February Newsletter 2020

Broncos Development Plan Update

Last year, we wrote about the plan to develop the area near Broncos Stadium. Or Empower Field, if you like. The plans for this development are taking shape and include six phases, ranging from Old Colfax to the Decatur Federal District. They will be developing 55 acres directly south of Empower Field. From the article, "The development of the 55 acres in West Denver's Sun Valley neighborhood will transform an area that mostly consists of stadium surface parking into a mixed-use neighborhood with "market-rate and affordable housing, office, entertainment, hospitality and other stadium-related land uses," according to the framework." In June of last year, the city council voted to approve the plan, but many details are still to be filled in. The complete overview from the Denver Business Journal can be found here.

Getting to your Best Idea

All of us have been faced with hairy problems. Or, sometimes need a creative solution for different challenges in life. Our teachers used to tell us, "your first answer is probably correct". We found that to be true a lot of the time, but as problems become more complex, that is not likely true. Then we ran across a great piece by the Stanford Graduate School of Business that asserts maybe your second favorite idea is the best. Just how good are we at knowing if an initial idea is worth our effort? Justin Berg at Stanford ran some experiments and the results are fascinating. It turns out your "gut" is partially right. Initial ideas are solid, but often lack the abstract or creative element. Further fleshing out of the problem often leads to a more solid solution. Hence the notion that ideas below the first option are often the best. The full piece can be found here, fascinating stuff.

Denver Traffic Bottlenecks 

Do any of you drive on I-70? Yep, us too. We know just how painful it can be. We have written in the past about the crazy population growth we are experiencing, and our city planners are doing their best to make sure we have enough infrastructure to handle it all. Unfortunately, all this construction combined with the population explosion has crippled some of our main arteries. The American Transportation Research Institute studied the 100 worst bottlenecks around the U.S. and to no one's surprise, Denver has three of them. Central 70, I-25/I-76 intersection and the dreaded mousetrap where I-70 and I-25 connect are our three problem areas. Crazy stat of the day? The only time the Central 70 stretch is at the normal speed limit is between 2 and 4 AM! We don't have it the worst though, as Houston and Atlanta have seven and six respectively, leading the way. The worst news is that we are tied with Los Angeles and New York City with three each. All those folks moving here from California will now feel right at home! The full article on Westword can be found here.

Don't Forget to Vote

Those of you that get ballots by mail may already know this, but are you aware that it is time to vote here in Colorado? There are two primaries running in Colorado currently. Back in 2016, Colorado decided to do away with presidential caucusing. This means, we now have ballots that are due March 3rd for the presidential primaries. You may vote for the primary to which you are party registered, and if you are unaffiliated you may vote for either but not both. In-person voting is also available, and for the first time ever, anyone 17 years of age will be able to vote in the primary if they turn 18 before November 3rd. The full lowdown on the presidential primary process and the changes this year can be found here, thanks to 5280 Magazine.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for January 2020! Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Josefina Quinonez, Concepcion Reyes, Maria Zapata, Aurora Dominguez and Madel Carmen Estrada, In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Juana Olivas and Socorro Ibarra. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work and dedication! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

The primary focus of our company is twofold: the employees’ qualifications to represent the company in the clients’ homes, and the quality of their work. Once these are in place, we concentrate on getting the right teams with the right clients.  This works remarkably well until it doesn’t. Snow, client cancelations, and employee last minute absenteeism can all disrupt the usual client team scenario. There is however an unexpected benefit to having a different team in your home from time to time. No two teams clean exactly the same way. Unlike a hotel room with standard fixtures and furnishings, homes vary wildly, and what one team, or even the client for that matter, may not notice during scheduled visits, a different team may pick up on and put right.  However slight, your home will be the happier for it. “Sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck” The Dalai Lama Bee

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January Newsletter 2020

A Decade of Home Pricing Growth 

As we celebrate the numerical passing of a decade, it's always fun to reflect on what has happened, especially with our home values. Denver and the Front Range have experienced wild growth over the past 10 years, and according to Redfin, the median home price in Denver increased 109%, from 2,896 at the start of 2010 to 4,051 at end of 2019. That is a ton of growth and should be very good news. Unless you are a new homebuyer, because also according to Redfin, annual median income growth was 2.8% in Denver over the past decade. That makes it pretty tough to keep up! The nice people at the Denver Business Journal published this article, along with a list of the top neighborhoods for growth during the last decade. 

Denver Arts 2020

We know that many of you love the arts. We do too, and we wanted to share some of the big exhibits that are coming in 2020. First and foremost, any of you that love Monet will be blown away by the current exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. With 120 of his paintings on display it is quite spectacular. Beyond Claude Monet, you can find Norman Rockwell, Robert Rauschenberg, and others in 2020. Denver.org published a list of the must-see art exhibits coming to our fine city here. 5280 Magazine also has their take on the most important exhibitions to arrive in Denver in 2020, and that includes everything from sculptures to photography. The complete list of what they are excited about can be found here.

Do you need Winter Tires? 

We weren't so sure until we read up on this. To be honest, we have always been the "all-season" tire type, but we think it might be time to change our ways (and our tires). Did you know that if you use all-season tires throughout the winter you will experience 25-50 percent less traction than winter designated tires? Despite the name, it’s a myth that your “all-season” tires will perform as well in freezing weather (or even in near-freezing) as they do in temperate weather. Because of their composition, all-season tires start to stiffen up and lose traction in temperatures under 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The folks in Canada, who are experts in crummy weather use them, as more than half of Canadian drivers install winter/snow tires on their cars, and they see a real benefit. There are fewer winter-related accidents, injuries, and deaths when cars are required to be fitted with winter/snow tires, a recent Quebec-based study found. And the most recent survey report from the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada suggests that two-thirds of Canadian drivers are using winter/snow tires (which are required in some provinces). The full article from our friends at AAA Colorado can be found here. Be safe out there Denver!!!

7 Lies that Rich People Tell

Ok, so maybe not lies...how about exaggerations? Or maybe advice about money that they simply don't follow? We saw this article on one of our favorite content sites, Medium.com, and it immediately required our attention. It seems that many of the tried and true things that we are told about ways to accumulate wealth just aren't factual. Things like "diversify", "save your money", "avoid debt" that most of us accept as fact, simply aren't true when it comes to the super wealthy. Reading this article gave us a fresh perspective on money and made us think long and hard about some of the things we have been told in the past about money management and creating wealth. For example, Warren Buffett himself said that people that diversify simply don't know what to do with their money! The full article can be found here, fascinating stuff!!

2019 Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for December 2019, and our annual award winners! Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Josefina Quinonez, Maria Zapata, Sandra Vidales, Aurora Dominguez and Enedina Mendoza. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Natalia Olivas and Rosa Chavez. For the year....drum roll please! Our top ranked Cleaning Associates were Aurora Dominguez and Maria Zapata. Both were tied at the top for number one, with Josefina Quinonez coming in 3rd. Our top Team Leader of the year was Rosa Chavez. Natalia Olivas finished 2nd. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our annual award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Now that the holiday season is officially over, we are able to get our clients back on their regular schedules with their regular teams. Yay! We appreciate you working with us to accommodate our ladies’ holidays and days off to be with their families. Rearranging days, hours and teams is annoying for clients and equally so for us in the office doing the rearranging! On the other hand, it pales in comparison to the great attitude our ladies bring to their jobs each day. There are glitches here and there, but I can say in all honesty that every team’s mindset throughout the day is to do their very best in each of your homes. As an employer or as a client it doesn’t get much better than that. Bee

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December Newsletter 2019

So, we ARE Bad Drivers? 

A recent study of drivers around the nation does not reflect well on Colorado. No, it is not your imagination, we aren't exactly doing a great job on the roads here. Of course, some of it may be all of the transplants that love our city, but the study ranked us 6th worst in the country. From the study by Car Insurance Comparison: "Colorado drivers ranked as the 6th worst in the nation in 2019, down from 15th worst in 2017 and 2018, according to the study, which relied on 3,000 data points compiled from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration." The study also found that Colorado drivers ranked third worst for “failure to obey” violations, things such as not wearing a seat belt, running a red light or driving without a valid license. That’s down from 18th worst. The full article and state by state ranking with an interactive table can be found here. Stay classy on the roads Denver!

New Year's Eve Festivities

Providing we all survive the commercial onslaught that is the holiday season, we may need to blow off some steam when it's over. We are Denver Concierge are here to help. Some fun things to consider: The Four Seasons is hosting parties on both the rooftop and the main level, you can see a Cirque-style show or listen to celebrated cellist Jordan Polovina. The Brown Palace also has live music and is always a classy place to spend the evening. For you youngsters in the crowd that love to dance, America's largest NYE dance celebration, Decadence, will be held at the Colorado Convention Center. You can even go out to Red Rocks, where there will be live music and a light show. For a comprehensive list of the big stuff to do around the Front Range, check out Denver.org and their fine work here. Happy 2020, we hope you enjoy NYE safely!

Colorado Digital ID's 

Seems like this has been coming for some time. At some point, with nearly everyone having smart phones, it makes sense to digitize our ID's. In October of this year, Governor Polis approved the use of digital ID's in our fine state. Effective December 1st, this new technology will be authorized as a legal form of identification. From the article: "With the new myColorado mobile app, Colorado residents can scan their driver's licenses to create an electronic version of ID to display on a smartphone and use as proof of identification. Residents can also renew driver's licenses, receive notifications about state news, and store personal and payment information in the app." Don't throw away your license yet, though. Law enforcement may still require your physical ID. The full details of how to sign up for this new program can be found here.

Holiday Shopping Psychology

Shady sales and marketing tactics work. If they didn't companies would stop using them. We know most of you probably have your shopping done, but for all the procrastinators out there, this might be for you. There are so many sneaky tactics that retailers use to lure us in, we wanted to help you beware of what they may look like. From deceptive websites to sneaking in hidden costs, there is a war being waged on consumers. We found a nice piece by the folks at CNN that goes through many of the tactics that are being used against us as consumers. Someone once said "forewarned is forearmed", so we are doing the best we can to give you awareness into these tactics. The full story at CNN can be found here.  

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for November 2019. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Josefina Quinonez, Maria Zapata, Paz Jimenez, Rosario De La Rosa and Aurora Dominguez. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Juana Olivas and Rosa Chavez. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Our annual winners will be announced next month. Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

I would like to finish the year, and the decade, with a heartfelt thank you to all of our clients for your continued patronage. Your kindness to me, and more important to our wonderful ladies who are invited into your homes is greatly appreciated. Here's to you and to a happy, prosperous and healthy 2020!! Bee

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November Newsletter 2019

Winter Fun in Denver 

One of the things that we love about Denver is all the wonderful things to do year-round. For you holiday lights lovers, there are fun things like the Denver Zoo lights, the Blossoms of Light at the Botanic Gardens and the 9 News Parade of Lights. Of course, the Colorado Ballet is performing the Nutcracker over the holidays, which usually gets us in the spirit! Don't forget the Polar Express train ride at the Colorado Railroad Museum, which is a great time for the kids. For the adults in the crowd, CU South is hosting Movie and Martinis, where you can drink your stress away and watch Christmas Vacation with your friends. These are just some of the fun events in Denver this holiday season. For a complete list, visit the folks at Denver.org here.

Denver Housing Downturn?

All good things must come to an end. Or at least that is what we have heard. Most of you probably have not-so-fond memories of the 2008 housing downturn. Hard to believe that was over 10 years ago. It hit us hard, but as you can see from the graph above, we have rallied as well as any market in the United States....so what now? Many experts have speculated on what might happen in hot housing markets like Denver's. The folks at Redfin published a great article about housing bubbles and the likelihood of a downturn in the near future. Fortunately, Denver is outside of the top 10 areas to be concerned with, but that doesn't mean we are out of the woods. To learn more and to see the cool interactive chart, visit the full report here.

Holiday Coping Skills

We have covered some fun things for you to do this winter, but what about those of us that get stressed at the holidays? We read a study that 45% of Americans would prefer to skip Christmas entirely. Nearly a quarter of Americans reported feeling “extreme stress” come holiday time, according to a poll by the American Psychological Association. Holiday stress statistics show that up to 69 percent of people are stressed by the feeling of having a “lack of time,” 69 percent are stressed by perceiving a “lack of money,” and 51 percent are stressed out about the “pressure to give or get gifts.” So how do we cope? We found a nice list from the folks at the Mayo Clinic (they are super smart) here. Our favorite site that we found is chock-full of tips about how to beat the holiday doldrums. They cover everything from mindfulness to healthy boundaries. We found it useful and it can be found here. Here's to a low-stress holiday season this year!!

Green Living this Winter

By Guest Columnist Frances Black When the thermometer plummets, challenges abound for keeping your green-cleaned house environmentally friendly. In Denver, where the weather changes in an instant, these challenges are amplified. A few steps can help 1. Be window wise. During the day, open curtains on south-facing walls to let in the warmth. At night, close them. Consider using thermal curtains. 2. Chill out. When you’re asleep or away, lower your thermostat 10 to 15 degrees. A smart thermostat makes this easy. 3. Plug the leaks. Caulk and weather-stripping stop heat loss from doors and windows. Don’t forget to look for leaks around utility cut-throughs, chimneys, and recessed lights. 4. Service your system. Clean your furnace or boiler and replace filters now. Keep flues and wood-burning fireplaces clean. Close the damper when not in use. Purchase grates of C-shaped metal tubes to circulate the fire-warmed air. Shut the doors and lower the thermostat to 50 and 55 degrees. 5. Drain the sprinkler system. Denver’s lawn watering restrictions are in effect from May till October. But a frozen pipe can send water gushing into the street, resulting in a fine and wasted water in the winter. Turn the sprinkler system off and drain all pipes. For more tips, download the Energy Saver Guide. Going green this winter can save you a lot of green in the long run.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for October 2019. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Aurora Dominguez, Maria Zapata, Josefina Puga, Josefina Quinonez and Paz Jimenez. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Rosa Chavez and Socorro Ibarra. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon it seems to me that Thanksgiving is losing its pride of place in our holiday roster.  It's but a shadow of its former self; more a stepping stone to Christmas than a stand -alone celebration. Granted, the traditional Thanksgiving didn't incur a lot of spending, which may have made it less exciting. Basically, food and travel, which I always equated in my mind with family.  Food plus travel equals family gathering. Black Friday has shifted closer and closer, impinging on the long languid feast and after dinner nap in favor of - once again - spending. I see a future where we just grab a turkey leg at the courtyard in the mall and keep on going.  Until then I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!! Bee

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October Newsletter 2019

Ski Season

We got our first dusting of snow a week or so ago.....that has to make you skiers  and snowboarders very happy! In that spirit we thought we would give you the run down on Colorado ski resorts and what the schedule looks like for 2019-20. Arapahoe Basin started making snow on October 2nd and opened on the 11th. Keystone immediately followed, opening on the 12th. Loveland started making snow on the 3rd and while they have yet to announce their opening, they should be next. Other notable resorts opening days: Breckenridge-November 8 Winter Park -November 13 Eldora and Vail-November 15 Steamboat-November 23 Snowmass-November 28 For the full list of opening days, click here. We hope all you snow lovers have a wonderful season of powder!

Can You Detect a Liar?

All of us tell lies....yes you too. Most of them are harmless, designed to avoid hurting someone's feelings. "Do these pants make me look fat?" is a good example. (By the way, the answer to that question is always..."no honey"). Those little lies are harmless and common. What about when you are involved with a big negotiation? Or maybe trying to find out if your child was doing something they shouldn't be? We recently attended a cool seminar by Traci Brown that gave us some great tips on body language and other giveaways. That got us thinking and certainly paying more attention to those around us. It seems that while the words people say are one thing, the body nearly always betrays the liar, IF we know what to look for. We found a piece from Parade that interviewed CIA officers for their top signs that someone is lying to you. Also, Forensics Colleges has their top 10 "tells" when someone might be hiding things. All in all, we like to believe in the goodness of people, but that has gotten us in trouble before. Being on the lookout for all of the non-verbal signs makes it much easier to detect deception.

Minimum Wage Increase

You may have heard that a law recently passed that allows any city in Colorado to set their own minimum wage. The current minimum wage in Colorado is .10, with .00 going into effect on January 1, 2020. Following this new law, Mayor Hancock immediately then proposed a big increase for city employees which was approved as follows: "Under the approved measure, the minimum wage for city employees and contractors would raise from .10 to per hour by this July. It would then increase to per hour in 2020 and per hour by July 2021." Restaurants in Denver are certainly concerned, as outlined here in 5280. Denver Concierge pays our people well and always will, but this will certainly put pressure on our industry in total when it comes to getting the best people in your homes. Looks like the days of a cheeseburger might not be far away.

Winterizing Your Lawn

We talk a lot here about what we do inside your homes, but we also realize that outside is important as well. We also know that many of you have beautiful yards and lawns, so we thought that we would give you a quick checklist of exactly what your lawn needs going into winter. Hopefully you have had your sprinkler system blown out and shut off for the winter. Not doing so can obviously cause damage from freezing. Beyond that, the folks at Rachio, who make an amazing automated sprinkler system came up with five things you should do to prepare your lawn for the impending cold. That list can be found here, and is very straightforward. 

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for September 2019. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Maria Zapata, Josefina Puga, Patricia Rodriguez, Aurora Dominguez and Concepcion Reyes. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Natalia Olivas and Rosa Chavez. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Keeping up with technological advances is daunting and not all are applicable to our business. However, over the years since the inception of Denver Concierge we have gladly embraced a few: Cell phones; say no more. Ditto GPS. Texting; it has been roughly two years since we introduced texting as an additional means to communicate with our clients. It is an instant way to contact you in an emergency, or for you to contact us with last minute changes. Door keypads; many of you now have keypads for the primary door of your home in addition to garage keypads, thus eliminating the need to give us a key, or hide a key. If you are not texting me, and would like to, let me know.   If you want to change from key access to code, let me know that too! In the meantime, Happy Halloween!!! Bee

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September Newsletter 2019

Judi's House Luncheon

One of our favorite causes anywhere is Denver's own Judi's House. We have mentioned them here in the past, but wanted to do so again since they have a wonderful annual event coming up that we highly recommend. For those of you that don't know, Judi's House was founded by our friends Brook and Brian Griese and it provides support for children that have suffered loss in their lives.  They have been instrumental in helping thousands of children deal with grief and heal from trauma. Each year they host a luncheon called "Strength in the Face of Adversity".  Past speakers include Mitch Albom, Bob Costas, Bob Griese and Archie Manning. This year's event is on the 2nd of October at the Hyatt Regency downtown and features former NFL running back and philanthropist Warrick Dunn. We attend this great event each year, and we hope to see some of you there. Full event details can be found here, or you may contact Courtney Ellis at Judi's House here, or call her at 720.343.8481.

5280 Dines Event

Yes, we do love to eat and experience all our fair city's fine cuisine whenever we can. When we run across an event that features 25 of Denver's top restaurants, we feel compelled to share. On October 20 from 6-9 PM, The Hangar in Stanley Marketplace will feature the winning chefs from 5280's top 25 restaurants across the front range. The full lowdown on this "foodie" event can be found here. For those of you that haven't been to the Hangar, you can find details here.  Tickets also come with a one year subscription to 5280 Magazine. Happy dining!

Airport Project Imploding

As you frequent travelers know, DIA is a mess. Recently we featured a story about the great hall expansion, which included costs and timelines for this massive .8B project. Not so fast, as they say. It seems this project has officially imploded with lots of blame to be thrown around. From Westword, "After months of escalating disputes over cost overruns and delays, Denver International Airport will terminate its .8 billion contract with the development consortium it chose to oversee a massive terminal renovation project in 2017, officials said" Whoops. With cost overruns and missed deadlines, evidently it was too much for the folks at DIA to bear. The project was originally due to be completed in 2021, and has now been pushed out to 2025. Get ready for the mess at DIA to continue folks. More details on the story can be found here courtesy of CBS 4. Along with this recent news, it hasn't been a good couple of months for the folks at DIA, that is for sure.

Life Lessons, Learned Once (Hopefully)

Every now and then we like to share self improvement stuff. Ever since the first email from Medium.com popped into our inbox, we find ourselves reading more and more from the various writers they have there. From marketing to self-improvement, the topics are varied and interesting. This month we came across a great piece about 7 brutal life lessons that we all need to learn.....unfortunately often it takes multiple times for things to sink in. From the article, "Some of the hardest life lessons repeat themselves over and over again, and it’s on each and every one of us to be reflective enough to witness them happening in the moment — so that this time around, a different decision can be made." The full text can be found here, it's a quick read and we hope you enjoy it.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for August 2019. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Maria Zapata, Maria Sanchez, Josefina Puga, Martha Garcia and Aurora Dominguez. Our top Team Leaders were Rosa Chavez and Natalia Olivas. In the race for our annual winners, Maria Zapata and Aurora Dominguez are tied for the lead for Cleaning Associate of the year. Mayra Soto and Rosa Chavez lead the way for Team Leader of the year. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Through all the years Denver Concierge has been cleaning houses, our goal has been to make our clients' lives easier. Many of you are reluctant to report any concerns, or to bother me with added instructions or requests. Please be assured that first of all I love hearing from you, secondly my main raison d'etre in the company is liaison between client and employee. A quick text to me could save you time and possibly frustration.  I am also responsible for correcting any missteps that should occur in the cleaning process, which removes the client from the disciplinary process. Again, making your lives easier. In closing, we are very indebted to our employees, and any interaction whether compliment or complaint is always carried out in a quiet, calm and respectful manner.  We are grateful to our clients for their equally respectful approach to the ladies who clean their homes. As always thank you for being with us. Bee

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August Newsletter 2019

Partners We Love

As our regular readers know, we love to feature true professionals in our "Partners we Love" section. These are people that share our values when it comes to getting things done for their clients and operating in a professional and ethical way. Our friends at Colorosa Commercial Properties/Keller Williams Commercial did a fabulous job managing the sale of our commercial property last month. They managed the process, and our expectations masterfully throughout and adapted quickly when the inevitable curveballs came our way. They are also great negotiators and understand the true art of "win-win" outcomes. If you are looking for advice on a commercial property sale, or just want to know what is going on in the Denver commercial real estate world, please look up our friend Rachel Colorosa. She is the managing partner and can be reached at 303-886-8154, or at [email protected].

5G Is Coming

Most of us have heard of 5G, but what does it mean for us practically? Dish Network made headlines with a 2023 deadline for complete rollout of its 5G plan, including its partnerships with T-Mobile and Sprint. While Denver isn't fully implemented yet, we have seen the icon pop up on our phones, so we know something is up. Verizon seems to be leading the way in Denver, though. In a nutshell, 5G provides more bandwidth than 4G (or 3G) for cell phone data users. This means speed increases of 5-10X! On the other hand, the increased bandwidth will likely come with some coverage gaps, so all the coverage we have grown to love with 4G/LTE may not extend to the 5G network. To fully understand the pros and cons of 5G, we found this article which lays it out nicely. For a comparison of the speed difference that we can expect, the folks at Digital Trends came up with this informative piece. We are always excited when technology takes a leap forward. For a list of where 5G is currently available and when it might be coming, by carrier, check this out. Happy surfing!!!

Tax Evasion..Wait, What?

No, we do not advocate tax evasion. However, we found an interesting article about the 2010 law that was passed that attempted to discourage hiding of income in foreign accounts. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, required all foreign financial institutions to automatically provide the Internal Revenue Service with information on any accounts held by U.S. citizens. This made it much harder for rich Americans to avoid U.S. taxes by hiding their money, and the investment income it generates, in foreign banks and opaque shell corporations. Of course, there are always unintended consequences of ideas like this. Folks have gotten more creative and are using new tactics like investing in real estate and art to skirt these requirements. This article by the Stanford Graduate School of Business sums it up perfectly. The bottom line? Folks will always look for creative ways to reduce/avoid taxes. Some legal ways to do this can be found here.  If you are lucky enough to be in the top 0.5% we found these strategies as well.

Is Grit better than IQ?

Our friend Heather Klutznick at Trilogy Financial posed that question in her monthly newsletter, and it caught our eye. We have never been the smartest folks around, but we have always worked really hard. In fact, it's always been our goal to outwork everyone around us. The funny thing is when you do that, you end up ahead of at least half the people and companies you are competing with. Most people give up way too easily. From her newsletter, "It turns out that intelligence might not be the best indicator of future success. According to psychologist Angela Duckworth, the secret to outstanding achievement isn’t talent. Instead, it’s a special blend of persistence and passion that she calls “grit.” The full article from Forbes can be found here. We also ran across a short piece on medium.com that echoes this sentiment. The bottom line? You cannot control your IQ, but you can control your effort and your attitude! Thanks to Heather for publishing and sharing this information. To learn more about Trilogy Financial and the great work Heather does, she can be reached by the links above! Stay gritty Denver.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for July 2019. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Aurora Dominguez, Josefina Quinonez, Sandra Puga, Sandra Vidales, and Maria Zapata. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Natalia Olivas and Rosa Chavez. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Just for fun I thought I'd throw out a few interesting facts about our employee training procedures Very important!  We don't have to teach our employees how to clean. We hire ladies who like to clean.  We guide them and teach them about product and equipment usage and safety measures in the homes. Our ongoing challenge is to increase their awareness of the interior placement of objects and furniture.   The natural tendency is to move everything to clean, then put everything back - somewhere. The total focus is cleanliness.  Throws, pillows, decorative items, toiletries; secondary. I know this is perceived by the client as the ladies imposing their own preferences, but truthfully, they just see the shining counters and clean floors. One thing our ladies need no training in is their polite and pleasant demeanor, whether in your homes, amongst themselves, or with the office staff. I honestly thank each Team Leader at the end of whatever conversation we have throughout the day, and I always pass along the kind comments of our clients. So thank you too! Bee

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July Newsletter

Partners We Love

It's been a while since we featured anyone here, as you know we are very picky about recommending folks to our beloved clients and partners. We recently had our hardwood floors redone and they were nothing short of perfect. Following that, we had some laminate flooring put down in a commercial space and that was perfect as well! So, we figured we would give a shout out to Hardwoods by Heaps. Scott Heaps, the owner, is as down to earth a gent as you will find. His crew is professional, on time and gets the job done. On top of that, he keeps his overhead very low, and was the most price competitive on both of our bids. If you need a quote on your flooring needs, we would suggest giving Scott a call. Mention Denver Concierge and he will give you his best rate! His number is 303-886-6889, or you can email him here. Best of luck with your floors!

Your Neighborhood Rated 

What are the best neighborhoods in Denver? Our friends at 5280 Magazine have spoken and the list is pretty interesting. They utilized a formula that brings many relevant factors into play and seems fairly well thought out. From the article "Our ranking uses four variables: home prices, crime data, school rankings, and an X factor score (more on that below). Each category is weighted (30 percent for year-over-year percentage increase in home values; 25 percent for safety; 15 percent for neighborhood school ratings; and 30 percent for the X factor). The top neighborhoods? 1. Denver Country Club 2. Belcaro 3. Wash Park 4. Virginia Village 5. University Park The full article, along with a very cool interactive map can be found here.

Hail and Colorado 

Hail. Ugh. If you are like us, you are quite over it. We have many clients that have had extensive hail damage to either their homes or vehicles during this wild season of weather we seem to be having. While there isn't anything we can do to prevent hail, there are people that are working very hard to figure out how to mitigate its damage. Colorado is especially prone to this destruction because it sits in what is known as "Hail Alley", a swath of the country that also includes parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. Nationally, annual hail damage has topped billion for home and car owners and lessees for more than a decade. The damages to properties, plus the resulting insurance payouts, just keep growing. In fact, Coloradans have the third fastest rising hail insurance rates nationwide. So, what can we do? The folks at NCAR in Boulder are spending lots of time on this problem and that story can be found here. For ways to protect your home against hail damage (there aren't many things to do) please check this out.

Leading with Compassion 

Yes, that is the Dalai Lama. What does he have to do with leadership, you may ask? We see stories in the news continually that give us examples of poor leadership. We have had bosses in the past that believed that intimidation and fear were the only way to get things done. We left those jobs. Most people do. In fact, more people leave jobs due to culture than pay, and it's not even close. The Dalai Lama chimed in on leadership with compassion in mind, and it struck a chord with us. From the article, "Leaders, whatever field they work in, have a strong impact on people’s lives and on how the world develops. We should remember that we are visitors on this planet. We are here for 90 or 100 years at the most. During this time, we should work to leave the world a better place." "What might a better world look like? I believe the answer is straightforward: A better world is one where people are happier. Why? Because all human beings want to be happy, and no one wants to suffer. Our desire for happiness is something we all have in common." We hope you take time to read this simple but meaningful piece on true leadership. We try every day at Denver Concierge to lead in this manner and we hope it shows in your homes!! The full article can be found here.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for June 2019. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Josefina Quinonez, Aurora Dominguez, Rosario de La Rosa, Maria Zapata and Sandra Vidales. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Rosa Chavez and Natalia Olivas. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

I would like to send out a reminder to please run all instructions for your team through me here at the office.  Sometimes the ladies are unsure of the instructions given by the client but are too shy to ask them to explain. In the same vein, our insurance company is very strict as far as what the ladies are allowed to clean in the houses, how they clean (e.g. no ladders higher than 3 steps), and what products can be used.  This is strictly for the safety of the employees, and my involvement adds another layer of assurance. I meet with the teams each day before dispatch to give out instructions and convey any client concerns or compliments. You can always send me a text if that is quicker. 303-588-6847. Happy summer! Stay cool! Bee

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June Newsletter 2019

Denver Area High Schools Ranked 2019

We know many of you have young adults in waiting attending high school. Have you ever wondered how good the school your child attends actually is? The 2019 rankings are out, and there were a few changes from last year. We found a fascinating list of not only the top 25 Denver area high schools, but a comprehensive ranking of all high schools nationwide. Locally, D'Evelyn High School came out number one, and is ranked 131st nationwide. The top five schools are followed by Denver School of the Arts, Kipp Denver Collegiate High School, Strive Prep, and STEM Middle and High School. US News and World Report has put together a very comprehensive tool that will show you exactly where each high school rates for 2019. That tool can be found here, we hope you find it as interesting as we did.

Green Clean Renewal 

I bet you didn't know that we are 100% Green Clean Certified, through the Green Clean Institute, an independent company that certifies housecleaning. That was our attempt at humor. Of course you do, because we try to remind you all the time. In case it slipped your mind, DenverConcierge was the FIRST certified green clean company in Colorado (2008), and we were just awarded our renewal again for 2019. Our staff both inside the office and in the field are well versed in all aspects of green cleaning and we only use 100% certified products. Certification is a process that requires us to stay up on all the latest products and techniques to ensure your home is 100% safe for people and pets. We have great respect for our environment, and we appreciate all of you for feeling the same way by choosing our humble company. Thank you for sharing our vision of a clean and non-toxic planet.

Competition at Work 

How does competition at work affect you? A recent study at Stanford illustrates that this is a very nuanced concept that can go horribly wrong if not managed properly. Too often we encounter ruthless people that behave in ways that are counterproductive not only to the goals of our company, but to the detriment of careers, and theirs. In fact, cutthroat competitors who resort to sabotaging perceived rivals instead may end up undermining their own chance of achieving important goals. From the article, "Within companies, competition “is something that needs to be carefully structured and managed. It does increase engagement, which is good. But it can also have destructive effects, especially if workers transform attainment of individual goals into a quest to prove that they’re better than the man or woman at the next desk, she says. Additionally, our fixation upon winning can spawn faulty beliefs that lead to inaccurate predictions of outcomes." The full article can be found here, and it provides suggestions for companies to structure things in ways to mitigate the risks for all involved. Fascinating stuff for sure.

Fun Summer Projects

We covered the travel part for you intrepid souls, figured we might want to cover those of you that want to stay home and do fun things around your house. We consulted a few different sources, including Mr. Handyman who came up with a few gems, including a DIY chalkboard, raised garden bed and a floating deck. The folks at This Old House came up with a very useful list of 28 fun summer projects that can be done over the weekend (well, it might take us longer, we aren't really good at anything besides cleaning). Lastly, for those of you with children, we know they are out of school and sometimes bored out of their minds. We ran across some great ideas to keep them occupied and out of trouble and that can be found here. Good luck on whatever you decide to tackle!

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for May 2019. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Maria Zapata, Josefina Quinonez, Aurora Dominguez, Josefina Puga and Rosario de La Rosa. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Martha Anchondo and Mayra Soto. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Because I have been in this business for so long, my interests have branched out from cleaning to anything to do with houses; architecture, interior design, history, etc. I often find interesting articles, so I thought I would share a little history with you this month. As early as the 19th century, American houses began to change from being overtly grand as in England, to smaller and easier to manage. Because the architects were concerned only with the building itself, several innovative women of the day took the initiative and began working with the architects to make the interiors more efficient for the woman of the house. They quickly decided that built-in furniture was the way to go. Easier to clean than free standing trunks, armoires, cupboards, and cabinets.  For the first time, closets came into being.  A coat closet near the entrance, a broom closet off the kitchen, medicine cabinet in the bathroom, linen closet in the hallway. These women arranged the kitchen appliances to be in easier reach, and added bar counters and islands, again to replace free standing cupboards.  Truly far reaching ideas still in use today, albeit on a much grander scale. I say hurrah and thank you, ladies, for making our lives easier. Bee

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A Good Clean is the Secret Weapon Behind Your Property Business

By Karoline Gore, Guest Writer

The number of renters in the US has grown by over 7.6 million in the past decade, and an increase in renters brings a more competitive market, as landlords are fighting to fill their properties. However, one tactic that is often overlooked by property owners is getting a thorough end of tenancy clean, which forgoing can be a deal breaker. Getting a spotless home by using environmentally friendly products and leaving no corner unturned sounds tiring, but could be a great investment of time for your business.

Going green

Often the most overlooked part of the process is the tools themselves. Using environmentally friendly products reduces indoor pollution levels so that your tenants can breathe easily. These alternative products are able to remove every allergen and pollutant from the property, meaning that it’s far safer to live in and cleaner than other properties would be. Not only that, but outside your home, the environment will be better off. Check that your products don't use microbeads, which can be washed into the oceans and ingested by marine life, and look for ethically sourced, non-toxic products that use recyclable packaging. Alternatively, there are a number of chemical-free at home remedies: cornstarch for cleaning windows and rugs; white wine vinegar for removing wax building up and cutting grease; and baking soda for scouring.

Tackling the kitchen

Whilst most focus on the bathroom, the kitchen is the most noticeable place when dirty, and cannot be ignored. First, remove everything from the shelves to clean the dirt out before replacing the items. Wipe down all surfaces with a good disinfectant to kill lurking viruses, then clean the washing machine and dishwasher by putting each through a cycle. Clean the fridge by removing all the shelves, soak them in water with soap and replace them, but leave the fridge turned off with the door open to prevent mold growth. Finally, the oven’s trays must be removed and soaked in soapy water whilst the inside is wiped down repeatedly to get rid of every last piece of grease.

Don’t overlook the small things

Sometimes, the smallest contributions are the most important. Vacuuming down the rugs, staircases and even the bathroom floor are tasks often neglected, in addition to washing the curtains or cleaning dirt off the walls. Dusting blinds and the tiny corners of the rooms make the property seem brighter and more alive. All the little things really add up to create the bigger picture of a spotless, well cared for property.

 Getting a professional to lend a hand

Creating a property business is great financially, but can be time-consuming when taking care of the homes you’ve bought. Using a cleaning service lets you do the things you want to do with the money you’ve earned, rather than spending hours attempting to clean out rooms, and is even proven to be economical in some circumstances. Many tasks are quite difficult to do perfectly, like oven cleaning or laboring over every forgotten nook, and a good cleaning service will use top of the range products to give your property the best clean possible.

Letting out property is an excellent way to benefit you and earn money from the booming renting market, but the best way to get the pick of the tenants is to have a clean home. After the initial post tenancy clean, regular little-and-often cleaning such as weekly vacuuming or toilet cleaning really contributes towards having a nicer property available for rent, and proves that a little effort goes a very long way.

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May 2019 Newsletter

Hot Rocks Griller Challenge

Those of you that follow us know we love to support local charities and good causes. Every year the nice folks at Denver Health promote a cool event called the "Hot Rocks Griller Challenge". This event kicks off the summer concert series at Elway's in Cherry Creek, and all the fun supports men's health initiatives. From the Denver Health website: "The Hot Rocks Griller Challenge will kick off summer fun with a fired-up grilling competition. On a warm summer evening, supporters flood the courtyard patio outside Elway’s in Cherry Creek to enjoy live music, spectacular food and drinks, and games. More than a dozen of Denver’s best chefs will compete in a sizzling sliders ’n’ sides cook-off with attendees eating the grilled creations and voting for the winner. Better yet, all the fun will support men’s health programs. This is summer’s most popular patio bash, attracting 1,000-plus guests, including government, business and community leaders, foodies, professional athletes, and local celebrities." We go every year and we hope to see you there. For more information on sponsorship, or ticketing you can learn all about it here.  

Denver Area Zip Codes & Housing Growth

While there are rumors that the housing market might be slowing, the amount of construction we continue to see around our fine city have us thinking maybe not. We ran across an interesting infographic about which zip codes have grown the fastest over the last 10 years, expressed as median home value. Lots of cool information and it's all interactive. Growth information can be found here. In case you are wondering about the possible correlation between home value and wealth by zip code, we also found some interesting data on that. The three wealthiest zip codes in Denver? 80238 80007 80108 If you live in one of these....well, we aren't sure what that means, but congratulations? The entire list is pretty interesting though. The full list of zip code/income information is here.  

Afraid of Self Driving Cars?

71% of you are, according to a study performed by AAA. From the article, "Self-driving technology is evolving on a very public stage, and headlines about tragic failures tend to grab more attention than those about incremental successes," said AAA Colorado spokesman Skyler McKinley. "The good news is that once consumers interact with partially or fully self-driving vehicles, much of the mystery disappears – opening the door for greater acceptance." We decided to learn more, so we did some research. We found a very informative piece by the Union of Concerned Scientists that explains exactly how this works, as well as what it might mean for our future. The pros and cons of self-driving vehicles are many. We were surprised to learn that 81% of all car accidents are caused by human error. A computer would surely have a lower rate than that. The auto insurance center also did a list of the 20 pros and cons of self-driving cars and we wanted to share that with you here as well. We certainly live in interesting times!

40,000 New Jobs Coming

Yep, that's a lot of jobs! The Lone Tree area is planning a massive project that will bring those jobs and a lot more to the surrounding areas. The new community will be called RidgeGate and consists of around 3,500 acres south of Lincoln avenue around the I-25 area. Coventry Development Corp., the master developer of the 3,500-acre multi-use community, revealed their plans for a 400-acre expansion on the east side of Interstate 25 that’s slated to include 12 million square feet of office, retail and health care space, 10,000 homes and more than 600 acres of parks, trails and natural habitat. The east side of I-25 is comprised of 2,200 acres of land, 400 of which will be used for the expansion. The expansion, which is named “Lone Tree City Center,” will be marketed as Lone Tree’s new downtown, officials said, centered around a light rail station and a mixed-use, transit-oriented development. It’s going to feature two additional commercial districts, dubbed “Lincoln Avenue Commercial District” and the mixed-use “Couplet District” along RidgeGate Parkway, and three diverse residential villages. Full coverage of this expansion can be found here.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for April 2019. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Maria Zapata, Aurora Dominguez, Josefina Quinonez, Josefina Puga and Juana Luna Our top Team Leaders were Mayra Soto and Rosa Chavez. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Yet another reason to praise Denver. I was recently invited to a Nuggets playoff game, which was especially exciting for me because I had never been to a live professional sports event. I was a bit overwhelmed at first by the sheer volume of people, and of course there are stories of rowdiness at sporting events. Yet even with long lines at the food and drink stands and difficulty maneuvering the walkways, I saw no one being rude or impatient. The atmosphere was friendly and casual. During the game the capacity crowd en masse offered ear piercing enthusiasm and encouragement, some offering a little more encouragement than others but overall a great show of our city's spirit.  I loved being a part of it. Well done, Denver! Bee

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April 2019 Newsletter

I Can See Clearly Now.... Now that we have had our windows cleaned for spring! Yes, it is that time and we wanted to remind you that we are still doing windows across the Front Range. As you may recall, last year we ventured into window washing. We partnered with Unger, the leader in window washing technology for the newest and best tools to make your windows sparkle just like the rest of your home. Did you know that the particle buildup that occurs on your windows can markedly diminish your property’s air quality? One of these particles can be mold, which can take its toll on the well-being of your property’s inhabitants. If the air in your property seems more stagnant than usual, a window cleaning can help to clear the air. Also, we learned that over time, glass can degrade. The majority of particles, like those that make up water and minerals, can damage your windows. The particles will enter the glass’ pores and effectively contaminate and corrode the windows. The first things you may notice will be some light scratches or cracks, but an unmaintained window can eventually be altered on a structural level and will need a full replacement. Cleaning your windows will prevent this outcome and give your windows far more longevity. So, beyond just looking good and giving you a better view, there are practical reasons to clean your windows! To schedule a window washing appointment, please contact Angela and we will get you on the calendar. Anyone scheduling a window cleaning in April or May will receive 10% off as a Denver Concierge client or partner. Just mention the newsletter to Angela and she will make sure you get the discount. As always, thank you for your trust in us, and we look forward to taking great care of your windows, as we do your home. Green Denver Do you know what LEED is? It stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Normally, it is a classification used for buildings, as in LEED certified via the U.S. Green Building Council. However, LEED is now being used to identify cities and communities that are committed to healthy, sustainable practices. As part of that program, our very own Denver was recently named a LEED Platinum city. From the article: "LEED for Cities certification demonstrates Denver’s commitment to sustainable growth and progress, and provides a platform for the city and to communicate its overall sustainability goals and performance to key stakeholders and the broader community." As your favorite green housecleaning company, we are always on the lookout for green initiatives and ways to make our planet healthier. For more information on this outstanding certification, visit the Mayor's office commentary here. LEED Platinum information, as well as a list of all the cities nationwide that are LEED certified can be found here. Are Robots Coming for Your Job? Gosh we hope not, especially since Rosie the Maid from the Jetsons looks so efficient above. The short answer (and good news), according to the smart folks at the Stanford Graduate School of Business is not yet and not likely, depending on your job and its level of complexity. While many of us fear automation taking over everything from our cars to our housecleaning, experts say that these fears are dramatically overstated. The bottom line is that most jobs are more complex than many people realize. Cleaning your home, for example is a very custom activity and one that we certainly hope won't be replaced anytime soon. The article, which can be found here, goes more deeply into which types of jobs might be replaced, as well as how our workforce today is still deeply divided in terms of education. Even Elon Musk of Tesla uttered the following: “Excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. To be precise, my mistake. Humans are underrated,” Ballpark Project Update Since it is now spring and baseball season has commenced (Someone please tell the Rockies the season started!) we thought it might be a good chance to update you on the massive project by the ballpark. You may have noticed the giant hole in the ground next to the Chop House and across from Coors Field. The official name of the project is McGregor Square, named for former Rockies exec Keli McGregor who died suddenly in 2010. A mixed-use development, there will be office space, residences, and a luxury hotel. The Rockies Hall of Fame will also be located here. To create more openness and public space, McGregor Square will abut the already-existing but underutilized Wynkoop Plaza, a 25,000 square-foot promenade between 19th and 20th streets just outside of the stadium. Additionally, another 75,000 square feet of restaurants and retail space will be open to the public. What a fun and exciting project for downtown and for our Rockies. Full details and photos of this project can be found via 5280 Magazine here. Red Light Cameras Very few things are more annoying than getting a ticket in the mail telling you that you owe money for running a red light. Or, for being slightly over the speed limit as you drove past an automated radar system. We decided to investigate (for a friend of course) to see if these tickets are valid and if you really need to pay them. The answer....well it's complicated. Technically, in Denver you have to be served in person within 90 days or the ticket is invalid. You do not need to be served by a law enforcement officer and any adult that is home can sign for the ticket, and yes, they will potentially send someone to serve you. The good news is these tickets are not reported to the DMV, so there are no points taken from your license. As an aside, did you know that you can get a photo/red light ticket if your tires are over the crosswalk? In fact if both front and back tires are over (bad idea anyway) you may get a full red light ticket. So....if you aren't served, technically any ticket is not valid. However, if you are properly served and don't pay, you can be sent to collections. Of course, we aren't advising you to not pay these controversial tickets, but if  you arent served in person there may be a way out, depending on your level of risk tolerance. Good luck and be safe out there! Monthly Award Winners Please join me in congratulating our best performers for March 2019. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Aurora Dominguez, Josefina Puga, Josefina Quinonez, Maria Zapata and Juana Luna. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Juana Olivas and Mayra Soto (back to back months for those two!). Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies! Queen Bee Corner by Angela I would like to take a minute and reintroduce you to the folks at Rambunctious Ranch, who deliver my eggs. I love that we have the option in a city of this size to have fresh produce and egg deliveries.  I also love that we are helping a local family enterprise and not the big suppliers.  We are what our food has consumed, and these chicks are very well tended and fed. Every Sunday I get an email with happenings from the ranch and photos of the ducks and chicks, dogs and goats.  It starts my week on a pleasant and sweet note, with a little bit of country.  Just thought I'd pass that along. Feel free to email the ranch: [email protected] Bee

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How to Make your Rental a Vacation Destination

By Erin Reynolds, DIY Mama

Between the mountains, the parks, and the arts, there are so many reasons to visit Denver. It’s no wonder then that this metro area receives hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. If you’re not getting your fair share of these travelers and tourists at your rental, spend some time during the shoulder season making sure it’s summer-ready. Here are some things to keep in mind as you begin to revamp your rental property.

It’s About More Than Location

Renters choose their lodging on many different factors, and location is key among them — but it’s not everything. Many visitors will happily settle a few miles away from the main attractions to enjoy lower prices and more room to roam. With this in mind, make sure your rental has plenty of space and that is isn’t cluttered or full of personal belongings. Many rental owners choose to make the master bedroom inaccessible to guests, but this can backfire by reducing the number of people who can sleep in your home.

Instead of limiting the number of beds available, rent a small storage unit to stash your personal items. Denver has many great options, but one of the best priced and most accessible is StorQuest of Aurora/Peoria, which costs about per month. As such, you can rent a unit to accommodate your excess without burdening your budget.

Security Matters

More important than making your home attractive is ensuring that it is secure, especially when you’re away. Installing a home security system will give you peace of mind that your furniture and other items aren’t completely vulnerable when you’re away. You’ll feel better about putting nicer pieces in your rental, and will be better able to assist guest if a security issue arises during their stay. High SecurityHome.com explains that there are many factors that you should consider when choosing a security system. Hint: It’s not just price.

Decorate Denver-Style

Denver is known for many things, including access to the Rocky Mountains and a thriving art scene. Depending on where your rental is located, it pays to cater to what your visitors are there to see. Outfit your rental with either modern, artsy pieces or, if you own a mountain cabin, stick with a traditional, woodsy feel. A log cabin should have plenty of open space, lots of windows, and a fireplace. A quick look at Colorado.com’s list of area cabins will give you plenty of ideas. 

Fun and Functional

Vacationers rent a home, condo, or apartment to get away from reality. But they still have to cook and remain entertained in their downtime. Make sure your vacation home is both fun and functional. Stock the kitchen, for example, with plenty of appliances, dishes, and cutlery to ensure it’s fully equipped to cook a meal. A few board games and a small library of books and videos will keep your guests from getting bored. If you have the extra space, a pool table (,300), cabinet gaming system (,000), and/or foosball table () are features you can highlight that will grab the attention of those traveling with teens and tweens.

Above All

The most important things you can do to increase the return of your investment is to ensure that your rental stays clean and that you provide the best customer service experience possible. If you don’t live nearby, you can outsource both of these tasks. A property management agency can take care of all things small and large when you can’t be there to react.

With a few small changes and a commitment to customer service, your rental can easily be a retreat that stays booked year-round. However, don’t wait until summer — get it ready now, or you’ll have to wait until next season to increase your revenue.

Image via Pixabay

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February Newsletter 2019

Keeping your Gym Germ Free

Since we clean your homes, we know some of you have amazing home gyms & workout spaces. We also know that many of you go to the gym to workout. We try to, but need to do better. One of the things that people don't realize is the number of germs and amount of bacteria that gets left on gym equipment, both at home and in public. One of our fabulous guest writers, Karoline Gore, published a piece last month on how to keep your home germ free. We have added that article to our blog, and the full text can be found here! Here's to keeping those New Year's resolutions and staying healthy at the same time!

DenverRestaurant Week

Speaking of anniversaries, did you know that Denver Restaurant Week is now in its 15th iteration? It starts on February 22nd and will run until March 3. Hundreds of Denver's best restaurants will be participating and multi-course dinners will be priced at , or each. The full list of participating restaurants and menus can be found here at Denver.Org, which is a fabulous resource for our fine city. Finally the nice folks at 5280 Magazine posted their take on restaurant week and all of the changes for 2019.  Happy dining and we hope to see you out there!  

Denver's Best Hospitals 

Colorado has some very good health care. In fact, for their ability to demonstrate “superior clinical outcomes,” seven Colorado hospitals have been named to the Healthgrades “America’s Best Hospitals” list for 2019, three of which also made the top 50 best hospitals in the country. Good Samaritan in Lafayette, North Colorado Medical in Greeley and Lutheran Medical Center (pictured) all received top 50 rankings by Healthgrades in their "America's Best Hospitals" annual rankings. We also had three hospitals in the top 100, including Centura Health-owned Porter Adventist Hospital, UCHealth-owned Poudre Valley Hospital and University of Colorado Hospital — Anschutz Inpatient Pavilion. Sky Ridge in Lone Tree rounded out the seven facilities that made the list. The full DBJ article can be found here.

The Future of Larimer Square

Did you know that Larimer Square was not only Denver's first commercial block but its first historic district? Did you know that Larimer Square  was added to one of the most endangered places in the U.S. in 2018? We didn't realize any of this, and as we dug into this issue we found a lot of useful information about the future of Larimer Square and this important part of Denver's history. Last year, the developer of the block proposed a massive redevelopment plan that received almost instant pushback and criticism. The plan included two tall buildings for condos, a hotel and businesses. The plan was to build them in the alleys behind the square so the new would hover above the old. Channel 7 of Denver did a nice article on this project and the future of the Square. Last month the project was discussed again, this time with the lead developer, Urban Villages. The Denver Business Journal article with the updates on this important project can  be found here. We certainly hope that this project maintains the wonderful history that is Larimer Square.  

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for January 2019. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Josefina Quinonez, Maria Zapata, Fernanda Gonzalez, Brenda Garcia and Aurora Dominguez. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Socorro Ibarra and Juana Olivas. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

A February Valentine to Denver. Year after year during the post-holiday season when nasty weather sets in and the street in front of my house is an ice slick I wonder if I should move to a kinder and gentler climate. Break if off.  Take flight. The thing is, I find it very difficult to contemplate leaving Denver.  It is by its very nature a kinder and gentler city. Museums, galleries, sports venues, testaurants and shops aside, Denver has stayed true to its core through all the changes.  It is a clean city, a safe city, and a tolerant city. We have been together for 20 years and I must say they have been 20 happy years.  Why ruin a beautiful relationship? Happy Valentine's Day Denver! Bee

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Tips for a Spotless Pet-Friendly Home

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January Newsletter 2019

2019 DenverReal Estate Outlook

Has the housing market in Denver finally slowed a bit? It sure seems like it might have. The Denver Metro Association of Realtors just released their numbers for the end of the year and things seem to be slowing, especially in the suburbs. From the article:  “Currently, in the luxury market [anything priced above million], we’re seeing 7.22 months of inventory,” says Jill Schafer, DMAR Market Trends committee chair and an agent with Kentwood Cherry Creek. As a result, “especially in the suburbs, it’s becoming harder to sell a home over million.” The full article can be found here. Also, Zillow just released a report for 2019 that has our fine city ranked 3rd in the hottest housing markets. We trail only San Jose and Orlando nationwide. That report can be found here. We hope you find lots of prosperity if you are transacting in real estate in '19!

Goodbye Electric Scooters?

We wish.  Could we have Jetsons style hovercrafts instead? When the scooter phenomenon landed in Denver last spring, we weren't thrilled. Neither were our city administrators as companies like Lime and Bird dropped scooters all over town. This has created a public safety issue, as well as new sets of rules for where these can be parked and ridden. Initially these things were designated as "toy vehicles" which meant they were to be ridden on sidewalks. If you have ever been nearly taken out by one barreling down a sidewalk (yes we have), you would agree with us this is a bad idea. Last month the city council of Denvervoted 13-0 on a mandate that these contraptions be ridden in bike lanes and not on the sidewalks any more. Only in situations where there is no bike lane and the speed limit is over 30MPH is sidewalk riding allowed. They are also now illegal on the 16th Street Mall. The long-term future of the scooter business in Denver remains uncertain, as the original pilot program ends next summer, and could create further chaos. To learn more about this interesting dilemma, read the article in 5280 here. 

Crowded Skiing

We are pretty sure we are one of the few folks who don't ski that live in Colorado. In fact, we don't dance either (two left feet), but we digress. But, for the rest of you, this looks like a challenge. We learned that already this winter, some resorts have actually been turning people away, due to capacity issues. On January 11, the lots were full at Eldora, A Basin, and Keystone. As an important distinction, it isn't that the mountain is full....it's the parking lots! So the major issue is vehicular density. There are a number of resources that folks can use to gauge the parking situation, including Keystone's and Eldora's Twitter accounts. The complete article and detail on how to combat the 12 million skiers that hit the mountains can be found here.

DenverTeacher Strike

Uh oh. Denver teachers have voted to strike. Denver teachers haven't been on strike since 1994. The current impasse is largely about wages, with DPS offering a 10% increase across the board. This is disputed by the teacher's union, who claims that number includes an already promised cost of living increase. Denver Public Schools has promised an uninterrupted school year, and they are in full blown recruiting mode. With a pool of over 1200 substitute teachers, they are doing everything they can in the event of a strike. The first possible day that teachers in DPS can strike would be January 28th. Here is hoping both sides can work things out, for the sake of the students. Complete information on the potential strike can be found here, courtesy of the Denver Post.

Snow Driving Refresher

Since it looks like more snow might be coming at the end of this week, we felt like it was time for a snow driving refresher course. Colorado has been the new home for many folks from non-snowy states like California and Texas for a while now. The kind people at AAA published a list of winter driving tips that includes valuable information on not only regular winter driving, but longer distance trips as well. As an example, anyone that has ever had a fuel line freeze up will appreciate the tip to keep your tank at least 1/2 full on long trips! Our friends at the Denver Post also chimed in on Twitter with their winter drviing tips....be safe out there!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Clients have asked how we handle lockouts and last-minute client cancelations. Our employees are paid by the hour fromthe time they leave the building in the morning until they return.  This means in the event of a last-minute lockout or cancelation we are paying for the team's time while we try to contact the client and/or find another house for them to clean instead. We don't charge for these occurrences because lockouts are unintentional and generally unavoidable. Of course, if it happens more frequently we may need to charge for the team's lost time. On the same subject, many clients are giving us their garage codes to use instead of keys.  If this is easier please let me know and I will add the code to the work order instead of signing out keys on the clean day. Bee

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Keeping Fit: Hidden Germs In Your Gym

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December Newsletter 2018

Year End & 2019 Outlook 

Wow, 2018 was an interesting year at Denver Concierge. We launched window washing, moved out of some markets and recommitted to others, in short, it went fast!! Of course, our year had its challenges with labor and scheduling, but thanks to your understanding and patience we were able to pull it off. We truly have the best clients in Denver. We have exciting plans for 2019, but most importantly we want to be the best service provider you know. Angela, Maria, Blanca, John (Maria, John, and Blanca pictured below, Angela photo credits!) and our wonderful ladies in the field wish you the best for an amazing holiday season, and we sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We look forward to doing an even better job for you in 2019, and if there is anything that we can ever do better, please reach out to Angela directly . As a reminder, we will be closed on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, returning on January 2. Happy Holidays!!!

Warren Buffett's Keys to Success

Warren Buffett has a question for you. "Do you say no enough"? Surprisingly, that is the main premise of what separates successful people from those of us that maybe aren't so successful. Buffett says "The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything." Once we digested this, it made perfect sense. Beyond saying no more often in our lives, and focusing on what is truly important, he also shares some other great tips for success. To learn more about success by Buffett, click on the article here.

Denver New Year's Eve Celebrations

What are the best ways to spend New Year's Eve in and around Denver? Because we know you love to have fun, we came across some resources for you. Ever wonder how to include kids in the celebration? The Denver Children's Museum has a family-friendly celebration during the day called "Noon Year's Eve"! From the Avs being in town to Denver's Grandest New Year's Eve party, the folks at 5280 Magazine are here to help. They recently published "11 Festive Ways to Celebrate New Year's Eve in Denver"and we wanted to share with you. You could even ring in 2019 as the Mad Hatter, if the urge strikes you! Whatever you do, be safe and we wish you a wonderful New Year's Eve celebration.

2019 Carpet and Rug Trends 

Along with cleaning your home, we want to pass along anything we can to make is perfect for you. Our friend Marina Dagenais at Designer Premier always has great content in her newsletter, so we often steal her ideas!!! This month, Marina wrote about fresh trends in the world of flooring and we wanted to share that with you. While many of you have beautiful hardwood floors (which we love to see shine), 2019 is predicted to be the year of the carpet. Her article also taught us a new word, "Hygge" (don't ask us to pronounce it). Danish for happy living, this style is categorized by using natural materials such as linen and cotton. To see the full piece and learn what is happening with trends in flooring, click here. As always, if you need a designer to help, contact Marina directly here.

Winter Home To Do List

Winter officially starts on the 21st, the winter solstice. Also the shortest day of the year in terms of daylight. (We have a pretty cool winter trifecta here in Denver today and tomorrow, take a look here, but we digress.) Daylight aside, we have had a pretty mild start to the season. Also, it's not too late to get your home ready for winter and there are some great projects that you can tackle this time of year. The nice folks at Mr. Handyman published a wonderful list of things that we can all take a look at this winter. Home automation, how to protect your mailbox from the deadly snowplow and energy efficiency tips are just a few of the great ideas provided. We recently installed both a Nestthermostat and a Ring doorbell (great for package theft prevention) and we can vouch for both as great additions. Nothing like being able to control the temperature in our homes with our smartphone (which never seems to leave our side, but that's another discussion). To see the full December to-do list, visit Handyman Matters here.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for November 2018. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Maria Zapata, Josefina Quinonez, Aurora Dominguez, Angeles Hernandez, and Maria Reyes. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Natalia Olivas and Mayra Soto. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! We look forward to announcing our top performers for the year in January! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

I want to close 2018's Queen Bee Corner by giving a one-woman standing ovation to all Denver Concierge clients.  You really are the best I could ask for.  And I'll tell you why. You are kind to our ladies.  Number 1 top of the list. You make me laugh.  In a good way, as in it brightens my day. You are forgiving. We do our best.  Mistakes happen.  You are quick to forgive. You are flexible.  Readily accepting of our crazy schedule changes. You are generous in your compliments, in whatever form you express them. So, I stand and applaud you as best a bee can. Happy 2019 to all! Bee

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Keep Your Kitchen Clean To Stave Off Disease

What diseases can kitchen bacteria cause?

How often should you clean your kitchen space?

Keeping dishes and utensils clean

Kitchen floors count too

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November Newsletter 2018

Amazon HQ and Denver

Well the news is official, and you may have heard. Amazon did not select Denver for its second headquarters. After a long process narrowing down the field to 20 cities, Amazon decided to split the location between two metro areas. Northern Virginia and Long Island City in Queens ended up being the winners here. The decision comes with an investment north of billion and will create 50,000 jobs. Along with it, traffic, labor pressure and all that comes with a massive endeavor such as this. The Washington Post wrote an interesting "winners/losers" article following this very local decision and they offered a good perspective. As we have discussed here, Denver may have actually "won" by not being awarded this project. We already have labor and traffic problems here, and this may have made things dramatically worse. On a happy and much smaller note, Amazon has recently opened one of their "4 star" stores in Park Meadows. This location will provide only the highest rated items that are sold on Amazon and is one of their new brick and mortar locations around the country. Full details of that opening can be found here. Congratulations to the "winners" of the Amazon sweepstakes.....we will watch with interest from afar!

Denver's Labor Crisis 

Wow. Take a look at the chart above. Denver has no labor, as you may have noticed by all the "Help Wanted" signs around town. This has largely been driven by the very hot construction and cannabis industries and has impacted nearly every service business from restaurants to unfortunately, cleaning companies. Denver restaurants have been struggling with this for some time, and there is a fine article from 5280 Magazine on the wage issue that can be found here. Mayor Hancock also recently floated the idea of  per hour for all City of Denveremployees as well. The bottom line is all of us in the service industry are struggling to find quality employees. At Denver Concierge it becomes even more difficult as our standards for cleaning are super high and we won't just hire anyone to be in your homes. Rest assured we will continue to do whatever it takes to provide high levels of service to our clients and to make sure you are getting the best housecleaning in town.

DIA is Number One

It is every traveler's right to complain about airports. Back in the day when we used to travel, we had our list of the worst airports in the U.S. (yes, we are looking at you Newark). Some of you might even have flown in and out of Stapleton airport, which we always thought was ok. Enter DIA. Completed in 1995, it cost nearly billion in total, nearly billion over budget.  How far we have come, as DIA was recently rated as the best large airport in the U.S. by the Wall Street Journal. In its first ever rating of U.S. airports, the Journal surveyed 4,800 readers along with doing their own research and came up with the following list. The full article by the Denver Post can be found here. Congratulations to DIA and the city of Denver for an outstanding achievement!

Kitchen Facts and Health

By Guest Columnist Karoline Gore Keep Your Kitchen Clean to Stave Off Disease Did you know that cutting boards contain 200 times more coliform bacteria than a toilet seat, or that kitchen tap handles contain around a quarter million germs? Dirty kitchen islands, utensils, and crockery can also build up bacteria quickly, potentially resulting in illness for your family. When tackling the issue of cleaning your kitchen, it is important to be realistic. This is because in addition to cleaning surfaces and equipment every time you use them, you will also need to deep clean your kitchen with regularity, to ensure stored items are kept hygienically and to get rid of grease and food remains that can escape your daily cleaning. If you find that you don’t have time to clean as much as you like, rely on a trusted cleaning company to keep your home safe for your family; make sure the company is a certified green cleaner to value sustainability as much as you do cleanliness. What diseases can kitchen bacteria cause? Some of the many diseases that can be caused by viruses and bacteria in the kitchen include colds, flu, and food borne illnesses. As noted by academics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, those who handle food can pass diseases such as Hepatitis A, Noroviruses, or diseases caused by staphylococcus and streptococcus, to others. Bacteria in raw foods such as uncooked hamburger and other raw meat and seafood, meanwhile, can cause a deadly disease called uremic syndrome. Those who prep food can sometimes neglect to clean their kitchen as is required because "nothing has happened so far." But all it takes is one incident to drastically change your family’s health and well-being. How often should you clean your kitchen space? Those who are very busy may not like the answer to this question. Kitchens should be cleaned daily - that is, counter tops and any other items that touch food should be cleaned immediately after use. Research shows that some of the dirtiest areas in the kitchen include the sink area because we tend to use contaminated sponges that contain food bacteria. Sponges should be kept for no longer than one week to reduce the chances of illness. Microwaves should be cleaned once weekly, while fridges should be disinfected once a week. Make sure to throw away old fruit and open packages and cans that can leak or drop onto your fridge trays. Ovens, meanwhile, should be cleaned every three to six months. If you clean your oven regularly, you can rely on steam or natural ingredients like vinegar and baking soda, rather than having to use grease removers with a high chemical content. Keeping dishes and utensils clean If you are worried about bacteria build-up on sponges, you might wish to opt for a dishwasher instead. You have two choices when it comes to dishwashers. You can either opt for a standard model (which doesn’t get so hot and sanitizes dishes using chemicals) or for a commercial dishwasher, which uses high temperatures to clean dishes and utensils. If you have a large family that goes through various dishes a day, a commercial type dishwasher may be more suitable. Look into certified green machines, which will enable you to save water and energy yet kill potentially harmful bacteria. Kitchen floors count too Be vigilant of floors; steam vacuum them frequently since food often spills onto the floor and those who walk into a kitchen can bring bacteria from the kitchen into other rooms. If you don’t use a steam vacuum machine, sweep the floor first to remove crumbs and potentially sharp pieces of food. Use warm water and a mop, adding a couple of drops of dish soap and a cup of vinegar into your mop bucket to remove stubborn stains. Use a microfiber mop to dry the areas you have cleaned. When cleaning your home, carpets, and floors may be most important for aesthetic purposes and to lend the home a tidy look when guests arrive. However, it is also important to pay special attention to the kitchen, since contaminated food can have serious health consequences for you and your family. Plan your cleaning routine, using your phone calendar to remind you when specific cleaning tasks are due. Clean counter tops, crockery, and utensils immediately after using them, and pay as much attention to floors as you do cooking spaces.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for October 2018. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Maria Zapata, Aurora Dominguez, Josefina Quinonez, Josefina Puga, and Jessika Leal. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Natalia Olivas and Mayra Soto (two months in a row for these two!) Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

We are about to jump on the holiday roller coaster where we are bombarded by advice on gift giving, family, diet, cooking, style, parties, the works.  We live in frantic times. On the other hand, there is an ancient tradition which brings a balance to the season. For thousands of years societies around the globe have celebrated various festivals of light to ward off the dark months of winter.  We witness this in our winter streets, lighted windows and public displays even today.  It brings a feeling of quiet hope and inner calm that we sorely need. We just need to take the time... Bee

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October Newsletter 2018

Firefighters & Puppies?

Yes, it's a unique combination, but it definitely works! One of our Partners We Love, Misha Photography, donated their time to a very cool charity this summer. The photo below gives you a good look at this fun project, also known as the 2018 Fire Rescue Dogs Calendar.

This calendar project benefitted Lifeline Puppy Rescue, a no-kill organization established in 1993 that rescues puppies and each calendar sold gives one puppy a new home!! We were able to come up with a few of these calendars and we are offering them to the first five people that email or call Angela to request one, free of charge. Lastly, if you want to play with some of these puppies yourself and support a wonderful cause, Misha and Lifeline are hosting a "Puppies and Headshots" event on November 8thfrom 4-7PM at her studio in Broomfield. For 0 you can contribute to this great cause, along with getting your very own 2018 calendar and fully edited business headshot for LinkedIn or any other use you might have in mind. We will also be there and hope you can join us!!! For more information on this event, please see the details below, or you can learn more on Misha Photography's Facebook page here.  To reserve your spot please contact Misha directly via her email here.

Your Clone

Have you ever seen your clone? The kids today call it "finding your doppelganger", which means you encounter someone who looks just like you! Well that's impossible, you say? It's not. In fact, scientists have figured out that there are, on average, seven people who look just like you on the planet. We ran across a fun article on Quora that got us interested in this topic, so down the rabbit hole we went. The chances of you meeting your doppelganger are well....not very good, but not impossible. If you are curious about the actual odds of finding your "semi-identical twin" or learning more about just who this might have happened to, we found a couple of articles that might interest you. The folks at the BBC published this article last year, and the Daily Mail published this one, with some fun examples of people that have actually met their own!

Happy Birthday to Two Stars

We don't like to toot our own horn very much, but we owe much of our success to the "people behind the scenes". Since two of our best people celebrated birthdays in the past couple of weeks, we wanted to recognize them. Maria Herrera, our General Manager, and her trusty assistant, Blanca Garcia both celebrated birthdays in late September and October. These are the two people that make sure the ladies arrive at your home ready to go, on time, and efficient. Both Maria and Blanca have been with us since back in the late 90's and both started with the company cleaning houses. Let's just say they know what it takes to properly clean your home. Please join us in wishing both of our superstars a happy birthday! Our company wouldn't be the same without them.

Best Restaurant List 2017 

As our loyal readers know, we love to eat out in Denver and across the Front Range. So, we get pretty excited when the annual list of our best restaurants is released by 5280 Magazine. This year's list is out and there are some new faces (and places) to go visit. Old standbys like Frasca Food and Wine are there, and one of our favorites up north, Blackbelly Market in Boulder. The complete list can be found here, and happy dining!!!

0M Market Street Project

Larimer Square, Union Station and....Market Station? On September 29, construction on the 370,000 square foot Market Station got underway (photo above). Market Station will include 95,000 square feet of office space, 85,000 square feet of retail and around 225 apartments, including both luxury units and micro-apartments that are meant to provide a more affordable option. Two levels of below-grade parking will be built for a total of 320 parking spaces that can be used by tenants, as well as the general public. For the full story from the Denver Business Journal, click here. More exciting stuff in our city!

Monthly Award Winners

Please allow me to introduce our September 2017 award winners for quality and client service. Our best Cleaning Associates for the month were Sandra Vidales, Anita Solis, Salvadora Rosales, Maria Zapata and Juana Luna. Our best Team Leaders for September were Socorro Ibarra and Perla Hernandez. Thanks to all of our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our trend setting award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

I love talking to clients, in case you've missed the gazillion times I've mentioned it in these missives from my little corner. Once in a while though, a call is inconvenient and a text is the perfect conduit. The ladies in the field can text any questions directly to me and I can then text you directly so you can respond even if in a meeting, restaurant, or out shopping. The clients who have started texting me seem to like the idea. However, please know that texting does not replace phone conversations altogether because there are times when we have to discuss larger issues. For those clients who don't want to text, please continue to call me (see paragraph one above). The text number is different than our main number, so if you don't have it already let me know and I will gladly provide it! Happy October! Bee

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August Newsletter 2018

Labor Day & Back to School  Summer is rapidly leaving us, and we are heading into fall, which means school is starting as well. As a reminder, we will be closed on Monday, September 3rd in celebration of the Labor Day holiday. We will be back open for business on Tuesday the 4th. Since it's time to get the kids ready for school as well, we wanted to provide a few handy tools to make sure you (and the kids) are ready. For those of you sending your young adults off to college this fall, congratulations. We have a number of clients that have mentioned this to us, so we thought it might be a good time to provide an "off to college" checklist, which can be found here. We also ran across a nice checklist from Good Housekeeping for normal back to school activity, and that can be found here. We hope you have all had a wonderful summer. Also, we would be remiss if we didn't remind you all that fall in Colorado is gorgeous and looks even better through clean windows. If you haven't tried our super green, really cool window washing yet, please give Angela a call and mention our fall special! Here's to a great fall and go Broncos! The End of PowerPoint? Long before we got into the housecleaning industry, some of us spent some time in corporate America. Not sure about you, but we saw our share of PowerPoint presentations. They weren't all great, and certainly were not all effective. Then we ran across an article where Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, has outlawed PowerPoint presentations in favor of a more creative (and effective it seems) approach. Early results of this new "narrative" methodology are promising, and the science behind how we learn and assimilate information best seems to back it up. Visit Inc. here to learn more about this revolutionary approach to presentations. Colorado Etiquette Those of you that have been in Colorado for a while (including the few natives that are left) can relate to all the new faces in our state. We have discussed the burgeoning population here quite a few times, and the effect it has on our city. But beyond traffic and overall congestion, we thought it might be a good time to remind everyone about Colorado "etiquette". The nice folks at 5280 Magazinepublished a fun list in this month's magazine about how to behave in our fine state. Everything from trail etiquette to little quirky Colorado things are covered, and the full article can be found here, and it's pretty entertaining. So, for newcomers and long-timers alike, let's all be kind to one another and enjoy this beautiful place we call home. What M Will Buy you in Denver  Short answer? Not as much as it used to. Some fun facts.....the median home price in the Denver metro area was 0k in July. Also, 2.65% of all homes in Denver are valued at million or more. That is good for 10th nationwide. Home inventory dropped again, pushing prices upward in what seems like a recurring theme here. So, if you are curious or have million burning a hole in your pocket, you came to the right place. The Denver Business Journal published a slide show with 46 examples of homes in the million range and it's impressive. To see those homes and what a million dollars can bring you, visit the DBJ for the full slide show. Regrets, I've Had a Few We hate regrets. In fact, most of us have likely spent most of our lives trying to not have too many. While we don't like to look backwards too often, there are some lessons in there for sure. One of the untapped resources in our civilization is the wisdom of our older citizens. They have seen more, done more and have much to share, if asked. The folks at Medium Daily Digest did an exhaustive set of interviews with folks in their 90's, posing the question, "what do you regret most". The answers might surprise you, but our favorite quote from the article:  “Do you wish you accomplished more?” He responded, “No, I wished I loved more.” The full article can be found here, interesting read for sure. Monthly Award Winners Please join me in congratulating our best performers for July 2018. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Ana Solis, Josefina Quinonez, Aurora Dominguez, Jessica Rios and Juana Luna. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Rosa Chavez and Natalia Olivas. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies! Queen Bee Corner by Angela I hate to see the old buildings torn down.  We should be so thankful for the hard work of the preservation societies that fight to guard our city's history. A recent example is the makeover of Union Station.  There really is nothing else like its ambiance in Denver, and the bustle is reminiscent of a much larger and more diverse city. It feels like a city within a city and the station itself is just stunning.   What an incredible salute to the glory days of our railroad town. Quite a few of our clients have historic homes, which I praise.  And much of the newer architecture is innovative and quite beautiful; a segue into the future of our city. Hopefully the changes will be gentle and not jarring.  Supporting whatever efforts are being made to balance past and future is a step toward the gentle, so let's get on the train! Bee

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July Newsletter 2018

Green Cleaning and You Every now and then we feel compelled to remind you that we were the first Green Clean Institute certified cleaning company in Colorado, making us a charter member in our fine state. Since we started this movement across the Front Range, many have followed. Most companies just do it for marketing because it makes clients "feel good" about using them. That isn't why we do it. Since we just renewed our certification with the Institute, we thought it might be a good time to remind everyone why this is important and just why we do it. Here are five good reasons for cleaning your home with green, eco-friendly products. 1. Environment-This is the obvious one. Using green products ensures you won't be putting harmful, non-biodegradable substances into our environment. Many cleaning products found in stores have harmful ingredients that should be avoided. 2. Health-Feel better with green cleaning products – literally. Unlike conventional cleaning products, you’ll know that what you’re using won’t harm you, your family, or your pets. Considering many of the hazardous chemicals in conventional products are often carcinogens, neurotoxins, mutagens, teratogens, or endocrine disrupters, it is worth ditching them in favor of natural green cleaning products. 3. Air Quality-Did you know that the use of conventional cleaning products can contribute to higher pollution indoors than outdoors? Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which have been associated with a host of health problems like damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system, are released when products are used and stored and can also linger in the air long after use. 4. Safety- Flammable/Toxic! With labels like these on some conventional cleaning products, you get a pretty good idea that they aren’t really that safe. Many chemicals (e.g., chlorine and ammonia), when mixed together, can be downright dangerous. Small children and pets are especially vulnerable due to higher exposure levels because of their size. Plus, household cleaning supplies are one of the top five substance classes accounting for calls to the National Poison Control Center. 5. Know What's in Your Products-Shockingly, manufacturers of cleaning products aren’t required by the U.S. government to divulge ingredients; however, many green cleaning manufacturers make it their policy to be fully transparent, whereas some conventional manufacturers don't and may only list a portion of their ingredients. Rest assured that every product we bring into your home is fully vetted and green certified. We use lots of natural things as well, such as plain old vinegar and water to ensure that things are naturally clean. Thanks for your support of Denver Concierge and our efforts to make your homes clean and safe for your family and pets. Just How Expensive is Colorado? Last week, someone told us that Denverwas the 3rd most expensive city in the U.S. to live in. Being naturally skeptical, we decided to research that for ourselves. The folks at Expatistan did the work for us, with the most and least expensive places to live. They also provide a nifty calculator in case you want to compare two cities and what it costs to live there, anywhere in the world. Anyway, it turns out that it's expensive here, but not quite yet on the scale of many California cities or New York, for example. Boulder checks in at 15th most expensive, followed by Denver at number 24. Colorado Springs is 55th. So, it isn't as bad as we think (yet). But, when it specifically comes to housing, things are a little worse. We found this piece by the DBJ that shows just how many square feet 0,000 will buy you across the country. For example, in Cleveland that number gets you a 3,700 square foot home and in Denver that gets you 661 square feet, 10th most expensive in the U.S. Most expensive? Still Manhattan at 126 square feet, take solace folks. The full slideshow can be found here, fascinating stuff. Summer Cleaning Tips Summer brings with it another set of challenges for keeping your home clean. Kids are out of school and the warm weather opens our homes for lots of potential messes that we don't see in the colder months. Between visits from Denver Concierge, we know you all like to keep things tidy and we wanted to share some tips for making that easier for you. We found a few resources that might help! DIY network published a great list of quick summer cleaning tips that we thought we would share here. We also like this list by the Huffington Post, which contains some cool tricks like cleaning your microwave with a lemon! Finally, there is a list of cleaning tips by Clean and Organized Family Home that we thought was creative as well. That list can be found here. Meanwhile, you can rest assured that we are on the job and will do our best to keep dirt and grime out of your homes this summer! Don't forget that our ladies also do things like sweeping off your patio or deck for those outdoor parties. If you have special requests this summer, don't hesitate to let us know! State Health Insurance Increases Dropping No, health insurance costs aren't dropping, but the amount of increases in Colorado could be significantly smaller in 2019 than we have seen. In 2019, small group policies will go up by an average of 7%. The good news is that individual policies look like they will rise about 6% in 2019. This doesn't sound like good news until you realize that those increases were 34% in 2018 and 20% in 2017. Interestingly, for the first time, less than half of Coloradans will have a plan through their employers. In short, it seems like the health care market in Colorado is stabilizing a bit. The full article from the folks at the DBJ can be found here. You Are who Your Friends Are? Businessman and motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with". This caught our eye. We found a great piece by Medium that illuminates this idea. From the article, "According to research by social psychologist Dr. David McClelland of Harvard, the people you habitually associate with determine as much as 95 percent of your success or failure in life." Building a group of competent, smart people to surround yourself with seems to be a pretty good strategy for improvement in life. Lastly, we also found that common wisdom (and science, from the British Journal of Medicine) says smarter people have fewer friends. This caught our eye as well, and the details of why this is can be found in this article. Interesting stuff for sure! Monthly Award Winners Please join me in congratulating our best performers for June 2018. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Josefina Quinonez, Aurora Dominguez, Brenda Garcia, Maria Zapata and Josefina Puga. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Maria Varela and Socorro Ibarra. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies! Queen Bee Corner by Angela Clients have asked me how our ladies manage to get the shine on stainless steel appliances.  Stainless steel is beautiful but easily shows water spots, drips and streaks, ruining the effect in no time.  A quick fix between Denver Concierge visits would be helpful, and I happen to have one! Nothing is quicker or more effective than a simple clean microfiber cloth and a solution of water and green dish washing liquid.  Be sure to immediately dry with another clean microfiber cloth.  This works on brushed stainless steel, stainless steel sinks, and faucets too. It's amazing how the complete kitchen will look cleaner simply by taking care of the stainless steel!  And then we'll be there to take care of the rest! One product.  One solution. Bee

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March Newsletter

Colorado Car Insurance Premiums

Has your car insurance been going up? Ours sure has. Now we have the data behind why that his happening in our fine state. There are several things driving significant increases in car insurance, including more people in Colorado, more distracted driving and an overall increase in crashes. In fact, there were 77,000 more people on the roads year over year and deadly crashes increased to over 600, the most in Colorado in 10 years. Finally, we have more hail damage than all but one state and the May 2017 hailstorm caused .4 billion in damage. So, what can you do to reduce the cost of your insurance? The folks at Car and Driver published a good list of things we can all do to make sure we don't overpay. The full article can be found here. Happy shopping!

Is the Flu Near You?

It has been an intense and deadly flu season in the U.S., and in Colorado. We surpassed our record for hospitalizations in February and while the flu season is now winding down, there are also lots of other bugs out there that can affect us. That's where the tool we found (see below) comes in handy. Regarding the flu, good health practices include avoiding contact with people who are sick; staying at home when sick, instead of going to work; covering your nose and mouth when sneezing; washing your hands often; avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Beyond those tips, and getting flu shot there isn't much you can do. However, we found a website that will tell you exactly what is going on around you, depending on where you live. The folks at Doctors Report have created an "Illness Tracker". By entering your zip code, you can generate a report that will show you what severity of different illnesses are close to you. Any number of illnesses can be checked, including strep, flu, common cold, MRSA and many more. The information comes directly from doctors, and we found it to be very interesting. We hope you agree.

Spring Home Maintenance Tips

Now that the weather is breaking and we are venturing into a mellower weather season, it's time to tackle those things around our home. The folks at Mr. Handyman provided a great list that includes everything from downspouts to caulking. The complete list from them can be found here, and includes a handy checklist to make things easier. We also ran across a great and detailed piece from the folks at todayshomeowner.com  and that can be found here. Finally, and in the spirit of our Queen Bee, Angela (see Queen Bee Corner below), we found a great piece on decluttering and simplifying your life. To learn more about the freeing experience that is simplification, the entire article is here.      

Home Design Trends

Color is back!! Thanks to our friend Marina Dagenais at Designer Premier, we learned this and other cool design trends for your home! The days of all-white interiors are passing, and homeowners are shying away from mild colors and becoming bigger risk-takers by injecting vibrant colors, such as warm wood tones  and neutrals (cream, blue, and gray), into the space to give it a warm, fresh and unique feel. Marina published a great article on her site and the full content can be found here.   For a second opinion on what design trends are taking over in 2018, we also found a good article here, thanks to the folks at Vogue.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for February 2018. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Anita Solis, Maria Zapata, Aurora Dominguez, Yuritza Caldera and Fidelia Bautista. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Rosa Chavez and Natalia Olivas. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Every year when Spring approaches we start  to think about the requisite Spring activities like planting, window cleaning, and my favorite, Spring Cleaning (well of course). This year there seems to be a lot of talk about simplifying on a personal level, a kind of new Spring ritual falling somewhere between the typical Spring Clean (moving everything and then putting it back), and decluttering (getting rid of things to create a feeling of freedom). The goal here is to take the time each Spring to ponder the importance of our belongings, decor, and activities; a conscious reckoning of what is truly precious to us and worth holding on to at this juncture in our lives, and what no longer charms us, and should be abandoned. We are here to support all your cleaning needs and we wish you the best in simplifying your life. Happy Spring! Bee

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February Newsletter 2018

Where do we Eat Out?

Every now and then we find stuff that we absolutely must share with you. The folks at medium.com did an exhaustive study of the most popular cuisines by city. For example, Denver ranks 7th in Mexican food, and 10th in steak houses! We also come in 10th in coffee shop visits, (if you guessed Seattle as the unofficial coffee capital of the US, you were right). You can enlarge maps down to the level of local Denver neighborhoods. The complete article can be found here, happy reading (and eating)!  

Car Thieves. In Denver?

If you are like us, we don't think of Denver as an unsafe city. Sure, we have our share of crime, some of it violent, but in the grand scheme of things we live in a very safe place. So, we were shocked to read that Denver has already had 633 motor vehicle thefts this year alone. We average 14 vehicles stolen PER DAY in Denver, or an average of over 425 a month. With winter here, car theft goes up. This is primarily due to "puffing" where an owner warms his car up, only to come outside and realize it's gone.  If you are curious there are laws that cover our state and what you can do legally and that info can be found here. Lastly, there are some things you can do to deter would-be thieves from targeting your vehicle. This article, written by a former car thief gives great insight into how to protect one of our most valuable assets.  

How's Your Snow Driving?

We all get a chuckle thinking about the folks that have moved here and don't know how to drive in the snow. It's less funny when you realize how many people have moved here from warm weather climates, and that we are all on the road together!! Blending those ideas, we were surprised to learn that Colorado is only the 34th safest place to drive in the snow! Crazy, right? We thought we might offer some winter driving tips (you natives might appreciate the refresher as well) so we can have a less stressful driving experience in the snow. The Post put out a great article on how to drive in the snow, for both us veterans and the newcomers to our fine city. Be safe out there.

Investing in Your Home

As we cruise into spring, we are focusing on prioritizing the things we might want to do to our homes. Obviously, there are lots of things that most of us have on our "list" when it comes to our home. Not all those items will ever "pay for themselves". Very few things you can do in your home will provide you 100% return on what you spend at the time you sell your home. So, what are the things that provide the best ROI (return on investment) that you can do in your home? Believe it or not, a garage door, comes in at number one at 98% ROI. We were very surprised by the roof replacement, which checks in at only 68% ROI. Kitchen and bath projects also rank very high on project ROI and can exceed 100% if done properly. The full article can be found here. We also found other info from the folks at HGTV, and their take on things in a bit more detail can be found here.

Monthly Award Winners

Please join me in congratulating our best performers for January 2018. Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Maria Zapata, Salvadora Rosales, Martha Garcia, Aurora Dominguez and Josefina Quinonez. In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Perla Hernandez and Martha Anchondo. The race for top performers for 2018 has begun. Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners! Congrats ladies!

Queen Bee Corner

by Angela

Texting our clients has turned out to have a lot of unexpected benefits.  I won't bore you with a list, but I will share that my very favorite is receiving photos of your pets. Texting to confirm tomorrow's clean really warrants only a yes or thumbs up gesture from the client.  But one day I received a reply with a photo of the client's extremely large pet rabbit. How cute is that? Then I started receiving here and there photos of other pets until I have quite a menagerie on my phone. And for the clients who email, please feel free to email photos!  (I wouldn't mind a new photo of Kat and also one of Fred (Owners, you know who you are). Stay warm, hug your pets! Bee

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