Considering a home in the Vail Valley?

Before You Start Looking

The questions worth answering before the first showing.

Most of the decisions that determine whether a Vail purchase works out are made before anyone walks into a single home. The mistakes I see most often aren't pricing mistakes or building mistakes — they're structural mistakes made by buyers who started looking before they answered a few foundational questions.

What is the home actually for?

A primary residence, a second home used six months a year, a vacation home used four to six weeks, or an asset held primarily for rental income — these are four different purchases that require four different filters. The same building might be perfect for one use and wrong for another.

How do you want to own it?

Individual name, LLC, family trust, partnership — each has tax, liability, and estate-planning implications. For UHNW buyers, the answer almost always involves a trust or LLC and is best worked out with your tax counsel before you make an offer, not after. If you don't already have that team in place, I work closely with a vetted group of best-in-class bankers, real estate attorneys, and tax advisors. and I'll bring them to the table when the complexity requires it.

Where are the funds coming from?

Cash, conforming mortgage, jumbo, portfolio loan against marketable securities, foreign-source funds, each has different timelines and different documentation requirements. International buyers in particular should expect the source-of-funds review to add 30–60 days to the standard timeline.

What's the calendar?

Buying for occupancy this winter is a fundamentally different process than buying to occupy two summers from now. Earlier conversations create better options.

None of these questions require firm answers before our first call. They do require thinking, and most of my buyer engagements begin with two or three conversations devoted entirely to working through them before we look at any inventory.

Search and Offer

What's actually negotiable in a Vail real estate transaction.

Vail is a relationship market. Most of the inventory worth buying at the top of the market is either off-market or quietly marketed to a small circle of brokers who can place it. The home you ultimately buy is rarely the one you first walk through, and the homes that move quickly are typically pre-known to two or three brokers before they hit any public listing.

A successful search at this price point looks like this: First, we establish what you're actually looking for — not just bedrooms and views, but the underlying lifestyle question. Then I begin working both the open MLS inventory and the quiet inventory I have access to through relationships built across thirteen years in the Valley. Most weeks I see properties that won't be public for sixty days, and many of those won't ever be.

When we find the right property, the offer is structured around more than price. The terms that are actually negotiable include:

Close date — premium properties often have flexibility; sellers with timing concerns will sometimes accept a lower price for a faster or slower close.

Contingencies — inspection, financing, appraisal, sale of buyer's other property. Each can be waived, modified, or expanded. Waiving them strengthens an offer; including all of them protects you.

Personal property — furniture, art, decor. Particularly relevant in Vail where many homes are turn-key. Whether this is included, sold separately, or excluded entirely is one of the most overlooked negotiation points.

Possession date — distinct from close. Sometimes sellers want a 60-day post-close occupancy. Sometimes you want immediate possession.

Repair credits — often more practical than asking sellers to complete repairs themselves.

The offer is also a moment to be deliberate about earnest money. In Vail at the premium end, earnest money typically runs 2–3% of the purchase price, though it can be higher on competitive properties. Earnest money is at risk if you walk for reasons outside the contingencies — so the amount should reflect both the seriousness of the offer and the protection of the contingencies you've kept.

Under Contract

The thirty days between acceptance and close.

Once an offer is accepted, the transaction moves into a defined sequence of milestones. Most Vail purchases close in 30–45 days, with international or trust-structured purchases sometimes running 60+ days.
The first week sets the table. The title company is engaged, earnest money is deposited, the inspection period begins, and any HOA document review starts. Colorado uses title insurance at closing rather than title attorneys, which is faster and less expensive than transactions in many other states.

The inspection period in Vail typically runs 10–14 days for resale properties and 14–21 days for new construction or complex luxury properties. A standard inspection covers structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and visible issues. For luxury homes, we typically add specialty inspectors — radon, well water (in areas with private wells), wood-burning fireplace, snowmelt systems, and any architectural-specialty inspections appropriate to the property.

The financing contingency, if you've kept one, runs in parallel. Premium mortgages in Vail are typically handled by national private banks (JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley) or local specialists who understand the second-home and resort property categories. Expect 21–30 days from application to commitment letter.

The HOA review is where Vail-specific diligence really matters. In a condo or attached property, the HOA documents tell you more about the actual ownership experience than the home itself does. Reserves, special assessments, owner mix, rental policies, recent litigation — all of it lives in documents you'll receive in the first week. Read them carefully. I always do, and I'll flag what matters.

Inspection and Diligence

What the standard inspection misses — and what we add.

A licensed home inspector will produce a competent report on the visible condition of the property. Roof, foundation, framing, mechanical systems, plumbing, electrical, finish-work issues — all of it covered.

What inspections don't cover, and what matter at the top of the Vail market:

HOA financial health. Reserve studies, deferred maintenance backlogs, capital improvement reserves. A beautiful unit in a building with underfunded reserves is a future special assessment waiting to happen.

Building governance and owner culture. Whether the building runs well from an owner's perspective — board functionality, management company performance, owner-renter ratios, history of disputes — isn't in any inspection report. For buildings I've operated in through Elevation Resort Management, I can often surface diligence questions an outside inspector wouldn't know to ask.

Rental history. If the property has been operated as a rental, the actual booking data, repair patterns, and guest reviews tell a story the seller's verbal claims don't.

Snow and water issues. Roof drainage, ice damming history, snowmelt system condition, sub-grade waterproofing — Vail-specific concerns that generic inspectors sometimes underweight.

Title and easement issues. Most are clean, but on older properties or homes with ski access easements, right-of-way issues can complicate matters.

Diligence is also when we decide what to ask the seller to fix versus what to take as a credit. My general guidance: take credits where possible. Sellers often complete repairs poorly under pressure, and you'd rather control the work yourself with the credit funds.

If something material comes up that wasn't disclosed — typically structural, environmental, or legal — the inspection period is the window to either renegotiate price or walk away with earnest money returned.

Closing

 What to expect on closing day in Colorado.

Colorado real estate closings happen at title companies instead of law firms. The closing itself typically takes 60–90 minutes; the paperwork has been pre-signed in many cases, and the actual signing day is more administrative than ceremonial.

Specific costs to expect at the buyer's table:

Title insurance. Standard owner's policy is typically paid by the seller in Vail; lender's policy by the buyer if financed.

Closing fees. Title company fees are modest ($500–$1,500 typical) plus prorated taxes, HOA dues, and utility transfers.

Transfer fees. Vail has no real estate transfer tax. Eagle County has one of the lowest documentary fees in the country.

HOA transfer fees. Many buildings charge a one-time fee at transfer, sometimes a percentage of the purchase price. These vary widely and should be confirmed before close.

Recording fees and miscellaneous. Modest — typically under $500.

Total closing costs for the buyer at this price point typically run 0.5–1.5% of purchase price, with significant variance based on whether you're financing, the specific HOA, and any local-jurisdiction fees.
After signing, the title company records the deed with Eagle County, the funds clear, and keys are released. Most closings I work on, I'm in the room or available by phone. Once the deed records, the property is yours.

After You Own

Stewardship, management, and any work that comes after.

The transaction is the beginning, not the end. Most of my best client relationships have lasted years past the close — through stewardship decisions, second-home logistics, eventual disposition, and sometimes second and third acquisitions in the Valley.The first decision after close is operational. Three paths most owners choose between:

Self-manage.

Owners who use the property heavily and have time to coordinate cleaning, maintenance, and service providers themselves. Works well for primary residents and full-time second-home owners.

Third-party property management.

A management company handles cleaning, maintenance, vendor coordination, and (if you choose) rental program enrollment. Costs typically run 10–25% of gross rental income for full-service management, or a flat monthly fee for maintenance-only.

Elevation Resort Management.

ERM operates rentals across the Valley's most coveted buildings. For owners interested in active rental income, ERM is one of the few programs structured for true UHNW properties. For owners who prefer to keep the home private, we offer maintenance-only stewardship as well.

Beyond operations, ownership in Vail is often a multi-decade arc. Most of my clients eventually face decisions about renovating, building a second property, changing buildings, transferring ownership through trusts, or eventually selling. The same advisory relationship that helped acquire the property is usually the right one to think through those decisions when they come.