Grand County: A Remerging Resort Town for the Value-Minded

When you think of Colorado, you probably think of Vali or Aspen. But Grand County is giving these mountain travel icons a run for their money – literally.

Grand County residents get a true mountain living experience without the true mountain living price tag. Grand County’s Winter Park is close enough to Aspen and Vali to enjoy big city amenities without investing in big city real estate – and it’s only 70 miles from Denver International Airport.

These are just some of the reasons why real estate experts expect to see Grand County buck the current market trends and rise to the top of the homes sales charts in the years to come. And Mountain Estates, a premier custom home community in Fraser Valley, near Winter Park, is poised to be a leader in the local market.

“Grand County is severely undervalued in comparison to other Colorado mountain resort areas, which are priced three to six times as high as Grand County,” says Andrew Hadley, Vice President of Mountain Estates Sales and Marketing. “Studio condos in Aspen are on the market for $1,725 per square foot while Mountain Estates homes sell for just $350 per square foot.”

Colorado’s Best Resort Town Value

Grand County exemplifies a Colorado-wide trend: The state’s real estate market has surpassed the national average in housing sales and has successfully avoided the housing slump that is plaguing most of the nation.

Consider the statistics: Pitkin, Routt, Summit, Eagle, and Garfield counties posted record real estate sales in 2007, according to Land Title Guarantee Co. Eagle County topped the list at $2.5 billon.

While the report touted record years, it also revealed how difficult it is to find affordable housing in mountain resort towns. The lowest average home price was about $450,000 in Garfield County in 2007 while the highest average home price was $4.52 million in Pitkin County, home to Aspen.

Colorado can thank Mother Nature, in part, for its prosperity. Colorado offers residents and travelers the best of all seasons, which brings outdoor enthusiasts to the state year round to golf, hike, boat and fish.

The best news for people who want to experience the best of Colorado with an affordable mortgage is Grand County’s Mountain Estates. Grand County is emerging on the Colorado resort town scene after years of hiding in the shadows. Mountain Estates offers the better value than other resort town communities without sacrificing what makes Colorado a famed mountain getaway.

Investing in the Next Aspen

Although the beauty and location of Grand County are superior to other Colorado travel destinations, the value and maturity of its real estate lags behind. That’s because the City of Denver, which for decades owned and managed the ski resort, did not reinvest into capital improvements on the mountain. But that is changing, and home communities like Mountain Estates are offering an opportunity for people to settle in an affluent neighborhood that promises to rival Colorado’s most popular resort towns in the years ahead.

Intrawest, owner of mountain resorts like Whistler Blackcomb, Copper Mountain, and Steamboat, has taken over the management of Winter Park Ski Resort and committed to spend $50 million dollars of the next 10 years on infrastructure updates for the mountain. "The city is bringing Intrawest’s expertise and resources to bear in this very competitive industry,” says Denver’s former mayor Wellington E. Webb. “I am convinced that this partnership will preserve and enhance the resort for everyone – visitors, local residents and businesses and the citizens of Denver.”

As Hadley sees it, these improvements will bring an entirely new level of guest and buyer to Winter Park. “These guests stay longer, spend more money and are amazed at how undervalued the area truly is in comparison to resorts they have visited in the past,” he says. “The Winter Park/Grand County area is a fantastic value for real estate in Colorado, with prices that are a decade behind other resort towns.”

Make Your Mountain Reservation

Despite an abundance of local amenities and the promise of more to come, homes at Mountain Estates only cost 20 percent of comparable homes in neighboring resort town communities. Mountain Estates takes full advantage of all that Grand County has to offer and is located mere minutes from three interconnected ski hills – Winter Park, Vasquez Ridge, and Mary Jane – and Rocky Mountain National Park.

Developed by Colorado real estate developer KST Construction, Mountain Estates luxury homes combine upscale adventure with luxurious living and offer the highest quality construction, floor plans, design, and delivery available. Floor plans include traditional mountain home plans with innovative architectural details such as vaulted ceilings, expansive decks, gourmet kitchens, hardwood floors, and granite and marble-slab countertops.

Mountain Estates offers 40 single-family homes on two-acre lots with prices starting at $1.475 million. Picturesque landscaping with either a mountain or golf view surrounds all lots and homebuyers have access to Pole Creek Golf Course, named “The Best Public Golf Course in Colorado” by Golf Digest. KST also developed Shoreline on Grand Bahama Island, a 76-home master-planned oceanfront community.

Visit www.coloradomountainestates.com or call 888.726.9102 to find a custom home with a spirit that matches your own.