Consider These 7 Things Before Buying Your Crested Butte Home

Are you looking for a home to buy in Crested Butte? Consider These 7 Things Before Buying Your Crested Butte Home:

1. Are You Visiting Your Crested Butte Home In The Winter? Summer?

I recommend to check out homes in Crested Butte during both seasons. It’s a good idea to take multiple trips to see what homes and areas look like during the summer and the winter. Snow can definitely affect your perspective. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that the summer hiking trail you like is a groomed Nordic trail in the winter and vice versa. Think about the time you are most likely going to be visiting your Crested Butte home. Are you only coming in the winter to take advantage of the skiing and chilly temps? Or are you visiting during the perfect time to hike and bike on the beautiful trails available? You can find out how crowded it may be during a specific season and what the average temperatures are. In general, it will be ten to fifteen degrees warmer up higher on the mountain in the morning than on the valley floor (inversion).

Many homes have their main level living spaces on the second floor to capture the sun and views because of the heavy snow the covers the first floor windows during winter. I recommend renting out a home in the area you are looking at to try it out and see if this are in the mountains is really for you. Many homes will be vacant during the off-season, so that would be a could time to come look at homes also. During peak season (both summer and winter), it can be hard to schedule showings of properties that are occupied by owners or short-term renters.

2. How Are You Going To Use Your Home?

Family? Friends? Clients?

Think about who is going to be using your home with you. What belongings will they have during the winter/summer? Will they have skis, poles, ski boots, jackets, etc.?

Where’s it all going to go? It may take up a lot of space, so you really need to think about the room you may need for the belongings. Are your guests going to bring their dog? Is there enough space for lounging, eating and visiting? Figure out if you will have enough room for people to sleep and shower. If you are having clients come, will what you have available to friends and family be acceptable for them? These are just a few questions you need to ask yourself.

3. What Amenities Are Important To You?

Location is a HUGE factor in determining real estate value. It should be consideration for your dream home also. You should think about what it’s going to be like selling your future home. (which I know is tough before you even buy it!) Remote locations are nice and may offer a lower price for you, but may not appeal to the mass buyers when you go to sell. If you take the same 4000 square foot home and put it in downtown or next to a ski run, you will have a valuable home. But if you put this same home in a subdivision far away from town, you will see a much lower value.

Value of your mountain home is also determined by the law of supply and demand. A majority of second homebuyers want a solid, rustic mountain home look and feel. Most are looking for exposed logs or beams, scraped hardwood floors, stone or slate surfaces and reclaimed timbers. There are also some people who prefer a contemporary home in the mountains. These are usually much more expensive to be built, but may not command the same high price at the time of sale. Same for homes with an unusual layout. This could include small windows that don’t capture the views, low ceilings, or no elevator. Buy or build the home that is your dream home, but remember if it’s too funky, there may be limited demand from a very small subset of buyers when it comes time to sell. Just make sure if you do have a unique home and it’s time to sell, BE PATIENT. It only takes one like-minded buyer to make it happen.

4. Proximity

Do you want to be close to the golf course? Is ski-in/out important to you? How would you get everyone to the slopes and back? What if someone wanted to sleep in, or come back from the slopes early? Is a remote riverfront home just what you want? Do you want to walk to breakfast or to grab a cup of coffee? Do you want your home to be secluded in the woods with panoramic views on 20 acres? Will your mountain home have cell service? How about high-speed internet? How close do you want to be to town? There are lots of variables and lots of decisions to be made, but thankfully there are many proximity and amenity options to choose from.

5. Fishing Rights/Fishing Access

Some properties offer private fishing rights or shared or public water access. This may be an important amenity to you. Some mountain homes even offer a riverfront setting where you can see the rising trout from your home. While you may have access to private fly fishing, some locations may be farther out away from town and may not be as desirable in the winter. You may have great access to these fishing locations in the summer, but be aware that in the winter you might not have access due to the roads not being plowed. If you get your remote road plowed, it can be very expensive.

If you are looking for private riverfront access, this is the criteria you should look for: Is the fishing good? How much water is there? Does your access include both sides of the river? What species of trout? What’s the length of the fishing season? Can you bring guests? Can they fish if you aren’t there? Are there streams or ponds for the young and old? Is it a tail water section of live water below a dam? If it’s not, winter and spring runoff may reduce the fishable months to March through May and July through October.

6. Access To Hiking/Biking/Skiing Trails

The option to “hike right out of you door” is appealing to many people. So are you looking for quick access to a biking, hiking or skiing trail? Most mountain towns offer access to hundreds of miles of hiking and biking in the summer and recreational access in the winter. This is a nice amenity, especially when you have guests. You don’t need to pile everyone in your vehicle and or two vehicles to do this. Although, if you are out exploring more trails you may need to, but it does reduce the number of moving parts. Check to see if there is public access or easements through the development you are looking at for access. Many of the trails or dirt roads you hike on in the summer may offer great options for Nordic skiing in the winter. It’s nice to be able to hike or ski back to the house if you or your guests are tired or cold.

7. VIEWS. 

This can be a deciding factor between two homes in the mountains. You may be looking at a home tucked away in an aspen grove or a home that offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Decide which type of view you are really looking for. Is it a western facing view of magnificent mountain sunsets? Is it a home that has great exposure and views of the east that would be perfect to see while drinking your morning coffee? Are these views protected? Find out who owns that land in the ‘viewshed’. What could be build there? Many homeowners buy adjacent lots just to guarantee open space and to protect their views of their mountain home. Unobstructed views will positively impact the value of a home or property. Homes on a National Forest fence line are also desirable.

A Word Of Advice – Consider These 7 Things When Buying Your Crested Butte Home

A vacation to the area is the perfect opportunity to familiarize yourself with Crested Butte real estate. Plan to take a half day to drive around and get the feel for different neighborhoods and areas within Crested Butte that seem interesting to you. The perfect home may be hard to find, but it’s out there for everyone. Keep an open mind. Your perspective can change. After looking at a few homes, what you thought you wanted, may change. Honestly, it may be better to find a home that has many of the features you want at the right price. Otherwise you could be waiting for the perfect dream home that never materializes. Some buyers “chase” a market. They visit and take trips to look for that perfect mountain home and the inventory of homes in their criteria is shrinking or the prices are increasing. It may be hard to let go of some things, but decide if you want to take the risk of increased prices, less options, or time slipping away from memories in that mountain home. Consider these 7 things when buying your Crested Butte home!

How can I help you?

I have over 30 years of business experience and am a top real estate agent in the mountain town of Crested Butte, Colorado representing affluent clients who are buying and selling their homes and properties. To see featured properties or search the MLS – visit chriskopf.com.

Are You Considering Buying or Selling a Home in the Crested Butte Area?

Chris Kopf
Broker / Owner
Global Luxury Property Specialist
Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties
Chris.Kopf@CBMP.com
(970) 209-5405