Real estate blog entries tagged with home buyer by Colorado Dream House Team, Real People. Real Professionals. Real Estate (Keller Williams Realty DTC)

Home : Blogs : Colorado Dream House Team : Colorado Dream House Team Blog : Tag "home buyer"

home buyer: When to List Your Home. By Marc Bayes. - 01/07/14 08:30 PM

With winter on our heels, many people are wondering if they should list their home. When listing your home in the winter, sellers are inconvenienced with bad weather, holiday obligations and fewer buyers. But what many sellers don’t know is that if you list your home in the winter, the odds of selling would be greater than if you list in the spring or summer. So you might be asking yourself right now, if there are fewer buyers in winter why would I not wait for summer? Let’s take a moment to discuss why.
Most sellers would envision selling their home … (30 comments)

home buyer: My 2014 Prayers. By Dan Polimino. - 12/30/13 07:10 PM

Tonight is New Year’s Eve and it means not only a time to look back, but also a time to look forward. The great thing about the start of New Year is that it’s kinda like a “do over.” Do you remember when we were kids and when we didn’t like the outcome of some game we were playing, we instantly shouted, “DO OVER! DO OVER!” so that all of our friends knew that whatever just happened didn’t count? Of course, the last year counts; but in the coming New Year, we do have a chance to do many “do overs.” … (2 comments)

home buyer: Where to Live In Denver. By Marc Bayes. - 12/17/13 08:53 PM

I’ve been working with quite a few buyers that want to live in an up and coming neighborhood. After selling homes from Broomfield to Castle Rock and everywhere in between I can tell you that the only up and coming neighborhoods that offer character, tradition, a sense of the past, and promise of a future lies within Denver. I wanted to share with you the hottest Denver neighborhoods of 2013 and whatDenver neighborhoods will be popular in 2014.
The most notable neighborhood is the Highlands. I’ve been told the Highlands has been up and coming since I lived there. Truth is I wish I still lived … (1 comments)

home buyer: Assumable Loans Are Back. By Dan Polimino. - 12/16/13 07:57 PM

I am amazed that I have a mortgage with less of an interest rate than what my parents paid for our home in 1968. What really blew me away was when my lender told me that my loan was assumable. I thought assumable loans were a thing of the past, but FHA loans are assumable, and now some conventional loans are as well.
The assumable loan was almost a must for homebuyers in the late 70’s and early 80’s when interest rates climbed to 16% and higher. When a seller had an assumable loan, they definitely had an advantage over a seller that did not. For those … (0 comments)

home buyer: Home Upgrades Do’s and Don’ts. By Marc Bayes. - 12/10/13 09:35 PM

I can’t tell you how many completely remodeled homes I’ve been into throughout 2013. Some of them looked incredible and you could really tell that that the sellers or the contractors took their time and did things right. Others were pretty bad and you could tell it was a rush job with no attention to detail. I wanted to share with you a brief list of do’s and don’ts for home upgrading in 2014.
The number one thing that buyers are looking for with upgrades on a home is the kitchen. Buyers want to see granite or something similar like quartz or soap stone. They want to … (23 comments)

home buyer: Winter Real Estate. By Marc Bayes. - 12/03/13 09:57 PM

Winter is coming. While it’s a great tag line for Game of Thrones it’s also an inevitable reality for us in Colorado. With winter comes the second selling season for real estate and with snow in the air it’s right around the corner. I wanted to lay out expectations for both buyers and sellers as we move into the colder snowy months of real estate.
Winter real estate comes with ups and downs just like any other season. The first big expectation for buyers to have is an extreme lack of inventory. We’ve already experienced a lack of inventory over the last two years but … (0 comments)

home buyer: Can I Get A Better Deal? By Dan Polimino. - 11/25/13 09:26 PM

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful Holiday weekend.
Some buyers were thinking about purchasing a home and wanted to know if they should buy and close in December or in January. Basically, they wanted to know if they would get a better deal if they closed before the end of the year. I said yes, they very well could get a better deal if they closed before the end of the year and here’s why:
If you’re looking at a bank-owned property or a builder, they would love to get as much inventory off of their books before the end of the … (0 comments)

home buyer: You Cannot Say Enough About Referrals. By Dan Polimino. - 11/18/13 04:53 PM

Real Estate is, has, and always will be predominantly a referral business. Yes, I know that with Internet technology, real estate agents can mine hundreds of leads every month, of people they have never met. In fact, my team, The Colorado Dream House Team, has invested heavily in Internet leads. About three percent turn out to be real buyers or sellers. While we appreciate this newfound source of business, nothing compares to a lead that is a good referral.
We spend a ton of time trying to make sure that each and every client has a good experience with us, just like I know … (1 comments)

home buyer: So, You Want to be My Lender? By Dan Polimino. - 11/04/13 07:05 PM

As one of the principals of a large, seven-member real estate team (The Colorado Dream House Team), I get a lot of phone calls from mortgage lenders wanting to earn our referral business. They would like to meet with me, take me to lunch, grab coffee, and the like. We probably get four or five inquiries a month. While we are extremely flattered by all of the interest, we cannot meet with everyone for lunch or coffee, or even schedule an appointment at our office. If we did, we wouldn’t sell any real estate. In fact, during the height of the selling season, … (0 comments)

home buyer: Five Deal Killers. By Dan Polimino. - 10/28/13 09:55 PM

We just started the second selling season last month and the market has been heating up nicely. Today I want to talk about five things that can for sure kill an opportunity for you to sell your home.
The home shows dirty. This is probably the number one deal killer. If the buyer gets the feeling that you don’t take good care of the home, forget about selling it anytime soon. In most cases, the buyer will walk out without even finishing the tour. Homes need to be “show ready.” That means: freshen up the paint, clean up the marks on the walls, carpets … (4 comments)

home buyer: Anything Can Be Fixed. By Dan Polimino. - 10/21/13 10:23 PM

These days, when I put a buyer under contract with a home, I can almost write up verbatim what the inspection report will say. It seems that there are just a few items that always show up on an inspection report. Here is a partial list of what I see day after day and report after report.
1) Furnace and air conditioning coil needs to be serviced, cleaned and certified. I think every inspector puts this down. Sellers, take note, have your furnace and air conditioning coil cleaned, serviced, and certified before putting the home on the market. It only costs … (1 comments)

home buyer: Attention Builders: Don’t Build Big. By Dan Polimino. - 10/15/13 02:34 AM

I went through an interesting exercise last month for a client of ours. They were selling a three-million-dollar home and they thought that the perfect buyer would come from a specific area of Colorado. We also surmised that the buyer for this home would most likely be what we call a “move-up buyer,” or someone who is currently selling his home in the one- to two-million-dollar range and is looking to move up to a three-million-dollar home. So we embarked on a phone call campaign to contact all the active sellers currently on the market between one to two million dollars. … (0 comments)

home buyer: Maybe I Should Wait Until Spring. By Dan Polimino. - 10/07/13 09:50 PM

“I thought about putting my house on the market this fall, but maybe I should wait until spring?” I have heard that a few times this past September, but are you sure you want to do that? Before you make that decision, I think that you should consider the following:
1) There most certainly will be more inventory on the market come next April. More inventory means more choices for buyers. More choices mean that the leverage and balance of power sways toward the buyer. The final analysis is that the seller gets neither the full price nor close to asking … (2 comments)

home buyer: Home Warranties. By Marc Bayes. - 10/03/13 08:37 PM

Home warranties are becoming more and more common with every transaction I’ve seen. More and more buyers and sellers are realizing the power of the home warranty. A home warranty is essentially the greatest protection you can give any buyer or seller when it comes to protecting their home through the buying and selling process.
Home warranties come in all shapes and sizes. We’ve been seen each company shop each other to make the best deal possible for their clients. Home warranties will cover all appliances within the home. Based upon the home warranty package you choose it can also cover … (1 comments)

home buyer: The Bait and Switch, Part Two. By Dan Polimino. - 09/30/13 09:47 PM

Last month, I wrote about the “Bait and Switch tactic” sometimes used by lenders to earn a customer’s business. If you would like to re-read that column, go to www.coloradodreamhouse.com and click “blog.”
Today, I would like to follow up last month’s blog with part two of the “Bait and Switch” tactic that is used this time by buyers.
Sometimes, a seller will receive an offer on their home and the buyer’s contract says that it’s a cash offer. Cash offers tend to be more appealing to sellers since they know that the deal won’t crash because of a lender, it … (38 comments)

home buyer: The Bait and Switch. By Dan Polimino. - 09/23/13 07:43 PM

When I came out of college, I got a job selling cars and some of my fellow car salesmen were involved in the old “bait and switch” tactics of selling. If a customer came in and it looked like they were not going to be buying that day, the salesman would let them leave the dealership with a monthly payment that no one in town would be able to match. The price was so low it was almost hard to believe. Of course, the customer would go and shop around for the same car, but as expected, no other dealer could … (54 comments)

home buyer: Pre-Qualification Letters. By Marc Bayes. - 09/17/13 07:32 PM

A pre-qualification letter from your lender is the only way a Realtor can tell that you’re absolutely serious about purchasing a home. In today’s market buyers are scouting the internet for home purchasing 18 months before being ready to buy. The first thing they do is go to the major sites to look at homes and even contact agents from those sites. They want to see this specific home as soon as possible. This is great and any Realtor is more than happy to help. However it’s a problem when they haven’t contacted a lender.
A pre-qualification letter is the only … (1 comments)

home buyer: The Broker Open is Dead. By Dan Polimino. - 09/02/13 07:25 PM

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, real estate brokers visited the homes that other real estate agents had just listed. The event was called a “broker open.” The concept was to hold a special party just for real estates agents to tour a new home that just came on the market. At these wild parties, they served hors d'oeuvres, fruits, veggies, desserts and yes – even wine (shhhh!!!). They even tried giving away expensive gifts like iPads, airline tickets, dinner gift certificates, and raffles for trips – all to attract a realtor to their home. Agents thought … (1 comments)

home buyer: Simple Math. By Marc Bayes. - 08/27/13 11:33 PM

Everyone is looking for a deal regardless of what market we are in. If you can’t find a deal of a life time you’re at least looking to save a bit of money on your purchase. With the purchase of a home comes your down payment and closing costs. If you do an FHA loan you’ll need 3.5% down. If you’re doing conventional you’ll need at least 5% down. Closing costs are 3% of the purchase price of the home and closing costs are the responsibility of the buyer.
We’ve been dealing with a buyer’s market for the past several years. … (1 comments)

home buyer: New Construction Price Negotiation. By Marc Bayes. - 08/20/13 11:31 PM

Six months ago I would have told you that there was no way you would be able to negotiate price on new construction. New construction is up thirteen percent from this time last year. Lots are selling faster than the builders can build and things like earnest money and price are set in stone. At least that’s what I would have told you six months ago. Today it’s looking like a different ballgame.
Just over three months ago I did new construction with a client and Century Community Homes. About three weeks prior to me meeting and taking these clients out … (0 comments)

Related Links: