Colorado

Beware Falling Into a Money Put When You Buy Your Denver Home

11-21-09

Marianne Bandy: Real Estate Agent in Parker, CO

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Office: (303) 746-7799

Mobile: (303) 746-7799

Has the new and improved tax credit sparked your interest in buying a home? Between the credit, the interest rates, and the pricing, the Denver home buying scene has been lively these days. Sellers finally have some incentives to put their homes on the market, plus we're seeing renewed buyer demand for the smaller, less expensive type of home often popular among first timers. Sellers are realizing that even if they cannot ask what they would like to ask for their homes, they will benefit from lower pricing on their next home while realizing a $6,500 tax credit themselves. And the interest rates we're seeing now won't last forever. home, inspector

Knowing that there will be demand, some sellers may put their homes up for sale without proper preparation while others may try to pass along a few problems to the next buyer. You do not want to unknowingly buy a money pit! You should carefully examine any reports from the city before making an offer as well as have the home inspected before you buy, but you should also keep your eyes open for any warning signs of undisclosed trouble. Just because you see a few red flags does not mean you should run from the house, but "forewarned is forearmed" aptly applies to home buying.

Ask yourself:

Does the neighborhood seem stable? If you drive through and see homes and businesses boarded up, that might indicate numerous foreclosures and vandalism? Your realtor is prohibited by law from disclosing certain information that may prejudice you against a neighborhood, but you should look at the figures of comparable sales figures your Realtor® can offer you, check our website for Denver school information (Carol: link to schools report in our website under Local Resources) and Denver neighborhood crime statistics (Carol: link to neighborhood info in our website under Local Resources), and talk to some neighbors to make sure the area is a good match for you and your family.

Does the home seem well maintained? If the current owners are on the brink of foreclosure or living on fixed income, they may have followed the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it " approach to repairs, but you don't want to be hit with unplanned major expenses as you are unpacking your boxes. If the light switches don't turn on smoothly, the toilets don't flush, or the windows are foggy, there might be other issues involved than homeowner neglect.

Does the foundation seem sound? If you see bulges or cracks, the home may have structural damage. If the foundation is damaged or if the yard is graded to slope toward the home, you may have problems with basement flooding or at least dampness. Beware of the telltale water lines on the walls!

Do you see signs of a cover up? Any seller wants to put his property in the best light, but you want to make sure that he isn't hiding a problem. Has only one wall been painted to cover water damage? Is excessive potpourri hiding pet odors? Is there an area that has been locked or blocked with clutter to hide other damage?

Along with all the incentives, you want to make sure you are still getting the best value when you are buying a home. If you are a first time homebuyer in Denver with less experience in evaluating property, make sure that the Bandy Team is by your side as you house hunt in Denver metro area. We can show you beautiful homes in Stapleton, Larkspur, Parker, and other communities, as well as familiarize you with the fine points of the credit for first time homebuyers and repeat homebuyers.

Marianne Bandy

Avoid Foreclosure in Denver

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Estes Park "pets"

11-21-09

Lisa VonBargen Estes Park Real Estate Expert

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Office: (970) 215-3637

Greetings from Estes Park!

I really miss my dog. I mean, REALLY. No more walks through the forest, soft doggie ears or the slap of a happy tail. I can hardly wait to get a couple more puppies and start all over!

There is, however, one benefit to not having a big bad forest patrol kind of dog roaming in the backyard. The deer have taken to snuggling up in the sunshine and being generally adorable. The bucks come through now and again, but mostly there are two fawns and their mom. They really like the soft green grass under the snow for snacks. i will miss them when I get my big bad puppies! estes park doe

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WR Starkey Mortgage voted one of best companies to work for in Denver!

11-21-09

Ruth Vogt

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Office: (877) 489-0709

Mobile: (719) 330-9602
Secondary: (720) 489-0712

WR Starkey Mortgage voted one of best companies to work for in Denver!

Do you enjoy WHAT you do for a living? But a better question is whether or not you like the company you represent!

The Denver Business Journal announced the top ten winners of the best companies to work for in Denver at an awards banquet on Friday, November 20th, with approximately 600 in attendance. WR Starkey Mortgage was proud to be announced as one of the top five best companies in Denver in the large employer category. This award is given based on confidential online surveys provided by the employees themselves!

This award cannot demonstrate more clearly the meaning of the WR Starkey Mortgage tagline: A different kind of company where people come first. At WR Starkey Mortgage, we take that to mean not just our valued clients, customers and referral sources, but most importanly: our employees!

To see the article, please read "Best Companies to Work For". WR Starkey Mortgage.

WR Starkey Mortgage was also awarded the best Mid Sized company to work for in 2006 by the Colorado Biz Journal.

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2009 Holiday Walk in Downtown Evergreen

11-21-09

Chris Vinci, Owner, CRS, CLHMS, CMAS

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Office: (303) 679-0360

This year's Holiday Walk on Friday, Dec 4th is shaping up to be quite an event. Being President of the Evergreen Downtown Business Association has been a blast. Having strong people backing me up has been crucial. This year Santa plans on parking his reindeer at one end of Main Street. Pictures with Santa & Mrs. Claus will be at the Ice House Cafe. Business owners throughout downtown will have music, food and fun.

The Evergreen Lake is the place to start for the tree lighting at 5pm when Santa arrives. Then everyone will walk around the Lake to the Heart of Evergreen.

For details on the event and where the entertainment and activities are, visit: www.HeartofEvergreen.com

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Rock Creek Homes Sales Report

11-21-09

Greg Smith

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Office: (303) 497-0603

Mobile: (303) 947-9229

Rock Creek CO Home Sales Report

Superior Co homes sales are tied to Rock Creek Homes. The recent statistics are the strongest numbers we have seen in Rock Creek and Superior CO for the last two years. The Rock Creek Subdivision currently has 3.5 month of inventory on the market compared to 6.1 months of inventory in October 2008 and 4.7 months of Inventory in October 2007.

We are also beginning to see the median price of the properties sold is equal the current inventory on the market, which tends to indicate that Buyers and Seller have similar expectations in the market.

The next indicator to look at is the Average Days on market has jumped to 170 Days. This is a similar pattern that I saw when looking at the Louisville CO market a couple of days ago. This is a nice movement, since it says Buyers are beginning look at the stagnant inventory and determining it now makes sense. This of course can be the result of Sellers expectations becoming more realistic.

Between October 2007 and October 2008 we saw the median price of Homes in Superior and Rock Creek fall. The October 2008 to October 2009 shows nice trending upward in the last half of the year.

Overall Rock Creek is showing foundation for a strong market moving forward. When we combine this with the expanded Home Buyer Tax Credit through April of $6,500 and the fact that the employment rate in Boulder County has been strengthening Rock Creek is one of my best bets for appreciation in 2010.

Rock Creek Homes for Sale.

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