“Ahhh mom, why do we have to walk to get lunch?”
It is the first week since school let out and let the whining begin! “I’m hungry.” “Can I have a friend over to hang out? ” “When can we go to the pool?” I know children are inquisitive but its amazing how they only hear the answers they want to hear and otherwise they just keep asking, hoping they will get a different answer! Or is it just my two boys who are so persistant?
We are blessed to live in one of Denver’s best family neighborhoods. Some call it Observatory Park or University Park ,but technically, my street, south Jackson Street between Iliff and Yale, is part of University Gardens and is, in my mind, a little piece of paradise in the city. It is a tree-lined stretch of street with no cut through side strees covered with homes on large lots. There are no sidewalks, but in the early summer we have rows of orange poppies and in the heat of August, the huge trees give a welcome respite from the heat. So it is a popular street for walkers, runners and bikers. The weather always seems better here than anywhere else in the metro area. We are just 10 minutes from Downtown Denver, 10 minutes to the Denver Tech Center and right near the University of Denver. I truly believe it is a slice of heavan on earth!
I was working from home with my sons, who are now out of school for the summer, hanging out with me. I thought it would do us all good to take a break at lunch and go for a walk. Pulling an eleven year old away from video games and a 13 year old away from whatever project he was building in the garage is not an easy task to start with, but to go for a walk to a new local restaurant was really a challenge! They couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t just drive ‘thru’ and bring it home!
We left the suburbs because everything was all about driving- even though we didn’t have to drive far in my old Littleton neighborhood of Southbridge, there really wasn’t a ‘walk to’ restaurant near us so we always drove, everywhere, to everything. I love living where you can walk to things. The University neighborhood Walk Score is 75,. From my house on S. Jackson St. it is 86! Have you checked out your Walk Score. It is a great tool to see where things are located near an address. Type in the address and it lets you know how close important things are like restaurants, grocery stores, schools, parks, bars, the library etc. The scoring goes to 100. Enter your address and see how your home scores.
Does the 86 impress my sons? No, but their Grandma happened to come by so she joined us on our 6 block walk to the new Pei Wei Asian Diner off of Colorado and Buchtel Boulevard and all were impressed with the food! One way to speak to adolescent boys is through their stomachs! The quick stroll allowed us to enjoy one of Denver’s fabulous sunny days. It also gave my oldest a chance to once AGAIN make an argument about why he should be allowed to adopt snakes and for me to see it had been too long since breakfast for my youngest! That is where the whining came in!
Full after eating Pei Wei
It was a tasty lunch. My boys wolfed that food down so fast there was hardly time for the steam to dissipate from the dish. Even better, Grandma picked up the check! It was a nice inter-generational activity for all of us. Pei Wei opened quietly in April at this location, but seems busy everytime I have driven by. Its always good to have new development in a neighborhood and we wish them well.
On the walk home, everyone was in a much better mood, (amazing what a full stomach will do for your attitude.) Not one of us whined! I was thrilled, not just because I loved my sesame chicken, but because, for me that is what life is about, living in a neighborhood where you can walk to what you need, on a block with fabulous neighbors surrounded by the beauty of nature. It was fun to catch up with Grandma and even more fun to spend the time with my boys. So a short walk, a little lunch and the whining was gone! I couldn’t have done that in my old home in the suburbs, that’s for sure. Your home needs to function to fit your life, the neighborhood needs to meet your needs. If it doesn’t, now is a great time to find one that does! Rates are incredilby low. Denver is touted as having made the turn around. I provide the 5 Star Advantage you need to help you find the area that fits your lifestyle as well as one that is most likely to improve in value! Who knows, it maybe just a short walk away!I promise to keep the whining to a minium.
Denver named a real-estate market to watch – Denver Business Journal
Denver named a real-estate market to watch – Denver Business Journal.
A big swing!
Friday, October 8, 2010, 7:16am MDT | Modified: Friday, October 8, 2010, 7:19am
Denver-area home resales down 23% in September from 2009
Denver Business Journal – by Mark Harden
Sales of existing homes in the Denver area fell 23 percent in September from a year earlier, and the inventory of unsold homes rose 18 percent, according to the latest monthly analysis of Metrolist sales data by broker Gary Bauer.
But there was a smaller month-to-month decline in home resales in September than in previous months.
Bauer said the new numbers continue to reflect the fast that “the economy is soft and consumer confidence remains low.”
An estimated 2,958 resales of existing houses and condos closed in September in the area, down 23.1 percent from the September 2009 total of 3,846 homes, Bauer’s report says.
That follows a 21.2 percent year-over-year decline in August and a 26.6 percent yearly decline in July.
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Meanwhile, home-resale closings in September were down 3.9 percent from August’s total of 3,079, a smaller month-to-month decrease than August’s 5.5 percent drop and July’s 19.5 percent decline.
Separately, Bauer reported that Denver-area existing homes under contract in September totaled 3,646, down 30.3 percent from September 2009 and down 8.1 percent from August of this year. Home sales generally close 30 to 90 days after they go under contract.
There were 23,332 unsold existing homes on the market in September, Bauer figures, up 17.6 percent from a year earlier but down 1.2 percent from August 2010.
Denver-area existing houses sold for a median of $230,000 in September — down a bit from $239,000 the month before but up from a median of $225,000 in September 2009, Bauer said. Condos sold for a median $129,000, down a bit from August’s $130,000 and from last September’s $145,000
As for averages, Bauer reported a September average home sale price of $290,025 and average condo price of $154,913.
For the first nine months of 2010 through September, Bauer reported closed home resales in the metro area down 4 percent from a year earlier.
Existing home sales, or resales, are those of homes that have been sold at least once before. Bauer’s report does not include sales of newly built homes.
The numbers to some degree show the impact of the ending of the federal government’s first-time homebuyer tax credit, for which the deadline for homes under contract to qualify was April 30.
Analysts say the tax credit boosted home sales in the months before the deadline and moved up many purchases that otherwise might have happened in the summer, causing summer numbers to sag more than they would have otherwise.
Bauer, an independent residential broker in Littleton, uses data from Metrolist of Greenwood Village, metro Denver’s Multiple Listing Service, providing home-sale data to real estate professionals.
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- Seattle housing market grinding to a halt (seattlepi.com)
- King County home sales dry up with tax credit; median price down from year ago (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- O.C. home sales falling 14% (lansner.ocregister.com)
Luxury Home Sales in Denver hit 2 year high in August
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Friday, September 24, 2010, 11:32am MDT
Denver-area luxury-home sales hit two-year high in August
DENVER BUSINESS JOURNAL
Sales of luxury homes in metro Denver hit a two-year high in August, indicating the local high-end housing market “is on the mend,” according to a Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage report released Friday.
A total of 71 homes selling for more than $1 million were purchased last month, up 48 percent from 48 such homes sold in August 2009. Last month’s sales were up 42 percent from 50 high-end home sales in July of this year.
“Luxury home sales were at the highest level since August 2008, before the peak of the financial crisis,” CB’s August 2010 Denver Metro Area Luxury Home Report said. The report uses Multiple Listing Service data.
Chris Mygatt, president of CB in Denver, believes August’s high-end home sales show the Denver-area housing market continues to rebound. “The numbers show we’re significantly ahead of where we were a year or two ago, and that’s reason for encouragement,” Mygatt said in a statement.
Other high points of the luxury housing report:
• The most expensive home sold in August was an 8,346-square-foot house in Cherry Hills Village whose buyer paid $5.25 million.
• Looking at metro-area cities, Denver had the most $1 million-plus home sales, at 20, followed by Boulder with 16. Cherry Hills Village and Littleton each had five sales.
• The average number of on the market for high-end homes that sold in August dropped to 98 days, from 142 days in August 2009 and from 124 days in July of this year.
Coldwell Banker Residential is one of the Denver area’s largest residential real estate brokerage firms, with 14 offices and more than 1,100 agents.
The company is part of NRT LLC, which is a subsidiary of real estate services company Realogy Corp. of Parsippany, N.J. Realogy is owned by affiliates of Apollo Management LP, a New York-based private equity investor.
Apollo used to be majority owner of Broomfield-based Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN), owner of Colorado ski resorts such as Vail, Keystone, Breckenridge and Beaver Creek.
Compiled by the DBJ’s Paula Moore
Read more: Denver-area luxury-home sales hit two-year high in August – Denver Business Journal
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A great honor!
Recently I recieved a very nice tip of the hat for my work as a Realtor. I was named as one of 5280 Magazine’s Top Real Estate Agent’s.
5280 Magazine 5 Star Real Estate Agent Award- Jill Schafer
The Five Star Real Estate Program did an in-depth research study in Denver in which they surveyed 10,000 – 50,000 recent buyers (all Denver residents who purchased a home over $100,000 within a 12-36 month period), readers of 5280 Magazine and 250 mortgage and title companies. In the study, these folks were asked to name and evaluate real estate agents with whom they had a direct/personal experience with and were evaluated based on:
- Customer service
- Integrity
- Market knowledge
- Communication and negotiation skills
- Closing Preparation
- Helping Buyers find the right Home
- Marketing a Home being sold
- Overall Satisfaction
The final list of Five Star Real Estate Agents include less than 7% of the real estate agents in the Denver market. I made the final list! I am one of the top 7% of Real Estate Agents in the Denver market!! I do what I do because I love it, but I have to be honest and admit it is nice to be recogonized.
It is made even more special that it is a 5 Star Award and my marketing program is based on a 5 Star plan and 5 Star Service! This past year has been a year of being honored by former clients. Honored by their referrals, honored by their repeat business and most importantly honored by their friendships. To all I have worked with before, thank you. To those I have yet to work with, I look forward to providing you 5 Star Service!– Jill Schafer
Denver makes the top 10 list again!
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10 markets most likely to appreciate
Forbes magazine turned to real estate research firm Local Market Monitor to figure out which markets have the greatest likelihood of price appreciation because they offer a mix of jobs weighted toward growth industries.
These are the top markets, the research company concludes:
1. Raleigh-Cary, N.C.
2. McAllen–Edinburg–Mission, Texas
3. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
4. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tenn.
5. San Antonio, Texas
6. Colorado Springs, Colo.
7. Albuquerque, N.M.
8. Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colo.
9. Springfield, Mo.
10. Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind.
Source: Forbes, Francesca Levy (09/13/2010)
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Denver-area home resales down 21% in August from 2009 – Denver Business Journal
Image via Wikipedia
Denver-area home resales down 21% in August from 2009 – Denver Business Journal.
RELATED: Denver home prices up 1.8% in June from 2009
RELATED: U.S. home resales plummet 27% in July; at lowest level in 15 years
Denver-area existing homes sold for an average of $268,767, up 7 percent from August 2009 and about even with July 2010, Bauer said. Stand-alone houses sold for an average of $295,516 in August, up from $273,972 a year earlier, but condos sold for an average of $159,382 in August, down from $167,090 a year earlier.
For the first eight months of 2010 through August, Bauer reported closed home resales in the metro area down 1.4 percent from a year earlier.
Existing home sales, or resales, are those of homes that have been sold at least once before. Bauer’s report does not include sales of newly built homes.
The numbers to some degree show the impact of the ending of the federal government’s first-time homebuyer tax credit, for which the deadline for homes under contract to qualify was April 30.
Analysts say the tax credit boosted home sales in the months before the deadline and moved up many purchases that otherwise might have happened in the summer, causing summer numbers to sag more than they would have otherwise.
Bauer, an independent residential broker in Littleton, uses data from Metrolist of Greenwood Village, metro Denver’s Multiple Listing Service, providing home-sale data to real estate professionals.
Read more: Denver-area home resales down 21% in August from 2009 – Denver Business Journal
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