Ruthie's Corner

While some people who are selling their home think a small kitchen is a negative, there are several ways that you can make it stand out and appeal to potential buyers: Light it up. Darkness can often make smaller rooms feel even more cramped. To open the room up to more light, consider removing all curtains from windows and instead install recessed blinds. You still get the privacy factor, while also allowing your kitchen to have a brighter feel. Keep the counters tidy. Many people have things strewn about their kitchen counters and cabinets. Think about keeping your counter tops clear of all items, including photos, papers and even appliances, to make it seem like the room is larger than it truly is. Brighten the walls. Sellers should consider making the tone of the wall color in the kitchen brighter. Lighter colors tend to open up a room. They are also much more inviting, enticing potential buyers. Mounted appliances. Sellers may want to consider mounti...

Trying to sell a home can often be difficult. Everyone likes something different. The question then becomes, how do you present your home so that a wide variety of potential buyers become interested? Enter the practice of staging a home. This is when you furnish your home to show off its most attractive qualities and properties, making it more appealing to buyers.       Taking the art of staging a step further is the practice of virtual staging. With no actual furniture involved, this is a digital rendering of what a potential home would look like when furnished. Here are some of the benefits and drawbacks with virtual staging: Pros:       If your home is empty, it’s easier to showcase its best features      Considerably cheaper than traditional staging      Grabs the attention of buyers who primarily view properties online      Allows the variation of styling in regard t...

óóó Featured Listings óóó For Recorded or Text Information - 24 Hours Call or Text 1-719-293-7937 Enter or Text the Four Digit Extension Number for Photos, Full Details & Current Pricing              Ruthie Grainger-Starr Grainger Realty LLC 150 Bennett Ave Cripple Creek, CO 80813 719-648-2288 (Due to changing market conditions our hotline pricing is more accurate than online sources with real time updates available 24 hrs.)

The median list price in December 2018 for single family homes in the CC-V District is $630,000. The list prices increased by 144% from the previous month.  The price per square foot for listings in this area is $216.  The median sales price in December for single family homes in the CC-V District is $215,750. The Sales prices increased by 44% from the previous month. The Average Days on Market in this area is 54. The median list price in December 2018 for land  in the CC-V District is $83,700. The list prices increased by 288% from the previous month.  The price per square foot for listings in this area is $1.  The median sales price in December for land in the CC-V District is $14,900. The Sales prices increased by 14% from the previous month. The Average Days on Market in this area is 149. Happy New Year!!! May you have a blessed 2019!!!

The median list price in November 2018 for single family homes in the CC-V District is $257,350. The list prices increased by 7.2% from the previous month.   The price per square foot for listings in this area is $263.  The median sales price in November for single family homes in the CC-V District is $150,000. The sales prices decreased by 21% from the previous month. The Average Days on Market in this area is 63. The median list price in November 2018 for land in the CC-V District is $21,500 . The list prices increased by 57% from the previous month.   The price per square foot for listings in this area is $1.    The median sales price in November for land in the CC-V District is $13,000. The list prices decreased by 80% from the previous month. The Average Days on Market in this area is 233.

Christmas Cheer What’s more Christmasy than songs. If you’re like me, an old Christmas song brings back sooo many memories…. some make me cry, others get me totally in the holiday spirit and others I just can’t help but sing along to. So here are the top 10 all-time favorite Christmas songs according to a recent poll done by Ranker Community. Which is YOUR fav? 1) White Christmas 2) Silent Night 3) Santa Claus is Coming to Town 4) Winter Wonderland 5) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 6) O Holy Night 7) Joy to the World 8) Little Drummer Boy 9) Jingle Bell Rock  10) Frosty the Snowman May you be filled with Christmas cheer all season-long!

Snow Day Fun With winter upon us, thinking about snow day fun seems a natural thought. Here are a few ideas for you & your kids to do on your next ‘snow day’! Boy/Girl Magic! Have boys? Set up a WII competition Girls? Why not bake up something yummy & eat picnic style in the family room! Fort anyone?   Get everyone involved and make furniture cushion forts like you did when you were little. Grab blankets, throws and pillows too… & watch the fun happen Game it! Stuff socks into balls and set up baskets or paper bags on your living room floor. Whoever gets the most socks in wins. Treasure Hunt Time. Hide things throughout your home, then post clues for your kids to find them. These are just few ideas you can try on your next ‘snow day’. Tell us what you like to do on a snow day. I’d love to hear your ideas!

Winter Dates Winter Dates (for you ….. & the kids too, if you’d like) It’s easy to come up with things to do during the warmer months, isn’t it? Or is it just me? I feel like the colder months make things harder… lol. Anyway, I wanted to take a moment to offer up some suggestions of fun things you can do with your partner, friend or even as a family! Check them out below: Ice skating Victor has an amazing Ice Rink at Bryan's Park!  Fire up a bonfire & toast marshmallows  Go sledding Build a snowman Go for a drive looking at Christmas lights  Check out the local events & go do something you haven’t yet done before See! Coming up with fun winter dates isn’t so bad. Just use some imagination and don’t overthink it. Many of the above ideas can easily be adapted to family activities as well. During this busy season, we need to remember to stop and enjoy… so I hope these winter date ideas inspires you to set some time aside and do something t...

Fun Family Pumpkin Memories Family is very important to me. It’s one of the reasons I became a real estate agent. Thinking of the impact I have on family’s lives either helping them get their dream home OR getting their home sold so they can move on is astounding and a privilege I take very seriously. Nothing says family quite like the fall season, wouldn’t you agree? There’s something about a pumpkin & hayride that brings out the kid in all of us. Perhaps due to the memories we had as children seeing unique candle-lit pumpkins on porches as you drive by, thoughts of halloweens past & the recollection of the fun (& messy times) using our creativity designing the face of our pumpkin. We certainly all know the conventional method for carving a pumpkin with a sharp serated knife, then a scooper to empty the pumpkin of its “insides”, then dropping in a candle. How exciting to see your pumpkin emit light, right?! But did you know there’s another way to ‘carve’ a pumpkin...

 Old-Fashioned Potato Soup I don’t know about you, but I look forward to enjoying delicious homemade soup every fall! And when I think of one of my all-time favorite soups from my childhood, it’s definitely my Mom’s old fashioned potato soup! So I thought I’d share the goodness with you. And if you’re like many these days that try to stay away from carbs/potatoes, you can replace the potatoes with cauliflower… mmmmm, it’s absolutely delicious!! Happy Souping  Ingredients: 1/4 cup butter 1 large chopped onion 8 diced & peeled potatoes 4 carrots, chopped 4 cups of water 2T chicken bouillon powder 3T flour 4 cups milk  Parsley & pepper to taste Preparation: 20 minutes Directions: Place potatoes, carrots, water & chicken bouillon powder in pot and bring to a boil. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 7-9 minutes. Season to taste with pepper & parsley. Melt butter in saucepan in separate pot and stir in the onion and cook for about 4-5 minutes...

FUN Fall Family Ideas After a busy, enjoyable summer, isn’t it nice to be back in routine with kids back to school, the sun setting earlier (making kids bedtime easier), etc? It sure is. And that doesn’t mean the fun times have to end– no way! Here’s a list of family fun things you can plan this month. 1) Decorate. – Wreath for the front door – Inside for fall – The porch with pumpkins and other fall decor 2) Bake. – Pumpkin pie – Pumpkin bread – Homemade apple cider 3) Enjoy the Outdoors. -Make raking the leaves a family event. -Go to the local pumpkin patch & hop on a hayride. -Grab the ingredients for s'mores. Prepare indoors, then go outside after dinner to roast & enjoy.  -Plan a walk in the woods to see what you can see & end this special time with hot chocolate when you get back home. What fun Fall family things does YOUR family do? Do tell, I can’t wait to hear your ideas! Ruth Grainger-Starr Realtor® Grainger Realty LLC  Office:7...

Fall Family FUN! With fall upon us, I wanted to share some fun family ideas you can start planning now. I’d love to hear what you’re going to be doing!  Here are 4 quick ideas to help you plan your fall family FUN! Decorate inside & out. When I was a kid, I always looked forward to helping Mom decorate for holidays. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas… it was always fun pulling out the treasures and helping Mom put them out. Start a tradition in your home. Family FUN day. Choose a day each month that is designated Family FUN day and plan several hours out of the home bonding together. It could be going to the local pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins, taste apple cider, and a hayride or visiting an outdoor park and having a picnic or going to an amusement park before it gets too cold. Or why not have a fun family game of touch football? Think about what your family enjoys, plan it & do it! Toast marshmallows. Who doesn’t like a toasted marshmallow? Head out back on...

September Homeowner Checklist: 5 To Dos It’s that time again… time to prep your home for the cooler weather that’s on its way.  Get these completed so that you can take a much- needed break by taking a nap on the couch or curling up with a good book.  Change décor & bedding.   It will soon be chilly and that means the lighter sheets currently on your bed, need to be changed out with layers of warm comfort like maybe wool or fake fur.  Also, with the change in season, comes Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas so now is the time to swap out summer pillows and décor for the cozy cooler weather décor and accessories, such as a cozy throw and thicker window curtain panels, etc. Check smoke detectors & carbon monoxide detectors.   & replace batteries.  Also, now is the best time to check the expiration date on your fire extinguisher too.  Lastly, did you know that if your smoke detectors are yellow, it means they need t...

3 Sure Fire Ways to Lose When Buying Your Next Home! Thinking about making a move?  GREAT! What an exciting time for you. Before you begin your homebuying journey, be sure to avoid these 3 sure fire ways homebuyers lose – big time – when buying a new home. You may ask:  “lose”? How can I lose? Great question. Too many buyers rush into the homebuying process before they’re ready.  And doing so not only wastes their time but, in some instances, it costs them thousands of dollars. Keep reading to learn what these top 3 mistakes are . . . so you make sure to avoid them!   Not getting prequalified BEFORE beginning your search Many buyers make this mistake, thinking they know what they can afford. What you may not consider, however, are other costs associated with home ownership – or a host of other issues that bear on the issue of your credit. I’ve worked with some buyers who were pleasantly surprised that they could actually qualify for MORE than...