Denver, CO

Tweeting Can Be a Real Hoot With HootSuite

I’ll admit I’ve been slow to catch onto to social media, but I am now bitten by the bug. I started using Twitter back in the spring of this year. I bumbled along for a while feeling clumsy and awkward. I just couldn't seem to figure out how to use in a meaningful and intelligent way. I took a long break and then after several Tweet-less months I again succumbed to all the hype and jumped back on-board.

I now enjoy Twitter as a communication tool that is near real time and global. The key to make it an even more useful tool is to segment sending and receiving Tweets by subject and geography. That is true, at least for me, regardless if I am tweeting for business or personal.

Twitter hasn’t generated any leads so far but I am learning more about how to have fun with it while driving traffic to my website and blog (which is also quite new.) Actually, it doesn’t really matter if I generate any leads with Twitter. I’ve discovered some very useful information tweeting along the social media highway and frequently book marked some great resources. One in particular that I stumbled on called HootSuite I find quite remarkable.

Before HootSuite I was using Tweetdeck and I thought that was great. The ability to have several columns open and sorted, kind of, seemed incredible at the time. And that was barely a week ago. With HootSuite you can have multiple columns and multiple tabs which gives you many different ways to organize the sending and receiving of Tweets. It also handles multiple profiles and you can even schedule Tweets to be sent at a later time.

But the most powerful tool in HootSuite by far is called Hootlet. When you use the Hootlet tool to shrink a link and then to send a Tweet with that link the click-through statistics are collected. You can come back in just a very few minutes and see the number of clicks on the links in your tweet. You can even see what country the users are in. And of course, the best part of all is that it is free. I find that quite amazing.

I am having fun with Hootsuite and with Twitter while promoting sustainable real estate. I always take care to distribute quality information, not sales hype. I block and unfollow salesy Tweets without hesitation. I don’t like it and I assume other people don’t either.

Once this week, I had nearly 80 clicks on a mere 7-8 Tweets that only took a few minutes to initiate. I find that absolutely amazing. Of course, I am still amazed with telephones, televisions and airplanes.

I am curious how others may be using Twitter in their business.

Cheers,

John Thomas MSEE, MBA

(m) 720-771-5594

Twitter: JohnThomas22

(e) john.thomas@e3greenhomes.com

Up and Down We Go, Where We'll Stop Nobody Knows...

Inspired by Jerry Murphy's post on the Phoenix market yesterday, I decided to take a look at Denver.

October was the second month in 2009 where sales were actually higher than in 2008. Although total volume is significantly down compared to last year, we are seeing a lot of activity with properties priced below $200,000. A lot of that activity is due to investors snatching up the REOs And while there is good reason to suspect the tax credit for boosting sales, there is no clear evidence to support that in the Denver Market.

Overall, the outlook doesn’t seem to follow any meaningful pattern. Compared to one year ago, active listings are down, under contract is up, sales volume is down, and average price is up. The yo-yo effect could be due to almost anything in this market. There are so many variables in play it’s hard to predict genuine consumer trend that isn’t influenced by the many subsidies and incentives that have come on in the last year. With the tax credit extended, we’re likely to continue the roller coaster ride for a while.

Most locals agree that we have at least leveled off at the bottom of the market and may even be moving toward recovery. But with the tax credit extended, we may continue the roller coaster ride for a while.

Here are the numbers for October:

Single Family (Res + Cond)*

• Active listing inventory was 8,945 at the end of Oct 09
  • Down 4% versus prior month
  • Compared with Oct 08, this represents an 18% decrease
• Under contract listings were at 4,910 units
  • Down 6% compared with prior month
  • Up 9% compared with same month year ago
• Sales volume (units) totaled 3,958
  • Up 3% compared to last month
  • Down 8% compared to Oct 08
• Year-to-date (YTD) sales are down 15%
  • 41,683 units sold YTD 08 vs 35,512 units sold YTD 09
• Average sales price was $238,807, down 5% compared to prior month
  • 3% increase from Oct 08, $232,284 avg price

Residential*

• Available inventory was at 14,376 active listings, down 4% compared to prior month
  • This represents a 19% decrease from same month year ago
• Under contract listings decreased 6% to 3,800 from Sep 09 figures, and were up 4% compared to Oct 08
• Sales were up 2% from month ago to 3,052 units sold
  • Compared with Oct 08, units sold dropped 10%
• YTD sales (units) were down 15%
  • 33,048 units sold YTD 08 vs 28,035 units sold YTD 09
• Average sales price was $261,771
  • Down 4% compared with Sep 09, $261,771 avg price
  • Up 5% versus Oct 08, $250,172 avg price
• Median sales price was $222,000, down 1% versus prior month, and up 8% from Sep 08

Condo*

• At close of Sep 09, there were 4,569 available units
  • Down 5% compared to prior month and down 13% compared to Oct 08
• There was a 7% drop in under contract units compared with Sep 09
  • Under contract listings were up 30% versus same month year ago
• 906 units sold in Oct 09, up 7% compared to prior month and up 1% from Oct 08
• YTD there were 7,477 units sold, down 13% compared with 8,635 units sold YTD 08
• Average sales price was $161,451, down 4% versus Sep 09 and down 2% compared to Oct 08
• Median price was up even at $135,000 compared with prior month
  • Median price increased 4% from $140,000 in Oct 08

Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions. I look forward to the day when we can get data like this on 'Green' properties. You can visit my website at E3GreenHOMES.com

John Thomas

(m) 720-771-5594

(e) john.thomas@e3greenhomes.com

*Data obtained from Metrolist Monthly Comparison Reports

Denver home buyers as well as the Realtors who would love to represent you are delighted that the $8,000 homebuyer's tax credit has both been extended until April 30, 2010 PLUS has been expanded to include repeat buyers. Current homeowners can qualify for up to $6,500. The maximum home value is $800,000.

For first time home buyers, this is particularly great news if you've been looking at homes and maybe even found one, only to realize that you won't get the deal done by November 30, the old deadline. (If you have a deal in progress, the needed completion date now will conform to the new rules.) If you've been thinking of buying but have been trying to do some last minute credit repair, been trying to build your down payment, or been unsure of whether to take the plunge, you have another chance. Now, that worry is gone and you will officially have more time to prepare.

If you are a current homeowner, now is your chance to move to a bigger home with a little government assistance. You can now receive up to a $6,500 tax credit. This credit is designed to aid homeownership, not reward house flipping, so you must have owned a home used as a primary residence for at least five of the last eight years. However, if you lived in a home for five years, sold it, and then either bought another house or rented for three years, you would still meet the qualifications to get help buying your new Denver home. This give a lot of flexibilty to people who have been transferred a lot or been divorced and made alternate living arrangements the past few years.

Though the credit expires April 30, 2010, the credit has a contingency that offers a few extra months to close. As long as you have a binding contract in place by April 30, 2010, you have until July 1, 2010 for all the details to be completed and the transaction closed. This means you can make offers on homes until the last minute - although doing so could backfire if another buyer snaps up your dream home while you are thinking. It even gives you an opportunity to buy a new home that might not be ready by the end of April but will be ready by July 1

The new law allows you to claim the credit with higher income levels than in the past. Now, you can earn the full credit if your income is $125,000 if you are single or $225,000 if you are married. If you make up to $20,000 more than that, the credit phases out.

The new bill requires you to attach documentation of your purchase to your tax return. You cannot apply for the credit without actually making the purchase. Whether you make a mistake based on plans that fell through or purposely try to put one over on Uncle Sam, the IRS will not be amused. This new requirement is in response to rising cases of fraud by non-qualifying home buyers who tried to use the credit without buying a home.

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), two million people will take advantage of the credit by year's end. The credit has contributed $22 billion to the economy and is credited with stabilizing the housing industry. In parts of the country, housing prices are increasing and housing inventories are decreasing. NAR estimates that 350,000 sales would not have occurred without the credit.

Though sales have decreased somewhat in Denver since January, 2009 when distressed properties are included, sales of non-distressed homes have increased 7%. In Denver, as elsewhere, inventories of lowered priced homes are lower than more expensive ones. Even though the credit provides more time, those who shop early will get the best selection. The Bandy Team can help you find your first or your next home in the Denver metro area, whether you have set your sites on Cherry Creek, Castle Rock, or Stapleton,

Marianne Bandy

Help for New Home Buyers

There is now a tax credit for everyone and an extension for first time home buyers!

Today is GOOD NEWS for those of you thinking about buying a home or a first home. The House and Senate have finalized a version of the tax credit extension for first time buyers and created a credit for all buyers. The current proposal will extend the current $8000 first time home buyer tax credit that expires on November 30, 2009 to April 30, 2010. In addition, there will be a clause that allows you to close beyond that point (to June 30, 2010) provided you are under contract by April 30th. The House and Senate are also expanding the tax credit not to just first time home buyers. Existing homeowners looking to “move up” from their current property can receive up to a $6500 tax credit incentive. There are certain guidelines that must be followed. Feel free to contact us directly for this information.

So you folks that have procrastinated about getting your finances in order, improving your credit scores, getting pre-qualified, saving for a down payment, talking to a lender or real estate agent, or just had a tough time finding a property this is your golden opportunity. For those of you who want to move up and buy a new home this is great news and a great deal. Housing prices are low, interest rates are low and now you get money from the government for buying a home. Don’t let this one slip away.

Visit http://www.firsttimehomebuyerdenverco.com for more information and your chance to win $250,000 dollars toward your next home. Feel free to contact Dan, Andy or Gary to get started today moving into a new home.

Sincerely,

Dan Polimino, Gary Lohrman and Andy Jorgensen.

Rhonda's & Cate's New Project Located Within Walking Distance to Lowry Town Center, Listed By Distinctive Properties