‘Tis the season. Sellers and buyers are prowling the streets of northern Colorado—sellers are (hopefully) putting their best foot forward to get the best offers and buyers are making a series of offers, optimistic that one of them will be accepted. Some sellers think slapping a price on a house and putting a sign in front will do the trick. It could, but why not guarantee you’ll get a couple of great offers based on how you took the time and a little bit of effort and money to make your home …
Fort Collins
Envisioning a Different Housing Market
“Weld County is the fourth most unaffordable county in the U.S. when taking into account median home prices and the average earning of wages, according to a new report by ATTOM Data Solutions.” http://www.greeleytribune.com/news/business/report-four-counties-in-colorado-including-weld-top-the-list-of-home-unaffordability/ Yikes! Weld County’s median price for a home, $280,000 as of today, may be almost $100,000 cheaper than Larimer County’s, but it’s a median price increase of 12% from last …
Dueling Real Estate Forecasts
Real estate forecasts are a tricky thing. No one knows that more than real estate agents who are asked ten times a day what they think will happen with interest rates, housing appreciation, population growth, new construction and what is the next trendy color to paint the living room. I’m not kidding on that last one. And, yes, I have ideas about that. Falling Prices? According to an article in the Denver Post, “Location Inc., a geographic research and real estate data firm, warns that years of …
Real Estate Bubble in FoCo?
"So, are we in a real estate bubble?" Three different clients asked me that question last week. They are ready to buy but are afraid that prices have increased by too much and they will be caught in a "bursting" market down the line. I carefully explain why I don't think that will happen but I'm not a seer or crystal gazer and they should do their due diligence. I also tell them they should buy now. In a recent article published by the National Association of Realtors, (yes, I see the …
How To Buy a House This Spring
I hate headlines that offer the possibility of achieving a goal, like How to Lose Those Last 10 Lbs. You hope they’re going to tell you a secret only to be told to exercise and eat less. Duh. I’m afraid that’s what my article is going to say. Want to Buy a House? Be prepared to give up some contingencies, have a decent down payment and don’t give up. Housing Gridlock? According to Trulia, housing inventory hit a new low in the first quarter of 2017. “Recovering home values have proven to be …
Hope Springs Eternal for Home Buyers
Spring is here, or at least in Fort Collins, Colorado, where it’s 70° today on March 9, 2017. The home buying season is heating up (as well as the weather), and I’m asked daily, “will the appreciation in home prices slow down?” I wish I knew because I would advise my clients to either buy anything you can right now OR ‘take your time, no one else is looking.’ I won’t be saying that last part for a while. But if you have great credit, some down payment and you’re willing to offer a few …
