Denver Real Estate Blog

The last time you hired a professional to perform a service for you, were you satisfied with the results?  How did you find them?  Would you hire them again? 

There are lots of ways to screen an individual or company.  Some are free, some come at a small cost, but it is SO worth the time and effort  to do your own little background check before handing someone access to your home, your possessions…or most importantly, your family!

 Social media and its rising popularity has made this so easy - it’s as simple as logging into your facebook or twitter account and doing a simple search.  Then go to google and type in a name - see what pops up.

Last summer, we hired a painting company to change the color of our home’s trim and to paint the cement patio.  I posted the gig on craigslist, got about a billion responses, and chose one that I thought sounded reasonable.  The husband/wife painting team showed up on time that first day, taped off the back patio, and told me they were on their way to Home Depot to get some paint, and could they get some money for materials.  Without a second thought I handed over enough cash to buy all of the paint and supplies - then never heard from them again.  Too little, too late, I did a quick google search for their names - and nothing came up.  I googled the name of their supposed company - nada.

 If only I had thought to do that BEFORE hiring them, I would have realized that having NO info on the web was a huge red flag. 

 Since then, Facebook and Twitter have blown up - and it’s easy to use them not only as fabulous time-killers, but as some of the most effective screening tools available today. 

Considering hiring a new nanny?  Check out her facebook profile - a friend of mine recently did this and was so glad that she did - she found charming posts like “took the kids with me to the liquor store and left them in the car” and “called in sick - way too much fun last night”.

 What about hiring a Realtor?  You should be looking for an agent that is on top of technology - whether you are looking to buy or sell your home.  Check out their facebook profile - do they have a good balance between real estate-related updates and personal posts?  Then they probably also have a ton of friends - and one of them might want to buy your house!  Are they on twitter?  They should be - this is a huge marketing tool that every good agent should be using.  Check out Real Estate specific sites as well - Zillow, Trulia, and Active Rain are great places to start - your agent should have a profile on each of these and be active in their communities, both real and virtual, this is a great indicator of both their knowledge of today’s Real Estate industry and of what’s going on in their local market.

 No matter what you are hiring a pro to do - clean your kids’ teeth, resurface your driveway, mow your lawn, sell your home - check them out before hiring them!

Look, the last year has NOT been the easiest time to be a Realtor.  From mortgage fraud to unprecedented foreclosure rates, from appraisal industry overhauls to interest rate rollercoasters, the name of the game has been just ‘hang on, ride out the storm, and only the strong will survive’.  A lot of Realtors have taken this as a forced time-out, sitting back and letting the rest of us do the hard work. 

Because, let’s face it, it’s not easy to show first-time homebuyers literally hundreds of homes in really low price ranges, most of them foreclosures that have been trashed inside and out, only to get into bidding wars over and over again, until they finally get into their first place.  For a while there, it felt like I was making about a dollar an hour, but I stuck it out, because I honestly, honestly LOVE this industry.  It would have been easier to go and get a “real” job with a steady paycheck and benefits, but I decided to work HARDER instead.  I didn’t have very many clients, but the ones that I had got the best of me.

Now that I am part of a team, we have both adopted this attitude, knowing that if we work hard now, we are building a really strong foundation for our futures - and if we have to tile and landscape, scrub floors and paint porches, hold millions of Open Houses and spend thousands of hours in order to sell our listings for top dollar, that’s what we will do.

And there’s something really satisfying about taking a rock and turning it into a diamond…then putting out the For Sale sign and seeing what happens.

The front yard of this cute little bungalow was completely overgrown when we took the listing. We cleared out all of the weeds to reveal fantastic xeriscaping and hardscpape.  Hello, curb appeal! 

The kitchen needed an overhaul, but without any budget to speak of, we decided that the backsplash would create the biggest impact for a relatively small investment - we chose, purchased and installed the glass mosaic tile and gave the rest of the kitchen a good clean up.  Instant retro charm! 

We also painted the kitchen and bathroom, power-washed the house, cleaned and waxed the hardwood floors, and painted the front porch.  Above and beyond?  Yeah.  Under contract in less than 30 days?   Yeah!

2617 W. 37th Ave. - 2 BR in Sunnyside $315,000

This classic bungalow has a lot of upgrades, including a new kitchen with slab granite countertops, and a sunroom addition that leads to a perfectly private backyard. 

With a full basement that’s only half-finished, there is plenty of space and head-room to add another bedroom space and bathroom downstairs.

What makes it special:

- The neighbors.  What a great block, and only a few houses away from The Lumber Baron Inn and Gardens.

“I love sitting on the front porch with my next-door neighbor, enjoying a glass of wine and watching a bride arrving for her wedding in a horse and carriage…it’s really magical.”

- The location.  Only a few blocks from the fab restaurants at 32nd and Zuni, the Pedestrian Bridge to Lower Downtown, and Highland Square. Favorite spots include Red Trolley, Litte Man Ice Cream, Duo, Pasquini’s, Gallop Cafe, and Root Down.

“I can walk or ride my bike anywhere in just a few minutes.  I love being able to “go out” without going far!”

- The potential.  This lovely home is priced to sell quickly, but with a little TLC the equity will be immediate.

“I hate to sell my house.  I love living here, and would stay forever if I could.”

Price Recently Reduced/Sod Allowance Available

Want to check out 2617 W. 37th Ave. in Highlands?  Contact me!  Stacie - call/text - 720-299-6635 - stacie@liveurbandenver.com

It seems like the Tax Credit that is available now to First Time Buyers (and those who have not owned a home in the last three years) is widely misunderstood. 

I had a potential buyer ask me the other day, “If my daughter uses the tax credit to buy a condo now, will she be able to use it again to buy a HOUSE in a few years?”  Ummm…no. 

I had another buyer sitting at the closing table with her co-signer, who owns several properties, ask me if she would still get the tax credit.  Umm…no.

Here is a great resource that lays out the boundaries and guidelines of the tax credit - http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/2009/index.html

One of my favorite lenders, Scott Mulvany with Cherry Creek Mortgage, also sent out this reminder the other day:

$8000 TAX CREDIT REMINDER:

I wanted to post a quick reminder for you to be sure you are talking with first time homebuyers who are looking for the $8,000 tax credit.   The summer is racing by and Nov. 30^th will be here before we know it.  

BUYERS MUST PLAN ON BEING UNDER CONTRACT NO LATER THAN OCT 15^TH to safely close before the tax credit expires on Nov 30^th.   (45 day contract)

Many first time buyers take 3 months to complete their search so……….THE TIME IS NOW. 

If clients wait until the last minute to get homes under contract there will be no guarantee we can close them on time.   I’m expecting a large volume of procrastinators and $8,000 is enough to get some clients very steamed if we cannot close them.  

Please start warning all buyers of this date and make sure we are working with them on a mortgage plan right away.

Well, I can’t say it more clearly than that - so, if you are thinking about taking advantage of the Tax Credit, get out there and start looking! 

Eat Local

The National Resources Defense Council has created a new website, SmarterCities.nrdc.org that is a treasure trove of information about American cities and their level of sustainability.  Categories include Air Quality, Energy Production and Conservation, Environmental Standards and Participation, Green Building, Green Space, Recycling, Transportation, Standard of Living, and Water Quality and Conservation.  They also have a great feature that helps you figure out what is in season so that you can eat local.

It’s super interesting to check out the different rankings - and good to know that Denver is up there - #9 Overall.  Also #2 for Energy Production and Conservation, and #2 for Water Quality.

There is a TON of information on the site, check it out here.

I also thought that this was really interesting - I have driven by this site several times but wasn’t sure what they were up to - now I know:

Arvada is constructing solar energy capacity at its water treatment plant in partnership with SunEdison, and will be the first city in Colorado to have a system of this size run on solar power. Solar power from 3,300 panels is expected to provide 88 percent of the plant’s energy needs, which are currently supplied almost entirely by coal. The solar system, which will be owned and operated by SunEdison, will eliminate 39.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over 20 years and will save $10,000 to $15,000 the first year. The upfront costs will be paid back through a combination of rates paid by the city, federal tax credits and renewable energy credits from the utility, Xcel Energy.

This just landed in my inbox…

We took the kids to this last year, and it was really fun, we will definitely be going again next weekend!

The Butterfly is such a great resource for metro area kids and their parents, and I hear that the giant insects are going away to make room for travelling exhibits, which should be cool!