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Judith Clausen

May 2008 Real Estate Prices in Denver

Denver Real Estate Prices May 2008Good news for buyers! It's not too late to buy near the bottom of Denver's real estate prices. Although May median prices for single family homes showed a slight increase (1.8%) over April of this year, the decline (9.8%) over May 2007 was significant.

For condos the median increase in price from April to May 2008 was 10.03%, but dropped 4.5% from May 2007.

The steady increase in median price since the first of the year is largely seasonal. 2007's high point came in June when the median single family home was $263,000 and for condos was $157,950.

The number of homes sold declined by 8.2% from May of 2007. The credit crunch earlier this year took a toll on sales. But with credit requirements loosening the number of home buyers may increase in June. In May FHA increased loan limits to $406,250 ($460,000 in higher priced Boulder), though "jumbo" loan limits are still $417,000, making it more difficult to buy an expensive home.

Inventory is down from this time last year. In May 2007 the number of single family homes on the market was 21,505, while 20,287 homes were on the market in May 2008, a drop of 5.7%. 7,605 condos were on the market in May 2007 compared to 6,046 this year in May, a drop of 20.1%. The average days a home or condo is on the market also dropped 11.9% from last year for condos to 104, but remained virtually the same for single family homes at 99.

Better credit conditions and higher loan limits plus plenty of homes on the market make it a very good time to buy.

A question asked by many of my buyers is "If I buy now, what about declining values? Will my home be worth less when it comes time to sell it?" The answer varies depending on how long you stay in your new home.

On average buyers stay in their homes about 5 years before selling according to independent real estate broker, Gary Bauer (Bauer issues a monthly market report used by the Denver dailies) is widely regarded in Denver real estate circles as a market expert. In a report in the Rocky Mountain News by Rob Reuteman (4/19/08), Bauer is quoted on the issue. He says, "If I bought my home a year ago for $200,000, and I had to sell for $180,000, I'd be upset. If I'm staying in the Denver market I take $180,000 and buy a house that would have cost me $200,000 a year ago. But I'd still have a little feeling that I really didn't do so well. If I were that individual five years ago, my average appreciation would be 39 percent. Would I be concerned about a 10 percent drop in price today? I don't think so. I would have bought it for $130,000 and sold it for $180,000."

The Denver Post has a very useful interactive map of home values across the metro area. You'll be able to look at values by neighborhood, discover whether values are rising or declining and much more.

Interest rates are still low (conventional loans were at 6.250% for well-qualified buyers as of June 4, 2008 from our preferred lender, Rate One, The Mortgage People). Homes are more affordable. Denver's economy is steady and jobs are expected to increase this year. The metro Denver and Colorado state unemployment rate in April were 4.4%. 2,000 new jobs are expected in Colorado in 2008, and foreclosures are expected to drop by about 9% according to Patty Silverstein, Chief Economist for the Metro Denver Development Corporation.

The Denver market is not in the same situation as many cities. We're still riding out the effects of the mortgage crisis which led to so many foreclosures, but values haven't dropped nearly as much as the rest of the country. Values dropped about 2% in 2007 and are expected to drop another 3% overall in 2008. Contrast that with Orange County, California (suburban Los Angeles) which dropped 10.2% or Boston a 13.3% drop.

Many parts of the country have suffered a double whammy with the real estate bubble bursting together with the number of foreclosures rising which put a downward push on prices. Denver's bubble burst in 2001, but values remained steady until 2007 when they began to drop. 2006 values increased an average of 2.7%, while values at the end of 2007 had dropped by 2%, a difference of 4.7%.

Denver's cost of living makes it an easy choice over higher cost areas like both coasts. According to CNNMoney.com it costs 57% less to live in Denver than in San Jose; 53% less than in San Diego; 61% less than in San Francisco; and 20% less than Seattle. If you live in the east, it will cost 51% less than in Washington, D.C.; 36% less than in Boston; 72% less than in New York; 26% less than in Philadelphia.

For buyers coming from the south and the midwest, Denver could cost more. It costs 14% more in Denver than in Atlanta; 49% more than in Houston; 41% more than in Dallas; 29% more than in Dayton, Ohio; 22% more than in Rochester, MN, and 23% more than in Boise. But living in Denver still costs 17% less than in Chicago, 16% percent less than in Portland, and a whopping 56% less than in Los Angeles..

You'll need to do your due diligence to compare cost of living between your city and Denver at websites like BestPlaces, BankRate, or CNN/Money.

Having an Exclusive Buyers Agent to find the best buys will shore up your buying ability by representing your best interests - finding the best home at the lowest possible price, and saving you time and hassles. See client references at the Buyers Advantage website. Phone numbers available upon request. Call Judith Clausen now at 303-587-3509 to help you find your next house.

Denver Homes Great Value for Buyers in March 2008

Denver real estate market March 2008

In spite of national real estate market "doom and gloom" reports, Denver buyers have a golden opportunity to buy at (or near) the bottom. In February the market showed more activity than it has in recent months. Properties under contract, both detached and attached single family homes, increased over January by 12.66%, and by 4% over February 2007. The number sold decreased slightly, but that number reflects properties under contract in January. Prices for all single family homes showed a slight decrease (-.47%) from January, and a greater decrease (-3.74%) from February 2007.

Median prices increased 2% from February for detached single family homes, but decreased by 1.9% for attached single family homes. The median price for detached homes was $221,486 in February, up from $216,950 in January, but down 5.75% from February 2007. For attached homes the price in decreased from February 2007 by 7.73%. The high number of foreclosures is keeping prices low, giving buyers the advantage.

Homes are still selling for much less than the original price, but by the time sellers finally sell, on average 114 days after first listed, the sale price was 96-97% of list price. Seller concessions, such as down payment and/or closing cost assistance, is still common.

Interest rates are still low (conventional loans were at 6.375% for well-qualified buyers as of March 7, 2008, from our preferred lender, RateOne, The Mortgage People). Housing supply is as high as it's been in awhile at 25,037. Homes are more affordable. Denver's economy is steady and jobs are expected to increase this year. The unemployment rate in December was 4.5%, a half-percent lower than the national rate of 5%. 22,000 new jobs are expected in Colorado in 2008, and foreclosures are expected to drop by about 9% according to Patty Silverstein, Chief Economist for the Metro Denver Development Corporation.

New home builders, faced with a sizeable inventory of unsold homes in early 2007, have pared the excess to virtually nothing. In the 4th quarter of 2007 starts of single family new homes and condos dropped to 1,611, the "lowest quarterly starts in the seven years that Metrostudy has gathered information for the metro area" according to the Rocky Mountain News ("Metro new-home sales, starts "worst in 20 years", February 7, 2008).

The Denver market is not in the same situation as many cities. We're still riding out the effects of the mortgage crisis which led to so many foreclosures, but values haven't dropped nearly as much as the rest of the country. Values dropped about 2% in 2007 and are expected to drop another 3% overall in 2008. Contrast that with Orange County, California (suburban Los Angeles) which dropped 10.2% or Boston a 13.3% drop.

Many parts of the country have suffered a double whammy with the real estate bubble bursting together with the number of foreclosures rising which put a downward push on prices. Denver's bubble burst in 2001, but values remained steady until 2007 when they began to drop. 2006 values increased an average of 2.7%, while values at the end of 2007 had dropped by 2%, a difference of 4.7%.

Denver's cost of living makes it an easy choice over higher cost areas like both coasts. According to CNNMoney.com it costs 57% less to live in Denver than in San Jose; 53% less than in San Diego; 61% less than in San Francisco; and 20% less than Seattle. If you live in the east, it will cost 51% less than in Washington, D.C.; 36% less than in Boston; 72% less than in New York; 26% less than in Philadelphia.

For buyers coming from the south and the midwest, Denver could cost more. It costs 14% more in Denver than in Atlanta; 49% more than in Houston; 41% more than in Dallas; 29% more than in Dayton, Ohio; 22% more than in Rochester, MN, and 23% more than in Boise. But living in Denver still costs 17% less than in Chicago, 16% percent less than in Portland, and a whopping 56% less than in Los Angeles..

You'll need to do your due diligence to compare cost of living between your city and Denver at websites like Best Places, Bankrate, or CNN/Money.

Having an Exclusive Buyers Agent to find the best buys will shore up your buying ability by representing your best interests - finding the best home at the lowest possible price, and saving you time and hassles. See client references; phone numbers available upon request. Call Judith Clausen now at 303-587-3509 to help you find your new home in Denver.

Denver Still A Buyers' Market in January 2008

Denver Buyers' Market January 2008

In spite of national real estate market "doom and gloom" reports, Denver buyers have a golden opportunity to buy at (or near) the bottom. The average price for single family housing across the metro area was $281,203, a drop from December's $287,874. The median price for a single family home is down by 8.1 percent from last January to $216,950 from $236,000 and from $220,000 in December 2007.

Condos also dropped to an average price of $165,510 from $170,440 in December, a drop of 2.9%. Median price dropped a whopping 13% from $154,900 in December to $134,000. Condos are a bargain now and are taking less time to sell because of buyer demand. But buyers can still expect to pay 97% of list price for condos and 96% for single family homes.

Interest rates are low (conventional loans were at 5.625% for well-qualified buyers as of February 6, 2007, from our preferred lender, RateOne, The Mortgage People). Housing supply is as high as it's been in awhile at 18,716. Homes are more affordable. Denver's economy is steady and jobs are expected to increase this year. The unemployment rate in December was 4.5%, a half-percent lower than the national rate of 5%. 22,000 new jobs are expected in Colorado in 2008, and foreclosures are expected to drop by about 9% according to Patty Silverstein, Chief Economist for the Metro Denver Development Corporation.

New home builders, faced with a sizeable inventory of unsold homes in early 2007, have pared the excess to virtually nothing. In the 4th quarter of 2007 starts of single family new homes and condos dropped to 1,611, the "lowest quarterly starts in the seven years that Metrostudy has gathered information for the metro area" according to the Rocky Mountain News (Metro new-home sales, starts "worst in 20 years", February 7, 2008).

The Denver market is not in the same situation as many cities. We're still riding out the effects of the mortgage crisis which led to so many foreclosures, but values haven't dropped nearly as much as the rest of the country. Values dropped about 2% in 2007 and are expected to drop another 3% overall in 2008. Contrast that with Orange County, California (suburban Los Angeles) which dropped 10.2% or Boston a 13.3% drop.

Many parts of the country have suffered a double whammy with the real estate bubble bursting together with the number of foreclosures rising which put a downward push on prices. Denver's bubble burst in 2001, but values remained steady until 2007 when they began to drop. 2006 values increased an average of 2.7%, while values at the end of 2007 had dropped by 2%, a difference of 4.7%.

Denver's cost of living makes it an easy choice over higher cost areas like both coasts. According to CNNMoney.com it costs 57% less to live in Denver than in San Jose; 53% less than in San Diego; 61% less than in San Francisco; and 20% less than Seattle. If you live in the east, it will cost 51% less than in Washington, D.C.; 36% less than in Boston; 72% less than in New York; 26% less than in Philadelphia.

For buyers coming from the south and the midwest, Denver could cost more. It costs 14% more in Denver than in Atlanta; 49% more than in Houston; 41% more than in Dallas; 29% more than in Dayton, Ohio; 22% more than in Rochester, MN, and 23% more than in Boise. But living in Denver still costs 17% less than in Chicago, 16% percent less than in Portland, and a whopping 56% less than in Los Angeles..

You'll need to do your due diligence to compare cost of living between your city and Denver at websites like Sperling's Best Places, or CNNMoney, BankRate.

Having an Exclusive Buyers Agent to find the best buys will shore up your buying ability by representing your best interests - finding the best home at the lowest possible price, and saving you time and hassles. See client references Phone numbers available upon request. Call Judith Clausen now at 303-587-3509 to help you find your new home in Denver. Check out the Buyers Advantage website for info and home searches.

Congress Park Homes, Denver CO

Congress Park Home, Denver COCongress Park is a charming urban neighborhood full of Craftsman style homes and Denver Squares. Close to downtown Denver and Cherry Creek, it is one of central Denver's most desirable neighborhoods. Tree-lined streets, friendly neighbors, parks and the Denver Botanic Gardens all offer an ambience of welcoming urban presence. Restaurants, coffee shops, quaint retail stores and new brick urban-feel condos add to the mix.

*Congress Park Real Estate Prices for December 2007

41 detached single family homes were sold with a median list price of $398,500. On average homes took 61 days to sell and sold for a median price of $395,000. Median price is a better measure of sold price than average, which is skewed by a few high-priced homes at the top end and low-priced homes at the bottom. Lowest sold price for detached single family homes was $171,500; highest sold price was $825,000. For condos and townhomes (attached family homes) the lowest sold price was $99,900 while the highest was $500,000. The median sold price was $141,500, and the average was $174,528.

The ratio of sold to list price was 97.78% for detached homes. The ratio of sold to original price was 93.47%. The net sold (after seller concessions such as down payment or closing cost assistance, and the like) to original list price was 93.97%. To simplify, if a seller originally listed their home at $300,000, they realized $281,910 from the sale.

By the time the property sold, the sold to list price was 97.40%.

*Data from July 1-December 31, 2007

Call Judith Clausen at 303-587-3509 if you'd like more information about Congress Park homes for sale, or go to Buyers Advantage Real Estate of Metro Denver, Inc. to search for homes.

Good news for Denver home buyers

 Good news for Denver home buyers according to the chief economist for the National Association of REALTORS®.

Lawrence Yun spoke to area REALTORS® yesterday (January 16, 2008) at a meeting of the Jefferson County Association of REALTORS® in Lakewood, Colorado, citing "irrational pessimism" on the part of buyers for what may be holding back a recovery in the Denver real estate market.

Denver has been the canary in the coal mine since 1991 when it began to recover from the housing slump beginning in the 1980s. Double-digit increases in value in the 1990s followed the S & L crisis, presaging a recovering housing market throughout the early 2000s in the rest of the country. The dot com failures of the early 2000s began a downturn in the Denver real estate market in 2001, much earlier than nationally. Prices stayed steady from 2001 to 2006, and only began dropping in the last quarter of 2007. The drop has been minimal compared to the rest of the country, and isn't expected to last.

Is that canary still a reliable precursor for the rest of the country? Only time will tell.

In early 2008 conditions are optimal for Denver home buyers. Interest rates are at a 45 year low point, prices are lower than they've been in recent months, inventory is high. The "credit crunch" doesn't apply to home buyers who have good credit and a down payment. Colorado just posted the fourth straight annual gain in jobs and the lowest unemployment figures in years (3.8%). Job growth for 2008 is expected to be 2.4%. Unemployment in Colorado is lower than the nation at 4.5% for December. Now is the time to take those home buying plans off the back burner while sellers are making hefty concessions.

If you're thinking about buying a home in Denver, be sure to hire your own Denver Exclusive Buyer's Agent. The fee comes from the transaction at closing paid by the listing agent. Sellers have representation, and so should you. Call Judith Clausen, Broker/Owner of Buyers Advantage Real Estate of Metro Denver at 303-587-3509 or email Judith@Buyers-Advantage.net to see how you can save money and avoid the pitfalls of buying a metro Denver home.