Denver Real Estate Blog

When you work for a company called “LIVE Urban Real Estate” you have to expect the question - what does it mean to LIVE Urban?  Fortunately, that question is getting easier and easier to answer, as both the need to live a greener life combines with the trend toward city living.

Check out this article from today’s msnbc The Big Money.

“Location, location, location” has been the mantra of the real estate industry for as long as anyone can remember. Still, as the national economy transforms in the wake of the economic crisis, the power of place will prove to be ever more important for a broad range of small businesses.

Most demographic and market indicators suggest that growth and development across the country are moving away from the suburban and exurban fringe and toward center-cities and close-in suburbs. 

What’s behind this shift? Empty-nesters don’t need the big house and don’t want to mow the big lawn. High gas prices are making long commutes less practical. The urban renaissance in big cities ranging from New York to Portland, Ore. — and the revival of charming, vibrant downtowns in small cities like Missoula, Mont. — is making the bedroom suburb and the strip mall seem positively dull.

Retailers are the most obviously affected by these trends. For decades, locating a store in a mall on the fringe rather than downtown had a lot of obvious advantages: plenty of easy parking, tons of drive-by traffic from big-box neighbors, and newer buildings with better infrastructure.

These benefits won’t disappear overnight. Over the long run, though, they will diminish in importance, especially if more big retail chains and shopping-mall operators go out of business. Downtown shopping districts, meanwhile, will benefit from increased investment and more proximate residents. If we assume, as many economists do, that the country is “over-retailed,” some downtown development plans based on more shopping will stall, but the center will still prosper relative to the fringe — and more businesses might find the downtown storefront affordable.

Indeed, the advantages of a good downtown location extend to many businesses that are not dependent on walk-in traffic. At NewWest.Net, our alley storefront with a prominent sign is probably one of our best bits of marketing. Every month, we host an art show as part of the downtown “First Friday” art walk, which brings a lot of people into the office and gives us a chance to chat them up about NewWest.Net. Most meetings don’t require getting into a car. Our very effective Downtown Association offers kinship (which can lead to deals) with neighboring businesses.

Locating downtown is sometimes associated with the “buy local” movement — the idea that the community benefits if businesses and consumers spend their money with independent, locally owned businesses. But you don’t have to buy into this ideologically to position yourself as the friendly, local alternative to the big national chain, and part of the way to do that is to locate in a cool space — in a historic building, say — rather than a sterile strip mall or office park.

In between an inspection and a closing this afternoon, we decided to stop by an Open House tour in one of Denver’s premiere neighborhoods - as two real estate agents who LOVE real estate, this is always a fun way to spend an afternoon, especially when the homes on the tour are around the $1 million mark. 

We were super surprised to find that the tour did not meet our expectations.  Out of the 6 homes that we visited, only one was in Open House ready condition.  Some were not staged, some were not tidy, and a few just looked downright run-down.  The one that presented well was hosted by the listing agent, who recently took over the listing, although it has been on the market for over a year.  She was nervous but excited and asked in-depth, smart questions about our opinion of the property:

 How did it show?  Was there anything she could do to improve the first impression?  How was the price?

The worst of the bunch wasn’t even staged, and the hosting agent barely even looked up as we came through the door.  She kept typing on her laptop, which was sitting on a folding card table,  the whole time we were in the property.  She didn’t ask for feedback, and she hadn’t bothered to sweep the floors or give the windows a quick cleaning.  The lawn was overgrown, there were no fresh flowers or hint of Febreze, nothing that made me want to show the house to a potential buyer, much less buy it myself. 

I had to wonder if the seller has any idea how the listing is being treated!  In any price range, it takes work to sell a home.  Especially in today’s unpredictable market, you can’t just hang up a sign and wait for offers to come rolling in.  Listing agents have to do a lot of leg work - marketing with a combination of both traditional and out-of-the-box tools - from postcards to print ads, to Facebook and Twitter - the game has changed.  Don’t you want a listing agent who knows the new rules?

In recent weeks, we have listed several properties - we have also cleaned, landscaped, staged, painted, and maintained those properties - because sometimes getting something right means doing it yourself - and the best agents understand this.  And I can tell you this: if you walk into an Open House hosted by one of us, you will not be ignored.  We will ask you what you think. We will thank you for taking the time to stop in.  And we will blog about it later. 

These are the new rules - get in the game.

NEW CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR LAW  HB1091:  This law was signed into effect on March 24, 2009 and will require that after July 1, 2009 all NEW OR SOLD properties in the state with a fuel fired heater or appliance, or an attached garage must have carbon monoxide detectors installed.  AT THIS TIME ALL RENTAL PROPERTIES MUST ALSO HAVE CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS INSTALLED.  There must be a detector on each occupied level and there must be a detector within 15 feet of the entrance of any area designated for sleeping. 

This townhome has all of the updates you’ve been craving - and the mortgage will probably be less than you are paying for rent.  Contact me to see it while it’s still available!  It’s the only unit currently available in Trailside!

I am definitely planning to check this out!  What could be better, short of walking out to your own backyard garden and harvesting some veggies for dinner? 

A Micro-Market, or MiMa, is a community market dedicated to connecting local residents with very local food and goods. The goal of the MiMa is to provide a place for resident customers and producers to gather in support of a community based, sustainable, healthy, and tasty lifestyle.  

The Highland Neighborhood MiMa will be held on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 6 pm, beginning on May 14, 2009, on the patio of Generous Servings Cooking Classes and Cafe (3801 West 32nd Avenue, Denver).

Customers will be able to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables grown and goods created in the neighborhood. In addition, the MiMa offers a central location for community supported agriculture (CSA) purchase and pickup, and gives the neighborhood weekly access to additional regionally grown produce, meats, and dairy.

We have a new listing that will go on the market tomorrow - with two Master Suites, brand new furnace and air conditioning, updated kitchen and bathrooms, and a bonus room in the basement, it’s a sweet little deal at $155,000.  Backs to greenbelt and trails to parks, library, open space and Standley Lake.  Private backyard with large trex deck, perfect for a container garden.  Community pool and hot tub being built as I write this, and slated to open just in time for summer fun.

I will post pics as soon as they are taken tomorrow.  If you would like information before then, please contact me!