Features for mountain homes that some people overlook
Know the terrain and weather at different altitudes
Living in the mountains is slightly different than the rest of the planet. It is a bit harder and colder up here. There are a few home features some people don’t think about until it’s too late. One of the first options you should look for if it is possible is a south facing home. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that if you are in a valley and facing north the sun will set in the winter at about 2 in the afternoon. This makes heating the home a bit more expensive and also makes snow removal on the driveway much harder as well. It’s not that a north facing home is the worst thing in the world, but if you can find a south facing home or if it is a choice between two properties that are the same and one faces north and one faces south and they are pretty similar than that I would choose the south facing home.
Having a garage is a huge plus in the mountains!
Another nice feature is to have a garage. It is nice to have a place to put your toys like your 4 wheeler or tractor. It is also nice to have a garage since we do have the occasional hail storms up here as well as some pretty heavy snowfalls. It is nice to be able to protect your car in the rough weather with an attached or detached garage. Again this will also add to your ability to resell your home because there are a large number of home buyers that are looking for homes with garages.
Master on the main
Another nice feature for some is a master bedroom on the main level. Just because they don’t want to go up and down the stairs so much. This is one that personally was never a big deal to me when home shopping for myself. Actually with 3 kids I kind of preferred the master to be upstairs and far away from all the madness. I am actually kind of surprised at the amount of people that actually have that on their wish list for features in their home.
This is just a few things to keep in mind when looking for your mountain home. None of these features should ever really be a deal breaker on their own but we do understand as Realtors that everyone has a wish list of the things they would prefer their new home to have.
Another nice amenity for most mountain families is a nice safe outdoor place for the dogs to run and play. Many homes in the Denver Foothills have enough room for nice dog runs for the pooches to run and play without worry of them chasing elk or deer through the county.
This article was written by Denver Foothills Realtor Dan Skelly: