John Rebchook is a former Rocky Mountain News reporter with more than 30 years of experience in writing and communications... 
This 8,200-square-foot home in Conifer will be auctioned at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
The 8,200-square-foot home built into the side of a mountain in Conifer was constructed last year using beetle-kill logs harvested in Bailey.
“They were dried and hewed right there in Bailey, so there will be no shrinkage factor. So often, the logs come from Wyoming or Montana, and they shrink, shrink, shrink, over the years,” said Susan Bird, of Atlanta-based Grand Estates, which is auctioning this 5-bedroom house on 25 acres at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15. The auction will be held on the property at 13938 Elsie Road,. Only people registered to bid on the property will be allowed to attend.
The home, with 60-mile views from each window, was built by QuinceBuilt Construction in 2009, according to public records. The head of the company, who has built a number of log homes in the area, planned to live in the house with his wife and family, but one of their parents got sick, and they are moving out-of-state to care for them, so the house has never occupied.
“That is unfortunate for them, but that is good news for the buyer,” Bird said.
The home, called the Red Tail Estate, was listed by a broker for $3.25 million for a brief period. But the home could sell for much less – or much more – on the auction block. It is an “absolute” auction, which means the highest price takes it. And there is no minimum reserve price.
Auction establishes market price
“This will immediately establish the true market price,” Bird said. “They felt that selling the home by auction would be a very positive experience, with absolutely no stigma attached to it. And as a seller, they will not have to wait for a silly bank to to give the buyer’s financing, and you are not waiting for some silly buyer to get an appraisal and an inspection, because we have taken care of all of that.”
It’s big, but green
The home is large, but in addition to the beetle-kill logs, “the green features just go on and on,” Bird said. “It’s incredibly well-built and insulated. It has so many R-factors, you can’t even count them. The water system is the Cadillac of water systems. Essentially, it has much flow, have every faucet on in all seven bathrooms and the washing machine and dishwasher running, and you would never see a drop in pressure.”
She also noted that the home “is literally built into the mountain. So your backyard ia a natural climbing wall.” The home itself is built on a 7.5-acre site, but the lot includes an additional 8-acre and 10-acre lot. So a buyer could build two more homes on the site.
Because the builder was building the home “with the full intention of living in it, they did not spare any detail. They were very detail-oriented.”
The home includes a custom solid alder door into the great room; slate and teak floors; double-stacked stone fireplace; a gourmet kitchen with Viking and Thermador appliances; a built-in wine cooler; custom alder-cabinets and stone counter-tops. Red Tail also includes a 5-car over-sized heated garage with custom cedar doors; a 1,200-square-foot deck with Evergrain flooring; and a heated, stamped concrete patio with more than 1,000 square feet.
Initial interest strong
Last weekend, the first weekend it was open, 42 different groups toured the home. “I think this weekend is when things are really going to pick up,” Bird said. It will be open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday and from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday. Viewings also will be available from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Monday and from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, just before the auction is held.
“Somebody is going to be very lucky on auction day,” Bird said.
For bid registration requirements and more information: 800-552-8120 or 704-529-0026, or www.GrandEstatesAuction.com
Loading ...Contact John Rebchook at JRCHOOK@gmail.com or 303-945-6865.
Don’t waste your time going to this auction. Grand Estates is notorious for advertising an auction as “absolute” (without reserve) only to cancel the auction the day of the sale if the price is not acceptable to the seller. They cut a deal with the seller in advance. This is in many cases illegal. They have tried this trick one too many times and it has eroded their buyer base. Leave this job to ethical professionals.