Karen Thompson & Rhonda Thomas Thom Thom Team, GRI, CDPE, Realtor

There is still a program out there for First Time Homebuyers, if you live in the city of Aurora, CO. You can receive up to $10,000 interest free that you can use toward your down payment and without payments. For all the details of this Aurora First Time Homebuyer Program check out this link. It will give you all the details and may be just what you are looking for to give you that ability to purchase your first home.

If you are looking to purchase a condo in the Denver area, or anywhere else in the U.S., for that matter, make sure it is certified for FHA Financing before you fall too much in love with it. Today in the Denver Post there is a very interesting article relating to condo developments being certified and approved for FHA financing for potential new buyers. If you have other options like paying cash or going conventional, this factor won't stand in the way of your purchase. But if FHA is your only option, be aware! Two of the main requirements is that at least 50% of the units must be owner occupied and not more than 15% of the current owners can be more than 30 days delinquent in paying their HOA fees. If these two factors exist, the condo development probably is not approved for FHA financing. Check out the entire article here from the Denver Post.

There is something for everyone in Westlake Village in Broomfield. Every style you could want is there whether you are a baby boomer and prefer a ranch or whether you are someone younger with or without a family and prefer a two story, tri-level or 4-level.

What I like about Westlake Village is that the homes there are older, most of them built in the 1970's, but are priced very moderately and I think many buyers in today's market are wanting to play it safe and buy conservatively. To that I say, "Way to go, I like it!!"

In Westlake Village, a HUD owned ranch, similar to this, sold in Nov. 2011 for $110,000. Oh and did I mention that this house also had an attached two car garage, a full basement, and no HOA? I think a home such as this is a great alternative for a retired person or couple to purchase rather than a condo. or town home. Here you would still have your own private fenced yard, a double attached garage and a basement for storage as well.

Those ranches are many times being remodeled and selling for almost twice that price after the remodel. So it could be a great investment as well. Tri-levels and Bi-levels can be purchased in the low to mid $100's as well. Many of the homes here are dated and in need of updating, but you can have yourself a nice moderately sized home for a great price, after making minimal improvements.

Westlake Village is conveniently located about 1 mi. west of I-25 between 128th and 136th Avenues in Broomfield. It is close to grocery stores and near the new Orchard Marketplace which has a great variety of restaurants and shopping. If you would like a list of homes within Westlake Village of Broomfield, please contact me.

We baby boomers are ready or will be ready very soon, to the tune of 77 million, to downsize from their much too large, way too many floored, and way too high maintenance homes, to ranches priced between $140,000 to $230,000. What do baby boomers have that other would be buyers or sellers do not? Equity in their homes for one thing. Being a baby boomer myself, I can attest to the fact that in our younger days, we were taught to build up equity in our homes by making the payments on time and extra payments, if possible, rather than counting on the market to build our equity for us. And although we have been hit with a decrease in the value of our homes just like everyone else, many of us still have SOME equity. Not any easy thing to find in today's market. So baby boomers, bring it on!!! We are here to assist you in the best way in which to sell your home for the highest price in the shortest amount of time, and to assist you in finding that perfect ranch, for the lifestyle which will finally allow you to do all the things you have dreamed about and put off for all these years.

I guess some clients are just not meant to be. I had been keeping in touch with a lovely client that was relocating to Colorado from the Chicago area to make sure when she decided to purchase here and move, she would think of me. Well, I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I was on a cruise for a week over Christmas trying to keep my eye on my emails and voicemails, but I didn't respond as quickly as I normally would do, when she left me a couple voicemails, and I lost her to another agent. I am bummed. She DID try to contact me first, but when a buyer is ready......they are ready, especially in her case when her home suddenly went under contract also in my absence, and she needed to find something quickly. Sometimes a day or two is hard to wait when you need to find something NOW. It is my fault, as even though I called her before I left to check in with her, at which time nothing had yet happened, I should have told her that I would be out of town and if anything DID happen in my absence, she could contact my associate. I have learned a good lesson on this one, but I hate expenseive lessons.