May 2007 Newsletter

NEWS OF THE VALLEY

SOLAR ENERGY PLANT TO BE BUILT IN ALAMOSA COUNTY

Sun Edison of Baltimore, MD, in conjunction with Xcel Energy in Colorado, broke ground on a 17,000 megawat solar energy power plant located 17 miles north of Alamosa in late April. The San Luis Valley has excellent conditions for solar energy and and this plant will be home to one of the nation's largest photovoltaic plants now. The site is 82 acres and when finished will provide enough clean energy to power nearly 1,500 homes in the area by 2008.

Internet article from Sun Edison

Click for Sustainablog-more info

Fort Garland Museum Events for the Summer

If you are visiting the area this summer-- of just haven't taken the time to go to the old Fort Museum... here are some of their events for the summer:

May 12- One Day workshop on Spanish Colonial music and dance 9:30-4:00 presented as a grant from the Colorado council on the Arts Folk Arts

May 17 - Business Meeting at All-Gon Pizza - noon

May 26-27 - MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ENCAMPMENT. Re-enactors from Colorado and New Mexico have events scheduled throughout the weekend

June 7 - Highway Cleanup Crew- meeting at the picnic tables 2 miles east of Fort Garland at 8 AM

June 19- Steve "Two Path" Leewaye whose grandmother was a Navajo will be a guest speaker and discuss his family's history in the San Luis Valley, including the early days of slavery. Program begins at 6:30

July 1 - Exhibit and Book Reading to commemorate the 150th aniverary of the first business in Colorado - the R&R Market in San Luis -- still in operation.

Events for the rest of the summer are on their website at

Fort Garland Museum - Friends of the Fort

Wood Poachers -- by Wolfgang

Lately we have heard several stories about wood poachers in Costilla County.

Wood Poachers are a tiny group of locals that believe it is perfectly fine for them to harvest firewood from the 97% of the land belonging to out-of-state owners

Forbes still maintains a huge ranch in this County and they put on several "Wood Fests" each fall to allow people to cut dead trees for firewood. They charge a nominal $10 per truck load when people enter the Forbes Ranch and most people in the County get their firewood during these Wood Fests.

Costilla County has only 1300 permanent residences and about 3700 people.

Once it get cold (yes, its gets cold down here), there are a few local men in pick-up trucks that will drive the Sangre De Cristo Ranch Area to "harvest" firewood. They love driveways without a chain, or easy access to the trees from the public roads. Up till now, they have been cutting down mostly dead trees, but lately we have heard reports of live trees being cut, and that of course is of great concern to us land owners.

If you own land in the SDCR Area, here is some advice:

If you have a permanent neighbor nearby, “empower" them to watch your property.

Otherwise, on your next visit, make your parcel inaccessible. If these people cannot drive close to the trees they are cutting, they will probably go down the road.

Put a locked chain across your main entrance. Dig some trenches next to the road to keep poachers from driving into your property. If you put in a driveway, put in a bend that poachers think someone may be back in the trees and out of sight. Put up a sign" Protected by Smith and Wesson" (these signs are more effective than "Keep Out" or "Private Property". String some barbed wire across areas that provide easy access into the lot. Let us know if you have some other suggestions or experience with this type of thing.

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, (Oh MY-- and Snakes and Rats!)

The very popular SLVownersbuilders Group on Yahoo is running a great discussion of wildlife, including where and when and who has seen what. If you own property in the area and plan to build at some point, or are gathering information for re-locating to the area, please check this group. There is so much neat information being shared there and it is really starting to make an impact.

Our friend Tonya Poole is the group administrator and she is doing an excellent job of moderating and providing a real public service to folks. OK-- no lions or tigers; bears are possible but not probable, and yes on a few snakes here and there and mice and rats if you leave your place unattended and didn't patch up holes and cracks.

Click for Yahoo.com- SLV OWNER-BUILDER GROUP

WHAT IS MY PROPERTY WORTH, ANYWAY?

Our Land Prices are Going Up

During the 1900’s, there were several land promotions in Costilla County, most notably the sale of 6,500 acres in 1908 by the San Luis Valley Land Company. By 1965, the Costilla County Assessor showed 22,000 parcels of land on their ownership list. Then the Sangre De Cristo Land Grant came up for sale and more that one million acres of land were sold to developers for under $10/acre. During the next 20 years, 50,000 parcels of land were platted, surveyed, and sold nationally and internationally. More than 600 miles of new roads were put in by these developers. By 1985 72,000 parcels of land were on the Costilla County tax rolls. When San Luis Valley Ranches started selling their 5-acre lots in 1968, they had a sales office along US Highway 160 and they were selling 5 acres for $15 down and $15/month. After 10 years, the land was paid for and the new owners received their Warranty Deed. At the same time, Forbes was developing and selling over 10,000 parcels with 1-5 acre lots in Forbes Park, 5 plus acre parcels in Sangre De Cristo Ranches and 40 acre ranches in the Wagon Creek Development. By 1985 - 50,000 new landowners from all over the United States and the world owned a piece of land in Costilla County.

Most of the new land buyers were in the age group of 35-50 when they bought their land and over the next 15 years, up to the year 2000, land prices stayed at or below the original sales prices, since there was a steady stream of sellers. San Luis Valley Ranch Lots had originally sold for $1,500 for 5 acres and later for $2,500 and $3,500. Sangre De Cristo Ranches sold originally for $3,000 and Forbes Park land ranged from $3,000 to $12,000 with premium lots, next to the Common Area selling above $8,000.

Based on deed recording data, sales of land ranged from two to three-thousand parcels per year between 1985 and 2000. Then came E-Bay and September 11, 2001! Land sales doubled and later tripled. More than half of the original land buyers had sold and a new generation of Costilla County landowners have taken over. Many SDCR and Forbes Park lots have doubled and tripled in price over the last 5 years. The biggest gains are in land with trees, views, close to power, and year-round access. SLVR Lots that were selling for $2,000 in the year 2000 are now selling over $4,000. In 2006 several SDCR parcels sold for more than $20,000. As is true in any real estate sale —Location, Location, Location.

It is not uncommon in 2007 to see Forbes Park lots listed for $12,000 to $20,000 with premium lots well above that. One Forbes Park seller is offering premium parcels ranging from $30,000 to

$90,000. “Offering” does not mean successful sales—but there are folks out there with money, so who knows what is going to happen.

In contrast, a 5-acre “Prairie Lot” in northern Colorado can sell for more than $100,000, which is 20 times the price of a similar SLVR lot. A 5-acre treed lot with mountain views, good access, and power nearby in the Front Range (between Colorado Springs and Fort Collins) will often sell for over $250,000, which is at least 10 times the price of a similar parcel in Costilla County. Another consideration to take into account is the cost for building. For new “estate lot” construction, with lot sizes over 1 acre, a reasonable land cost is 20% to 30% of the total. There are over 40 homes in Forbes Park valued at around $500,000. Land prices for a $400,000 home could run $100,000 to $120,000 based on that analysis.

In Wolfgang’s opinion, land prices in Costilla County are still under-valued and several more years of 15%-25% gains are coming.

There is no doubt that the secret is out about the San Luis Valley!

Owning land is vitally important and a strong desire for many Americans- no matter if their roots were from the Pilgrims and early settlers or from among the Native and indigenous people whose lands were stolen or in dispute. Having ground that you can call your own is meaningful and enriching and what it is worth to you is very personal. Your use of the land is what matters and your memories of a family vacation, relaxing time, being at one with nature in a beautiful setting, and the investment you made in your land-- in both time, resources, and the fullfillment of YOUR Dream is what really seems count at the end of the day.

SNEAK PEEK--NEW PROPERTIES

In Alamosa County, we have a really nice Kit Trailer that is all set up on 5+ acres that you can move right into. It is priced reasonably and in a great location.

We also have a friend selling another camper and a trailer that we can furnish details for that if you are interested. We've not been able to get it promoted yet-- but plan to soon.

We have a gorgeous property in SDCR Unit C-3 which we have been sitting on. The elevation in that area is such that getting there to show it would have been difficult the last few months. This is a high-country parcel with aspens and tall pines that will be an ideal camping and secluded hide-away for summer and fall vacations. It is 6.62 acres and will be $10,000 cash or $11,000 if we finance. There is no power in that area. If you want photos, we have fall photos of it that we took in 2005 and we can send you more details by email (Reserved by Tim and JoAnn

5-7-07)

High country-- Unit U-2 over 10 acres

Forested -- secluded -- Unit S-2

Flat - easily accessible -- SLVR-- value priced --many properties!

We have a lot of parcels that we sell privately off our website -- but let us know what you are looking for and be specific.

Wolfgang's schedule for showing land will be greatly expanded in June, August, September. In July -- we have plans for the first part of the month, but will definitely be in Costilla County showing land. Please keep your eye on our calendar --link below:

OUR CALENDAR

Jane is selling her mother's home in Windsor, CO -- located 60 miles north of Denver in the middle of the "front range." It is built in 1995, frame, one story with a full unfinished basement, double car garage, 3 bedrooms, two baths, a large mature yard with a sprinkler system, great roses, a pergola, a storage shed, and many other features, including appliances. If you have any interest in that or know anybody who does, the house recently appraised at $233,000. Windsor is a growing town of 20,000 people located between Greeley and Fort Collins, CO. There is an Eastman Kodak plant located there and lots of opportunities, including a new Vesta Wind Turbine plant that is being built. This home is 3 blocks from a shopping center, 6 blocks from an elementary school, but is in a quiet residential area with great neighbors.