Real Estate Tips for Buying in Denver

(Source: Andrew Stratton)

Are you looking to put down roots with your own piece of Denver real estate? Maybe you've gotten married, had a baby, been promoted or got a raise- somehow your situation has changed and you know it's time to stop renting. Whatever the reason, you have decided its time to buy a home of your own. This is a big step and, whether it is your first home or you're fourth, it is always smart to be prepared, when starting the process. Here are a few things to consider, when purchasing a house that will help you avoid common pitfalls and surprises.

1. First things first, how much can you afford to pay? You have to be realistic here, especially, if you go with a variable rate loan. A low payment in one year can become too much to handle the next, if the rates go up. Understand how loans work when determining your budget and get pre-approved for one. You will know exactly how much money you have to work with, but it also locks in the rate for a short time.

2. Decide what exactly you are looking for in a Denver house. Square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, ranch or two-story. These are just a few issues to help you narrow down your search. Search the internet for houses in your area; see what is out there and what you can get for your money. If you aren't willing to compromise on certain amenities, you may have to look at older homes instead of newer builds. The good thing is that you can usually get more for your money when buying older homes. The bad news is that the money you save may have to go back into the house for updating and fixing up. Are you prepared for the work?

3. Choose a good Denver real estate agent. Meet with him and discuss all important questions. Do you like him? Is he professional? Compatibility is very important, because you will be working so closely. You want to make sure he is going to work hard for you, no matter how much money you have to spend. Once you have chosen your agent, be clear about what you want. The last thing you want to do is spend the day looking at bi-level homes when you hate stairs.

4. Look, look and look some more. Take someone who knows you and can be supportive yet objective as you look at potential real estate. You don't have to look at 50 houses, but look at enough to feel good about your decision. Take a breather after finding the house and go back on a different day to view just that house. Houses tend to blur together when you look at so many on the same day. To help you remember the points you like, make notes about each house. That will also save time and remind you if it was a yes, no or maybe.

5. Once you have picked out your dream home in Denver, make an offer. Your agent can pull up comparison prices for sold homes in the neighborhood to let you know where the asking price falls. But, always make a lower offer than the list price. They may accept, but chances are they will make a counter-offer. If this sounds scary, your trusty real estate agent can talk to you through it and advise you on how to carry out negotiations.

6. After an agreement has been reached, your agent and your lender will help you set up a home inspection and an appraisal. If anything should come up during these, don't be afraid to ask for concessions from the seller. Anything involving the structural integrity of the building should be fixed prior to closing and your agent can help facilitate this with the sellers.

Buying a home can be intimidating, but it is also very exciting. If you follow these steps, the process will be less stressful. You should enjoy this time and look to the future instead of feeling overwhelmed and bogged down in paperwork. Set down your roots and enjoy!

10 House Selling Tips

Source: CNN Money.com

It's a tough market for selling a house. Maximize your chances of a sale at a good price with these house-staging tips from an expert.

Who knew that getting rid of family photos and clearing off countertops could help you snag top dollar for your house? These are just two secrets from Debra Gould, founder of Staging Diva. Gould, a professional home stager, has helped scores of homeowners clean up, rearrange, and style their homes to command top price.

That can mean anything from putting extra books in storage to getting rid of moldy caulk in bathrooms to renting furniture to fill up too-bare spaces. "The goal is to make your home clean, organized, and welcoming so potential buyers can picture living there," says Gould. Thus the no-family-photos rule: "They make people feel like they're invading your space," she explains.

Based in Toronto, Gould has trained a network of 800+ home stagers across the U.S. "Most owners aren't seeing bidding wars the way they were a few years ago," she says. "But with the right staging, you can get close to your asking price."

Here are before-and-after photos of rooms in houses Gould has staged in the Toronto area, along with information about fees paid and sales prices.


Problem #1:
A dingy door in a blah color, plus out-of-season holiday lights, made this entry less than welcoming.

Before and After photos


Solution: Nixing the string of lights and adding black trim and a fresh coat of white paint spruces things up. Gould also swapped out the exterior sconces for larger ones that match the new color scheme

Problem #2:
Buyers could see this area of the house from the entryway. A haphazard placement of tall plants, toys, and a huge TV made it feel awkward and cluttered.

Before and After pictures:


Solution: The plants were given to a friend and the electronics and toys stored. Gould replaced them with a comfy reading chair and lamp to give this sunny spot a cozy focal point.

How to Sell Your Denver Home FSBO

Did you get that big job promotion in another city or state? Ready for a change of scenery, or unhappy with your current living arrangement? Relocating can sometimes be a stressful situation, especially if your family is involved. The big question here is "How do you sell your FSBO home quickly and for top dollar?"

Determining the correct sales price range for your Denver home is imperative, but there are also many other things to factor in during a relocation situation. The first major factor is time. How much time do you have to sell your property? If you just received that dream job promotion in another state, you may only have three months or less to get the home sold and all your furniture moved out. In the Denver real estate sales process this is a fairly quick turnaround time! In situations such as these your best bet is to set the sales price of your property lower than current price range you received in the comparable market analysis (CMA). When dealing with potential buyer's price is ultimately one of the most driving factors behind their purchasing decision. Listing your home below market value will help it sell faster...and buyers know the market because they dictate it!

The second major factor to consider is property condition. Is your Denver property brand new or are there updates that need to be made? Try to make a decent comparison between your house and others in the area that is currently for sale. If your house is in much better condition then you should be able to ask top dollar for it, if not then make any necessary repairs or market the property as a 'fixer upper'. If you do market the home as a fixer upper then make sure to price it to sell as a fixer upper (in general a fixer upper means a deal to a buyer because they will get the home for less even though there are several repairs to be made). If you need a good idea of what repairs need to be made you can always hire a certified/insured property inspector.

The last major factor to consider is sales price negotiation. In many real estate markets it's very common for buyers to offer you anywhere between 1 to 6 percent below your listing price. How do you offset this? For example, let's say you had a CMA performed and the fair market value of your home is determined to be $200,000. It is recommended that you list the home just a little above this number, around $202,999 or $204,999. Doing so will offset buyer offers and counter offers! Not only will if offset the offers and counter offers but by listing the home with $999 tacked on to the end it makes the buyers feel like they are still getting a deal under that thousand dollar range. Again, this strategy is dictated by the market so know the current real estate market in your area. If the market is strong then you can probably list it high because buyers know it will sell, if the market is low put your best price up first as it will only save you time and money.

For more FSBO tips and tricks please visit: http://www.fsbometrodenver.com

Where to buy and sell Broomfield Real Estate

Many people who are looking to buy or sell Denver real estate do not know about the great tools out there to help them with this process. There are two great websites out there for individuals in the Denver real estate market. These sites have helpful real estate tips, they answer real estate questions, and give great descriptions about real estate in Denver.

The first Denver real estate website is FSBO Metro Denver, a website where Denver residents can list their homes for sale for only $150 until their home sells. They also offer many pictures of your house and I've heard they are going to try and get a deal with a company that does virtual tours. This is a great service at an even better price! The company who owns the site also gives you a sign for your yard and will list your open houses on their site too! This will save Denver home sellers money on a real estate agent which really adds up when think about 3-6% on a home that goes for $300,000. That's $18,000 the home owner saves on the sale of their house. This is also a benefit for those looking to buy Denver real estate.

The second is a brand new website called The Denver Source that was put out by individuals independent from the real estate industry. They have developed a ton of factual information about real estate, different areas and hot spots in Denver for those looking to relocate. They go into some detail about school districts, local attractions, and more. The site also includes Denver real estate listings, tips for buying real estate, tips for selling real estate, foreclosure information, and much more. They have a cool forum for individuals to ask questions to a realtor, post your own real estate, and ask about others about real estate or marketing. Denver neighborhood descriptions and their history are also on the site. It is cool for people to be able to read about the neighborhood they live in or about to purchase. I also think individuals can contribute information they have on different neighborhoods being that the real estate website is put together by non real estate agents.

These two websites are great tools for those searching for Denver real estate or looking to sell their Denver home. Make sure you check them out!

Denver Real Estate Advice

Selling a property in the Denver real estate market is not that easy and needs a lot of hard work and patience. Patience in convincing people to sell your property, and if you have a convincing power then this task is just a piece of cake.

Not everyone has that kind of ability to easily convince people, especially that you are selling a property and it is somewhat stressful. Stress in a way that you may be forced to sell it in a lower price, because the longer the property is hanging in the market for sale, buyers will offer you lower price.

Before you got into that stage, you may want to have a plan and learn some strategies in selling your Denver home. Time is very important in selling a property, especially if there are lots of home sellers in your place, this can also affect your goal to sell your home in a timely manner.
You need to know how many competitors you have in a market and learn the things that they offer in selling their Denver home. This can give you an idea on how you will compete with them and get a lot of buyer. Usually you must do some make over in your home; this is an obvious things that you should consider. A clean and presentable place is what a buyer usually look for.
Try to do a little make over in your place and start it with painting your home. Make sure that it will be as attracted as it is before, so that prospected buyers will be easily attracted in considering your home. Also, it is a big help putting a big house for sale signage in front of your home. Include important details like contact number and contact person on the signage and expect some calls on your phone.

In answering phone calls, prepare yourself to give out your best in selling your home. You must put a good impression on your buyer on the phone so that they can have an interest buying your home. Ask them to have a visit and at the same time you can make some negotiation.

If those things have not helped you selling your Denver real estate property, then you need some help of an expert. A real estate agent is the right person to ask some help. They do have a lot of experience in terms of real estate. They can have list of buyers and investor that can have interest in selling your Denver real estate property.

Real Estate Denver

If you are in the market to buy a home and you are looking for Denver real estate, you should check out the FSBOMetroDenver.com website. They have hundreds of homes for sale that are for sale by owner denver homes which you won't find on any other real estate agent's listings or website.

A major advantage of these Denver homes for sale is you can get them cheaper than the Denver homes for sale by agents because they are not paying nearly the comission to the agent once their homes sell. Also they do not have a professional real estate agent helping them with their negotiations so you might be able to work out a great deal. Another advantage of the FSBO Metro Denver website is its a good source for homes all across the Denver Metro area and front range. Several real estate agents only work in certain neighborhoods so their listings do not target other areas. On FSBO's website they list Denver homes for sale in several counties and you are able to search according to price or county.

If you are looking for real estate in Denver you should check out the FSBO Metro Denver homes for sale for a wide variety of properties. It is a good time to buy Denver real estate, find a good deal at www.fsbometrodenver.com