Cheesman Park Masterpiece
June 21st, 2008 categories: LifeStyle Listings, Real Estate News
This was the era of quarter sawn oak, tasteful Craftsman workmanship, large and gracious rooms designed for daily living and lovely entertaining. From the moment you walk up onto the large front porch and enter the grand oak and beveled glass doorway you know you’re in for a treat.
The sun filled entry features oak floors and a fabulous staircase. Sit awhile on the built in oak settee or stash your umbrella and boots in the hidden compartment and continue into the formal living room. The large oak trimmed windows invite you into a lovely room to entertain or just luxuriate in charming space with your family or friends or with a good book.
You can receive emails of other listings and comments about the Denver lifestyle by clicking on “Email Subscription” to the right. Enjoy viewing all Denver homes for sale at www.gretchensdenver.com.
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Denver Real Estate Stats - May ‘08
June 18th, 2008 categories: Market Trends, Real Estate News
The Denver real estate market is like the old saw about a riddle wrapped in a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. I wish my crystal ball was working better, but I’ll have to rely on instinct, experience and my best guess.
Here are some statistics taken from the Denver MLS for May 2008:
The upshot is that we have 9 1/2 % fewer properties on the market than we did a year ago, and just .62 % more than the month before. The dreaded “over-supply” of inventory seems to be diminishing during the season one would expect to see more properties coming on the market, not less.
Days on Market
The number of days homes are on the market is shortening as well. The average number of days a house is on the market right now is about 100. This equates to a 3 month supply - what analysts consider a balanced market.
In the late 1980’s our market really took a tumble, mainly because the oil shale business dried up. As we look back on that time now, one of the leading indicators that the market was beginning to turn the corner was when number of days on the market shortened. First - fewer days on the market, next - less inventory, finally - prices stabilized.
Multiple Offers
One of the statistics you won’t see in the chart is that many homes are getting multiple offers. In fact, last night I received two offers on one of my listings. Check out LifeStyle Listings and see if you can guess which one, but I can’t tell you yet. One agent wrote a decent offer that still needs to be tweaked a bit, but we can work with it. Another agent brought an offer in excess of $100,000 off of the offering price. She said her clients wouldn’t reconsider their offer because they’d read in the papers that it’s a buyer’s market. I wonder how many offers that agent will be writing up for them…
Average Price
Yes, the average price is still down from last year. We’re pulling out of the slump, but we’re not out of it yet. It’s just a turning of the corner right now. We’ve also experienced a lower price point of homes getting offers than we did in 2007. In our office, the price point of homes that are selling quickly has recently been between $300,000 and $800,000. Last year our higher priced listings were selling much better. This fact alone could be what’s driving down the average sale price, rather than an actual decline of prices.
Stay tuned, these updates will follow monthly! If you like what you see at LifeStyleDenver, subscribe by email or RSS. It’s easy - just click on the buttons at the right of your screen.
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Historic Park Hill Home
June 18th, 2008 categories: LifeStyle Listings, Real Estate News
Surround yourself with the grace and elegance of days past in this stately Park Hill Grande Dame. It isn’t every day that you’ll find this quality of Denver’s historic architecture surrounded by an enormous treed lot on one of our city’s timeless boulevards. From the entry foyer to the third floor you’ll love discovering what this home has meant to countless generations of residents ~ including former Mayor Richard Batterton. This lovely home exudes its original charm and the architectural significance hasn’t been compromised.
Offered for $959,000.
For a full tour and to view more homes, visit www.gretchensdenver.com
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Bonnie Brae Gem
June 16th, 2008 categories: LifeStyle Listings, Real Estate News
Stroll through one of Denver’s loveliest neighborhoods and you’ll fall in love.
Bonnie Brae - or pretty hill - is just east of the Washington Park neighborhood, and is famous for it’s elliptical park and curving streets. Not only can you walk to “Circle Park” and Washington Park, but the Bonnie Brae neighborhood center and Old South Gaylord Sreets are just a few blocks away. Enjoy the local library, Bonnie Brae Ice Cream and restaurants and shops.
If you’re looking to relocate to the Bonnie Brae neighborhood, look no further than 985 South Columbine Street. This gorgeous home is on one of the premier blocks in the neighborhood, and has a beautifully remodeled kitchen, fabulous yard with deck and a finished basement. Offered for $975,000, you can move right in.
Check out this house and others at www.gretchensdenver.com! You can also get email updates from this site by clicking on the “subscribe email” button to the right.
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The Secret To Not Becoming a Murder Victim
June 11th, 2008 categories: Random Thoughts
Do you ever look over your shoulder as you’re walking down the street at night? Do you feel strange when looking at houses with someone you’ve just met? You may be as interested as I was to learn how to avoid danger.
Life Saving Survival Skills
The Gift of Fear, by Gavin De Becker will open your mind to trusting your intuition. De Becker’s expertise comes from his own background and experience, coupled with his training as a psychologist. There are many startling statistics about violence, and some frightening stories from survivors of violent episodes. Most of all, you’ll learn vital skills that will save your life if you’re ever in danger.
Women, especially, are people pleaser’s and don’t want to seem abrupt or rude. This can be a life-threatening attitude. I have had several creepy instances over the years – especially at open houses and from “sign calls.” How do you handle a persistent stranger? Set up policies ahead of time for who you’ll meet and under what circumstances. There are many home buyers who are truly looking for property to buy, and there are many real estate brokers that buyers can trust even after a first meeting. Keep your guard up and don’t necessarily just trust, “the nice ones.” Check out references if you can, look a new person up on Google, and always let others know where you are and who you’re going with.
DeBecker recommends ignoring stalker-types, staying aware at all times and not engaging people who seem to need some sort of response or they don’t let up. He emphasizes trusting your instinct.
Play it safe – trust your instincts and read The Gift of Fear.
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Denver Modern Home in Krisana Park
June 9th, 2008 categories: LifeStyle Listings, Real Estate News
Have you ever desired a mid-century modern home that was in pristine condition?
Do you know what an Eichler-inspired home is and wish you lived in one? How about opening the doors to the outside and feeling like the outdoors and indoors were all one-in-the-same?
Don’t wait! Check out this phemomenal home in Krisana Park in Central Denver. On the market for a mere $400,000, this home will not linger!
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Buyers Beware - Market Turnaround Ahead
June 8th, 2008 categories: Market Trends, Real Estate News, Relocation Tips
Multiple offers? New listings gone in under a week? Is this the Denver real estate market?
Yes! In our medium price ranges, $250,000 to $800,000, things are going fast. I’ve had several brokers in my office tell me that they’ve been in competitive bidding situations recently. More than one - sometimes they’ve actually had two or three competitive bids on houses for the same buyers. That must be surprising for buyers who read the main-stream media and think they should still be underbidding for everything.
Buyers - you need your broker’s advice more than anytime now. Ask to see recent comparable sales in the neighborhood you’ve identified before you make an offer. Sometimes a house is already competitively priced, or at least well-priced. Sometimes there’s room for a bit of negotiation, sometimes there’s room for a lot.
Another important piece of information to know about a house is how many days the house has been on the market. A short time on the market usually indicates less room for negotiation. A short time on the market and well-priced means very little room for negotiation.
If the house you love is also in tip-top condition, recently remodeled or brand new, then there is more of a chance it will sell quickly.
When we see multiple offers, there are usually 3 things in common:
- They’re well-priced.
- They’re in Central Denver neighborhoods - not so much the suburbs.
- They’re in top showing condition.
Buyers who buy today are going to look back a year from now and find they’re sitting in the cat-bird seat. That’s when we’ll all realize the market turnaround began in the summer of 2008.
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Artsy Fartsy People Gather on Fridays
June 3rd, 2008 categories: Life In Denver
Have you heard of “First Friday?” Did you know about the vibrant art scene on Santa Fe Drive between 6th Avenue and 10th Avenue?
This week is the first Friday of June, the perfect time to head out the the Santa Fe Arts district First Friday event. It’s just the ticket for collectors, people looking for wedding gifts or budding artists. We’ve visited a few times and seen many fascinating mediums. Oils, Raku pottery, glass work and mosaic.
Check out the arts district’s web site, and subscribe to their e-newsletter.
See you on Friday!
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8 Ways to be Green
May 27th, 2008 categories: Market Trends, Random Thoughts
1. Use Reusable Shopping Bags
Switch from paper and plastic and bring your own bags. This one change will have the most immediate and dramatic impact on the environment.
- The oil it takes to produce 14 plastic bags will power your car for a mile.
- Paper is not better. Annually 10 million paper bags consume 14 million trees.
Check out: www.reusablebags.com and www.betterbagscolorado.org. If you’re a client of mine, I have Kentwood reusable bags for you! Just let me know how many you need.
2. Replace Your Light Bulbs with Compact Fluorescent (CFL) Light Bulbs
They last 10 times longer and use 1/4 less energy. Dispose of the CFL bulbs properly, they contain trace amounts of mercury. You can take them to Ace Hardware stores. Also try LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes) - no mercury. Remember to turn off the light when you leave the room.
Start with your porch: www.porchbulbproject.org.
3. Use Earth Friendly Cleaning Products
The EPA says air pollution indoors may be 2-5 times higher than outdoors. Try making your own cleaning products to cut down on chemicals.
All Purpose Cleaner: 1/2 cup Borax (look in the laundry aisle) to 1 gallon hot water, mix in a pail or use smaller amounts in a spray bottle (1/8 cup Borax to 1 quart hot water). Dissolve the Borax completely and wipe surfaces clean. This also works with Arm & Hammer washing soda to 2 cups very hot water.
Glass Cleaner: 1/4 cup white vinegar or 1 teaspoon lemon juice to 2 cups water in a clean spray bottle. Wipe surfaces with newspaper.
Soft Scrub: Mix liquid detergent to 1/2 cup baking soda until it’s the consistency of frosting. Use on sinks, showers and stainless steel.
Buy Seventh Generation or Clorox Green products.
4. Save Water
Turn off the water when brushing your teeth and you’ll save about 25 gallons of water a month.
Limit your showers to 5 minutes.
Implement xeriscaping (not zero scaping!) 35% of our water is used for lawns.
Check out low flow shower heads, toilets and faucets.
Only run your dishwasher when it’s full.
5. Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
What is it? How big is it? Flying, driving and tossing out garbage emit greenhouse gases. You can measure your household’s impact on the environment and learn how to reduce it.
Learn more at: www.carbonfootprint.com and www.begreennow.com.
6. Recycle
Take advantage of your neighborhood recycling programs and buy recycled products whenever you can.
Here’s more: www.rbrc.org and Colorado Recycles.
7. Conserve Energy
Turn down the temperature on your hot water heater to 120 degrees. Unplug your appliances or plug them into a “smart” power strip and turn it off when you’re away.
Clean your furnace and change the filters, and consider having your home audited for energy use.
Park your car for one whole day a month.
Set your thermostat at 68 degrees or cooler in the winter and 78 degrees or warmer in the summer.
Find additional savings and rebates at: Energy Star and Excel Energy.
8. Gardening Ideas
Find a place in your garden to compost your trash. Compost helps keep weeds at bay and saves water. Water lawns early in the morning and mow late in the day.
Look for xeriscape plants.
Avoid synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
Have fun being green ~ it’s good for you and not as hard as you may think!
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Gaylord Street Festival
May 24th, 2008 categories: Life In Denver
Our favorite thing to do with our boys on Memorial Day weekend is walk over to the Gaylord Street Festival and celebrate the beginning of summer. We used to watch the kids bounce in the blow-up castle. Now, they’re too big for that and prefer the climbing wall.
There are booths with crafts, a kiddie carnival, plus the shops and restaurants are all open, and the neighbors are out enjoying the day with you. If you’re in town this weekend, don’t miss it!
May 24th, 25th and 26th, 2008
Hours: 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. (Daily)
Free Parking at South High School: Louisiana Avenue & Franklin Street with Free Metro Taxi Shuttle Service to and from the Festival
Pancake Breakfast: 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM daily
Strolling Magician: Saturday 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
New this Year: Petting Zoo
Including a Wallaby, Baby Camel, Giant Rabbit and more
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