7-1-2026 Acai Bowls, Buyer's Remorse, and a Lawn Game from Sweden

Permits, Pedicures, and a Whole Lot of Growing Up: This week had a little bit of everything, and by Wednesday, I was already saying "only in real estate" more than once.

Saturday was one of those days that reminds me why we live here. We spent the morning downtown in Evergreen and stopped at Kikis for acai and poke bowls (even my kids, who consider ketchup a vegetable, cleaned their bowls). Then we headed to the lake house and set up Kubb, a Swedish lawn game I grew up playing that's basically horseshoes crossed with chess if chess involved throwing wooden batons at your in-laws, and extra-large Jenga. It's become one of our favorite ways to spend a Colorado afternoon, and if you've never played it, put it on your list for the next family gathering.

Bridger got his driver's permit this week, which means he is now officially and terrifyingly legal to drive. I had a video reshoot out at one of my listings that's a little slower to sell (it's tucked away, which is charming until it's not), and once we turned off busy Highway 285 onto the quieter stretch, I let him take the wheel for about twenty minutes. Twice. He didn't touch his phone once. We just talked. He fell asleep at home afterward, though I honestly can't tell if that was the driving or the entire pizza he ate beforehand. Either way, I loved every minute of it. We also got pedicures together this week, no polish, just a much-needed cleanup, and discovered his toes are extremely ticklish. He's such a sweetheart, and I hope he knows how much these little windows matter to me.

Bridger also has elbow surgery scheduled soon. It's related to baseball and all that repetitive throwing and catching up with the bone and cartilage in his elbow. His doctor is Dr. Noonan, who works with the Rockies, so we feel like we're in good hands. The silver lining is that recovery means he'll spend real time strengthening his non-dominant side, which honestly sounds like a fun project. When else would any of us intentionally focus on our weak side for weeks at a time? He'll be back for basketball season in the fall.

Sterling has been doing absolutely nothing productive before we hit the road for our Boston trip, and I mean that as a compliment. Pure vegging. I did plenty of that as a kid too, and now I can't sit still to save my life, so maybe boredom now pays off later.

If you're local, go check out Bounties Brew, the new coffee shop in Aspen Park, tucked above Thai 202 near Taspen's. They serve Novo coffee, roasted locally in Denver, which happens to be the same coffee I served years ago at my old shop, The Shoe Merchant, a coffee-and-shoe store (yes, really) in Georgetown. Suz Cookie Jar, now serving breakfast and lunch, has moved into the old Kikis spot downtown, and a new bakery is moving into their old Marshdale location. Lots of good local moves are happening this summer, and all of it is worth supporting. 

Last thing: we met with our financial advisor this week, who showed us that if we keep putting $200 a month into the Roth IRA I set up for Bridger, and if the market performs at a historical 12% average over the next 50 years, he and Sterling could each end up with more than $10 million by retirement. That's obviously a projection, not a promise, but it made Bridger's whole week. If you have kids or grandkids, look into a Roth IRA for them. Social Security is not something I'd bet their retirement on, and the earlier the money goes in, the less anyone has to sacrifice later to catch up.

This Week in Real Estate: A Deal That Tested Me

Not every week in real estate is acai bowls and driving lessons. Midweek, a transaction I was working on hit a rough patch between other parties involved, not something I could have fully prevented, but something I worked hard to get through anyway. It resolved, and we're closing on that property today, but it left a mark.

Here's what I took from it, because I think it applies far beyond real estate. I can't take people at their word and assume everyone heard the same thing I did. Timelines and urgency need to be spelled out more than once, because what feels obvious to me isn't obvious to someone who's never worked with me before. I have good intentions, but strangers don't know that yet, and assuming they do is on me, not them. From now on, I'm going to repeat back what I'm hearing more often, just to make sure we're actually aligned and not just assuming we are.

On a lighter note, it was a productive stretch otherwise. I closed two transactions last week, this one closes today, and I got an offer on a piece of land, which is a nice one to have in progress while we're traveling since land deals tend to be lower maintenance. A few others are still moving along nicely.

And speaking of surprises, that intense rain we got hit both my in-law house (first flood ever) and a home I have under contract, the day before the buyers' inspection objection deadline. Lucky timing, honestly. We might never have known about a weak spot in that property's water diversion if the storm hadn't shown up right when it did.

The Market: What's Actually Happening in the Denver Metro and Foothills Market

Quick disclaimer before I get into this: I don't have a foothills-specific breakdown for Jefferson County right now, so this is more of a general read on conditions, and I'd rather keep it honest than hand you a stale number dressed up as current. If you want a real number for your specific neighborhood, reach out, and I'll pull it fresh for you.

Mortgage rates are hovering in the mid-6 % range right now, around 6.5% for a 30-year fixed as of the last few weeks, and most forecasts (Fannie Mae, the Mortgage Bankers Association) expect rates to stay in that neighborhood through the rest of the year rather than drop meaningfully. If you were waiting for 3% rates to come back, I'd stop waiting and start planning around today's numbers instead.

Inventory has been building across the Denver Metro area this year, which is good news if you're buying because it means more selection and a little more room to negotiate than we saw a few years ago. The $1 million and up segment has stayed notably active despite everything else in the economy, while more moderately priced homes are seeing a bit more give.

For sellers, the theme this year is simple: preparation matters more than it used to. Homes that are priced right, show well, and have obvious deferred maintenance addressed before listing are still moving. Homes that go on the market "as is" and hope for a bidding war are sitting longer. If you're thinking about downsizing, selling a family home in Evergreen or Conifer, or considering moving to the Colorado mountains yourself, now is a reasonable time to have a real conversation about strategy rather than waiting to see what happens next. I'm always happy to walk through what your specific property and situation look like.