A Taste of Colorado August 29th – September 1st

Get ready Denver, there are only a couple short weeks until A Taste of Colorado 2014 kicks off the Labor Day Weekend of Food, Music and Fun in Civic Center Park.

Living Downtown is awesome, with so much to do and see.  This annual tradition hosts a line up that draws in Denver urbanites young and old.

Food

With more than 50 Colorado Restaurants and Chefs bringing their A Game with dishes from small samplers (So you can try a ton of items) to full blown meals this is the weekend to stop in and dine and then go run 10 miles.

For those who love to cook there is even a culinary showcase of Chefs featuring their recipes, tips and techniques for cooking these favorite dishes.

Music

The biggest question everyone asks is about the lineup.  So here is the 2014 A Taste of Colorado Music Lineup.

Access Colorado Main Stage Lineup

• Friday August 29th at 7:30 PM – En Vogue
• Saturday August 30th at 1:00 PM – For King & Country
• Saturday August 30th at 7:30 PM – The Wallflowers
• Sunday August 31st at 1:00 PM – David Cook
• Sunday August 31st at 7:30 PM – The Commodores
• Monday September 1st at 1:00 PM – Jana Kramer

Kids and Arts And Crafts

And of course there will be all the music, clowns, puppets and more for kids on KidzStage along with Carnival rides and games.    Kids and Adults can both enjoy the Arts and Crafts Marketplace.

To learn more visit https://www.atasteofcolorado.com/

Checkout our DenverUrban.com News Page about the Civic Center Park Neighborhood.

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One thing is certain, the Denver Housing Market is HOT!  With a shortage of sellers offering homes for sale Denver buyers are watching as new listings are met with multiple offers and record low days on market.  For our Denver Urban clients we make sure to offer quick information on those great new listings and downtown Denver expertise on how to draft a competitive and smart offer.

But the group that is facing the largest challenge in Denver’s current housing market it may be those who are seeking Rentals.  Rental rates are skyrocketing.   Every month the cost benefit of owning over renting gets greater and greater.  If you are having the big debate about renting or buying we have 10 points that might change your mind.

1. The money you spend on rent is NOT an investment.  That matters.  It matters a LOT.  What is even scarier is that, according to the Colorado Public Radio article Soaring rents squeeze more Denver families  “1 in 4 renters in the Denver area are severely rent burdened, meaning more than 50-percent of their income goes towards rent”.    That is a HUGE percentage to be spent on rent.   So if you didn’t pay rent does that mean you could take 6 months off to travel the world.  We are just curious.
2. Rents can go up every year.  Sure, you might be only spending 49% of your income on rent so you aren’t technically severely rent burdened.  But what happens if this trend continues and your rents go up 5, 10 or even 20%.  Will your income continue to grow as fast.  If you have a FIXED 30 year mortgage in place you can avoid rental rate increase risk.  I’m sure there is a renter in LoHi who could have bought 5 years ago that really wishes they bought when the could.  I think LoHi rents are much different today than 5 years ago.
3. Rental rates aren’t the only thing that continue to increase.  We all know that the housing market is variable.  Housing prices can go up, go down, or stay the same.  The question is, with all the improvements being done throughout Denver what do you expect the market to do.  For many buying today feels more comfortable than trying to guess what that same home might cost in 1,5 or even 10 years.
4. There can be tax benefits to home ownership.  Your accountant (or accounting buddy) would probably love to explain all the ways home ownership and mortgage interest can help you at the end of the year.  Ask them more about how homeowners get the better deal than renters at Tax time.
5. Denver is investing in infrastructure and transit.  When you look at the direction a city is going from an urban development standpoint most analysts study infrastructure.  Whooo boy does Denver have a GREAT project underway with the new Union Station Neighborhood and RTD light rail expansion.  Over the next decade our city will be connected via new lines running North, South, East and West.  Not only that, we have a new light rail going in to Denver International Airport.  Add in our trail system, B-Cycle, buses, and many car share systems and we are talking about a major growth spurt that makes Denver an incredible place to live.  If this drives up prices and rents do you want to be a homeowner or a renter.
6. The city of Denver is building new neighborhoods downtown.  Union Station isn’t just about light rail, it’s an entirely new downtown neighborhood with a new hotel, new restaurants, shops, office buildings (for new employees) and more.  14th Street is undergoing it’s transformation into the new Ambassador street, 16th Street is being evaluated for redevelopment, Sun Valley and the Stadium District may have a HUGE new riverfront development initiative, and so much more.  All of these neighborhoods are great places to enjoy and can contribute to market growth.  If this drives up prices and rents do you want to be a homeowner or a renter.
7. The developers and apartment operators are investing in Denver.  The new Cadence Union Station apartment building was just purchased for a rumored $70 million.  AMLI is building a new apartment building in Riverfront Park.  Wood Partners is almost done with the new Alta City House Apartment building in Union Station.  And those are just a few of the many, many, many new apartments being built throughout Denver.  These projects are asking for high rents and we are guessing their many analysts behind the scenes are anticipating those rents to continue to rise.  You can’t fund a project in today’s capital market without banks asking to see some very very very well researched financials.  If they see rents rising, and rising for a long enough period to pay off a major high rise, we think we’d rather not be a renter anymore.
8. Restaurants, shops and a new Union Station Neighborhood King Soopers grocery store are on the way.  Sure, LoHi, Jefferson Park, BallPark, and pretty much every neighborhood in Denver has seen a boom in restaurants over the past five years.  What is so spectacular is that they are doing GREAT and even more are on the way.  The dining scene and the energy of our downtown has changed and is continuing to blossom.  All of these great amenities contribute to the great lifestyle of living in these awesome Denver Urban neighborhoods.  The one complaint we often heard, at least for Riverfront Park, was the lack of a big grocery store.  Guess what everyone, it should be open before the end of the year.  As the neighborhoods continue to improve so does the demand to live there.  You know what that means…
9. People are relocating to Denver and our population is booming.  According to the Metro Denver Economic Development Council website “Metro Denver has a population of nearly 2.9 million people, and has a growth rate that has consistently outpaced the national rate every decade since the 1930s. The region grew steadily in the past 10 years. And by 2020, Metro Denver’s population is anticipated to increase to more than 3.2 million. “.  Those are a LOT of people who are going to be looking for a new place to live.  You know what that leads to…
10. Not sure where you are going to live in 10 years.  Remember that you can always look investment options for your home even if you don’t live here.  Maybe you will want to sell the property or maybe you can have a starter investment property.   Contact one of our Denver Urban investment specialists to ask questions about how rising rental rates might benefit you as a part of your long term strategy.

And of course one of the best reasons to own a home is that it is yours to enjoy.  Contact us today and learn how you can become a Denver homeowner and stop paying rent.

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We are!  Bronco and Seahawks… forget about it.  There is no way we are going to miss this match up.

The big question is, are you going to attend a home grown Superbowl Party or are you going to visit one of Denver’s best NFL bars or pubs to watch the game and be a part of the Denver Urban celebration.  If you are going out we recommend you get there EARLY to get one of the better booths, tables, or bar stools.  The early bird gets the worm, but the early Broncos Fan gets the best view of the game while eating wings and nachos.

So here is our breakdown of some of the best spots to watch the NFL Broncos vs. the Seahawks Superbowl XLVIII in Denver and we invite you to vote for your favorite spot to watch the game.

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A Taste of Colorado is back at Civic Center Park this Labor Day Weekend from Friday 30 August through Monday 2 September!  In addition to the abundance of down-right delicious food available this weekend, you’ll be able to experience awesome music as well.

You’ll be able to experience all types of music genres – from soul to classic rock to dance to blues.  Some of the headliners include MC Hammer, America, and Aaron Neville.

For the complete performance schedule, check out their music page.

Denver continues to be a great place to work and play!  Check out available properties in Denver neighborhoods here.

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Here’s a video about the opening event in Aspen/Snowmass on Monday 19 August:

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Looking to live in bicycle-friendly Denver?  Check out this life-style friendly website here.

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We had the opportunity to have dinner there as part of the “Park to Table” event.  This is a highlight for sure.  Each Friday night, the “Park to Table” dinner hosts a visiting Denver chef who prepares a 3-course meal with different wine or beer pairings.  Happy hour begins at 6 PM and the dinner at 7 PM.  The service, ambience, live music, and fellow dinner-goers (limited to 10 total people) made for a great time.  Oh, and the dinner was amazing!  We can’t wait to do it again!

“Park to Table” will continue its Friday night dinners through 30 August so you only have a few more chances to participate.  Here’s who you can expect to be the chef for the next three weeks:

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Check out this link for more information about the daily schedule and ticket information:

https://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/col/fan_forum/roxivus.jsp?partnerId=ed-7306492-575891903

Interested in downtown Denver living?  Check out these links:

DenverUrban.com

https://www.facebook.com/DenverUrban

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 A few trends we noticed:

1.  42% of the projects were residential developments with the majority of them being in the Riverfront and Ballpark neighborhoods.  This should come as no surprise since these two areas offer some of the best of what Denver has to offer in terms of highway and trail accessibility, activities, and dining options.

2.  Although only four “Entertainment and Culture” projects were completed during this time, those four complexes were massive undertakings that had significant impact on enhancing Denver’s image as the cultural core of the West. These included the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Clyfford Still Museum.

3.  15% of the projects were categorized as “Transportation and Public Realm”, the largest of these being the Union Station Infrastructure Redevelopment Project.  Once completed, this project will be a game-changer for the LoDo district as it will create a multimodal transportation hub and bustling urban center. Check out the progress and plans at www.DenverUnionStation.org.

4. Although the number of new developments dipped between 2009 and 2012, 20 new developments are in the works as of March 2013.  That’s double the total number in 2012!

So what does all of this mean?  It means public and private investment is happening in Denver.  That’s a beautiful thing!  With these investments will come positive residual effects – a more beautiful and robust city, diverse employment opportunities, happier and healthier residents,….the list goes on.  We at the Denver Urban team can’t wait to be a part of what’s next in our great city!

Here’s the link to the Downtown Denver Development Map:

https://www.downtowndenver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Downtown-Denver-Development-Map.pdf

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