The Peloton – Inside Scoop!
by Osman Parvez ---- The Peloton hosted an open house on Friday celebrating the grand opening of a community building. As I mentioned in my last post, a $100,000 incentive was also being offered. That sounded like a big discount. So on behalf our clients and you loyal readers of this blog, I sent a top operative from Realty Unique to investigate... me. I toured the facility, sampled the catering, and chatted with the sales people. Here's what I found... Wait. First, I should mention that I didn't really know what to expect. Like you, I've seen and heard the [...]
Peloton – Save $100K?
by Osman Parvez ---- Hmm... the Peloton is offering a $100K discount on condos. Ah, but today only. Seems I was right to hold off on that Vespa. I'm going to try to swing by the sales office to hear their pitch. Frankly, with this promotion not to mention the advertising saturation, it doesn't seem like the Peloton is selling so well. This latest push, assuming it's true, also seems like quite the smack in the face to buyers who already put their deposits down at full price. It reminds me of Steve Jobs recent marketing goof when he dropped [...]
Burning Down the House
by Osman Parvez ---- Last year, there were 1.6 million fires reported in the United States. Although it always seems to happen to someone else, it's a real danger. Over 300 people died in fires during 2006. And just like lightning, it can strike twice. Yesterday there was a fire at Gold Run in Boulder. Again. You could say I have some familiarity with Gold Run. Years ago, I lived there for a Summer. It's located centrally and in close proximity to the university. The units are nicely situated and all are a little different from one another. It's right [...]
What’s Next for Washington Village
by Osman Parvez ---- Now that the developer has conditional approval, what's next for the project? It seems a push for sales given an upcoming deadline for closing. From the Daily Camera: There are still details to be figured out. The City Council approved the project on the condition that Leach wait to develop two of the single-family housing lots to give the city — or another buyer — a chance to purchase them and convert them into park space. Leach said he's hoping neighbors — many of whom opposed the project — will urge the city to find the [...]
Does this Roof Look Right? VOTE!
by Osman Parvez ---- A roof is an expensive item to replace. A neighbor recently had his replaced and wasn't pleased with the results. He's looking for some feedback. If you have a moment, please take a look at the photos and vote in the poll at the bottom of this post. If you have anything else to share, feel free to leave a comment as well. This is what he wrote on our neighborhood email list: -------------- We had a new roof put on our house and garage this Monday and Tuesday. The workers and bosses didn't inspire much [...]
Restaurant Review: Nepali Cuisine
by Osman Parvez ---- Dining in South Boulder (SoBo) is pretty good. There are a half dozen decent restaurants, all within walking distance. Already good, your options just got even better. Introducing Nepali Cuisine. Tucked away on a side street off Table Mesa drive, the restaurant sits inside an unimposing office building, nestled among accounting firms and other small businesses. As we walked to the door, a white plastic banner flapped in the October breeze, announcing last month's grand opening. With friends giving it enthusiastic thumbs-up, I was hopeful. And boy were we glad we went! And I grew up [...]
Changes to Green Points Workshop
by Osman Parvez ---- Considering a scrape-off, remodel, or new construction project in Boulder? There's a upcoming workshop you should attend for proposed changes to the Green Points program and building codes. What: Workshop on changes to building codes and green points When: 2 to 4 pm, October 23, 2007 Where: East Boulder Community Center (5660 Sioux Drive) Proposed Changes effective: January, 2008 Proposed changes include three mandatory measures: 1. New, tiered energy efficiency thresholds above 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for new construction 2. A home energy audit of the existing structure and the installation of compact fluorescent [...]
Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Rock On!
by Osman Parvez ---- CP+B (a.k.a "the Craziest Ad Guys in America"), were recently granted a $100K rebate by the City of Boulder in sales and use taxes, development reviews, and building permit fees. You may recall CP+B from my last post on the company: Why Boulder? What caught my eye from the press release is that the company, which started the Boulder office only 15 months ago, has grown its local presence to 270 employees. They opened the office with only 40 people (including the partners, who own homes here by the way). That means they're been hiring [...]
Paying it Forward
by Osman Parvez ---- What happens when founders give back to the community? The virtuous cycle continues. From the Denver Business Journal: A University of Colorado professor has donated $20 million toward construction of a biotechnology center near the Boulder campus -- one of the largest single private gifts ever made to CU. CU, which announced the gift Tuesday, said the donation from professor Marvin Caruthers was the largest sum ever donated by a CU faculty member to the university. Caruthers is a noted biotechnology inventor who has taught in CU's chemistry and biochemistry department for 34 years. In July [...]
Actually, It’s Easy to Be Green
by Osman Parvez ---- A nice thing about living in Boulder is the range of efforts to promote environmental sustainability. At our neighborhood association meeting Monday night, we enjoyed a presentation by Yael Gichon, an education and outreach specialist from the City of Boulder, Environmental Affairs office. Here are a few programs and websites that you should be aware of. Climate Smart: a Boulder County effort to help individuals, families and businesses increase their energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint. ClimateSmart helps connect people and businesses to various programs designed by the city of Boulder's Office of Environmental Affairs, [...]
If Only Colbert Was Running for City Council
by Osman Parvez ---- There are currently 21 candidates running for City Council in Boulder. 21 for 7 open slots! Not only is this unusually high, but what other small city in America gets local election coverage in the Daily Kos (a popular political blog which receives up to 5 million visits a week)? In the past few months, there have been opportunities to meet candidates and consider the issues. From forums and debates, we know a little about what they think. We know who has endorsed their candidacy. We even know precisely where they live - on a Google [...]
Transit Village Wins City Council Approval
by Osman Parvez ---- From the Daily Camera The Boulder City Council approved a plan for zoning changes and street layout for the 160 acres of privately owned land surrounding a parcel of city-owned property at 30th and Pearl streets. That parcel, the 11-acre Transit Village site, will be the home of bus rapid transit and commuter rail expected to arrive in Boulder in the next decade. The chart below shows the comparisons between the transit village area today, in the future under current trends, and in the future under the Area Plan. It also compares the jobs to population [...]
Washington School Update
by Osman Parvez ---- The Washington School Cohousing Project was granted conditional approval from the Planning Board on Friday. ~300 people showed up for the meeting which lasted 8 hours. From The Daily Camera: The decision to approve the plan with a series of conditions — including a requirement that the developer provide more open space — may not be the final one. The City Council could decide to review, and possibly revise or even overturn, the Planning Board's decision. and Among the most significant [conditions] is the development will be required to provide more open space to the neighborhood. [...]
A Storm Brewing on Washington Street
by Osman Parvez ---- It was about a year ago when I sat in a workshop directed at buyers of property at the Washington Street School development. I joined an interesting exercise directed at developing a vision for what this community would look like. Although I eventually passed on the project, little did I imagine the storm brewing today. The development is aimed at turning the former school property into a cohousing community, under the direction of Jim Leach and Wonderland Hills Development Corporation. The project, which gained some preliminary approvals from the City and has been in process for [...]
The Washington Street School Debate Rages
by Osman Parvez ---- Here's more open dialogue occurring around the Washington Street School Re-Development Project. This continues from my previous post. From Greg Sherwin: Hi John and Washington School Neighbors, Thank you, John, for taking the time to share your “neighborhood” perspective about Wonderland Hills, BVSD, the City government and yourselves as Washington School neighbors. I am receiving an education. The gift that you have given me, and ultimately perhaps yourselves, is detailing your reasoning for your chosen course of action to try and kill this Wonderland Hills proposed development of this site. I can now offer another perspective [...]
Welcome to House Einstein
Locations, Due Diligence, Negotiation
Testimonials
Osman was a refreshingly honest realtor. He stressed through the entire process that his goal was to make me happy with my home purchase. I greatly appreciated the fact that he never shied away from pointing out the negatives as well as the pluses of different places while leaving the final decision up to me.
We can highly recommend Sophie. Her attention to detail and communication skills are great. Our home was in area that most realtors are not familiar with, but Sophie took extra time to get to know the neighborhood in order to give us quality service. She also brought in a professional photographer to make our home look its best. Even though the listing was in winter, the house sold quickly. With Sophie’s business and people skills, we have no doubt she will be a top realtor in the area.
