It is not uncommon for buyers to find a home that looks great from the pictures and become disappointed once they see the home in person. Maybe the property was too close to neighbors or across the street from a strip mall. Viewing homes for sale online is convenient but definitely not the same as driving by the home to see what it's really like.
Thanks to Google Street View, looking for homes online just got better!
Google Street View is an awesome 360° tool that allows users to view a specific home, the street it sits on, the topography, and the home's surroundings. Seeing everything at street level, it's like you are really there!
Since this is a newer tool, there are still areas that Google has not driven through to take pictures of with their van. If you take a look at the listing map for a specific home for sale on my Colorado Springs Home Search, the areas on the map highlighted in blue have the feature available, while the gray areas on the map do not have it available yet. Take a look at the image below for example:
The Google Street View tool is very easy to use and Google has a quick tutorial for users as well.
For further information on available Real Estate in Colorado Springs contact your Colorado Springs Realtor, Patricia Beck.
If your home is off a busy street or inconveniently located, it may have expired for that very reason. Location is very important to buyers in this market. With increasing gas prices, many buyers are looking for a home near their place of work so they can save money on gas or ride a bicycle to wo
rk.
Maybe you are right across the street from a park or school, perfect right? Actually, many home buyers in Colorado Springs do not want to be directly across a school or park due to potential traffic and noise from games, students, etc...
If your home backs to a busy street, home buyers may not prefer your property in comparison to others in the same price range due to lack of privacy and noise from vehicles.
Maybe your home is in great condition but the condition of other homes in your neighborhood is not. This can be common in an area where there have been neglected homes due to foreclosure. Pitching in with the neighbors to improve the property's curb appeal may help your home sell more quickly.
Since you can't pick up your home and move it, location will continue to be an issue when you re-list with another real estate agent in Colorado Springs. Even a home that is not situated in the best location will sell for the right price. Work with a real estate agent to price your home accordingly so it does not expire again.
Additional Reading:
Why your Colorado Springs Home Expired - Part 1
Why Your colorado Springs Home Expired - Part 2
This article was originally posted on my Colorado Springs Realty Blog: Why your Colorado Springs Home Expired - Part 3
Colorado Springs Realtor Patricia Beck, providing real estate services to home buyers and sellers.
The condition of your home could be another reason your home expired. There is competition among sellers in Colorado Springs when nearly 6,000 single family homes are for sale in El Paso County. If your home is not in good condition then it is unlikely it will sell unless you price it well below the market values in the area and target investors.
Buyers may be deterred from your home if the carpet is stained, the exterior needs painting, or if the yard is a mess. Many people do not want to purchase a fixer upper because they don’t have time to make improvements with their busy lifestyles.
Was the condition of your home the reason it did not sell? If so, make a list of all of the things in your Colorado Springs home that need to repaired, replaced, or cleaned before you put it up for sale again.
In this competitive market, it is wise to hire a stager for assistance. Your stager can advise you on rooms that need to be de-cluttered, furniture arrangements, and color schemes.
There are many homes for sale in the Colorado Springs area that are not clean. Take the time to thoroughly clean your home; it will make an enormous difference. Best of all, it’s free if you clean it yourself!
De-clutter by placing extra items in storage, holding a garage sale, or donating items to the needy in your area. Moving will be much easier once your home sells if you get rid of everything you do not use anymore in advance!
Additional Reading:
Why your Colorado Springs Home Expired - Part 1
Colorado Springs Real Estate information and services
This article was originally posted on my Colorado Springs Realty Blog: Why your Colorado Springs Home Expired - Part 2
You worked hard to get your home ready to list and kept it clean for showings. Here you are months later and your home never sold and may not even had many showings either. You're probably thinking, all this work for what? My home hasn't sold and here I am, so now what?
Homes usually expire for one of these reasons in Colorado Springs:
1. The home is overpriced
2. The condition of the home
3. The location of the home
4. Inexperienced real estate agent
Homes that expire in Colorado Springs are most often overpriced. Look through the list above, can you figure out why your home expired?
Usually, sellers do not understand the current real estate market in Colorado Springs and want to list their home at a price that the buyers in Colorado Springs are not willing to pay for.
There is so much competition among homes in Colorado Springs and if sellers want their homes to sell instead of sit stale and expire, than the price has to be within the market values of the area. Deciding on a list price should be a team decision between you and your realtor. It is important to listen to the advice of your Colorado Springs real estate agent when it comes to pricing your home.
Although it may be upsetting that your home may not sell for how much you thought, it is even more upsetting for many sellers to overprice their home only to see it expire months later. If you are unwilling to sell your home for the market values in your area than you may want to hold off on selling for a while and look at other options.
If you had minimal showings while your home was for sale, it was more than likely priced too high for the Colorado Springs Real Estate Market. If you re-list your home at the same price, it is likely you will have the same results because it is still probably overpriced!
If you are serious about selling your home, contact your Colorado Springs Realtor to assist you.
Additional Reading:
Why Your colorado Springs Home Expired - Part 2
This article was originally posted in my Colorado Springs Realty Blog: Why your Colorado Springs Home Expired - Part 1
There were a total of 649 single family home sales in El Paso County for October 2008. It's always interesting to see which areas of Colorado Springs, got the biggest piece of the pie. Take a look below to view the total sales for major areas in Colorado Springs and surrounding areas.
The Northeast area of Colorado Springs took the lead this past month with a total of 63 sales and the Powers area came in second with 58 home sales. The West area of Colorado Springs came in last with a total of 16 home sales.
**Information gathered from the Pikes Peak MLS is deemed reliable but not guaranteed
Providing real estate information and services for Colorado Springs home buyers and sellers.
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Colorado Springs Real Estate, assisting home buyers and sellers in the Colorado Springs area, El Paso County, and Pikes Peak Region.
Colorado Springs is just south of Denver and many people from the Colorado Springs Area commute to Denver for work (approximately 1 hour). Colorado Springs is located close to the mountains and many homes in the area offer breathtaking views of Pikes Peak, one of Colorado's 54 fourteeners. Many religious organizations and churches make their headquarters here as well as a large number of military installations: Fort Carson, Peterson AFB, Schriever AFB, US Air Force Academy, and NORAD. The city is currently home to the United States Olympic Training Center and the headquarters of the United States Olympic Committee. With a variety of nearby outdoor activities including: hiking, biking, skiing, fishing, and camping there is always something new to discover in Colorado. Colorado Springs averages 250 days of sunshine per year and the winter season is usually pretty mild, although, we have received quite a bit of snow over the past few years! If you like skiing or snowboarding, various ski resorts can be accessed within a couple hours of driving and Hwy 24 is a great shortcut to utilize in order to avoid the ski traffic on I-70. Colorado Springs is growing quickly and many new homes are being built on the east side of town along the Powers corridor including Corderra and Wolf Ranch in addition to areas in Black Forest, Falcon, and Peyton (Woodmen Hills and Meridian Ranch). If you enjoy more privacy and like the mountain feel, Woodland Park is a beautiful place that is only 30 minutes out of town and has many conveniences in town such as a new Wal-Mart, grocery stores, restaurants, and a new hospital. You can learn more about the Colorado Springs areas and School Districts on my website.
There are so many activities in the Colorado Springs and Surrounding areas that you do not have to drive very far!
Cave of the Winds- Off of Hwy 24, this attraction can be a great family outing. Cave tours vary from walking through with a guide (approx. 45 minutes) to view the beautiful crystallized icicle shaped stalactites and stalagmite columns and formations coming up from the cave floor to extended spelunking or caving tours. Hiking/Biking- A 30-45 minute drive can lead you to some beautiful hiking areas around Colorado Springs. Please take a look at the list below for various hiking/biking trails in the area....
Garden of the Gods- This national park has walking and biking trails throughout and if you are a rock climber, you will definitely want to make a visit! It can get crowded by tourists since it is one of Colorado Spring's greatest attractions. The rock formations are truly amazing and if you look closely, you will spot one rock feature, Kissing Camels that looks like two camels facing each other with their lips touching. There is a visitor's center right outside of the park that offers information about how the rocks were formed over time, very interesting!
For more information about local hiking or biking trails you may contact Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation at (719) 385-5940.
Pikes Peak- Colorado Springs is situated at the base of Pikes Peak which stands at 14,115 feet. Depending on your health and athletic skill level, there are a variety of ways to enjoy Pikes Peak. If you are not a hiker, you may access the top of Pikes Peak by the Cog Railway, driving, or hiking to the very top of the fourteener (make sure you start early), or by hiking half-way to base camp. If you would like a good workout, try hiking the incline (stairs alongside the cog railway) some people can do it in 20 minutes! The weather can change quickly on Pikes Peak so make sure you are prepared and if you have problems with altitude sickness, going to the top of Pikes Peak is probably not a good idea.
Manitou Springs- Manitou Springs is off of Hwy 24 and at the base of Pikes Peak. You can spend a whole day here walking through the town and looking inside all of the unique shops and learning about the history of Manitou Springs. If you decided to stay the night, there are many unique places to stay including bed & breakfasts, motels, and campgrounds. There are some great restaurants to try out; the Mona Lisa Fondue Restaurant being my favorite. Don't forget to stop by the Penny Arcade; it is great fun for adults and children alike! Multiple buildings make up the Penny Arcade and there are hundreds of games to choose from as well.
Seven Falls- Minutes from downtown Colorado Springs and located at 2850 S. Cheyenne Canyon Road, you will find the cascading Seven Falls. Climb the long stairway alongside the falls and take in the views of Colorado Springs from above. If you do not want to climb the 224-step stairway, there is also a mountain elevator that can offer awesome views of the falls.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo- Did you know that this is the only mountain zoo in the United States? Many of the walkways are sloped and hilly so you will get a workout too! Unlike the Denver zoo, you can get very close to the giraffes and feed them (kids love feeding the giraffes). Admission to the zoo is $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens, and $6 for kids. There are often new exhibits to explore at the zoo so if you haven't been there in a while you may want to take another look!
May Natural History Museum- This is such a neat place to visit! It is located off 710 Rock Creek Canyon Rd. near Hwy 115. The John May Museum Center is comprised of the May Natural History Museum and the Space Museum. I didn't care much for the Space Museum but the May Natural History Museum was well worth the visit. The exhibits are just amazing; from enormous tropical insects, spiders, and beetles to beautiful butterflies. The museum is open from May 1st through October 1st and I will definitely have to write a post about it when I go this spring so you can get a better idea about what this museum is all about. It is not very large but you can spend hours there! Oh, and one important detail: the invertebrates on display are not alive!
Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center (RMDRC) - RMDRC is only a few years old and located off of Hwy 24 in Woodland Park. There are many exhibits of dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles to view at RMDRC including more than 30 life size specimens. Exhibits do change periodically and there is a working fossil laboratory in-house to view as well.
If you are thinking about moving to Colorado Springs, feel free to go to my website to find homes for sale in various areas of Colorado Springs. For more information on Rent vs. Buy, How much House you can afford, or the buying process please visit my website at http://www.patricia-beck.com.
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