A Literary Life

By Kate Jonuska

There are homeowners who are content to leave all the decisions in someone else’s hands, choosing a prebuilt product off the rack then molding their lives to fit into that box. But then there are UBuildIt clients, owners who settle for nothing, actively grabbing the wheel of choice to drive themselves toward the home of their dreams – and keep their wallets fatter in the process.

“In my years of building custom homes, I’ve come across a lot of people that I felt could have built their own home, people who take an intense and direct interest in what we were doing as builders and contractors,” says Claude Comito, who owns UBuildIt Colorado Springs along with daughter Lauren  Perrault. For 27 years, he’s been a part of Nichols and Comito Custom Homes, and he also heads Comito Building and Design and dabbles in land development. While he’s giving up none of those passions, Comito feels this unique build-it-yourself enterprise fills a necessary real estate niche.

“There was a need where people could with support and guidance get the same results a high quality custom builder could, and yet have total control over the process and save quite a bit of money,” he explains. “UBuildIt is not for everybody, but on the other hand, we’ve found that anybody who expresses an interest in and desire to build their own home, and there are a lot of them, find this very appealing.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Jan. 10, 2010 Springs Home & Style.

Broadmoor brownstone offers class, comfort and Golf Club eligibility
By Kate Jonuska

Visiting the Broadmoor area feels like entering a slice of the Old World, with its roundabouts, manicured grounds and striking architecture, including the signature silhouette of the hotel itself. While the Broadmoor and its environs often seem to be reserved for the resort’s guests, the ambiance and amenities of the area are available right from the doorstep of this week’s featured property, a charming yet chic townhome built in the East Coast brownstone style.

“It has the Old World charm of the classic Northeast brownstone combined with the finest of modern day amenities,” says Keith Hayes of the Becky Gloriod Team at Prudential Realtors, who lists the two-bedroom, four-bath home for $1.65 million. “The most unique thing is the location. To have new construction in flatlands Old Broadmoor is a good find and then there’s the proximity to the hotel itself,” which is only a block away.

The melding of the classic and contemporary is visible as you cross the threshold, moving from the imposing concrete steps and tall, narrow stucco-and-stone exterior into a sweeping great room with 12-foot ceilings. Wide plank Hickory floors spill into the elegant space, which offers a bay window balcony, a stone fireplace and elegant architectural columns, part of the high-end woodwork and molding throughout the 4.455-square-foot floor plan.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Jan. 9, 2010 Springs Houses.

Broadmoor home offers long history of style and substance
By Kate Jonuska

The 2.18-acre lot once boasted a tennis court and a swimming pool. The dining room has played host to generations of notables who built this city. And yet today, it’s walls could be the perfect cozy nest for a family used to every luxury. This week’s featured Broadmoor area gem, listed at $2 million by Stuart Scott of Stuart Scott Limited and ERA Shields, strikes an ideal balance between esteemed history and modern amenities to create a home that both fascinates and functions.

Scott has become an expert in the history of the home, built in 1949 by Phillip G. Cole. “ I’ve never seen architecture quite like this before,” he says, noting that it was designed with the the owner’s art collection in mind with ample light and display walls. “It’s rather gallery-like, with very high ceilings for the time.”

The home later hosted the commanding generals of NORAD who, as members of the elite social milieu of the day, entertained regularly. Subsequent owners – including at least one artist – left creative marks and improved.

Many original touches shine in the formal living room, a vaulted space with a massive wood-beamed ceiling, wide-panel wood floors and a floor-to-ceiling fireplace of natural stone. A wall of doors peek out at the sweeping yard, while another wall of windows stream with sunshine. An adorable and functional butler’s pantry/miniature kitchen is accessed by an almost hidden panel door.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Jan. 2, 2010 Springs Houses.

By Kate Jonuska

With bell ringers outside every market and charity drives in full swing, this holiday season turns the mind toward giving and helping the less fortunate. However, broker associate Courtney Gilmore of Avalar Real Estate Solutions, having dedicated herself to giving back to the community that supports her success, has devised a unique way to contribute to charitable causes year round, by making giving a part of any real estate transaction.

“As long as I’ve done this, the real estate community is close knit and so many people that I know are paying it forward in their own ways. They’re a pretty giving community,” says Gilmore, who has worked in real estate for more than 12 years. “(But) I don’t know any real estate broker that is giving back to the community straight from their commission, a concerted effort like that.”

Gilmore’s giving campaign, which began rolling this year and she hopes will only grow in 2010, comes to fruition at the closing table, where a check gets cut from her commission to one of three organizations about which she feels passionately. A client, whether buyer or seller, simply needs to state that they, too, are associated with or were referred by one of the organizations she supports.

The groups are what Gilmore calls a “tripod of causes: my college, UCCS, which was a huge part of my life; my son’s school, and contributing toward the people who provide his education; and the third one was my always my passion, sports and volleyball, which I played my whole life,” she says. In other words, she’s giving back to the three things she sees as improving her life: education, parenthood and sport. “Usually when you contribute, you contribute to what you’re passion about, and those three things really define me.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Dec. 27, 2009 Springs Home & Style.

By Kate Jonuska

Anyone who loved ListenUp in downtown Colorado Springs for its quality, value and excellent customer service will rejoice at the news that as of this weekend, there’s even more to love: The shop known for providing the best sight and sound technology in the area has doubled in size by moving into it’s new location on Woodmen Road, one block east of Interstate 25.

“It is our largest store now,” says branch manager David Huddleston, who explains that ListenUp has been in business in Colorado for 38 years and in the Springs for more than 20. “It’s very exciting. Being able to expose everybody in Colorado Springs to the best in technology, now with even more services to offer, we feel privileged to be able to do that.”

Instead of buying electronics from a cold showroom floor, where they’re hard sold by an inexperienced salesperson, ListenUp is committed to offering selection, value, expertise and incredible hands-on experiences, allowing people to see, hear and compare almost any product in the store. Customers can test run more than 20 sets of headphones, gawk at walls of dozens of flat-screen televisions or visit the store’s six demonstration rooms.

“You can look at technology in a real world, home-like environment,” says Huddleston of the demo rooms, which include fully furnished rooms focused on hi-fi audio experiences, high definition video comparisons and even video game play.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published Nov. 22, 2009 in Springs Home & Style.

By Kate Jonuska

After owning and operating as a Metro Brokers office for almost 30 years, Marlenna Davidson and her partners didn’t disappear into the sunset when they parted ways with the franchise two years ago. Instead, they’re proud to stand behind independent, family-owned and -operated Davidson Properties.

“After being in the business for 28 years at that point, a lot of people thought I retired, but we’re still here,” says Marlenna Davidson, who operates the company along with husband Ivan Davidson and vice president Mary Biga.  “And we’ve really expanded to become a one-stop shop.”

“We have three distinctive operations now,” Ivan adds. “Buying and selling of homes, then we have the property management company, then we have the mortgage business. They all just mesh so well together.”

That three-pronged approach means Davidson Properties can find your first rental, help you buy your first home, sell that home to buy a second, and then even take care of renting your first home as an investment property to another family just beginning the cycle ― not to mention connecting you with the right financing and mortgages along the way.

“We can go where anybody need us to right now. We’re a team that can handle any real estate need,” says Marlenna, explaining that these complementary skill sets allow the company to be flexible and  thrive ― and help their homeowners thrive ― in any market.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Nov. 15, 2009 Home & Style.

By Kate Jonuska

Buy low, sell high. Builder Pulte Homes agrees with this wise old adage about investments, particularly in today’s rebounding real estate market.

“The combination of low property prices and low interest rates mean that you can get into real estate for a much smaller investment than you could a few years ago,” says Randy Carpenter, vice president of sales and marketing for Pulte in Colorado.

“And if the economy is returning as a lot of the prognosticators say it is, those prices are heading right back up, meaning your investment is certain to pay off in the long run.”

401k funds, stocks and bonds: Such financial tools may be what the average person thinks of as an “investment,” but real estate is what often makes up the majority of a person’s wealth, even at retirement.

“You can’t live in your 401k, but you can live in your house,” says Carpenter, pointing out that low prices aren’t the only reason to make a real estate investment right now. “With interest rates being low, you really can buy for the same you’re paying in rent, but also realize tax advantages with the mortgage interest tax deduction and the first-time buyer tax credit,” the latter which runs through the end of November, though there’s talk of an extension.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Nov. 8, 2009 Springs Home & Style.

By Kate Jonuska

After selling thousands of homes in the Pikes Peak region through his independent office of Stuart Scott Limited, often finding dream homes for several generations of families, broker Stuart Scott is ready to move into a new home himself: by merging his office with ERA Shields Real Estate.

“There is no retirement in me. I work every day,” assures Scott, who enjoyed picking out his new office and looks forward to his new role. Because ERA Shields and its team of professionals can take care of the back-end business of real estate, Stuart can “reduce the amount of management we have to do so we can focus on our own customer service … I’ve had my name on the door for so many years, and now I get to do the fun part of the job.”

“When Stuart made the decision that he really wanted to focus his energies on selling and listing and wanted to merge his company, that he called me I took as a huge compliment,” says ERA Shields broker/owner Bill Hurt. “It was gratifying to be that highly respected by him, especially because I hold him in such high esteem, as well. It’s certainly an advantage for ERA Shields to gain that additional stature of bringing a company and an individual with such a strong reputation in.”

“I can’t wait to get unpacked,” says Marla Twardowski, chief operating officer of Stuart Scott Limited. “Stuart and I have been doing this together for 33 years, and we absolutely love what we do. We were really looking for a company with the same culture and the same feeling of family,” she explains. “We looked at Bill Hurt’s corporate culture, and it’s very similar to ours, but he has the tools of a franchise that really help in a challenging market and particularly in our high-end properties. It’s just a great fit.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this story, which published in the Nov. 1, 2009 Home & Style section.

Custom home offers views, privacy, entertaining perfection
By Kate Jonuska

Perched atop a hill of scrub oak, pine and prairie grasses ― a roost a peregrine falcon might choose ― sits a custom home overlooking the city, the foothills rolling away at its feet into the plains and on to the horizon. And it’s worth the short jaunt into Peregrine in Northwest Colorado Springs just to take in that view, whether from the wrap-around covered porch or framed in the main level’s oversized windows.

“That’s certainly one of the strengths of this house. The house itself is gorgeous, but the location can’t be rivaled,” says Frank Fanelli of The Platinum Group Realtors, who along with partner Melissa Fanelli lists the four-bedroom, five-bath home for $850,000. “You don’t see a hilltop property like this that often, and you can tell every room is designed to take advantage of the views with the placement of walls and windows.”

Built in 2003, the home’s stucco exterior is punctuated with pillars and a dramatic turret, and the entrance great room is just as striking. A tile entryway leads into a large living room with peaked ceilings and a floor-to-ceiling, stacked-stone fireplace. Wide-open arches supported by pillars reveal, straight ahead, a dining room with coffered ceilings and hardwood floors and, to the right, a wet bar with glass cabinetry.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Oct. 31, 2009 Springs Houses.

By Kate Jonuska

Once you have the keys to your new home and the front door is firmly shut behind you, like many homeowners, you probably don’t spend much time thinking about your home builder. But Jim Stiltner, co-owner of MasterBilt Homes, wants his homeowners to know that their builder is still deeply committed to every single one of their customers.

“Seventy five percent of our sales are referrals. It’s absolutely incredible for a builder to be able to say that,” says Stiltner. “I just want to say thank you for your continued support and your referrals and we really look forward to doing business with you again in the future.”

Perhaps sooner in the future than you think.

Take an interest in interest rates

Declining home prices and plummeting interest rates certainly make for an interesting time in real estate. “There is just so much buying power right now. We have homes that are available now, and interest rates are very low so you get more for your money. I can get the interest rate to 4.25 percent for a 30-year fixed mortgage,” says Stiltner, remembering the time not too long ago with a rate in the 7 percent range was pretty standard. “This is huge difference, three percentage points difference.”

How huge? Using an example from his own inventory ― a home in Monument’s Greenland Preserve neighborhood that would have sold for $690,000, now reduced to $580,000 ― a homeowner could land a monthly payment of about $2,500 at 4.25 percent. At 7 percent, that would have been $3,600 per month.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published on Oct. 25, 2009 in Home & Style.