How this Denver Chef Designed His Dream Kitchen

 
 

When Denver Chef and Owner of local restaurant Prohibition Jimmy Callahan designs a kitchen, he considers every inch of space and every little detail…especially when it’s in his own house!

His gorgeous home in Uptown is no exception, currently listed for sale by West + Main Homes, the entire space is full of surprises, and the love definitely shows through in every decision. By combining two units into one rare and spacious home, Jimmy and his partner Angie Scartezina created a place that’s truly an unexpected surprise in their coveted neighborhood, nestled in a classic brick Denver Victorian on 17th Street.

 
 

The showstopper is definitely the kitchen, so we asked Jimmy to spill all the tea!

Q: So, when a Chef like yourself starts to think about building a new kitchen from scratch, where do you even begin?

Jimmy: I wanted my cooking area on the island. A lot of people put their sink in the island, but I wanted to be able to cook and entertain at the same time. With this layout, I can cook and engage with my guests at the same time. People can sit at the bar and have a drink while I’m cooking. Everyone gets to be part of the conversation.

 
 

Q: What trends are you seeing in kitchens that you’re really into?

Jimmy: I really like the soft close and electronic doors, these are super nice to have. There’s no handles in anything in the kitchen, so it’s all super sleek. They’re crazy expensive, but worth it. 


Q: Is there anything about your kitchen that tends to surprise people (other than the fact that it literally looks like it should be in a modern art museum)?

Jimmy: We don’t have a microwave in the kitchen, which people always wonder how we function without one. Most of the stuff we heat up, we use the little mini oven. I love to warm up like three trays of food for my family, so we all get a little bit of everything from the last few days.

Q: I know the whole kitchen was definitely a splurge and you guys didn’t cut corners on anything, but is there one thing that was a must-have that people should maybe consider investing in if they are thinking about upgrading their kitchen?

Jimmy: We love having the big 48” fridge, once you have one, you really can’t go back. We also love the range top in the island. It has four burners, and then a 24” griddle in the middle. It’s great to cook breakfast or do hibachi-style dinners.

Those dinners are one thing the kids love. There’s a warming drawer on the right side which is great for when you’re cooking a big brunch for a bunch of people, and you can keep the bacon and pancakes warm while you’re cooking other things.

Q: Anything else you’re going to miss and look to do again at the new house?

Jimmy: Definitely the outdoor kitchen. We put it in during quarantine, while we found ourselves spending a bunch of time outside. It has a big island, a couch, 6 bar stools, and a napoleon grill, which is so awesome.

Q: We know that you obviously love to cook, especially for friends + family. Is there one standout meal or dish that you’ll always enjoy remembering as you say goodbye to your Uptown digs?

Jimmy: Favorite memory. We love doing New Year’s dinners. We’ve done three in this kitchen. The first year we did it with my friend and his wife, and we cooked an amazing five course meal. The next year during covid we did it with the kids, which they loved. This last year we went a little easy and only did three courses. The New Year’s dinners are one of my favorite things!

 
 

Q: Amazing. Soooo…your new house. You haven’t even moved in yet, but we hear it’s pretty dreamy. How’s the kitchen though?

Jimmy: Oh it sucks. You can’t even tell the temperature in the oven. I can’t wait to get in there and get started. It’s going to be similar and I’ve already started planning…the layout is going to be very similar and the island will be exactly the same, but one thing we’re doing differently is we aren’t going to have anything over counter level, since we have some more space over there.

Jimmy, thank you so much for taking the time to share all of this advice, and especially the memories, you’re the best…and we can’t wait to interview you again once the new house is finished! Best of luck and congrats to you, Angie and the kiddos!

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Just Listed: Arvada Home with Expansive Yard + Deck

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The Colorado lifestyle you’ve been chasing gets a major upgrade in this beautiful home, with beloved Standley Lake just a few hundred feet from your back fence.

You’ll be a short drive southeast to downtown Denver and west to the mountains for a perfect mix of urban and outdoor exploration — but you’ll cherish coming home to a peaceful cul de sac, where the breeze comes down off the foothills and rustles through tall trees. A sprawling, private backyard and pergola-covered deck are perfect for entertaining, grilling, lounging and playing all summer. Inside, this well-kept property’s tasteful finishes, like pecan-stained cabinetry, hardwood floors, granite countertops and neutral tilework make it hard to leave! Especially the spacious, bright and plush primary suite, with premium bathroom finishes and a walk-in closet. Highly rated schools and grocery stores, eateries and parks are all close by to round out this property’s ideal locale.

Listed by Laura Gray for West + Main Homes. Please contact Laura for current pricing + availability.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Have questions?
West + Main Homes
(720) 903-2912
hello@westandmainhomes.com

Presented by:
Laura Gray
720-899-2303
laura.gray@westandmainhomes.com

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Don't love skiing/snowboarding? Check out these winter activities

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Perhaps you’re not into downhill pursuits (skiing or snowboarding), you didn’t reserve a day on the slopes this strange, pandemic-riddled season or you’re simply in the mood for another sort of adventure.

Don’t worry; winter thrills come in many forms around Colorado. Breckenridge offers a ton of ideas that we share below:

Snowmobiling 

Attention, motorheads. If you love the feeling of a powerful machine doing most of the work for you and steering its purring engine through pine forests, aspen groves, blanketed valley floors, powder fields, and ridgelines, snowmobiling is a must-do. In and around Breckenridge,  Good Times Adventures offers two-hour guided tours through the Swan River Valley, over Georgia Pass, and the Continental Divide. Also, Breckenridge Snowmobile and Colorado Snowmobile rent rigs for unguided exploration on Vail Pass and surrounding areas and High Country Snowmobile has an in-town meeting point with tours on the north side of Summit County.

Sledding 

A go-to favorite among families everywhere, the 2020-21 winter welcomes a brand new sledding hub – Runway Sledding Hill on the north end of the Airport Road parking lot. The place is not on many people’s radar just yet, so there’s plenty of room to spread out and send it. On the other side of town lies Breck’s core sledding hill, Carter Park, where dozens of sledders can always be found sailing down the park’s open hillside and across the soccer field below at potentially high speeds. The crowds can get thick here, so be sure to wear your face covering and mind the six-foot physical distancing guidelines. Yes, you have to slog up the hill on foot with your sled in order to come down, but the urge to one-up your last descent will power you for hours on either hill. Sleds can be purchased at City Market or Breckenridge Market and there’s usually a few left behind at the base of the hill for public use. 

Ice Skating 

On the south end of town, Stephen C. Ice Arena is home to many a nail-biting hockey game starring players of all ages, but throughout the day, the indoor and outdoor rinks present peaceful gliding grounds. Admission and skate rentals start around $10 for kids breckenridgerecreation.com.

Fat Biking

Bundle up and get ready to ramp up your heart rate, because pedaling on the snow with one of these big but surprising lightweight bikes brings a surge of adrenaline all its own. It’s no secret that Breckenridge is home to some of the world’s best bike trails and there’s no reason why snowpack should keep anyone from exploring on two wheels year-round. Several ski and bike shops in town rent fat bikes, including Alpine Sports, Avalanche Sports, and Ridden, the latter of which also offers guided fat bike tours. The best option for your first foray into fat biking is Gold Run Nordic Center, which rents fat bikes starting at $15 per hour and offers a variety of beautiful trails to explore. The groomed bike path between Breckenridge and Frisco is also a great option for newbies. Be sure to wear a helmet (a ski helmet works great) wherever you ride and be mindful of staying on designated fat bike routes, as the trails are also shared with Nordic skiers and snowshoers.  

Dog Sledding 

The experience of zipping across a winter wonderland pulled by a team of Siberian Huskies can only be described as otherworldly. Good Times Adventures offers six-mile tours through the striking, snow-covered expanses of the Swan River Valley. Guests get a chance to ride in the dogsled as well as actually run the dogs (the part where you get to yell, “Mush!”). What do you wear for this sort of thing, you’re wondering? Think Eskimo. Tours are $140 per person and must be booked in advance. 

Snowshoeing

Simply imagine hiking with big shoes on. The beauty of snowshoeing, other than that it’s basically only slightly more challenging than walking, is that it can take you anywhere. The miles upon miles of trails in and around Breckenridge are fair game. Both the Breckenridge Nordic Center and Gold Run Nordic Center rent snowshoes of all sizes and are home to miles of snowshoe-specific routes. Several shops in town also rent snowshoes, including Carvers, Avalanche Sports, and Charter Sports.

Horse-drawn Sleigh Rides

You roll into town and your inner soundtrack is instantly filled with  “Dashing Through the Snow.” We get it. Live the dream and line up a romantic, scenic, or big sleigh ride through the White River National Forest outside of Breck at Golden Horseshoe Sleigh Rides or head up around the ski resort with views of the twinkling town below with Breckenridge Stables.

Snowmobiling 

Attention, motorheads. If you love the feeling of a powerful machine doing most of the work for you and steering its purring engine through pine forests, aspen groves, blanketed valley floors, powder fields, and ridgelines, snowmobiling is a must-do. In and around Breckenridge,  Good Times Adventures offers two-hour guided tours through the Swan River Valley, over Georgia Pass, and the Continental Divide. Also, Breckenridge Snowmobile and Colorado Snowmobile rent rigs for unguided exploration on Vail Pass and surrounding areas and High Country Snowmobile has an in-town meeting point with tours on the north side of Summit County.

Nordic Skiing

BRECKENRIDGE NORDIC CENTER

Enjoy a fun cross-country skiing and snowshoeing day on their trail where experts can teach and guide you through the Breckenridge mountains. Ski rentals and multiple-day passes, allow you to save money. Their company even provides man-made snow for early-season skiing! breckenridgenordic.com 

GOLDRUN NORDIC CENTER 

Scenic vistas and friendly service just 3 miles north of Main Street. Explore groomed and natural ski, snowshoe, and fat bike trails serviced from a beautiful public clubhouse. goldrunnordic.com

And if none of this seems appealing maybe just grabbing a book and enjoying views of the great outdoors is another great way to enjoy a day off of the slopes too!

Get more inspiration at Mtntownmagazine.com

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Greater Denver Area Real Estate Market Report from January 2022

January 2022 suggests that in the new year, a new strategy must be implemented in order to buy a home.

While traditionally the market sees a 70 percent increase in new listings from December to January, the market ended down 17.77 percent in new listings compared to 2021, a 31.04 increase from the previous month. Likewise, the market ended with month-end active listings at a historic low of 1,184. To put into context, that is over 10 times less inventory than normal. 

Last year at this time, there was little inventory. This year, there’s nearly half as much at 48.88 percent less, which will likely translate to fewer homes being bought and sold over the course of the year as there is less to choose from in the Denver Metro area prompting the continuation of extreme bidding wars.

“Prices dropped slightly, both average and median, but that is not reflective of our current market but rather 90 days ago,” commented Andrew Abrams, Chair of the DMAR Market Trends Committee and Metro Denver Realtor®. “Based on the historic low inventory and current market demand, prices will likely skyrocket in the next three months. With the low inventory and competition, we are expecting prices to greatly increase in the first half of this year. Creativity in writing offers has been instrumental for a successful outcome. While many buyers grow frustrated through the process, leading to potential burnout, I want to emphasize that there are still diamonds in the rough.” 

With historically low inventory, hyperactive demand and some outlining stories, the major question is what buyers and sellers can do to prepare in this unprecedented market? If someone is a buyer, it is imperative to do one’s due diligence before touring a property, as well as communicating with one’s Realtor® and lender to understand what one’s comfort level is, which may vary from what someone has been originally approved. In this market, creating a list of “must-haves” and “deal-breakers” can help to direct your decision-making even more. 

Luxury Market Report

Our monthly report also includes statistics and analyses in its supplemental “Luxury Market Report” (properties sold for $1 million or greater), “Signature Market Report” (properties sold between $750,000 and $999,999), “Premier Market Report” (properties sold between $500,000 and $749,999), and “Classic Market” (properties sold between $300,000 and $499,999). 

In the Luxury Market, the question buyers and brokers are asking lately is whether $1 million is really considered luxury at this point in time? The average sales price for the Luxury Market remains at $1.6 million, and it has been for many years. In 2014, when DMAR’s Market Trends Report was started, the average price for a single-family home was $380,848 and the average price for an attached property was $238,229. Today, the average sales price in Denver for a single-family home is $689,711, and $450,244 for an attached home, and the average for the Signature Market is in the mid- $800,000’s. 

Inventory for the January Luxury Market was up exactly 100 percent for detached luxury homes, and up 82.61 percent for luxury attached properties. It didn’t take long for all that inventory to get scooped up though, as 43.48 percent of the detached luxury homes and 19.35 of the attached luxury homes went under contract. While Denver Metro had more inventory, the sales volume was down for detached and attached segments. 

The luxury detached sales volume was down 49.86 percent from the prior month and 11.78 percent from one year ago, as Denver saw 47.29 fewer luxury properties close from the prior month and 9.51 percent from this time last year. The attached luxury sales volume was down 48.23 percent and had 55.36 percent fewer luxury condos sold from the prior month and 13.79 percent from one year ago.  

The luxury attached segments had the most inventory out of all the segments at 2.68 months while the median days in MLS was three, the average days in MLS increased 97.96 percent, giving buyers a little more time to make a decision. With several new construction condo building listings still in the market, this may give buyers a few more choices. While there is a bit more inventory in the attached luxury segment, sellers are still getting 101.99 percent close-price-to-list-price. This represents an increase of 0.68 percent from the prior month and 4.50 percent from one year ago.  

“Now is the time to sell in the Luxury Market,” said Brigette Modglin, DMAR Market Trends Committee member and Metro Denver Realtor®. “Both the attached and detached homes are getting over 100 percent of asking price and you’re able to make your next move very quickly. The question is where will you make it?”

Download the report

Thank you to our partners at the Denver Metro Association of Realtors for compiling this information.

If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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Increased Buyer Urgency Expected Amid Rising Mortgage Rates

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Despite various forecasts surrounding mortgage rates, the bottom line is that they are bound to tick up this year, leaving many wondering what this could mean for the housing market.

“Higher mortgage rates are one reason why we will move from an incredibly hot housing market to one that’s strong, but instead of having ten bidders at every open house, you get two or three buyers that are interested,” said Michael Fratantoni, chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), in a recent interview with MarketWatch.

“Our forecast has that rising to about 4% by the end of 2022,” he said. “That’s certainly higher than we are today, but historically speaking, that is still a very attractive mortgage rate.”

Based on recent Freddie Mac data, 30-year mortgage rates climbed to 3.22% by Jan. 6, maintaining their upward trajectory that experts expect to carry on throughout the year.

The increase in rates will likely push more buyers into the market in search of the best deal they can get before rates get too high, according to a recently released survey conducted by Redfin.

After surveying 1,500 U.S. residents, 47% of house hunters said they would feel more urgency to buy a home if mortgage rates rose above 3.5%, according to Redfin.

While MBA’s predictions of 4% have been on the higher end of predictions in recent months, Redfin Chief Economist, Daryl Fairweather, expects rates to hit about 3.6% by the end of 2022.

“Mortgage rates increasing will make home-buying less affordable,” Fairweather said in a press release. “Over time, that will put the brakes on demand and put an end to double digit annual price growth. But in the short term, this increase will light a fire under homebuyers and make for an extremely competitive January.”

Improvements in the broader economy will help drive rates up this year, according to Fratantoni, who noted the gradual drop in unemployment and demand for workers would persist throughout 2022.

According to recent data from the U.S. Labor Department, unemployment declined to 3.9% in December, with the U.S. economy adding about 6.4 million more jobs last month than at the end of 2020.

The nation still needs 3.6 million jobs to hit pre-pandemic levels.

“We still have almost 11 million job openings in the economy and this tremendous demand for workers,” Fratantoni says, adding that unemployment will probably hit 3.5% by the end of the year with strong wage growth.

Another metric people are paying attention to is inflation, which he suggested CORE inflation to stay elevated longer than pundits and experts anticipated, which will also add upward pressure on rates.

In their December meeting, the Fed indicated that they expect to implement three interest rate hikes in 2022 and accelerate their tapering—cutting back on asset purchases.

While forecasts point toward rates climbing in 2022, Fratantoni also weighed the idea that rates could dip during the year, especially with the recent outbreak of the Omicron variant at the tail end of 2021 and the possibility of a newer variant still up in the air.

He acknowledged the possibility of a short-term drop in rates, leading to a brief uptick in refinancing activity. Still, Franantoni indicated that each variant appears to have less of an economic impact.

“We’ve gotten to a level of comfort with at least prior to Omicron,” he added. “I think we’re moving through that in this case as well. We now have a set of tools to use to deal with challenges around public health concerns that we could use again if a new variant were to pop up.”

Another possible outcome that Fratantoni threw out suggested that rates could climb faster than anticipated, which he said could happen if elevated inflation doesn’t cool off.

“The Fed may really have to stomp on the breaks as opposed to gently tapping them,” Franantoni says. “We could see the rate path move even higher and faster than we have in our baseline forecast.”

With higher rates on the horizon, concerns surrounding affordability issues—particularly among younger, first-time buyers—have mounted, especially when coupled with home prices that surged in 2021.

“2021 had eye-popping home price growth,” Fratantoni says. “Frankly, if that continues too much longer, we’re going to run away from the first-time buyers that we’re really counting on to supply demand in this market,” he says.

While home prices will continue to grow in 2022, Fratantoni indicated that the appreciation wouldn’t match the degree that the industry saw last year, dropping from record-level, double-digit growth to 6% or 7% growth.

Fratantoni expects buyer demand to remain strong despite rising rates and home prices.

“The job market is going to be booming, and we’re going to see the unemployment rate get as low as it was in February 2020,” he said, adding that a demographic push from millennials will also play a part in keeping the market moving.

“The largest single cohort, the millennial generation, are reaching peak home-buying age,” Fratantoni continued. “That is going to generate a tremendous amount of demand because you have a bunch of young folks in their early 30s looking to establish their households right now.”

Given the pace of new construction, he said additional inventory this year would cool bidding wars in the market and provide a more favorable experience for first-time buyers despite rising prices and rates.

“They might get to look at a couple of properties and have more than a few minutes to think about how to make that offer, so I think the process of buying for that first-time buyer should be more pleasant this year even though the ultimate price may be higher given what has happened to home prices.”

Keep reading.

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