Colorado Resorts Real Estate Podcast with Kevin and Amy Smits

I just wanted to reach out quickly today and give a big thank you to everyone who stopped by and picked up a pie from us over Thanksgiving. It was so great to see so many of you. We loved catching up. I also wanted to take this time to wish everyone a merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a happy New Year. 

We’ve got some new listings coming on the market soon in the $500,000 price range and we know they will sell quickly. If you’d like a look at them before they go to market, give us a call or send us an email. 

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We are looking forward to 2017.

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This past year was a great one for our team, but we think 2017 will be even better. If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to reach out and give us a call any time. We are always here to help. Once again, have a merry Christmas, a happy New Year, and a wonderful holiday season.

Winter is coming, but there is still a great market out there for sellers. We have seen multiple homes sell recently for over asking price with multiple offers. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call me at (970) 418-0183 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation Even though you may have seen a lot of properties come off the market recently in Frisco and Vail, it’s still a fantastic time to sell your home. We still have a ton of buyers in the market and when you combine that with low inventory, it creates the perfect storm for sellers. There have been even more buyers in the market since it has recently snowed. “ We still have a ton of buyers in the market.” There are several homes that have sold in the last month for over list price in less than a week. All of them had multiple offers as well. Click here to view them! If you’ve been thinking about selling your home in Summit County or Vail, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon and we are always here to answer any questions you may have.

The third quarter was extremely strong in our market. It's definitely a seller's market, so you need to be prepared if you're thinking of buying or selling a home. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call me at (970) 418-0183 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation Today I wanted to talk about the 3rd quarter results from the Colorado real estate market. It's definitely a seller's market. A lot of homes have sold and inventory is low, and we also have a lot of people looking to buy a home here. We currently have 459 properties pending and 540 still on the market with an average price of $449,500. We had more than 1,000 sales in the last six months in our market and most of those sales came from the $200,000 to $400,000 price range. “ It's definitely a seller's market.” There are only 49 properties on the market in that price range currently. Homes are actually selling in an average of fewer than three weeks, but the properties still on the market are either not what people are looking for, not in perfect condition, or possibly overpriced. Interestingly enough, the $1.6 million to $1.8 million price range is the other one that's really moving right now. The average days on market for this range is just over 30. The $400,000 to $600,000 price range is doing well, but it's also the price range with the most inventory; 83 properties are under contract, but there are still more than 80 properties available on the market. Here are the market reports for these areas:BreckenridgeCopper MountainDillonFriscoKeystoneSilverthorneSummit CountyAs you can see, the 3rd quarter has really been a great quarter for our market. When it comes to our team, typically the 4th quarter is our best quarter, but this year, the 3rd quarter was the best quarter we've had in 12 years! Homes are selling quickly and we have buyers who want to buy as long as the home is priced correctly. We're looking forward to a great 4th quarter. If you're thinking about buying or selling a home soon, you need to be ready, and we'd love to help you do that. Give us a call or send us an email!

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call me at (970) 418-0183 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation Can you trust Zillow to give you an accurate home valuation? The truth is, you really can’t. In most cases, Zillow’s Zestimates are off by 5% to 15%. Zillow uses a basic algorithm that pulls information from similar homes in your neighborhood. Zillow cannot take your new kitchen, special location, or incredible views into account. The best way to find your home value is to talk to a professional real estate agent. We can see what improvements you have made to your home and compare it to other, similar properties. Zillow is a great tool to get an idea of your home’s value, but it’s not accurate. If you’re curious about how much your home is worth or you have other questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call me at (970) 418-0183 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation We’ve got an especially helpful tip for homeowners today. For those of you with a 30-year mortgage, listen to this. If you just make one extra payment per year on your mortgage, it will reduce the length of your loan from 30 years to 22 years. Interest rates are at an all-time low, so now is a great time to buy. The Federal Reserve is likely to raise them soon, so it is in your best interest to act sooner rather than later. As interest rates go up, prices will start to stabilize. If you’d like to learn about how this will affect your individual situation, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to put you in touch with one of our lenders. Oh, and a quick reminder, we have a great 4th of July party coming up in Frisco. Stop by and enjoy the parade! Next month, we’ll talk about all different kinds of investment property. We look forward to seeing you then!

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Call me at (970) 418-0183 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation Many sellers in Summit County want to know how long it will take to sell their property. This is a great question because timing is everything in the real estate market.  The truth is that it will depend on your price range and how well you are priced. If your home is in good condition and priced right, it will probably sell fairly quickly. Homes that are priced right and cost under $750k are selling in less than 90 days. When we get into the higher price ranges, it’s harder to determine because we have fewer buyers for those homes. If you have any further questions about your time on the market, please don’t hesitate to contact me! We think 2016 will be a phenomenal year to sell a home.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Call me at (970) 418-0183 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation Is it too late to list your home? As we're heading into fall, most of you know that we sell a lot of homes over this next month, and then the market slows down. People take their homes off the market and put them into a rental pool, thinking they can net more money in the spring. However, we do not have many properties on the market right now. We only have 850 properties listed. In 2007, we had about 4,000 homes on the market at this time. If you're thinking about selling, you need to know that we are in a solid seller's market right now. There are a lot of buyers looking for homes, and if you list now, you could get some multiple offers. We know that a lot of you may have your homes in a rental pool. We know how to work with the rental companies to show your property. This is the time when people look forward to snow. They are planning vacations to Summit County and Vail for the winter. The buyers out there are serious, whether they are looking to buy or rent. Overall, now is a great time to consider selling your home. If you have any questions about listing, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Call me at (970) 418-0183 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation Today we are going to continue our discussion on pre-approval letters and why they are so important in a type of market like ours. Last time, we talked about how important a pre-approval was compared to a pre-qualification, including the fact that it's a much more thorough and validated process.  Right now in Frisco, we still have very low inventory. We have just 958 homes on the market, and over 300 under contract, with 741 homes closing in the last 6 months. Homes are selling quickly, so it's really important that if you're considering buying, you are ready. Having a pre-approval letter is a big part of that equation.  You want to have that pre-approval for a seller because they know the difference between it and a pre-qualification. With a pre-approval letter, the seller knows that you are vetted and approved by a lender, after having received all of your financial information.  We recommend to everyone thinking about buying any time in the next 180 days to start working with a lender now to get a pre-approval letter. Our average days on market is half of what it used to be, and the pre-approval letter is essential to presenting the best offer possible.  If you have any questions for us, or want to get a pre-approval, give us a call or send us an email. We can get you in touch with one of our guys to help you out!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call me at (970) 418-0183 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation Today we'll discuss the difference between a pre-qualification letter and a pre-approval letter.  A pre-qualification letter is very easy to attain.  You simply call a lender and tell them your name, address, social security number, and how much money you think you have. The lender runs a credit report, and then, based on just that small amount of information, they type up a letter saying that you are pre-qualified.  In order to get a pre-approval letter, you have to go through a real process. You provide your taxes, paystubs, and bank statements, and they run a credit report. When we send a pre-approval to a seller, they know that the lender is sure that you are truly approved to buy a home.  In our current market, we're starting to see multiple offers and a lot more competition. Having a pre-approval letter puts you far ahead of other buyers who only have pre-qualification letters.  We do ask our clients to get pre-approval letters while we're out looking at properties. That way, when we find you the right home, we know that we are ready to put in a strong offer.  Whether you're getting a pre-qualification or pre-approval letter, it is typical that you would pay for the credit report. However, this is the only cost to our buyers.  If you would like to get a pre-approval letter before looking at properties, give us a call for a list of our preferred lenders. 

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call me at (970) 418-0183 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation Have you been thinking of selling your Frisco home? If so, we have some great information for you today about getting it ready to list and selling it for the most money possible.  When you sell your home, the first thing that potential buyers are going to see is the outside. That's why your curb appeal is so important. You want to make sure your yard is clean, and maybe plant some pretty flowers. If your home needs to be painted, do it before you list. It will only increase the buyer's excitement when they see your home for the first time.  One thing that we tell all of our sellers is that they need to declutter their homes. Everyone typically has at least 6 boxes worth of clutter inside their home. Removing family pictures and personal items from your home may not be what you want to do, but it's important to look past the temporary feeling of not having your items there in order to look forward to selling your home for top dollar.  We have a home stager on staff, who will spend an hour with you and give you an idea of the things you can do to make the space in your home look better. A staged home sells faster and for more money than those that are not.  When we list homes, we do ask all our sellers to have their home pre-inspected because that's another opportunity we are taking away from the buyers to negotiate the price.  We also ask our sellers to offer a home warranty, which is really helpful for their peace of mind. If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. Talk to you soon!