About 10+ years ago Erin and I considered buying a mountain property. We loved the idea of a weekend retreat, especially for skiing. However, every time I looked at the numbers I just couldn’t justify a decision based on pure indulgence and little economic support. We ran the numbers like this: We estimated how many days we thought we would use the condo over a...

The current issue of the Denver Bar Association’s monthly journal (The Denver Docket) was titled “How to: Be a Happier, Healthier Lawyer.” The issue is loaded with good stuff, including a piece by Sara Meyers, about resiliency, the ability of some people to “bounce back” from tough times. If you’re like me you might get a bit frustrated when you read those “feel...

Let’s say you own a home free and clear and you want to sell. You’re approached by a buyer willing to put 30% down, and then pay you the balance with seller financing. The buyer is self employed, has tons of cash, but he can’t qualify for a conventional loan until he has one more year of self-employment under his belt. The plan is that he will refinance within 2...

After I sent out my 3Q Marketing Report I received several requests for more detailed stats per neighborhood, especially some of the luxury home neighborhoods.  Our office has put together exactly that — an analysis of the key indicators for each of the top 25 luxury home neighborhoods in the Denver metro area.  For each neighborhood we give you some charts on...

You may have read this recent article in the Denver Post:  “Denver housing prices slip in October; could see slowdown in 2014“. The “slip” cited in the article refers to the decrease in average home price from the “all-time highs” in 2013.  Is this real news?  Of course the average home price slipped from the highs earlier in the...

As we head into 2014, it’s a great time to review what the real estate market experienced in 2013 and where we think it’ll head in the New Year. Overall, I’m extremely pleased with what we’ve experienced in the past 12 months and am bullish for the future. I expect the economy to continue to improve and our metro Denver housing market to stay strong but, critically,...