When interest rates drop, you might wonder whether or not it makes any sense to refinance. Interest rates for a 30-year mortgage loan are currently below four percent, continuing the opportunity to refinance at a historically low rate. When interest rates drop, you might wonder whether or not it makes any sense to refinance. Unfortunately, […]
Duane's Timely Topics
Duane's compilation of the most relevant topics to real estate today in Boulder.
Average and median prices of single-family homes
(Photo: Bigstock). Over my career, many people have asked me about the pricing hierarchy in our real estate market. By pricing hierarchy, I mean comparing the average and median prices of homes in our various market areas. California first coined the term “drive until you qualify,” as in the distance you have to drive from […]
“Instant Offers” or iBuyers – What’s it all about? – Part 2
“Instant offer” or iBuyer programs – that are grabbing so much attention in the media – are based on the concept of a company buying a home directly from a home seller with a cash offer often without having to clean or stage your home. As I describe in Part 1 of this article, this […]
Real Estate “Instant Offers” or iBuyers – What’s it all about? – Part 1
You may have heard “instant offer” commercials aimed at homeowners who want to sell their home quickly online for a cash offer. The “instant offers” or iBuyers concept is not new. In 1978 when I started my real estate career, our company offered a guaranteed sales program for home sellers. The program was used to […]
Why use a Realtor?
Realtors are trained to negotiate and many Realtors have taken additional classes to obtain the Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE) designation in order to serve their clients even better. (Photo: Unsplash). What’s with the word REALTOR® in caps? Is it shouting the word? No, not at all. The word REALTOR in all caps, along with […]
Now is the time to buy college housing – Part 2
In my last article, part one of “now is the Time to Buy College Housing”, I discussed how buying a condo or house for your child to live in when going to college can be a worthwhile investment and can also have financial, as well as other, benefits for your college student. As you evaluate […]
Now is the time to buy college housing – Part 1
Every August, in college towns across America, college students start to return for the fall semester. This always creates a frenzy of real estate activity. The rental market is usually pretty tight in any college town. Because of that, many families consider purchasing a home for their college student to live in while attending school. […]
Buying a home? Make sure your Real Property Transfer Declaration is correct
The Real Property Transfer Declaration was modified in 2019. The Colorado Real Property Transfer Declaration, known as the TD-1000, has been used for years to help county assessors collect essential information to ensure that the real property assessments are as accurate as possible. At closings of real property in the past, there would inevitably be […]
New Real Estate Contracts on July 1, 2019
On March 6, 2019, the Colorado Association of Realtors® (CAR) announced that Governor Jared Polis signed House Bill-19-1098, known as the “Deeds to Convey Real Property Bill” into law. (Photo: Mari Helin, Unsplash). When I first started selling real estate in 1978, the contract to purchase a home a home was only one page long. […]
What’s so special about Special Tax Districts (and Metro Districts)?
A special tax district or metro district is a tool which has been around for years to finance the infrastructure of new subdivisions for urban services such as streets, water/sewer lines and fire protection. First of all, what is a special tax district or metro district? It’s a tool which has been around for years […]