Main contents
Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
August 23rd, 2008
I love this show. It’s so timely and pertinent for so many homeowners who are faced with the possibility of losing their home due to value depreciation and rising living and mortgage expenses.
From the show’s website…
Hope for Your Home is a new half-hour series that takes on the tough circumstances so many homeowners in this country are facing today. Hosted by real estate expert Kirsten Kemp Becker (TLC’s Property Ladder), Hope for Your Home lends a hand to homeowners in financial need, by giving them critical resources to make improvements to their property. The goal is to add enough value to their home so they can either refinance their mortgage or make the best possible sale. Kirsten advises the homeowners on what improvements will actually increase a home’s value, while a contractor ensures that all projects are done properly and safely. Once the improvements are complete, a real estate agent and a mortgage broker tour the home, examine the upgrades, and determine a market value. In the end, the homeowners are empowered to decide if they should stay in their newly-renovated home, or sell their home and find something more affordable for their family.
I think there are so many families who could benefit from the examples set by the situations on this show. Even if TLC doesn’t come in and hand them 10 grand to make improvements on their place, anyone can declutter, paint, and clean up their home in an effort to recapture its value - if they can then either refinance and lower their monthly mortgage payment or sell without a short, they can also salvage their future, their credit, and their lives.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
August 9th, 2008
This has been a hard lesson for me to learn - having dealt with a ton of great, ethical, hard-working contractors, I just hate to deal with those that just can’t get the job done right! We recently decided to upgrade our curb appeal a bit by painting our outdated blue trim. In order to brighten up our dingy back patio, which is huge and shady but a bit dark, we also asked the painting team we found on Craigslist to paint the ceiling white and the cement patio a brick red color. Whenever I show a house with painted cement, I always love the look, which is so much fresher and cleaner than bare gray cement.
Anyway, we hired a couple who seemed grateful for the work, and they showed up right on time on Saturday to powerwash and prep so that they could paint on Monday. Monday came and went with no paint crew. Tuesday, one painter showed up in the mid-afternoon and ran out of primer within an hour, he left and didn’t come back. Wednesday, they were here for another hour before the spray gun clogged, which apparently made it necessary to leave for the rest of the day. Thursday, they promised me again that they would have the ceiling and floor finished by Saturday, since my husband’s 30th birthday is Sunday and I have 100 people coming over to enjoy our newly painted patio.
Friday, they finally finished priming the ceiling, no paint yet, plus they have covered the floor in overspray and drips, as well as any nearby plantlife, including Ori’s prized tomotoes and our grape vine!
Saturday, scheduled to show at 8, they rolled in around 12 and painted about 1/3 of the ceiling before leaving. On top of that , I realized that they taped on top of the area that should be painted, so every edge will have to be hand-painted 2 or 3 times.
I am finally through. If they ever answer their phones again (conveniently, they don’t even have VOICE MAIL - who doesn’t have voice mail?!) they are really going to hear it, and I will be asking for a full refund of the labor costs that I paid upfront, as well as for any materials that they don’t have receipts for.
Lesson learned, and I will be up on a ladder until partytime tomorrow, touching up the crappy paint job and trying not to scream!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
August 4th, 2008
Clients ask me all the time about light rail plans and progress, and I try to stay on top of the news, but I have to admit I was worried when I heard that RTD’s budget for FasTracks wasn’t exactly on the right track.
So, I was relieved to read in The Hub today that the Gold Line is good to go and will be completed in the next few years! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
August 4th, 2008
Tips on Preventing Fraud and Steps to Take if Your Personal Information is Lost or Stolen
1.
1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put
“PHOTO ID REQUIRED” or “ASK 4 ID.”
2. 2. When writing checks to pay your credit card accounts,
DO NOT put the complete account number on the “For” line. Instead,
Put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of
the account number. This will prevent anyone who might be handling your
3. check as it passes through all the check processing full account numbers.
3. 3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone.
If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. Never have your SS#
printed on your checks, anyone can get it.
4. Make 3 sets of photo copies of the contents in your wallet an your passport;
1) Keep 1 copy in a safe place at home. 2) Keep a travel copy when you are on
vacation. 3) Leave a copy with a good friend or family member when you
are traveling. Copy both sides of each license and credit cards. Copy all
personal information from passports. If your wallet is lost or stolen you will
have copies of the account numbers and phone numbers handy.
What to do if your wallet is stolen:
1. Cancel credit cards immediately.
2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your belongings
were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent. This is also the first
step toward an investigation if one is ever required.
3. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately and the Social Security
fraud line to place a fraud alert. This should prevent new accouts from being
opened. Companies will also have to contact you directly to open new accounts, and
verify or change information.
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289
Social Security Administration: 1-800-269-0271
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
July 29th, 2008
On Friday, my client called me SO excited to see a listing right around the corner from the LIVE Urban office. I pulled up the listing and met her there within minutes - it had just gone on the market that morning and seemed too good to be true.
We toured the property, a cute little bank-owned half-duplex with a garage and shady deck, private backyard, and nice, open layout. There were other buyers going in as we were leaving, so I walked straight back to the office, pulled comps, and we decided to offer almost $20,000 above the list price - my buyers LOVED this property and the comps showed that market value was higher than the property had been listed.
We submitted an offer within the hour, and I called the listing agent and his office several times to make sure that they had everything they needed to submit the offer to the bank. I was told that the listing agent was out of town, but that the offer would be submitted to the bank immediately - I had a feeling it would not. We spent the weekend waiting it out, but I knew that the bank would still be accepting offers over the weekend.
Yep, same old story - there were 20 offers on the property - and my buyers didn’t get it - too bad they also didn’t have a chance to enter the bidding war or even receive a counteroffer, because both the listing agent and the bank sat on the offers until there were so many on the table they were rolling in them.
Maybe the banks have the right idea - create a frenzy by pricing the property so low that dozens of buyers fall in love and submit offers, cross their fingers, and then….wait, only to be disappointed by the entire process. Should homeowners wishing to sell their homes quickly be doing the same thing? Listing their property at 20-30K below market value?
Maybe. Maybe this is what the confused market has finally come to - but it’s a rough game for Buyers, and for their agents!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
July 21st, 2008
At this morning’s team meeting, we were talking about the lack of listings on the market, especially in Northwest Denver. It seems like we have seen everything that’s out there, and we have buyers that are looking, even in the higher price ranges, but there really isn’t a surplus of inventory.
Why is that? Is it because homeowners have read the news just like everyone else, that keeps telling us that the market is down, prices are down, and you should hold it if you’ve got it? Because those property owners should be looking to move up the property ladder now, if this is true! The market is very active in our neck of the woods, and we have buyers walk in the door everyday. I know that I would love to have a bunch of new listings to show them!
So, if you’re sitting on a property but you’re thinking it’s a bad time to sell, that might not be entirely true - because poptential buyers are reading the same news that you are - that this is a great time to buy, that prices are down, that inventory is high - and they are looking to purchase their next home - which could be yours.
Posted in Denver Real Estate, Uncategorized, What's going on?! | 2 Comments »
July 9th, 2008
OK, we all know it is a serious pain in the booty to have your house on the market. Real estate agents call at the last minute and want to show it, sometimes they are even sitting outside, waiting for the lockbox code with buyers in their backseat - while you are trying to get the kids breakfast and clean up after last night’s supper. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Real Estate News, Uncategorized, What's going on?! | 1 Comment »
June 17th, 2008
Stop by and say hi - the LIVE Urban team will be at PrideFest this weekend, and we will be giving away another 3G iPhone!
Our booth will be between the Main Stage and the Community Stage from 11 to 6 on Saturday and 10 to 5 on Sunday.
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
June 15th, 2008
One reason I love working at LIVE Urban is their innovative marketing plan - they truly think outside the box. A perfect example is our booth at the neighborhood street fair, as well as our storefront office and the vibe inside, which carries through not only to the website but also to all of the printed marketing materials. (Perfect place for a REaltor with a Master’s in Marketing, huh?)
Posted in Real Estate News, Uncategorized, What to do in D-Town, What's going on?! | No Comments »
June 9th, 2008
I wrote in this blog a couple of months ago about the Multiple Offers that are prevalent in today’s foreclosure market….and the national news FINALLY caught wind of this situation, which is really unavoidable if you are looking at anything that is lender-owned.
My advice to buyers: submit your best and final offer initially. This will at least get you into the bidding war - otherwise, you probably won’t even get a counteroffer. Believe it or not, there is a ton of competition for these homes, because they are priced SO SO LOW.
Don’t lowball the bank, or you won’t even get in the game.
Read yesterday’s MSNBC article here.
Posted in Real Estate News, Uncategorized, What's going on?! | No Comments »
