Summer has gone by fast! In Summit County, our ski country playground, there is already a hit of yellow in the aspen trees. If you are thinking of purchasing a second home in ski country, now is the perfect time to get started, before the snow starts falling. Over the years, I have found that […]
Duane's Timely Topics
Duane's compilation of the most relevant topics to real estate today in Boulder.
First-time homebuyers, now is the time
It is never easy to be a first-time homebuyer, but now is the time to pay attention and get rolling to purchase a home. Interest rates are low and financing programs are available with lower than 20 percent down payment required. It’s never been easy to be a first-time homebuyer, especially in Boulder County. It […]
Powerful tool: Realtors® Property Resource (RPR)
Not all licensed real estate agents are the same. Only those who are members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) are properly referred to as “Realtors®”. Realtors are committed to treat all parties in a transaction honestly. They subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain an expert level of […]
Real Estate: Refinance or not?
When interest rates drop, you might wonder whether or not it makes any sense to refinance. Interest rates for a 30-year mortgage loan are currently below four percent, continuing the opportunity to refinance at a historically low rate. When interest rates drop, you might wonder whether or not it makes any sense to refinance. Unfortunately, […]
Average and median prices of single-family homes
(Photo: Bigstock). Over my career, many people have asked me about the pricing hierarchy in our real estate market. By pricing hierarchy, I mean comparing the average and median prices of homes in our various market areas. California first coined the term “drive until you qualify,” as in the distance you have to drive from […]
“Instant Offers” or iBuyers – What’s it all about? – Part 2
“Instant offer” or iBuyer programs – that are grabbing so much attention in the media – are based on the concept of a company buying a home directly from a home seller with a cash offer often without having to clean or stage your home. As I describe in Part 1 of this article, this […]
Real Estate “Instant Offers” or iBuyers – What’s it all about? – Part 1
You may have heard “instant offer” commercials aimed at homeowners who want to sell their home quickly online for a cash offer. The “instant offers” or iBuyers concept is not new. In 1978 when I started my real estate career, our company offered a guaranteed sales program for home sellers. The program was used to […]
Why use a Realtor?
Realtors are trained to negotiate and many Realtors have taken additional classes to obtain the Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE) designation in order to serve their clients even better. (Photo: Unsplash). What’s with the word REALTOR® in caps? Is it shouting the word? No, not at all. The word REALTOR in all caps, along with […]
Now is the time to buy college housing – Part 2
In my last article, part one of “now is the Time to Buy College Housing”, I discussed how buying a condo or house for your child to live in when going to college can be a worthwhile investment and can also have financial, as well as other, benefits for your college student. As you evaluate […]
Now is the time to buy college housing – Part 1
Every August, in college towns across America, college students start to return for the fall semester. This always creates a frenzy of real estate activity. The rental market is usually pretty tight in any college town. Because of that, many families consider purchasing a home for their college student to live in while attending school. […]