Life Style Denver by Gretchen Faber

Denver Real Estate – Double Dip, Single Dip?

Today's S & P Case Shiller Report proved interesting to more than just real estate junkies.  The highly-watched, monthly index of housing prices showed a double dip housing recession in many U.S. housing markets. Denver bucked the trend. Barely.  We're not in a double dip - this month.  At least not with this most recent report (showing data from March 2011.)  Denver prices were down 3.8% over March of 2010.  In February 2009, our low point, prices had fallen 5.7% over...Continue Reading!

Are the real estate doldrums behind Denver?

Denver real estate is like Denver weather, changeable, unpredictable, and not like anywhere else in the country. Today's forecast was for sunshine, temperatures in the high-50's and slush everywhere.  The bitter cold and snow of last Sunday and Monday are past, the famed Denver sunshine is back.  Denver's forecast is for more sunshine tomorrow.  Get out to one of Denver's famed parks this week.  Cheesman Park has a great view of Downtown, Washington Park has two lakes and City Park is...Continue Reading!

A New Generation Of Homebuyers is on the Scene! Part 2

In Friday's post, I was discussing whether Generation Y will value home ownership the way Baby Boomers have. There was much discussion at the recent Realtor's convention about this topic.  In the airport, waiting to fly home to Denver, a group of us were discussing it again.  A little while after we settled in to wait for the flight, I felt a tap on my shoulder and an, "excuse me..." Rachel Krill, a Realtor from Yuma, Arizona said, "I couldn't help but...Continue Reading!

A New Generation Of Homebuyers is on the Scene! Part 1

I traveled to New Orleans last week to attend the largest real estate conference in the U.S. The National Association of Realtors annual convention had 20,000 in attendance this year. This is always an interesting event.  I meet brokers from around the globe and throughout the U.S.  Talk this year was about the latest tech tools, virtual vs. traditional brokerage, short sales and foreclosures - and whether the next generation of adults will value home ownership. There were several experts citing statistics about...Continue Reading!

Top 7 Reasons to Buy A Home Now

Have you considered buying a home this year?  Did you toy with the idea of making that purchase while the tax credits were still in play? If you missed out on the credits, did you get back on the sidelines?  You may want to reconsider jumping in.  After all, there are more homes coming on the market every day and you just may find the perfect house tomorrow. Here are 7 reasons why buying today may be in your best interest and...Continue Reading!

Real Estate Buyers Facing Greater Lending Hurdles

Denver, Colorado - Buyers who want to finance the purchase of their home should rethink carefully what they do financially in the time between obtaining their first conditional loan approval and the time they close on their new home. Lenders are facing more regulations for underwriting mortgages. These standards will certainly ensure that buyers will need to do more than fog a mirror to get a loan. If you're considering purchasing a home, here's what you'll need to know: The lender will be...Continue Reading!

Denver is Most Improved in U.S. Real Estate

Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported last week that Denver's housing market is "most improved." I think we'll settle for that.  We've always said here in Denver that our economy is counter cyclical, setting the trend up or down.  If Denver is improving, then much of the U.S. will follow.  Our real estate market statistics showed a slowdown in May from April, but we were still up over 20% from last year. That's a dramatic gain in sales and activity. My Great Grandfather founded the...Continue Reading!

Homebuyer Tax Credit Ends in 30 Days. Buyers Get Off the Fence Today!

This isn't an April Fool joke.  It's a serious money matter. Could you be at risk for losing out on an $8,000 tax credit, or a $6,500 tax credit?  Could you be risking interest rate increases? Those are your risks if you aren't under contract for a property by the end of this month.  Properties must be contracted for by the end of April and must close by the end of June to qualify for the tax credit.  And the longer you...Continue Reading!

The Case (Shiller) for Denver Real Estate

The Avalanche aren't number 1 this year. The Broncos certainly aren't number 1.  The Nuggets? Remains to be seen, but number 1 is unlikely. Denver real estate is number 1.  According to today's release of the latest S & P Case Shiller Report, Denver's real estate market declined the least.  We're number 1 because housing values went down just .1% from October of 2008.  The rest of the 20 cities monitored by the report declined more than Denver year-over-year.  Not one...Continue Reading!

Denver Colorado Real Estate | November 2009 Market Statistics

Busiest December Ever! That's not an exaggeration. It's December 21st and I just got an offer on a listing which went under contract today.  Our office rocking. The contracts keep coming in. And we all had a great time dancing to the King of Pop last week at our office party.  The mood is light years away from the dreadful, scary, morose feeling everyone had a year ago. Not to say that things can't fall apart on a dime. We've learned that a...Continue Reading!