"New construction homes aren't for me" ...think again

If you think that new-construction homes aren't for you, are a hassle and something to steer away from, read this. 

I had the privilege of helping my wonderful clients Ike and Tiffany buy a home. After looking at several homes in Highlands Ranch and Parker over a few months time, Ike and Tiffany happened to stumble upon a new development on their drive home. They thought, "Hmm, what about new homes?"  And the rest is practically history. They fell in love with a beautiful just-built home in the Jordan Crossing development in Parker. Think about it: brand new EVERYTHING:
2 stories, 3-car garage, 2400+ sf plus a 1000sf basement, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, landscaping, nice backyard (unlike some developments), steel foundation (much better than concrete), new stainless steel refrigerator, stainless steel oven and gas stove, stainless steel microwave, stainless steel dishwasher, new beech cabinets, slab granite, tile, new carpet, new hardwood floors, new top of the line front-loading washer and dryer, new paint, new window coverings, new....you get the idea. And all this for a very affordable price in the mid to upper $200k's!

It just goes to show the adventure of home shopping, and you never know what you may fall in love with. Ike and Tiffany sure didn't think they'd end up in a new construction home!

Congrats to Ike and Tiffany on their BRAND NEW home!

The Wall Street Journal: 2010 - Real Estate Outruns the Stock Market Again

Real-estate stocks are poised to end 2010 with gains that are twice as large as the broader stock market, the second year in a row that REITs outperformed the major stock indexes.

REITs, as measured by the Dow Jones All REIT index, were up 27% as of Tuesday’s close. While that is a smaller gain than last year, when REITs posted gains of 28.5%, the 2010 results handily beat the Dow Jones Industrial Averages, up 11% as of Monday’s closing and Standard & Poor’s 500 index, up 12.86%.
The REIT rally was triggered by investors hunting for higher dividend yields. REIT dividend yields, while low compared to historical standards, are currently around 4% compared to 3.35% on Treasury bonds.

“The REIT yields are very attractive compared to anything else in the market,” said Brad Case, vice president of research and industry information for the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. Since the beginning of the year, dozens of REITs have raised dividends, an about-face from last year when many REITs were cutting or suspending dividends.

Other investors were buying real-estate stocks based on economic fundamentals, basically a belief that commercial landlords will post stronger earnings from rising rents and occupancy in 2011.
Most of this year’s gains came early in the year after a number of REITs were able to successfully recapitalize their companies by selling large amounts of stock and bonds. The recapitalizations eased fears that a number of large companies would be forced into bankruptcy. By the fourth quarter, however, REITs failed to outperform the broader indexes as investors began to fret that stubbornly high unemployment might drag down the industry’s prospects and delay the time when landlords can raise rents. The DJ All REIT index was up 7.2% for the fourth quarter through Tuesday’s close, almost in a dead heat with the 7.3% return for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and modestly trailing a 10.28% gain for the S&P 500.

Written by A.D. Pruitt for The Wall Street Journal, Published December 29, 2010
For full article, click here.

5280's The Ultimate Mountain Guide

Where to ski, board, stay, eat, drink, shop, play, and buy real estate in Colorado's best mountain towns.


Here is 5280's list (no surprises here):

Telluride

Aspen

Durango

Breckenridge

Steamboat Springs

Crested Butte

Vail

For Details on each mountain area, Click Here

October 2010 Denver Stats: Home Prices Up, Sales Down

Sales of existing homes in the Denver area dropped 28 percent in October, to 2,842 from 3,958 in the same month of 2009, according to Metrolist Inc. data released Wednesday.

But average sold price for such homes was up 9.6 percent for the same period, to $261,750 from $238,807.
Sales of existing homes — which are homes that have sold at least once and also are called resale homes — were higher in October 2009 than last month partly because the federal government’s $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit still was in effect last year. The first-time buyer credit, along with a $6,000 credit for existing homeowners wanting to buy a different home added in November 2009, expired April 30 of this year.

Metrolist data includes both standard houses and condominiums. Greenwood Village-based Metrolist is metro Denver’s Multiple Listing Service for homes that are for sale.

Other existing home sale data for October:

• Standard houses alone, also called single-family detached homes, sold for $287,048 on average, up 9.66 percent from $261,771 in October 2009.

• Average days a home stayed on the market for sale rose to 104 from 93 for the same month last year.

• Inventory of existing homes for sale increased 12.75 percent to 21,360 last month from 18,945 year over year.

For this year’s first 10 months, roughly 26,200 existing houses sold for a total of $7.41 billion, according to Metrolist data released by Re/Max Alliance of Arvada. Average sold price for the period was $282,819.
The plains area of Boulder County had the highest average selling price of $650,053, followed by the city of Boulder, with $609,638.

By comparison, some 28,000 existing houses sold in 2009’s first 10 months for a total of $7.38 billion and an average of $263,328.

Nearly 7,000 existing condos sold in 2010’s first 10 months, for a total of $1.1 billion and an average of $160,186.

January through October 2009, nearly 7,500 condos sold for $1.19 billion and $160,382 on average.

---

Compiled by the DBJ’s Paula Moore

Once Again Forbes & CNBC Rank Colorado 3rd & 4th-Best State for Business

For the second year in a row, Forbes has once again ranked Colorado the 4th best state for businesses and for fostering economic growth.  CNBC has rated Colorado the 3rd best state two years in a row.


"Even in this tough economy, Colorado has remained aggressive, disciplined and focused when it comes to supporting businesses and encouraging economic growth," Gov. Ritter said. "Today's ranking by Forbes shows that our strategies and investments in emerging and innovative industries like clean energy, healthcare, aerospace, biosciences and technology are working. We still have many challenges ahead, but we are indeed moving forward."


The Forbes ranking puts Colorado first for labor supply, sixth for overall economic climate and growth prospects, and ninth for quality of life.

10 Worst Cities for Real Estate Investing (Denver & CO is not one of them)

These are the ten cities where home prices fell the most over the past year have been plagued by unemployment, and most were in states that had the biggest speculative bubble. In contrast, Colorado and Denver are on almost all of the top 10 GOOD lists.  

These ten worst real estate markets according to Kiplinger are:

1. Detroit – Livonia – Dearborn, Michigan

2. Las Vegas – Paradise, Nevada

3. Phoenix – Mesa – Scottsdale, Arizona

4. Merced, California

5. Miami – Miami Beach – Kendall, Florida

6. Modesto, California

7. Orlando – Kissimmee, Florida

8. Lakeland – Winter Haven, Florida

9. Salinas, California

10. Cape Coral – Fort Myers, Florida

Kiplinger provides detailed information about the housing markets in these cities and CLICK HERE to get more information about these markets

Where to Take Out of Town Visitors in Denver

If you're like me, you're always trying to impress out of town guests with what Denver and Colorado has to offer. Here's a great list you can Googlemap and always come back to so you can make sure you're not saying "Uh, umm, let me think where we can go..." while your guests are rather unimpressed:

Denver Flair:

Larimer Square

Historic Lodo District (take a stroll)

Confluence Park (take a ride down Cherry Creek in a punt)

16th Street Mall

Denver Art Museum

Wash Park (Denver's "Central Park")

Denver Mint

Museum of Nature & Science

Cherry Creek North

Water World

Indoor Sky Diving (super-fun!)

Tattered Cover Bookstore

Mountain Towns:

Grand Lake

Estes Park

Idaho Springs

Ouray

Breckenridge

Steamboat Springs

Vail

Scenery:

Garden of the Gods

Red Rocks

Royal Gorge

Rocky Mountain National Park

Telluride

Unique Tours:

Molly Brown House

Air Force Academy

Wings Over the Rockies

Favorite Drives:

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Independence Pass

Mt. Evans Drive

Red Mountain Pass

San Juan Skyway/Million Dollar Highway

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park

Glenwood Canyon

Maroon Bells, Aspen

New Short Sale Bill Submitted to Congress

U.S. Representative Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) and Tom Rooney (R-Fla) offered up new legislation to Congress last week.  H.R. 6133, "Prompt Decision for Qualification of Short Sale Act of 2010," is an effort from Congress to help keep potential buyers from walking away from short sales, simply because lenders take months to respond to their offers.  This legislation aims to "require the lender or servicer of a home mortgage, upon a request by the homeowner for a short sale, to make a prompt decision whether to allow the sale."



In this bill, the terms "short sale" means the sale of the dwelling or residential real property that is subject to the mortgage, deed or trust, or other security interest that secures a residential mortgage loan that:

• will result in proceeds in an amount that is less than the remaining amount due under the mortgage loan; and
• requires authorization by the securitization vehicle or other investment vehicle or holder of the mortgage loan, or the servicer acting on behalf of such a vehicle or holder.

Ms. Golder continued, "Unfortunately, homeowners who need to execute a short sale are severely hampered because lenders (loan servicers) are unable to decide whether to approve a short sale within a reasonable amount of time. Potential homebuyers are walking away from purchasing short sale property because the lender has taken many months and still not responded to their request for an approval of a proposed short sale price. Many consumers have mentioned that the delay in short sale price approval exceeds 90 days, and in many cases never arrives."
Hopefully, if this bill passes into law, homeowners will find relief from their mortgage woes, and will be able to sell their home without having to be foreclosed upon.

Read full article

Consensus: Denver-area housing holds value

It’s an opinion shared by many in the residential real estate industry – the local housing market is better off than most of the country.  The U.S. Census Bureau recently released data that indicates they are correct.  


The median value of a home last year in the Denver-area, described as the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield Metro Area by the Census Bureau – was $248,500 in 2009 - only a 0.48% drop from the median price of $249,700 in 2008.  By contrast, the U.S. median price fell about 5.9% in 2009 to $185,200, from $196,700..   


“I think it is fair to say that home values in the Denver MSA (metropolitan statistical area) did hold their values better than the U.S. did, as our market sustained a very small drop, while the U.S. overall, fell far more,” said Patty Silverstein,  principal of Economic Development Research Partners and chief economist for the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.


Read full article

August Denver-metro home statistics

3,079 home sales closed in the metro area in August 2010


23,615 homes in inventory

6.4 Months of inventory, meaning we are in a buyer's market


- Prices have remained fairly stable. The median price for homes sold in August was $239,900, compared with $240,000 in July and $227,000 in August 2009.


- The median price of condos sold rose to $130,000 in August from $129,000 in July but is down from a median sales price of $144,500 a year ago.
 
Sales have slowed down alot since the tax credit expired, but that is just making seller's more desperate to sell, and giving buyers more leverage to buy, especially at 4% interest rates, which will save you about $25,000 over the life of the loan... much more than $8,000.
 
Click here for more trends!!

5 things you must know about homeowners insurance

1. Loyalty is overrated - check InsWeb.com and NetQuote.com for better deals. Consider moving your auto policy too; bundling home and auto coverage can cut your total premiums by 5% to 15%. 

2. You may have too much coverage - For now, pass on inflation protection and adjust your coverage amount to a more realistic figure.
3. A bad rep can cost you - Insurers check national databases to see what claims you've filed in the past. Those records can be full of errors.  Check your insurance report for mistakes.

4. Small claims can cost you, too - Go with the highest deductible you can afford and bank the savings to cover the cost of minor repairs. Filing a claim for every broken window or leaky pipe can drive up your premiums by 10% to 15%. Increasing your deductible from, say, $500 to $1,000 can lower your annual premium by as much as 25%, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

5. A home's history matters - In the market for a new house? It may seem unfair, but claims associated with the property before you buy it can result in your paying more than you would otherwise. "Certain locations [such as those vulnerable to flooding] may be more prone to claims," explains Kiran Rasaretnam, CFO of InsWeb.  To get info on past claims, ask for a copy of the seller's CLUE disclosure report (see No. 3). Yes, you're stuck with the history of the house you buy, but you can use what you find to negotiate a lower price with the seller.

-Money Magazine
http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/02/pf/homeowners_insurance.moneymag/index.htm

Short Sales Soar in Denver Metro

In the first seven months of 2010, short sales in the Denver metro area rose by 48%, compared with the same period in 2009, according to an analysis of data by InsideRealEstateNews.  During this time period there were 2,270 completed single-family home short sales, almost a 42% increase from the 1,610 a year ago, according to Metrolist.  Most of the short sales were for single-family, detached homes.  Condo short sales skyrocketed 88%, although the actual numbers were much smaller – 476 in January through July this year, compared with 253 a year ago.  

Month	2009 SF	2010 SF	2009 Condos	2010 Condos
January	102	244	12	51
February	127	257	32	72
March	236	331	29	71
April	237	373	47	72
May	253	337	42	53
June	308	457	32	96
July	338	271	59	61
TOTAL	1601	2270	253	476

What this means for you: 
-Buyers: If you have the time and PATIENCE to purchase a short sale, it could be a good investment. If you do not have the time and TONS of patience (the deal could last 8 months and all fall apart at the end), stay AWAY from short sales. 
-Sellers: Your biggest competition is any short sale in your area, since they will usually be lower priced then yours. Make sure your realtor markets your home as "NOT a short sale", and "quick possession" on the MLS so people will know they won't have to wait to purchase your house.
-Owners in default: A short sale is probably the best decision for you if you are behind on your payments and cant catch up, and cant get a loan remodification. It will be easier on your credit, and you will be able to get another loan for a home even 2 years after your short sale and you repair your credit. And it's totally free (dont use anyone who charges you). 
Read full article

Today's Killer Mortgage Rates Beat Tax-Credit Benefits...by $25,000!

Homebuyers today can potentially save several times more money in interest costs than buyers who took out a mortgage in early April and claimed an $8,000 homebuyer tax credit.  Someone taking out a $240,000 mortgage today at a 4.42% (and right now they're at 4.25%) interest rate could save $33,287 in interest costs over the life of a 30-year loan.  That's four times the $8,000 credit used by a first-time homebuyer who financed at 5.21% in early April.  


Read full article

August Denver House Guy Newsletter

Check out my August Denver House Guy Newsletter PACKED with Denver market trends, stats, and tips!!

July 2010 vs July 2009 MLS Housing Market Stats

July 2010 combined MLS Residential Statistics had the following interesting changes compared to July of 2009: 

• Decrease in the Number of Closed Sales to 2,632 (down 24.5%)
• Average Days on Market reduced 14.3% to 84 days
• Number of Active Listings increased 13.6% to 17,983
• Absorption Rate increased to 6.6 months (up 45.3%)
• Average Sold Price remains strong (up 7.4% from $276,654 to $297,218) compared to July, 2009. 

Probably the most interesting thing to note about July 2010 was the number of listings that increased, thus also driving up the months of inventory('supply') drastically. Anything above 6 months of inventory is considered a buyer's market. So with the extra supply on the market, and the extremely low mortgage rates, now would be objectively speaking a great time to buy, and a bit more difficult time to sell. Although sellers who are on the market now want to sell before the winter hits. 

30-year mortgage rates hit another low: 4.44%

USA Today reported that mortgage rates sank to the lowest level in decades this week, pushed down by the Federal Reserve's move to buy up government debt to help lift the economic recovery.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate for 30-year fixed loans this week was 4.44%, down from 4.49% last week. That's the lowest since Freddie Mac began tracking rates in 1971.

 

AID: Feds rethink policies that encourage home ownership

The average rate on the 15-year fixed loan dropped to 3.92% from 3.95%, also the lowest on record.

Rates have fallen since spring as investors sought the safety of Treasury bonds, lowering their yield. Mortgage rates tend to track those yields.

Read full article

Zillow: "Denver is the Best Market between the Coasts"

The Denver-area housing market showed the most appreciation of any major market outside of four California cities and Boston (though each of those 5 cities are much higher-priced then Denver), according to Zillow.  Denver-area homes gained an average of 2.5% in the second quarter from the same period in 2009.  Nationally, home values dropped 3.2%.  

Denver’s ranking no surprise

Denver’s relative performance to most markets, ”does not surprise me,” said Lane Hornung, president of 8Z Real Estate and an owner of Cohomefinder.com. “Especially when you take out San Francisco, San Diego and Boston – where  home prices have been fallen so much more, so now that they have started to recover, their increases are amplified so much more, Denver really is one of the better performing cities relative to other places in the country. Denver is starting to show nice, steady appreciation, without the huge amount of ups and downs as some other places.”

Read full article!

New Light-Rail Tracks are set!

RTD's FasTracks is one of the largest transit expansion programs in the country. This $6.5 billion regional transportation expansion program made up of nine rapid transit corridors, 31 new park-n-Rides, the redevelopment and reconfiguration of Denver Union Station (DUS) into a truly multimodal transit-oriented development, and the enhancement of the bus network and transit hubs across RTD’s district. The FasTracks program will include 122 miles of new light rail and commuter rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit (BRT), 21,000 new parking spaces at rail and bus stations and enhanced bus service across the District.

Check out the map for an idea as to FasTracks’ reach.

Colorado #3 Top State for Business

For the second year in a row, Colorado ranks No. 3 on CNBC's latest list of "America's Top States for Business." Colorado placed in the top 10 in three of the categories among the 50 states: quality of life (No. 2), business friendliness (No. 4) and workforce (No. 10). It also ranks above the 50-state average in technology & innovation (No. 12) and access to capital (No. 15).

Rankings

Denver Market Stats: June 2010 vs. June 2009

As a quick recap, June 2010 combined MLS Residential Statistics had the following changes compared to June of 2009.

• Slight decrease in the Number of Closed Sales to 3,227 (down 3%)
• Average Days on Market reduced 19.8% to 81 days
• Number of Active Listings increased 9.8% to 17,337
• Absorption Rate increased to 5.1 months (up 7.5%%)
• Average Sold Price remains strong (up 5.7% from $283,312 to $299,375) compared to June, 2009.

TOTAL MLS Stats June

Denver area’s apartment market continues improvement in 2nd Quarter

Metro Denver’s apartment market continued to improve in the second quarter, as the vacancy rate dropped and average rental rate increased, according to a Grubb & Ellis Co.report released Monday.

“Good news for the apartment sector keeps coming, despite a lack of significant job growth in the Denver region,” said the “Multi-Housing Trends Report,” produced by Grubb & Ellis’ Denver office. Apartments also are called multifamily housing and multi-housing.

In the second quarter, the metro area’s apartment vacancy rate dropped for the fourth quarter in a row — to 6 percent from 8.5 percent for the same quarter of 2009. “[That’s] the most prolonged positive growth for any Denver real estate sector,” the report said.

More than two-thirds of the area’s submarkets experienced a drop in vacancy.

As more vacant apartment units filled up, average rent rose to $862 per month from about $850 in last year’s second quarter. “The average rental rate of $862 per unit is now only 1.5 percent below the peak high set in mid-2008,” the report said.

Read more: http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2010/07/12/daily14.html?s=industry&i=commercial_real_estate

Million-dollar homes show life; most sales still below $300,000

The market for million-dollar plus homes in the Denver area perked up in June, with closings rising 19% and price discounts falling. However, during the first half of the year, the “sweet spot’ for home sales remains homes priced from $100,000 to $300,000, which accounted for 61% of all sale in the eight-county area. “In 2008 to 2009, we were in markets that reflected the large number of foreclosures on the market,” Bauer said. “After people started gobbling up the homes in the lower-price ranges as fast as they could, we started getting a better handle on the foreclosure situation. Now, we are seeing more activity in the $200,000 and $300,000 ranges.”

Read full article:
http://insiderealestatenews.com/2010/07/million-dollar-homes-show-life-most-sales-still-below-300000/

Record-low mortgage rates boon for housing

Mortgage rates fell this week to the lowest level on record, motivating consumers to lock in low payments for home purchases and refinanced loans. It's the best news the market has seen since the tax credits expired. The average rate for 30-year fixed- rate loans dropped to 4.69%, Freddie Mac said Thursday. The high-end market is seeing a surge in sales as a result of the lower interest rates. A year ago, the rate for a jumbo loan ranged from 6.25% to 6.75%. Today, it's about 5.75% for a 30-year fixed-rate. Read full article:
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_15371813

Credit Myths

Credit is a complex subject, and like most complex subjects it's often misunderstood. As a result, many people learn information about credit that simply isn't true. Our credit specialists are trained to help you navigate the myths and understand the truth about your credit.

The following list is a sample of the popular credit myths we can help you understand.

• Paying off your collections will help your credit score.
• Once you pay a collection, charge-off, judgment, or tax lien it no longer impacts your credit score.
• Using your credit cards a lot will increase your payment history and raise your score.
• Multiple credit inquiries pulled at one time in the same industry will not negatively impact your credit score.
• Consumers have just three credit scores.
• It is better if an account goes late occasionally than if it goes bad altogether.
• Paying off your auto loan, student loan, or mortgage loan will help improve your situation.
• Paying off your major credit cards and leaving the small store cards maxed is the better choice.
• You should pay off one revolving account at a time.
• Paying a large up-front credit repair fee will get you better service.
• After 7 years, a negative item on your report will disappear and will no longer lower your score.
• Having a third party, such as a consumer credit counseling firm, manage your finances will help improve your credit score more quickly.
• For corrections, the burden of proof lies with the consumer.
• My divorce decree states that my spouse is responsible for that debt, so any future negative items will not impact my credit score.
• Your collection was sold, so the original one will be erased.
• You need to contact your creditors rather than the bureaus every time you think there is a mistake on your credit report.
• The credit bureaus, creditors and lenders are your friends!
• You have only one credit score.
• A higher salary will improve your credit score.

Provided by Continental Credit Online

Fannie Mae gets tough on homeowners who walk away...

Fannie Mae is trying to encourage distressed homeowners to find alternatives to foreclosure by banning those who walk away from getting new loans for 7 years. Troubled borrowers who do not try in good faith to work out a deal, but have the capacity to pay, are targeted by the policy. "Walking away from a mortgage is bad for borrowers and bad for communities and our approach is meant to deter the disturbing trend toward strategic defaulting," said Terence Edwards, executive vice president for credit portfolio management.

Read full article:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2010-06-23-fannie-mae-walk-aways_N.htm

27 Reasons to Love Colorado in the Summer! - 5280

5280- "Colorado's white-washed winters are the stuff great travel brochures are made of: rosy-cheeked skiers schussing down powdery runs, frosted pine trees swaying in the wind, frozen lakes glistening in the afternoon sun. But Denverites know that our state's glorious summer is every bit the equal of those famous winters—and, dare we say it, maybe even a little bit sweeter. For 12 weeks (and sometimes well into late September), the thermometer hovers somewhere around perfectly comfortable; the air smells of forsythia, lilac, and freshly cut grass; and we revel in an all-too-short season full of hiking, camping, fishing, cycling, patio dining, festival-going, and flat-out sun worshipping. So sit back, kick your feet up with one of Breckenridge Brewery's 471 IPAs (#6)—or lace up your hiking boots (#13)—and enjoy."

27 Reasons to Love Colorado in the Summer!

May 2010 MLS Stats vs. 2009

Here is a quick high-level recap of the May 2010 combined MLS Residential Statistics compared to May of 2009. Even after the expiration of the tax credit, the Denver area market is showing excellent signs:

• Increase in the Number of Closed Sales to 3,416 (up 19.6% for the month)
• Average Days on Market reduced 27.9% to 75 days
• Number of Active Listings increased 4.2% to 16,333
• Absorption Rate dropped to 4.6 months (down 15.3%)
• Average Sold Price remains strong (up 4.3% from $262,066 to $273,285) compared to May, 2009.

These are all very good signs for the market in the Metro Denver area and surrounding cities.

See ALL Metrolist areas