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May 29, 2009
It looks like again Denver is being recognized by the national media for the great neighborhoods we call home. Men’s Journal just named East Highland one of the 30 coolest hoods in the US. According to Men’s Journal, a neighborhood with real soul can make a vibrant city even better. And enclaves of unique vitality can breathe life into unsung workaday towns. No matter where you live, finding just the right ‘hood is what really makes a place home. I believe this definition matches not only East Highland, but many of our great neighborhoods throughout the city of Denver.
 An exceprt from the article shows how the location and architecture is driving this great neighborhood. Just more good news for Denver. ”Overlooking the downtown skyline, East Highland brick brownstones, row houses, and modern condominium complexes are bringing in single professionals who party like grown-ups, couples who aren’t quite ready to settle down, and young families who are looking for a little more color than they might find in the increasingly beige neighborhoods of Cherry Creek or Washington Park.” For the full article, click here.
May 28, 2009
The good news just keeps on coming. Everybody is talking about Denver Real Estate and the current up trend. Follow the latest on the 5280 Blog.
May 27, 2009
We’re hearing more and more from the national media and people who know that Denver is leading the country out of the housing slump. Everybody from Barbara Corcoran on the Today Show, to John Burns in Builder magazine are singing the praises of the Denver Real Estate Market. The closely watched S & P/ Case Schiller Index announced yesterday , according to the Denver Business Journal, that of the the 20 major markets surveyed there were 2 markets showing month over month increases…Denver was one. If you’re waiting to buy…stop waiting, the bottom has passed. If you’re waiting to sell…you’re gonna miss the bounce!
May 20, 2009
We’ve been spending a lot of time in the past few weeks working with first time home buyers. It is such a great market for these folks, with the lower home prices, $8,000 tax credit and record low interest rates. It is also extremely rewarding to be able to find the perfect home for these excited buyers! It has been amazing to me the way that some real estate companies treat these potential customers.
I have worked with two couples in the past month, the first were referred to a large downtown real estate firm. After several attempts of contacting the firm, and having absolutely no one bother to return their calls, they were finally referred to Live Urban. We contacted them immediately, interviewed them, found out exactly what they were looking for, narrowed down the choices and took them out to tour houses. They were under contract with the house of their dreams within a week.
The second couple were working with a real estate agent that only showed them HUD homes, was out of town for several weeks at a time and after several weeks had showed them only 10 homes, none of which were suitable. They were referred to us and were astounded at the number of houses we sent for them to review. Though these houses matched their price range and other criteria, their former real estate agent hadn’t located any of these for them to see. While I was out showing properties to these clients another young couple with a baby in tow had a handful of listing sheets and asked if they could also look at the home I was showing. Apparently their real estate agent had just given them print outs and told them to go take a look for themselves!
It’s really a shame that these young, eager buyers are being treated with such a lack of professionalism when all they want to do is buy a house. I’m sure many just get discouraged and give up. It shows that it really does matter who you use as your real estate agent. Some just do the job in the easiest way possible, others treat it with the care and attention that it deserves. It is the largest purchase that most people will make in their lifetime. Live Urban agents do a fantastic job at assisting every type of buyer in every stage of the process. Some of those bigger firms around town should take note!
If you are looking to replace flooring in your home this summer, why not go the green route and save some money while you are at it. Because bamboo grows significantly quicker than other hardwoods, some bamboo can grow 60 feet in only 6 months, we are starting to see it more and more in Green Homes.
According to www.greenandsave.com, bamboo costs about $3.50 / sq. ft. compared to most hardwoods which cost about $5.00/ sq.ft. and up, so the immediate savings on a 300 sq.ft. room (20′ x 15′ ) is about $450.
Consider bamboo for guest rooms, dens, home offices, or play rooms. You have many styles to choose from, but the vertical oriented system may wear better over time than the horizontal. The ‘carbonized’ finish is darker than the blonde finsh and it looks more like hardwood, and pre-finished boards with multiple coats of urethane will save on installation.
Also consider using bamboo instead of carpet. Installed carpet ranges from $1.25 to $2.50 per sq. ft. but you have to clean it and potentially replace it every 5 to 10 years depending on the wear.
The savings is immediate relative to wood, but the ROI Calculation is based on offsetting carpet at an average of $1.75 / sq. ft. for two 300 sq. ft. rooms with the need for a carpet replacement within 10 years. If bamboo isn’t the style you are looking for, also consider cork floors that do not require killing a tree to be made or eco-friendly carpet made with recycled materials which gives off lower levels of toxic chemicals.
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.
May 19, 2009
As our crazy Denver weather finally starts to feel more like spring heading to summer, most of us will start cranking up the A/C. Considering just how much electricity a common air conditioner can use, it is smart to look at some green alternatives this summer.
According to www.greenandsave.com, an easy solution is installed Energy Star rated ceiling fans. Over the summer with ceiling fans you get more of a breeze. With air flow over your skin, you feel as comfortable at 75 degrees as in air that is still at 70 degrees. By setting the air conditioner thermostat higher, the electricity savings can be as high as 25- 40% in summer. As well you save up to 10% on heating bills in the winter by setting the fan on low speed and gently circulating the warm air down that has risen to the ceiling.
ENERGY STAR® qualified ceiling fans move a greater volume of air with less power by taking advantage of advanced motor features and design. Some models also incorporate CFLs for even greater energy savings.
The ROI Calculation is based on two rooms with multi-speed reversible fans, and savings of $5 per month over the course of the year. Spend $300 now and SAVE $60 each year. ROI = 20%
 Over the past couple of years we have heard about the crazy fluctuation of real estate prices in major cities throughout the U.S. Some of the most prominent cities are those found in California and Phoenix. These two areas saw incredible appreciation in the mid 2000’s approaching 20% plus per year, and then up to double that in depreciation in the past year. Recent data reveals this cycle is most likely going to continue. In fact, some of the markets that had been hit hardest now seem to be going through a real recovery.
According to research from Guild Mortgage, in March, unit sales of single-family homes in California were up 64% over March a year earlier. In February, Phoenix saw a 55.1% boost in re-sales of single-family detached homes, according to DataQuick Information Systems, a real estate information company. Las Vegas housing blogs report a “doubling” of home sales from last March to this. And in Michigan, the unsold inventory index has plummeted from 12.2 months a year ago to only five months this past April.
Most observers feel sales in these markets are being driven by very advantageous prices. First-time buyers are also spurred on by the $8,000 tax credit being offered if they can close a deal by November 30 this year. But pricing may be heading up. The median home price in California was higher in March than in February. For a final encouraging sign, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke last week told Congress he sees the housing market beginning to stabilize and the recession ending later this year.
These coastal cities are usually a sign of what is to come for the center of our country, especially Denver. With this huge increase in solds it could serve as a great indication that we are at or passed the bottom and now is a perfect time to get off the fence and buy while the buying is good!
May 14, 2009
Doing some home renovation this summer? Want to do it right? How about a free permit from the city?
For a limited time, June 1-15, 2009, Denver is issuing FREE construction permits to homeowners and licensed contractors making qualified home improvements or repairs to existing one and two family dwellings. The Home Renovation Bonanza (I know, I know…but this is the City) is being offered to encourage you to fix it up!
Visit the link above to see all the details of what’s covered and how the whole deal works.
Now…GET TO WORK!
May 13, 2009
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.
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