DEEDED INTEREST

Sketching in search of significance

Aspen Times | July 30, 2023

Consider this my mid-summer mash-up — a hodgepodge of observations, my own brand of literary commentary, and sure not to win any Pulitzers. Frankly and no insult intended, I’m looking forward to getting this one filed, so I can get back to my regularly scheduled program and another summer on the fly.

After admitting to McLean that I was struggling to find inspiration for this month’s column, especially while on the road this week, she reminded me, “It doesn’t always have to be profound.”

She was right. I needed to get out of my own head on this one, but it also made me wonder how many of my past writings have had an impact on anyone who might pick up a paper. It’s natural to consider if anyone is paying attention to what we choose to put out there day to day. One answer might be musings like this one are sometimes meant just for our own amusement.

So here I before the sun comes up, hammering away on a tiny antique table in my mother-in-law’s kitchen, hunched over my laptop like a giant in a dollhouse. And although the wife suggested I not overthink it, I’m still scanning my brain in search of connective tissue, in search of some of significance to offer. It’s harder than you think to go deep in a monthly submission about selling expensive houses.

McLean, Bridger, and I are here in Tennessee to celebrate her mother’s 80th birthday. The party she planned was a huge success both in terms of execution and attendance. She put it all together from Colorado without much help from anyone and at her expense. Working on it was fit in between seeing patients, juggling Bridger’s schedule, and whatever client dinner I dragged her to. It all came together as it was meant to; her mom was delighted and celebrated. 

And there it was: significance.

Before leaving town, I was prepping to pitch a big project. The opportunity I am pursuing is a big one, and unsurprisingly, I’m not the only agent pursuing the business. So competitive is it, in fact, that other brokers within my firm were also working to outmaneuver me. 

As you can imagine, that dynamic can be stressful among colleagues working under the same roof in a head-to-head matchup where someone is sure to end up the loser. In the end, the solution was to team up and go after it as partners rather than competitors. 

Again, a significantly better outcome.

Also significant: The prediction I and other local experts made regarding a busy summer. After a cold, wet spring, as well as a year in which buyers were hoping interest rates and prices would drop, the selling frenzy is on for the third year straight. Inventory is much lower than it was the past few years, but that seems only to be helping to stoke the fire. 

After sitting idle since last year, two homes in the West End went under contract last week one day apart. Since June 1, three other homes in that desirable section of town have sold. The sweet spot seems to be between $10 million and $15 million. But so far, buyers have bristled at the other 20 or so options there, as older homes that needs work remain buyerless and new inventory priced over $20 million doesn’t seem to be computing for shoppers either. 

Head over the hill to Snowmass, where dollars go further, where inventory in Base Village continues to fly off the shelf. Now that the resort has developed an ecosystem of shops, restaurants, and culture where one can hike, bike, or ski right out their back door, there’s no need to leave the family-centered village for the glamour show in Aspen. There 10 of 25 fractionals are pending.

And for locals looking to cash out or visitors who don’t mind driving down 82, Basalt and Carbondale are booming, but again, within a specific price range.  Pre-existing homes under $2 million get snapped up within days. And new inventory under $3 million remains highly-attractive.  $1,000 a square foot used to be the Aspen standard. Now it’s the going rate.

But therein lies the dilemma, at least for this occasional scribe. As there may some significance in the data I offered for some, what might be the substance? What’s the meat, the nuts and bolts, the kicker, or the proverbial punch line? 

That, my friends, will have to wait until next time, as I’m off to fish.