About Douglas County, CO

Parker Core Knowledge (PCK) is known throughout Douglas County as a premier charter school.

Originally posted Here.

Enroll you child in PCK’s new pre-school here.

Parker Core Knowledge Pre School

Beginning this past fall, PCK expanded to include early childhood by providing preschool and junior kindergarten. The most successful educational systems in the world teach a common body of knowledge in the early grades.They do this because as both research and common sense demonstrate, all of us learn new knowledge by building on what we already know. It is important to begin building foundations of knowledge at an early age because that is when children are most receptive. Parker Core Knowledge is known for excellent test scores (even our middle school students are receiving 100% on their CSAP exams!) and this excellent education begins at the preschool level.

Our mission at PCK Preschool & Junior Kindergarten is simple: preparing students for Kindergarten! An explicit set of skills provides the stepping-stones children need to achieve developmental goals. Early childhood state standards are presented at the goal level through our curriculum. This level of specificity allows teachers to more accurately identify the abilities of individual children and develop experiences and activities that will meet each child’s needs. Each day is filled with exciting discoveries and growth as we lay our student’s early learning foundation.

Great news for future Kindergarteners at PCK~ The PCK Operating Council recently approved the following change to the waiting list policy: All students enrolled in the PCK Junior Kindergarten, who because of their Waiting List position, are unable to secure placement in the PCK Kindergarten program for the next school year will be invited to participate in a lottery drawing to fill the equivalent of one Kindergarten class at PCK. Be sure to check out ckcs.net for details and our online registration!”

Here are the latest market reports for Parker, Colorado neighborhoods. I;m working on these daily so check back often. This is a quick easy way to see what is going on in the real estate market in your neighborhood.

I;ve been posting these reports for over 5 years so it;s interesing to check older posts and see what the stats looked like in 2007 versus 2011.

Newlin Meadows Real Estate Market Report 2011

Pradera Golf Club Real Estate market Report 2011

Stonegate Village 2011 Real Estate market Report.

Highlands Ranch Real Estate : Open House Saturday January 7, 2012

It's 2012 and it's time to get those open houses revved up and the buyers back out looking for their dream home. Kathy and I will be holding open 483 Southpark Road in Highlands Ranch. This home is unusual because it boasts a ranch floor plan, most definitely the minority here in Highlands Ranch though highly desirable. Here are the particulars about our open house:

Event: Open House

Location: 483 Southpark Road, Highlands Ranch, CO

Date: January 7, 2012

Time: Noon - 3:00

This home has been remodeled. The new features include:

• Windows
• Furnace
• Cabinets
• Appliances
• Gas Fireplace
• Tubs
• Sinks
• Faucets
• Two Tone Paint
• Hardwood Floors
• Tile Floors
• Granite Countertops
• Light Fixtures
• Carpet
• Brushed Nickel Hardware

The roof has been certified for five years. The home is within walking distance to the elementary school, the largest recreation center which features racquetball, indoor tennis courts, baseball field, pool, park area, and so much more.

Join SampronSisters of Home Real Estate and tour this beautiful ranch style home today. If you can't make it between noon and 3:00 pm, call Carrie at (303) 931-3629 to schedule your personal showing.

Highlands Ranch Real Estate : Americans Eager to Buy

The Daily Real Estate News recently posted a summary of an article from the Mortgage Bankers Association (December 2011) which they titled, "Americans Eager to Buy, Sellers Aren't Happy? which we found interesting and wanted to share with you.

Nearly 80 percent of home buyers say now is a great time to buy a home, but sellers say it's not a great time to sell, according to a new study. "The Great Recession and Attitudes Toward Homebuying," released this week by the Mortgage Bankers Association. In fact, homeselling sentiment has fallen to record lows.

As for home buyers, they certainly have plenty to be happy about - housing prices have fallen and interest rates are at record lows, pushing affordability to record levels and allowing buyers to snag great deals on housing.

But sellers, on the other hand, are getting discouraged that they can't find buyers for their homes at a desirable sales price as well as the large overhang of mortgages past due or in foreclosure, according to the report.

"In economic terms, as market values have fallen, potential sellers have not adjusted their price expectations downward fast enough to bring buyer and seller sentiment in line with one another," Gary Englehardt, a professor at Syracuse University who authored the study, said in a statement.

Sellers still can't accept that their home values have fallen and they are no longer able to get the prices from the past, according to the study.

Meanwhile, "despite high unemployment and slow economic growth, the bulk of American households believe that now is a good time to buy a home," Englehardt said. The strongest positive sentiments toward buying was found among young, educated, white and Hispanic households, according to the study.

"The pattern of home-buying sentiment during the current recession looks very similar to that of past recessions," Englehardt notes. "Home buyer sentiment falls as the unemployment rate increases, and improves as job growth returns and housing becomes more affordable. What distinguishes the current recession, though, is the dramatic decline in home-selling sentiment. From 1992 through 2005, positive home-selling sentiment fluctuated between 40 and 60 percent. Since 2005, sentiment has dropped precipitously, to around 7 percent currently, even while home-buying sentiment remains high."

Fascinating stuff isn't it?! We are seeing this reluctance everyday in our business even though we here in Colorado, and especially in Highlands Ranch, have not experienced the staggering home value drops the rest of the country has. In fact, in many instances, the homes we've helped our clients sell in Highlands Ranch have experienced appreciation in their value rather than a decline.

Just this week we had a gal call who needs a larger home but is reluctant to put her house on the market, even though she's lived there many years and owes considerably less on the home that what it will sell for, because that projected sales price is less than she expected. Could she improve that projected sales price? Yes she could with some improvements, i.e. carpet, granite counter tops, leaving the question each home seller faces, "Do I/we want to invest in the sale of our home?".

Regardless of what their situation, what Kathy and I try to remind sellers is that even though their home may be worth less than they expected, when they put on their "buyer's hat" they're going to find that the home they purchase will also be priced in accordance with the market. And when you factor in the incredible interest rates, still hovering around that 4% mark, in the end you will most likely come out ahead of the game.

Do You Qualify For a Short Sale?

Let’s talk about who will qualify for a short sale. When a mortgage company agrees to a short sale, it means that the lender is willing to accept less than the amount owed on the current mortgage to settle the debt owed to them. Oftentimes, lenders are willing to offer short sale opportunities to homeowners who they believe may end up in foreclosure if it were not for the short sale option.

A short sale sounds like a great idea to homeowners who are desperate to sell their homes and know that they are underwater with their mortgage. (“Underwater” means that they owe more on their mortgage than their homes are currently worth.) The catch with short sales, however, is that homeowners must meet certain criteria in order to be considered.

Lender Guidelines:

Every mortgage company has different guidelines when it comes to short sale qualifications. Typically, qualifications revolve around the homeowner’s employment situation, whether the home’s mortgage is in a default status, how many months the home has been listed for sale, and how much the home’s value has decreased in the past several months or years.

· Your Home Is Worth Less than Your Mortgage: it is a growing trend for homeowners to simply walk away from homes when their property is worth less than their mortgage. To try and alleviate this from happening, lenders are more likely to approve a short sale if it can be proven that the home’s current value is less than the amount owed.

· Bankruptcy: When you file for bankruptcy, it’s a sign that you are in severe financial distress. This is a good indication to mortgage companies that you cannot continue to make your house payments and that your house may fall into foreclosure. Rather than go through the foreclosure process, many mortgage companies will approve a short sale to try and get the house sold as quickly as possible.

Reasons You Might Not Qualify for a Short Sale:

There are many factors that go into a mortgage company’s decision on whether or not to approve a short sale. There are some reasons, however, that are usually not taken into consideration. For example, mortgage companies are usually not willing to take a loss for the following reasons: you have a baby and simply want a bigger house, you don’t like your house and want to move, you have found another house and you want to move as soon as possible, or you have the financial means to continue paying your mortgage while your home is for sale.

Hire a Real Estate Agent with Short Sale Experience

Applying for a short sale involves a lot of paperwork, organization, and follow-up with your mortgage company and the necessary steps can be confusing and complicated. Let Doug James and The Wise Listing Team help you! We understand the short sale process and can answer all of your questions. We can tell you if will potentially qualify for a short sale and we will assist you every step of the way. Call us today at 303-814-3684