Steamboat Springs — A $4.8 million combined valuation on four building permits doesn’t qualify as a big number, but in the case of the first quarter of 2012, that number does qualify as a big change in the city of Steamboat Springs.

The Routt County Regional Building Department reported last week that it had issued two permits for single-family homes in March, with a combined permit valuation of $2.42 million. The latest permits bring the year-to-date total to four single-family homes permitted with a combined valuation of just less than $5 million. Permit valuations always are less than the final cost of the house.

This year’s first-quarter numbers are robust compared with 2011, when there was only one building permit, with a valuation of $1.13 million, issued in city limits by the end of March.

The first quarter of 2010 was a different story with two permits issued for new homes with a combined value of $4.08 million.

The Building Department reports that Routt County outside Steamboat and excluding Hayden saw a single permit in March for a new home with a valuation of $578,000. That permit brought the first quarter number to three permits with a combined valuation of $4.77 million.

Colorado Group Realty wins marketing award

Colorado Group Realty is the recipient of a Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Marketing Contest award, according to a news release. The award was presented at the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World annual conference at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Fla.

The award presentation was part of the LeadingRE Conference Week that attracted 1,000 real estate brokers, managers, relocation professionals, sponsors and guests from across the U.S. and more than a dozen countries worldwide.

The award-winning entry in the Company Branding and Marketing Category was chosen based on creativity, quality and overall presentation and effectiveness.

“We are pleased to acknowledge that Colorado Group Realty has demonstrated effective marketing and branding strategies that appeal to both home buyers and sellers,” Paul Boomsma, chief operating officer of LeadingRE, was quoted as saying. “The firms earning awards have created compelling materials in a variety of media to convey useful information to consumers while building both their corporate brand and that of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World.”

Colorado Group Realty Broker/Owner Jim Cook thanked the firm’s employees for their efforts branding and marketing.

“We are pleased and excited to accept this award. Although we are always trying to improve, this award confirms to us that our branding and marketing has been judged to be among the best in the world,” Cook said.

Colorado Group Realty was represented at the annual conference by Amy Brown, Jim Cook, Bart Kounovsky, Nick Metzler and Chris Paoli.

Colorado Group Realty is the local representative of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, a network of more than 550 premier locally branded firms producing $225 billion in annual home sales.

To reach Tom Ross, call 970-871-4205 or email tross@SteamboatToday.com