November was a pretty slow month, all the way around. Between the uncertainty with the election, stock market, and the economy, people were just a little nervous. December was much better and the general concensus is things are picking up in the real estate world, especially with the low rates. You can view the graphs here. 01/13/2009

Grand Junction was recently ranked in the "TOP 20 - Places to Live" according to a study done by Farmers Insurance Group. On top of that, Census data that was released on Monday has our property taxes as one of the least expensive in the state. Grand Junction among Top 20 most secure places to live Property taxes less costly in Mesa County than in 17 other Colorado counties 12/16/2008

Well nobody knows for sure how these rules are going to effect us in Western Colorado. I think the national economy will play a part in our future, as well. The oil and gas companies are cutting back, but not pulling out at this time. Homes are still projected to appreciate, just not as fast as we have been used to. So basically things are looking to slow down for a little while, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Long-term numbers tell a different story Second-largest gas producer to run half as many rigs locally Rent expected to plateau as vacancy rate eases slightly 12/14/2008

We had our weekly meeting here at the office today and we had our in-house lender come and give us an update. The word on the street is that rates look like they will continue to go down and could even get below 5% by the beginning of next year. So if you are looking to refinance or buy a home this is good news! You might find this article from Business Week interesting - Refinancing your Mortgage 12/09/2008

I know I'm getting this information to you a bit late this month. Sorry! The good news is that I should have November's Stats in a couple of weeks. I would encourage you to view the graphs with these statistics at My Other Blog. The Summary for October 2008 looks like this - October was a very slow month for real estate in Grand Junction. However after the election business picked up, at least for our office. 159 homes sold. Also, we went from average days on the market(DOM) to average months on the market and that was at 4.2 average months. In October, inventory was down considerably for homes priced lower than $450,000. The average price of the homes sold this month went down slightly by $4,002 to $246,787. Disclaimer, I get the monthly statistics from my broker and his numbers take i... 12/04/2008

I've been waiting for the New Rules to finally come out and according to our local newspaper they should be out next week. It will definitely be interesting to see what the new rules are and how they affect the Oil and Gas Industry in Western Colorado. I have included a link to the article below. Daily Sentinel-New Oil and Gas Rules 12/01/2008

The US housing index report came out today. I for one was very interested in what it was going to say. Sales have slowed down a bit and I was curious to know if the prices of our homes had went down as well. Our homes actually appreciated more in the 3rd quarter than the 2nd quarter. In the 3rd quarter our homes appreciated 1.21% up from .82%, in the last year they have appreciated 4.67% down from 5.25% and over the last 5 years they have appreciated 66.11% down from 65.05%. I don"t know about you , but I sure am glad we have + (plus) sign in front of our numbers. I can't help but think "Not a bad return on you money". The full report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency Last Quarters Figures A Quick Look At The Figures Nationwide 11/25/2008

WOW!! TURN OFF THE NEWS! THE GRAND JUNCTION MARKET IS STILL GREAT! BUYERS ARE BUYING AND SELLERS ARE SELLING.   CALL ME I WOULD LOVE TO SHOW YOU HOW!   9702506524 11/18/2008

10/10/2008

The Summary for September 2008 looks like this - 244 homes sold, and the average days on the market(DOM) was 109. You can see the DOM broken down by price range on the graphs. In September, inventory was slightly down in homes priced lower than $450,000 and there was a slight increase for homes priced above $450,000. There was a slight increase in sales for September. The average price of homes sold this month went up $6,190 to $250,789.   Disclaimer, I get the monthly statistics from my broker and his numbers take into account the expired listings and therefore slightly differ from my weekly statistics 10/10/2008

Market Statistics for September 14, 2008 - September 20, 2008 According to our local MLS, there are currently 1,708 active residential listings in Grand Junction, 311 homes are under contract, and 68 homes sold last week. There were a strong number of closings this week, especially for it not being the last week of the month. By special request, I have started including statistics on New Construction. They are broken into areas below- City Area - 167 active/8 sold North Area - 273 active/ 8 sold Northeast Area - 175 active/ 12 sold Southeast Area - 162 active/ 9 sold Clifton Area - 80 active / 11 sold Orchard Mesa Area - 164 active / 8 sold Redlands Area - 224 active / 8 sold Fruita Area - 248 active / 5 sold Palisade/East Orchard Mesa Area - 70 active / 1 sold Northwest Area - 21 activ... 09/25/2008

The following is an article from the local paper and it states that here in Western Colorado we are living in a buffer zone, compared to other areas of Colorado and the United States. Thanks to the Oil and Gas Industry for helping us through this. Unfortunatetly, the article only has statistics and figures from the first four months of this year. I would say that not much has changed, but it would be nice to see the statistics and figures through August. Also, we are supposed to hear very soon the results of the Oil and Gas Commission and the new rules to be proposed. They are still trying to decide on some key issues for the Western Slope. Daily Sentinel Article - Western Slope economic vital signs stable, report says Oil and Gas Commissions Website - COGCC 09/23/2008

09/17/2008

This is a summary of August's Real Estate Market Statistics, for more detailed statistics check out the graphs. The Summary for August 2008 looks like this - 233 homes sold, and the average days on the market(DOM) was 125. There were no sales above $750,000 and that lowered the average days on the market this month. In August, inventory was slightly down and so were the sales. The average price of homes sold this month went down to $244,599. Disclaimer, I get the montly statistics from my broker and his numbers take into account the expired listings and therefore slightly differ from my weekly statistics  You can see the graphs at http://www.grandjunctionrealestateblog.com/ . 09/17/2008

I'm sure some of you have heard by now that the government has bought out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. This was big news that became even bigger as the overseas markets and Dow Jones opened higher than expected. I think this can be seen as a positive. Also, one of my lenders was saying that rates were looking to go down to 5 7/8% today, that is down from 6 1/2% on Friday. That is quite a reduction. This reduction is the difference between renting and buying a home for some people. I have included links to a couple of articles on this subject below: Fannie, Freddie deal helps some borrowers, not all Stocks mostly advance on plan for mortgage giants Mortgage rates drop after Fannie, Freddie takeover 09/08/2008

Grand Junction, Colorado is a place of scenic beauty, full of outdoor adventure and unparalleled attractions. The town is known as the gateway to western Colorado, thanks to its location on the edge of the Rockies and desert mesas. It is here that you will find the Colorado National Monument's behemoth sandstone structure, Glenwood Canyon, and Rifle Gap Falls. The variety of activities are astounding, from hiking and biking to dinosaur digging! There are plenty of options for shopping, dining, and relaxing, and Grand Junction proves to be a perfect location for a number of day trips or weekend getaways. The town supports a population of approximately 51,623 residents, whose median age is 39 years old. The average household income in Grand Junction is around $35,000 per year. While home ... 09/03/2008

Market Statistics for August 17, 2008 - August 23, 2008 According to our local MLS, there are currently 1,666 active residential listings in Grand Junction, 335 homes are under contract, and 37 homes sold last week. Over the last few weeks the amount of active listings has been declining. This is good news! They are broken into areas below- City Area - 172 active/3 sold North Area - 269 active/ 4 sold Northeast Area - 175 active/ 6 sold Southeast Area - 175 active/ 5 sold Clifton Area - 77 active / 9 sold Orchard Mesa Area - 171 active / 1 sold Redlands Area - 224 active / 3 sold Fruita Area - 270 active / 4 sold Palisade/East Orchard Mesa Area - 72 active / 1 sold Northwest Area - 23 active / 0 sold West Area - 38 active / 1 sold Whitewater - 43 active / 0 sold The Different Neighborho... 08/29/2008

This is a question I hear almost daily. The vacancy rate was at 1.6% for the second quarter according to a survey released Thursday by the Colorado Division of Housing. Grand Junction came in at the lowest vacancy rate out of 1,600 rental districts in the State. It is especially hard to find short term rentals. Currently, A 2 bedroom and 1 bath duplex with 800 square feet in somewhat bad repair, is renting for around $950 in the Redlands Area. By comparison, a newer 3 bedroom and 2 bath home with 1200 square feet in good repair is renting for around $1350 in the Southeast area. As I look at this and the prices of real estate, right now. I can't help but think that if you are renting this is a great time to look into buying a home. For example, right now, you can buy a newer 3 bedroom 2 ... 08/22/2008

They were quick to point out that the oil boom was the reason behind the growth in 6 of the 10 cities. I don't think any one who lives here will be surprised to find out we were one of the six cities mentioned. That is good news for our local economy and our Real Estate market. GJ named in top 10 metro areas for personal income growth - Associated Press Article 08/12/2008

Market Statistics for August 03, 2008 - August 09, 2008 According to our local MLS, there are currently 1,710 active residential listings in Grand Junction, 322 homes are under contract, and 32 homes sold last week. They are broken into areas below- City Area - 185 active/8 sold North Area - 267 active/ 2 sold Northeast Area - 177 active/ 2 sold Southeast Area - 172 active/ 2 sold Clifton Area - 87 active / 4 sold Orchard Mesa Area - 179 active / 2 sold Redlands Area - 227 active / 8 sold Fruita Area - 278 active / 4 sold Palisade/East Orchard Mesa Area - 69 active / 0 sold Northwest Area - 27 active / 0 sold West Area - 42 active / 0 sold Whitewater - 41 active / 0 sold The Different Neighborhoods in Mesa County - This is a general guide to the different areas 08/12/2008