:: Living In Greenhaven ::

Greenhaven Real Estate and Living in Greenhaven Sites Have Merged

2008-05-28T04:07:00.001-06:00

Dear Readers,

For the past few years, GreenhavenRealEstate.net and LivinginGreenhaven.com have been separate sites. We have decided to merge them into one site.

www.GreenhavenRealEstate.net will take you to this main site, and www.LivingInGreenhaven will take you to the Greenhaven
Community section of this site.

I have pulled most recent articles over to this site, and all future Community-Related articles will now be found under the category: Living in Greenhaven. However, if you are looking for Living in Greenhaven articles written prior to November of 2007, you can still find them on the old site (that we will leave up), located at: www.GreenhavenCommunity.Blogspot.com .

Thank you for being a part of our Greenhaven Community!

Sincerely,
Mariana Wagner
Greenhaven Real Estate Agent
Colorado Springs Realtor®
(719) 434-7525

Greenhaven Community Garage Sale DATE CHANGE Saturday, July 12th 2008

2008-05-13T15:31:00.001-06:00

The date is official!

The 2^nd Annual Greenhaven Community Garage Sale and Open House Tour will take place on:

Saturday, July 12, 2008
8am-Noon

We are still putting together the details, but this one is going to be great!

If you are interested in helping put it together, please contact Mariana: (719) 434-7525
If you are interested in being a featured garage sale, please look for signs on your mailbox, and keep checking back HERE for updates.
If you are selling your home and are interested in having an Open House this day, please have your real estate agent contact:
Derek or Mariana Wagner – Wagner iTeam - (719) 434-7525
(If you are thinking of selling your Greenhaven Home, and want it listed in time for this event, please contact the Wagner iTeam at Keller Williams Realty (719) 434-7525)

We are excited! Are you???

Greenhaven Real Estate Open House Tour – Sunday, May 4th 1-4pm

2008-04-29T19:28:00.002-06:00

Looking for a home for sale in Greenhaven?

Check out the Greenhaven Tour of Open Homes
THIS WEEKEND!

Greenhaven Open House Tour

Sunday, May 4^th1-4pm

Proposed Homes on the Tour:

6667 Silverwind Circle (Prudential)
6435 Silverwind Circle (Coldwell Banker)
7067 Silverwind Circle (ReMax)
6624 Abbeywood Drive (Keller Williams)
6587 Silverwind Circle (Stuart Scott Ltd.)
6915 Silverwind Circle (Liberty Associates)
6586 Silverwind Circle (Keller Williams)
6652 Euclid Drive (Keller Williams)

Snowy Greenhaven

2008-03-14T08:20:00.004-06:00

March 13, 2008 (upper) - March 14, 2008 (lower)

We all awoke to a snowy blanket covering the entire neighborhood, today. We are expected to get snowfall for 3 of the next 4 days.

We also had a new home for sale in Greenhaven pop up on the market this morning (3/14/08): 6915 Silverwind Circle - 5 bed 3 bath "Aria" - Listed at $334,000

Posted By: Mariana Wagner - Wagner iTeam at Keller Williams Realty - Greenhaven Real Estate Agent

New K-8 Charter School Near Greenhaven: The Imagine Classical Academy

2008-03-01T08:47:00.001-07:00

There is a new charter school opening up near Greenhaven. In fact, it is walking distance to the southeast, in Indigo Ranch at the corner of Dublin and Peterson Road. The new school will be The Imagine Classical Academy, and will be for kids grades K-8.

Their philosophy is: "We use timeless methods to attain a solid foundation of cultural literacy that links to an intellectually globalized world. Classically trained. Culturally literate. Globally prepared."

Their enrollment is: The Imagine Classical Academy is a tuition-free D49 Core-Knowledge public school. They are currently enrolling. Please contact the Principal/Developer, Tina Leone, for enrollment and registration.

Tina Leone – (719) 306-2966 – Tina.Leone@imagineschools.com

Visit their website: www.TicaIndigoRanch.com

Search Homes for Sale in Greenhaven

2nd Annual Greenhaven Community Garage Sale and Open House Tour

2008-02-19T13:30:00.002-07:00

It's time to start planning for our 2^nd Annual Greenhaven Community Garage Sale and Open House Tour!

The tentative date for this event is Saturday, June 28, 2008 from 8am – 2pm

In order to have this event be as successful as possible, I need some help from my fellow Greenhaven neighbors.

I would like to have a preliminary meeting sometime in April, to discuss the details of the Garage Sale and Open House Tour.

Specifically, I need people who are interested in the following activities:

Obtaining local business sponsorships
Signing up neighbors for the garage sale
Finding adequate advertising avenues
Organizing Day-Of-Event activities in the park

I will work with real estate agents regarding the open houses, as well as tying up any other loose ends.

If you can help in any way, please contact Mariana Wagner: 719-570-7715

Greenhaven Market Report Available Now

2008-02-07T08:09:00.001-07:00

In case you missed it, the January 2008 Greenhaven market report has been posted.

Greenhaven Real Estate Market Report: January 2008

In Memory of REALTOR John Arends (1947-2008)

2008-01-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

John Arends of ReMax Properties was the real estate agent for many homeowners in Greenhaven, when they bought their new Greenhaven John Laing home in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Sadly, John Arends passed away January 26, 2008 - just 6 days after his 61st birthday.

He is survived by his wife (and REALTOR) Judy, 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren.

If you wish to pay your respects to one of the most influential and well respected REALTORS in Colorado Springs, there will be a memorial service in memory of John Arends:

Friday, February 1, 2008 at 10:45 a.m.
Woodmen Valley Chapel
250 E Woodmen Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80919

Greenhaven Neighborhood: 5 Ways to Deal With Not-So-Great Neighbors

2008-01-22T14:20:00.001-07:00

We love the Greenhaven neighborhood. One of the BEST things about our neighborhood is the PEOPLE! There are a lot of great people living in Greenhaven.

However, unfortunately, no matter where you live, you may come across a neighbor that is, well, not-so-great. It happens.

We don't always get to choose who we live near, and sometimes 2 personalities or lifestyles just don't mesh. Here are a few tips on dealing with neighbors that may be a little difficult to deal with:

Try to talk, in person, to the neighbor regarding the "issue." Maintain your composure. If a neighbor seems to have been offended by something, make sure you apologize for the offense IF, in fact it was something you could have controlled. Or, address a complaint that you have with your neighbor in a non-confrontational way. More times than not, an issue with a neighbor is stemmed from a simple misunderstanding.
Do NOT argue with your neighbor. Even if you cannot resolve the issue with a conversation, please do not argue. This will only make your living situation more hostile than it needs to be. Sometimes we can't be buddy-buddy with your neighbors, but there is no need to make them enemies.
Report illegal behavior to the proper authorities. If for some reason you suspect illegal activities, do not try to address the issue yourself. Please contact the proper authorities.
Do not complain about your neighbor online. All this does is create documented animosity and potentially make homes harder to sell. No one wants to live by a potentially difficult neighbor.
Be Nice. Regardless of past "issues" – when possible, go out of your way to be nice to your neighbors. Many times one small act of kindness can repair the most difficult of problems. Maybe pick up their empty trash bins if they blew over, shovel snow off of their sidewalk …

Here are a few sites that offer some more tips on dealing with difficult neighbors:

http://home.families.com/blog/dealing-with-difficult-neighbors

http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Ego/id/35186

http://www.womenof.com/Articles/ai_2_26_07.asp

Posted By: Mariana Wagner – Greenhaven Real Estate Expert – Wagner iTeam at Keller Williams Realty – (719) 570-7715

Vista Ridge High School Has Its Own Website

2008-01-07T20:44:00.001-07:00

Vista Ridge High School - the new Falcon District 49 High school to the north of the Greenhaven neighborhood finally has its own website. Check it out!

http://d49.org/schools/vrhs/

Snow Removal and Holiday Decorations Guidelines for Greenhaven

2008-01-07T10:27:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year!

For your convenience, here are the Stetson Hills/Greenhaven HOA guidelines for snow removal and holiday decorations for Greenhaven:

Holiday Lights:

Holiday Lights can remain up for 30 days before and after the holiday. This means that your Christmas decorations need to be down before the 25^th of January, or you could receive a citation.

Snow Removal:

Per the HOA, "Property owners are responsible for clearing any sidewalks in front of their property within 24 hours of when snow stops falling" to avoid a citation.

(If you are out of town and need your sidewalk/driveway cleared, our son will clear it for $5. Just call us: 570-7715)

The HOA is not responsible for the clearing of the streets, as that is the City of Colorado Springs' job, and they really have no obligation to clear off the residential streets within Greenhaven as they are not primary or secondary roadways.

We wish you all a happy, healthy 2008 filled with laughter and good times!

Sincerely,
Derek and Mariana Wagner – Wagner iTeam at Keller Williams Realty – (719) 570-7715
Colorado Springs Real Estate agents and Greenhaven Real Estate experts

Stetson Hills Burglary Alert (12/19/07)

2007-12-19T16:07:00.001-07:00

Taken from the Colorado Springs Government Site, December 19, 2007:

Daytime Residential Burglaries in the Stetson Hills Neighborhood

There is currently a burglary pattern occurring throughout the Stetson Hills Division involving residential burglaries between 9AM and 1:30PM on week days.

These burglaries may involve two Black males who appear to drive a Cadillac with purple metallic paint. The men will knock on front doors to determine if anyone is at home and if no one answers, the door is kicked in.

Residents are asked to be aware of suspicious persons or vehicles in their neighborhoods and report that suspicious activity by calling 911. If you have additional information regarding this crime pattern please call the contact person below.

Sgt Todd Drennan 444-3170 DRENNANTO@CI.COLOSPGS.CO.US

Top 5 Things I Love About Living in Greenhaven

2007-12-01T09:13:00.001-07:00

The Park. The Greenhaven Park has been such a lifesaver for us, as we have 2 children who LOVE it there! And? That is a whole lot of grassy areas that I don't have to mow! And the pavilion has been home to MANY parties and BBQ's - such great memories!
The View. I love driving into the neighborhood (from Roxford) and seeing that beautiful mountain in the distance.
My Neighbors. I have never lived in a neighborhood where so many people were so friendly and willing to chat or help dig out snow bound neighbors!
My House. John Laing's "base" options were so much better than the other builders that we visited. Even though we did go a little overboard on upgrades, we could have walked in without any upgrades and had an excellent home. (And I love my outdoor fireplace!)
The Holiday Spirit. Whether it is Halloween or Christmas, I love walking (or driving) around Greenhaven and seeing everyone's Holiday Spirit!

Posted By: Mariana Wagner – Greenhaven Resident and Realtor®

More Pictures of Vista Ridge High School

2007-11-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that I took from the North (looking South and SW) of the new Vista Ridge High School - to the North of Greenhaven. (November 28, 2007)

Note the majestic Pikes Peak backdrop and unique rounded design of the school.

Pictures By: Mariana Wagner - Greenhaven Resident and Realtor

Letter From the Niles Family Regarding Their Mold Issue

2007-11-25T22:05:00.001-07:00

Preface: We were able to briefly speak with Stacy Niles regarding the issue that she is having with John Laing Homes and the mold that her family has found in their new home. We asked her to explain her situation to us so that we could share it with the rest of our neighbors, here on this site. It is important to note that this may be a serious situation for these homeowners, but (so far) it seems to be isolated to this particular home. If you notice any kind of excess moisture and/or mold in your home, please get it inspected, tested and treated immediately. Here is the unedited letter and photographs that Stacy and Kevin Niles shared with us:

Derek and Mariana Wagner as well as all Greenhaven residents,

We greatly appreciate your concern and support. I am sure that if you have not seen our truck then you have heard some stories about it. This has been a very long journey for us, and an exhausting one at that. We are not first time John Laing Homeowners. In fact we loved our first John Laing Home so much when we moved back to Colorado from Arizona last year we did not even consider other builders. We actually picked our lot and floor plan while in Arizona without even seeing it, that was the confidence we had in John Laing Homes. Since then our confidence has turned into a nightmare.

On September 26, 2006 we closed on what we thought was our dream home. We planned to raise our three children here. We were so certain this was the home for us, that we purchased almost $80,000 in upgrades. We chose to have the entire main level done with hardwood floors. Once you do over a certain square footage of hardwood flooring John Laing Homes installs a free humidifier onto your furnace. The purpose of the humidifier is to add moisture to the air in your home to avoid damage to your floors. It is our belief that the humidifier was defective from day one. Our "House to Home" paperwork states the humidifier needed to be "adjusted" because of the amount of water draining out of it. We were instructed to keep the humidifier set around 30%.

The next several months we were beginning to notice extreme amounts of moisture on all of the windows, walls and floors. In the mornings we would have to clean up puddles of water off of the floors. Moisture had built up on the windows and then had dripped down onto the floors. One morning in December we found ourselves, literally, frozen inside. All of the doors and windows we covered in ice, inside the house! It was also around this time that a gas leak was detected on our furnace (the same one the humidifier was installed on) and the City of Colorado Springs "red tagged" our furnace and shut it down. They told all of us to sleep upstairs because of the carbon monoxide. John Laing Homes not only replaced but also upgraded (at no cost to us) our furnace to a Lennox. Before long the new upgraded furnace would not work. It turned out that a wire from the furnace to the humidifier had shorted out and blew a fuse in the new furnace. To me all of these issues were beginning to point to the humidifier.

Soon we began to notice a dark discoloration of the hardwood floors around the doors, we submitted a warranty request and they told us it was normal. Then we noticed very large cracks around the windows, again I submitted a warranty request and they told me it was a homeowner responsibility, saying "over time the caulking with dry out and shrink" and we (the homeowner) would need to re-caulk it. At this point we had only been in the house for maybe 6 months so to hear that was a shock, to say the least. I decided to document what I had found so I began going one by one to the windows in the house taking pictures of the cracks surrounding the windows. That is when I discovered the mold. I was stunned. How could this be in my new house? So again I submitted a warranty request and that is when it started to go downhill.

We began dealing with Jeff Lamphere, Senior Customer Care Manager and eventually dealt with Zane Wilkerson, Vice President, Customer Care. To our shock not only were they denying any responsibility for the mold they actually blamed us. Stating the following reasons for the high humidity. This is from a letter dated April 26, 2007:

Evidence indicates that the humidity level inside the home is higher than most homes due to:

Family lifestyle
Family members
Indoor Water fountains (2)
Indoor plants
Indoor pet

So here is our response:

We are no different from any other family
There is a total of 5, myself, my husband and our 3 children
These fountains are very small indoor fountains
All of the plants in my home are fake
We own a 15 lb. Jack Russell Terrier

Now we have been through "arbitration", Zane Wilkerson and John Laing Homes were generous enough to provide this at no cost to us. It was months later; in fact right after the arbitrator received his check from John Laing Homes that he ruled they were not responsible. Plus, what we received for "arbitration" was a general contractor, not a formal arbitration hearing. We have consulted with an attorney and they are willing to take our case after we provide them with evidence from an Industrial Hygienist. Well, this is not cheap, the cost is $500 for an inspection and two mold samples. Well, as the mother 3 young boys and myself and my husband as full time students, we do not have $500 sitting around. We believe John Laing Homes knows that the vast majority of people do not have the time or money to fight them. However, we also know that it is our job to fight for what we believe is right.

Kevin W. Niles and Stacy L. Niles - 7002 Silverwind Circle - Colorado Springs, CO 80923
(719) 597-4439 or (719) 510-2121

I know this letter is long and please understand there is much more to tell. If you would like to speak with us further you can reach us at the above numbers and address. Please take some time to look at the photos as well. And Fox 21 news will be airing a story on us sometime within the next week or two.

Sincerely, Kevin W. Niles and Stacy L. Niles

Mold in Greenhaven John Laing Homes and Unhappy Homeowners?

2007-11-25T09:46:00.001-07:00

We have all seen the truck that belongs to a John Laing homeowner, and I am waiting for the opportunity to speak with them regarding their issue with mold in their John Laing Greenhaven home. I also know that there was a FOX News crew cruising the streets of Greenhaven, talking with some residents about their satisfaction with their John Laing Home.

Personally, I am more than a little concerned. Not only am I a John Laing homeowner in Greenhaven, but I am also a REALTOR® that sells hundreds of new homes in Colorado Springs – several of which are John Laing homes. I need to know exactly what is going on.

First and foremost, I am worried that there is a home in Greenhaven, that was professionally tested for toxic mold… and mold was found. (Or, I hope that it was professionally tested by a licensed and certified EPA approved testing facility. Was it? I won't know until I speak with the affected homeowner…) Also, I am concerned that the family is still living in a home where this mold was found. True toxic mold can cause a multitude of irreversible health issues and the first step in avoiding these issues is to move out of the home that has this mold. I feel for this family and hope that measures were taken to correct this problem and that nothing irreversible has occurred.

In August, several D-49 schools were found to contain mold, and this had to be remediated. Mold is actually very common in many parts of Colorado Springs, especially in newer construction where homes can be improperly ventilated. Derek and I had a serious run-in with toxic mold a few years back, and are well aware of all the damage it can wreck on a human and on a property. Read Our Story Here: Our Colorado Springs Real Estate MOLD Story

However, I also understand that (apparently) John Laing did nothing to help these folks? I guess it depends on the exact reason why the mold occurred and if the liability really did rest on the shoulder of the builder. Unfortunately, post-built environmental issues are usually not a builders' responsibility. Although, I do not know the specifics and am not an attorney of any sort, so my observations are just that: observations based on past experience. However, if it WAS builder responsibility, then John Laing should step up and right these wrongs, regardless of the red tape that will need to be sorted through…

*UPDATE* We just spoke with the homeowner and are expecting some more information from them that we can post, here.

Second, I am concerned about the overall satisfaction of the homeowners in Greenhaven. I know from both personal and professional experiences that there are always unhappy homeowners in every neighborhood. I guess Greenhaven is no exception.

The Fox News crew talked with several people and I am just concerned that all they heard was negativity. (Of course, the news thrives on only negativity, so it really does not surprise me…) However, we all live here in Greenhaven and unnecessary bad-press* is only going to hurt us (and our property values) in the long run, so I hope this report gets tempered with a few happy homeowner stories. (*By "bad-press" I am not speaking about the Greenhaven homeowner that is dealing with a mold issue. If there is a mold issue that needs to be dealt with, public awareness is crucial.)

Now, we have been involved (either directly or indirectly) with lawsuits on almost ALL new home builders in Colorado Springs for various reasons. I guess that when hundreds of new homes are being built every year, there is more room for error.

So, I need to ask:

What can we do, as a community, to fix the issues that are bothering Greenhaven home owners (us)?
What can I do, as your neighborhood real estate agent, to help YOU, the Greenhaven homeowner, be happy (again) with the home that you once fell in love with?

I hope to get the scoop on the mold issue in Greenhaven, and I will post their story here, if they let me. I would also love to hear more about you, the Greenhaven homeowner, regarding your experiences (good or bad) with your John Laing Home.

You can email your stories to: GreenhavenCommunity@gmail.com or you can call us directly at: (719) 570-7715

Sincerely, Your Greenhaven Real Estate Agents through thick and thin: Derek and Mariana Wagner – Wagner iTeam

For the record, all of our personal and professional experiences led us to the decision to buy a John Laing home, as they had the best reputation and highest quality of workmanship compared to the dozens of other builders that "threw homes up" in the Colorado Springs new home boom over the past several years. Of course, every builder has its problems – John Laing just had the least amount of "issues" in our experiences. We were also extremely happy with their customer service and how we were taken care of after the sale.

New Neighborhood West of Greenhaven

2007-11-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

As if the construction of the new Vista Ridge High School to the North of us isn't entertaining enough ... Just west of our Greenhaven neighborhood, there is some more earth-moving activity ...

We DO know that it is a new residential neighborhood of single family homes. We also know that there is at least a 15 foot shared greenspace between this new neighborhood and the existing homes in Greenhaven.

We also have spoken with one of the people involved in this project, and will post details as we get them.

(Off Topic: Here is a picture I took driving up Dublin Hill the other afternoon ...)

Posted By: Mariana Wagner - Greenhaven Real Estate Specialist - Wagner iTeam at Keller Williams Realty
(719) 570-7715

Halloween in Greenhaven - 10/31/07

2007-11-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

Halloween in Greenhaven was a BLAST!

There were Trick-Or-Treaters out for hours! We gave out a lot of candy. And our kids? Well, they made out like bandits. (A trip to the dentist may be high on our lists ...)

We walked around most of the neighborhood, and in my opinion, the BEST streets were Thistlewood and Abbeywood. (Although the haunted house on N.Silverwind was awesome!)

Abbeywood was definitely the best "bang for your buck" - This is where the bulk of our kids' candy was found. Thistlewood, as a whole, had the best decorations and most Halloween spirit!

Here are some more Greenhaven Halloween scenes...

Share YOUR Greenhaven Halloween pictures ... GreenhavenCommunity@Gmail.com.
We will post them HERE!

Posted By: Mariana Wagner - Wagner iTeam at Keller Williams Realty - Greenhaven Neighbor and REALTOR
What's for Sale in Greenhaven? Check out the Greenhaven Real Estate website ... or call us: 570-7715

First Snow of the Season: October 21, 2007

2007-10-21T10:13:00.000-06:00

SNOW!

Today we all awoke to SNOW on our cars, roof tops, yards, fences ... It is the first snow of the season, and it actually happened when they SAID it would. (Bravo to our weather men.)

You know what this means, my fellow Greenhaven Neighbors...

Now we can "officially" flip that switch on our fireplaces, heat up the crock pot of soup and sip some hot cocoa ... and to think it was 77 degrees yesterday...

Stay warm friends and neighbors!

Posted By: Mariana Wagner - Greenhaven Neighbor and Neighborhood REALTOR

New Falcon High School: Vista Ridge High School

2007-09-18T13:19:00.000-06:00

Per Falcon School District 49's Website ...

"High school #3 has a name, mascot and colors!!! Vista Ridge was approved by the Falcon School District 49 Board of Directors, at last night’s board meeting, as the name for High School #3. The mascot is the Wolves and the colors are Columbia Blue and Black. A special “thank you” goes to the teachers, parents, community members and students that worked so diligently to make this decision. GO WOLVES!!!"

Maybe the "Wolves" will make those Coyotes quiet down a bit ... :)

New High School on Black Forest, North of Greenhaven

2007-08-29T19:32:00.001-06:00

What IS that giant looming to the North of Greenhaven? It is the new Falcon, School District 49 High School. We have been watching it grow and grow over the past few months. How big IS it going to get?? I do not know … yet.

I have heard that the proposed set up will have the parking lot to the North of the building and the football stadium will be North of that, so the residents of Greenhaven will be far removed from the "Friday Night Lights". The soccer fields and baseball diamonds and tennis courts will be to the West of the school.

Templeton Gap is proposed to be built all the way through to the school (before the new High School opens in 2008) – acting as the main thoroughfare to and from the school. This will leave Black Forest Road a bit quieter, at least for now.

I have heard that some Greenhaven residents are concerned that there will be a bunch of hoodlums hanging out in our neighborhood park once the school is built. Honestly? I WAS once a "hoodlum", and our park is too far away from the school to be that popular of a hang out. So, the only "hoodlums" that will be at our park will be our own kids. ;)

Here is a progression of pictures from a few months ago to now:

Picture 1: Early Summer. View from Black Forest Rd. Nothing there!
Picture 2: Early July. View from Black Forest Rd.
Picture 3: Mid July. View from Silverwind and Goldenrain.
Picture 4: Mid August. View from Black Forest Rd and Roxford.

Posted By: Mariana Wagner – Greenhaven Real Estate

New Habitat for Humanity Neighborhood at Woodmen and Powers

2007-08-09T22:24:00.001-06:00

There is a new Habitat for Humanity neighborhood (Woodmen Vistas) planned for an area near Powers and Woodmen. Here are a couple posts to check out regarding this:

New Habitat for Humanity Neighborhood at N. Powers Blvd. and E. Woodmen Rd. (Colorado Springs, CO)

Woodmen Vistas – New Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity Neighborhood Information (update)

Posted by: Mariana Wagner – Greenhaven Resident – Greenhaven Real Estate

Greenhaven Community Garage Sale and Open House Tour

2007-07-28T21:44:00.001-06:00

First, I want to THANK the people who helped make this event SUCH a success through active planning and effective teamwork!

Kathleen Benzie – Kenney and Company Real Estate Agent: Thank you for your dedication and persistence which went way beyond what anyone could ask for.

Jennifer Farnes – Greenhaven home Seller/ Conqueress Gems: Thank you for all of your media & radio hook-ups and follow-through through ALL of this!

Erika Wong – Party Lite Consultant: Thank you for organizing all of the prizes and sponsors and for helping make this event so exciting!

Mariana Wagner (me) – Keller Williams Real Estate Agent: Pulling together the neighbors to participate in the garage sale and designing the maps and directionals… and the grill!

The morning started with a slight overcast, keeping it nice and cool as early-birds started poking around as the garage sales started getting set up. By 9 am there were streets lined with cars and handfuls of people at every open garage! It was hard for us, at times, to keep up with the amount of people interested in the stuff that we were trying to sell! But THAT was a good thing!

The maps were available at the park pavilion (manned by Jennifer!) as well as our house and one other garage sale. This detailed map showed where each garage sale and Open house was and would be, as well as a brief snapshot of what each garage and home for sale offered.

Soon the Eagle (103.9 FM – Classic Rock) showed up for an hour of LIVE RADIO! The park (at the entrance of the neighborhood) was filled with Classic Rock! At EVERY commercial break, they directed (turn by turn directions, in fact!!) folks to the Greenhaven Community for the Community Garage Sale and Open House Tour! At one point, they even mentioned LivingInGreenhaven.com! (So, if you are reading this because of the Eagle, HI!)

The morning shoppers cleaned out many Greenhaven Residents' garages. Man! What a turn out we had! And what a perfect example of "One man's trash is another man's treasure!" We also had cinnamon rolls and bottled water at the park pavilion, as well as opportunities to donate to the Phil Long Community Fund – and their efforts to build one of Colorado's largest skate parks, in Memorial Park near downtown Colorado Springs.

In addition to the Classic Rock Station in the park, several neighbors (including yours-truly) got a surprise live-radio visit from Tammy Oakland from the PEAK (92.9 FM)– A Mountain of Favorite Music! Two live radio stations : One Garage Sale! Whoo Hoo!

When 11am rolled around, and the radio stations had left, we got a mini rain shower. Cooled things down a bit. Hotdogs were now being grilled up in the park pavilion.

(Thank you, Darin, for being the official Grill Transporter!)

This was also the time that the Open Houses started! We had the participation of 13 Home Sellers and their agents throughout the whole neighborhood. At each home, visitors had the opportunity to enter to win one of 3 awesome prize baskets. The rain seemed to slow traffic temporarily, but by early afternoon, we sure saw a surge in visitors!

My friend and I made our way around the neighborhood to check on our "Garage Salers" and Open Houses. To say that the Garage Sales were a massive hit, would be an understatement. Many neighbors walked away with hundreds of dollars and MUCH cleaner garages!

One of my favorite stops was at Erika's place. She had a Specialty Open House where she showcased products from some direct-sale companies that are represented in our Greenhaven neighborhood. We got to check out: PartyLite - Silpada - Inspired Aromas - Mary Kay - AVON!

The Open Houses had a better turn out than many agents had seen in awhile. Yay! Hopefully, this event helped some of these homes for sale in Greenhaven sell!

By 2pm, people were packing up (buying packages of leftover hotdogs) and getting ready for the drawing for the 3 Prize Baskets!

This Greenhaven Event was SUCH fun and SUCH a success!

Many thanks to our Open House Agent Contributors: Kathleen Benzie (Kenney & Company), Cheryle Burgess (Remax Advantage), Pam Whitson (Keller Williams), Lori Thompson (Remax Properties), Kathleen Kershaw (Remax Properties), Heather Joy (Remax Advantage), Brian Maecker (Remax Advantage), Daniela Galvan (Coldwell Banker), Jeff Piggot (Platinum Group Realtors), Jim Goodwin (McGinnis GMAC), Michael Carnahan (McGinnis GMAC), Wayne Curtis (Remax Properties), Kaylene Helling (John Laing Homes), and Derek and Mariana Wagner (Keller Williams Realty).

And a HUGE Thank You to EVERYONE who participated helped make this such a big hit. Everyone's cooperation and willingness to work together really showed our Greenhaven Community Spirit! I love where I live and I love what I do!

… I can't wait until NEXT year!

Check out the Greenhaven Event Photo Show

Posted By: Mariana Wagner – Greenhaven Resident – Colorado Springs Real Estate

5 Facts About the Greenhaven Community

2007-07-27T13:36:00.000-06:00

There is a lot to love about Greenhaven, and here are a few interesting facts that you may find interesting…

If you walk around Silverwind Circle once (on the outer sidewalk) you will walk .7 miles.
To the north of Greenhaven will be the new Falcon High School. The football field is scheduled to be on the far north part of the school's property – North of the school building and North of the parking lot.
There are 248 homes in Greenhaven: 127 Windchime Series in the Northern part and 121 Cottage Series in the Southern Part.
Greenhaven started building in 2004 and sold their last new home in 2007.
Although Greenhaven is technically a part of Stetson Hills, it is a separate neighborhood – per tax records.

I hope that you learned something new about Greenhaven!

Posted By: Mariana Wagner – Greenhaven Real Estate – Colorado Springs Real Estate

Community Garage Sale & Open House Tour

2007-07-24T22:04:00.000-06:00

Greenhaven Community

Garage Sale and Open House Tour

Saturday - July 28, 2007

Garage Sale: 8am - 2pm

Open House: 11am - 2pm

Grab at Community Map at the East entrance to Greenhaven!

Visit with neighbors at the park throughout the day!

Directions:
From Powers Blvd., head East on Dublin. Left on Black Forest Road and Left on Roxford into the Greenhaven Community.

For more information, call Mariana Wagner: 719-570-7715

Mold Found in Seven D-49 Elementary Schools

2007-07-22T09:07:00.000-06:00

Mold was found in the following Disctrict 49 Schools:

Woodmen Hills Elementary School
Meridian Ranch Elementary School
Odyssey Elementary School
Remington Elementary School
Ridgeview Elementary School
Springs Ranch Elementary School
Stetson Elementary School

Mold is a very serious issue, and can cause major health problems if gone untreated and unmitigated.

Please Read:
Colorado Springs Real Estate Issues: Mold - Part One (The Story)
Colorado Springs Real Estate Issues: Mold - Part Two (The Facts)

It looks as though the District is on top of things though.

Per the school districts website: "On Sunday, July 22, 2007, a mitigation contractor began cleaning Woodmen Hills Elementary School under the industrial hygienist's supervision using appropriate containment and cleaning processes. The district is hiring specialized contractors to remove mold at the other sites. All schools are expected to be fully cleaned and open by the regularly scheduled start of school in August. The schools will be re-tested to ensure successful removal prior to being reopened."

Posted By: Mariana Wagner - Colorado Springs Real Estate - Greenhaven Neighbor

Greenhaven Community Garage Sale & Open House Tour

2007-07-18T20:50:00.000-06:00

Save the Date!

Saturday, July 28 2007 Greenhaven will have its First Annual Community Garage Sale and Open House Tour.
There will be a 3-day ad in the Gazette promoting the event, and a community map that will direct people to the Featured Open Houses and Featured Garage Sales.
To be a Featured Garage Sale, please call Mariana Wagner (your Greenhaven Neighbor) for details on how to register. 719-650-3952
To be a Featured Open House, please have your real estate agent call for registration information. The Featured Open Houses will have exclusive advertising and visitors to these Open Houses will have the opportunity to win some awesome prizes!

Open House Tour will be advertised from 11-2pm.
Community Garage Sale will have signs and directionals from 8am-2pm.

We also plan on having a LIVE RADIO REMOTE in the Greenhaven Park from 9-10am, and hot dogs for lunch! Stop by and say Hi!!

There are flyers on the mailboxes that offer additional information.

Greenhaven Father's Day BBQ and Potluck - June 16, 2007

2007-06-19T19:08:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday (June 16) was the Greenhaven Neighborhood BBQ. There was about 60 people who arrived - bringing food and fun!
We fired up the grill at about Noon and Derek (the chef and grill-master ... AND the mastermind behind the gunbo ... ) started BBQ-ing hotdogs, hamburgers, brats and chicken. Sidedishes were brought by all those who attended and included pasta salads, lettuce salads, deserts and all kinds of delicious foods!
There were name stickers and pens – for many of the folks to get to know eachother better.
Everyone who brought Diet Coke (as asked in the invitation), was instructed to leave it on the picnic table in the sun, as WARM Diet Coke shoots much higher in the air than cold Diet Coke.

First, we gathered all the kids together and did a water relay. We split the kids into 2 teams and had them dunk a sponge into a bucket of water, run across the field to an empty bucket and wring the water into that bucket. The first team to fill the bucket was the winner. Winners received 2 raffle tickets. Those who did not win still received one raffle ticket. From there, the kids ran to the playground and the grassy areas playing with the balls and Frisbees that were available.

Next up was the M&M Guessing Game. See, the night before, I had filled a canister with M&M’s. I counted how many I had put in there. Yes. A lot of work! … But well worth it! After the water relay, people were asked to guess how many M&M’s were in the cannister. The prize for the person who guessed the closest, was to take home all the M&M’s. Needless to say, there was a lot of competitive interest in this game. There were so many fun strategies that people used in coming up with their guess! There were 728 M&M’s in the canister and the winner was the young lady who guessed 758. She was VERY excited!

From here, all the folks who brought Diet Coke went out onto the field with a roll of Mentos. Countdown … 3-2-1 … There were Explosions of Diet Coke went everywhere! Some as high as 20 feet into the air! How exciting!

After this event, everyone was handed a raffle ticket. After everyone had at least one (some of the kids had 2 or 3), we gathered everyone under the pavilion and started raffling off the bouncy balls, gift cards and a Longaberger latte mug (brought by our neighbor Deb!). (When this was first organized, people were asked if they wanted to help “sponsor” gifts for the raffle.)

Throughout the 2+ hours that we were there, everyone was talking, laughing and making new friends. This was such a fun time and we can't wait to do it again!

Posted By: Mariana Wagner - Greenhaven Neighbor

Greenhaven Father's Day BBQ and Potluck

2007-06-04T18:59:00.000-06:00

Saturday - June 16th, 2007 - Greenhaven Park Pavilion - Noon

Contests - Prizes - Fun - Food - Friends

The Greenhaven Community is getting together to celebrate "Dad"!
Everyone is Welcome!

Please bring:

Something to Grill
A Dish to Share
A 2-Liter Bottle of Diet Coke

We will supply the paper products, drinks, Mentos, and the grills!

(Why Diet Coke and Mentos? Click HERE for a video explaination ...)

We hope to see you there!

Are you a Small or Local Business Owner? Are you Self-Employed? Do you Run a Home-Based Business? Here is a great (inexpensive) opportunity to let over 200 households know about your business! There will be contests and prizes all afternoon, at the Greenhaven Father's Day BBQ. We are looking for people to donate prizes on behalf of their businesses. Now, this is nothing major – just a $10-$20 father’s day related gift. Here are some ideas:
· Gift cards – restaurants, sporting good stores, Blockbuster, golf courses, Home Depot/Lowe’s/Sears, movie theaters …
· Coffee mugs or to-go coffee cups
· Grilling Utensils
· Of course … a gift certificate for YOUR business!
· Or, if you are too busy, we can get something on your behalf – (just make sure you have the money to us by Monday, June 11, 2007)

When we hand out the prizes, we will announce who donated it, so make sure that you affix your business card and/or a small piece of marketing material for your business. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please let us know by Wednesday, June 13, so we can coordinate all the prizes.
570-7715 (Derek or Mariana Wagner) or email us at: greenhavencommunity@gmail.com.

Greenhaven Community - Why I Love It Here!

2007-04-22T16:52:00.000-06:00

Greenhaven was built by John Laing, and consists of about 230 homes. It is located in the northern part of "Ridgeview at Stetson Hills" - in the northeast part of Colorado Springs - nestled at the northwest corner of Black Forest Drive and Dublin Boulevard.

I love living here because I am far enough to the east to really appreciate the sweeping views of the Rocky Mountains and Pikes Peak, yet not too far from all that Colorado Springs has to offer. We are also just minutes from the shopping, entertainment and restaurants found on the Powers Corridor.

Our neighborhood has been referred to as the Crayola Neighborhood because of our vibrant house colors - particularly the "Cottage-Series" homes on the South half of the neighborhood. Deep blue, rich turquoise, burnt orange, vibrant red, bright yellow and energetic green were among the colors available to new home owners. The northern half of the neighborhood (the Windchime-Series) has more subtle colors - but not without a splash of blue, yellow, red and orange every few houses. A drive through our neighborhood is nice reminder that we are not living in Edward Scissorhands Land (where every home looks the same).

John Laing started building homes in Greenhaven in the Summer of 2004. With the model homes all for sale or moved into - our neighborhood is now finished - no more construction, as of Spring 2007. New homes were available in the high $100k´s to mid $200k´s when they started in 2004, and now, you can find resale homes, here, priced and selling from the high $200k´s to the mid 300k´s! People love living here and the pride of ownership is prevalent. A drive down any of our streets will show this.

Yards are not too big, so they are easy to maintain. The Windchime homes (in northern Greenhaven) all come with nice front porches - and many of the homes also have really nice side or front patios - some with outdoor fireplaces! The Cottage homes (in Southern Greenhaven) come with a variety of front porches, upper balconies or side courtyards. Each home is unique and boasts tons of character.

Eventually we will have more neighborhoods to the west and north of us, but Greenhaven was not built on a grid: Silverwind Circle "circles" the entire neighborhood and only 2 streets (and 2 more eventually) lead in or out. One leads to Black Forest Road and one lead to Westbound Dublin. For now, Greenhaven is destination-only.

One of the nicest features of Greenhaven is the neighborhood park. John Laing was smart- they finished the park before building any homes. What a great attraction! It sure was for us. We have 2 children and wound up buying a home right on the park. I could not ASK for better! When talking with other homeowners in Greenhaven, I have found that the park was the motivating factor for many of them.

Besides the fact that the park is like a huge yard that I do not have to maintain, it offers a lot to our neighborhood. There is a play structure with slides, games and a bunch of things to climb on. There's also a large field for football or red rover, kite flying (Colorado Springs DOES get its fair share of wind...) or anything else that may require a huge grassy area. In the middle of the park is a huge covered pavilion with picnic tables where we have had plenty of neighborhood BBQ´s and birthday parties.

Which brings me to my favorite part of Greenhaven: The people. I love my neighbors. I have the best neighbors ever - all 230 of them! Everyone is friendly and you can´t go too far without seeing neighbors helping each other in a yard, chatting on a front porch or corner or playing with their kids and dogs in the park.

I love this neighborhood, and am happy to live here, surrounded by my friends and neighbors who call Greenhaven ... Home.

Posted by: Mariana Wagner - Greenhaven Homeowner

Greenhaven Models Close

2007-03-28T21:47:00.000-06:00

Today we watched from our front porch, as the sales office- the Bella, closed down and started tranforming into a home for someone to live in.
We will miss Kaylene and have been missing Amy! Maybe they will come to one of our Summer BBQ's in the park ... We are officially a "neighborhood" as we have officially shed our "new home development" alias.
(We did get a few memorobilia from the sales office, and will share them as soon as we get them "set up" in our home.)

Superbowl Sunday

2007-02-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Superbowl Sunday (February 4, 2007) proved to be a big event, here in Greenhaven. Several homes were open to neighbors and food and football fans. What was the outcome?

Food and drink were enjoyed.
Kids played all evening.
We all got to enjoy the company of our friends and neighbors.
The Colts won.

Rainbow and Moon Over the Models

2007-01-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that I took of the models (when they were still models...) from our front yard.

Spring and Summer of 2006 - I do not know the exact dates.

Picture 1: Rainbow over our neighborhood. Picture taken with my cell phone. Not too bad!

Picture 2: Moon in the colorful evening sky.

We have an Eastern view, so we get some amazing sunrises and some great dusk shots as well.

(Taken by Mariana Wagner - Greenhaven resident)

Snow ... Again.

2007-01-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

This is a very small post about the snow.
We had a bunch of snow right before Christmas.
We had a bunch of snow right before New Years.
Now it is snowing ... again.
What happened to our 300+ days of sunshine a year? Are we saving it all up for later? Let's hope so.
At least we (hopefully) wont be on a water restriction this year...
:o)

2007-01-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

This post contains a few pictures of our neighborhood that I took last Summer.

Picture 1: View of Silverwind from near the top of Dublin. Summer 2006.
Picture 2: Abbeywood Drive- View from Silverwind. Summer 2006.
Picture 3: View of Silverwind and Thistlewood from Dublin. Summer 2006.

We have such a colorful neighborhood! I feel like I live in a box of Crayola Crayons! :o)

Winter Wonder ... Bread?!?

2006-12-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

It snowed, again! I guess my prediction for “no snow on New Years” from my last SNOW post has been proven wrong. Over the past few days we have had even more snow, here in Colorado Springs. Depending on where you live, snow has fallen anywhere from 7″ to a foot, between Thursday and Friday. Whereas last storm the eastside (like Greenhaven) got hit harder than the reat of the city, this storm fell harder on the foothills.

Again, we knew it was coming. Only THIS time more people decided to prepare … But no one knew how difficult it was going to be to “prepare” - as many of the stores did not have regular deliveries because of the last snow storm and the Christmas holiday.

Derek and I went to several stores, in search of “comfort food” to prepare and share with our friends and neighbors. What did we find? Well, we sure did not find BREAD! Have you EVER seen a major grocery store with shelves THIS EMPTY?!? And the bread aisle was not the only vacant place in the store… HUGE sections of canned goods were gone. The meat section only had remnants that there was once USDA Fresh cuts of anything. The produce section was down to a few scraps of Organic cabbage, yams and exotic peppers. What about the dairy section, you ask? Well, I have NEVER paid that much for a gallon of milk … ever! Pickings were slim … and this was the same story in most grocery stores around town.

I guess there is a silver lining to every snow-filled cloud, right? Well, since we could not get many groceries, we did not have much trash (or so that should be the case…). This would be a good thing, as the trash collectors have been out of commission for 2 weeks, now - due to non-navigable roads and holiday schedules. Can you BELIEVE how much trash built up in these past 2 weeks - especially since Christmas was one of those days?!? Whew!

The theme of the neighborhood, for the past couple days was “Put the trash out and hope that it magically disappears.” (It finally did disappear, after accumulating for over 16 days …) Thank you Waste Management for working this weekend!

Today, Saturday Dec.30, we had some great blue skies - a welcome reprieve from the cloudy gloom. Now, it is still chilly out and the wind is still sounding like lost souls floating around my house. But the blue skies are that happy reminder that we live in Colorado- home of 300+ days of sunshine every year!

(Story and pictures compliments of Mariana Wagner- Greenhaven Resident)

'Twas the Week Before Christmas - Snow!

2006-12-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the 'hood ... The snow started falling, but all was still good!

It started Wednesday morning - the wind… wild, wild wind- whipping snow all over our city, especially in eastern neighborhoods, like Greenhaven. By 10am, Wednesday the whole city knew that it was time to stock up and bunker down for a storm. (However, not everyone actually stocked up and bunkered down…) Businesses planned on being closed for the remaining of the day, and Thurday.

Midday proved to be white out conditions, such that I could not see my front porch … from my front window!
By sundown, if you were not already home, you were all but doomed. The snow had blown itself into massive drifts and collected itself in convenient spots - like intersections.

Thursday morning, we awoke to a more peaceful setting - the wind had all but ceased, but the snow was still falling. I looked out my window to see our neighbors homes (and cars) BURIED beneath feet and feet of snow drifts. Somehow the location of our house deterred the drifting snow- leaving us with no snow to shovel. Now, I LOVE to shovel snow, so I “geared up” and headed outside, armed only with a shovel (and my camera).

First, I helped a neighbor dig his way out of his house. There was quite the drift around the front of his home. From there, we headed down the street to help dig out another neighbors car. He had tried to make it home, got high centered and stuck- in the middle of the street, and made it the rest of the way home (2 blocks) on foot. We dug him out and he drove home.

What a way to start my day! I went back home, drank my 1st cup of coffee for the day, put on some stylish orange leg warmers and headed back out.

I went, first to check out the entrances to our neighborhood. There are only 2 ways to enter and leave our neighborhood - Roxford (the East entrance) was nearly impassable, due to a massive snow drift! We went on a brief tour of the neighborhood, talking with neighbors in all states of wonderment and frustration at their current immobile predicament. We helped those who needed help, an took pictures of homes that needed more help than we could give.

We wandered through snowdrifts that were taller than me, tackled friends in the snow, watched kids sled out their front door, were quite entertained by a few drivers trying to overcome 5’ snow drifts with no luck… We dug out a total of 4 homes before lunchtime – including several sidewalks… But not before getting some pictures of buried cars!

You know, there is a wonderful thing about Colorado… the snow falls, but does not stay for long! Friday brought us crystal blue skies (and super crowded stores!!).

I was reminded, once again, at what a wonderful neighborhood we live in. People who had already dug out of their homes offered help to those who were still battling the drifts. Almost every street had bundled up neighbors gathered here and there chatting and watching the kids play in the snow.

Later that night, we had some friendly neighbors (including our new friends from Florida ... I bet they miss the warmth, now!) over for some homemade beef stew and played some games.

(Written and photos by your Greenhaven Neighbor~ Mariana Wagner)