Our Bloggers
Denver & Suburbs
Larry Hotz - Selling nearly 1000 homes since 1978, Former Managing Broker and Faculty Member, Colorado Association of Realtors. Follow Larry on Twitter
Littleton & SW
Dennis Martin - Another Dad/Daughter Real Estate Team sells homes throughout Denver's Southwest Suburbs. Dennis also managed a real estate company and sold homes for over 30 years.
Erie, Niwot, Northwest
Paula King
- a Certified Residential Specialist helping folks in Denver's north suburbs.
Downtown Denver
John Ludwig - Lo-Do, Business District, City Park, John lives in and knows the city.
West Denver
Melody Rivera
- and Rivera Team sell homes in Highlands, Lakewood, Westminister. She is also President of The Denver Board of Realtors.
Longmont & North
John Callis -
Broker since 1982 in Denver's northern suburbs. Lives in Boulder.
First Time Homes
Elizabeth Hotz
- Purdue grad and broker since 2005, Liz has lived in both the City and Suburbs. She know the best places for first-time buyers.
Douglas County
Doug Hutchins - Doug lives and works throughout Douglas County including Castle Rock and Parker. He's a long-time Realtor with local knowledge about issues in Douglas County.
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Castle Pines North Market Holds Steady
By Doug Hutchins, Castle Pines North Real Estate Broker
Castle Pines real estate market held relatively steady in third quarter 2008
Through the first three quarters of 2008, 126 homes have sold in Castle Pines North, compared to 127 selling in the in the same period in 2007. The average sales price has dropped from $532,540 for all of 2007 to $496,866 for the first nine months of 2008, which is a 6.7% decrease.
However, due to the variety of home sizes in Castle Pines North, a Denver suburb, and the relatively few homes that sell each year, I prefer to focus on the average price per square foot, which helps adjust for the larger homes that sell. The average price per square foot has dropped only 2.48% from $175.58 per square foot to $171.22 per square foot.
Real Estate Trends CEO Steve Murray
By Larry Hotz, Senior Editor
Real Estate Trends CEO, Steve Murray predicts housing recovery
Steve Murray is the Chief Executive Officer for Real Trends, the national real estate magazine that tracks market activity throughout the United States. He is one of the top authorities in the country on the current condition of various real estate markets and a respected forecaster of real estate future trends.
I was among the thousand or so folks who attended the Colorado Real Estate and Economic Forum hosted recently at the DTC Marriott Hotel by The Kentwood Companies. Steve presented an interesting analysis of the current real estate downturn and its prediction for sales to improve.
He noted that home sales in the Denver real estate market below $300,000 have been extremely brisk while high-end sales about $1 million are still languishing.
Is Denver The Best Real Estate Market?
By Larry Hotz, Senior Editor
You hear it from bankers. You hear it from real estate brokers. I hear it from people trying to buy or sell a home. And, everyone hears it at cocktail parties.
It’s common knowledge throughout Denver and the suburbs that Denver’s better than the rest of the country. At least, our home prices have depreciated the least and home sales have held up the best.
Denver Home Price Are More Stable Than Most Cities
Over 1000 heard good news about the Denver Real Estate Market at The Kentwood Company Forum.
These facts were just confirmed at the Colorado Real Estate and Economic Forum hosted by the Kentwood Companies. Over 1000 folks showed up to hear a variety of speakers including Erik Davidson Senior Director of Investments for Wells Fargo Private Bank not only repeat the mantra but prove it! Read more
Avoiding Home Pests
by Carl Brahe, Certified Denver Home Inspector, CHI, CCI
(Ed: We are grateful to have Mr. Brahe contribute guest blog posts from time to time. He is a respected Denver home inspector and his advice is helpful. If you enjoy this article and wish to talk to him about doing a home inspection, do so at Inspection Perfection, Inc - 303-816-5556 info@inspection-perfection.comHe also provided this interesting quiz: How Green is Your Home?)
Carpenter Ants Can Be Pests in Colorado
In Colorado we have few pests compared to most places. Our dry climate make it harder for moist environments to exist that most pests require to survive. For pest to live in our homes they must have a way to enter, sufficient moisture and food to live. The food is usually other pests. Read more
September Home Sales
by Larry Hotz, Lead Editor
September Home Sales For Denver Metro Area
Denver homes sales soared 15% in September compared to the year ago period. And, homes placed under sales contract went up 20% over that same period. There were dramatically fewer homes on the market too. So, why then did the average price of a home drop by 15%?
I don’t think it really did. You see, it depends on what you mean by the average price. Read more
Why Use a Local Lender?
Dennis Martin, Littleton Real Estate
What does your mortgage lender look like?
When is a deal on an internet mortgage not really a good deal? The answer is: When the loan never closes.
Every once in a while I have an experience which I feel I need to share with my clients. Here’s one of those horror stories I just went through.
Recently, another broker brought me a contract on one of my listings. As is the custom, they included a lender prequalification letter. The letter was from an Internet-based loan broker.
Kentwood Expands Marketing Department
By Larry Hotz, Kentwood Company Broker
- Brokers Larry Hotz, Sonia Scott and Mary Carole Albi with Peter Niederman, COO of Kentwood Companies
The Kentwood Companies is the only Denver real estate firm that operates its own, in-house Marketing Department. The philosophy of the Company has always been that marketing separates average from superior real estate firms.
In an unexpected move the marketing department has announced that it is nearly doubling the size of its office space. So, we did what l we always do when there’s an announcement. We threw a party! Read more
Broomfield Develops
By Paula King, North Denver Suburbs Expert
Broomfield has long been known for it’s great public schools and its golf course communities. It’s been like an island between Denver and Boulder on Highway 36. But, the less developed portion of the city is further north and east and can actually be accessed off I-25 on the way to Loveland.
As Bill Moore, Co-Owner of the Kentwood Company, said recently,” Highway 7 and Interstate 25 is the the gateway to Northern Colorado.” The McWhinney Company of Loveland has just announced development of the 973 acres they purchased in June at the southwest corner of these roads. Read more
Wells Fargo
By Larry Hotz, All Denver Real Estate
Wells Fargo is Colorado’s largest home loan lender. So, it is significant that they just this month upgraded Denver and the metropolitan area real estate market from “distressed “to “stable”. That means that borrowers will be able to borrow more money when they purchase a home than they have been able to do in the past and terms will be the most favorable the bank has to offer.
Now, there is one major exception to that change. Well County has not been upgraded. The bank did not give any reasons so we are left to speculate as to why that happened. But, based on an arrest today in Mexico, fraud may have been a contributor to home foreclosures there. Read more
Fed Mortgages
by Nancy Deane, Colorado Express Mortgage
As you know, in a truly historic event yesterday, Treasury Secretary Paulson and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Lockhart announced that “FHFA has placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship.” The government (FHFA) will now be managing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for the foreseeable future. What does mean to you?