I have lived in Colorado Springs, CO for over 12 years. I am a Colorado native and I am here to give you a couple tips about Colorado Springs, CO.
First my favorite topic that I will be tackling: FOOD. There are so many fantastic places to eat in Colorado Springs, you just have to look. Here is my list of favorites based on type of dinning you will be doing:
Burgers: South Side Johnny’s (Lunch and Dinner) features some of the yummiest cheese burgers in town. His fries are not so bad either. Johnny’s is a biker bar with class. Great place to go for an afternoon burger or open faced turkey sandwich smothered in Green chili. www.southsidejohnnys.biz
Steaks: the Famous! (Lunch and Dinner) This is not jus a dinner it’s an event! Not exactly a cheap place to eat but the food is worth every bite. Fantastic cuts of meat, wonderful service and a large selection of wines and spirits at the bar! 31 N Tejon St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Local Brew: The Phantom Canyon. (lunch and dinner, brunch on Sundays) Serving up an eclectic menu of anything and everything like tacos, salads, roasts, and burgers. I highly recommend their side salad with everything since they have the best ranch dressing in town! Menu changes regularly so you will always experience something new! www.phantomcanyon.com
Mexican Food: El Taco Rey (Lunch)- Serving up some of the areas best Mexican dishes out of a little hole in the wall. Highly recommend the pork and avocado burritos smothered in green chili with plenty of salsa on top! SO GOOD you’ll wish you could fit 2 in your tummy! The only thing I can’t stand about this place is it’s not open on the weekends so I rarely have the time to travel downtown to eat there :*( 330 E Colorado Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Breakfast: The Olive Branch. Both healthy and affordable the Olive Branch off Tejon st in Downtown Colorado Springs offers something for everyone. Orange juice is fresh squeeze to order and the pancakes are awesome. The perfect place to take friends, family or clients for a cozy breakfast with a bit of class. http://www.theolivebranchrest.com/
Brunch: The Sunbird. What do you get when you mix crab legs with pancakes and Champaign mimosas? You get brunch honey and it’s good! The sunbird offers a brunch every weekend (reservations required) and does it at the top of a hill where the views are breath taking. Perfect place to take someone for a special occasion! http://www.thesunbird.com/
Thai: Bhan Thai. I LOVE Thai food and Bhan Thai does all the right things to make it work! Prices are right and dishes are delish! I love the Thai beef salad and the Tom Yum Guy soup. The Thai iced teas are also fantastic. Eat up but be warned they like it HOT! 1025 N Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909
NY style pizza: NYPD Pizza. Now the thing is my boyfriend is from NY and when he wants pizza you know it HAS TO BE NY Style so it has taken a LOT of tastings and research to find something that he likes. NYPD wins in Colorado Springs. Their pies are fantastic. I highly recommend the Sicilian because the crust is to die for! It has this fantastic garlic bread taste. Oh so good! 1588 Minnetonka Pl, Colorado Springs, CO 80915
Sushi: Im torn so I will put 2 of my favorites: Ai Sushi off cinema drive serves up fantastic sushi with tons of selection. They specialize in what I refer to as “fancy” rolls. I recommend the Chili Roll and the Avalanche II Roll. Their sashimi is also very tasty. 3215 Cinema Pt, Colorado Springs, CO 80922
Now my second choice is Fujuyama downtown. They have a wonderful selection of rolls from traditional to “fancy” rolls. The Oh My God Roll is very good so maybe try that. They also have a really great lunch special. http://fujiyamasushi.com/
Tea for 2 (or one): Montague's Parlour. If coffee is not your cup of tea then head on over to Montague’s for a delightful selection of teas and pastries. Cozy up to a book and enjoy the comfy couches and chairs. 1019 S Tejon St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Italian: Para Vicini's Italian Bistro. Absolutely nothing gets close to Para Vicini’s when it comes to Italian food in Colorado Springs. This local gem is a fantastic place for wine and pasta (and don’t forget the bing cherry cheesecake for dessert!). If you are one of those people that get stuck on one dish that is your favorite and just have a really hard time straying from that dish then you better not try the Veal Giuseppe because it is down right addictive! Get it with the house Chianti and you will have yourself one fantastic meal! http://www.paravicinis.com/
Deli (Italian): Mollica's Italian Market. Serisouly some good and authentic Italian food, meats, cheeses and sausages. I highly recommend the sausage and peppers sandwich! http://www.mollicas.com
BBQ: Bird Dog BBQ. Maybe because it’s close to my house. Maybe it’s the cute photos of Dogs everywhere or maybe it’s that they serve fried okra perfectly salted but whatever it is Bird Dog is a great place to get some Oklahoma style BBQ. The sauces are wonderfully yummy and the meat is tender! Don’t forget to bring a photo of your pup to contribute! http://www.birddogbbq.com/
Okay now that I have overwhelmed you with some of my favorite places to eat I will leave you so I can go get lunch. My pick for lunch? Did I mention The Taste of Philly for the best Philly cheese steak sandwiches in town?!?! www.tasteofphilly.biz
For more restaurant tips please feel free to leave a message and I will let you know what I think. For more about Colorado Springs please check on my blog again soon because I plan of doing a series of post on the best places to live, play, and watch what happens in Colorado Springs and surrounding areas.
And for more information about Campbell Homes, the company I work for please visit us online at www.campbellhomes.com.
Now tell me friends what’s your favorite food? And if you live in Colorado Springs where do you like to eat?
Monday, March 30, 2009
So you are thinking of moving to Colorado Springs and you don’t know where to eat?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Whats love got to do with it...tips for selling your home
Its not just a second hand emotion folks it’s the real deal which means when you go to sell your home you need to know how to emotionally grab your buyer (you know the people viewing the home and thinking about making it their own). Preserved value is everything and nothing helps build value more then emotional pull. So you wonder “How do I accomplish this?”
It’s easy:
#1 Make the right adjustments. This means when you are ready to sell your home think about what is worth updating and changing in your home to make it look better and be more valuable to a buyer. This could mean new carpet, new appliances or new (preferably neutral) paint. Think about the market value of your home and think about how you can increase the value without over pricing your home. Focus on kitchens and bathrooms.
#2 Clean it. Your home can not have any clutter. It needs to be tidy and clean. Bright and dust free. If you need to hire a cleaning person to freshen things up until it sells. I suggest getting a storage unit and start moving out the unnecessary things that clutter your rooms and closets.
#3 Stage it. A professionally staged home is proven to sell faster then a non-staged home. If you can’t afford a stager do your research and figure out the best way to set up each room to maximize its size and use.
#4 If there is one thing you can’t skimp out on when selling your home I would say it’s a REALTOR. A good realtor will advise you on how to stage, present, price right, update and list your home correctly. Your home will sit much less if you have a good Agent on your side. But buyer beware… research your Realtors success rate and make sure they are working for you not against you.
Now when a prospective buyer comes through your clean, nice smelling, clutter free and updated home they will feel at home. They will have an emotional feeling that this is it! And they will make an offer.
I hope this helps you at least a little bit when it comes to selling your old home. Now if you want further advise on how to find the right new home please feel free to contact me at knoble@campbellhomes.com and if you are in the Colorado Springs area feel free to stop into any of our communities and take a look. You can get more information about Campbell Homes at www.campbellhomes.com
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Can you afford NOT to buy?
I was enjoying a sushi dinner last night with a couple of my girl friends when the topic of home buying came up. One of the ladies had mentioned that she was thinking about purchasing a new home but was leaning more on the side of renting for another year to “save up some money”. “Why?” I asked. She said she simply didn’t think she had the money to buy right now.
This leads me to my point… Why are so many people on the fence? I think it is because we are not educating them into not only why NOW is the time to buy, but also showing them the cost difference if they waited a year.
Let’s look at an example: (and forgive me if I did not calculate this exactly right since I am not a mortgage person)
A house worth $200,000 today in Colorado Springs would be worth about 210,000 in a year based on historical data supporting a 5% appreciation rate in Colorado Springs, CO.
Now let’s look at interest rates. The last interest rate I saw was at 5.25 for a conv loan. Let’s say that goes to 6% in a year (which is actually being pretty conservative).
Now we look at the tax credit of $8,000 which goes away after Nov 30, 2009.
Now let’s compare:
Now I understand that the tax credit is for first time buyers only but even so non first time buyers would be saving $57,600 over the course of the loan.
If you continue to wait, you may never be able to afford a home of your own. Even if the housing market is in a downturn other things have to be evaluated including: rents, along with the cost of living which continues to climb.
There is no better way to build wealth and invest in your future then owning a home. Once you become a home owner, you are able to take advantage of the generous tax deductions that homeownership offers, not to mention you will be building equity in your property. As your property builds in equity, you can use those gains to sell your starter home and afford to move into a bigger house.
If you are unsure about whether or not you can afford your dream home, you may want to scale back on your expectations and go for a home you can afford with the idea of moving up into a better home in the future. Instead of trying to buy a 2,000 square foot home, consider shopping for a 1,500 square foot home. Buy what you need and then you can build the equity and savings that it takes to get to the “dream home”
The sooner you make the jump from renter to home owner, the faster you will begin to create wealth for your future.
The question is not why wait the question is can you afford to?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
What does Home Mean to you? Let us know!
I want to know what home means to you! to participate simply send me a photo, short video, or a couple of sentences that explain what home means to you. I will be showcasing these clips in my blog
“What home means” and creating a montage of the meaning of home. Check out my photos for examples of what home means to me!
Send your clips to knoble@campbellhomes.com and let me know what Home Means to YOU!
