Hard to believe 2014 will be over in three weeks. I hate to use the cliché that the year “flew by” but it really did. What is it that we learned from the 2014 Real Estate market? Here’s my take on the 2014 real estate market and what's next: I believe when the final numbers come we will surpass last years record for the number of sales of 54,000 plus. No doubt it was good year for everyone involved in the Real Estate Industry. I predict we will end the year at about a 6% appreciation for all homes in all price ranges across the metro area. This would beat the street estimate of 3-5% Times, they are a changing! If you read my blog last month you know we are headed to a very different, but balanced market in 2015. I predict home values will remain stable and if they do rise it will be a v... 12/09/2014

 thought with this week’s blog I would cover a fun topic: Selling your home yourself. With there being literally no inventory for buyers to choose from sellers are getting top dollar for their home so it’s no wonder that you might want to sell your home yourself and save a few bucks on commissions. Here’s my guide to how to sell your home yourself. 1. Update the interior of the home. You have got to make the house have a WOW factor. We’re talking new paint and new carpet, refinish the hardwood, get rid of the linoleum and put in tile, new appliances, new counter tops and cabinets if they are dated. No matter what you do make sure you hire a professional to do the job because anyone can tell when you do it yourself. 2. Take professional High Definition photos. Once again you don’t do thi... 11/26/2014

If you have been following the real estate trends and news this year, you would know that the real estate market is about to change again. I watch this stuff closely not just because it’s my job, but because it’s interesting to know how it all intertwines with our national economy.  Moreover, I use the information for the articles we write as well as for the TV segments that we do on FOX. I like to try to stay ahead of the curve when predicting the trend so I can give our clients really sound advice. I am ready to proclaim that THE SELLER’S MARKET IS OFFICALLY OVER. Gone are the days of multiple offers, homes selling in a few hours at over the asking price. Get ready for business being back to normal. The average $350,000 home in Highlands Ranch will take 60-90 days to sell once again. ... 11/18/2014

In September, I was at our annual Keller Williams Mega Camp conference in Austin, Texas and I had chance to speak with many of our colleagues from all over the country and the world. Keller Williams is a worldwide company with offices in Asia, Mexico, Europe, and South America. I was at an after-conference mixer one night when I ran into a guy from the Keller Williams office in Istanbul, Turkey. It was a fascinating conversation and was very interesting to find out how they handle real estate in a foreign country like Turkey. Get this! In Turkey, you do not need a Real Estate License to practice. All you need is a driver’s license. There is no governing body or regulatory commission. There are no contracts. There are no inspections. There are no appraisals. Here is how it works:  Let’s ... 11/04/2014

Recently, I had the experience of helping a great couple go under contract on a new construction deal in Back Country, Highlands Ranch. I’m very familiar with doing new construction and it dawned on me that the questions I ask when helping my clients could be missed if you were building a new home without the help of a Realtor. So, here are some questions to ask when building a home. When building a new home, you should always ask the builder what’s the base price of the home and what does your average customer spend when they go to the design center. Too often I hear sales reps say, “You can easily get into this house for $550,000” when in reality their customers spend upward of $60,000 in design meaning you probably won’t get into the house under $610,000. You should always ask the bu... 10/30/2014

It’s one of those frequently asked questions: “Should I get an inspection on a newly constructed home?” Great question and I usually tell my buyers that the answer is yes/no and I’ll explain why. Yes To Inspections On New Construction You see, most builders offer a one-year bumper to bumper warranty on the home that they just sold you. Moreover, during the due diligence process, buyers usually get a chance to do two walk-throughs with the warranty and service superintendent. The purpose of the first walk-through is to point out any defects, problems, or items that you think need to be fixed in the house. The second walk-through is to make sure that the items have been corrected and to take one more look to see if you missed anything in the first walk-through. I know a lot of people that... 10/28/2014

With the recent storm damage we experienced in Colorado I thought it was prudent to address a problem that has occurred on a few of our listings. You guess guessed it – sump pump issues. You wouldn’t think there would be issues with a sump pumps but there is. In fact, I would wager you didn’t even know that your sump pump isn’t covered by your home owners insurance. A sump pump is a pump installed into the lowest part of a crawlspace or basement. Its job is to help keep the area under the building dry and prevent it from flooding. The pumps are usually installed within a sump pit. Water will flow into the sump pit through drains or natural water migration through the soil. The sump pump then pumps the water out of the pit and away from the building so the basement or crawlspace stays dr... 10/22/2014

We just started the second selling season four weeks ago and the market has been heating up nicely. I want to talk about five deal killers that will kill an opportunity for you to sell your home. The home shows dirty. This is probably the number one deal killer. If the buyer gets the feeling that you don’t take good care of the home, forget about selling it anytime soon. In most cases, the buyer will walk out without even finishing the tour. Homes need to be “show ready.” That means: freshen up the paint, clean up the marks on the walls, carpets are clean or replaced, everything is put away, lights are on, and it is clean, clean, and clean. Bad photos. This could easily be the number one turn off for buyers and may even prevent you from getting a showing. Make sure that you hire profess... 10/21/2014

The new trend when writing offers is to include a buyer’s letter to sellers of the property. Many agents don’t think it makes too much of a difference for an offer and I’ve even heard the term “beg letter” attached to it. However I beg to differ. I think a buyer’s letter to the sellers can actually add leverage to your offer and win you the home. A Buyer’s letter to sellers really needs to come from the heart. It doesn’t matter if it’s a paragraph or two or even a few pages. It’s a sincere letter explaining exactly why your buyers want that sellers home. The letter should tell your buyers story. Everyone has a story and everyone likes a story. Make sure your buyers are telling their story of why they want this house in particular. Sometimes it helps to even have your buyer’s children wr... 10/15/2014

It’s been a while since we answered questions from the old mail bag, so I thought I would take the opportunity to tackle a few of the more popular questions. Q: CDHT, my home did not sell this summer and there were very few showings. Where are all the buyers? My home was priced at around two million? We thought this was a sellers’ market! A: It was a sellers’ market in the lower price range, and for a little while it was also a sellers’ market in the 1 million to 1.5 million-dollar price point. As we progressed into the selling season, there was a flood of luxury homes that came on the market and by the time we reached September, it actually turned into a buyers’ market with a 10-month supply of luxury homes. Q: CDHT, I feel like we had good marketing for our home, but still had very fe... 10/14/2014

My team does about 100-120 transactions every year, and most of the time we can make a very smooth transaction for the party whom we are representing. Whether we are negotiating the purchase price, an inspection objection, the title, or some appraisal issues, we always come from the perspective of trying to make it into a win-win situation for both parties involved. We live in a very winner-take-all society Changing attitudes and morals have fostered an atmosphere of how we are going to beat the other guy, how we are going to win our point, and get the other person to submit or cave in. Nowhere is this more apparent than in today’s Real Estate Industry. As I said at the outset, when we run into this, we try to figure out a way through the impasse and make it into a win-win situation for... 10/07/2014

A buyer that is ready to begin looking for their new home is a beautiful thing. It doesn’t matter if it’s their first home or their fifth. But trying to figure out what you want out of a home can be stressful and nerve racking, but ultimately the experience of finding that house and making it yours is the most gratifying feeling one can imagine. Here are a few thoughts for buyers as they begin that journey. When looking for a home, know what you want! It’s okay to be picky because "we" as your Realtor are not going to be living the house. You should be picky! However know that there is a difference between being picky and not knowing what you want. Understand why you need a four bedrooms versus three, a three car garage versus two, a ranch versus a two story, or a town home versus a sin... 09/24/2014

In Colorado, if there is work that needs to be done on a property and is not going to happen till after close, we have to set up an escrow account in order to use the money to pay for the work that needs to be done. Having this option can get a bit tricky and there’s a reason we try to avoid this like the plague. The escrow account is normally held through the title company handling closing. The amount of escrow on the account must have 1.5x the amount of the work to be done. The way it works is as follows: When you set up your escrow account, a portion of the money is used to pay the vendor to begin work. Once the work is completed, the remaining balance of the escrow account is then reimbursed back to the seller. Sounds pretty straight forward right? You put a release date on the escr... 09/17/2014

  Greenwood Village Colorado in Arapahoe County   Greenwood Village CO in Arapahoe County is in a very desirable part of the southeast metro Denver area encompassing 8.3 square miles of premium real estate.  Greenwood Village is in the heart of the Denver Tech Center which makes it very convenient for those who work there.  Greenwood Village CO was formed in 1950 and has a population of 14,454 as of 2012.  The median income in Greenwood Village is $116,071 per year.    There are 22 parks in Greenwood Village, not to mention it is in close proximity to the Cherry Creek Reservoir.    Greenwood Village is designated for the Cherry Creek School District and the Littleton School District.  The high schools for Greenwood Village are Littleton High School and Cherry Creek High School.   There ... 09/12/2014

5050 South Chester Street Greenwood Village, CO  80111   MLS# 4985000      $635,000                                5 Bedrooms /  4 Bathrooms                              4,695 Sq Ft         Warm and inviting home in ideal Cherry Creek Village location. Updated Kitchen, Hardwood Floors throughout main level, Bay Windows, Bonus Room Upstairs, 3 Car Garage, Circular Front Drive, Quiet Street, Garden Area   View more photos of this Home   Listing courtesy of Richard Myers with special permission from Ali Van Westenburg, Keller Williams Advantage Realty, LLC   720-515-9386   www.themyersteam.com   09/10/2014

Why buy a home now? Here’s a question that has been floating around for some time with the way the market has been moving. There is a lack of inventory to choose from, interest rates are low, prices are high, so really why buy now? Whether you currently own or you’re a first time buyer this question has crossed your mind. If you had to choose between buying in today’s market or two years ago what would you choose? I think just about everyone would say two years ago would have been ideal before the constant bidding wars and price increases. You would have gotten a great home and earned some serious market equity in twenty-four months. Let’s say you didn’t buy and you’re considering buying now. Prices have gone up significantly in some markets, as high as 12% increase from year to year. Y... 09/10/2014

  5050 South Chester Street Greenwood Village, CO  80111   MLS# 4985000     $635,000                                                 5 Bedrooms /  4 Bathrooms                                     4,695 Sq Ft         Warm and inviting home in ideal Cherry Creek Village location. Updated Kitchen, Hardwood Floors throughout main level, Bay Windows, Bonus Room Upstairs, 3 Car Garage, Circular Front Drive, Quiet Street, Garden Area   View more photos of this Home   Listing courtesy of Richard Myers with special permission from Ali Van Westenburg, Keller Williams Advantage Realty, LLC   720-515-9386   www.themyersteam.com       09/07/2014

Here’s what we are noticing in Colorado when it comes to home sales: As a buyer you should be buying homes in Denver , not the suburbs Our sellers are getting punished for owning homes that are considered out of the metro area. Showings are few and far between, offers are not near asking price, days on market are starting to get scary. Why is this? The trend for where people want to live is no longer out of the Metro area. The truth is there are tons of homes for sale  in both Denver and the suburbs . The hard reality is people today want to be closer to the cities. Whether it’s commuting to work, closer to entertainment, city recreation, friends, or family people do not want to live more than 20 to 30 minutes outside of the cities. This has its pros and cons. The trend fifteen and twen... 09/04/2014

I recently read an article in the newspaper, talking about the new forms that are arriving soon from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, advising both buyers and sellers in real estate of their right to shop for title insurance. The article talked about how important it was for Realtors and Lenders to notify consumers about their right to choose their Title Company, to shop for competitive rates, and to watch out for shady arrangements between the Title Companies and Realtors or Lenders. Past that, the article didn’t get much of anything else correct about the title business and failed to mention what consumers really should be paying attention to.   1)     Not all title companies are created equal. Get a bad title company and they can screw up a real estate transaction in a New Y... 09/03/2014

As we approach September we’re really approaching the second selling season. We are ramping our sellers up for the highest dollar and having them do everything they can to their home to get it. The question that needs to be asked if you’re considering selling your home is what’s your reason for moving? While homes have value and those values rise and fall just like the stock market they aren’t however stocks. In a seller’s market you can’t sell high and buy low. It just doesn’t work like that. So, what’s your reason for moving? This is such an important question that I don’t think enough sellers or agents ask. Are you wishing to move so your kids can be in a better school district? Are you in need of more space or a bigger yard? Is your job relocating you? Do you need to be closer to yo... 08/27/2014