Another great reason to live in Colorado Springs! This from Rich Laden and the Colorado Springs Gazette:
"You better watch out. You better not cry. Better not pout, I'm telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to Colorado Springs.
So says Zillow.com, the Seattle-based online real estate service, which has come up with a list of Santa's top 10 favorite cities - and which ranks Colorado Springs' as his No. 1 destination.
Zillow's data geeks - who typically spend their time estimating property values, examining foreclosure data and choosing the color of their pocket protectors - studied six variables to determine which cities with a population of 350,000 or more would most appeal to Santa. The goal: Find safe working conditions, optimal sleigh-flying weather and places where Santa could deliver the most presents in the least amount of time.
Zillow crunched numbers. Cities were examined to determine numbers of fireplaces - indicating chimneys for Santa to come down.
Zillow looked at percentages of single-story homes, which could reduce Santa's chance of injury; numbers of snowy and clear days to make flying more appealing; percentages of homes with children; high population densities for efficient deliveries, and large home lots, a sign of sizeable roofs for sleigh landings.
The Springs "scored high in every category deemed important to Santa," Zillow said. "In addition to having many single-story homes with fireplaces and large lots, the city is crawling with kiddos. Santa will also like the weather - snowy, with lots of clear days."
Of course, the folks at Zillow apparently don't know the Springs has been bone dry for the last several weeks and that March is our snowiest month. As the saying goes, you might not have a white Christmas in Colorado Springs, but you very well might have a white Easter.
The Springs ranked ahead of - in order - Wichita, Kan.; Los Angeles; Dallas, Oklahoma City, El Paso, Texas, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Albuquerque, N.M., and Denver."
Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/better-109537-list-big.html#ixzz188kjFzou
Year-to-date Colorado Springs area sales data, as reported by the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors, for single family and patio homes have dropped below 2009 levels. It's not terribly surprising to see post tax credit sales in decline but many didn't expect that we'd drop below last year's total number of units sold.
Single family/patio home sales through September of 2009 were 6556 while sales for 2010 are 6371. What might be more telling though is that sales for September 2009 were 823 units compared to 603 for September 2010, about a 26% move in the wrong direction. Taking a broader look at the post tax credit 3rd quarter reveals more of the same. Total sales of single family/patio homes in 2009 were 2660. The same quarter for 2010 yielded 2004 units sold, a 25% decline.
Armed with this sales data and, in my opinion, with little hesitation Colorado Springs Realtors need to take a real hard look at their listings and update their CMAs. It may be time to counsel aggressive pricing to those sellers that have the ability, coupled with the motivation, to lead the pack instead of following it downward. I'm concerned those sellers and Realtors that don't wake up and smell the roses will find their properties/listings worth less next spring.
Great real estate news need to be shared! There's a buzz in the air and it's not the bees coming out of their winter slumber... do bees slumber? Anyway, it's an awesome thing to hear there's activity in the market place!
This excerpt from today's Colorado Springs Gazette:
Rebound in Housing Market Continues
"The single-family home resale market had another solid performance last month in the Colorado Springs area.
A report released this week by the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors shows:
• Home sales totaled 723 in March, a 27.7 percent jump from the same month a year ago and the ninth consecutive monthly increase. For the first quarter of the year, sales totaled 1,759, an 18.6 percent gain over the same period in 2009. The figures reflect sales handled by real estate agents, not homes sold by individual owners.
• The median sale price of single-family homes rose to $189,900 in March, a 2.6 percent increase from the same month last year. It was the fifth straight month that prices increased. The median price is the midpoint of all sale prices for the month, with half the homes sold in March going for less than $189,900 and the other half for more.
• The supply of homes listed for sale in March totaled 4,773, a 6 percent reduction from a year ago."
Things are looking up!
Serving Colorado Springs, Black Forest, Monument and all of El Paso County. Colorado Springs resident for over 35 years, real estate broker for 18 years. It would be my pleasure to serve you.
Experience
Navigating today's real estate landscape is much like sailing in uncharted waters. It requires a reliable compass, sharp instincts and One with a keen eye at the bow. Business as usual isn't business as usual. Fresh insight, combined with forward thinking, is mandatory both in business and in our families. Sharpened instincts are only developed through life experience, and successful real estate consultation demands that instinct and experience converge. The result is superior service and sage negotiations with your family's best interest at heart. It would be my greatest pleasure to serve you.
Without limitation I serve those seeking to purchase or sell real estate in all of El Paso County. Including but not limited to Colorado Springs, Black Forest, Monument, Manitou Springs, Peyton, Falcon and Security/Widefield. A Colorado Springs Realtor familiar with properties on well and septic enhances my ability to serve the rural buyer and represent the rural seller.
First time home buyers are always a pleasure to serve as well as the seasoned home buyer. My approach is consultative and I'm always willing to dig a little bit deeper to ensure no detail is left uncovered.
"Thank you so much for everything--as I have said before you were a personal & professional 5 star person to work with, & I always, ALWAYS felt that you represented me at an amazing level."
Geralyn B. (April 1, 2011)
"Words cannot express my gratitude for all your hard work getting us to closing today. You are a true professional and I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with you. Our profession needs fabulous Realtors like you Joe and I pray for your continued success."
Katherine Froehler, The Platinum Group Realtors (May 13, 2011)
Dear Joe,
I've written this recommendation of your work to share with other LinkedIn users.
Details of the Recommendation: "Joe helped I and my wife buy our first house. We first met him when he showed us a prospective home and even though we were not enchanted with the house, we did sense his integrity and asked him to be our buyers representative.
We were very happy with his availability and willingness to guide us through the entire process from start to finish. We were lucky to run into him and asked him some years later to guide us through a property purchase when we needed more help.
Thanks Joe!"
Service Category: Real Estate Agent
Year first hired: 2003 (hired more than once)
Top Qualities: Personable, On Time, High Integrity
"Joe, we have bought a home through you, our extended family members have purchased homes through you, friends, etc. You have always been the best and most upright person in business I have seen (and my own mother sold real estate!). Best to you, and when we need to move we will facebook you!" Debbie M. January 10, 2010
"Wow. That is the only way to describe Joe. And only being able to chose 3 of the 7 Top Attributes is not fair to him! His abilities as a Real Estate Agent and a human being demand a longer list. I readily admit I am very biased towards Joe, as our relationship dates back to 1987, before he was in Real Estate and was the owner of a bicycle business. I did as much business as I could with Joe as his personality and acumen were then and are now second to none. When it came time to buy a house after college, my wife and I found a patient and intelligent soul in Joe who was able to listen and provide us the best choice for our home buying situation. His extension knowledge and networking also made the whole process much easier as he had great lenders and inspectors that we could trust as much as him to recommend for us. He even turned us onto a great carpet cleaner. It is one matter to pull out a business card and hand it to someone without a thought, but, I know Joe never tells or does anything he himself would not utilize. I have recommended several people to Joe that are as equally impressed as I am. Joe's calm and non-pushy demeanor should be the paradigm for Real Estate Agents everywhere and not the exception. There may be better out there, but I do not think any of us will live long enough to find them." July 19, 2008
"My husband and I contracted with Joe when we purchased our home in 2000 and then to sell it in 2007. I highly recommend him, during the initial purchase we lived out of state. Joe made the process seamless and eliminated all stress from what could have been a difficult relocation. He helped us in making all the right decisions when we sold our home in 2007, despite a difficult market his expertise resulted in a very acceptable sale in less than 60 days. His integrity is beyond reproach and his personable nature made all our negotiations with both sellers and buyers an exceptional experience." May 30, 2008
"By the time we met Joe, we had been through 5 (yes, five!) realtors. Those we had tried to work with either wanted a signed contract, ignored phone calls, gave bad advice, or were just plain lazy. The fact that we were thoroughly frustrated was an understatement. Joe exceeded our expectations from the start. Joe earned our loyalty and respect by being the kind of Realtor every Realtor should be. He didn't waste our time by showing us houses we didn't want or weren't qualified to buy. Whenever something needed to be signed, researched, or completed, he was on top of it. When it came time to finalize our loan, he gave us very valuable information and advice. On top of all this, we were never treated like we were just "business." Joe actually cares about his clients. There was one house in particular that we were interested in, but Joe told us he would rather see us in a different house. I am NOT looking forward to the day Joe retires (hemight like it, though!). To be honest, I'm scared that I will never find another Realtor as impressive as Joe. We have recommended him to everybody we know who needs a Realtor (and will continue to do so) without a second thought. We were truly blessed to have Joe as our Realtor (and we're not done yet!) and I have no doubt that he will work as hard for you as he did for us." -Jennifer L
"We thank God for His sending of you into our lives-personally and professionally. Thank you for your expertise, placing your experience on the line for our benefit. We have been greatly blessed working at your side." August 2009 Mike and Nancy M
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