When Chris Chamberlin graduated Ohio State Dental School and was selected to do an advanced dental residency program in Denver, he never planned to stay in Colorado. He never planned to practice dentistry in Boulder, and he didn't plan on meeting his wife, Boulder native Janet Birmingham - born when Boulder had 19,000 residents. Except for the four years she spent getting her college degree in Fort Collins, Janet intended to live out her life in the most beautiful town (Boulder - where else) in the most beautiful state in the country.
Upon completing his residency at Denver Health, Dr. Chamberlin headed back to his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. He purchased an existing dental practice in a Toledo suburb (Maumee) and started off on his exciting new career in dentistry in 1977.
In 1981 he convinced Janet to join him in Ohio, marry him and have his children – an offer she (fortunately for Dr. Chamberlin) did not refuse. However, Dr. Chamberlin had to fulfill one requirement for his wife: he had to take the dental boards and be licensed to practice dentistry in Colorado. Janet was certain that he was going to practice dentistry in Boulder one day.
For 25 years the couple worked together building a successful dental practice and raising two boys. Because Janet’s family was in Boulder, they made many trips back to visit and enjoy Colorado’s beautiful mountains.
In 2006, the Chamberlins made one of the biggest decisions in their lives. They decided to move to Boulder (or as Janet would say, move “back home”). Our firstborn son had just graduated Ohio State University and was settling down in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Our second son had just graduated high school and wanted to start college at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The family packed up its belongings (including three cats) accumulated over 25 years and headed “home.”
One of the first people the Chamberlins met when they arrived was their ReMax of Boulder agent. He managed to do the impossible – find the family a relatively new condo, just minutes away from Janet’s mother, with gorgeous views of the Flatirons and the Front Range, for a price within their budget.
"I opened the door to my new Boulder dental practice in January 2007," Dr. Chamberlin says. "While we are working hard to get my name and experience out in the Boulder community, I am truly enjoying practicing dentistry in Colorado. When we are not working, we are enjoying all that Colorado has to offer in outdoor activities."
Find out more about Dr. Chamberlin and his dental practice at www.DrChamberlin.com. Make sure to check out his “Special Offers” to assist patients in keeping up with their oral health during this downturn in the economy. "I love seeing new patients with whom I can share my years of dental experience as well as my love of this beautiful state that Janet and I now have the privilege of living and working in and calling “home."
New (but experienced) dentist in town!
Boulder Tops Colorado Cities for 1st Quarter Appreciation rates
With a one-year appreciation rate of 1.99 percent, Boulder was the highest-ranked Colorado city on the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s listing of home appreciation rates for 294 metropolitans in the nation. Boulder came in twenty-third for the first quarter of 2009, while Denver-Aurora-Broomfield’s one-year appreciation rate of 0.80% came in at sixty-fourth and Fort Collins-Loveland’s rate of -0.12 percent was ranked ninety-third.
Though none of Colorado’s eight metros ranked made the top 20, they also did not land in the bottom 20 metros, either. Colorado Springs was the lowest-ranked Colorado metro at one-hundred and fifty-third; it had a one-year appreciation rate of -1.70 percent.
The Texas metro of Corpus Christie had the highest appreciation rate in the nation – 4.12 percent – and three other Texas metros made the top 20. Indiana, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Louisiana also had more than one representative in the top 20. California and Florida dominated the bottom 20 list, with Nevada and Arizona with one representative each making the list. Merced, Calif., whose home prices depreciated 37.80 percent from the first quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2009, pulled up the rear of the 294 metros.
Here’s a look at how Colorado’s and its eight metros’ home-price appreciation rates performed compared with the rest of the nation:
Fall Real Estate Conference Speakers
November 19, 2009 is the date for Re/Max of Boulder's Fall Real Estate Conference. Here's just a teaser on the speakers - more will follow. But Save the date! Executive Vice President, Retail National Sales Manager Brad attended the University of Colorado and started his career in Boulder as a loan officer in 1983. Drawing on his 28 years of mortgage lending and banking business experience, Blackwell focuses on capturing opportunities to strengthen Wells Fargo Home Mortgage’s retail market share and market profitability within all 50 states. Blackwell was named executive vice president, retail national sales manager in June 2004 after serving three years as a senior vice president, national sales manager for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage’s Pacific Markets. He led efforts to double Wells Fargo’s retail share on the West Coast. Blackwell is responsible for leading WFHM’s Distributed Retail sales team of more than 10,000 home mortgage consultants who originate residential mortgage loans in more than 800 stores throughout the country. The Distributed Retail sales team strives to increase market share using WFHM’s innovative lines of prime, subprime,renovation,reverse, builder and private mortgage banking products and programs.FEATURING:
Paul C. Bishop, Ph.D.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSPaul Bishop is the Managing Director of Real Estate Research at the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Dr. Bishop leads the Research Division’s survey and market research activities including analysis of real estate business and policy issues. 
Brad Blackwell
Delayed spring activity could mean improved summer, fall market
The Boulder area real estate market is moving at an “anemic pace,” but it is improving modestly from month to month, according to Ken Hotard, senior vice president of public affairs for the Boulder Area Realtor Association.
Nationally, home sales increased 2.4 percent from April to May. “That’s similar to what we’re seeing,” he says.
The Boulder market is also experiencing modest growth in inventory of homes month over month, but Hotard says he expects the peak in inventory and sales that normally comes in April or May to not arrive until July. The late arrival of that cycle could equate to a better fall market.
The volume of single-family home sales from May 1, 2008, and April 30, 2009, is down between 11 percent and nearly 40 percent in every Boulder community compared with the previous year, and the volume of multifamily sales is down between 9 percent and 42 percent. But Realtors are reporting more buyer activity and an increase of homes under contract, Hotard says. Next month’s statistics should show whether that activity and contracts result in more closings.
Several markets experienced an increase in average and median home prices – including a 9.4 percent increase in median price and a 3.4 percent increase in average price in Broomfield – in May, but some had significant declines. Hotard attributes the latter to what’s selling – more lower-priced properties – versus the value of real estate across the market. And with a lack of lending availability, especially of competitive jumbo loan products, that trend is likely to continue.
In the communities where prices are improving, such as Broomfield, Boulder and Superior, it’s a result of a combination of price point, location and product, Hotard says. For instance, Broomfield has a supply of newer houses priced appropriately for this market, “so it’s no wonder you’re seeing some good strength there,” he says.
“It’s rational and realistic to say that this continues to be a difficult market,” Hotard says, adding that “hopefully it’s setting up to be a productive fall season.”
With moderately priced housing and an $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit, he is optimistic that that is exactly what will happen.
Denver ranked 3rd among fittest cities in America
Denver residents may not have the parks and open space other cities do, but apparently that doesn’t stop its residents from getting out and active, making them among the fittest people in the nation, according to the American Fitness Index.
Colorado’s capital ranked third in its report of the 45 fittest cities in the nation, scoring 71.6 on its scale. Denver was noted for its lower percent of unemployed population, lower percent of residents with disabilities and a higher percent of folks who are at least moderately physically active. Its challenges are a lower percent of city land area as parkland, fewer acres of parkland per capita and fewer farmers’ markets per capita.
The AFI measures each city’s performance on 30 indicators, including acres of parkland, death rate from cardiovascular disease, number of primary care physicians per capita and the percent of residents who bicycle or walk to work. The metrics were gathered from government and nonprofit organizations.
Topping the list was Washington, D.C. Its residents’ access to farmers’ markets, with 13 markets per 1 million residents compared with the national average of 11, as well as a lower percentage of smokers, diabetics and with 90 percent of its residents having health insurance (the national average is 86 percent) all helped the nation’s capital take the title of fittest.
Detroit, Mich.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Birmingham, Ala., performed poorly in the study, struggling in measures such as eating less than five or more fruits and vegetables a day, having a high percentage of residents with heart disease, or having more residents who suffer from poor mental health one or more days a year.
Here are the top five fittest cities in the nation, according to the AFI:
1. Washington, D.C.
2. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
3. Denver, Colo.
4. Boston, Mass.
5. San Francisco, Calif.
Designers name the ‘invaluable’ home accessories they never use
Have you ever bought something for your home that you thought you just had to have, but then found you rarely – or possibly never – used it? House Beautiful recently spoke with top designers who named a few such purchases of their own and would not suggest that others buy, as well. Here are their top nonrecommendations:
Steam shower
Designer Richard Mishaan thought he “just had to have” a steam shower and tore up his bathroom to install one. But he found he never had time to take a spa day like he dreamed, and he could have purchased interest in a real spa with the money he wasted on the steam shower.
Commercial-grade stove
A commercial-grade stove sounded like a necessity for entertaining, but designer Nate Berkus failed to considered that he doesn’t cook. He says has never turned the stove on.
Linen cocktail napkins
Linen cocktail napkins spend more time in the drawer than on the taple since designer Victoria Neale realized they needed ironing. Compared with the ease of just throwing away paper napkins, linen napkins weren't worth the trouble.
Cashmere and mohair throws
Designer Elaine Griffin found that the shedding factor outweighed the great look of mohair throws and blankets, and they quickly were relegated to under her bed. She has also found that antique wicker cat baskets and the cashmere blankets she lines them with don’t attract cats as they do her.
Lawn games and soft-service ice cream maker
You name the lawn game – stainless steel bocce balls, professional horse shoes or a personalized croquet set – and you’ll find them in Dennis Wedlick’s garden shed – never in the sun and entertaining guests. On the cuisine side of entertaining, designer Carolyne Roehm found that operating and cleaning a professional-grade soft-serve ice cream maker was just too much trouble as well as too expensive. This is one accessory, she says, that’s going on eBay.
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