Is there Opportunity at Marabou Ranch in Steamboat?

Have you been looking at Marabou Ranch? Have you come out and seen it yet? Does it seem like Marabou Ranch could be a fit for you but you are waiting for the right time? If so it is worth taking a few minutes to get current. Marabou and all of it's amenities, Infrastructure, fishing etc has all been built to very high standards but the turmoil the last 2 years has created a couple of opportunities to get a great lot at Marabou for a very substantial discount. If you would like to learn more without any sales pressure give me a call. I will help you quickly see if Marabou could be a fit or not and suggest other options if you would like so you know you understand what the options are.

I am fortunate to be busy now because I put my clients first, know what is going on and actively seek out opportunities. I spent 16 years at HP so I work differently than most and will respect your time. Give me a call at 970-819-6930 or email jon@mybrokers.com if you would like to learn more.

A new closing at Marabou Ranch

Spring is in the air and some people are beginning to see signs of a recovery. Even the national media is beginning to report some good news. Encouraging news from Marabou Ranch came in the form of a closing on a lot for $2.5M. Overall lot sales are limited right now so this speaks to the quality of the experience they deliver at Marabou, the relative value you can find in Steamboat compared to places like Vail & Aspen and people's continuing desire to spend more time in Steamboat Springs.

One home is coming along ahead of schedule and 2-3 others are expected to start building this spring once things dry out a bit. This is a pretty solid vote of confidence from down to earth Steamboat people who are very conscious of the national issues we are working through that don't take their actions lightly.

I have seen a significant rise in interest lately from some pretty careful clients who follow the markets closely along with several new clients referred by people who have worked with me before. They see an opportunity to meet long term goals in Steamboat and have me working on various options to see if I can find the right deal for them. I have enjoyed hearing their perspective on things and insights into the reasons they see this to be a good time. Let me know if you are curious about what is going on and want some honest insights into the current market in Steamboat. Call or email Jon: 970-819-6930 or jon@mybrokers.com

New Closing at Marabou Ranch this week

There was a new closing at Marabou Ranch this week. Jim Defranca and Cynthia Johnson are the proud new owners of Marabou Homestead F8. They are not alone in buying this year. People are gravitating to quality this yea where they can spend more time with their families in Steamboat.

From the Land Report Oct 31 issue: "Sales of homesteads, which start at $2.9 million, have been brisk even given the present economy. “So far in 2008, we’ve sold four homesteads and expect to sell a handful more between now and Christmas. This year, 2008, has been slightly slower but not much. We feel really fortunate. We’ve recently had a flurry of interest despite the economic news. I think it’s because the project is one-of-a-kind. It’s really special and unlikely to happen again, at least not in some people’s lifetime,” says Temple."

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Generous Strike Zone at Marabou Ranch

The Dallas Morning News Strikes again with another article about Marabou Ranch yesterday. I have fished out there on numerous occasions and it appears that they just had an ok day. Quite a few locals and owners of the properties around Marabou will tell you that the stream improvements Marabou put in have benefited the Elk River as a whole due to the increased quality of the habitat there. The healthy fish it has produced don't just stay on the ranch but have moved up and down the river.

Selected quotes: Article by Ray Sasser - STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – Pat Stefanek was giddy with excitement, and the fishing guide wasn't even holding a rod. Stefanek ran through the tall grass that ringed the meandering stream, waving his landing net like a tennis racket, flushing a swarm of oversized grasshoppers. Some of the clumsily flying insects splashed down in the tailor-made meander at Marabou Ranch. As the hoppers drifted downstream, brilliantly-colored trout rose from their lairs beneath undercut banks, rocks and roots. They ate the grasshoppers and revealed their presence in the process.

Stefanek lined up my wife on a particularly big rainbow. Emilie is a fly-fishing novice, but she'd spent the previous day under our guide's watchful eye and her casting skills had made a quantum leap. Thanks to the 20 or so big trout she'd already caught from the Elk River, her fish-fighting technique had progressed even further.

Emilie's first cast landed just a little to the left of the big trout's hideout, drifting out of the strike zone. A trout in moving water is like a batter in baseball. The fish has a strike zone that's zealously guarded. Like an overanxious batter, a hungry trout will sometimes fall for an outside pitch, but the fish mostly waits patiently until the current delivers a juicy snack right down the middle of the proverbial plate.

"Cast a little more to the right this time," coached Stefanek. And, when Emilie complied, "That's perfect. This hopper will drift right over the fish." There was a silver and scarlet flash in the water, and Emilie's fly rod was bowed by an angry fish that pushed very near the 20-inch mark. I knew Emilie was in for a lengthy battle so I left her in Stefanek's capable hands and walked to the next likely spot. I didn't even cast the oversized grasshopper-pattern – just dropped it straight below me and peeled off a little line to allow a natural drift. The fly didn't move five feet before a trout tried to eat it.

The manmade meadow meander was a perfect way to end two days of the best trout fishing I've experienced anywhere south of Alaska. In some ways, it was better than Alaska because Alaskan trout are seldom caught on surface flies. Of the 30 fish I landed in two days, more than 20 rose to a big hopper. For the rest of the article click here. Back to the Marabou Ranch Steamboat blog main page for more.

Marabou Master guide in the news

The Dallas Morning News has a nice article on Steamboat Springs today with several quotes from Pat Stefanek a friend who has a "tough job" as a Master Guide at Marabou Ranch. Poor Pat has to Ski all winter and Fly-fish about 10 months a year.

Perfection in land of hoppers and droppers Saturday, August 16, 2008

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – The first year Pat Stefanek spent in Steamboat Springs (1991), he had three jobs, just trying to make ends meet. One thing he knew for sure. He'd do whatever it took to live his version of a Rocky Mountain high.

"I was lucky because I made my passion my living," said Stefanek, master fishing guide and river keeper for three miles of upscale private trout waters on Marabou Ranch, just outside of Steamboat Springs, and 40 miles of private trout waters on North Park Fishing Club in nearby Walden, Colo.

"Steamboat Springs is the world's greatest place to live," Stefanek said. "The name alone is very cool, but there's a terrific outdoor lifestyle here that's hard to match. There are great trout streams in every direction, many of them public waters. I had 110 days of skiing on the mountain last winter – lots of powder days.

"Everybody is hiking and riding mountain bikes – it's just a great, healthy lifestyle. Whatever you think you're good at, there's a 12-year-old girl in Steamboat Springs who can kick your rear." (8 or 10 years old would probably be more accurate) For the whole article click here

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Sunset Over Marabou Ranch

Here is a nice shot of the sun setting over Marabou Ranch to get you back to Steamboat Springs soon.

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Marabou Ranch Party with Julie Roberts

We had a great time tonight at the Marabou Ranch put on tonight. They transformed the Sheraton Ballroom into a mix between and dining room concert hall and living room with leather couches, a large rustic bar, a stage, and even a mechanical bull. The food was first class like all Marabou events. Country singer Julie Roberts was the featured entertainment and she quickly filled the dance floor with her intimate high energy performance.

If you have any interest in Marabou Ranch make sure to attend one of their quality events even if it means making a special trip. They will plan a complete weekend (or just a brief encounter) for you and your family to enjoy Steamboat and get a feel for what Marabou Ranch has to offer. It's all very low key and they show tremendous respect for your time and intelligence. Even if there is not a special event when you plan to be in town they will put together a cool experience for you and your family.

The developer, Jeff Temple, is a fourth generation local whose father started the ski area so they understand what makes Steamboat a special place and they do a great job taking it to a whole different level out at the Ranch.

Let me know if you would like to learn more about Marabou Ranch here in Steamboat Springs. I can send you more info and a DVD, talk with you about how it might fit your goals and set up some time for you to experience it first hand. Nothing else can really get across what a special place it is and help you see why it is a special place for families to spend time together. Call me at 970-819-6930 if I can help.

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