Hurry in for Curry
March 29th, 2008 categories: Restaurant Reviews
We went to India two years ago!! Double exclamation points because it was such a fantabulous trip. I was invited to teach a real estate class to the Indian property brokers in Mumbai, and while we were there we traveled throughout the country, and were fortunate to tour new construction high-rise condominiums ($2,000 per square foot on average - core and shell). We were treated like kings by our hosts and made lifetime friends. We arrived in India with a liking for Indian cuisine, but left with a craving for it.
If you’re in Denver, and not in India, you can still eat wonderful Indian cuisine at Royal India on 1550 South Colorado Boulevard. The restaurant isn’t over-the-top in Indian decor, and actually is a bit more like American strip-mall. Don’t let that put you off - the cuisine is authentic.
The very friendly owners catered a major birthday party for me a few years ago (ahem), and ever since then we frequent Royal India several times a month. My favorite dishes are Chicken Tikka Masala. The Vegetarian Samosas are excellent, a bit heavy with the mashed potatoes, but terrific winter comfort food.
My husband likes the Chicken Madras, and last week we branched out with Paneer Vindaloo. Other noteworthy dishes are the Saag and the Dal Makhni.
Enjoy a cup of hot Chai after your meal and then plan on rolling home very full and happy.
If you are interested in other International cuisine in Denver, you should try L’Asie Fusion Bistro.
| Discussion: 2 Comments »
Storybook Hilltop Charm
March 23rd, 2008 categories: LifeStyle Listings, Real Estate News
May 2008 - RENTED
This charming home is perfect for entertaining and is in one of Denver’s lovely neighborhoods, Hilltop. Located just two blocks from Robinson Park and one block from The Denver Tennis Club, with parks throughout the area.
The house was built in 1940, but was remodeled 5 years ago, and again two years ago. The owners have redesigned the basement adding a beautiful and private guest suite, family TV room and playroom/office. There are 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and 3526 total finished square feet.
Special Features
- Lots of natural light, indigenous landscaping a new sprinkler system for the professionally maintained lawn
- A large new deck off family room
- A gate across the driveway securing the back yard for children and pets
- Newly refinished hardwoods throughout the main floor
- Granite counter tops and new appliances in the kitchen
- Master suite with a walk-in closet, balcony, and five-piece bath including a jetted tub
- Designer touches throughout - stone and slate bathrooms, recessed and halogen lighting, plantation shutters, designer paint colors throughout
The house is offered for $849,000 and is available for immediate possession.
Here’s the full-blown web site.
| Discussion: No Comments »
Elegant Living at its Finest
March 19th, 2008 categories: LifeStyle Listings, Real Estate News
Created with the vision of a new Colorado residence situated in the classic Park Hill neighborhood, this home radiates comfort and warmth. The adaptation of classic Tudor for modern living is brilliantly conceived. The home was just completed in 2007, but feels as if it’s been there since the 1930’s.
You’ll enjoy the top-of-the-line finishes and fixtures throughout, and marvel at the ambiance created by the well defined living spaces. The grand entry offers views of the formal living and dining rooms, while creating an immediate feeling of style and grace.
True Urban Luxury
Most amazing is the family room and kitchen areas, so fabulously conceived to envelop the homeowners into a cocoon of privacy and luxury. Each room is tied together by stunning milled woodwork with an eye toward detail. The large rooms offer plenty of space for everyone to spread out. A fully outfitted Butler’s Pantry connects the kitchen and formal dining room.
The quiet and private main-floor master suite is the spot for a relaxing get-away. The grand master bath has graceful living in mind and the giant walk-in closet is fit for a clothes horse. Upstairs are three large bedrooms, each with a private bath and ample closets.
The fully finished basement has both a family room with gas log fireplace and a prewired media room designed for movie screenings or sporting events. The enormous wet bar with wine refrigerator has more space and amenities than many kitchens do. A fifth and sixth bedroom, each with an attached bath are further examples of just how much thought and foresight went into the design of this house.
On the market for $1,749,000 ~ Listor must be present for all showings. Pre-qualified buyers only please.
Call 303-331-1400 for more information or visit www.gretchensdenver.com.
| Discussion: No Comments »
Who Else Wants to Ditch Cell Phone Purgatory?
March 17th, 2008 categories: Real Estate News
Landfills. We love to fill them up with our old junk. Now we have landfills in our houses too. Are you guilty? How many old phones do you have in your desk drawer? If your drawer is like mine, you can’t fit anything new until you purge something old - and I’m not even getting into how I purge the shoe closet…
Could you use a new iPhone?
The recent New York Times article entitled “The Afterlife of Cellphones” by Jon Mooallem, tells you how to recycle your old phones. Between my husband and me, we have at least 3-4 old phones to send in, and now we have two teenagers who think they have to have all of the latest junk accessible to humankind. If you worry about landfills and drawerfills, then look into these terrific resources for getting those old phones and batteries out of your drawer and into the hands of people who really need them. Now you’ll have space for your new iPhone!
New life for old phones
Discarded phones may seem antiquated or out of fashion to our tastes, but in other parts of the world, they’re useful. Many people have no access to regular “land lines” because their country doesn’t have the infrastructure to support phone lines and wires. Cell phones are the only way these people can access a phone. Can’t you just see Obama’s cousins in Kenya carrying your old glitter phone?
Let’s do our part to help others
Here are three links to companies that can help you recycle - just in time for Christmas! (oh wait, what day is it?) www.collectivegood.com, www.greenphone.com, www.recellular.com.
Helping soldiers
If you’d like to help out our soldiers, a wonderful resource is www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com. Those guys are stuck in some hot desert wanting to call their mom on mother’s day. They need your help!
Gather up your bricks, your flips, your dark fruit ~ It’s time to empty out your drawers and avoid purgatory!
| Discussion: 5 Comments »
Garfield Residences
March 16th, 2008 categories: LifeStyle Listings, Real Estate News
Urban Luxury Living at its Finest
You can live the life of extravagance and luxury when you live at Garfield Residences. A luxury town home development in the prime Denver neighborhood - Cherry Creek East. You’ll enjoy top-of-the-line finishes and fixtures, the finished basement, the high-end kitchen and baths, the roof-top deck and private patio area.
The floor plans are free-flowing and comfortable. Upon entering your residence, guests will be amazed at the dramatic open, curved staircase rising from the basement to the rooftop. Floor to ceiling French windows open to an elegant terrace from the living room. A rooftop deck with marvelous views adds another out-door living option.
Each home has four bedrooms, with a luxurious master suite. There are three and one-half baths which are all beautifully appointed. You even have the option of installing an elevator. Reservations are being taken now and the first two units reserved will offer purchasers the additional benefit of choosing fixtures and finishes.
Priced from $1,212,525 to $1,278,825.
Units range from 4214 to 4447 square feet.
Construction indefinitely delayed. Winter 2010.
| Discussion: No Comments »
Why Should You Skip Lunch?
March 14th, 2008 categories: Life In Denver, Restaurant Reviews
When You Can Eat in Denver?
I had lunch today with a friend and we decided to go to an old favorite restaurant, The Washington Park Grille. This neighborhood hang-out is in the heart of the Washington Park neighborhood in Denver. It’s on a lovely block of shops and restaurants called “Old South Gaylord Street.” The Wash Park Grill, as locals call it, has a menu for everyone.
At lunch you can choose from soups, salads and terrific sandwiches. The Smoked Turkey Panini is tdf (and loaded with calories.) Today I avoided the sandwich and had soup and a small green salad, which they make with almonds, dried cranberries and a terrific raspberry vinegar dressing.
On nice evenings, my husband and I walk over to Wash Park for a pleasant evening dinner. Their patio is open spring through fall and is decorated with pretty baskets of trailing flowers. Evenings are sublime with a nice glass of chardonnay and delicious Atlantic Salmon. We usually skip dessert, but there are great choices for the sweet tooth.
Tired of “mall junk?”
While the mall has an important place in American culture, the shops at Old South Gaylord are much more eclectic and fun. Across the street from the Washington Park Grille is a cute boutique called Pine Creek Clothing. It’s full of great choices for everyday and casual evening. They have a nice selection and it’s pretty middle-of-the-road fashion. Something for everyone.
Down the block from Pine Creek is Sarah. This fabulous shop was opened by Sarah Penewell and her partner Sarah Oro. They have an excellent fashion sense and this is my absolute favorite boutique in 
Denver. Their clothing and style is fashion forward, but still fits into Denver’s lifestyle. They have an eye for what works for each individual and they never push you into any purchase, they just make suggestions if you ask. Sarah is worth a visit, so save some time when you’re finished up at the Wash Park Grille.
As I strolled back to my car, I passed Dino’s Soda Bar and ran into a couple of friends having lunch with their children and their mothers. Dino’s is an old-fashioned ice-cream and soda bar with burgers and fries as the main staple. They decorate their shop into a haunted house for the Halloween Parade sponsored by the merchant’s association. My friends were enjoying the nice day and the kids looked like they were having a blast too. I considered heading back up the block to my Pilates Studio, Center Strength, to sign up for a class, but decided work was calling.
When visiting Denver, don’t skip Old South Gaylord street. You’re just a few blocks from Washington Park, with its two lakes and bike/running paths, so if you don’t want to shop after lunch you can walk off the calories at one of our premiere jewels of the city.
Are you going to be in Washington Park for breakfast instead of lunch or dinner? You should try Devil’s Food for their fantastic baked goods.
| Discussion: 8 Comments »
Why Do We Bother to Educate our Kids?
March 9th, 2008 categories: Life In Denver, Relocation Tips
School search while relocating?
My kids know everything, they don’t need to learn. They certainly know way more than I do - and they won’t hesitate to point that out on a daily basis. But some people seem to want to provide an education for their offspring. How many times have we Realtors heard, “where are the good schools?” It’s hard enough to find the perfect house, without having to worry about visiting every school. Rest assured, Denver has excellent school choices. Our metro area public and private schools offer programs designed for every type of child and style of learning.
How do you know which schools to focus on?
My boys have been attending Denver Public Schools since kindergarten - and, ugh, now they’re teenagers. I have one son who is gifted and another with an emotional disability. The Denver schools have been supportive of both of them, and the teachers work hard to give them what they need to learn. We ask questions and stay involved. It isn’t enough to look just at CSAP scores. Go visit the schools, interview the teachers, observe the classrooms. It is time consuming, especially if you’re focused on house-hunting.
Hunt Schools First
Many of the relocation buyers I’ve worked with have researched schools extensively before even coming for their first visit here. They conduct phone interviews and research online. This helps me narrow down neighborhoods for them. Here is a link to my web site with available school information, www.gretchensdenver.com.
Our experience with DPS goes to show you that children can receive an excellent education from many school situations and from different school districts - even a “city” district like ours. You should advocate for your child, no matter where she goes to school, and pay attention to what he needs. The schools care, the teachers care. I care too, and will help in any way I can with school information.
O.K., I have a confession. My “gifted” son has recently made me revisit the idea of what that label means. He was caught on video last month with a friend writing an inappropriate word on a cut-out of a banana (the top banana reader award). Age appropriate? Maybe. Gifted? Not so much.
| Discussion: No Comments »
Save Me From Clueless Brokers!
March 3rd, 2008 categories: Selling Strategies
This is an email I got the other day from a client:
“Hey, I found another one. Not sure what’s up with it. Perhaps you can shed some light to all the acronyms listed in its MLS summary. Obviously it needs work. However, for the price and location, it may be worth it - your experience will definitely help with the decision. It’s located at 123 Main Street. Can we add it to our list for Saturday? Let me know what you think.”
I was curious what she was talking about, so I went into MLS to see what the verbiage looked like. This is what I saw:
BYR 2 OBTN CIC DOCS @ BYRS EXPENSE.SOLD AS IS.BYR2 VRFY ALL INCL BUT NOT LTD 2 SF,HOA ,TAX,ZONNG ND PRKNG.SBMT W ALL OFFRS CPY OF E.M. CHK ND LNDR LTR OR VERIF OF FNDS. OUTDATED. FIX OR SCRAPE. CLOSE TO CHERRY CREEK. DESIRABLE LOCATION.
So I wrote my client the following back:
“Translation: Buyer to obtain the common interest community documents at buyer’s expense. Sold as is. Buyer to verify all inclusions but not limited to square footage, home owners assn, tax, zoning, and parking. Submit with all offers: Copy of earnest money check and lender letter or verification of funds. Etc. Etc.
They don’t make it easy on the average buyer…! It looks like a bank owned property or pre-foreclosure. I’ll bet it’s probably decimated inside (dcmtd insd).”
Lazy business practices rule
I’ve often said that the barriers to entry in real estate are too low. It’s easy to get your license, harder I guess, to be professional at your job. This description says lazy to me. It also says that the real estate agent doesn’t care that the general public is viewing the “public” remarks in the MLS. My client found this property on an internet site - obviously one of many sites that just pull down basic info from MLS’s. If the Realtor isn’t capable of entering the information in a savvy enough manner to properly position her listing, then I guess that may explain why this house has been on the market for nearly a year and has seen 6 price reductions.
You get what you pay for in a listing agent…
Why Should You Care?
All over cyber space are posts and comments lambasting real estate brokers. I’m often surprised by the negativity, sometimes enlightened by the observations and bemused that some people lump all Realtors together as bad actors. It’s like calling all lawyers scum-sucking bottom feeders. Oh yeah….
The thing is, that many consumers not only want the services of a great broker, they need them. In today’s busy world, managing an entire transaction is complicated and time-consuming for two-income families with kids, school, hobbies, etc. Why buyers and sellers need a Realtor is to seek advice and guidance, to help with decision-making and to see to it that the transaction goes smoothly. In the Luxury real estate market there are added complexities that make using Zillow a non-starter.
I guess there is a place for everyone’s opinion. The people out there who don’t choose to use a broker are making their personal choice. When you need the services of a broker to market and sell your property, then you should definitely ask them what marketing experience they have. Writing copy like the example above just doesn’t cut it. If you’re a buyer out there looking at internet sites and have a question about broker lingo, just send me an email and I’ll translate.
| Discussion: No Comments »
If You Don’t Like the Weather in Denver, Stay a Minute
March 2nd, 2008 categories: Life In Denver, Real Estate News, Relocation Tips
The weather changes here every 5 minutes. I’ve been in Denver for 26 years and I still can’t get used to it. We live and die by the weather report. We don’t discuss last night’s sitcom around the water cooler, we discuss the weather.
Yesterday it was 74 Degrees!
I snapped these photos yesterday while I was headed out to pick up a buyer who is relocating to Denver from Dallas. It was a stunningly beautiful day here, and we were excited to look at potential homes. As we drove throughout the south Metro Denver area, we marveled at the spectacular view of the Rockies. We laughed that the forecast was calling for snow today. I reminded her that the weather here can be pretty changeable.
Food for the Soul
When I got home in the evening, my husband and I decided to get a bite to eat at our favorite Indian restaurant, Royal India. I reveled in the fact that I was wearing my open toed shoes. I even bent over to admire my freshly painted red toenails. We enjoyed our Chicken Biryani and Paneer Vindaloo, and noticed that it seemed a little cooler as we were leaving.
Descent of the Blizzard
At 5 am I woke up to hear the rushing sound of heavy winds. I thought perhaps it was snowing, after all. Occasionally our newscasters actually get the weather right. I peeked out the window - no snow! Cozy back in my bed, I thought maybe we’d dodged the winter bullet (although March is typically the snowiest month here…) When I finally rolled out of bed this morning this is what I saw. A pile of snow, blowing winds, and freezing temperatures. Our high temperature today was over 40 degrees below our high yesterdays.
California Dreamin’
Those California friends and relatives of mine don’t get it. When I was growing up there, we didn’t look at the weather forecast for months at a time. It was always the same. One of my new California friends recently told me not to put the weather bug on this blog site. He said, “no one really cares about the weather.” I said, “that’s because you’re in San Diego you nut! In Denver we’re addicted to the weather, and anyone relocating here needs to know that!” We’re more addicted to the weather than we are to the Broncos.
So if you come here, and especially if you plan to relocate to Denver, stay a minute.
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
