Hannah Parsons

Sustainability...

This year's Southern Colorado Sustainable Communities Conference was definitely a success. This was my first year to participate and EcoBroker was well received. There was an abundance of fascinating information provided by speakers and exhibitors alike. It is exciting to see Ft. Carson blazing the sustainability trail in Southern Colorado. Thank you to the Catamount Institute for taking on the conference this year. Congratulations on a job well done. I plan to return to the Expo again next year.

Perhaps I will bring along more  EcoHatchery Starter Kits. Until then, you'll just have to choose me as your REALTOR and receive one as a closing gift...:)   

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty

Today is Blog Action Day. A day that bloggers throughout the world will unite to discuss one issue: Poverty. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 10% of the population of El Paso County, Colorado lives below the poverty line. The age group with the largest percentage living in poverty is the under 18 years group. There are more women living in poverty in El Paso County than men. Spend some time today reading about poverty in your local area. You might be surprised by the face of poverty. You can also ready more about Blog Action Day at www.blogactionday.org.

Additionally, October is Make a Difference Month - The Power of One in El Paso County. It is a joint effort between the Center for Nonprofit Excellence and the Pikes Peak United Way. The goal of Make a Difference Month is to emphasize how "The Power of One" - one person, one company, one group of friends, one sponsor, one congregation can reach out to help those in need within our community. Last year, more than 3,000 individuals volunteered!  The goal this year is to get 1% of El Paso County residents to volunteer (that is more than 5,000 people)! Go to www.volunteerpikespeak.org to learn of the many ways in which to get involved.

I signed up to work with the Women's Resource Agency in Colorado Springs by being a Workshop Assistant. "The Women's Resource Agency is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization aimed at helping women attain and maintain self-sufficiency." "(Their) individualized services are designed to help women identify and expand on their existing knowledge, talents, skills, and strengths usually with an end of economic independence."

Don't Insist on the Best?

In the October issue of Real Simple Magazine, Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project has an article recommending "10 Ways to be Happier". The one that struck me as especially interesting was #7: "Don't insist on the best." She explains that there are two types of decision makers, satisficers and maximizers. Satisficers "make a decision once their criteria are met". Maximizers, on the other hand, want to make the best possible decision so even if their requirements are met they continue examining until they have seen every option. According to Rubin, satisficers tend to be happier than maximizers. "Maximizers expend more time and energy reaching decisions, and they're often anxious about their choices." My husband and I are classic examples of a satisficer and a maximizer (me being the satisficer, him being the maximizer). I couldn't agree with Rubin more when she says "Sometimes good enough is good enough.". Check out her blog The Happiness Project for more happiness tips.

The Before...

You know those people who take pictures of themselves very overweight and in their underwear in order to document their transformation and miraculous weight loss? I would NEVER be one of those people. I'm horrified to be posting these "before" pictures of the garden area in my backyard. However, I am committed to documenting this journey with my friends and neighbors as we begin building a community garden. We had our first meeting last week with the Director of Pikes Peak Urban Gardens. We were approved as a group and we were wowed by the work PPUG is doing throughout the area. This picture serves as evidence that I have no gardening experience or knowledge.

I'm looking forward to getting down and dirty with my friends and neighbors. I fully believe this will be a huge success and that a year from now we will be munching on the bounty from the beautiful garden where my weed bed once thrived. I know I cannot do this alone. After all, it takes a village to raise a garden. So stay tuned, after the weed pulling comes the manure. Interesting times, I know.

Cedar Street Gardens - Coming Soon

Last Thursday I attended Green Drinks at The Coffee Exchange. It is a great time of social networking for those interested in "greeining up" our community. I was lamenting the fact that I have a large backyard (for downtown standards) and no garden. You see, I have a rather black thumb and no idea how to begin a garden. My few attempst at lettuce have been utter failures. At some point in the conversation someone mentioned I should contact Pikes Peak Urban Gardens. So I just looked it up and it is exactly what I didn't know I've been looking for these past three years! I am now in the process of rounding up a few more families to begin this adventure with us! What a fun, green and fruitful way to live in commuinty! Here is the unfortunate before picture - stay tuned for the greener, leafier afters!

Swing Downtown!

The Swing Connection complete with 10 pc. orchestra will be performing for tonight's summer concert series at America the Beautiful Park.   Pack a picnic, bring the kids and join me for what is sure to be an entertaining evening!

For Rent!

1721 N. Wahsatch Ave

Desirable Old North End, 1925 Bungalow

Over 2,000 Sq.Ft. of living space on huge lot with alley access, 1-car garage & abundant off-street parking.

Near schools, hospitals, shopping, trail system, Colorado College. Walk to highly sought after Steele Elementary or Dogtooth Coffee Shop

$1,200 / Month ~ Available Now

Main Level:

• Large living room with hardwoods & fireplace
• Huge kitchen with new black appliances, tons of cabinet space & opens to back yard.
• Bright dining room also with hw floors could be used as office.
• Two large bedrooms with plenty of closet space.

Basement:

• All new carpet
• One large bonus room, two smaller rooms
• Laundry room
• Workspace with bench

   

Location, Location, Location!

We bought our home on Cedar Street three years ago. We knew we loved the downtown area but had difficulty finding anything we could afford that would accommodate a growing family. I had the classic "ah-ha" moment when I passed the house - the owner standing in front with a FSBO sign. The owner was a Jewish Rabbi and it was Friday. He would not show me the house until Sunday. I knew without going inside that it was the one for us. I won't bore you with the details of how we came to acquire this 110-year-old house that was out of our price range and yet destined to be ours.

It was after we bought the house that we discovered our street has a 4th of July tradition that gave me unnecessary reassurance that we had found the right home for us. The "Cedar Street 4th of July Parade." Between Cache La Poudre and Uintah, Cedar Street is unofficially closed for a parade of residents who ride bikes, push strollers, drive go-carts and march to the tune of our very own tuba.This was the 18th year residents of Cedar Street have come out to celebrate Independence Day together. In fact, residency on Cedar Street is not a requirement to join in the festivities. Families on Custer have been participating in the event since its inception when the parade went around the block.

We don't have floats or even a band. We don't drive fancy cars or have corporate sponsors. Instead we ride bikes, push strollers, drive go-carts and march to the tune of our very own tuba.

My girls have been looking forward to this parade for weeks. We bought new horns for the bikes, made posters, threaded streamers, tied balloons and baked cupcakes. It is not everyday that we actually get to be in a parade! While we can't claim the fame of the "Monument Parade," KKTV Channel 11 news did attend our event and covered our parade at the end of the evening news.

So what if we had more participants than spectators! We had candy and horns and balloons and face paint. We had flags and fun hats, honkers, kazoos. We had costumes and cupcakes and popsicles too!

Most of all, we had great fun with friends and neighbors. I will admit that old neighborhoods have their downfalls. We live all year with the creaks and cracks of these old houses. We replace this, repair that. But old neighborhoods also bring older traditions and I will take that over a level floor any day!

227 Days...

...819 N. El Paso was on the market. As a REALTOR, this is not something in which I take pride. Was it the market? The neighborhood? The price? Perhaps a combination of the three. Nobody wants to list a house and have it sit on the market for over 7 months. However, if it is going to happen one can at least hope for reasonable sellers. I met the owners of this house toward the end of last summer. It was a great house, perfectly staged - I just knew it would sell quickly. Unfortunately, it did not. Lucky for me the homeowners are amazing people. Together we weathered the holidays, the expiration of our best comps, many open houses and a few unreasonable buyers. I truly enjoyed all of my encounters with them.

The house closed today, everything went smoothly and the buyers are perfectly matched for the home. Yet my excitement was mixed with a little sadness. I will miss my frequent contact with the Moore's as clients. Fortunately, I can truly say that this real estate transaction was all about the relationship and I'm grateful that I can now count them as friends. So thank you Kevin and Tina - it has been a pleasure working with you from beginning to end. Who knows, maybe I'll talk you into another one soon (tell the kids not to worry, I'll consult with them first).

One word...

TERMITES...

My husband and I recently purchased a lovely 1925 Craftsman Bungalow in the Old North End as an investment property. We've been working diligently over the last few weeks priming, painting, plumbing, painting some more. You get the idea. Unfortunately, we weren't the only ones working so diligently on this particular home.

I grew up in the midwest and lived several years in Atlanta so I am no stranger to termites. I was, however, surprised to hear of them becoming an increasing problem in the Colorado Springs area, specifically "subterranean termites." I must admit, as a REALTOR, and the one really pushing to buy this house, my pride has sustained a minor blow. We purchased the home from the bank who had forclosed on the property back in November. The house sat vacant over the winter and into the spring until we bought it in late April. Perhaps there were signs of swarmer termites present during the early months of spring. Unfortunately, no one was there to observe them. We had the home inspected by an ASHI inspector shortly after we went under contract. The inspector said nothing of signs of termites. It wasn't until my husband was working on a post in the basement that he discovered a 2X4 almost completely destroyed. We called a local termite control company and they came to do their own inspection. As we expected, they found live termites on a piece of wood in the yard. Fortunately, they were able to come and treat the property the next day. The price tag on this unexpected treatment? $1500.

Note to self (and everyone else reading this post). Get a termite inspection. It is inexpensive and often free. Hopefully you will not need to treat your home. If you are purchasing a home and hiring a home inspector, the inspection likely excludes termites and any damage resulting from them.

The Texas Agricultural Extension Service of Texas A&M provides a great description of these little subterranean creeps. Happy reading and subsequent termite hunting...