Can you say "It's Getting Hot!!!!" Over the past few weeks we are starting to see our "Real Summer" with temps in the 90's and High 80's. Along with that there seems to be a lot more activity in the Real Estate Market as well, with many homes under the $200k price point "flying off the shelves" so to speak seeing multiple offers in very short time periods. This is really becoming a popular price range for both the first time buyers as well as the investors that were sitting on the sidelines for the past several months.

Also, 100% financing.......it seems to be back for some. Certain town programs are still offering great down payment assistance as well as the USDA program offering 100% financing in rural areas! However, you may be surprised to see what all is considered "Rural"......you can get very close to Longmont, Loveland, Ft. Collins and more!

If you are considering making a home purchase please give me a call if you want to know more about these types of programs available! FHA even makes it more attainable requiring only 3.5% down. Cant forget the $8000.00 tax credit either!

Enjoy this weather and this beautiful state!

Buying this house seems like a good idea but how do I do it?

Having a successful and fun experience on your first purchase is what we strive for.....

To help ensure a great transaction, here are a few steps that will help you along your way, or simply help you understand the process.

1)      Find Your Realtor! I use the term Realtor and not Real Estate Agent because as few know, they are not the same thing. Realtors, in order to use this designation must meet a certain level of criteria and are held to a higher code of ethics. More on What is a Realtor?  When choosing a broker I would look at two things, referrals from those you trust (friends/family) and of course the most common way is to hit the internet. Nowadays you can find a wealth of information on companies and people like never before. We have Blogs, web pages, reviews, information on companies, valuable tools, etc. You will be able to quickly determine who is a professional in your area. Remember that WE are people too! We like to be involved in activities, have certain beliefs, specialize in certain areas of Real Estate that others do not and so on......basically, look for someone that you see yourself trusting through market knowledge and resources as well as able to share a laugh or similar interests with.....it makes the relationship that much better!

1)/2) I use the 1 or 2 here because you may also start with this, your mortgage broker. This is vital for both you the buyer as well as us the Realtors so that we know exactly what is within your reach from the start. It allows us to help set realistic expectations as well as helps you stay within a budget when comparing property. They will also provide you with a "Pre Qualification Letter" to use when you find the home you wish to put an offer on. Finding your mortgage broker or lender should start once again with those you know, referrals from friends/family and then the Internet. If you chose to find your Realtor before finding your Mortgage Broker, ask your Realtor who they recommend as they will have great local referrals of those they trust as well. Commonly this option may work the best as your Realtor will want to recommend a broker that they can be assured can get the job done with great results.

3)    Now you have your Realtor, what do you do? Well this will depend on how you and your Realtor have agreed to work. Basically you are ready to view properties. More than likely your Realtor has given you some options as well as a way to search for listings yourself.

4)   Offer and Negotiations Stage. Once you have found your property, your Realtor will work with you on coming to an agreement on what to offer on the property and at what terms. After submission you will either get your offer Accepted, Countered or Rejected. Rejected is fairly self explanatory. Accepted is also in that you are now "under contract" and on your way to home ownership. If the offer gets "countered" this is when negotiations come into play. The seller has looked at your offer and said "Hmm, well how about this instead?" You're Realtor and you will review counters to decide what is appropriate for your situation.

5)    Now that you are under contract there are several things to do, I will mention a few of them here.

-Get your Home inspected

-Review the title on the home

-Apply for homeowners insurance

-Optional Inspections for Radon Gas, Sewer pipes, etc

-Review and leases on the property if applicable

-Review the HOA documents and fees and ensure home is in good standing

-Finalize your loan application and/or continue in the loan process to finalize the loan.

There are several other dates and or deadlines that "could" relate to your transaction.

6)  Pre Closing will happen when your broker and you deem appropriate. A good Realtor will review what to expect at closing, what you need to bring and answer any other questions that you may have to make sure you are comfortable and understand the process. Dates and times will also be verified.

7)  CLOSING! This is a very exciting day for you. If your contract allows, you are able to make one more visual inspection of the property and off to the title company you go! After a series of signatures and explanations or answers to any questions that come up, the sale will be closed and you will be issued keys! (That is of course that your contract states possession at time of closing)

This was not meant to be a full "Step By Step" of the home buying process, rather after several requests I decided to briefly outline what a new buyer should do to "get out and buy a home!"

If you have any questions about the buying or selling process, or need a Realtor, please do not hesitate to call or email me!

Don't forget if you are a first time buyer that your may be entitled to up to $8000.00 credited on your taxes! 

Visit us online at http://www.hunterhomescolorado.com

Few great things happening this weekend in Longmont! Join us!

First things first, tonight ShBang will be playing from 6:30-8pm at the Roosevelt Park Pavilion. This is part of the towns "Summer Concert Series". Bring a lawn chair and relax, meet with friends, hang out with family, meet new friends and enjoy great music on a nice summer evening.

Thursday dont miss the Callahan House tour as previously mentioned.

Friday Night bring the whole family out for another "Second Friday". There will be art openings, live entertainment and retail open houses. These sure are a good time.

Saturday at 10am is the 79th Annual "Pet and Doll Parade" down Main Street! Starting at Roosevelt Park, this great Longmont tradition also features a costume contest that is open to all.

Finally, Sunday feel free to visit Lefthand Brewery on Boston Avenue for some refreshing local brews and live music. This Sunday Kort McCumber will be ther playing American Folk music. 4:30-6:30 and admission is free.

Hope to see you at one of the events!

Interested in what your home is worth? How about what is available in your price range?

Tour the Historic Callahan House in June!

Between June and August of 2009, you are invited to take a tour and learn about the history of the Callahan House in West Side Old Town Longmont located at 312 Terry St.

Tour dates & times:

June 11th, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

July 9th, 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

August 13th, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

For more information, you may contact the Callahan House at 303-776-5191

This classic Victorian home was given to the City of Longmont in 1938 and is a great place for special events. The beautiful yard and garden features statues, a fountain, large shade trees and many varieties of flowers. Great spot for a picnic on the above days! Enjoy!

Most of the cities home prices fall.

In an article this morning in the Times Call, Longmont Board of Realtors President as well as the County Assessor commented on Longmont and surrounding areas home prices. Looking at the data it was clear that although Boulder Counties property values decreased, Boulder itself as well as many other towns saw positive growth. Longmonts higher foreclosure rate played a good part in the average price drops.

LBR President stated Longmont's regional housing market includes southern Larimer and southwest Weld counties, as well as Boulder County, and that housing values in Longmont are influenced by what's happening in all three of those counties.

See the map below, Longmont has seen diverse change from neighborhood to neighborhood and it is particularly interesting to see that areas of Old Town and Prospect saw positive growth.

Looking more at Boulder County as a whole, you can see below that many areas also saw positive growth. Longmont, Superior, Erie and Rural Plains being the areas seeing negative numbers. This really puts into perspective that you cannot classify "The Housing Market" as a whole. Each individual neighborhood, town and county all have different stories to tell.

On the second Friday evening of every month, Downtown Longmont comes together for art openings, live entertainment and retailer open houses. Come Downtown from 6 to 9 p.m. to join the fun.

These events are a lot of fun and it is always great to get out, meet your neighbors and enjoy some local food and entertainment.

Schedules and hosts may change so please visit the LDDA website at http://downtownlongmont.com/index.php/site/2ndfridays/

For a flyer of the event please click here!

What do you want to do this weekend?

This summer be sure and stay tuned as I will update activities that will be happening in and around the Old Town and Downtown Areas.

Summer Convert Series Starts in June!

Save the Dates:
June 25, July 9, 16, 23, 30 and August 13, 2009

The LDDA and the City of Longmont Recreation Services will be hosting a six week summer concert series in downtown Longmont.
The event will run from 5:30-8:30pm with music being played from 6-8pm
The concerts will be performed on 4th avenue between Main and Kimbark Streets.
The concerts are free yet food, beverages and alcohol will be sold on site.
Please see the dates below for performer information:

June 25 - Delta Sonics
July 9 - 8Trac
July 16 - Atoll
July 23 - Beloved Invaders
July 30 - Chris Daniels
August 13 - Hazel Miller

Dates, times and Performers MAY change.

Drip Drip Drop Little April Shower!

What a great state we live in huh? See well over 300 days of sun a year, ridiculous several feet high blizzards, record breaking high temps, ice fishing and water skiing! All within 3-4 months of each other!

Well once again mother nature kissed us with 2 days of rainy Seattle Style storms, cold weather, and slush. Monday-Saturday? High 70's and low 80's full of sun.

The grass and flowers on your listings will hopefully look great now! Have fun enjoying this great state!

The following information was taken from the Denver Business Journal and CAR Homepage and is being used in this blog for information disbursement only. I am not representing this as my own writing.

The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter Tuesday announced "CHFA JumpStart," a program under the federal stimulus package to offer a tax credit to first-time homebuyers.

The credit of up to $8,000 -- authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- would go to qualifying first-time homebuyers who purchase and close on a home between Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, 2009.

"Through the CHFA JumpStart program, we are bringing the benefits of the economic stimulus plan to Colorado," Perlmutter, D-Golden, said in a statement Tuesday. "First-time homebuyers will be able to leverage the future benefit of the federal tax credit by working with CHFA to access the dollars needed to buy a home today."

According to details released Tuesday by Perlmutter's office, CHFA JumpStart offers first-time homebuyers a 30-year fixed-interest first mortgage as well as a zero-interest second mortgage for $6,000 or 3.5 percent of the home, whichever is less, to be used for down payment and closing costs.

There are no payments due on the second mortgage through June 30, 2010.

Borrowers could use their tax credit under the program to pay off the second mortgage before the June 30, 2010, deadline.

Those eligible for the program can claim 10 percent of the price of their home, up to the $8,000 maximum, against their 2008 federal tax returns due this year, or their 2009 federal tax returns due next year.

The credit begins to phase out at a modified adjusted gross income of more than $75,000, or $150,000 for joint filers, Perlmutter's office said.

The tax credit can be used with CHFA's home finance programs.

Great News Huh? There is much more info on this product here: http://www.ncsha.org/uploads/CHFA_JumpStart_Tax_Credit_Program_Fact_Sheet%20_2_.pdf

 One of our managing brokers just did an interview with Denver's Channel 7 news about the use of twitter and other social networking sites. I found it very interesting how creative some business's are getting. Realtors all know it is a great way to spread the word about a new listing, and open house, and even a killer price reduction. But interestingly enough you can even get notified when your local bakery "just took your favorite treat out of the oven!"

Social networking has come a HUGE way in the professional world, but we are still in the beginning stages of where technology will not only take our business, but business in general.

Here is a link to the article if interested!

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/19194223/detail.html