MOVE DENVER |
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Etymologists define the Latin root of motivate as "motare", to move in a fashion, shake it up, stir...so let's get MOTIVATED and MOVE.
Now is the time to MOVE DENVER, get motivated, stir it up because this record making housing market will not last. In the hierarchy of motion, what goes up must certainly move, so which side of the arrow motivates you?
Abraham Maslow discussed human motivation through the hierarchy of needs, the most basic is eating, sleeping, breathing and the second tier upwards is security of home, property, employment. From those first two tiers the move is up to love and belonging then on to respect, achievement, self-esteem towards the top tier of self-actualization; think Pyramid and then think like an Egyptian. The epitome of self-actualization is the top of the pyramid, but why not live in something more "livable" .
There are many areas in Denver that have seen market movement at a motivated pace, but a too well kept secret in the metro Denver area is Castle Pines Village. Many of the luxury homes in the packet of listing inventory are for sale at motivated prices. This is your chance to live the dream and move into an estate quality home on exceptional acre plus lots with native landscaping that captures the essence of Colorado...truly where Denver becomes Colorado again.
So, time to get your move on. For more information on the luxury homes in Castle Pines Village or other neighborhoods in the Denver area, give me a call.
Judy Fahrenkrog
Kentwood City Properties
303-820-2489
posted: June 12, 2013
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Buyers Take Your Mark... |
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...Get Set... no false starts here...the summer buying season is off and let the Buyers Beware, it is HOT! With very low inventory and a housing market that catapulted with jet propusion into a market favoring the Seller, every minute counts.
If you have not read the article by Michelle Higgins in the Sunday Real Estate section of the New York Times, it is informative and to the point of the housing market these days. Of course, you say, " iI's New York!", however, be wise and take notes as the boot camp for buying is not exclusive to New York real estate. Several of her points are more than relevant to the Denver area market, and points that buyers should use as their offensive game plan.
Some of the strategies are:
1. DON'T WAIT FOR THE OPEN HOUSE. Schedule a showing for the week prior to the first open house and use the open house as your second visit.
2. FORGET ABOUT GETTING A DEAL. Multiple offers are flying through the doors of well priced listings. Contingencies and room to negotiate will only make you lose the baton.
3. DON'T DELAY. Being first in allows you the position to bring the offer up if there are other bids.
4. BE PREPARED. Have a prepared lender approval letter or buyers financial statemet along with a short resume/bio. This creates a level of confidence for the seller that the offer is sincere and credible as opposed to an offer that will just tie up the property.
5. RAISE YOUR DOWN PAYMENT. The new normal is higher than 20% and making a portion of that earnest money non-refundable gets you in the game!
6. BEWARE CONTINGENCIES. Be prepared to keep additional provisions limited. If there is a loan to be approved, keep the inspection objection period short and keep the list necessary. Appraisals are beginning to keep up with the fast increase in housing values, but have the clarity and perhaps cash to make up the difference.
7.KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE. In bidding wars, buyers need to be prepared to bid high or add escalation clauses, but the walk-away number should stay within the buyers psyche.
8.TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. Point taken.
The most important point or strategy that Michelle did not mention is the agency relationship with a Realtor. The internet is often helpful in assistin buyers durin the home search, but often the various websites have either incorrect information or the houses listed are no longer available. The internet sites do not list the ever increasing "coming soon" housing inventory that many buyers are using to their advantage. Get a coach, your Realtor, that will give you the time and the professional advantage to get you to the finish line with the property that is first on your list.
Contact me for more information about the Denver real estate market. I work with Buyers and Sellers in the city close areas of Denver and as far south as Castle Pines Village. I have been a Realtor for over 30 years.
Judy Fahrenkrog
Kentwood City Properties
303-820-2489
judy@kentwoodcity.com
The information in this blog was based on the article in the Sunday, June 2, 2013 New York Times Real Estate p. 10
by Michelle Higgins.
posted: June 4, 2013
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Dressed Up or Addressed Up? |
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The newest of the the new in the vertical social status is the zip code...not the area code as the mobile phone replaced the land line. The zippiest way to find out if someone has that certain swagger is the digital way.
Denver has a few toney neighborhoods, usually ending in 80206..perhaps 80202. The owners at Four Hundred East Third number 903 with an 80203, chic code, just changed out their closets...SOLD!
Yes, the 903 unit in that building with southwest corner views from Pike's Peak to Downtwon Denver was on the market and under contract within hours and closed in one month. The new owners are officially addressed up!
Four Hundred East Third is just west of the Denver Country Club's golf course, just south of Speer Boulevard, just north of Washington Park and within walking distance to the Cherry Creek Mall. The steel and concrete contemporary high rise has a 24 hour concierge, underground private parking, a business center, fitness center and two entertainment centers.
Many of the residents are half year or pied a terre owners, finding Four Hundred an easily accessible place for the quick change. It is within minutes to the Denver Center Arts Complex, black tie anyone?, and if you have just travelled downhill from your mountain abode, a great place to house the Louboutins. It is within minutes of all the sports venues from Bronco football to Rockies baseball...also a great place to change out the jersey shirts for our southwestern and midwestern neighbors that migrate to Denver for home games.
For more information on this stunning address or any other notable zip codes, don't hesitate to contact me. I have placed clients in the most sought after zip codes in the Denver area for over 30 years.
Judy Fahrenkrog
Kentwood City Properties
303-820-2489
posted: May 27, 2013
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GOT PARKING! |
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JUST LISTED AND JUST UNDER CONTRACT!
Cherry Creek North, one of the hottest neighborhoods in Denver just got hotter. Amidst the change that is coming to this toney residential and business district, the inventory of existing residential product is quickly vanishing along with available parking.
Three major development projects have been approved and construction begins summer 2013....Summer/Memorial weekend/NOW!
The entire block of Columbine from Second Avenue to Third Avenue will be razed for new construction, the corners of Second Avenue and St. Paul and First Aveneue and Steele are construction zones. Hillstone's has just leased more parking for their popular restaurant, on Third Avenue and University...where the apartment building was yesterday but is gone today! Cherry Creek is under the ether...major facelift...so if you have not bought into the "hood" yet, get on it!
333 Josephine Street Unit #2 is the perfect Cherry Creek property. A 100 % Walk Score, located across from Manley Park, next to Hillstone's, a one and one-half block from Whole Foods, less than a block from the fantabulous new boutique JOI and many more shops and "foodie" restaurants. It is walkable to the Botanic Gardens summer concert series and sitting on the deck on a Wednesday evening, you can hear enough music from the Elway's concerts to be enticed to walk, yes, walk over and join in on the fun!
Josephine Townhome Properties are not only superior in location, but the exterior is contemporary with a European flair, stucco and terra cotta tile. There are four townhomes with 3 floors of living space and the bonus is the main level office/bedroom area with a walk-off door and small courtyard, zoned for office, up to 3 persons, to lease out or utilize for live work. With office and residential vacancy rates at a premium, the rental income more than pays the mortgage!
The location is great, the untis are stunning and the POWERBALL is the parking...4 PARKING SPACES! There are 2 spaces in the attached garage and 2 additional parking spaces per unit in the enclosed parking area. BINGO!
Missed this spectacular property? Don't let that happen again, contact me for more information on Cherry Creek real estate, the future developments and more COMING SOON LISTINGS!
Judy Fahrenkrog
Kentwood City Properties
303-820-2489
judy@kentwoodcity.com
posted: May 20, 2013
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Past Perfect |
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In a recent article by Lynn Yaeger in the New York Times, the focus is not on the home "make-over" but the "make-under", or when to leave well enough alone. Part of the charm in so many homes is not what to remodel but how to remodel without looking, well, remodelled. This is the ultimate facelift, when friends and family discuss how rested you look as opposed to how much work you have had done. The secret is in the sauce.
Since the home building boom screeched to a halt a few years back, home buyers have found it necessary to consider homes built during decades that have long past. In a charming area such as Washington Park, many homes are now being considered too good to scrape because buyers don't want to lose the look of the neighborhood that has brimmed with the Denver bungalow. Most homes in the area have no off-street parking, either built without a brick and cold one car garage or the garage became part of a renovation that created an extra bedroom or workshop or artist studio. The residents of Washington Park don't really expect much in the way of off-street parking, a parking pad in the backyard will usually suffice as long as the pad doesn't mess with the patina of the well worn sidewalk or exposed brick walls. It is as if the neighbors would wish spray dirt in a can, make the new residence or addition look as if it had been there from the beginning.
The make-under is the new trend in many urban areas. The big box replacements of charming homes that were part of the neighborhood's history are not the urban chic once desired. The uber buyer would rather buy the sub-zero refrigerator then have the manufacturer's doors replaced with period door fronts. The hardwood floors are meticulously reconditioned to leave the story there.
If you would like to see a past perfect home in the Washington Park area, visit the 245 South Lafayette Open House on Sunday, October 14, from 2 to 4.
For more information homes in the metro Denver area visit
www.denverrealestate.com.
Judy Fahrenkrog
Kentwood City Properties
303-820-2489
posted: October 10, 2012
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Occupy Home |
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Colorado was the perfect setting for the Thanksgiving holiday week. Temperatures were mild to unseasonal, with an afternoon round of golf as the major rival to an afternoon of football. Biking around the Denver area there were sightings of homeowners hanging outdoor holiday lights and greens and a few just hangin' on a sprawling porch catching a late autumn tan. Denver's rating as the number one city for male, female and pet fitness was obvious as the parks and corridors were teaming with joggers, bikers, tennis players, volleyball gamers and dog walkers. All were out with family and friends from near and far and all were headed to one place this evening....home.
Home is still the number one fan favorite for Thanksgiving. Home is where one goes to fire up the olfactory receptors, to ignite the inner child and to rekindle memories. Home is the yin and the yang of family relationships, the alpha and omega of our personal transparency. Home is the plate of our lives, so why not live in the home that reflects you and your family.
As you took the time to Occupy Home this holiday weekend, if it didn't fit, now is the time to make that change. A few of the holiday classic movies that played had themes around moves to make the home fit the family. "Miracle on 34th Street" was themed around believing in something bigger than yourself, something that can't be seen and to Susan's surprise, the one dream she wanted was a wish granted...a new home. "With Six You Get Eggroll" is a movie about a blended family trying to make the new step relationships work with little room to spare. In the end, they made room in their hearts and lives for each other but they also moved to a new home...their home.
The movies may have been filmed in the 40's and 60's, but the themes are as current today. The home is the cornerstone of our society, it is as American as turkey and gravy.
If you want to spend some time looking at the possibility of making a move with your home, phone or email me. The holiday season is a great time to tour homes for sale. Interest rates are still incredibly low and lenders are lending.
email: judy@kentwoodcity.com
posted: November 27, 2011
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Timeless Albion |
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Albion is the oldest known name of the island that is now recognized as Great Britain. It is used poetically and mythically. Etymologists have stemmed the word to "white" or "earth world" and "hill". Myth has it that Brutus and his fellow Trojans escaped and set sail to the promised island, "which time shall ne'er destroy, nor bounds confine." The goddess Diana referred to this island as Albion.
Did the promise deliver?
Albion Place in Castle Pines Village delivers on the promise. Sited on a private cul-de-sac and offered to the national and international markets through Christie's International Real Estate, the ambient architecture both in structure and landscaping is sophisticated and timeless.
Chris Davis of Boss Architecture created a house design with sophistication, scale, presence all in harmony with the site. Next to the twelfth hole of the Castle Pines Golf Club, Albion Place is sited on more than 3 acres of inspired landscaping by Martin Mosko of Marpa. The designs incorporate elements of a modern aesthetic with elegance, quintessential beauty and sustainability.
The rooms are composed in zones for both private and public functionality. The design encourages inoor and outdoor living, creating vibrant living spaces taking full advantage of the gardens with koi ponds, a tea house, pool, reflective pools and waterfalls and the promise of Albion, a meditative white garden.
For more information on Albion Place contact me.
Shown by appointment only, price upon request.
Judy Fahrenkrog
Broker Associate
Kentwood City Properties
posted: July 17, 2012
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Have Them From Hello |
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The most oft heard comment when feedback is given for a house preview or showing is "stage". Staging the home is one of the most important steps in getting a home sold, falling just short of listing the house for sale. A well staged home literally upstages any negative aspects of a home such as floor plan or traffic sounds and will engage the buyer to spend more time in the home. Once that front door opens, you need to have them from "hello".
Staging a home is less difficult than one would presume. Obviously if the home is for sale, the seller is moving so the first step is to start packing. Early packing is key, choose what you will not move and either donate or dispose. Remove is the new normal, the operative word!
An easy place to stage is the kitchen,it is the most seductive room in the house and you are there nearly three times a day so it is easy to give it a fresh look. The operative word for a well staged kitchen is fresh. Clean to spotless counters with little to nothing on display but a fresh bowl of crisp apples! Make sure that all the cupboards are organized, and all the chipped or well-used dishware are removed. Buyers test drive the cabinets, cupboards and drawers in the kitchen, it is an inviting visual. Does your cutlery drawer seduce? It is not hard to achieve through a local container or hardware store.
Less is more when staging the kitchen, if the coffee maker is used everyday then find a time-out hidden storage area for that pot to rest while the home is on the market. This same rule measures out for the food processor, toaster and any other small counter top appliance. If replacing appliances is not within your home sale budget, then spend a little extra time and elbow work giving the elderly appliance a make-over., there are many products available to spit and shine an old stove top. Buyers will notice the cleanliness of a room more than the age of the appliance. And lastly, the smell test rules, from the front door to the back door. While your home is on the market, the trash cans should be emptied everyday and the food preparation should be sensitive to what will permeate the next day. If you can, grill out or eat out (especially if you favor ethnic foods). The smell test also applies to the everyday habits of the family pets, and pet odors will travel and linger as long as the unwanted houseguest. The same rule holds true for manufactured air freshners, often sending the wrong scent and message.
On the warm late autumn days, open the windows often and keep the cleaning items handy. You will not get weary of these tasks, a well staged home usually sells quickly.
For more information on staging your home for sale or the process of selling and buying residential real estate don't hesitate to contact me at judy@kentwoodcity.com . I have been serving buyers and sellers in the Denver metro area for thirty years, often with repeat clients.
Judy Fahrenkrog
Kentwood City Properties
posted: November 5, 2012
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Three Days |
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The Super Bowl has become the East Coast bowl but the talk of this town is "win or lose, they still have to live on the east coast". So, what is so intriguing about the life and style in the mile high city, home of the AFC West champions and four other professional sports teams? Let's take a look at the last three days in Denver.
Friday afternoon, temperatures hovered around 60 degrees with a front range chinook...golf anyone? The city's municipal courses hosted foursomes from around town and the mountain communities. City Park's golf course was spectacular with views of snow capped mountain peaks and sweater weather. After an afternoon of fresh air, time to breathe in the city views from a rooftop deck at one of the newer nightspots opening in the boutique Denver communities. Linger, in the Highlands has a rooftop deck with views of the luminous Denver skyline, but don't linger (double pun intended) two days to go.
Saturday, temperatures hovered between the late fifties and early sixties so time to cruise through the morning. Everyone had a ride, from Schwinn to Harley to muttons.
The last weekend of the National Western Stock Show features the Mutton Bustin contest along with the finals for the other bronco bustin. This was the weekend to get your chaps on! Part of the National Western Stock Show tradition is to keep the holiday lights lit, so it was the final weekend to take in the post holiday glow, including the spectacular canopy of lights at Larimer Square. The nightlife on Larimer Square rivets with the block long selection of bars and restaurants, including a speakeasy under the street. You do not need to go where everyone knows your name in Larimer, between the food, bars and music you will find plenty of "cheers" and a closing time of 2 am is not a deterrent as fresh tracks await.
Sunday, early start for winter sports in the high country. While Denver enjoyed a mid-winter thaw, the mountains received inches to feet of the white stuff. The many world class ski resorts are less than a two hour drive so Denverites can pick and choose, no flights required. To round out the three days, a leisurely afternoon at an apres ski spot to catch the final two minutes. With the Rocky playground in the background, many a Denverite smiled, the East Coasst may have two Super Bowl contenders but we get to live here.
For more information on the life and style of Denver and the many real estate opportunities to help you live here, please contact me at:
judy@kentwoodcity.com
posted: January 23, 2012
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Change You Need To Believe In! |
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If you don't like the weather in Colorado on any given morning, wait a day and it will change. So goes the residential real estate market.
A year ago, sellers were dealing with a market that was glutted with short sales and foreclosures, inventory was high and buyers were warming up in the locker rooms/rental market. This year, not so much.
Denver is experiencing an extroardinary lack of inventory in available homes for sale, in all price ranges. Buyers have warmed up and are ready to buy, facing a seller's market with multiple offers on the existing inventory. What a difference a year makes, this is pent up desire.
The desire is high for several reasons, with a changing economic outlook more buyers are now qualifying and the interest rates are still low. Rental rates have sky-rocketed and the vacancy rates are still low. While buyers took a breather, sellers did the research.
posted: April 4, 2012
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