If you are planning to sell your Denver home this fall or winter, here is a quick tip for getting a home on the Denver real estate market from October - March, particularly if you have a gorgeous yard.

Take out your camera and snap a few photos.  Your beautiful garden with perennials, flowering bushes and the like.  If your yard is covered in snow during showings, and your landscaping is a true gem, it can be nice to show off what is buried below the frozen ground. 

If you have photos like this at your fingertips come December, your Denver Realtor will thank you.  Your future potential buyers will thank you too.

Highlands Ranch Real Estate - How Is It Possible To Sell A Home Quickly In This Market?

I have been repeating it over & over in my blogs, on my web sites, on the phone and in emails.

Price and Condition. Price and Condition. Price and Condition.

I recently listed a beautiful home in Highlands Ranch. Beautiful. Talk about Condition. Extra time before going on market was taken to get it in tip top shape.

I did my usual diligent research in coming up with the price. Careful consideration, market research, evaluating buyer trends in price ranges.

I suggested the price - what I knew was the right price - the sellers approved.

Did they want to try and get just a little bit more and see what happens? Did they want to over-price just to see what they may be able to get ?

NO! They listened to their Denver REALTOR®.

Word hit the street of this beauty and the showings were made. Quickly. 48 hours and 4 contracts later the house was Under Contract. That’s right, 4 contracts.

Just to be clear. This house was NOT under priced. It was priced right.

If this home had been priced higher the story would not have been the same. In fact, there would have been no story because it would probably still be an active listing waiting for showings to be set.

Price your Highlands Ranch home right, and get it in immaculate shape. It will sell. And this rings true for other parts of the Denver metro area as well.

If you are a seller in Highlands Ranch in the high 200’s to low 300’s listen to your REALTOR®. This really stands true for all home sellers but I see the most interest in that price range currently. Purge your home. De-clutter. Clean up and make your bath tubs sparkle. Start packing and getting rid of your "stuff". And price it right.

There are home buyers in the Denver real estate market. Willing and able and approved buyers. I know. 3 of them didn’t get my listing and they could be waiting for yours.

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!