TheStapletonandKnopHomeTeamBlog.com: Colorado: Denver: Stapleton

Stapleton Inventory: Seriously 29 homes for sale in all of Stapleton?

Short and sweet. Stapleton statistics:

Homes on the market not by builders: 29

Homes under contract: 56

Homes closed in last 30 days: 22

That is about a month of absorption, 2/3 of the homes on the Stapleton Inventory are under contract.

Please if you are thinking of selling, You need to get your house on the market with us NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Call StapletonHomeTeam for details of how you could get your home on the market quickly.

There have literally been homes sold before they are the market for more than asking. 

Damon and Katie Knop

StapletonHomeTeam.com

Central Park Bridge. Stapleton Bike Access to Northfield. How and When?

It is that time of year. One of the strengths of this community is it's amazing outdoor recreational and exercise capabililties. With over 25 miles of bike and jogging paths within Stapleton springtime gets everybody out and about and becomes a true transportation source for residents. Construction is always on going as Stapleton develops and it's often hard to know how those construction issues can affect the Stapleton bike system and what you can and can't access.

This winter the overpass and Central Park Boulevard exit opened from 40th to Northfield, it is a great bridge with great bike and pedestrian access. This happened because the community worked with various entities to make this happen. Last week the connection from 40th to 35th opened to connect the North part of Stapleton to the South. It is a partial bridge that is still being worked on but is open for traffic. When driving it the other day, the continued construction had me wondering what kind of bike access and detours it would take to work around it.

So today as the weather broke, I decided to get my bike out and check it out. I wanted to let everyone know so that family outings or bike routes can be accommodated to still enjoy biking in and around Stapleton safely.

Here is the latest. With all of the hype of the bridge opening up Stapleton South to Northfield. I think a lot of people would or have tried to go to CPB and 37th where the bridge begins and try to get across that way. From there the Central Park bridge is not open for pedestrians or biking. And you have paths that are being formed but aren't complete like the one you see here. It is definitely in the plans but seems to be a ways off. Don't fret though, you can still go a couple of different ways to get to the Northside. This will depend on your bike, the biker and your ability and patience.

From 37th and CPB go East on 37th to Xanthia, this will round out to the North as a dead end for cars but has bike access to Smith Road. This is where you will cross Sand Creek to the East and then turn around under the railroad tracks. This area is concrete but dated and is a little slick with loose gravel. You will then approach a great new connection that is new. The Sand Creek Greenway access gives you a couple of different options.

To the right it is a mostly finished and newly concreted path that gets you to the Central Park Boulevard overpass where the nice bike path is created but still a bit under construction. This way is definitely best for road bikes and with a little patience can work around some construction. It might make you jump a curb or switch sides of the road. This also ends you up on some busier roads and on the North side is pretty desolate and separated from Northfield. So it doesn't end up a great solution for younger kids. This route is shorter, about 1.75 miles from 37th to the Harkens Movie Theatre.

The other option is to go left at the Sand Creek Greenway connection. This will be the same access as it has been with a packed gravel path and access that goes under Interstate 270 and 70. This is great with riders, including kids that have dirt bikes, hybrids or mountain bikes. It's also still a better jogging option because it is much more scenic along the creek and no traffic to deal with. That path ends up on the Quebec bridge which is also pedestrian and bike friendly. A couple of big lights to cross but still safe especially with the little ones. Once on the North side this is definitely a better option because you are right at the mall on a designated bike path that is built around some drainage ponds and is a nice park like field behind Target. This route is longer, about 2.5 miles to the theatre.

There are other ways of accessing the Sand Creek Greenway from Stapleton to get you to the point in which our little detour took us from the construction. Havana next to the Bluff Lake Nature Preserve. From the Eastbridge neighborhood, go to the far NorthEast part of at Havana and 35th go North and cross the bridge over the creek then you have a nice bike along the path, by the Urban Farm and past the confluence of Westerly Creek and Sand Creek. From Central Park North the bridge is now open over the creek. Go along Beeler along the West side of Westerly Creek to the North until you see the bridge. Both of these methods are on packed gravel paths so for road bikes it's very tough. 

I will update through the summer as there is constant changing going on and you don't want to get trapped on your family outing to go see a movie.

As always if you need help getting a piece of the Stapleton lifestyle, give the StapletonHomeTeam a call. 

2936 Havana. Affordable Town Home, walk to CU Med Center!

Stapleton East or Stapleton West Open Houses? The StapletonHomeTeam has you covered.

2713 Roslyn: Stapleton Affordable condo living at it's best.

Roslyn Court at Stapleton was created in the vision of Denver's historical neighborhoods and home styles. One look at the exterior of this condo and you will see what these intentions. Inside however this home has all of the modern conveniences. Built Green new in 2003, this home has energy efficient components including an awesome hybrid hot water heat system that uses the hot water heaters heat to heat the home. Very efficient and it helps keep this Stapleton home affordable for the long run.

If you have been searching for a condominium. This condo also has many aspects that you don't normally see in a condo. Washer and dryer in the unit is great and super functional. It comes with a garage which obviously gives great ease in Colorado winters not scraping your car but also a lot of great storage. Inside the condo has a lot of storage as well including a walk-in closet in the master. Another rarity is the front and back door, front and back covered porch and a little fenced yard that can work for a pet or a little garden. None of this is often seen in an affordable condo.

There is a good sized bedroom for a master and a second bedroom that can be a great office or guest room. A very large bath that has great counter space and storage. The floor plan is very open in the living, dining room and kitchen areas. Making for a good entertaining area.

This Affordable condo is located from the following Stapleton amenities:

1/2 block to 2nd largest park in Stapleton

4 blocks to closest of 4 Stapleton pools

4 blocks to dog park

1/2 block to grocery store

1 block to town center

3/4 of a mile to park and ride bus and future light rail

within 1/2 mile of 4 different bus stops

1 mile from new rec center

2 blocks from new library open this year

Within a mile of 4 Stapleton schools.

This condominium is part of the Denver Affordable Housing program. The income limits and program details can be found at the Yes You Can Affordable Connection Team website at YesYouCanACT.com. 

Take a peek at the virtual tour of 2713 Roslyn and then as soon as you can please call Damon Knop to set up a private showing to talk about how to make this Stapleton affordable condo yours.

Damon Knop

YesYouCanACT.com

Incredibly Low Stapleton Home Resale Inventory!

If you have been thinking about selling your Stapleton home and taking advantage of some of the great deals out there in the market place both in new and resale homes. Your time has come. Stapleton homes have seemed to have almost hit an almost critical mass. Buyers are out there and over the last couple of months we have gone from our normal range of 50-75 homes for sale in Stapleton, to 33 homes on the market(from $250 and up).

If you would like to take advantage of this "mini seller's market" and get an idea of what your home is worth, give the Stapleton Home Team a call today.

Stapleton Neighborhood: Citizen's Advisory Board of Stapleton, Definition and Update.

Every month the Stapleton Citizen's Advisory Board(CAB) meet's to discuss the build out of the Stapleton Community. This is an all inclusive committee that has representatives of several smaller committees and stake holders that are active in and around Stapleton. This board reports to the Stapleton Development Corporation(SDC). I break down the hierarchy in a blog called Alphabet Soup, but thought I should give an update from this morning's meeting.

CAB's subcommittees include: Parks Advisory Group(PAG), Zoning and Planning(ZAP), Design review, Housing diversity(Which has been my driving force to be an active member of CAB and SUN), Workforce and business opportunity, Transportation and Membership.

Stakeholders and partners include: Forest City, City of Denver, City of Aurora, Stapleton Foundation, Stapleton United Neighbors(SUN), Master Community Association(MCA) Bluff Lake, Sand Creek, Urban Farm, Johnson and Wales and the Denver Police Department and Academy.

I write about this mornings meeting because it was symbolic. First of all it has a new chair David Netz who as part of running his first meeting gave a report of some of what he will take to next weeks SDC meeting as part of our annual reporting to SDC. In this report it mostly talked about several of the obstacles moving forward. Which if anyone wants to call me on I would love to fill anyone in on. 

More importantly and probably understated a bit in our weekly, monthly and annual obligations and meetings, is that this year and really this month is our 10 year anniversary of development here in Stapleton. A benchmark that has seen many accomplishments, a few struggles and at the end of the day, a great Stapleton Community.

Are there things that we want improved upon? Yes! Will we continue to monitor and fight hard for what our neighborhood becomes? Yes! Were we affected by the economic downturn? Yes, but not as bad as so many developments in the country.

But this year in Stapleton as well as the Denver Real estate market as a whole, and I believe nationwide. 2012 represents a great turning of the page looking forward to greener pastures and real sustainable success. The CAB meeting didn't really get that deep into this transition but being 10 years into a 20 year project is a great time to reflect, learn from what can be done better and focus on making the next 10 years in the Stapleton Development completing the vision laid out in the Greenbook(the Stapleton Development Plan) almost 20 years ago. 

I live in Stapleton. I love the community it has become. I love how active the citizens of Stapleton are to affect such change as it moves forward. Living in Stapleton gives you a very unique opportunity to have an impact on not only how it runs, but how it is created. Similar to the pictures above. The dream of what the 29th Avenue Town Center would look like and what it became. The Citizen's Advisory Board gives us that opportunity and I want to thank it's members for their hard work. It really shows how much people care, and it shows in tangible things that make the Stapleton Community a better place to live for my family and I.

If you are interested in moving to the most interactive neighborhood in Denver give the Stapleton Home Team a call. I can show you around, explain what all has happened, what is yet to happen and give you any other information you need to know about the Stapleton community.

StapletonHomeTeam.com

What do you do to get into a REAL E"state of mind" A Stapleton Golf cart ride anyone?

I admit it, I have my moments where it is just tough to get things going and more importantly getting myself going. The lull during and after the holidays, is usually one of those times. Even though I spend a lot of time thinking about yearly goals, business plans and marketing. Sitting down and implementing can be a bit of a struggle. 

Yesterday and today, I stared at the house trying to motivate. Between Christmas decorations and unpacking from our trip, the home office was not feeling like the place to start the working year. I also was blessed with some great Denver winter weather which didn't help me with my itch to get out of the house. I realized that what might be not only refreshing and fun, but it also help me get back into a real estate, state of mind. I jumped in the golf cart for a Stapleton golf cart ride and literally went block to block driving by every home, over half of the neighborhood.

It was just what I needed. My neighborhood is where we live and do a lot of our work, and I am also very involved in the build out of our community. I am part of several committees and boards whose job it is is to track the developers progress. There had been a lot worth noting on my Stapelton golf cart ride. The Stapleton neighborhood is also a great microcosm of the Denver real estate market. With pricing from $100,000 to over a million there are several mini markets within Stapleton. I drive within our community all of the time and do my best to do things like drive different directions to places and bike and walk around but doing this way, going block by block really helped me get a good and different feel for how things are going. A quick MLS search and then a physical check on inventory can really help you fully understand what is happening in your market.

On my Stapleton golf cart ride I learned a lot of interesting things some work some not. 

NOT WORK

1) Most people have not taken advantage of this nice weather and taken down there Christmas lights.

2) There are more "out loud" Pittsburgh Steeler fans than Denver Bronco fans which is sad since that is our opponent in this weekends playoffs.

WORK

3) There are very few rentals available in Stapleton, I saw 2 signs out of over 1500 houses.

4) Inventory is way down, I knew this but it was very noticeable on the Golf cart ride.

5) Probably the most interesting thing was that there was so much construction going on. I am not talking about the new construction, but people in their current homes doing work to improve their home. Almost a construction dumpster per block. Finishing basements, landscaping projects, upgrading counters. I was amazed. But it makes sense.

I will write a separate blog for what that little bit of information means to me and to our neighborhood, but I think it's a good representation of the thoughts of a lot of homeowners these days.

Blogging of course is one of the other ways I get into the Real E"state of mind" so I am glad I did my Stapleton golf cart ride but also glad to get it down here to finalize my motivation. 

Haha, Now I am going to bed.

Stapleton Open Houses: Triple, double. 2 days of triple open houses from the StapletonHomeTeam.

Saturday and Sunday November 5th and 6th, the StapletonHomeTeam will be headquartered at a double Stapleton Open house. 2818 Syracuse #221, 7403 E 26th Ave and 2828 Syracuse #122 are both great Stapleton Affordable condominiums. Priced at $103,000, $110,000 and $125,000 these are amazing values.

Stapleton Affordable Town Home: A very rare opportunity. 10512 E 29th Drive

With only 10 total ever built by New Town Builders, the Elm floorplan is the most unique and rarest floorplan in Stapleton. It is a 1 bedroom loft floor plan that makes is a great price for a Stapleton Affordable Town home. It is the only 1 bedroom with a garage which is attached. It lives wide open with 25 foot ceilings in the living room and tons of South and East sun on the balcony that faces a courtyard. Priced at $110,000, 10512 E 29th Drive is a very good deal. It needs a bit of cleanup and refreshing but is just a bit of new paint and carpet away from being a brand new place for some very lucky buyer.

The 29th Drive Row Homes are situated in a great location in Stapleton. It is a 3 minute drive an 8 minute bike ride or a 25 minute walk to the Anschutz Medical Center at Fitzsimmons. If you are a student at the CU Med Center this place is for you. It is also at the center of a lot of Stapleton's progress that will take place over the next couple of years. With 300 new homes planned in the next couple of years, a town center soon to follow across the street and street grid connections that will make commuting super easy. It also is 3 blocks to the new Stapleton Rec center, 1 block from a pool and adjacent to great wildlife at Bluff Lake Wildlife Preserve.

This Stapleton Affordable town home is also part of the Denver Affordable housing program. This program is designed to provide below market value homes for buyers that make less than 80% of the area median income. The current levels of income are based on household size and are as follows.

Income Guidelines for the City of Denver affordable program

Household size           Maximum income

1                   $43,800

2                   $50,500

3                   $56,300

4                   $62,550

The Stapleton Affordable housing program is designed for owner occupants and when you go to sell you will pass the same savings on to the next buyer with the same income restrictions. The way this works is a 3.5% appreciation cap per year. Think of it as paying it forward.

Please call Damon Knop for more details about Stapleton and the affordable program as he has sold almost all of the 200 affordable homes in Stapleton. Also feel free to go to the Yes You Can Affordable Connection Team website for more in depth information and other affordable listings.

Damon Knop

303-332-8754

Distinctive Properties

YesYouCanACT.com