Joetta’s Neighborhood Newsletter January 2010
Hello, Friends & Neighbors!
As we embark upon a new year and a new decade, I find myself contemplating what to say. I know the standards I’ve set in the past are causing you right now to eagerly anticipate sage pearls of wisdom; carefully selected words expressed in such an articulate, heartfelt fashion with a message so touching and meaningful they’ll render mental and emotional images that will make you cry (just a little).
WELL…… Sorry to tell you – I got nothing!
But I do have a good excuse! I had a wonderful interruption to my ‘normal’ holiday plans, in the form of my first grandchild. Jayden James arrived on December 30, a nice little tax deduction for my daughter and her husband. I hope your holiday season was just as blessed!
New Program for Home Buyers and Sellers
I’m announcing a program developed by my Group, for the $175 – $225,000 price range. Houses are selling quite fast in this price range, so the programs’ advantage for the buyers is that they’ll be the first to see these homes, and if they make an offer there will be no competing offers unless they are not able to come to an agreement with the seller. The advantage to the sellers is that 10 pre-qualified buyers will see their house in one day, and it will most likely be under contract that same day.
There are some guidelines and requirements, of course. I’ll go into that more on page 3 of this newsletter, so those of you who don’t fall into this category don’t have to read through it all. Please pass this info on if you think of anyone who might be interested.
Input from Readers
A money-saving tip from Brian, for Verizon cell phone customers, “I just received a 15% discount from Verizon because I am a veteran. Just bring in your DD Form 214 with an honorable discharge and you receive it.”
Disabled Arvada residents can register their special assistance requirements with the City, who sends it to police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers. Many folks don’t know that they must resubmit that info every year – the computers get purged and the existing information is gone. Call Vicky Reier at 720-898-7509 to get the form to use for registering.
Goings-on in Arvada –
Olde Town Arvada has two new restaurants. I made the sacrifice of trying out The Archive Room for you, and I must say everyone at my table was quite happy with the food, service, atmosphere, and prices. It’s has a sports bar feel because of all the televisions, but is cozy at the same time. We went on a cold, snowy evening in December and got a window seat. It was fun watching people hurry past, all bundled up and with their arms full of gifts. I’ll try to check out Udi’s for you before next month, but in the meantime feel free to tell me about your favorite restaurant, anywhere in the Denver area.
Olde Town’s 2010 calendar is already full, with fun activities for everyone. Coming up next – A Chocolate Affair. Saturday, February 6 from 11 am to 3 pm. For a $1 entrance fee you can sample chocolate (proceeds benefit Ralston House), visit Olde Town stores to collect clues in the treasure hunt, catch a free carriage ride around this charming historic district. Enter your chocolate goodies in a contest, story-telling and face painting for children. For more info, call Historic Olde Town Arvada at 303-420-6100.
New Program for Home Buyers and Sellers, Continued
To qualify for this program, the homes must be in Arvada, Westminster, or Thornton, have at least 3 bedrooms and at least 2 bathrooms, a garage, at least 1,000 square feet of main floor space, cannot be short sales or pre-foreclosures, must be newly on the market or off the market at least 30 days, must be priced properly and be in good showing condition. There are some requirements for the sellers too. Please call or email me for more info. (720-353-8031; joetta@DreamHouseHunting.com)
To qualify for this program, buyers must want a home in that price range and with the features listed above, in those cities. They must also be pre-qualified for a loan and have the financial means to close, and must not be currently working with a real estate agent outside of the DiGiorgio Group.
My Listings
I have a lovely home listed in Wyndham Park for $399,000. That’s a great price for this desirable neighborhood in the heart of west Arvada. The home has many upgrades and custom features in it’s 3400+ square feet. I also have a newer condo, 1-bedroom and 1-bathroom in west Arvada, near the Stenger and Lutz sports complexes. This would be a great home for the right buyer, but it’s a short sale so it needs to be someone who can wait. I do have an offer on it, waiting for bank acceptance, but would accept backup offers.
Coming Soon: A couple families are planning to list their homes in Arvada and one in Parker within the next few months. Call me if you’re looking for a house, and I’ll tell you if one of these might be a fit.
You may have noticed I don’t have page after page of listings to tell you about. That’s because I have a policy that greatly benefits my clients, and keeps me sane, and that’s to only have three active listings at a time. I know, I’ll never get rich this way, and I’ll never be a ‘top producer’. But I do have the time to communicate with my clients, and enough energy to focus on each one. I couldn’t do my job the way I feel it should be done, if I took every client who called me.
I know, I know – other agents look at it differently. And that’s fine, this is not casting any shadow on them. I just want you to know that if you work with me, I will do my best to make you believe you are my only client.
For more details on the two listings mentioned above, or to see all the listings for my group, call me or visit www.DreamHouseHunting.com, and click on ‘Group Listings’.
Local Real Estate News
Foreclosures and short sales are down, entry-level homes are not staying on the market long, and inventory is down. In fact, Inside Real Estate News reported in December that the number of unsold homes in the Denver market was at the lowest for any November on record. (Whaaaat?)
So, why is no one cheering about the end to the real estate ‘crisis’?
You probably wouldn’t have to think very long to come up with the answer, but I’ll tell you anyway. Unemployment is still too high. As long as people are worried about their job, they’re not going to make a big purchase like a home, even if they get $8,000 from their Uncle (Sam).
People who have a job and decent credit and a little cash are in a position to buy a house at one of the best times. Still, no agent with at least half a brain is going to promise anyone that their house will go up in value any time soon. If you ask me a question like that, I’ll tell you what all the trends are, and I’ll advise you what kind of homes weathered the storm better than others, and what parts of town did better than others. But I won’t make promises I can’t keep.
I believe in home ownership. It’s a good feeling, and good for society. Studies have shown that people who own homes are less likely to commit crimes or do something that will lose them their job. Why? Because home owners have more to lose, so they’re more careful.
But now, people who can afford their payments are walking away from their homes. Why? Because the home is worth less than they owe. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. After all, what if we quit making payments on our cars when they were worth less than we owed? We’d never own a new car for more than an hour!
So, if you’re wondering if this is the right time to buy a house, let’s talk about it. We can meet for coffee somewhere, and you can ‘pick my brain’. I won’t try to pressure you. After all, it’s only fun to help someone buy a house if they’re at least as excited about it as I am!
If you have input for this newsletter, or a response to anything I’ve written, I’d love to hear from you.
Joetta Fort~ Equity Colorado ~ 720-353-8031 ~ Joetta.fort@gmail.com
I’m a residential real estate agent, happily working in the beautiful and friendly cities between Denver and Boulder, including Golden, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Westminster, Broomfield, Lakewood, Thornton.) Read about how to buy a house in Colorado.
My website: www.DreamHouseHunting.com
See all the homes available for sale here.
I write posts on real estate issues and local events in the Denver metro area, especially those *communities between Denver and Boulder, as a public service. My hope is to give people an idea of the ‘flavor’ of our community, in case they’re new or moving to the Denver area.
I am a residential real estate agent, happily helping folks buy a house or sell a house in the beautiful and friendly *suburbs northwest of Denver.
*Arvada, Broomfield, Westminster, Thornton, Golden, Wheat Ridge, Northglen, Lakewood
Read more about Arvada Colorado.
I do tire of writing profiles about myself, I'd much rather talk about you! So please email or call me sometime.
And if you're looking for someone to maybe help you buy or sell a home in the vicinity north of Denver, Colorado and you'd like to learn more about me, visit my website, DreamHouseHunting.com.
If at least a little info would be helpful, I've lived in Arvada since 1993, I've been a licensed, full-time real estate agent since 2001. You can read some past clients' testimonials on my website.
I hope to hear from you soon!
Joetta Fort, Broker Associate
Equity Colorado 