I am very excited to feature a fractional ownership opportunity this month at One Willow Bridge Road. This is a fabulous luxury residential development with many resort amenities. It is in the heart of Vail Village – therefore, close to the ski lifts and all of the shops and restaurants in the village.  You will be impressed with the quality and elegance of this property.

The property is available for seven weeks: you get three weeks in the summer, three in the winter and one week to use whenever you want. Basically, you get to enjoy all of the wonderful season that Vail has to offer! Also, you can rent the weeks you don’t use. This two bedroom, two bathroom condo is listed at $595,000. Give me a call at 970-331-1806 to schedule your private showing.

RealVail.com reported on Wednesday that Colorado is still poised to potentially host the Winter Olympics in 2022. Denver would be the host while Vail – and surrounding areas – would support Denver with their resort and skiing amenities. The full article can be found here.

Tourism is a huge industry in Colorado as visitors from all over the world come here to enjoy the mountains, ski and gold amenities. And the Colorado bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics could boost the state as a global tourism destination even more.

Vail and Beaver Creek will be well-positioned for the Olympic bid from an alpine skiing facilities and organizational standpoint. As I’ve blogged about before, we are already the hosts of two world championships (in 1989 and 1999) and Vail this year was awarded the 2015 championships — second only to the Olympics in ski racing prestige.

Top international ski racing officials are visiting the Vail Valley the first two weeks of September to begin planning for the 2015 championships, and U.S. Forest Service officials expect a definitive proposal from Vail Resorts for terrain and facility changes in the next month or two.
As reported earlier, Vail Resorts officials have said they plan a new women’s downhill course to rival the adjacent men’s Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek, as well as major upgrades to the finish area and the building of a new restaurant. Vail, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies, will see a “dramatic new stadium” in Vail Village. All of these upgrades would obviously position the resorts well for a possible future Olympic bid.

It’s an exciting time to be a Vail resident!

The Vail Daily reported last week that real estate numbers in Eagle County for June of this year were up significantly over the same time last year. This was according to statistics released by Land Title Guarantee Co. in Eagle.

Here’s the gist:

• June saw $141.8 million in transactions, up 49 percent compared to June of last year. It was the highest monthly total since December of 2008.

• The number of transactions in the county in June also climbed. There were 121 transactions recorded, up from 78 in June 2009.

• For the month, there were nine transactions that sold for $4 milion or more. The largest sales was a penthouse at the new Solaris in Vail, which went for $14.8 million.

• For the first six months of 2009, Eagle County has seen big increases in the transactions and dollar volume compared to 2009. Transactions are up 74 percent and dollar volume is up 88 percent compared to 2009.

This is great news and comes on the heels of some very consistent numbers that I reported on in my August newsletter. I wrote about Real Vail’s story last month “Eagle County, home to Vail and Beaver Creek ski areas, saw the dollar volume of real estate sales more than double in the first five months of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009.”

They reported 12 sales totaling $42 million in the Vail Village in May – six of the homes sold for more than $4 million.

This upward trend is encouraging. Also encouraging are numbers that were run by my brokerage firm – Slifer, Smith & Frampton Real Estate – of last month’s sales statistics. We found that, in the past five years, only 2007 had a higher sales volume in June than 2010. That’s great news as it is not just a recovery from the last year or so but it actually is exceeding even when times were pretty darn good.

Why the increase? Some of the uptick is due to home values going down and buyers seeking great deals in luxury real estate areas, such as Vail. And it’s true. Some great deals can still be had.

It is this and the fact that – as Real Vail put it – “the nation’s wealthiest home buyers are feeling more confident about buying luxury mountain properties.” It’s good to see that people are putting their confidence – and dollars – into a great area like Vail.

The Lodge at Vail is our community’s landmark hotel. People who buy condos here have all they want in amenities, services and location in the heart of the Vail Village – making this property a true winner in the number one rule of real estate: location, location, location.

If you’re interested in this property as a family getaway, you’ll be pleased. If you’re interested in this property to generate rental revenue, you’ll be very pleased. Either way, it’s a must-see. With over 1,200 square feet, this condo has 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and is listed at $2,250,000. Give me a call at 970-331-1806 to schedule your private showing.

Modeled after a European castle, the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Vail brings the splendor, elegance and magic of a fairy tale to life. It is the newest addition to Vail’s lavish billion-dollar renewal and is expected to be done this month with residents moving in as early as late September.

At last count, 48 of the 71 wholly owned units at the Ritz-Carlton Residences — on the west end of Lionshead— are currently under contract. The other units are expected to close fairly easily given how classy and lavish the property is, the style in which so many of Vail’s second-home owners are seeking.

The complex’s exterior and main entrance looks much like a hotel with a concierge desk and all. This is because the property has many of the same amenities of a hotel yet it is 100 percent residential living (so imagine living with all of your neighbors in a luxury resort – fun and fabulous). Residents will have access to valet parking, ski valet, twice-daily housekeeping, a fitness facility, an outdoor heated pool and two hot tubs, among other amenities.

The Residences doesn’t have a restaurant on site, but does offer a “great room” where residents can relax on cozy couches by fireplaces. There’s also a bar and a library in the great room, creating an atmosphere of relaxation and retreat.

For the kids, there is a “teen room” equipped with everything from a foosball table to a pool table to Wii video-game systems. And for adults, there is a gym/spa facility with a variety of fitness equipment as well as steam rooms, spa rooms, and a yoga studio. With all of this inside, you may never make it outside to hit the slopes!

All of this is very exciting for Vail. Not only is it another great luxury real estate development for families who want to summer or winter in Vail, but it’s nice for us locals to see all the demand that there is for great properties here.

Visit their Web site here to see their slideshow and video.