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Ah, tunnels. And why would you want to read an article about tunnels? Because they?re awesome, that?s why. Forget buildings, forget bridges, heck forget dams. Tunnels are one of the few common feats of engineering that consistently skirts the realm of science fiction. To bore straight through the alps? How about an undersea route connecting England to the rest of mainland Europe? It’s easy to imagine such things being found within the pages of a Jules Verne or H.G. Wells novel. Today, they are realities with countless people routinely using them every day. Now sure, not all tunnels are exciting, but below we’ve listed a few of the most notable tunnels being used and built today.

Delaware Aqueduct

Live in New York city? Use water? Like to brag? Then you’re in luck. The Delaware Aqueduct supplies roughly half the water consumed by New York City. But why, you may ask, is that brag-worthy?? Alright, we admit, it’s still a tunnel so won’t likely impress any women you’re trying to meet, but as it stands, the Delaware Aqueduct is the longest tunnel in the world. Now yes, some dingbats might try to count gas and oil pipelines as “tunnels” but, well… they’re not. Of course, anyone who is impressed by this is immediately going to ask, “How big?” The answer is staggering: 85 miles. And the tunnel is 13.5 feet wide. How much water is that? Let’s put it this way. There are currently two known leaks along the aqueduct dumping 10 to 35 million gallons of water out every day. Just imagine how much water is actually getting through.

Channel Tunnel

A tunnel under the English channel. Think it’s a new idea? Nope. Ideas for how to do it began appearing as early as 1802. Now keep in mind, this was the age of horse drawn carriages. Plans involved everything from man-made islands to ventilation towers. At first there were of course issues with engineering, and (as always) funds. But despite any of this, the tunnel was partially started and almost dug in the 19th century. So what stopped it? National defense. The British enjoyed the security that moat, known as the English channel, gave their country. Of course, once the 20th century arrived, the Germans decided to point out how feeble their little moat was by lobbing missiles over it for a few years. With the “national defense” argument now obsolete the way was clear and finally between 1988 and 1994 a tunnel was dug. Today, the Channel Tunnel (known as the “the chunnel”) is used by millions every year.

Seikan Tunnel

Seikan Tunnel image via wikipedia

If you want to get uber-technical, the Seikan tunnel is the big one, the longest undersea tunnel in the world. That said, while Europe’s “Chunnel” is shorter overall, its “undersea” portion is actually longer. One thing is certain though, when it comes to rail tunnels, this one is the deepest at 790 feet below sea level. The tunnel travels underneath Tsugaru Strait connecting the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. The idea of digging a tunnel was first presented in the early 20th century. The waters of the Tsugaru Strait could be treacherous, especially during typhoons, and traffic between the two islands was only growing. In 1954, five ferries sank killing almost fifteen-hundred people. The tunnel began construction in 1971 and was finished in 1988. Today, however, it is mostly used for freight. What the engineers did not predict was the efficiency of air travel as it is now arguably more cost effective to fly between the two islands while taking only a third the amount of time.

Mont Blanc

French entrance to Mont Blanc Tunnel, image via Wikipedia

If you paid attention in your history class, you may remember the story of Hannibal crossing the alps with elephants to attack ancient Rome. Today, you could just lead those elephants through a tunnel. The Mont Blanc tunnel began construction in 1957 and was completed in 1965. It’s relatively short, only 7.25 miles. This should give you an idea then of how sharply tall the alps must be to cause such an impediment to those trying to enter and leave Italy. Unfortunately, what this tunnel might be best known for is the March 24th, 1999 fire that claimed 39 lives. A truck full of margarine and flour caught fire and could not be put out. The tunnel was managed by two different companies, and the lack of coordination between the two left the tunnel deprived of oxygen and full of smoke. The difference in elevation on either end had turned the tunnel into an enormous chimney. After the fire, the tunnel would be closed for three years as it was retrofitted to help insure such a tragedy would not happen again. The tunnel is also managed by one single entity today instead of two to facilitate coordination.

New York City Water Tunnel Number 3

"Sandhog" working on the new tunnel

How’s that for a long name? Want to know what’s even longer? The amount of time it has taken to finish this tunnel. Construction began in 1970. Scheduled completion? 2020. Yep, 50 years. To be fair though, the tunnel has been built in phases, and is already partially online. The tunnel is ten to twenty-four feet in diameter and, once completed, will be sixty miles long. New York city has been in long need of an additional water line. With this one in place, other lines will be able to be taken offline, when needed, for maintenance. If you want to see the tunnel for yourself, check out the Bruce Willis movie, “Die Hard with a Vengeance”.

Gotthard Base Tunnel
Gotthard Base Tunnel

This is another massive tunnel currently under construction. Upon completion, it will be the big one, the longest of all railway and road tunnels ever built. Located in Switzerland, this is another tunnel that’ll allow travelers to bypass the alps by going under them. So how long will it be? 95.4 miles worth of tunnels. The primary purpose of the tunnel will be to allow high speed rail through Switzerland, cutting travel times from Switzerland to Italy by hours. Excavation began in 2003 and is scheduled for completion in 2017.

So there you have it. You see, tunnels can be interesting. They bring us water, they burrow under the sea, and they sound awesome when you rev your car while driving through one. One can only imagine what we?ll be capable of digging in the future.



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World’s Most Awesome Tunnels

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If you are considering buying a property as an investment and income source as a vacation rental, you might be wondering where the best place is to buy one. In fact, there are areas across the entire United States which are suitable for vacation rental property purchases, so a few things to keep in mind when making your choice are:

photo credit:?Let Ideas Compete
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Choosing A Location For A Vacation Rental Property

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Putting your home on the market yourself and skipping the necessity of paying many thousands of dollars of fees to a real estate agent can sound very tempting, but make sure you consider both the pros and cons before making this big decision.

In your favor are, of course, the potential savings on fees; if you have marketing and negotiating skills developed through your regular line of work, then you can also have a good chance of performing as well or better than an agent, because you personally have a lot more invested in the sale of your home.

The possible pitfalls are many. Some people will become defensive if potential buyers criticise aspects of the home, so if you are too house-proud selling yourself may not be the right answer for you. You also need to have a very good knowledge of the real estate market in your local area, or you risk pricing the property far too high and missing out on potential buyers. Finally, the negative side of having a lot riding on the sale means you may be unable to be objective when it comes to negotiations, or you may prefer particular buyers simply because they are the kind of people you want to have living in “your” house, even if they may not be financially viable buyers.

Think carefully before you take on this kind of responsibility yourself, because it may end up not saving you too much money, and providing an awful lot of stress.

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Pros and Cons of Selling Your Own Home

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Having a website today is almost a requirement, but having the wrong website can actually hurt your business. Create a website that attracts renters and presents your property in the most positive light by using the following guidelines.

Photos

Take photos of the property that show it in the best light possible. If you’re having a hard time getting photos that look good, hire a professional photographer. It will be worth the expense.

Text

Be informative and descriptive in your text but only describe the property, not your ideal tenant. Your job is to sell the property, not weed out tenants on the website.

Online Convenience

Add some modern conveniences to your website such as online applications, links to neighborhood businesses, schools, bus lines and anything else a tenant may want, online bill payment options, and direct contact to you and/or your maintenance crew.

Current and New

Don’t just think about potential residents, but consider your current tenants as well. Divide the site into areas of convenience and information for both.

Be Diligent

Stay on top of your website and respond to all inquiries in a timely fashion. You don’t want to put off potential tenants and you can’t afford to ignore established ones. You should also post new text and/or photos whenever applicable. Don’t list info on specific units as you’ll create too much work trying to keep up with them, but do provide information on major renovations or upgrades.

photo credit:?tomeppy

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Creating the Best Website for your Property

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Blue Ribbon’s Weekly Market Update:

What has sold?
10 Homes have sold in Durango since 1/10/10.  Homes were priced from 5k-0k.

-Average list price was 8k     -Average sold price: 5k
-Average Days on market: 350
-Average sold price per square foot from these homes: 6.00
-4 homes were in town, the other 6 in rural Durango locations
How many homes are under contract?

There are currently 64 homes in Durango with pending sales.  Listed prices range from ,000 to .4 mil.  

28 of these homes are in town.
36 are in rural areas of Durango.

Anything New?
There are 17 new listings on the market since last Wednesday prices range from 9k-.2Mil.  Here are the new listings:

Click Here to View New Listings
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Shaheen Hangval
Broker Associate/EcoBroker with Blue Ribbon Properties

835 Main Ave. Suite # 214
Office: 970-247-8388 Fax: 970-247-8360
Shaheen’s Cell: 970-769-2441

Looking for the scoop on Durango Real Estate?  Check out our blog!
http://blueribbondurango.com/blog

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Blue Ribbon’s Weekly Market Update:

What has sold?
10 Homes have sold in Durango since 1/10/10.  Homes were priced from 5k-0k.

-Average list price was 8k     -Average sold price: 5k
-Average Days on market: 350
-Average sold price per square foot from these homes: 6.00
-4 homes were in town, the other 6 in rural Durango locations
How many homes are under contract?

There are currently 64 homes in Durango with pending sales.  Listed prices range from ,000 to .4 mil.  

28 of these homes are in town.
36 are in rural areas of Durango.

Anything New?
There are 17 new listings on the market since last Wednesday prices range from 9k-.2Mil.  Here are the new listings:

Click Here to View New Listings
–
Shaheen Hangval
Broker Associate/EcoBroker with Blue Ribbon Properties

835 Main Ave. Suite # 214
Office: 970-247-8388 Fax: 970-247-8360
Shaheen’s Cell: 970-769-2441

Looking for the scoop on Durango Real Estate?  Check out our blog!
http://blueribbondurango.com/blog

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There is something about those late night commercials and get rich schemes that is appealing but be wary because they’re just as big of a scam now as they were in the past. Sure the real estate market has changed and it’s easier to find a great deal but the economy isn’t right for many and buying any real estate may be too financially taxing.

Before you buy the sales pitch and toss well earned money at these real estate gurus, remember that few of them (if any) can actually back up their claims. And even if the pitch isn’t entirely a scam, it’s definitely not a no effort, immediate way to roll in the dough.

Buying real estate is typically a good investment, but few people have the time, money and ability to purchase more than one or two homes. Then there is also the time involved with real estate investments. They don’t immediately appreciate over night, typically it takes a long time for real estate to jump in value and quite often you’ll need to make improvements to the property to keep with the times. At the very least there will be maintenance that will drain your finances.

If you’re interested in investing in real estate there are ways to make money, you can make substantial money in fact, but you’re going to have to be willing to invest time learning about the business and the area as well as the property itself and you’ll have to have a significant amount of money to invest in the initial purchase and maintenance.

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Stay Away from Get Rich Quick Real Estate

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What is SnowDown?
As most of you might know, Durango is a snowy mountain town and some people deal with tons of snow in different ways.  Some love it, others get what’s known as “cabin fever”.  This is an overwhelming feeling of needing to get out of the house! 

Well, Snowdown was created as a way to deal with the cabin fever.  It’s basically a week long celebration, where there are fun events hosted all week long throughout the town.  Even if you don’t want to participate in the events themselves they are all entertaining to watch! So get out of your snow surrounded house and come have a good time downtown!!!

This year’s theme…Surf’s up, life’s a beach!!!

Check out the website to see all the events click here to see Snowdown website

Here are some of the events I will personally be attending or competing in…

* The polar BEER plunge – where people jump into a giant pool of beer that has been sitting outside in the cold for days!!!

* The high-five competition

* The follies – a live performance with tons of local humor and funny skits!

* The do’s and don’t fashion show, showing off Durango’s horrible sense of fashion.

* The beard growing competition - to see who can grow the best beard in town.

* The Friday big parade down Main!

* The arm-wrestling competition at the Wild Horse

…And much, much, more!

Shaheen Hangval
Broker Associate/EcoBroker with Blue Ribbon Properties

835 Main Ave. Suite # 214
Office: 970-247-8388 Fax: 970-247-8360
Shaheen’s Cell: 970-769-2441

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2009 All La Plata County Sold Statistics:
Jan. 1 st 2009 – December 31 st 2009

Category      _     Total Volume      Total units _  Avg. Price          Median Price        Avg DOM

Durango Res.-   2,806,644…….268………8,233…………9,950…………….216

Dgo. Co/Tnhm-,315,277………..94………1,226…………6,000…………….238

All Bayfield Res.-,085,002……125………6,680…………5,000……………..175

All Ignacio Res.- ,057,388………..13………5,183…………0,000……………..129

All Resort Res.-   ,993,177………52………2,176…………2,500…………….278

Vacant Land-       ,464,500………86……..4,703………….4,950………………379

Farm & Ranch-    ,162,000………4……,540,500……….,667,000……………..175

Commercial-         ,595,075……….11……..1,370…………..4,364……………..233

 

Notes: Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio include both in-town and rural residential properties.

DOM = Days on market

Source: Colorado real estate Network (CREN MLS) from Jan 2010

Res. = Residential,    DGO = Durango,   Co/Tnhm = Condo/Town home

* Our statistics are looking up from 2008 with an increase in # of units sold and decrease in days on market.  These are positive signs of slow market recovery.  Buyers are becoming more savvy shoppers and some sellers are pricing their homes more competitively. 

Looking forward to a great 2010! 

Feel free to email or call us with questions anytime, we are happy to help!

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Shaheen Hangval
Broker Associate/EcoBroker with Blue Ribbon Properties

835 Main Ave. Suite # 214
Office: 970-247-8388 Fax: 970-247-8360
Shaheen’s Cell: 970-769-2441

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Investing in real estate can be an exciting venture, whether you’re looking to make a mint by flipping houses or if you’re more practical and just want to buy a home for you and your family. But there are also some pitfalls to home ownership, although some of them can be avoided by steering clear of the mistakes listed below.

Real Estate Pipe Dreams

It’s the get rich quick real estate dream that will probably never come true. Real estate is typically a good long term investment. Most people shouldn’t think of real estate as anything but a long term venture.

Paying Too Much

Everyone is looking for a good price when buying a home but some people still pay too much. Learn about the neighborhood, the value of the home and its amenities. Break down the investment as you would a major purchase to make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for.

Falling in Love

Yes you want to love the home you live in but you don’t want your emotions to control your purchase decisions. Try to be as clinical as possible and treat the purchase portion of the deal as a business venture. After that you can let your emotions run wild.

By avoiding the common mistakes above you’re more likely to find a great deal and a home or investment that works for you.

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Avoid Real Estate Mistakes

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