Aspen Real Estate Archives - Gareth Williams

Latest Adaptation Trend – Extended Mountain Stays

Many urban and suburbanites are looking towards the mountains as more than a holiday escape. As the global pandemic continues with no end in sight, people seeking a respite from the stress of crowds see mountain communities like the Roaring Fork Valley (Aspen to Glenwood Springs, Colorado) as the perfect place to relocate for an extended stay.

Mountain homes provide for a welcome change of scenery and access to fresh air and the great outdoors, something in short supply in major metropolitan areas. According to a recent article in the Denver Post, “initial predictions of a wave of panic selling depressing second home prices never materialized. Instead, the opposite has happened. More people are buying in resort areas to escape big cities, and the available inventory has tightened.”

Vacation property rental agencies reported that “not only did occupancy roar back, but guests were staying for long periods of time. [Guests] were either taking extended vacations or, more likely, they were working remotely.”

In fact, “guests have started asking for something that was a rare request before — desks in their rooms.”

“If they can work remotely what does it matter if they are working from their apartment or house or further away,” said [a Denver-based property rental associate]. He also noted that many guests don’t always tell their employers where they are actually located.

Guesty, a [popular] property management software, has seen a 117% increase in reservations of 90 days or more. It is also seeing more spur-of-the-moment rentals. In July, for example, a majority of bookings came within seven days of arrival.

Bookings for holidays periods, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, are running behind they did this time last year, but that might change given the trend to booking closer in. At Gareth Williams Aspen Snowmass Real Estate, we certainly expect those bookings to pick up as the season approaches!

Indeed, given the likelihood that winter resort activities could move to a reservation-only setup, the time to book your accommodations is now. If you are looking for the flexibility to work remotely while taking advantage of everything the Aspen/Snowmass area has to offer be sure to give Gareth a call at (970) 309-7649!

Gareth Sells Aspen Snowmass Estate for $21.2 Million

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2019
Contact: Gareth Williams, Aspen Snowmass Real Estate 970.309.7649

ASPEN, COLORADO –Aspen Snowmass Real Estate is proud to announce that Gareth Williams successfully represented the buyer of 1500 Owl Creek Ranch throughout the sales process which just closed for $21.2 million.

Situated on 80 Acres nestled between Aspen and Snowmass, the estate “has everything that my buyers were looking for,” said Williams. He first noticed this property located in the prestigious Owl Creek Ranch subdivision property when it was listed in 2012 at $37.5 million. “By 2018 the asking price had come down to $25.5M and was starting to look like a real opportunity for my buyers,” Williams added.

The spacious and luxurious 6-bedroom, 11,722-square-foot home offers everything from a substantial movie theater and guest master wing to a gym and panoramic views of the mountains of Aspen/Snowmass. There is plenty of outdoor space, which boasts 2 ponds, a swimming beach, rolling pastures and views of Mt. Daly, all just minutes from downtown Aspen.

Last month Williams also sold 1227 Alta Vista, a 4400 square foot townhouse adjacent to the Aspen Golf Course for $6,755,000. “We had an above full price offer within a week,” said Williams who was the listing agent and closed the sale in a matter of weeks. Williams adds that the market is still hot for the right properties. Interested sellers and buyers are encouraged to call him at (970) 309-7649.

Aspen’s Lift One Corridor Taking Shape

The developers of Aspen’s new Lift One Corridor joined together on October 1st to unveil their plans for the new lift, new lodging and amenities along South Aspen Street. They shared their plans with roughly 300 members of the Aspen community at the Limelight Lodge in downtown Aspen.

They stated that the plan is the culmination of more than a year of work by the City of Aspen, the Aspen Skiing Company, Lift One Lodge and Gorsuch Haus. According to the developers, “it is truly a testament to the power of collaboration and couldn’t have been done without the significant participation of the Aspen Historical Society and the generosity of the Dolinsek family.”

The plan highlighted the proposed benefits to the community:

The Skiers Chalet Lodge will be relocated to Dean Street and remodeled to house the Aspen Ski History Museum and will include skier services run by the Aspen Skiing Company.
The Skiers Chalet Steakhouse will be moved down the hill along South Aspen Street and reopened as a restaurant.
The historic bull wheel, one tower and chairs from the original Lift 1 will be renovated and showcased right below the new Lift 1A.
The park space at Dean Street will be greatly improved and expanded with the addition of Dolinsek Gardens, Lift One Park, and Willoughby Park, including a 60-foot wide greenway between the two Lift One Lodge buildings for summer mountain access.
50 public parking spaces, public restrooms, public lockers, and bike racks are all part of the new Dean Street mountain portal

The new Lift 1A will be a telemix, a combination of gondola cars and chairs. This format allows year-round, multimodal use and will give the Aspen Skiing Company the opportunity to explore reopening Ruthie’s Restaurant. This is a historic opportunity to bring Lift 1A back to the core of Aspen and make it as easy to access as the Silver Queen Gondola.

Two lodges are proposed as part of the plan. Gorsuch Haus at the top of South Aspen Street, immediately adjacent to the current site of Lift 1A, and Lift One Lodge on the properties once occupied by the Holland House, Skiers Chalet Lodge and Skiers Chalet Steakhouse. Gorsuch Haus will be an 81-room hotel and Lift One Lodge brings another 104 lodge rooms. These new properties contribute much needed new lodge inventory and provide the bed base that is an important foundation for the vitality of this portal.

The developers asked the townspeople to support “this historic opportunity that has emerged thanks to the insistence of Aspen City Council and the many people in the community who pressed for the return of walk-up access to Aspen’s original base area.”

If approved by voters, developer Michael Brown (Lift One Lodge) said it would take four or five years for all of it to be built. Lift 1A would be out of service for one or two seasons.

Because it involves city land, zoning changes and variances to the land-use code, the plan requires a public vote, which is anticipated for this spring.

Developer Jeff Gorsuch (Gorsuch Haus) asked the room for its support in that election and said the project connects the heart of the mountain with the soul of the town.

More information can be found at: www.LiftOneCorridor.com.

July and August 2016 Aspen/Snowmass Housing Statistics

Here are the July and August 2016 local monthly housing statistics based off of sales in the Aspen Board of Realtors FlexMLS program.

The reports are broken down by major area for the Aspen/Glenwood MLS listings. The links are provided here for your convenience. Please feel free to share this valuable information.

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