A4HB Homebuyer's Blog

Median Price: Mid-Sized Houses Sales through MLS Systems Only: Excluding New Construction
From the Newsletter
A4HB Team

COVID-19, Home Prices & the Great Recession

COVID-19, Home Prices & the Great Recession There are many people concerned right now about the wisdom of buying a house with a pandemic-induced recession looming. It probably makes sense to hold off for a few weeks to see how things begin to shake out. However, there’s pretty reliable data from the Great Recession of 2006-2007 suggesting that the risks of buying a home in our area are relatively low. Mark Twain is reputed to have said that “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” The local impact of any COVID-19 recession is likely to “rhyme” with that of the

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A4HB clients at closing with masks on during COVID-19 pandemic
From the Newsletter
A4HB Team

Market Impact of COVID-19

Many of you are wondering what’s going to happen to the real estate market given the corona virus pandemic and its impact on the economy.  We’re just a few weeks into this, but the data below may provide some initial insight.  Effects on Showings First, as public concern with the virus and social distancing began to increase, the number of home showings in Colorado, and nationally, dropped dramatically, beginning March 11th and running through March 31st.  Nationally, this leveled out at about 50% of normal by March 31st, but in Colorado there was a second steep drop beginning April 6th, with showings

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Meth formula, Agents for Home Buyers, Boulder, CO
Buyer Agency
A4HB Team

Meth Contamination Testing as Part of Your Inspection

Meth Contamination Testing as Part of Your Inspection After attending a 5-hour home inspection of a wonderful house he had under contract in Arvada, our client left with a headache and some nausea. He went home, laid down and slept for 3 hours. Because he worried that it might have something to do with the house, he called the inspector the next morning. The inspector reported the same set of symptoms. Later that afternoon, we got the lab results from the meth screening samples we took from several rooms in the house. Unsurprisingly, the meth contamination levels in the house exceeded 100 to 400 times

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How quickly they sell graphic
From the Newsletter
A4HB Team

What Time of Year Do Prices Increase?

What Time of Year Do Prices Increase? by Norris Minick Prices Increase More in the First Half When people hear that house prices are going up 12% a year, it sounds like they are going up 1% a month over the entire year. However, that’s not really how it works. In a market where prices are surging, nearly all the price increase occurs between January and June. So, when we have a 10% price increase, a house that sold for $500,000 house in January would sell for $550,000 by the end of June. For clients who are starting their house

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Prices and appreciation graphics
Home Buyer Issues
A4HB Team

The Market in 2018…and 2019?

The Market in 2018…and 2019? by Norris Minick Is the Market Slowing? The Denver Post has published several articles suggesting that the housing market in the Denver metro area is slowing. Signs show that we may be returning to a more balanced market than we’ve seen since 2013. Since the market always slows in the fall, it pays to be skeptical of these articles, but it does seem to have slowed a bit more this fall than normal. The Post cites some interesting data, noting that closings on residential properties dropped 20% from August 2017 to August 2018, while the

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Remodeled living room, after, Agents for Home Buyers, Boulder, CO
Home Improvement
A4HB Team

If You’ve Got it…Flaunt it!  When it Comes to a Fireplace, That is.

If You’ve Got it…Flaunt it!  When it Comes to a Fireplace, That is. by Shannon Weissleder Fireplaces are Highly Sought After Fireplaces are highly sought after here in Colorado. Buyers dream of getting cozy and nestling up fireside next to loved ones. Fireplaces are where people want to hang stockings during the holidays and enjoy lazy Sundays watching movies while the fire crackles. In the design world, they give a room a feature wall to work with and focus for furniture arrangement. When putting your house up for sale, make sure the fireplace takes center stage. Buyers will be attracted

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Salvaged window, repurposed, Agents for Home Buyers, Boulder, CO
Home Improvement
A4HB Team

Using Salvaged Items to Create Architectural Details in Your Home

Using Salvaged Items to Create Architectural Details in Your Home by Shannon Weissleder Old Doors are a Surefire Way to Add Character I have remodeled and flipped dozens of homes over the last decade. The easiest and most surefire way to add character to new homes or even older homes that lack charm is to incorporate found and salvaged items. New spaces need a bit of patina to create that desired character effect. Many of these items are meant to be architectural but they don’t necessarily have to be to give the illusion of architectural interest and detail. This photo

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Preparing Your Home for Winter

Preparing Your Home for Winter As the fall equinox comes and the weather begins to change, there are lots of things you can do around your home to get it ready for winter. First of all, this is the perfect time to give your home a once over. Furthermore, you want to make sure that everything is working like it should be before the snow flies. The following maintenance tips will make your house better and could help you save some money. Finally, you’ll ready to put up your holiday decorations! Fall Maintenance Tips Below, we have highlighted some of

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Listings graphic
Buyer Agency
A4HB Team

Our Market Has Two MLS Systems

Our Market Has Two MLS Systems By Claudia Lewis The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is a crucial tool that helps real estate agents bring home buyers and sellers together. In the Denver Metro area, our market has two MLS systems. As you may know, the MLS is the database where seller’s agents list their client’s homes for sale. Buyer’s agents look to the MLS to help buyers find homes to buy. Without it, agents and their buyer clients would be reduced to driving around looking for yard signs. There are TWO MLS Systems Here Along the Front Range and the

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Bathroom, before, Agents for Home Buyers, Boulder, CO
Home Improvement
A4HB Team

Give That Dated Bathroom a Facelift

Give That Dated Bathroom a Facelift By Shannon Weissleder Don’t let dated bathrooms scare you. Give that dated bathroom a facelift! They are fairly easy and inexpensive to update. We easily transformed this “pink lady” into a modern bathroom with tons of style. Update Your Flooring First, we simply updated the flooring with sheet vinyl that resembles vintage hexagon tiles in a neutral tone. We installed the flooring in about an hour for only about $150. Change Out Your Fixtures Then, we replaced the pink vessel sink with a small floating vanity ordered online, which gives the illusion of more

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