Have a Happy and Prosperous 2018!

The New Year is here, and in front of me. The year 2017 is in the rear-view. Adios! My real estate business performed well and stayed upright. Fly fishing was just ok and Phish tour was shorter than usual. But my family remains my centerpiece. And we just closed out the year and began a new year on an epic journey around the world to Thailand on a family trip. It was, for lack of a better word, amazing. Friends keep asking, “What was the take-away?” All I can say is how special it was to be just the four of us Hatches, together, 24/7 for two weeks, in a foreign country. That never happens back home. Together we navigated the Thai culture, nibbled and slurped amazing Thai food. We figured out their currency pretty fast but the language barrier presented some challenges. We learned how to say, “thank you” and we said it a lot. We became public transit experts by the end. We even rode high atop elephants in the jungle. We scooted around the busy streets in motorized 3-wheeled Tuk Tuks and by way of long-tail boats we road the ocean and rivers. We explored the beaches and jungles and drank one kind of beer, Chang Beer, because that’s about all they had to offer. I highlight was out New Year's Eve celebration in Chiang Mai where we released sky lanterns into the night sky and waved goodbye to another good year, while welcoming a new one. At the end, we endured over 20 hours of fly time each way. It was worth it. And we did all together and did it well. We got along, just the four of us. I will never forget it.

On the real estate front — the early buying and selling season is here. In several areas and price ranges we’re already seeing days to contract, with some over list price. But I will say, the market may be balancing somewhat with prices leveling out in some areas like Boulder. We saw modest appreciation last year at under 5%. More inventory should continue to the put market in balance. It will be interesting to see what happens this first quarter.

What plans do you have for your home in 2018? Are you considering selling your home? Purchasing an investment property? Or possibly remodeling that part of your home that you've always wanted to improve? The Buzz this month has insightful articles featuring some considerable reasons to sell in early 2018.

Also, don’t miss the year-end STATS and details about your property taxes. Let's connect soon about how I can help you buy, sell, or invest in our local market this year. It’s best to start early and plan ahead! And thank you again for your referrals. All the best, HATCH

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