: RidgeGate, the sought-after Lone Tree development that is self-described as a New Urbanist community, is simply booming. According to a recent article in the Douglas County News Press, there are big plans for RidgeGate including 1,100 new housing units and more than half a million square feet of office and retail space.

RidgeGate Parkway Interchange: Construction has broken ground on the new I-25 interchange to be located approximately one mile south of the overcrowded Lincoln Avenue interchange. The new interchange, slated to be completed during the spring of 2009, will provide direct access to the Sky Ridge Medical Center and will offer much relief to a very congested area.

Commonwealth Heights: Lone Tree’s new Commonwealth Heights, a $200 million development located just north of the Lone Tree Recreation Center, spans 25 acres and will offer four different types of housing. Park Meadows: Lone Tree officially annexed Park Meadows Mall (and all of those tax dollars!) in 2007.

New Lone Tree Elementary: The brand new, Lone Tree Elementary, part of the Douglas County School District, opened in August of 2007. This innovative elementary school utilizes the Integrated Thematic Instruction (ITI) method in addition to the groundbreaking magnet programs. Magnet areas under consideration include Arts and Culture, Math and Science, Microsociety and Performing Arts.

It is certainly a great day to be in Lone Tree! For more information regarding Lone Tree real estate, please contact TeamCox Realtors.

There is just something magical about the holiday season in Denver, Colorado. Denver is simply a wonderful place to spend the holidays with its crisp mountain air and brilliant white snow.

Over the next few weeks, the entire Denver metro area will begin to light up for the holidays. Don’t miss some of the of the Denver metro area’s most cherished traditional holiday celebrations. There is just something magical about the holiday season in Denver, Colorado. Denver is simply a wonderful place to spend the holidays with its crisp mountain air and brilliant white snow.

Denver

Downtown Denver Holiday Lights
November 23rd ~ 6:30pm
Beautiful magical holiday displays will light up multiple Downtown Denver locations including the City and County of Denver, Larimer Square, Denver Pavilions, the 16th Street Mall and Union Station.

Parade of Lights
November 30th ~ 8:00pm
December 1st – 6:00pm
The Parade of Lights is a longstanding Denver tradition complete with dazzling floats and a variety of giant balloon characters.

Littleton

2007 Candlelight Walk
Downtown Littleton
November 23rd
Littleton will celebrate the holiday season with many activities including illuminating the trees on Mainstreet, caroling and a visit from Santa himself!

Parker

Town of Parker Tree Lighting
O’Brien Park in Downtown Parker
November 23rd ~ 5:00pm

Christmas Carriage Parade
December 8th ~ 2pm
Parker’s small-town charm truly shines during the holiday season. The parade offers the perfect way to tap into the nostalgic side of the holiday season as you view horse-drawn carriages.

Castle Rock

Town of Castle Rock Star Lighting
November 17th ~ 5:00pm
Old Courthouse Building on Wilcox Street in Castle Rock

Englewood

Englewood Shines!
December 1st ~ 4:00pm
Englewood Civic Center
Enjoy a traditional holiday celebration complete with a tree lighting ceremony, holiday music and a visit from Santa.

For more information on spending the holiday season in Denver, Colorado, please contact TeamCox Realtors. TeamCox wishes you a happy and blessed holiday season!

TeamCox Realtors is Happy to Assist First-Time Homebuyers!

A soon-to-be first-time homebuyer just called to discuss how they can go about buying their first home. First time homebuyers are a true joy to work with. Usually, as is the case with this caller, they cannot wait to get out of their apartment and buy their first home. They see their new home as a place where they can have a small yard for the dog they don’t yet own. She specified a good school district for the child they also don’t have yet. This is the kind of anticipation of wonderful things to come that makes the first-time buyer such fun to work with.

Denver's Modest Home Value Gain Highest in the Country

The month of October was filled with grim news about the Denver real estate market. It has gotten so bad that many of us dread reading the latest business stories about the local and national housing markets’ dismal condition as it is filled with reports of foreclosures, the suffering homebuilder industry, falling home prices, etc. Just as we thought all good news was lost, Denverites received a bit of positive news on their doorsteps on Halloween. Finally, I found a story that fell in line with my own perceptions on the Denver housing market. The Rocky Mountain News reported on Wednesday that the Denver area had the highest price appreciation in the entire country. While the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices report of a .3 increase among Denver homes is very meager, at least it is an increase! And, it is the most impressive number found in the entire struggling national real estate market, which posted an average decline of .7 percent.

Colorado School Districts Allow for Open Enrollment on a Space Available Basis

Are you hoping to enroll your child in a different school other than your neighborhood school? Many Denver area families opt to do this for a variety of reasons based on a school’s reputation, test scores, specific programs, convenience, etc.

Luckily, Colorado allows for open enrollment so your child may attend any school in the state on a space available basis. The open enrollment period for the 2008-2009 school year is just around the corner so it is time to start thinking about it.

The follwing is a rundown of the open enrollment policies for the ever-popular Douglas County School District and Cherry Creek Schools:

Douglas County School District:

The Douglas County School District allows families wishing to open enroll their child(ren)  to complete an application from December 1, 2007 through January 15, 2008. Only schools that are designated “open” or “At or Near Capacity” will accept such applications. First priority is given to students who reside within the district who wish to attend a school outside the designated boundaries. The lowest priority is given to non-resident students. Please click here for more information on the Douglas County School District’s open enrollment policies.

Cherry Creek Schools:

Cherry Creek Schools will be accepting open enrollment applications starting in November. Approval is based on space availability with first priority given to district residents and lowest priority given to non-district residents. It is important to note that all approved open enrollment applications must be resubmitted each year for approval. Please click here for more information on Cherry Creek Schools’ open enrollment policies.

Are you looking for information regarding Denver area schools? Please contact TeamCox Realtors  - we would be more than happy to assist you finding the perfect school for your family.

Cherry Creek’s New Nordstrom Opens on October 19th!

The Colorado Rockies aren’t the ones playing well in the big leagues this fall. Denver’s Cherry Creek Shopping Center has joined the ranks of the most prestigious and top-revenue generating malls in the country.

While the entire Denver area has been completely immersed in the Colorado Rockies’ amazing post season, the Christmas shopping season has slowly crept up on us. With it, comes the eagerly anticipated opening of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center’s new Nordstrom store on October 19th. With the opening of the new Nordstrom, the Denver Post reports that the upscale Cherry Creek Shopping Center has joined an elite group of six malls across the country that showcase the exclusive set of Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Macy’s. This elite bunch includes several well-known malls across the country including San Diego’s Fashion Valley.

The entire Cherry Creek shopping area, including the fashionable Cherry Creek North shopping district, generates the highest sales tax revenue for the City of Denver. Fueled by affluent shoppers who are single professionals or empty nesters, the Cherry Creek mall’s revenue ranks in the top one percent of all malls in the United States. As one of Denver’s top tourist attractions, it will likely be a popular spot during Denver’s 2008 Democratic National Convention.

The Cherry Creek Mall is a great benefit of living in the nearby neighborhoods Cherry Creek, Country Club, Bonnie Brae and Observatory Park. For more information on Denver’s retail sector, please contact TeamCox Realtors.