Sometimes you have to take what you read and watch in the news with a grain of salt.  Then there are times like these, and news like the foreclosure rate in the Denver real estate market.I've been reading about this trend for months and months, just like everyone else.  And I've seen evidence that there are still pockets of real strength in this market.  Ever-popular places like Wash Park and Highlands may weather this storm pretty well.  Places like Boulder and Louisville and Golden still seem pretty strong.  But I had to take a moment when I realized that 75% of our pending contracts are on short sale and foreclosure properties.It's sad to say that the market will likely get much worse before it gets better.  No new news here, just the continuing realization that we are seeing somethi... 02/04/2008

I've been selling real estate in Denver since 1996. Gone thru crazy boom markets and, of course, those not-so-fun, not-so-booming markets. But thru the years, one thing has remained true in this Charming Old Denver real estate market.Spring is the best time sell. Period. Naturally, some springs are better than others - those who have been around awhile might remember the springtimes of the mid-to-late 90's where every house  put on the market sold for $10,000 more than the last, resulting in crazy appreciation rates in a matter of months. But the market always dies on July 4th and stays pretty dead thru November. Will this trend hold true in 2008? Well, it's hasn't failed me yet, and although we probably won't see the Spring Fevers of year's past, it's not out of the question. Fall of 2... 02/02/2008

Mile Hi Modern Team Proves  "Architecture And Design" Can Be Your Brand     BrokerIPTV  :Today we are talking with Peter Blank and Craig Mayer from Fuller Towne and Country Properties and the Mile Hi Modern Team guys. Thanks for being with us. Craig Mayer : You are welcome. BrokerIPTV  :What is Mile Hi Modern Team, how did that get started give me the info? Peter Blank : We started Mile Hi Modern with the focus on contemporary modern a Mid-Century Architecture. We felt that in the industry there was no real focus on that. Both, Craig and I coming from the very strong architectural background that is our passion, we really wanted to take that to a new level in the real estate world. BrokerIPTV  :How is that been working out? Craig Mayer : Excellent has been very good notch for us. We sta... 01/29/2008

I love investing in the stock market.  I got started managing our families investments years ago when I looked at the fees we were being charged by the large firm who was managing our portfolio, as well as the rate of return we were getting.  That was enough to make me dedicate several hours a week to managing our own portfolio.  I'm doing a much better job that the "professional" who was managing our money, and I've grown to love the research and patience it takes to make money in the stock market.One of the first lessons you learn is to divorce yourself from emotional selling and buying.  Put it this way: if you see it on CNBC then it's too late.  If they're reporting a down day in the market and you or your broker sold stock that day then you're just one of the lemmings.  Emotional d... 01/29/2008

Been gone from Denver a few years - two years and 6 weeks to be exact. Got back to town a week ago today. Love it, Love it.So, to celebrate my first week back home, here's a little tribute to Denver...Denver Is.......FriendlyI've yet to leave the house for any sort of errand and not had a pleasant conversation with someone - a conversation that left me smiling on my way to the next pleasant conversation. Now, that may not sound like much to you, but I'm not at all a people-person and I tend to retreat into my own little world when I'm in public. People are so nice here! I'm inspired to hold up the tradition!...HealthyIn my two years away, I'd forgotten how darn healthy this town is. 2 degrees outside? No problem! You still see people biking and jogging (not me). I've yet to see a cigare... 01/27/2008

   BrokerIPTV  : We are talking Peter Blank and Craig Mayer from Fuller Towne and Country Properties. The Mile Hi Modern team guys, one of the reasons why we wanted to talk to you was you guys do real estate a little bit different and its not just a modern and contemporary angle, but I am talking about things like you must be at all of your showings on every property, you don't use Brochure Boxes. You funnel everything back to the website. Give me some philosophy behind it? Craig Mayer  : We are given away our secrets. Peter Blank : Well, modern architecture doesn't appeal to everybody and so we think our marketing strategies have to be a little unique as well, we found that our buyers tend to be more creative, they attend to be artistic and maybe a little more technologically professi... 01/24/2008

    William Roberts-Denver Board of Realtors Offers Solid Benifits BrokerIPTV : Today we are talking with William Roberts, www.brokerfordenver.com the president, the elective of the Denver Board of Realtors and welcome to the show, glad you are here. William Roberts: Great thank you. BrokerIPTV : Let's talk about the DBR and how that stacks up against other boards? William Roberts: Sure, absolutely. a DBR, which we really do not try to compare ourselves with the other local boards. We look at it really more as industry standard of professionalism, total ethics and so we recommend people to join a board regardless of any board, but I tell you, we are strategically located right here in Center of Denver, right underneath the shadow of the capital, as well as of course the senior county b... 01/24/2008

Here is a summary of December 2007 sales in the Bonnie Brae and Belcaro neighborhoods. The east and west boundaries are Colorado Boulevard and University Boulevard and the north and south streets are E. Exposition Avenue and E. Mississippi Avenue. It is a wonderful neighborhood with a eclectic selection of homes. From historical homes to custom contemporary construction, the neighborhood offers something for everyone. The neighborhood is within walking distance of restaurants, shopping, parks and transportation routes.  AddressSales PriceSold DateSquare FeetDays on MarketListing Company1021 S. Milwaukee St$717,500Dec 14th 2299134Preferred Properties*3120 E. Kentucky Ave$2,249,673Dec 18th 507127Birch Street Realty*  If you missed out on purchasing one of these fabulous homes, there are 3... 01/24/2008

Congress Park is a charming urban neighborhood full of Craftsman style homes and Denver Squares. Close to downtown Denver and Cherry Creek, it is one of central Denver's most desirable neighborhoods. Tree-lined streets, friendly neighbors, parks and the Denver Botanic Gardens all offer an ambience of welcoming urban presence. Restaurants, coffee shops, quaint retail stores and new brick urban-feel condos add to the mix.*Congress Park Real Estate Prices for December 200741 detached single family homes were sold with a median list price of $398,500. On average homes took 61 days to sell and sold for a median price of $395,000. Median price is a better measure of sold price than average, which is skewed by a few high-priced homes at the top end and low-priced homes at the bottom. Lowest so... 01/22/2008

Stocks and real estate.  Can anyone predict with any amount of accuracy what will happen in either of those markets?  Probably not.  But we are seeing an increasing number of commentators using the word recession.The Denver real estate market continues to be a confirmed buyers market.  There are high number of foreclosures and short sale properties, and we've seen a dramatic drop in the number of investors that we deal with.  The truth is that anyone shopping for real estate right now should be looking at the mid to long term range- at least 7 years and maybe longer.  I think that the days of moving every couple of years are gone.The Boulder/Denver mortgage market is also becoming increasingly cautious.  Yes, it's about time.  And nobody should feel sorry for the banks and lenders who a... 01/17/2008

As I have mentioned before, the media coverage of the real estate market in general is usually rather poor.  I'll just leave it at that for now.  And I am not one to agree with everything that comes out of NAR either (National Association of REALTORS®).   In the case of the national media, things tend to get generalized often and the one thing that you can count on is real estate is NOT nation wide - it is local - and every local market is going to be different.  I have sang that song always. Yesterday, Chief Economist of NAR, Lawrence Yun was in town, and although I wasn't able to attend, I have heard from a few colleagues what was said.  The summary I got was the Denver market is going to be better than others across the nation and that the biggest thing holding buyers and sellers bac... 01/17/2008

Good news for Denver home buyers according to the chief economist for the National Association of REALTORS®.Lawrence Yun spoke to area REALTORS® yesterday (January 16, 2008) at a meeting of the Jefferson County Association of REALTORS® in Lakewood, Colorado, citing "irrational pessimism" on the part of buyers for what may be holding back a recovery in the Denver real estate market.Denver has been the canary in the coal mine since 1991 when it began to recover from the housing slump beginning in the 1980s.  Double-digit increases in value in the 1990s followed the S & L crisis, presaging a recovering housing market throughout the early 2000s in the rest of the country.  The dot com failures of the early 2000s began a downturn in the Denver real estate market in 2001, much earlier than na... 01/17/2008

Among many goals that I have for 2008 (both professionally & personally) I have added to the list to blog here much more regulary.  Making less frequent appearance here was never my intention, things gets busy and so the story goes.  But one thing I know for the variety of questions I get - is that people are reading.   And if it is information you crave, then you have come to the right place because it is information that I shall provide.  With that in mind, I have decide to regularly answer some of the questions that I get from a variety of sources.  I figure, if one person is asking (and in some cases many people) then for sure others will be interested in the answer as well.   Sometimes people ask me things in conversation in public, other times on the phone. And of course, my favor... 01/16/2008

 Here is an overview of December 2007 home sales in the Lowry neighborhood. The area is generally located between Yosemite Street (east) and Quebec Street (west), E. 11th Avenue (north) and Alameda Avenue (south). There is a small pocket that juts out to the west side. The Lowry neighborhood was developed as a result of the Lowry Air Force Base closure. It is a wonderful community that has a variety of parks, the Lowry Town Center and neighborhood activities that are scheduled year round. Lowry living opportunities range from historical homes that have been renovated to areas still waiting for the soil to be turned before construction begins. The Lowry neighborhoods are within walking distance of restaurants, shopping, parks and transportation routes. AddressSales PriceSold DateSquare F... 01/09/2008

When I can, I enjoy posting about events in the Denver area that would be particularly interesting for those new or relocating to Denver.  So if you have just moved to Colorado, or perhaps you have just never made time for this annual tradition - I highly encourage you to check out the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo.  I an remember the stock show sine I was a kid growing up in Denver myself.  And once i had kids of my own, it became an annual event for us as well. There is something at the stock show for everyone - whether its a rodeo, viewing the animals, seeing a livestock auction or an exhibitors show that interests you - you are sure to find something to interest you.  The first year we went my own kids loved the kids petting zoo and every year since then they have progressed... 01/08/2008

Here is a link to my "January Real Estate Update":Click HereThis Newsletter is full of interesting and useful information that I think you will enjoy whether you are a buyer, seller, homeowner, or renter.This month's issue includes topics such as: "Top 10 Tax Breaks, On The House";"Battle of the Warring Housing Price Indexes";"Smoothing The Rough Road To Refinancing";"Going Green: Easier Than You May Think";"Understanding How Federal Reserve Rate Cuts Work";Plus a roundup of December real estate activity as well as much more advice and information.I hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter. If you have any comments, please e-mail them to me. Or, if you would like to see a certain topic covered in future months, let me know that too!Sincerely,Michael Clarkson 01/06/2008

I believe a great real estate agent is a master of her market. Simple as that. She focuses on a few geographic areas and knows them inside and out. She knows, from the address, whether or not that house is on the bus route or if that condo is subject to highway noise (e.g. the west side is okay; the east side is too noisy). She knows if two-story houses are selling better than one-story houses, and she knows why. She knows if it's possible to get a two-car garage, or if off-street parking is as good as it's gonna get. During my ten year career in Denver, I focused on the Charming Old Neighborhoods, particularly Highlands/Northwest Denver. That's where I lived, worked and roller-bladed, and I knew it inside and out. Give me an address and I could almost tell you what the house sitting th... 01/02/2008

If you have lived in Denver for even a short time then you've probably driven past the defunct Gates Rubber Factory near Sante Fe and I-25.  Not the most attractive sight in the world, is it?  But then you've probably heard that redevelopment is in the works.  Just Google the term "Gates Redevelopment" and see what you find.Platt Park stands to benefit tremendously from this massive redevelopment project, and many savvy Denver real estate buyers have snapped up properties over the last few years in anticipation of the coming boom.  But Platt Park is a great place to live regardless of what does or does not happen with the Gates Project.  People have been moving to this popular Denver neighborhood for a long time.  Take a closer look at Platt Park in our Denver neighborhood information p... 12/28/2007

So many neighborhoods are overrated that it's hard to keep track of what the current "best neighborhood" really is.  Sunnyside is Denver's most under appreciated neighborhood, and it deserves some serious consideration from Denver real estate shoppers. Stop in to San Carlos someday for a lunch featuring homemade tortillas and tamales.  I'm something of a tamale fanatic- my other favorite tamales are found every Saturday at the Boulder Farmer's Market...but that's another story.Sunnyside is a place that still feels like a neighborhood- with tons of trees, great looking Victorian houses, and plenty of wonderful ranch homes scattered throughout.  It's the kind of neighborhood where folks still use their front porches, and once you move in you're likely to really get to know your neighbor.O... 12/27/2007

Capitol Hill offers Denver real estate shoppers lots of value in an area that is packed with excitement, variety, and great hang outs.Take a stroll out the doors of the new Denver Art Museum and work your way over to Governor's Park, and you'll have a pretty good idea of great variety that Capitol Hill has to offer. Rest for a while over some great food at City O'City, then head back out to tour a few homes.What does Capitol Hill have to offer the serious real estate shopper?  Take a look at 1019 Emerson Street offered by Leonard Leonard and Associates.  This gorgeous 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom has a terrific gourmet kitchen, private yard, and incredible location that is within walking distance of the best that Denver has to offer.Give us a call at 303-415-2541 if you'd like to schedule a pr... 12/26/2007