About Arapahoe County, CO

~ The Lender You Choose Matters More Than You Think! ~

I have been selling real estate for 19 years. (Sometimes it doesn't seem like it, I mean, I must have started when I was 12!) I help folks buy and sell real estate all over the Denver metro area. Most of my business is either referral or past clients. When you have been in this industry that long, if you do a good job, that is where most of your business should come from, if you know what you are doing and you make people happy with their choices; choices of whom they choose to to represent them,

When I work with a buyer, I have them get prequaled first, making sure we are looking in the right price range. I work with a lender that is fantastic. She is knowledgeable, has killer customer service skills and this is important, the loans are processed and underwritten locally. The listing agent can call and get an update from a real person, without going through some automated phone center. The agent doesn't have to call some 1-800 number and get routed through a crazy help desk and never talk to the same person twice.

I have a short sale property listed for sale. It was on the market for just 3 days when I received 3 offers to present to the sellers. Each agent was notified of the multiple offer situation and to give me their highest and best offer to present to the sellers. All 3 offers were full price or higher. The offers were relatively the same on paper. The same, that is, except for one major difference on one of the offers. That potential buyer had prequaled through a national company that does more than just mortgages. These buyers had called in on a toll free 1-800 number and had gotten pre-qualed by a help desk. The loan package,processing and underwriting would be done in another state. The pre-qualification letter had one paragraph about the buyers qualifications to purchase a home. But the rest of the letter (the remainder of 2/3 of the first page and half of a second page) was advertisement about this company and how great they were. ( I thought a pre-qualification letter from a lender was supposed to be about the buyers qualifications, not an advertisement about their company...I guess nobody told them this!)

The other 2 offers were accompanied by lender letter solely going over the buyers' qualifications. They were also using local lenders. Needless to say, that first offer was quickly rejected. The sellers wanted to know why a lender advertised on a pre-qualification letter, but I didn't have an answer for them. (Do you have an answer I could pass along to them?)

When I called up that agent to tell him that his buyer's offer had not been accepted and the reason why. He stated that the buyer decided to use this national company because they had used them before for other things and they felt comfortable with their previous business dealings. I explained that the sellers wanted to work with a lender that could be contacted for updates on the loan process by dialing one number and getting an answer, not by dialing a toll free number and getting transferred multiple times or pressing 1 for this department and press 2 for that department.

The bottom line is, our market here in Denver is changing quickly. The inventory is lower. I am experiencing multiple offers on many listings. I want my buyers' offer to stand out (for good reasons) and be accepted by the sellers, and for my sellers to feel confident with the offer they accept. The lender that a buyer chooses can make or break a deal...during a transaction by not getting the loan done, or before the offer even gets accepted by the seller because the company isn't local or the pre-qual letter is an advertisement about the company.

Buyers need to do their research. Choose a very qualified lender to do your loan. Choose a lender that is recommended by your agent or by close friends. Don't choose a lender from a phone book or an Internet site. You won't be doing yourself a favor if you do.

If you are a buyer or a seller in the Arapahoe county area and need a good REALTOR(R) to help you make sound real estate decisions, Dawn Fabiszak has the experience you need. Give her a call today at 303-332-8025 or visit her website www.DownHomeInDenver.com. You'll be glad you did.

Smoky Hill High School – Craft Fair

This Saturday, March 10, 2012, Smoky Hill High School will be holding a craft fair in their cafeteria from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Over 100 crafters will be selling their wares in this event and admission is FREE.

This even will help the Smoky Hill High School PTCO offer Senior Scholarships, Teacher Scholarships, help with After Prom events and many other school activities.

The Spring Craft Fair will be held at:

Smoky Hill High School

16100 E Smoky Hill Rd

Aurora, CO

Daily Real Estate News | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Tax time is nearing and once more rumors are circulating on the Internet and by e-mail that the health care reform law enacted two years ago includes a 3.8 percent transfer tax on real estate starting in 2013. That rumor is not true; NAR has material available to you to explain how that 3.8 percent tax works. It’s a tax on a very narrow band of investment income for high-wealth households (those who earn $250,000 in a joint return or $200,000 as an individual) that could come into play on the sale of a house if the sales gain is more than $500,000 for a married couple or $250,000 for an individual.

Even in the unlikely event the sales gain is more than that amount, the tax would only apply based on other considerations having to do with the household’s income and tax situation. The bottom line is that the tax, which was imposed to help shore up Medicare, will hit only some portion of investment income. Download a free brochure on how the tax works. Video and explanatory article.

Source: National Association of REALTORS®

Copyright National Association of REALTORS®. Reprinted with permission.

We've been beating this dead horse for a while now: inventory is so low right now that there is stiff competition for homes, especially equity sales (non-short sales/foreclosures.) And now we've got a story to prove it:

Some folks who regularly read our blog decided to give it a shot and put their house up for sale. They got it all cleaned up and staged, and Marty took care of scheduling a good photographer and marketing. In one week on the market, they had 32 showings and received two offers. They went under contract (with the better offer) just one week to the day after the house hit the MLS.

We expect the number of available homes to increase as we move into the spring. That's good news for buyers. But if you're thinking of selling, it's a good idea to beat the rush and hit the market soon.

Give Marty a call at 720-891-9000 if you'd like to talk some more about why now is a great time to sell.

Wholly Cannoli is Like Heaven in a Box!

Be Warned! When you walk into Wholly Cannoli Café in Aurora, Colorado, your nose will go into overdrive from all of the fabulous smells, your mouth will start to water and your eyes will not be able to look away from the incredible freshly made desserts tempting you from behind the glass pastry shelves.

Everything is made from scratch. The pizza is absolutely wonderful as well as the other Italian dishes. The fresh made French bread is crunchy and delicious. The desserts, well that is a whole separate story.

I was having guest over a few days ago and stopped by Wholly Cannoli to pick up something sweet. I couldn’t control myself. I bought chocolate eclairs, cream puffs and napolian. When I served up dessert that night, my guest thought I was crazy for buying so much. It is funny how there was nothing left on their plate as they ate and complained between bites about how much I bought. When they finished, they went on and on about how wonderful each decadent bite was.

Wholly Cannoli is located at 22691 E. Aurora Parkway in Aurora, Colorado just off of E470 and Gartrell Rd. If you are passing by and your nose starts to twitch, you might as well given in and stop by for a tasty morsel or two.