By Mark Samuelson

The wide, well appointed, modestly priced townhomes opening at Chroma on Larimer are just a few blocks from Coors Field and its orbiting bars and clubs…and around the corner from the RiNo art gallery scene. The first buyers here (10 homes are left) have come from the art/design world…but when the Blake Street crowd gets a load of these big units, that could change.

Sales agent Chris Behrens shows off a 1,722-foot townhome opening on Larimer Street a few blocks from Coors Field. It has a private 2-car garage and rooftop deck.

The first two Chroma units–each with a street-level “live-work” space–sold to gallery owners (Plus Gallery, in the neighborhood since 2001, is relocating here)…and another went to a buyer who designs sportswear. But downtown Realtors, who had a sneak preview at a party last week, are telling the developer that the size and pricing of these homes…each “deeded” to own the ground below and a private 2-car garage…are re-shaping prices for the surrounding area. more »

While Winter Park works to shed its image as a slightly dated ski town with a bit too much chalet-gingerbread architecture, one market that hasn’t minded are vacationers from the British Isles.

An exceptionally snowy winter and the low dollar are adding to the allure of Grand County to purchasers from the British Isles, who have long favored Winter Park.

“Winter Park has always appealed to the British,” says Denise O’Connell, Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties, who was part of a team of local real estate specialists who flew to London several years ago to present at a travel exhibition.

Now, O’Connell’s newest buyers for a custom home in Grand County are British. “They’ve had fabulous packages on Winter Park travel for years,” she says, adding that those opportunities have only become better as United has begun offering London-DIA non-stops in competition with British Airways; and as the dollar’s fall has made a vacation to the U.S. something akin to the way Americans view travel to Mexico.
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