Homes by Michael Hall is Building a custom home for some of our clients in the Cathedral Pines subdivision. Here is a quick little video that shows the end of excavation and the beginning of footer installation and foundation

The rental numbers are in for Colorado Springs Rentals for April of 2011. The big surprise is the traction we are seeing in the larger home market. These are homes that have five or more bedrooms. We are seeing a lot more interest in these homes and as this chart shows, April shows a sharp spike in rental rates for these homes as well. For a complete overview and breakdown of these numbers, visit http://www.springshomesforrent.com

Located in Jackson Creek, Monument on a cul de sac within Lewis Palmer 38 school district this home is ready to move in. It boasts three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, formal living areas and much more. Perfectly located a short distance to schools, shopping and I-25, allowing easy access to anywhere along the Front Range. The home has many upgrades, custom touches, built in decorative niches, natural light and much more. The main level has hardwood floors, neutral carpet and custom paint. Built in bookcases and bay windows are offered up in the formal living and dining rooms. The family room offers a beautiful fireplace, vaulted ceilings and looks over to the gorgeous upgraded kitchen. Stainless steel Electrolux and Bosch appliances are throughout this amazing space with hardwood floors, large prep sink, Corian counters, smooth top cooking surface and walk in pantry. The four to five car garage is a hard to find feature providing plenty of parking, workshop area, storage and anything else you can think to do with such a generous space. The upper level has 2 secondary bedrooms, large full bath with double sinks and an amazing master suite. This home will end up on the top of your list for many reasons.

For More Information, please visit http://www.paiutecircle.com/

One of the first questions we generally get from home sellers is, do you think my home will sell?

Of course what they really mean is, will my home sell quickly and for the price I want? Of course, the answer is always the same…it depends!

All Homes Sell…eventually!  But if you need to sell in a realistic timeframe, say 3 to 6 months then there are four principles you should understand.

The four major principles in residential real estate sales are location, condition, price and exposure or marketing. Let’s look at location first because that’s the one sellers don’t control.

Location was determined when your home was built. In some cases, location can actually improve as a neighborhood develops, maybe a vacant field becomes a park or the access to a new trail is close by, but for the most part location generally stays constant. Here are the factors that impact location.

First of all, is the neighborhood hot? Neighborhoods tend to be cyclical, this is usually based on stuff like schools, amenities or gas prices. For example, if gas prices are high we tend to see a cooling in neighborhoods that are further out and would require more driving. School Districts tend to fall in and out of favor with parents and students, this impacts neighborhood desirability as well.

Assuming that your neighborhood doesn’t have any significant issues the next factor we look at is the location of the home within the neighborhood. For example homes on or backing to busy streets, corners and intersections tend be less desirable then those that back to open space or just to another house.

Finally, we look for views and trees. Here in the Pikes Peak region, this one’s a biggie. Homes that have a view tend to be more desirable then those without. Trees are in the same category as views, I’m not talking about the kind of tree you drive down to the nursery and buy, I’m talking about big, slow growth, naturally occurring ponderosa pines. Treed lots fetch more than barren lots. The combination of trees and views, tend to bring the highest premium, unless of course, any of the previous conditions exist.

So once we analyze the location of your home we have a concrete baseline to work from when assessing salability.

We are wrapping up our end of the year statistics for all property classes and types. I found this chart to be very interesting. It's a look at the 2010 average rental rate for Single Family Homes with 5 or more bedrooms. What I find so interesting about this graphic ic how predictable the Colorado Springs Real Estate Market is. This chart follows the same kind of seasonallity we see in the residential resale market.

We put this data together with the help of the Pikes Peak MLS. This information is deemed RELIABLE but is not GURANTEED. As a matter of fact there are very few guarantees in life and we think it would be unwise to look to a regional MLS for one.

For More information on Colorado Springs Homes For Rent

Colorado Springs residential vacancy rates have dropped for the second straight quarter in 2010, according to the Colorado State Division of Housing. I their latest "Apartment Vacancy and Rent Study", the division reports that El Paso County vacancy rates have dropped to 5.8%, the lowest number since Q3 of 2001. The division goes on to attribute this drop to incoming troop movements to Fort Carson.

This is great news for local "buy and hold" real estate investors. With unprecedented low interest rates and more proposed troop movements back into Colorado Springs, now is a great time to grow a real estate portfolio. For more information on Property aqusition and property management visit: http://springshomesforrent.com

We have just listed this beautiful 2-Story Home, located in the popular, Campus Bluffs subdivision. This gorgeous two story home is located in the center of town and backs to natural preserve with views of rock formations. The main level features formal living spaces with gas fireplace and grand entry. The kitchen features stainless steel appliances and  wood floors that open to a vaulted family room.Double staircase leads to two additional bedrooms, loft and large master suite.

For more information, please visit: http://www.Campus-Bluffs.com

We have just listed this beautiful new home in the Broadmoor Resort Community. This Home features Vaulted ceilings with alder beams, alder doors throughout, 3 fireplaces, double stair case, large kitchen with island, upgraded appliances, hardware and light fixtures, 2 rear patios, private backyard with stream. Main level master features plantation shutters,travertine, steam shower, Jacuzzi, fireplace. 2 bedrooms up with large loft/study. Rec room in lower level with additional 2 bedrooms. 2 furnaces, 2 hot water heaters, air filter system, work shop with storage.

For more pictures and information, please visit: http://longwoodpoint.com

New Colorado Springs Home For Sale

We have just listed this beautiful walk-out ranch plan in the popular Cumbra Vista subdivision. Built and designed by local home builder Keller Homes, quality is evident throughout the entire home. This home features 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and over 3,200 square feet. For more information visit: http://www.MountHuron.com

This information provided by: http://www.springshomes.com

Flickr.com is a great site for online photo management a sharing. This site is rich with features and continues to grow and improve. My personal favorite feature is the groups and more specifically the “Photography For Real Estate” Group. If you’re looking to improve your photographic skills, this is the place to start.

This group is a place where real-estate photographers to post their work and look for feedback from other professionals. The conversation on the site is generally constructive, so it is a great place for the enthusiast or beginning photographer to learn about what makes a great real estate photo. Additionally, photographers post a list of equipment and lighting used for each shot. Again, this is another really helpful feature for anybody looking to improve their real estate photography skills.

This group features some really talented photographers using advanced techniques to create some amazing photographs. Once you visit the group that becomes very apparent as to the type of photographs appropriate for submittal and feedback. So, whether you choose to lurk or participate this is a great place for anybody with an interest in real estate photography to see what constitutes great real estate pictures. Check it out!