I love this barn from Isleboro, ME.  There are lots of homes that come with barns in Colorado, but I think most people use barns as actual barns here. Maybe as we see more and more people move to the Front Range area, we'll have to start converting barns to homes!

House Hunters on HGTV?  Probably my favorite show right now.  Who wouldn't want to peer into 3 houses around the US in just half an hour?  I've learned that in The Real World, the home buying process is never as simple as it is on the show!  

1. No buyer ever wants to only look at 3 homes ever.  Ever.  I mean... maybe if you had $500,000 in cash, you only had 3 hours to find a house, and you already had 12 other houses so it didn't really matter if you liked this one, you would only look at three houses.  Some of the buyers will admit that they've seen bunches more, but most don't mention it!  If I've done my job well, I should be able to show you 5 or 6 homes that are great fits.

2. You don't pick a house and then magically move in.  The buyers in House Hunters sit on a beautiful table in the park, pick their house, and then poof!  They're moved in.  There's so much in the middle - appraisals, surveys, inspections, title documents, HOA documents, transfer fees... it goes on and on!  There are plenty of things that can make a deal go sour, so keep your head on until you actually get to closing!

3. There's a lot more to a contract than just deciding the purchase price.  Who pays for the appraisal?  Who pays for the survey?  By what date do you want all of the documents?  What type of deed is the seller providing?  Is there a well?  How is the water provided?  ... now do you see what I mean?  It takes a couple hours to fill out a contract, not just one signature.

I'm sure most of you already know some of these... and I still totally love House Hunters!  The process is just a lot more complicated!

Notice anything funny about this picture?  Okay... besides the fact that I'm not a professional photographer?

Half of the side of the street has bunches of snow, and the other half has absolutely nothing!  It's been a while since Denver has had bunches of snow, but the snow on the ground still hasn't melted.

The secret?  The homes on the left face the north, so the houses form a shadow on the front lawn, street, sidewalks, and driveway.  The homes on the right get sun during the day, so the snow has melted.  My husband told me about the phenomenon when we moved to Colorado, but I didn't believe him until I saw entire streets buried in snow.

It's not that you can't buy a house if it faces north, but think about all of the shoveling you'd have to do!  

I absolutely fell in love with a house that I saw in Highlands Ranch, Colorado today.  The views lit.er.a.lly took my breath away!  It's the first house that made me forget about how much I miss Durango, Colorado.  Don't get me wrong... Denver is beautiful!  But the San Juan National Forrest around Durango is magical.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a photo from a different house. 

Don't get me wrong... I have nothing against little fishies.  Maybe the owner loves fishing and this bathroom is soothing for him?  I guess the fisher could be a woman too... but woman has ever said to herself,

"You know, my life would be so much better if I could just look at some fish in while I'm peeing in a teeny tiny bathroom?"

Do whatever you want when you own the house.  When you decide to list your property, it's time for the game face.  Take down the distracting wallpaper that makes this bathroom look even smaller and find a nice neutral color.  You want your buyers to envision themselves in your home, not trying to figure out why there are fish on the wall.