Category Archives: For Buyers

TIps and information to help Buyers understand the buying process and the Denver Metro real estate market.

De-cluttering Your Home a Little at a Time!

Here are some great tips for de-cluttering your home a little at a time.  Often, when I meet clients that want to list their house for sale, they are overwhelmed by the amount of work it takes to get their home “show-ready”.  Most people tend to accumulate a lot of “stuff” over the years they have lived in their homes and the thought of cleaning it all up in a short amount of time can be daunting!

Whether you are planning a move, or just trying to fulfill a New Year’s resolution to de-clutter your home, here are some great tips to get you started! Click on the link at the top of the photo to read the whole article.

 

If you  are interested in selling or buying, I would be happy to help you with your real estate needs!  Please feel free to contact me using the form below or calling 720-201-3049!

 

Talk about taste specific!

Although this is a very cute house and quite a novelty, it is a prime example of going a bit far in the realm of “taste specific” choices.  I am sure that there would be a niche market for a house like this. After all, there are a lot of Lord of the Rings fans out there ( I liked the movies too, and own them all).  But how many fans would actually want to live in a hobbit house on a full-time basis?  I am guessing that not many of even the staunchest Lord of the Rings fans would be willing to go that far.  Maybe as a vacation home-like a fun little cabin in the woods.

As cute as it is though,  I would like to use this little house as a slightly exaggerated example of a pretty common problem- personalization.  The longer we live in even a “normal” style home, the more personalized the tends to become.  In most cases, when you are selling your home, your goal should not be to find a buyer that “wouldn’t change a thing” and that has your same taste and hobbies.  To have a much easier time of selling, you want to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible.  The more people that want to buy your house, the better your chances of getting multiple offers, getting offers sooner, and getting full price or maybe even more than the asking price.  Isn’t that what the real goal when selling your house?

Sellers who “take their taste out of a house” help buyers more easily see themselves in the house, instead of being distracted by things like the seller’s family photos, a chartreuse dining room wall, and things like religious artifacts everywhere, a huge PEZ dispenser collection, and/or Lord of the Rings swords above the fireplace.  (Is the buyer going to be looking at the great fireplace feature of the home- or the cool sword that is probably not even included as part of the sale).

In the case of the Hobbit house in this post, the sword is probably okay!  After all, they are trying to appeal to a very tiny niche of buyers.  But chances are, most of us don’t live in a house that is this unusual.   So the rest of us are going to have better results if we stick to the tried an true rules of selling.  Paint the house in more universally appealing color schemes and present a clean and de-cluttered home that does not have any unfinished projects or repairs needed.  That is the formula for making buyers want to make it their home.

I hope you enjoy this little peek at the Hobbit house- I certainly did.   I think it would be “a nice place to visit”- but like so many buyers that see overly-personalized homes… “I just wouldn’t want to live there”.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home, I would be happy to help!  Feel free to contact me using the form below!

 

Enhancing Your Outdoor Space with Gravel

Your outdoor space, if properly showcased, can act as additional living space and add to your home’s value upon resale.   Here are some very inviting spaces that other homeowners have created with the use of gravel in their landscape.  Before using gravel in large areas of your landscape, you should always check your city code and any HOA restrictions that might apply to the use of gravel.  Enjoy!

 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding adding value to your home, or if you are considering buying or selling a home!

 

New Evidence of a slowing Real Estate Market in Denver.

The October report from the Denver Metro Association of Realtor (DMAR) is out, and it shows that home sales in the Denver area are slower than just a seasonal effect would account for.  Even though there is still a relative shortage of houses on the market, other indicators such as more price reductions and more transactions falling apart and homes having to go back on the market, may be signs that the seller’s advantage in the market is softening.

Below is a summary of DMAR’s October 2017 statistical analysis of the state of Denver area housing activity:

 

DMAR’s October Market Trends Report   

REALTORS® report showings of homes on the market are slowing and home sellers are beginning to reduce prices

Active listings in the residential market (single-family homes and condos) was at 7,586 total units in September, while the number of sold listings decreased by 21.58 percent compared to the previous month. The decrease in sold listings is greater than the 10-year seasonal average decrease of 10.1 percent.

Notably, even with the number of homes sold dropping, the market is still ahead of last year as year-to-date closings are up 3.22 percent over 2016.

“We’re starting to see a slowdown in overall housing market traffic even in the lower price ranges,” said Steve Danyliw, Chairman of the DMAR Market Trends Committee and Denver REALTOR®. “Inventory continues to be in short supply and nothing that we can see will change that in the immediate future.”

According to a sampling of DMAR REALTOR® members, showings are slowing down and home sellers are reducing home prices in order to get more traction. The report shares insights that escalating buyer demands during inspection are causing more homes to fall out of contract and come back onto the market. Furthermore, “back on market” and “price reductions” seem to be more common than “new listings” in MLS searches as of late.

If you are interested in buying or selling in Denver metro area, and have any questions about what this information might mean for you, please feel free to contact me!

Price Reduced by Nearly $11,000 – 8321 Ralph Lane

4 Bedroom, 3 Bathroom, 2000 total sqft

Asking Price:  Was  $329,900-  NOW:  $319,000!

Status:  ACTIVE

Adorable brick ranch-style home!  All baths and the kitchen have been updated! New roof in 2016.  Fresh paint, newer carpet, wood floors!  Quiet neighborhood near shopping and easy commute to Denver & Boulder!  Click on the photo below for guided tour and all the details!

Click the photo or the address:  8321 Ralph Ln

You are Invited!

The beautiful house, with incredible views, is having an open house Sunday, May 22 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm!  You are invited to come and take a look in person (slide show below)!  I hope to see you there!

2662 W 118th Ave, Westminster CO  80234

house straight on, hi def

2662 W 118th Ave, Westminster CO 80234         Click Here for more Info and Photos!

Curb Appeal: Is it worth the investment?

Here’s an article specifically talking about the value of curb appeal, from a dollars and cents perspective.  It even breaks it down to what trees and fencing are worth. Most landscaping (as with any home project) should be done for your own enjoyment, but it does add to the value of your home, either in the form of a faster sale or in the form of a higher sales price when you decide to sell.   Some experts believe that mature landscaping can add up to 25% to the value of your home.  If you have been thinking of sprucing up your exterior- have a look at this link!  It may give you some good ideas of where to invest your money.
http://www.houselogic.com/home-advice/landscaping-gardening/landscaping-home-value/

 

 

 

Water Rights Issues in Colorado!

Thinking of buying property with a well or water rights in Colorado?

The Colorado Association of Realtors hosted a training session on the issues surrounding water rights.  The video below includes a presentation from the Department of Water Resources that provides information you ought to know before buying property where you may want to use a source of water other than that supplied by a municipality (E.g.- water sources such as wells, streams, ditches, ponds, reservoirs, rain barrels, etc..).  The video also gives you information on resources you can use to determine if any water rights that come with the property are permitted for your intended use.   The video on wells and water rights is a little “dry” (no pun intended)- but it’s pretty important information to know before you buy…

The actual presentation by the Department on Water Resources starts at around minute 7:38, so unless you want to watch some advertisements that only a Real Estate Brokers would possibly care about, you might want to start watching at the 7:38 minute point in the video.

Click below to see the video and enjoy!

http://livestream.com/accounts/4105485/events/4683965/player?width=560&height=315&autoPlay=true&mute=false

New Listing- 14366 Blue Vista Way

4 Bedroom,  2.5 Baths,  2,320 Above grade sqft, 941 unfinished basement sqft

Status: ACTIVE

Asking Price:  $460,000

This 2-story home is on a cul-de-sac lot. The home has hickory wood floors, and a well designed kitchen with 42″ hickory cabinetry, a pantry, a kitchen island and stainless steel appliances included. The kitchen is open to an eat-in area and the family room w/gas fireplace, 2-story vaulted ceiling, pre-wired surround sound!  All bedrooms are on the same floor!   Formal dining room, study and main floor laundry. Sprinklers front and back. Back yard is flat and fully fenced and pre-wired for speakers. New furnace in 2014. Garage is oversized 2.5 car.

Click below for photo slide show:

For more information Contact Joan Bagwell: joan@joanbagwell.com or fill out the contact form below.

Automate your Denver Home Search!

Most people are unaware that sellers determine how their homes are advertised when they are listed for sale.  Sellers determine whether the home is to be listed only in their Broker’s MLS or whether it is to be syndicated, or shared with multiple publicly accessible websites.   Therefore, because not all listings in the MLS are shared with the publicly accessible sites, your search results on these sites may not include all homes currently on the market.

If you would like to receive information on all listings in the Denver Metro/Boulder and Northern Colorado Broker’s MLS, I can set up an automated search for you, based on your specific criteria.  The search runs daily and you will be notified via email when a property comes on the market that matches your criteria.  You will also be notified of price drops and changes in status, such as when a property goes under contract or comes back on the market if it has previously been under contract.

You will be able to access all available photos, tours, and detailed information on a free personal website I will set up for you.  On your free personal website, you will also be able to rate each property according to your interest level.  You will continue to have access to the properties in your search results history for as long as the properties remain on the market.  This website can also be used by homeowners who want to keep track of the sales activity in their own neighborhoods.

If you are thinking of buying a home, the automated notification system, definitely gives you an edge over other buyers looking for properties. It allows you to see each new listing as soon as it becomes available, without having to make the time to do the search yourself.  It’s faster, and much more convenient.  Having the free personal website helps you organize your search results, and makes it easier to go back and have another look at the properties that you liked, without having to run another manual internet search and sift through pages and pages of properties that you have already ruled out.

If you would like to receive the automated notifications of new listings, along with your free search results website, please fill out and submit the contact form below.  Or, if you prefer to use the manual search method on one of the public sites, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions about any of the properties that you find in your search!