Pet Moving Advice

Moving can be stressful for every family member – including the four-legged ones. Every animal reacts differently to new living quarters, and temperament has a lot to do with it. Some pets take a move in stride, while others exhibit anxiety or insecurity for days or weeks.

Here are 5 things to consider as the big move approaches and after you're in your new home.

1. A little help from the vet 
Ask your veterinarian for recommendations on easing the transition. If your pet is generally anxious or high-strung, it might be worth asking your vet whether a mild calming medication might help during the transition period. It's also not uncommon for vets to prescribe gentle stress relief for during travel.

2. Time to explore 
Upon moving in, give your pet time to explore the house gradually, rather than letting it loose to roam at will. Limit it to one area – perhaps the kitchen – for a few hours until it calms down. Show the pet where you've placed its familiar items like the food dish, water bowl and bed. You might want to keep a dog on a leash for an initial home tour. If you have a yard, avoid letting pets out unsupervised for several days until you're sure they can't climb or dig out from under the fence.

3. A walk in the park 
Help release anxiety and pent-up energy by take your dog for a walk and sniff through the neighborhood. While people learn about a new place primarily by visual cues, dogs depend on their noses.

4. Helping the feline in your life 
Territorial by nature, cats often experience more issues with moving than their canine counterparts. Keep your cat safe in its carrier upon arrival, placing it in a quiet area. When the hubbub dies down, let it out in an enclosed room away from main traffic areas. Provide your cat with familiar objects, such as a bed, litter box and toys. Encourage it to explore the room, perhaps by strategically placing cat treats.

5. Update pet IDs 
Amid the hustle and bustle of the move itself, don't forget to update your pet's identification information before you move. This way, if Fluffy or Fido slip out the door, anyone who finds them can easily return them to their new home. Also, some municipalities require licensing within a certain time frame of moving. If your pets are microchipped, contact the registration company and give them the new information.

Denver Weekend Concert Calendar (10/12-10/14)

Tech N9ne headlines Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre tonight, with Hopsin, Dizzy Wright, Futuristic, Mackenzie Nicole, Krizz Kaliko also on the bill, while Colombian singer J Balvin stops at the Pepsi Center on Sunday. Not One More, a gun violence prevention event at Levitt Pavilion Denver with headliner Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats has been rescheduled from Sunday to Saturday because of the weather. The Mile High Spirits Block Party will bring Dillon Francis and Cashmere Cat to the 2200 block of Larimer Street. Also on tap this weekend are Alkaline Trio at the Fillmore Auditorium, St. Paul and the Broken Bones at the Ogden Theatre and Boulder Theater, and Alina Baraz at the Ogden Theatre. See our full list of picks below.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12

Tech N9ne
$25-$42.50, 7:30 p.m., Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village

Alkaline Trio
$28, 7 p.m., Fillmore Auditorium

Ronnie Milsap
$25, 8:30 p.m., Grizzly Rose

Chris Lake
$20-$30, 8 p.m., Ogden Theatre

The Dan Band
$20-$25, 7 p.m., Summit

St. Paul and the Broken Bones
$35-$40, 8:30 p.m., Boulder Theater, Boulder

Paradise Lost
$25-$30, 8 p.m., Gothic Theatre, Englewood

The Lacs
$10-$175, 8 p.m., Oriental Theater

Riot Ten
$14-$23, 9 p.m., Bluebird Theater

Fat Nick
$20-$50, 7 p.m., Marquis Theater

Holly Near
$25-$27, 8 p.m., Swallow Hill Music

Tove Stryke
$18-$20, 9:30 p.m., Globe Hall

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13

Rezz
$35-$80, 5 p.m., Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
$18, 2 p.m., Levitt Pavilion Denver

Mile High Massive
$19.75, 6 p.m., Fillmore Auditorium

St. Paul and the Broken Bones
$30-$35, 9 p.m., Ogden Theatre

Noah Cyrus
$20-$25/VIP $89-$149, 7 p.m., Summit

Long Beach Dub All Stars
$22-$25, 9 p.m., Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballrom

Blitzen Trapper
$18-$20, 9 p.m., Fox Theatre, Boulder

Mipso
$10-$18, 9 p.m., Bluebird Theater

The Hollow
$12-$15, 7 p.m., Marquis Theater

One Epic Night
$75-$100, 6 p.m., Swallow Hill Music

Mile High Spirits Block Party
$40-$140, 2 p.m., Mile High Spirits

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14

J Balvin
$39.95-$350, 8 p.m., Pepsi Center

BØRNS
$26, 7 p.m., Fillmore Auditorium

Alina Baraz
$30-$35, 8 p.m., Ogden Theatre

Reignwolf 
$18-$20, 8 p.m., Bluebird Theater

CO. Westwood

Meet the Beast Serving Tacos Slopeside

For the first time, you’ll actually want to meet a beast on the slopes.

In the spring, Steamboat Ski Area announced the Taco Beast, a roaming snowcat that will bring street tacos and Mexican sodas to the slopes. The snowcat premiered this summer at the ski area’s base camp but it remained docked in the same location.

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But not for much longer.

Once the conditions are right, the giant snowcat will roam around the mountain, finding four to five regular locations to post up, Steamboat spokeswoman Loryn Kasten said. It’ll stay at each spot for a couple of days, keeping people updated on its location through Instagram (@steamboatdining) and online at steamboat.com/tacobeast.

There will be four kinds of tacos: beef barbacoa, elk chorizo, pollo asado and tres hermanas (summer squash, pinto beans, corn). All tacos cost $4.50. Esquites, or Mexican street corn off the cob, costs $4.50. Sodas cost $3. And if you were wondering, Taco Beast takes cards.

Unfortunately, Kasten said Taco Beast likely won’t be on the slopes for the mountain’s Opening Day coming Nov. 21. She said the snowcat’s large size means its debut is dependent on trail conditions.

If you can’t wait for ski season, the Taco Beast’s website says its open at the mountain’s base Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

5 Steps Before You Buy

Buying a home will likely be one of the biggest financial transactions you make, and preparing your budget beforehand makes the home buying process much less stressful. The following tips and expert insight can help you get your budget in order before you make the big transaction.

1. Organize Your Finances

You may know how much you have in your checking and savings accounts, but do you know how much you spend on household expenses each month? Or how much high-interest and credit card debt you have? It's important to get a clear idea of where your money goes in order to figure out what you can afford and what your home buying timeline looks like. Personal finance experts at OnStride suggest breaking down your finances into the following categories:

• Level 1: Basic Budgeting: Basic financial needs, like rent, groceries and gas.

• Level 2: Emergency Funds: In case of an accident or other costly event.

• Level 3: Passive Preparation: 401K or IRA plans that you manage yourself.

• Level 4: High-Interest Debts: Anything with an interest rate of 10 percent or more.

• Level 5: Long-Term Savings: Money you've already put away for your home, or have been saving otherwise. (Note this is different than your emergency fund – if you don't have a savings outside of your emergency fund, separate them now.)

• Level 6: The Leftovers: Is there still money floating around in your account? Determine how you'll best use this to prepare for home buying – play the market, put it in a high-yield savings account, etc.

With your finances categorized and organized, you can start to set goals for how much you need to save, and for how long, in addition to where you need to cut back. 

2. Do the Math

Before you set any home-buying goals, do the math to figure out how much you can afford. This will also dictate how much you need to save. Dave Ramsey shares five steps to figure this out:

• Add up your income

• List household expenses (If you organized your finances above, then this step is already done!)

• Calculate home ownership costs (Check out this list from US News )

• Give your budget room to grow: "Life is going to happen in the years you occupy your home. Before you get married to a mortgage, look ahead and consider events that might increase your living expenses down the road."

• Make adjustments: Cut back here, save more here, etc. (See the next section)

3. Set Goals

While the overarching goal is to buy a home, setting smaller goals will help you stay on track and feel successful while you make your way there.

As you set goals, remember that you don't need to be solely focused on saving. You may want to set goals for cutting back on spending as well. Here are a few to consider:

• Save $1,000 in 3 months

• Switch to a cheaper gym

• Cancel my cable bill by the summer

• Go out to eat just once each week

• Buy one less coffee weekly this month

4. Write Your Budget

The math has been done, goals have been set and now it's time to write your monthly budget , which should take into account:

• Total to be saved each month

• Life expenses

• Any unusual expenses for the month

In the end, you'll have a total spend for life expenses and a total amount to be saved by month's end. You can use a spreadsheet and do this by hand, or download one of these budgeting apps .

5. Update Weekly; Reassess Regularly

The final step is holding yourself accountable to your goals and regular updates of the budget. If you make a purchase that wasn't planned for, add it to your budget and readjust how much you'll be able to save that month.

Remember that a budget is fluid, and there are many "life things" that will come up and throw it off. That's okay, as long as you stay focused on the goals you've set for yourself. If you go over budget one week, reel it in the following so you can stay on track for the month.

As a homeowner, there are dozens of expensive problems that could arise. Get into a habit of budgeting now so you're prepared for these financial challenges when they inevitably pop up.

Vocabulary: Agency & Agency Relationships

The term “agency” is used in real estate to help determine what legal responsibilities your real estate professional owes to you and other parties in the transaction.

The buyer's representative (also known as a buyer’s agent) is hired by prospective buyers and works in the buyer's best interest throughout the transaction. The buyer can pay the agent directly through a negotiated fee, or the buyer's rep may be paid by the seller or through a commission split with the seller’s agent.

The seller's representative (also known as a listing agent or seller's agent) is hired by and represents the seller. All fiduciary duties are owed to the seller, meaning this person’s job is to get the best price and terms for the seller. The agency relationship usually is created by a signed listing contract.

A subagent owes the same fiduciary duties to the agent's customer as the agent does. Subagency usually arises when a cooperating sales associate from another brokerage, who is not the buyer’s agent, shows property to a buyer. The subagent works with the buyer to show the property but owes fiduciary duties to the listing broker and the seller. Although a subagent cannot assist the buyer in any way that would be detrimental to the seller, a buyer customer can expect to be treated honestly by the subagent.

Designated agents (also called appointed agents) are chosen by a managing broker to act as an exclusive agent of the seller or buyer. This allows the brokerage to avoid problems arising from dual-agency relationships for licensees at the brokerage. The designated agents give their clients full representation, with all of the attendant fiduciary duties.

A transaction broker (sometimes referred to as a facilitator) is permitted in states where nonagency relationships are allowed. These relationships vary considerably from state to state. Generally, the duties owed to the consumer in a nonagency relationship are less than the complete, traditional fiduciary duties of an agency relationship.

How to Improve Your Credit

Credit scores play a big role in determining whether you’ll qualify for a loan and what your loan terms will be. So, keep your credit score high by doing the following:

Check for errors in your credit report.

Thanks to an act of Congress, you can download one free credit report each year at annualcreditreport.com. If you find any errors, correct them immediately.

Pay down credit card bills.

If possible, pay off the entire balance every month. Transferring credit card debt from one card to another could lower your score.

Don’t charge your credit cards to the max.

Pay down as much as you can every month.

Wait 12 months after credit difficulties to apply for a mortgage.

You’re penalized less severely for problems after a year.

Don’t order items for your new home on credit.

Wait until after your home loan is approved to charge appliances and furniture, as that will add to your debt.

Don’t open new credit card accounts.

If you’re applying for a mortgage, having too much available credit can lower your score.

Shop for mortgage rates all at once.

Having too many credit applications can lower your score. However, multiple inquiries about your credit score from the same type of lender are counted as one if submitted over a short period of time.

Avoid finance companies.

Even if you pay off their loan on time, the interest is high and it may be considered a sign of poor credit management.