Life Style Denver by Gretchen Faber

Denver’s Union Station Redevelopment on Track

Denver's Union Station Redevelopment is underway and miraculous changes are happening daily. Frank Cannon of Continuum Partners gave a special presentation to Kentwood Real Estate Brokers and Managers last Friday with exciting photos and an update on what the "new" Union Station will look like in just a couple of years. Continuum Partners and East West Partners have teamed up on this massive project.  It will transform the neighborhood into a vibrant multi-modal transportation hub right in the heart of downtown Denver. In...Continue Reading!

Kentwood Real Estate Teams Up With Christie’s International

Kentwood Real Estate is Denver's leading independent residential real estate brokerage, and with this month's affiliation with Christie's International Real Estate the powerhouse brokerage adds another strategic tool to our toolbox. Christie's International Real Estate is the largest international real estate network in the world and hosts over 9,300 properties $1 million and higher on their web site.  Kentwood Real Estate's web site, www.DenverRealEstate.com, hosts all of the MLS-IDX listings in Denver, with numerous luxury homes prominently featured. Kentwood Real Estate began...Continue Reading!

Free Credit Score is Good Karma

If you're interested in knowing your credit score, get your once-yearly credit score free from the three major credit-rating agencies. Trans Union, Equifax and Experian will provide you a free credit score through the Annual Credit Report site. I've found the site to be a bit clunky, but if you have some time, you can work your way through it. When you're getting ready to buy your next house, a good credit score is vital. Not only a good score, but an...Continue Reading!

Denver is THE Top Real Estate City for 2012

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9frmEv-vPA[/youtube] Have you seen this recent news report about Denver real estate? Denver is cited as the number one city to invest in real estate by Greg Rand of Own America. Watch the clip as Greg covers the metrics that influenced his decision: Lifestyle and livability Relatively low unemployment as compared with the national average In-migration of people relocating to Denver A foreclosure rate that is half the national average A young population Low cost of living Fresh air 9 Fortune 500 companies and growing Denver isn't a secret any longer.  The...Continue Reading!

October 2011 Case Shiller Shows Strength in Denver Home Values

The S & P Case Shiller Home Price Indices were published yesterday for the period ending October 2011. Seasonally adjusted home prices, from September to October were up .5%.  Denver lagged only Phoenix in terms of non-seasonally adjusted figures at a drop of .2%.  Phoenix was the single city in positive territory, non-seasonally adjusted September to October. Overall, the national market was down 1.2% for the 20 City composite used by Case Shiller.  Denver continues to outpace the country, and the gap...Continue Reading!

Denver Among Top 10 Healthiest Housing Markets

Recently, Builder Magazine listed Denver as among the top 10 healthiest housing markets in their  "Healthiest Housing Markets: Mid-2011 Update." We've been experiencing such low vacancy rates for rentals, that much of what's driving home sales is investor interest.  Investors are willing to take a risk on our market and are snapping up good rentals.  With investors getting back in, more buyers will feel confident in the coming months. Builder Magazine says permits for new construction look to double in 2012 and...Continue Reading!

Know Your Denver Zoning When Buying Property

Denver's zoning code was entirely revamped last year, changing dramatically how areas are zoned, what is considered appropriate for new development and even changing the "code" attached to each parcel. If you've been considering buying a property within  the City of Denver, and you plan to do work to the property, then you should pay close attention to the zoning. Get the code for all of Denver's parcels at the Denver Zoning Code site, and stay informed of the construction and building...Continue Reading!

HouseLogic Answers Your Home Maintenence & Renovation Questions

Have you ever wondered how often you need to clean your gutters? Or how to winterize sprinklers? The HouseLogic site provides a terrific resource for home maintenance questions.  You'll find resources for calculating the net benefit of some home improvement projects, for going green at home and for landscaping and gardening. Create a profile, and you can build a home improvement plan for the future, get ideas from professionals and share pictures of your projects.  If you're house obsessed, or just in...Continue Reading!

Denver Real Estate Statistics | October 2011

Sellers - this is not the winter you want to take your house off the market for the holidays. The Denver metro area inventory is the lowest it's been this entire millennium. Buyers are searching for homes and sellers are holding back. This level of inventory is about half what it was in the busy times. If you're getting your house ready to sell, get it ready now.  And get it on the market.  The weekly sales rate of 5.62 percent in...Continue Reading!

Mortgage Modification Help in Denver This Weekend

From today through Monday, June 13th, the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America is at the Colorado Convention Center. Stop by the convention center between 8 am and 8 pm if you're a Denver area homeowner and need financial relief by modifying your mortgage.  NACA is on a multi-city tour they're calling the "Save the Dream Tour" in an effort to help troubled homeowners save their dream of owning a home and making their payments.  Their web site provides more information. Meanwhile, blame...Continue Reading!