Why Right Now is the Time to Sell Your Home in Denver

/

For what seems like as long as I can remember (5 years, they say I have amnesia), the real estate market has been dubbed a "buyer's market". Low-ball offers, plenty of properties to choose from, low prices, low interest rates, short sales/foreclosures, seller concessions toward buyer's closing costs and more or less getting exactly what they want. Oh how the times are changing. Gone are the days that buyers get whatever they want, and here's why: - Inventory (homes currently listed for sale in Denver) is down 53.4%. If all of the other variables were constant (which they aren't), this alone would have the pendulum swinging back toward sellers.

- Average Days on Market (DOM) has dropped by 11.7% from March 11 to March 12. What properties are currently available are going more quickly than they did last year.

- Both the average price per square foot and sold price/list price are up (4.9% and 2.9% respectively) indicating both value increases as well as higher priced inventory entering the market.

- The absorption rate (how long it would take to sell all current listings if no others entered the market) is also down substantially (as should be expected with such a drastic decrease in inventory), 55.3% year over year. So if no new listings enter the market, buyers will only be able to get property for another 3.8 months in Denver.

- Mortgage interest rates are still the lowest they have ever been. While I don't claim to be able to predict where rates will go, I do know that inflation is currently in the neighborhood of 5.2% and that my lender quoted FHA 30-year fixed rates yesterday at 3.75%. If rates increase, let's say .5%, a buyer with a maximum purchasing power of $200K is going to see an increase of approximately $100 on their monthly payment, thus decreasing the potential buyers for a given property.

I'm not saying the real estate market is saved, but what I am getting at is that it is getting very competitive to buy real estate in Denver, at all price points, and competition leads to increases in closed prices, so if you have been on the fence about buying or selling, now might be the perfect time to do either.

Denver Real Estate Market March 2012 Statistics

Home is Whenever I'm With You

/

We all know that your home doesn't end at the front door. This is another aspect that makes Homestead Farm just that much better. When you make Homestead Farm your home, you are choosing to be part of a community that has been developing for over 30 years.

A short walk from anywhere in the neighborhood are the tennis courts and neighborhood pool. Our tennis courts have been completely resurfaced and leveled within the last five years, providing a great place to let loose in the cool evening after a hard day of work. Right across from the tennis courts is the neighborhood pool, where multiple generations of kids have grown up, by both spending their free time in the afternoon and through the swim team.
Every summer the entire neighborhood rallies around the Mighty Tarpons. Starting at age 4 on the Mini-Tarps, kids are immersed in a great sport from the get-go. From there they progress to the main team at age 7, and then can swim every summer until age 18. Although it always pained me to wake up so early in the summer for practice, I genuinely loved every minute of being a Tarpon. The team is part of the Rocky Mountain Swim League, which means that we compete against a ton of surrounding neighborhoods. Swim team is a great experience for all kids, and speaking as one that moved to Homestead Farm when I was 11, it was a great way to meet the neighborhood and make friends. I would recommend trying out the Mighty Tarpons to everyone.
Seasonal neighborhood events such as the summer kick-off party on Memorial Day, the 4th of July pool party and camping trip and the holiday luminaries and carriage ride provide great opportunities to get together with your neighbors and celebrate. Grilling, beer and good times are in abundance at the pool on both Memorial Day and the 4th. When it comes time to bundle up, the kids love the horse-drawn carriage ride. Set in the evening with all of the neighborhood streets lined with luminaries, cider (and possibly something a bit stronger) and a bon fire keep everyone warm on their throwback trip through the neighborhood.

Invest Now

/

Did you know that Denver is currently the #2 rental market in the country? With demand higher than it has ever been in the Mile High City for rental properties, vacancy rates are at all time lows (my dad's company, Simpson Housing Group, currently has occupancy levels around 95% for their Denver properties). Factor in some of the great deals you can find on short sales and bank-owned properties and this is the perfect time to buy an investment property (property you own and lease out, acting as the landlord or having a property management company help out). Rates are also at history lows (as everyone knows from all of the ads constantly playing) which means you can get a property below market value, with a super low interest rate, in a market that you can almost instantly lease it out. If any of this sounds intriguing to you, contact me, follow me, or comment and let's get you in an ownership position that is comfortable to you. Happy hunting.