A house must be clean and clutter-free to generate interest.  Even more may be necessary to set the listing apart, particularly in a softening market.  Here are some decorating and updating tips that’ll bring “wows” from today’s buyers.

*Add touches of luxury.  Bring in real plants in beautiful pots; the best linens; and big, white, fluffy towels.

*Paint walls, trim, and ceilings.  Keep adjoining rooms in the same color palette to make the home appear larger and flow better.  Hire professionals to paint mullions on windows and staircase spindles.

*Use slipcovers on mismatched furniture.  It’s an inexpensive way to create visual unity.

*Replace mismatched or poor-fitting door handles and cabinet pulls.  Buyers rarely get beyond a knob that comes off in their hand.

*Install bamboo floors in contemporary settings.  Bamboo is outpacing maple as the new light-colored wood floor.  Forget parquet and veneered wood flooring: Parquet is still out of favor, and buyers are aware that thin wood veneer can’t handle many sandings.

Refresh closets with organizers and paint them a nuetral color.  Make sure closets are lighted and buyers can see the back of all closets and cupboards.

*Identify wall spaces for large and flat-screen televisions.  They’re a must-have for most buyers today.

*Clean, organize, and paint basements, attics, and garages.  Many buyers pass on a home because of a “creepy” attic or basement.

*Edit furniture and accessories, including family photos.  Less is more.

*Install new light switch covers.  Most buyers interact with these during showings.  Worn covers show inattention to detail.

*Purchase the best quality carpet pad.  It can make any new carpeting cushy, and buyers love cushy.

(Source: Mark Nash, Coldwell Banker Residential, Central Street Office, Evanston, III., author of 101 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home (South-Western Eductaional Publishing, 2004))

The successfull auction of the remaining condominium shares at the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel and Conference Center is good news, not only for the Grand’s owners but also for the community.

More than 30 whole-ownership units and more than 200 one-eighth share units were sold Saturday.  Prices ranged from $14,500 for a one-eighth share of a one-bedroom unit to $680,000 for ownership of the penthouse suite.

The auction means the Grand’s owners - Grand Summit Resort Properties - can pay off debt and that the hotel can finally start collecting assessment fees on 100 percent of the units.  For the larger community, the auction means the Grand finally can shed the albatross label and become what it was envisioned to be when it was built - a showpiece at the base of our ski area.

Construction began on the Grand in summer 1998, and after being delayed on several occasions, Steamboat’s largest hotel opened in September 2000.  It cost $80 million at the time it was built.

Those in the development industry like to say success hinges on bringing the right product to market at the right time.  The Grand is certainly a first-rate product - it is AAA’s only Four Diamond property in the area.  But hindsight shows the model for selling the Grand may have been the wrong product at the wrong time.  Sales of the fractional shares never lived up to expectations, and the economy soured not long after the Grand opened.  The economic fallout of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks lasted two years - it certainly was not the ideal time to be marketing luxury condominium shares.

Retiring the debt on the Grand hinged on selling the units, and when sales lagged year after year, the debt took its toll on American Skiing Co. ASC reported missing deadlines to make debt payments and restructured loans with its creditors.  Eventually, ASC spun off Grand Summit Resort Properties to absorb the problematic Grand hotels in Steamboat and Park City, Utah - a move that presumably allowed ASC to focus on running ski areas.

But the shadow of the Steamboat Grand always has loomed large over ASC and the ski area.  Saturday’s auction was the best way to get out from under that cloud.

The auction may even have exceeded expectations.  Interest certainly was strong, which sends the right message for those contemplating investment at the base of the mountain now that an urban renewal authority has been created in the area.

Selling out the units will drive occupancy at the Grand.  And the auction will allow management to focus on operating a first-class hotel instead of competing with its condominium owners on sales of units.

The Steamboat Grand has been a significant asset to the community from the moment it opened.  It’s a first-class property for guests, and it’s an ideal venue for any number of functions including concerts, fundraisers, banquets and conventions.  Simply put, Steamboat would be a lesser resort without the Grand.

But the facility’s unsold shares have lingered like an asterisk next to the resort hotel’s name.  Saturday’s auction should erase that asterisk once and for all.  That’s great news for anyone hoping to see our resort community prosper.

-Article taken from Steamboat Pilot & Today’s commentary section.

By Matt Stensland

Steamboat Pilot & Today

Thursday, March 16, 2006

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Wildlife officials are hoping an elk’s decision to make a mountainside condominium complex his home is temporary.

Bryan Koppe lives in the complex and noticed the elk Tuesday as he looked down from his balcony.

“You look to the left, and there was a big elk head,” Koppe said.

The bull elk has camped out in back of the complex, next to a busy street, since Monday, said Libbie Miller of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The elk was basking in the sun on a ground floor condo patio Tuesday. By Wednesday he had moved closer to the street and was lying under a tree, nibbling on grass and tree branches.

The elk is drawing a crowd. Shuttle buses have been stopping next to the condo so people can snap photos. Traffic gets backed up as people try to get close to the animal to take a photo.

This concerns Miller, and it prompted a woman to call police Tuesday to report the elk.

“We understand that it’s a unique thing for a lot of people … but we really want to discourage people from stopping,” Miller said.

Miller said it is not uncommon for wildlife to wander into town, but having a bull elk camped out in such a busy area makes this an unusual situation. Heavy snows may have caused the elk to take shelter in Steamboat, she said.

“The hard thing is, we’ve had so much snow that there are many (elk) here to find a place to forage … that doesn’t have six feet or eight feet of snow,” she said.

The elk appears to be healthy, considering the weather conditions elk have endured this winter, she said.

The elk likely wandered down from the mountains, and he does not seem to mind the attention.

“If they’re not hurt, and they’re not hurting anything, we just let them hang out and do their thing,” Miller said.

If the elk does not leave in the next couple of days, the DOW likely will consult a wildlife rehabilitation specialist.

Tranquilizing the animal is not preferred because it often can cause injury or stress.

Rehabilitation specialists are approved to feed wildlife, and a little energy might be just what this elk needs to return to the wilderness, Miller said.