Ribbon Cutting Ceremony!

Castle Rock Realty & Property Management, LLC had their Chamber of Commerce RIBBON CUTTING today!

Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce presented the company with a plaque and an actual ribbon to cut!

Many respected members of the business community were on hand to be a part of this ceremony. It was a wonderful day for Castle Rock Realty & Property Management, LLC!

Castle Rock Realty on TWITTER!

Castle Rock Realty & Property Management, LLC now has a TWITTER account. You can send us a message at: www.twitter.com/realestateinco

We would love to hear from you!

Home Staging and selling tips

Castle Rock Realty & Property Management, LLC
Home Staging Tips

Here's How:
1. Disassociate Yourself With Your Home.
· Say to yourself, "This is not my home; it is a house -- a product to be sold much like a box of cereal on the grocery store shelf.
· Make the mental decision to "let go" of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours.
· Picture yourself handing over the keys and envelopes containing appliance warranties to the new owners!
· Say goodbye to every room.
· Don't look backwards -- look toward the future.
2. De-Personalize.

Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can't see past personal artifacts, and you don't want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can't do that if yours are there! You don't want to make any buyer ask, "I wonder what kind of people live in this home?" You want buyers to say, "I can see myself living here."
3. De-Clutter!

People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven't used it in over a year, you probably don't need it.
· If you don't need it, why not donate it or throw it away?
· Remove all books from bookcases.
· Pack up those knickknacks.
· Clean off everything on kitchen counters.
· Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use.
· Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.
4. Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets.

Buyers love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well. This means:
· Alphabetize spice jars.
· Neatly stack dishes.
· Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way.
· Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.
· Line up shoes.

5. Rent a Storage Unit.

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room's purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don't want buyers scratching their heads and saying, "What is this room used for?"

6. Remove/Replace Favorite Items.

If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, she won't want it. Once you tell a buyer she can't have an item, she will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.
7. Make Minor Repairs.
· Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
· Patch holes in walls.
· Fix leaky faucets.
· Fix doors that don't close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
· Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls. (Don't give buyers any reason to remember your home as "the house with the orange bathroom.")
· Replace burned-out light bulbs.
· If you've considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!
8. Make the House Sparkle!
· Wash windows inside and out.
· Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.
· Clean out cobwebs.
· Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
· Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
· Clean out the refrigerator.
· Vacuum daily.
· Wax floors.
· Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
· Bleach dingy grout.
· Replace worn rugs.
· Hang up fresh towels.
· Bathroom towels look great fastened with ribbon and bows.
· Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no.
9. Scrutinize.
· Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you?
· Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer.
· Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense.
· Make sure window coverings hang level.
· Tune in to the room's statement and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and pizzazz?
· Does it look like nobody lives in this house? You're almost finished.
10. Check Curb Appeal.
· If a buyer won't get out of her agent's car because she doesn't like the exterior of your home, you'll never get her inside. Keep the sidewalks cleared.
· Mow the lawn.
· Paint faded window trim.
· Plant yellow flowers or group flower pots together. Yellow evokes a buying emotion. Marigolds are inexpensive.
· Trim your bushes.
· Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.

Front Range Showcase! Fri and Sat!

Castle Rock Realty & Property Management, LLC will be at the Front Range Showcase at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock today (Friday, the 21st of March) from 2pm-7pm and tomorrow, Saturday, March 22nd, from 10-5pm.

Come by and visit! This is a FREE family event and there will be entertainment and areas for kids to play. Over 200 business and consumer vendors will be setting up displays and giving out freebees and raffle prizes.

We would love to see your face, so come by and say hello!

Mark and the Castle Rock Realty & Property Management Staff

Breckenridge and the Vail Valley

Just got back from enjoying the AMAZING Colorado snow in Breckenridge. The whole Vail Valley is just filled with amazing snow and beautiful sunshine! If you haven't had a chance to check out the skiing or snowboarding, snow shoeing or even just shopping and dining in these amazing ski villages, you must come and see for yourself!

Property Management Division

Castle Rock Realty & Property Management, LLC is proud to announce the opening of our Colorado property management division of Castle Rock Realty.

The owners of Castle Rock Realty & Property Management are experienced and knowledgeable in the area of property management on both a personal and professional level. After owning a successful and growing property management company for years in North Idaho and managing properties in California prior to that, Castle Rock Realty & Property Management has the experience to give you the confidence that your home will be in the right hands.

Call Mark at (303) 868-0352 -Broker/Owner or Jennifer at (303) 704-1399 - Business Development Manager/Owner today!

You can also click on the Property Management tab of our website on the home page for more property management information.

One of the BEST Places to live in the U.S.!

Read the following article from National Publications!

Castle Rock ranked sixth for growth in the Denver Business Journal Friday, January 9, 2009. Castle Rock was ranked No. 6 on the Gadberry Group's "8 from 2008" list of high-growth areas in the United States. Gadberry, based in Little Rock, Ark., ranked municipalities on census data, weighing growth from 2000 to 2008, as well as from 2007 to 2008. The company also weighted the rankings using some demographic factors, such as ethnicity, household income, net worth, economic stability, length of residence and age. Gadberry said Castle Rock grew from 9,936 households in 2000 to 24,584 in 2008, by 147 percent.

In order, the top eight were Queen Creek, Ariz.; Enterprise, Nev.; Helotes, Texas; Wesley Chapel, Fla.; Indian Trail, N.C.; Castle Rock; Elk Grove, Calif.; and New Orleans. Castle Rock among '10 best' for families in U.S. The Town of Castle Rock residents can stand up and take a collective bow on Tuesday, July 10, the day that Family Circle magazine unveils its "10 Best Towns for Families." That’s because the Town of Castle Rock made Family Circle’s list – the first of its kind for the national magazine celebrating women and families.

The magazine’s 10 Best Towns for Families article appears in the August edition, which hits newsstands nationwide on July 10. The article shares the results of the magazine’s quest to identify "the best communities across the country that combine big-city opportunities with suburban charm" and "an ideal blend of affordable houses, good jobs, top-rated schools, wide-open spaces and a lot less stress." "That describes Castle Rock perfectly," Castle Rock Mayor Randy Reed said of the results of Family Circle’s investigation. "If you asked 100 people why they moved to Caste Rock, 95 percent of them would probably cite the community’s small-town charm and family friendliness."

Reed said while it’s great to be recognized nationally as a great place for families, it’s reward enough to experience family life in Castle Rock. "Every time I walk out my front door I think about how fortunate I am to have landed here 20 years ago with my wife and two daughters."
To come up with its 10 Best Towns for Families, Family Circle partnered with On Board, a New York City research firm providing real estate and demographic data to assemble a list of 1,850 places with populations between 15,000 and 150,000 and a high concentration of households with an average income of $65,000. That list was pared to 800 based on criteria such as cost of living, jobs, schools, health care, air quality, green space and crime rate. Family Circle assessed which towns best met those standards and ranked them according to state. The winners were selected from the highest-rated towns in the top 10 states nationwide.

The ten "10 Best Towns for Families" are: · Castle Rock, Colorado· Diamond Bar, California· Morton Grove, Illinois· Cedar Park, Texas· Derby, Kansas· Kennesaw, Georgia· Cooper City, Florida· Madison, Mississippi· Franklin, Massachusetts· Chanhassen, Minnesota
Family Circle Magazine’s "10 best Towns for Families" honor is the latest in a string of national rankings awarded Castle Rock in recent years. In 2006, BusinessWeek magazine named Castle Rock No. 9 of the top 25 "best and most affordable suburbs in the United States." In a 2005 CNN Money Magazine report on the best places to live, Castle Rock ranked No. 1 in job growth.