About Us  

Follow our blog for the most up to date Telluride news and real estate market information.

...............

September 16, 2011

Supporting the Just For Kids Foundation: Steve Cieciuch and Eric Saunders participate in Mountains to the Desert Bike Ride

The Mountains to the Desert Ride is a stunning 135 mile road ride from Telluride, Colorado to Gateway Canyons, Colorado. The purpose of this annual event is to promote a regional cooperative spirit, physical fitness, and to raise money for Just For Kids Foundation. In 2009, the ride raised $80,000 which, as always, was matched by an endowment established by our founder, Bill Carstens.  http://www.justforkidsfoundation.org/m2d

 

September 14, 2011

Aric Maloy of Telluride Properties named FTHBAF 2010/11 Realtor of the Year

July 3, 2011

‘We’re all a family and we all get along’

By Matthew Beaudin

It’s a narrative that spans professions, ages and bank accounts in this town and those like it. It’s what brings people here.

“I am a fanatical skier,” said Albert Roer, the managing partner and part owner at Telluride Properties. “I instantly fell in love with it 20 years ago.”

Roer is from Pennsylvania and grew up skiing the Poconos. When he first came to Telluride, he was working in the destination resort spa industry. He ran the accounting department for the Doral — what’s now The Peaks — for eight years.

But Roer grew up in the real estate business. His father was a broker and he spent time kicking around the office. When he graduated from college, he went to work in Manhattan for a developer and later started his own real estate company in Pennsylvania.

When Roer left The Peaks, he made his way to Telluride Properties in 2002 to run the books.

Steve Butts founded the company in 1996 and recruited Roer and Polly Leach-Lychee to build a stronger company. Roer was to run the “business of the business” as he puts it, meaning he cleans financial house as the managing partner.

But just after the pair joined with Butts, Butts was killed in an avalanche in Canada and they found themselves as majority owners of the company. “Polly and I are kind of partners by default,” Roer said. Butts was killed in 2005.

Leach-Lychee, a broker and owner, got her first taste of the Rockies from 1968-72, when she lived in Aspen. Her plan was to move to San Francisco to make enough cash to buy real estate in the mountains. She spent 20 years there running a travel business.

Leach-Lychee and her partner at the time spent time skiing and, on one fateful trip, he came to Telluride without her and said he’d found the mountain town she was looking for. She’d often spoken of Aspen but this, he thought, was what she was after.

Leach-Lychee flew in the next day, and these were her first words when arriving: “Real estate office. Now,” she recalled. “That was it,” she said.

Telluride Properties isn’t the area’s largest firm but it is one of the region’s most formidable and talented. “While we’re not the biggest company, we have a very consistent share of the pie,” Roer said. One broker at the company, Steve Cieciuch, the longest-tenured employee, has sold more than $250 million in real estate.

About 20 brokers work under the Telluride Properties umbrella.

Cieciuch, now the managing broker, started working in Telluride in 1987, when Butts was shuttling clients from Aspen over to Telluride. In 1990, Ceiciuch moved to Telluride to open up an office. “When we first started here, it was pretty much an open canvas,” he said.

The success of the firm, he said, is in its attention to detail.

“We cater to our clients extremely well. We’re really passionate about their lifestyle and keeping them happy … we do a lot more than just sell real estate.”

Telluride Properties will set up fishing guides and send clients out on horseback. “We’ve developed lasting friendships with our clients,” Cieciuch said. “It’s been interesting to watch the progression of families who have lived here.”

Benefits for brokers in the firm include being a part of a larger group of agents and a marketing power that would be too expensive for one broker to foot on his or her own. “You’re affiliated with a group of people,” Roer said. “And like-minded individuals.”

At one point under Butts, 70 percent of the company was from Massachusetts. “His M.O. was always: Is this somebody I could spend a week on a sailboat with?” Roer said of Butts.

These days the company is a bit more diverse in the origins of its crew — some are from Oregon and others North Carolina and Georgia — but it’s still Northeast heavy. “We’re all skiers, we all love the outdoors,” Roer said. “We have great camaraderie and great respect for one another.”

But more than that, Roer says, the company treats everyone like a partner, including brokers at Telluride’s other firms. “We’re definitely all partners. We basically all work together,” he said. “Generally, we’re selling each other’s listings … we’re all in the Telluride real estate business together.”

The market the brokers are all sharing, particularly the high end, has shown somewhat of a turnaround from the recession. Roer’s statistics indicate that top-of-the-market transactions are back to 2007 levels. And in the Telluride region, less than one percent of the area’s properties fell into foreclosure.

“What’s unique about Telluride … is that there’s a lot of equity underlying the real estate in Telluride and the region,” Roer said. “It’s the best buyer’s market we’ve seen in years … There’s no way to predict the future. But I am very bullish on Telluride real estate.”

The firm has specialists for different areas, and even helps offset costs on deed-restricted units, otherwise known as affordable housing. Some brokers are schooled in water rights and mineral leasing so they can better tend to ranch properties.

“It looks easy, but there’s a lot of different skill,” Roer said. “We like to say we get paid a success fee. It’s our job to educate buyers who are, generally, a lot smarter than us, a lot more successful than us.”

“You just never know what’s next,” Leach-Lychee said. “Both in the good sense and the bad sense. It’s very challenging. You have to keep on your toes.”

“What you see is what you get,” Roer added. “We’re in the middle of the national forest.”

But there is more to it than supply and demand.

“We’re all a family and we all get along. We don’t want to be too big,” Cieciuch said. “We just want to provide great service.”

 

June 22, 2011

Brokers Say the Telluride Real Estate Market May Be on the Cusp of a Rebound

by Gus Jarvis

TELLURIDE – While the Telluride and Mountain Village real estate market has shown signs of vitality this year in the number of sales through May, it remains a buyers’ market as sales continue to be value-driven. 

But with other Colorado resort economies resurging, there is reason to believe Telluride’s market will be making a comeback of its own, possibly beginning a shift toward a sellers’ market.

Real estate numbers released earlier this month by Judi Kiernan of Telluride Consulting indicate that the overall number of sales is improving while the actual dollar amount of those sales continues to lag. Through May, there were a total of 193 real estate sales in San Miguel County, which is up from 135 sales for the same time period in 2010. (There were 85 sales in 2009 at the height of the market crash.)

Although the number of sales has steadily increased, the dollar volume represented by those sales has not kept pace. Year-to-date sales in 2010 brought in $168.6 million. Even though 2011 has seen more sales, the dollar volume significantly dropped to $114.8 million from the previous year. (In 2009, the dollar volume in sales was $75.9 million.) 

“I think we are doing pretty well,” Kiernan said. “We are considerably above the 2009 year-to-date in terms of dollar volume and this has been the best in four years in terms of the number of sales.” 

Peaks Real Estate Broker Sally Puff Courtney said her office has had an encouraging 2011 and she attributes the success to the proper pricing of properties in relation to today’s market.

“It is really important that we get sellers to understand where the real market is,” Courtney said. “I think we have stabilized but we haven’t seen any upward movement quite yet. This is still a buyers’ market. If properties are priced according to today’s market, then they will sell.”

But just where is today’s resort real estate market in Telluride? 

While much of the nation’s real estate values are at rock bottom lows, Kiernan said resort real estate markets need to be looked at differently. Undoubtedly, market values have dropped in Telluride and Mountain Village but not as much values in even weaker economies.

“We are not in a fire sale mode,” she said. “We are not anywhere near what the national economy leads you to believe. Our high-end sellers have been willing to drop prices anywhere from 20-30 percent, which is more than a normal 5-10 percent discount we had in a strong market. There is so much in the national media about the notion that we haven’t hit rock bottom yet and I think we really need to look at resort markets as different from the general market.” 

George Harvey, at The Harvey Team, believes the national real estate recovery will be gradual and slow but that doesn’t mean properties won’t sell. His biggest challenge, he said, it getting sellers to understand where a sellable price is in the current real estate market.

“When people ask me, ‘How’s the market?’ I want to re-ask the question and ask, ‘For whom?’” Harvey said. “The market is terrific for buyers. It’s the best I have seen in 25 years. It’s good for sellers who price their property to the current real estate market and not the market of two or three or four years ago.

“I think every broker you will talk to will say there are buyers for real estate in the Telluride region and they will buy if the properties they are looking at are priced to this mark. Right now, we have too many listings at prices from two or three years ago.” 

Shift From Buyers’ to Sellers’ Coming Soon?

Most Telluride real estate brokers will agree that the Telluride region tends to lag behind the larger Aspen and Vail real estate markets. So far in 2011, real estate values in those two markets are slightly below 2010 values, but those markets have also seen a spike in the number of sales this year, which is good news for Telluride.

Through the month of April, according to Land Title Guarantee Company figures, there have been a total of 407 sales in Eagle County, which is up from 392 the previous year and is more than double the mark of 199 sales set in 2009.

First quarter figures for Aspen’s Pitkin County are similar. Through the first three months of activity this year, there have been 196 sales. If this pace keeps up throughout 2011, the number of sales will significantly beat last year’s total of 689, 2009’s total of 702 and will be close to 2008’s total of 828 sales. The increased number of sales in those two markets have brokers in Telluride in a hopeful mood.

“Those Vail and Aspen markets have made somewhat of a comeback,” Telluride Properties broker Brian O’Neill said. “The basic phenomenon is that we have a tendency to lag behind those markets by about six months. When people in our market see that Aspen has picked up, they will see that now is the time to get in the Telluride market.” 

On top of that somewhat encouraging news, O’Neill recently read that the economies across the country have continued to decline except for Texas, which has gone up for the first five months of this year, mainly due to oil sales. With an improved economy and low sale prices, now could be an optimal time for Texas residents to purchase their vacation home in Telluride.

“The mood is somewhat hopeful throughout the brokerage community,” O’Neill said. “There have been a lot of showings for this time of year. The interest has picked up and that is creating some optimism in the market, which dovetails on our tendency to lag behind the Aspen and Vail markets. That is definitely a good indicator for us.” 

Telluride Real Estate Broker Steve Catsman agrees that the spike in sales in Aspen and Vail is a good indicator and reports that the mood in his office is upbeat as well.

“I have actually been networking with brokers in Vail and Aspen to expose Telluride more,” Catsman said. “I think they have buyers that are not satisfied with their options and they may be ideally suited for the Telluride market.” 

Catsman went on to say that his office is seeing a lot of activity right now and more than ever, it’s a responsibility for brokers to educate buyers that everything in Telluride is not a fire sale and that a good value in Telluride’s market doesn’t necessarily have to be a market sale.

“As things pick up, it becomes less of a buyers’ market,” he said. “A sellers’ market may be some time off but what I would call a normal market is just around the corner. Given the Telluride lifestyle and an increasing demand for this type of lifestyle, it will put us back on track.” 

“People are realizing they still love Telluride and the region,” Harvey said. “They are still looking for that special place and, to many, Telluride fills that need. I am going to say I think the worst is behind us. None of us have a perfect crystal ball, but I will say this. If you are a serious buyer, you need to look now.” 

 

December 23, 2008

Truly Telluride Celebrates the Unique Spirit & Attraction of Telluride

Just how much ink can a toy town like Telluride absorb? Answer: bring it on. Each of the publications, both traditional and online about life in the region, open a slightly different door into our community. The newest addition to the print parade, published as a glossy and online by Telluride Properties, is "Truly Telluride & TrulyTelluride.com," "Truly Telluride" began its life as mere 20 pages of properties for sale, but has evolved into an eye-popping 50-page up close and personal look at Telluride's people, its cutting edge institutions and initiatives, and its exceptional properties: who and what constitutes Shangri-La.

The lead story from this Winter's issue, "Full-Time Change Makers, Part-Time Telluriders," was written by Susan Viebrock, formerly of the Daily Planet, now of the blogozine, "Telluride Inside.and Out."

The first of the part-time series is about Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.

In his profile, the statesman/businessman - he is on Obama's team of foreign policy advisors -- talks candidly about how he came to town, why Telluride is his "sanctuary" and the need to protect the "brand."

Entrepreneur/philanthropist Edward Barlow has been a senior partner at Whitney Communications Company since 1968. A founding donor of the Telluride Foundation in 2000, Barlow zeros in on opportunities and issues for the New Year.

"Serving on the Foundation with co-chairs Ron Allred and Mark Dalton and executive director Paul Major, I have gotten back a lot more than I have given," Barlow explains.

Bonnie Cohen, former Undersecretary of State for Management under Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, completes the trio of profiles. Although she is no longer in government service, Cohen is extremely active in the non-profit sectors, focusing on education and cultural preservation initiatives such as the Global Heritage Fund. Her summer job is hiking in the mountains.

Serendipity or kismet brought all three superstars to town. What keeps them here is what keeps everyone here: a lifestyle that includes mountain adventures, a strong sense of community, a vibrant cultural economy, and out of the box thinking inside our box canyon.

Which leads to the next feature.

"Alternative Futures for Telluride: The Telluride Foundation's Unique Study," written by Telluride Properties' marketing director Wendy McKeever, provides an overview of the landmark study modeling what the region will look like in 20 years, so Telluride can make informed decisions about its future.

"Through the Eyes of Local Builders" by Gabby Anstey McDonald, examines local building trends such as eco-construction and smaller spaces straight from the horse's mouth of deLuca Construction, Steeprock Builders, & Evans Construction.

Telluride Properties was founded by the late Steve Butts, who tragically passed away during an avalanche while skiing in Canada in 2005. While living in Aspen 20+ years ago, Butts dreamed of introducing his friends to quirky Telluride, a little mountain town with big potential.

What turned on Butts two decades ago still turns on his broker buddies, who continue to carry his torch into a new era of Telluride real estate.

"Truly Telluride" is part of Telluride Properties marketing plan, one more mirror that reflects the dream.

September 23, 2008

TELLURIDE PROPERTIES SUPPORTS COMMUNITY THROUGH TELLURIDE ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

Telluride's local Realtor association, TAR, is more than just a group of people who sell real estate. TAR is an organization dedicated to bettering the local real estate industry while improving local communities by volunteering their time & resources.

"We all love this town, but this is going to be a difficult year with a lot of challenges.bond issues, retailers struggling to survive, and who knows what the snow will be," says new TAR president Eric Saunders. TAR's primary mission is housing and my main goal is to continue to help locals stay local through the many different programs we contribute to.

TAR created the first time homebuyer program in 2002. The goal of the project is to help local families afford to live and work in the Telluride area, according to Patrick Pelisson, a committee member for the fund & TAR director. To date, $235,000 has been donated to help 325 individuals stay local. Over 80% of Telluride area brokers voluntarily contribute a portion of every closed transaction to the program.

The focus of TAR's contributions don't stop at Telluride's town line. According to Saunders, "we just gave $24,500 to help fund Habitat for Humanity houses in Norwood and 250 man hours to help with construction."

"We have been very active in attending Town Council meetings and other committees trying to make a difference in where our community is heading for locals looking to enjoy the rest of their lives here and raise families," says Kiplynn Smith, TAR director to the Colorado Association of Realtors.

Saunders, Pelisson, and Smith have volunteered their time within the TAR organization for several years. Furthermore, George Harvey has taken his support to the state level as the new president-elect for CAR. Telluride Properties, along with other TAR members, are committed to fostering a better ski area, thriving Main Street, a positive experience for visitors and a place locals are proud to call home.

In addition to the TAR board members mentioned above, several Telluride Properties brokers received award nominations from their peers at this year's TAR Banquet . Mike Shimkonis and Tom Hess were nominated for community realtor of the year. Additionally, Steve Cieciuch was nominated for realtor of the year and Carrie Koenig for rookie of the year.

For more information about TAR or the projects they are involved with, please contact them at 970.728.5172 or telluriderealtors.net.

08.19.08 - 12:00 am

4th ANNUAL STEVE BUTTS MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT BENEFITS TELLURIDE SKI & SNOWBOARD CLUB

The 4th annual Steve Butts Memorial Golf Tournament celebration will be held August 22nd-23rd in Telluride. Widely supported by the community, this event promises plenty of laughs and “friendly” competition, all in the spirit of supporting youth athletes.

Named after the late Steve Butts, founder of Telluride Properties and avid skier, this tournament benefits the Telluride Ski & Snowboard Club (TSSC). TSSC is a non-profit organization providing regional youths, 6 to 18 years old, with competitive skiing and snowboarding programs. TSSC is the largest youth organization, in both size and duration of programs, for the southwestern Colorado region.

“Our athletes have competed at the Junior Worlds & Nationals, US Ski & Snowboard Nationals, the Junior Olympics, and our own Jimmy Discoe recently made the US Ski Team,” says Justin Chandler, executive director of TSSC. The annual Steve Butts Memorial Golf Tournament has been instrumental in allowing TSSC’s training facility to operate year-round, raising over $50,000 at last year’s event alone. “This particular fundraiser now raises more than our other four combined,” says Chandler.

Steve Butts, a competitive skier himself, was a big supporter of TSSC with two of his own children formerly in the program. Continuing the pursuit of Butts’s passion is his longtime friend, former partner and managing broker for Telluride Properties, Steve Cieciuch (Chet-chu). “This is a great way for friends to honor his legacy by inspiring a lifelong enjoyment of skiing in our kids,” says Cieciuch who has chaired the event for the past 4 years.

The three-part celebration kicks off Friday night at the New Sheridan Bar with a Calcutta featuring video highlights of last year’s tournament. Saturday morning, the 4-person scramble golf tournament will get a shotgun start at the Telluride Golf Club. And capping off the whole event, an after party will be held at the Barry Cox Residence Saturday night with dinner, dancing, awards, and auctions. Barry is graciously opening his residence, the former home of Steve Butts, to golfers and non-golfers alike.

The auction Saturday night is a great way for people to support TSSC without having to participate in the golf tournament. Some of the items up for auction include: a 3 night stay in California’s wine country, a night at Dunton Spa & Hot Springs, a week at Manhattan Beach in California, and much more.

For complete details regarding the golf tournament celebration, or the Telluride Ski & Snowboard Club, please contact Justin Chandler at 970-728-6163. www.tssc.org

07.18.08 - 12:00 am

George R. Harvey, Jr. elected as the Colorado Association of Realtors President-Elect for 2008/2009

George Harvey has been involved with the Realtor organization at a local, state and national level for over 20 years. The Colorado Association of Realtors has been in existence for 88 years and currently has almost 27,000 members. Harvey says "While my mandate will be to represent all Realtors throughout the state, it will be particularly nice to work with Amy Dorsey, incoming President for 2008/2009 from Vail, and promote the second-home market and its positive economic impact on the state of Colorado." There has never been a CAR President before 2008 from Aspen, Vail, Telluride, Durango or Steamboat Springs.

"My two personal goals will be the promotion of the Realtor Code of Ethics in our daily practice and making the tools available to every Realtor to access the international real estate markets'" says Harvey. "The real estate economy is growing globally more every day and Colorado will be a big player in that market".

Harvey has been a real estate broker in Telluride for 25 years and was recently voted "Telluride Realtor of the Year" for the second time. He currently serves on the National Association of Realtors Board of Directors and as President of the Colorado Association of Realtor Land Institute, the largest group of land and ranch broker specialists in our state. In 2007, Harvey was "Land Broker of the Year" for Colorado Realtors Land Institute. Harvey is a broker at Telluride Properties and this honor is no surprise to broker/owner Albert Roer who says; "George has been a very knowledgeable and supportive mentor, not only to our company, but to the real estate community as well". If you have any questions or comments for George Harvey, he can be reached at 970-369-5373 or george@tellurideproperties.com.

6/01/06, Deerfield Beach FL

"Pulse on America" show to present "Telluride Properties"
--A great place to buy real estate--

PTGTV is pleased to announce the selection of Telluride Properties for its innovative, educational television series, Pulse on America. The company will be featured in a segment on "Pulse on Real Estate" series.

Since 1986, Telluride Properties has earned a reputation as the premier brokerage firm in the Telluride, CO, region. Their mission is to offer clients the most knowledgeable, experienced, effective and detail-oriented real estate brokerage services available.

Telluride is a world-class resort offering high-quality skiing, as well as a legendary small town with sophisticated residents. Tucked away in a box canyon surrounded by magnificent mountains, Telluride is fairly remote. The closest traffic light is 65 miles away. The town's picturesque natural beauty complemented by the diverse culture and abundance of activity offers a unique serenity juxtaposed with the quick- paced experience.

In addition to the town's luxurious homes and lifestyles and the small town atmosphere, there is a public school system that was ranked in the top 8% of all Colorado public schools in past surveys. .Family life in Telluride is rich with activities including concerts, ballet, mountain biking, fly-fishing and unique dining, among many others.

Telluride Properties is an extraordinary real estate company with continuous growth and many scenic properties to offer, featuring a standard of excellence, and selling incredible properties with legendary results. Telluride Properties has three office locations for maximum exposure in Colorado. Their affiliations to Leading Estates of the World and Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate grants them exposure to a sophisticated audience of the world's highest disposable-income buyers. To ensure the highest levels of convenience, Telluride Properties' company-owned aircraft flies in potential property buyers from all over the country.

Offering a brokerage team of 25 full-time professionals with a comprehensive knowledge of the local market, Telluride Properties has the expertise to make any real estate dream a reality. For a web-cam tour of the luxurious properties and additional information about what Telluride has to offer, visit www.tellurideproperties.com.