Get the details on the Denver March 2011 statistics. Real Estate is like a box of chocolates.  Sometimes you get nuts.

• The nuts have been our foreclosures, our short sales, our underwriting issues and our tough appraisals.

Real Estate is like a roller coaster.  Sometimes you go up, and then you fall fast.  It takes longer to go up than come down.

• Interestingly, last year’s tax credit made our first half of the year incredibly busy. Then third quarter we fell off a cliff.  It was so quiet!  We all went to the pool.
• Prices have fallen across the nation since 2008.  In some areas, they fell fast.  Now, they’ll take longer to creep back up.  Appreciation won’t be crazy fast like it was.  It will be slower, more rational.  This is the new normal.

Real Estate is like babies and teenagers.

• If you own your home, you need to baby it.  Feed it with updates to keep it current.  Clothe it in great curb appeal, lovely landscaping, an occasional fresh coat of paint and new carpet.
• Some days owning a house is like having teenagers.  Temperamental (notice the word “mental” is in there?)  Keep your mechanicals, appliances and roof in good working condition so you don’t have to use your mattress money to bail them out of jail.

Whatever your real estate is like, Denver real estate is always interesting. And the homes for sale are the bargain of a decade right now, with prices on the rise again.
In March 2010, the tax credit was just about to end. Buyers were in a tizzy to get their new homes under contract by the deadline.  This was driving the market and the main price-point was the lower end, or starter homes.
This year, you can see in the chart that prices are moving back up. We don’t have much appreciation yet, if at all.  We have a more normalized market, with the higher end finally coming back.  In 2008-2010, jumbo loans were nearly impossible to get.  Luxury homes were purchased with cash, so fewer luxury homes were selling. This resulted in significant price reductions by Sellers who wanted to compete and sell.  Now that jumbo lending is back, rates are low and prices are low – the high-end is off of life support.
So Real Estate is like life.  Ups and downs, ins and outs and always interesting.  If you’re interested in searching for a Denver home or listing your fine property, call on Gretchen Rosenberg and Kentwood Real Estate for assistance.  Our company was ranked the #1 residential real estate company in the United States for per-agent sales volume in 2009, with 2010 results posted soon.  We’re a dedicated team of professionals, looking forward to helping you find your next dream home.