Last year for the 4th, we were actually not in town at all, but rather on vacation.  So I am pretty glad to stay-put this year and be home for the celebrations.  The kids are too.  I think our plans will be to hang out at home during the day and then head over to the celebration in Highlands Ranch at Town Center in the evening.  There is a ton to do there, and the kids love to just run around and see their friends as these types of events.  Laura is thinking that on the 3rd we may head to downtown Denver and try to get a seat on an outdoor patio or maybe even a rooftop one near Coors Field to see the fireworks there as well after the game.  

So those are our temporary plans.  If you have recently moved to Denver - you are in for a treat as Denver has MANY 4th of July Fireworks celebrations.  And I know that there are folks in town for the weekend that are planning to move to Denver, as I am working with 2 families that fit this bill - you will have a great time here this weekend as well.  Here are just some of the events that I think are top-notch.  All are on July 4th, unless I have noted.

Aurora - Light Up the Night - Celebration begins at 6:30 with Aurora Symphony Orchestra - Fireworks at 9:30pm

Castle Rock - Rockin' The Fourth - begins at 5pm - Fireworks at 9:15

Englewood/Littleton/South Suburban - Festival in Belleview Park beginning at 3pm - Fireworks at 9:30pm

Highlands Ranch - Independence Day Celebration - All Day - Civic Green Park & Town Center - Fireworks at 9:15pm - can be seen from various points throughout Hihglands Ranch if you can't get to Civic Green Park - try ThunderRidge HS Parking Lot or east side of Redstone Park.

Denver - City Park - note July 3 - Colorado Symphony Orchestra at 7:00 pm

Denver - Coors Field - July 3 & July 4 - after the Rockies Game -always a great show - can be seen from all over the Denver Metro Area

Denver - Invesco Field - After Denver Outlaws Lacrosse Game - can be viewed from throughout the Metro Area

Parker - Let Freedom Sing Celebration - Parker Town Hall - Celebration at 6:00pm - Fireworks at 8:45 pm

Morrison - Bandimere Speedway - 9:15 pm - I have watched this fireworks show many times from my sister's home in Lakewood.  Its a great one.

Lone Tree - Independence Day Celebration - All Day Celebration for Lone Tree residents and Fireworks in Sweetwater Park at 9:20 pm.  You must have a resident wristband for Sweetwater Park.  Fireworks can be seen throughout the area. 

Happy Independence Day!   Enjoy the week, be safe & have fun!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a short clinic with my son.  He plays ice hockey. 

He started playing roller hockey at about 6 and then at 8 switched to ice. 

Laura, my wife was always a little nervous about that day. 

That day he advanced to checking.

I have to admit, I was a bit as well but not for the same reasons. 

He has always been the type of kid that has shied away from the most physical sports and hockey, although seen as very physical sport - it is not so much at an early age.  I really wasn't sure what was going to happen when he had to learn to check.  He is an excellent stick handler and when the boy gets the puck, watch out.  But he really hasn't been one to get in there & get aggressive.  I have always wondered if he would play once he advanced from the "squirt" league to the "pee-wee" age and needed to learn to check. 

So Laura has always said, well at least it will be a long while until we have to worry about that.

A long while came to fruition yesterday as he attended that first checking clinic.  He actually did just fine and said it was the most fun hockey class he had ever taken.  Shocker.

Laura was sad.  Not just because of the idea of him potentially getting hit, but she and I both realized without even having to say it, that time has passed.  What was once a long time in coming, is here.

At 11, the clock is ticking.  We are enjoying every moment.  We cringe at every smart aleck comeback he has when pushing our buttons (but I secretly chuckle at how funny & clever some of them are).  We revel in the intelligent conversations he has with us about Greek mythology, philosophers and the deep intricacies of science he is now interested in.   We laugh hysterically at the amusing jokes he is coming up with.  We smile to see that he is excited to start middle school.  But the clock is ticking. 

Is it possible to be happy and sad at the same time?

I have some clients that are relocating to the Denver area.  They are very familiar with the area as they have lived here before.  I am very familiar with their needs & wants & what they like as I have worked with them before. 

At this point, they had flown into town on 2 separate occasions but had not yet found "the" house.  With their current home on the east coast Under Contract they didn't really plan to fly out here again until they move but most likely will buy something sight unseen.  With my very good understanding of what they are looking for, I knew this was do-able. 

2 very good possibilities have come about and I went ahead and brought my video camera with me to preview the homes.  The first time I brought my regular camera that does video clips.  That didn't work as well as I would have liked  - some of the clips didn't come out but I still had enough for what I needed plus I took some still shots too.  The second time I brought my not very much used yet Flip video camera with me.  I think prior to this my kids have used it more than I to film the puppy running around the house & yard. 

In both cases I kept my clips to under 90 seconds came home and got them on Flickr fast.  The reason I kept all of the clips under 90 seconds is so that I could just upload them individually without having to edit anything and cut it up into 90 second frames.  The Flip software let me compress them quickly to get them on Flickr. 

I was actually almost surprised at how easy it was and had I known I probably would have done it sooner.  And sure they are not professional stellar quality videos but it was exactly what the buyers needed to make a decision one way or another.  They had very specific questions about some of the features of the home that the available photos just didn't satisfy their curiosity.  I just created a Set in my Flickr account to load them too and emailed them the URL.  It was that easy. 

In both cases, these were brand new listing of homes that had just gone on the market that day.  Photos available were very limited.  I had my clients 2,000+ miles away watching videos within 4 hours of the listing becoming active. 

Homes in their range & location & desired features are still going fast - when things become available, we need to act rather quickly.  These 2 tools helped alleviated some of the stress that my buyers had of making quick decisions sight unseen.  Because now the sights were pretty much seen.

I know there are about a zillion other ways I can let people view the video - but this was easy for me and for my clients and it was fast.  I am sure I will look at other options too but in the meantime, this works.

Video on Flickr now has its place as part of my ever growing range of tools for full service.  And for the record, videoing a listing for a Denver relocation client is not what is new - but gone are the days of the big clunky camcorder and overnighting a CD.  Small & quick are where it is at.

By the way, if you are relocating to Denver, there are a bunch of photos on that Flickr account of the area to check out.

I often ride my bike on the canal trail and we take family trips on the trail as well. And from time to time I visit the trail from starting points other than my norm.    Last Sunday, Father's Day, was one of those times and we took the camera along as well. 

We rode from the trail entry at The Highlands Ranch Golf Club to Writer's Vista Park - not an extraordinary long trip by any means, but this was a bit of a leisurely ride on a hot afternoon.  We stopped to enjoy the view, look at flowers, rabbits, and even bugs (hey - that's kids for you.) and there was even some tree climbing involved.  And of course there was plenty of water breaks as well.

The High Line Canal runs from Waterton Canyon through areas of Littleton, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village and into Denver, Aurora and up north into Commerce City.

There are many neighborhoods and homes along the canal trail throughout the Denver area - and many other trails as well.

If you would like to live along the High Line Canal, you can start searching right now.

You can view the piece in its entirety here.  There is a further follow up piece online as well with the Mayor here. 

For quite some time I have known many folks that have used light rail to commute into downtown Denver, for many - reasons varied from saving fuel, to saving parking costs, to staying out of traffic.  I also have known one person that made it a point to let others know, it just increased his "me" time, he was able to read uninterrupted twice a day for 20 minutes each way.  That actually sounds nice.  And now that light rail has expanded and will expand more, - many more Denver metro residents are provided the opportunity to use the light rail for their own commute and it is as popular as ever. 

Personally over the last 2 years I have seen more and more relocation clients express an interest in knowing about commuting options and wanting to learn about Denver's Light Rail system.  They see the new areas that are popping up along the light rail lines, such as Landmark in the DTC area - and the interest has been great in making commutes as easy as possible.

If you are planning a move to the Denver area, ask you REALTOR® about Denver Light Rail and what neighborhoods give you the opportunity to be close to a light rail station.  It is definitely something to consider.

Steve Scheer, RE/MAX Masters, Inc.
Denver Real Estate