Kim Olson

Calling all Condo seeking Buyers, are you not willing to part with your hard earned cash to live in the high-rises of Downtown Denver Colorado. But you still want the convenience of being close to shopping, dining and entertainment. Well, I have found the perfect place for you to consider calling home.

In case you haven't been to Downtown Littleton lately, you might want to take a minute to admire the facelift this little city has undergone. Not only are some of the best dining establishments in the Metro Area situated within walking distance of Nevada Place, but there are some very groovy new shops that now call Littleton Blvd home.

Nevada Place is one block off "The Blvd", which is currently in the process of adding some exciting new night spots. Well, you may think that is all fine and good, but what about access to downtown...did I forget to mention that Nevada Place is just a couple of short blocks away from Littleton's very own Light Rail stop.

Not only can you have your cake, but you can eat it too. Think of the money you will save in parking fees alone; just hop the "Rail" downtown and let the train do all the work. No more rush hour traffic! Or what about days that you just want to hang at your pad or enjoy an afternoon with the pooch. Nevada Place is situated across the street from a local park and an amazing "specialty store" for pets.

In need of a Spa Day; you're in luck...there are several very relaxing, luxurious and inviting Salons within a block of Nevada Place. Can you say "perfect" where do I sign up? All righty then, simply put 2509 West Main Street, Littleton CO 80120 into that nifty Garmon in the dashboard and get your wheels in motion.

One last thing...I love to bring these exciting articles to you everyday, but Kim Olson needs to feed the beast too. So, if you're not currently working with a Buyer's Agent (Real Estate Broker) I would love to represent and assist you in the Buying Process.

Do you need to sell a property first before you make your next move? Did I mention that I am a rocking Listing Agent...not to brag, but to date I have never had a home on the market for more than 4 months and I have always gotten the best offers on my homes (now don't be nutty...I'm not Helen Keller, I'm not the miracle worker, so offers are relevant to "fair market value & condition"!)

Well, what are you waiting for? Oh, you need to talk to me...you can give me a jingle at 303.917.6402 or shoot me an email at kim.olson23@gmail.com.

Written By Kim Olson

Realtor - Real Estate of the Rockies / Belle Maison Virtual Home Marketing

The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes are joining forces to collect and distribute one million holiday cards for service men and women and their families in the United States and around the world during the holiday season. Getting involved is easy—just send a card to our special PO Box, and the Red Cross and Pitney Bowes will handle the rest. Last year the Red Cross reviewed and distributed more than 600,000 cards to wounded service members at hospitals around the country and overseas. This year, the Red Cross and Pitney Bowes are expanding the program to include all men and women in uniform, as well as their families, wounded service members and veterans.

Kickoff: Veterans Day, November 11, 2008. End Date: All cards must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 10, 2008.Cards postmarked after Wednesday, December 10, 2008 may be returned to the sender. This deadline ensures enough time to sort and distribute cards before the holidays.

Mailing Address: Holiday Mail for Heroes P. O. Box 5456 Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Card Guidelines: Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working in one of 16 sorting stations around the country. By observing the following guidelines we can ensure a quick reviewing process:

Please ensure that all cards are signed.

Please send cards as opposed to long letters which delay a quick review process.

Please do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.

Please do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.

Participants should limit the number of cards they submit to 25 from any one person or 50 from any one class or group.

Where to Send Phone Cards, Gift Cards and Care Packages: Phone cards or gift cards will not be accepted with the holiday cards. Those wishing to send calling cards or gift cards/certificates should go to www.aafes.com, scroll down to “AAFES Community Connection” and click on “Help Our Troops Call Home” or “Gift Cards/Certificates for Our Troops” in order to send such items. No ‘Care Packages’ will be accepted at this address.

Those wishing to send care packages should go to www.AmericaSupportsYou.com and click under “Homefront Groups” to find out how to send care packages.

Due to the fact that my husband has been in the military for close to 30 years, I hold these acts of goodwill very close to my heart. I have experienced first hand how difficult it is for families to cope with their loved ones being deployed during the Holiday Season and how much it means to all of them to know others do care. So, I ask as a friend and associate that you take a minute to send holiday wishes to our troops overseas...it will most likely be the cheapest gift you give this season.

Thank you so much! Have a safe and happy holiday!

I would have to say that I am probably one of the most optimistic people in this business, but it seems that day after day more and more of my associates have nothing better to talk about than the Bad Market. I don't know about you, but my business has slowed, but it didn't come to a screeching halt. It's more like being in rush hour traffic...it's slow, but moving forward.

I admit, nothing brings my blood pressure to a boil faster than listening to a bunch of "fat cats" begging for Government Bail-out money one minute and then boarding their private jet the next. Honestly, if some of these "Executives" were paid appropriately...their companies could probably survive this recession. When I worked in Mergers & Acquisitions, one of the first things we did after purchasing a company in trouble was to evaluate everyone in the company.

Last night, I watched a golden oldie of a movie called "Office Space"...I laughed out loud through the whole movie...but the part that really stuck in my head was the interview that each employee had with the "TWO BOBS". They were the "consultants" brought in to make the company more "efficient". In the movie, "upper management" got some good laughs about the employees chosen to be laid off...but when the "Bobs" questioned the "Boss" of the division...not only did he not have an answer, but all of a sudden...it wasn't so funny.

If you haven't seen the movie, I really recommend that you take a night to watch it and then watch it again...it all starts to make sense in regards to why our major corporations are in the condition they are today. If you really think about it, success of any company is based on what I call the "Trickle Up" effect. Definition: Every Executive that I have ever worked for has always surrounded themselves with the "Best" people...so think about.

If the everyday employee is making the "supervisors" look good...and the supervisors are making the "department heads" look good...and the department heads are making the "Division Managers" look good...and so on and so forth all the way the ladder...then do the CEO's make the most money because their just better at manipulating people? Let's face it, I have personally worked with several CEO's that quiet frankly couldn't function without their "executive assistant" or as I was once called "glorified secretary".

I guess where I am going with this...is that if we, as Realtors can be held accountable for our business (are any of you getting "bail-out" money from the government)...then why does this countries "Big Business" think there should be a revolving door of "grants and loans" to save their proverbial butts every time they screw up? I have yet to find one CEO etc that deserves to make a 7 figure income...if our kids can eat generic green beans...why can't theirs? If our kids can go to public schools...why can't theirs? Why do we permit this type of behavior?

I watch the stock market tumble everyday...I realize that people are afraid of losing their jobs, but when we don't have our voices heard about injustice within our companies...we have no one to blame but ourselves. This recession doesn't mean that people have to forget about having a Christmas, it means that we have to show some restraint and buy "A" present for our children, instead of several expensive gifts.

It doesn't mean we can't afford a new home, it simple means that we have to purchase a home that fits within "our budget". While working for a major lender during this last housing boom, I saw product "loans" that were 125% / no money down / stated income / stated assets...now what kind of person do you think this kind of loan is going to attract? Did you have a couple of these Buyers? I once reviewed an appraisal for a Buyer that stated he was a "janitor" in Colorado...making $10,000 per month...I don't know about you...but if you could be a janitor and make that kind of money, why are those positions so hard to fill? But this lender did the loan...I'll give you three guesses on how this loan turned out...and the first two guesses don't count.

Look, most of the Realtors that received their license during the housing boom have amazingly disappeared recently...and I say..."don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya"...because it seems that these agents generally wined the loudest, yet did nothing to generate new business for themselves...there really isn't anything more unattractive than the look of "Desperation".

Now it's just us...the agents that have truly made a career choice and know how to weather the storm. We can go to bed at night knowing that when this crisis finally corrects itself...we will be rewarded for our efforts. I praise all of you that are in this for the long haul...it's not easy, it's probably going to get worse...and it might even be a little painful...but for most of us...we managed to survive the 80's and we can survive this too.

Do you think I've lost my mind? I encourage everyone to really get in touch with how they feel about what is going on around us...this isn't a "hate fest" and I'm not pointing fingers at any one person or company...but we all have a name that comes to mind when we are confronted with these issues. It's not going to fix itself, and frankly it doesn't appear that our chosen legislators are any wiser than you or me. So, let's pull ourselves together...encourage others to do the same and push onward and upward out of this mess.

I keep a close eye on what the market trends are in my area of specialization here in Aurora Colorado. I am finding that many home owners are literally waiting till the last minute to face the realization that their home is heading into foreclosure. After many a frustrating encounter, I finally decided to seek out what options are available for the people in my neighborhoods in these type situations.

When I talk to them one on one, there is a lot of confusion in regards to the so called "bail out" money for homeowners and then there is the issue of them not being able to refinance off their ARMS, but let's not forget the wonderful processors at the banks themselves that don't even want to hear that a homeowner is about to default on their loan.

Recently, I was asked to help a family whose home was going into foreclosure. By the time they called me, they were only 3 months behind on their first, but their second was paid on time and in full. So, I started the process of attempting to reach a "decision maker" at their bank to open communication between the two parties to find a resolution. Talk about a nightmare!

Once that attempt failed miserably, I started to seek more productive options...and I found that there are "loss mitigation" companies that specialize in working with the banks to re-structure loans. I was on cloud nine...finally, someone that could help my clients. Of course, statistically only about 50% of the people that are fortunate enough to hear of such companies will actually be good candidates for a loan modification. I could hear my heart sinking, my clients weren't the "best" homeowners, but they did have the will to stay in their home.

Surprise Surprise even after 5 months of non-payment, my clients qualified...they had already moved into an apartment when we got the news, but as advised, moved back into the home. Anyone would expect this to be the Happy Ending...recently, I received an email from the loss mitigation representative letting me know that due to the fact that my client would not return their phone calls...they had to move on to more willing participants.

Am I in the Twilight Zone? After all that time and hard work...did they just slam the door on us for help? Has anyone else out there been in this situation? I am happy that I have found a possible solution for the homeowners in my area, but I am discouraged to offer my advise to them on how to keep their home.

What are your thoughts on this...