A SENSE OF COMMUNITY: WHAT BUYERS ARE REALLY AFTER

As we witness urbanism giving way to suburbs, smaller communities, and resorts like Steamboat Springs, I don't think people are just looking to get out of the city. I think there is a shift happening where people who were once attracted to the gypsy melting pots of LA or NYC, are now looking for a sense of community. It isn't just the properties with acreage and yard spaces that are selling, in Steamboat it is a full circle of inventory that is picking up speed, from downtown condos to off grid homes to land.  Buyers are after an interconnected community, and that is what we have in Steamboat Springs. According to Scott Ford, owner of Pinnacle Economist Research Group, 70% of people who live within the Steamboat Springs School District also work within the Steamboat Springs School District, which results in our paths crossing all the time.  We recognize each other and help each other when we need it. We have neighbors who will check on your house when you leave town, or help shovel your car out when we get a two foot snow storm.

When I moved to Steamboat Springs, it was truly just to get the hell out of Minnesota and to be in the mountains, but the reason I stayed was not because of the outdoors and beauty, although that played a big part, it was larger than that, it was the welcoming embrace that Steamboat offered me. One of my first memories, was at the post office, it must have been a few weeks after I moved to Steamboat and I ran into Cookie Lockhart's daughter, who at that time I had no idea who she was and I think she went by the name of Mama D, but don't quote me on that. I remember her striking up a conversation with me and as I told her my story she ended up offering me a job helping her with odds and ends. I never ended up taking it, but looking back it is the perfect example of the type of community we have in Steamboat and the kindness and generosity that is so contagious. It's not only the kindness from our neighbors it is the outpouring generosity from the entire community when people are in need. That is why it is so hard to think of living anywhere else.

As we learn more about COVID-19 and get closer to a therapy or vaccine, I think we will slowly get back to a similar life of what we once had, but I think this experience will linger in peoples minds and a well knit community will become even more desirable than before.

If you have any questions on real estate or Steamboat Springs in general please don't hesitate to call or email me at 970.819.5581 or sarah.peterson@steamboatsir.com


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