11-11-2026 Blessing Baskets, Recital Nerves, and Why Clean Houses Sell

Picture me in a dance class, trying to remember which foot goes where. That's my life right now. I'm back at dancing after about a month off, and I'm happy to be there, and honestly, a little terrified. We have a recital in mid-January, and the song is "Video Killed the Radio Star." I recorded last week's class and haven't practiced since, so I'm starting from scratch. Everyone in my class is better than me, and that's fine. What worries me is missing a step and dragging the group down.

I'm excited that Sterling has started tutoring. He's really smart, and he just needs someone who can teach to his particular style. I can't wait to see him get the attention he needs and reach his potential. Bridger landed a job at Ripple and starts Sunday, and he needs the paycheck. Two boys working and one mom cheering from the sidelines.

The blessing baskets are coming together. I have eight ready for delivery, and we've been asked for about 18. Drop-off and pick-up is technically this Saturday, the 14th, but I'd rather deliver early than come up short. Next up are mini pies for the Elk Creek staff and teachers. Sterling and I, and maybe Bridger, will bake them. Sterling has hand-delivered treats by wagon for about four years, and this is his last year at Elk Creek. I'm sad about that, but the pies are staying.

Summit Sisters poker night is the Saturday after Thanksgiving at Christine's new sunroom, with a pool table and shuffleboard to warm up before the cards come out. Linda and I are planning a vision board afternoon on the last Saturday in January, with details to come. All ladies are welcome.

Our Sunday hikes at Staunton now start at 9 am. I'm not a natural outdoors person, but when people are waiting for me, I show up.

This Week in Real Estate: On The Ground This Week

I lost two listing appointments this week, and I've spent more time than I'd like wondering why. Most of the time, sellers hire me. These two went elsewhere, and I can't say for sure what tipped the scale.

I have two theories. First, I don't negotiate my commission. If I cut my fee to win the listing, what would that say about how hard I'd push for your sale price? Second, I'm honest. One of the listings I didn't win went live with blurry photos and a messy house. I pay for top-tier marketing. AI can edit clutter out of a photo, but it can't edit clutter out of real life. I always recommend packing up anything smaller than a football, and some people just don't want to do that.

As a realtor in the CO foothills, I see the same pattern again and again. Selling a home takes work. You clean, pack the knickknacks, do the yard work, and spruce things up. Skip that, and buyers show up with lower offers, if they show up at all. Some sellers don't want to hear that, and I have to be okay with it. I'd rather they not hire me than hire me and then blame me for expectations I never set straight.

So if you believe you get what you pay for, are willing to put in a little sweat equity, and can handle the truth, then I am the gal for you.

The Market: Evergreen, Conifer & Pine Market Snapshot

Homes that cut their price this week took a median 106 days to sell, down from 139 last week. Homes that didn't have to reduce their price and were priced right from the start sold in a median of 24.5 days, up from 13. The gap between those two groups surprised me.

This snapshot uses only the MLS sold data I pulled for Evergreen, Conifer, and Pine. This week's 11 sales (7 in Evergreen, 3 in Pine, and 1 in Conifer) had a median sale price of $950,000, down from $1,095,000 across last week's 19 sales. The median list-to-sale ratio slipped to 97.5% from 100.0%. Seven of this week's 11 sales had a price reduction. Six of those 11 sales included seller concessions, with a median of $5,750 per home. Last week, 10 of 19 sales included concessions, with a median of $19,900.

The sample is small, so treat these numbers as a snapshot rather than a trend. The home that sat for 549 days still sold, for $3.6 million, after its list price dropped from $4.5 million to $3.9 million.