August 20, 2012

HARRY’S WEEKLY UPDATE
A CURRENT LOOK AT THE COLORADO SPRINGS RESIDENTIAL real estate MARKET


THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR 40 YEARS IN LOCAL real estate

As I begin celebrating a personal milestone….40 years selling real estate in the Pikes Peak Region….I must begin by thanking all of you for helping me reach this pinnacle.

I could not have accomplished this without so many of you whom I have had the privilege of working with over these many years. Your continued loyalty means more to me than I can express, but offering my sincere gratitude is a start.

You may be seeing ads commemorating this event in the local Colorado Springs Business Journal and The Gazette. And for those of you who are not ‘’locals”, I’ll be reproducing them in a future eNewsletter.

My “Rocky Mountain High” that began 40 years ago is still going strong thanks to your friendship and support.


16th ANNUAL SOUTHERN COLORADO ECONOMIC FORUM SCHEDULED

The College of Business and Administration and Graduate School of Business of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs has scheduled the 16th Annual Southern Colorado Economic Forum for September 28, 2012 – 7:00a.m. to 11:30am at the Antlers Hilton Heritage Ballroom, in downtown Colorado Springs.

This year, the event will feature a timely roundtable on “The Changing Health Care Environment: Leveraging Economic Opportunities for the Pikes Peak Region. Debbie Chandler from Colorado Springs Partners will moderate a Town Hall format and question the panelists during the 1 ½ hour session. You may want to go to the forum’s website to review the bios of the speakers.

There will also be a detailed presentation on Economics in the Pikes Pike Region and the Outlook for the next 12 months by Fred Crowley, Ph.D and Tom Zwirlein Ph.D, from UCCS.

Salzman real estate Services is proud to have been a pioneer sponsor of this annual event since its inception and we encourage our readers to attend this important gathering which is viewed by many area business leaders as the premier economic event of the year.

Please contact the Southern Colorado Economic Forum for complete details ..or just give us a call at 598-3200, or, 800 677-MOVE (6683).

 

4 STRONG REASONS TO BUY A HOME NOW
Daily real estate News | Monday, August 13, 2012

“It’s hard to argue against buying a house now, assuming you can get a loan,” writes John Waggoner, a columnist with USA Today. Sure, Waggoner says that getting a credit check for approval of a mortgage can be a “only slightly less intrusive than a CIA background check,” but for those who are able to qualify, a lot of analysts say that now can be a good time to purchase a home.

1. The price is right. The median single-family home price hit its lowest in more than a decade when it reached $154,600 in January, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. That was the lowest since October 2001. During the height of the housing market in July 2006, the median home price for a single-family home was $230,900.

2. It’s cheaper to buy than rent. In nearly every major metro market, it is cheaper to buy a home than rent. Rents have been on the rise the last few years and are predicted to continue to rise. Meanwhile, home affordability is at record highs, which means that buying a home is more within reach to the median income family.

3. Inventories of for-sale homes are shrinking. Ned Davis Research estimates that excess inventories of homes to be eliminated by the end of next year. “When excess supply dries up, people start building more new houses, which has the virtuous effect of reducing the unemployment rate and increasing the economy generally,” according to the USA Today article.

4. Mortgage rates are at record lows. Mortgage rates have hovered near record lows for weeks, which has helped pushing housing affordability higher. For example, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, which is the most popular among home buyers, is 3.59 percent, according to Freddie Mac—just above its record low set on July 26 of 3.49 percent average. “It’s conceivable that at some point in the next 30 years, your interest rate would be less than the rate of inflation,” writes Waggoner for USA Today.

And don’t forget that the recent NAR report for the Second Quarter of 2012 shows that, although home prices increased nationally by a healthy 7.3%, Colorado Springs prices increased 11.3% during the same period. That puts Colorado Springs in the top 14% of the top 147 major metro areas in the U.S. These numbers show that, as usual, our local area is better off than almost any other part of the country. It’s a great place to buy a home !!!

This news, combined with record-low interest rates, has created a flurry of contacts in our office from prospective buyers and sellers. So, better give us a call now to explore how this hot market can be used to your advantage. We will always have time to chat with our readers about the opportunities that are currently available.
Call us at 598-3200, or, 800 677-MOVE (6683).


END-OF-SUMMER CHECKLIST FOR HOME SELLERS
RISMedia Aug.13, 2012

As we near the end of summer, it’s time to look ahead and plan out home maintenance projects that have to be done before the cold weather strikes. real estate agents can help homebuyers understand which home fixes take priority if their new home isn’t quite new. Likewise, agents can help sellers prioritize their last warm weather fixes to increase a home’s curb appeal.

While the weather is warm and before the peak months of September and October, we encourage clients to walk around the exterior of their home and make a list of problematic areas. Some can be fixed by the current owners and others will require assistance from an expert. To help locate any issues and take care of them before winter arrives, we can help our clients by hiring a reliable, thorough home inspector to check around the exterior of the home. An inspector will be able to get to areas where a buyer may not want to venture, including the roof and under the home.

End-of-summer projects we might suggest to our home sellers include:

1. Outdoor painting. If the owners don’t have the time or the resources to do a full painting job, have them go around the outside of the house and touch up any areas that look rough. If they find peeling paint, the areas can be scraped and sanded, then primed and painted to maintain even texture.
2. Outdoor caulking and sealing. Windows should be checked inside and out for possible leaks or cracks. With cold weather just around the corner, leaks or cracks could mean higher heating bills. Have leaks and cracks sealed with caulk, then look at the trim around each window—if any pieces are pulling out, have the owners check for mold or rotting, then replace or reattach wood.
3. Concrete and asphalt patching. If the home features an asphalt driveway, it can be repaired with asphalt patching material. Asphalt should be sealed every other year. If the driveway or walkways are concrete, cracks or holes can be repaired with epoxy patching material.
4. Patio and deck maintenance. On wood decks, rotted boards should be replaced, painted or stained as needed, and critter nests and debris cleared. On brick patios, owners should replace missing bricks, level off areas where tree roots have pushed up the bricks and re-grout any areas where weeds or weather have degraded the hold between bricks.
5. Landscaping. Keep landscaping clean and attractive. Weeds should be pulled, dropped fruits and nuts removed from under trees to deter animals, and trees and bushes trimmed so they don’t scrape the side of the house. Many landscaping companies offer affordable fall clean-up packages for homeowners who don’t want to do the work themselves.

If the home is still on the market leading into the holidays, owners can spend the colder months doing interior cosmetic upgrades, such as replacing floor coverings, upgrading cabinet hardware and interior painting. With a prioritized list, homeowners will feel more confident in their ability to finish interior updates before the start of the 2013 real estate season.


LATEST LOCAL STATISTICS FROM PPAR

Click here to see the most recent Sales and Listing information for the Pikes Peak area.
These statistics are published by the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors and can be helpful to you in evaluating and comparing current listings in the various neighborhoods in our area. If you would like to ask any questions about this data, please give us a call at 598-3200, 0r, 800 677-6683 (MOVE).

And, please remember, I would be honored to serve as your Broker for all of your residential real estate needs. I want to help you, my reader, make the most prudent and accurate Real Estate business decision.

Also if you know of anyone who desires to buy or sell local real estate, or, who is moving in or out of the Pikes Peak region, remember that, with over 40 years of providing relocation and Real Estate services to clients throughout the country, I am uniquely qualified to assist them with the relocation process, including buying and/or selling their homes on both ends of their move. Please allow me to implement my negotiating skills on your behalf.

Just click on the icon at the top of this email to listen to my latest podcast.


JOKE OF THE WEEK

THE DEALMAKER

Two friends with radically different political views are on their way to the polls on election day. One guy turns to the other and says "You know, we've argued about this for months, and we're obviously going to vote for different candidates. Our votes will cancel each other out anyways, so why don't we just call it a draw and go home instead?"

The other guy agrees, they shake hands and part ways.

Another guy who overheard the conversation approaches the dealmaker and says with admiration, "That's a real sportsmanlike offer you just made!"

"Not really," guy says, "Just this afternoon I've already done this three times."