Highlands Ranch Home in Denver’s Suburbs For Sale

 2932 Newbury Court, Highlands Ranch, Colorado 80126

This is truly a home you need to see.  This Highlands Ranch home for sale has one of the best lots in Firelight backing to the open space on the edge of Highlands Ranch.  Bordering amazing open space with hills and valleys, its like having a private enclave behind you.  Add the cul-de-sac location & the house itself is truly fantastic as well.  It was raining when I was out there - but I will post more pictures of this gorgeous area as soon as the weather clears.

 Highlands Ranch Home For Sale in Firelight neighborhood

Click here to view entire flyer & tour for this Highlands Ranch Home

Located in Firelight Neighborhood in Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Click Here to Search Highlands Ranch Real Estate in the DENVER MLS

 

For more information on this Highlands Ranch home give me a call or email anytime.

720-849-6101

Last night, 6/17/08, on the NBC Nightly News, a piece featured Denver as the "Poster City" for light rail. The piece is touching on topics that have to do with rising fuel costs and maintaining a quality of life and traffic issues and they looked at Denver’s Light Rail as an example. You can view the piece in its entirety here. For quite some time I have known many folks that have used light rail to commute into downtown Denver, for many - reasons varied from saving fuel, to saving parking costs, to staying out of traffic. I also have known one person that made it a point to let others know, it just increased his "me" time, he was able to read uninterrupted twice a day for 20 minutes each way. That actually sounds nice. And now that light rail has expanded and will expand more, - many more Denver metro residents are provided the opportunity to use the light rail for their own commute and it is as popular as ever. Personally over the last 2 years I have seen more and more relocation clients express an interest in knowing about commuting options and wanting to learn about Denver’s Light Rail system. They see the new areas that are popping up along the light rail lines, such as Landmark in the DTC area - and the interest has been great in making commutes as easy as possible. If you are planning a move to the Denver area, ask you REALTOR® about Denver Light Rail and what neighborhoods give you the opportunity to be close to a light rail station. It is definitely something to consider. Read Also: Do You Need A Buyer’s Agent in Colorado? Selling Your Vacant Denver Home

Not too long ago I had the opportunity to visit and tour the BackCountry community, which is the new gated community located in Highlands Ranch on the south side of WildCat Reserve Parkway at Broadway. I had a Denver home buyer visiting soon and he was hoping to see some additional photos of what was available in the Highlands Ranch new construction real estate market.

The construction for the Back County is well under way and already some homes are complete with many more to come. Most of the Homes in the BackCountry are built by Shea homes and start in the $500,000’s and the custom homes (by a variety of builders) will go well past the $1 million mark. The BackCountry is one of the last of the larger communities being built in Highlands Ranch and once it is done, Highlands Ranch build-out will be most likely near completion.

This was not the first time I had visited the BackCountry - but it was the first time I had my camera. I was fairly impressed with the floor plans - large kitchens and great rooms with a wise use of space. The thing that I really found interesting being in the models was house pretty much across the board - the great Colorado outdoors have been brought inside. Amazing patios, many times more than one per home, with outdoor fireplaces in many of the homes and the decor that was chosen for the models highlighted the outdoors as well. My wife came with me on this tour of the BackCounty and she was impressed as well with the emphasis on the beautiful Colorado outdoors.

When complete the community itself will be comprised of over 450 acres of open space and trails and also leads to the over 6200 acres of The BackCountry Wilderness. We both felt that the theme had been played out very well. In addition there were incredible views of the entire front range from so many areas in the BackCountry. I will be interested to see how that is developed over time once more of the homes are built. Interestingly,both of our favorite model was one of the first we saw, and featured a "pop-top" design - as it was explained to us - a ranch with a popped top for extra living space upstairs to be used as a loft, study, playroom, whatever. I found this so intriguing as Denver pop-tops is a very hot term. In the last 10 years or so plenty of Denver home owners (in Denver) have expanded upwards since they really didn’t have anywhere to go out-wards. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were trying to appeal to the more urban crowd that may be familiar with a pop-top home of their own & that terminology. In any case, it was impressive.

All in all, we both enjoyed our model home tour at the BackCountry that day. It was nice to tour leisurely without clients as it was the first time I had been there without a customer, thus I was able to really take my time and look around. If you are looking for a new home in the Highlands Ranch area and want to consider the homes at BackCountry, I would love to take you on a tour as well.

With the increase of the price of homes over the last several years and perhaps the economic crunch hitting savings a bit, can this really be done?

Perhaps. It depends on you.

If you have been planning for this, keeping your debt low and credit history excellent then you really can buy your first home here.

Of course, what I run into often are people not satisfied with needing to start out in anything less than what mom and dad have, or friends, etc… This is where you need to look hard at the magic reality mirror and ask yourself what you can comfortably afford. I always say that it is better to hop on at the caboose than to miss the whole train.

Owning your home and building equity over time can do amazing things for your life. But you may need to buy something less than you imagined at first and build from there. Or maybe not. It depends on your financial situation. So once we realize that we aren’t going to get the same first time house our cousins did 8 years ago, are there affordable homes in this area for first time buyers? Yes.

There are real estate options in almost all areas of the south Denver metro area - Denver, Englewood, Littleton, Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Parker, Aurora and even into Castle Rock - you have options! Some options are condo’s or townhomes, some are single family homes that may need some work or may be bank owned deals. It really depends on what level your first home will be. If you do decide to go the bank owned or short sale route, you are going to need to bring with you a whole lot of patience as purchasing a home needing bank approval on a contract can take much longer than one would like.

There are still so many financing options available, even with the recent credit crunch. You definitely need to be working with a trusted mortgage professional that will counsel you on the loan programs that will best fit your lifestyle and goals without stretching you too far.

Just remember what I said earlier, look for what you can comfortably afford, not as much as you can qualify for, there is a difference! If you need help finding a great lender, just let me know. I have established relationships with a number of mortgage pro’s that will do just that. Keep your best interests in mind and work to find you the best solution to owning your first home. Give me a call anytime, I’ll be happy to help. So get searching for your Denver dream home - yes, it may be a first time home, but you will still be living the dream of owning a home!

Aurora TownHome in Denver’s Suburbs - Now For Sale!!!

Excellent Opportunity For First Time Denver Area Home Buyers or Denver Investors

Spacious Townhome in Aurora Now For Sale

12113 E 2nd Drive, Aurora, CO 80011
Click here to view entire flyer & tour for this Aurora Town Home

MLS # 663197 - $159,000
2 bedrooms - 2 1/2 Baths
Approximately 1360 square feet

Steve Scheer, REALTOR®
with REMAX Masters, Inc. - Greenwood Village, CO
Denver Real Estate - Denver & The Suburbs
720-849-6101

If you are looking to buy a home in Highlands Ranch, you probably already know that Highlands Ranch has a very efficiently run HOA, the Highlands Ranch Community Association (aka HRCA) that in addition to many other things houses & maintains 4 very beautiful recreation centers, each with an assortment of indoor and outdoor pools.

But in addition to the rec centers, there are some neighborhoods that have secondary HOA’s - some of which also include their own neighborhood outdoor pool.

Often times I do have folks that are relocating to Highland Ranch that specifically inquire about these neighborhoods with their own pools - so here they are (in no particular order).

In general you will find that the Highlands Ranch neighborhood pools are open from mid-May until mid-September and sometimes those dates do fluctuate. They are also fully gated areas that are locked and only allow access to residents of the specific neighborhood and their guests.

Indigo Hill - located at Broadway and Wildcat Reserve Parkway, this Highlands Ranch neighborhood has its own gated community pool that is very attractive and centrally located.

Weatherstone - Weatherstone continues to be one of the top neighborhoods in Highlands Ranch that I receive inquiries about, and among other very nice amenities, the community pool certainly is a part of that. Weatherstone is located off of Wildcat Reserve Parkway and can be entered on Stone Mountain or Weathersfield Way.

Timberline Ridge - One of the "older" neighborhoods of Highlands Ranch - but older can be better - depends on what you are looking for. These Highlands Ranch homes often have a bit larger yards, some more mature landscaping, and of course, there is the community pool that is a big drawing point as well. Timberline Ridge is in Northridge and can be entered from various points off of University Blvd. and Venneford Ranch Rd.

The Highwoods - A gated community in itself, The Highwoods homes start (currently) at about $950,000 and go up from there and its community pool is also coupled with a tennis courts. This luxurious neighborhood sits high up in Highlands Ranch and many homes offer commanding views of the entire front range. The Highwoods are located off of Broadway and there are gated entrances on Broadway and Gateway.

Falcon Hills - Another gated community - in fact 2 in one - Falcon Hills North and Falcon Hills South was the first gated, luxury & executive neighborhood in Highlands Ranch and has a very nice community pool as well as many other features that help in stand apart from other neighborhoods.

BackCountry - Still in its earlier stages of development - The BackCountry does not have a pool yet, but it is in the plans as part of the SunDial House Complex. BackCountry is located off of Wildcat Reserve Parkway at BackCountry Drive. The only entrance open right now is on BackCountry Drive at Broadway & Wildcat Reserve Parkway.

If you are not looking at single family homes in Highlands Ranch, but instead are considering a Highlands Ranch townhome or condo, there are also pool communities that cover that as well.

Do you really need a buyer’s agent in Colorado?

It isn’t unusual for me to get that question when someone is looking at purchasing Denver real estate, especially when a buyer is looking at new construction.

But here are the facts. In most all cases, a buyer does not pay the commission of their buyer’s agent. The seller does.

So in the case of the first time home buyer, or out of state relocation, it may be tempting to try and go at it alone or use the listing agent, but that is not always the wisest choice.

First of all, if the seller is paying the commission, then why do all the work yourself and still not be represented in the deal? Also, who does the listing agent work for? You got it, the seller and not you!  Most times it is wiser to have an agent solely representing you and your best interest. Why put yourself through all the brain damage. Of course we all know that a builder would love for a buyer not to have a buyer’s agent. In the case of new construction, the seller (builder) still pays the buyer agent’s commission. Who do you think the on site agent works for? And the transaction may be more cut & dry and seem like you may not need one. However, this is so often not true.

First of all, there are so many things that can happen that you will need a seasoned professional to help you navigate through - deadlines, options, re-sale considerations and of course the possible construction errors that may likely come up - those are just some examples, there are more.

It is also not set in stone that the home price is the firm price in new builds. Builders are very good at creating a media frenzy of lotteries, lines and wait lists for new releases. But the fact of the matter is they are hurting right now and they will negotiate. You can often negotiate more than the incentives offered by the builders. You just need to know how to go about it. It’s not as straight forward as it may seem - perhaps you can negotiate on some upgrades, or the lot premium, maybe just have the landscaping thrown in.

In the end, if you can have professional representation that is usually paid for by the seller, why wouldn’t you?

Someone mentioned to me once that they thought that they could do it all themselves and save some money (because the seller wouldn’t have to pay a commission. Which by the way, statistically almost never happens) I told them maybe, and I bet you could also cut your own hair or fill your own teeth!

Denver Home Buyers - Use the Loan Officer Your Denver REALTOR® Recommends - They Do So For A Great Reason!

I write this to my future Denver real estate clients, and all of the clients of the world out there. In the last year or so, I personally have recognized a growing trend in my own real estate business. Many of my clients don’t seem to want to use the loan officer that I may recommend to them. And for the most part I don’t get it. Because of that, I have been involved in so many internet loan fiascos in the past 12 months than I care to remember, as recalling them just brings back the headaches.

So, just to clear a few things up. I recommend specific lenders for a reason. I like them. Why? Its not that I like them personally (Well, I do, but that’s not what I am getting at). I like them because they are good. They are not only good, they are great. I trust them, and I trust that they are treating you with the ultimate respect and honesty that you deserve. I know that they know their stuff - and these days, that is the ultimate. They are experts and highly knowledgeable. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t be using them.

Have you heard about all of the differing issues in the mortgage industry? I feel confident in my loan officers that you are not going to have to worry about that. Because they will make sure you are not getting in over your head, approved for more than you can handle, or in bad loans to begin with. All of that stuff that will keep you awake at night with a headache. And here’s another very important part of it -I have a great rapport with them. We have done business before and my high expectations are clear.

I know they are going to get me what I need, and when. I know I will have your pre-approval letter to submit with your offer. I know everything else will be in order. I know if there are any obstacles that arise, they will communicate them with me in a very timely manner. I know they are going to keep an eye on everything throughout the life of the contract. And I know they are going to call me back when I need something from them. I also know that they will call you too. I absolutely know they are good and I trust them.

I want to make something clear that I think sometimes people assume. I do not get a cut of anything from any lender I recommend. Do I get a referral fee? No way. Do I get trips to the Bahamas, uh, no. What do I get? I get the distinct professional pleasure of working with a very professional lender that I know will do a very good job for my clients and do everything in their power to get my client’s the best loan for them and make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Just to clarify, every experience I have had with lenders new to me has not been a bad experience. In fact, I have met some of the ones that I now recommend in that way. But for the most part, when someone chooses a mortgage program or loan officer because it just seems so good - too good to be true, it usually is. And I can’t tell you how many times I have heard as we walked out of the closing room, Steve, I should have used your loan guy. Yeah, I wish you had too.

So here’s the bottom line. You hired me and trust me to be your professional. If I recommend a loan officer then understand it is because you hired me to look after your best interests. I believe the lenders I recommend have your best interest in mind and you’ll be thrilled in the end. Of course, you can look at a hundred other lenders if you would like, I would just prefer that you at least call my lender and get their plan as well. I believe that you will be thankful for that

Scenario: You are out with your Denver REALTOR® and you have searched high and low to find the perfect house to call home.

And then it happens. You find it! You know you want it! Its got your name all over it. You are excited! Very Excited!

But wait! Its not yours quite yet. May I make a suggestion? Shhh! Keep your lips sealed!

Over the years I have encountered numerous occasions where a buyer’s excitement is their own doing-in. What do I mean?

Here are a few scenarios. They are all real life experiences that I have seen occur, no names or telling details of course - just lessons to learn by.

Scenario #1 - You found the perfect home in the perfect neighborhood. Its a brand new listing, you were one of the first to view the home. You just made a decision to buy and you are meeting your Denver REALTOR in one hour to write the offer. In your joyful exuberance you BLAB to your next door neighbor the news. You happen to include the price you are going to offer.

You are so psyched - you are buying a new home! Fast forward two hours later and you find out that another offer came in that was just a little better than yours. Fast forward to a month later, you find out the person that got the house happens to be your neighbor’s (that you blabbed to) cousin. Of course you didn’t know the cousin was searching for just about exactly what you were wanting as well.

Scenario #2 - You are leaving a home that is high on your short list. As you are leaving you decide to come back later without your agent and walk the neighborhood. Upon doing so, you meet a lovely lady that is taking out her trash and you stop and chat. You find out all sorts of wonderful news about the neighborhood. She asks you if you are going to make an offer. You say yes, probably.

24 hours later you decide for sure to make an offer. Your REALTOR calls with the bad news, I am sorry, but that home is suddenly Under Contract. Fast forward to a month later, you find out sweet old lady knew someone also interested that was waiting to see if the price went lower. She tipped them off that they better make a move.

Bottom Line - Its a Very Small World Out There. Even in the south metro Denver real estate world, the communities that we live in and want to live in are much smaller than some people understand. Chances are not bad that someone you know will have some sort of connection to a home buyer or home seller in your future.

Keep Your Lips Sealed. One the deal is done you can shout from the rooftops your excitement & joy!