A home won’t sell itself on its own merits these days. Instead, the neighborhood and the community are becoming big sale factors, according to REALTOR® Magazine.

Reporting on a survey by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC, the magazine explains that the lifestyle the community and neighborhood offer are an important piece of a home’s presentation.

The survey of more than 1,000 home owners and future home buyers shows that one in five home owners have moved or would like to move to a neighborhood or community that is more conducive to their lifestyle.

And the majority of those surveyed place more weight on lifestyle factors – such as family-friendly neighborhoods or easy access to cultural activities like museums and music venues – when shopping

The financial markets are staying as calm as possible given Washington's inability to resolve the budget issues. The stock market is starting to take it on the chin but the bond market, which determines interest rates is holding and even improving a little…. so far.  But we are seeing more and more money moving to the sidelines due to the uncertainty.
 
Locally and nationally, purchase applications are slowing as the end of the summer approaches when the possibility of completing a new home purchase and moving in prior to the school year starting becomes more difficult.  Refinances have shown a slight uptick in activity the past several weeks as consumers move towards shorter term loans (15 and 20 year) and more mortgage prepayments - people paying

Whether the economy is going strong or just plugging along, as it is now, Colorado remains a good places to do business.

CNBC recently ranked Colorado No. 5 on the America's Top State for Business in 2011 list.

The fifth-annual study measures all 50 states on 43 different metrics in 10 key categories of competitiveness. CNBC then weights those categories based on how frequently the states use them as selling points to attract business to hold the states to their own standards and tell the public how they measure up.

Virginia, with 1,550 out of 2,500 points, took the top slot last year and Texas, with 1,578 points, dropped from first last year to second this year – a pattern of swapping between the two states that has repeated itself often

Ken Hotard was more than pleasantly surprised by the fact that 408 single-family homes in Boulder County that sold in June.

 “Let’s go beyond pleasantly surprised,” says the senior vice president of public affairs for the Boulder Area Realtor Association. “I’m optimistic. I think we’ve turned a corner and I don’t think we’ll likely backslide.”

 Barring any major catastrophes or world events, Hotard says he sees a real rebound for the area real estate market in 2012.

 Not only did June’s sales exceed May’s 299 sales by 109, but it also surpassed June 2010’s sales – when homebuyers taking advantage of the tax credit were still closing on their new homes – by nearly 40.

 “We saw a real surge in single-family home sales in June,” Hotard says. “This was

Colorado cities – so often on or near the top 20 in the nation for home appreciation rates – were mostly average performers in the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s first quarter of 2011 House Price Index.

Boulder County ranked 173 out of 309 metropolitan statistical areas, the third highest of seven Colorado metros on the list, with home prices dropping 2.76 percent compared with the year before.

The Fort Collins-Loveland metro area ranked the highest among the Colorado metro areas on the list at 107, with Larimer County home prices dipping just 1.49 percent year-over-year.

Grand Junction’s prices sunk the lowest – by 10.67 percent – in the first quarter compared with 2010, earning it a ranking of 303 and a place in the bottom 20 for

In today’s buyer’s market, many are choosing to move to a new home when they find they need more space. However, for those who love their current property but wish it was a bit roomier, or had an extra bedroom or a spacious family room, choosing to add an addition or remodel current space may be the best option. Updating your current property can not only improve the appearance of your home, but also enhance its value, add to your quality of life, and appeal to future prospective buyers.

A survey by the National Association of Home Builders found that the top four reasons homeowners remodel is to obtain more space, avoid buying a new home, enjoy more amenities, and adjust to lifestyle changes. However, before you dive right into an extensive remodeling

In the current market, resale value is important to consider.  The value your home may hold when you decide to sell can raise, lower or stay relatively even.  The changes you make or factors you consider when buying can hold or even increase the value of your home.
 
There are many qualities about a home that come into play when considering resale value.  First, you must keep in mind the time you plan to spend in the home.  Are you going to live there for 5, 10, 15+ years?  Consider your schedule and the amount of time you plan to spend in the house, these factors can determine the amount of renovations you have time to complete, as well as the location you may want to select.

Think about what you are looking for in your first, second or third home. 

Many homeowners have heard the term refinancing, but not all thoroughly understand what it means, or when it is appropriate. Refinancing your home is when you pay off an old loan, and take out a new one. Refinancing is a sensible decision when you can take out a new mortgage with a lower interest rate.

What do you need?

There are a handful of things that are generally required to refinance your home. These include a steady income, home equity, and a good credit rating. Refinancing is essentially applying for a mortgage all over again, so be prepared for any accompanying costs and be sure you can afford them.

When is a good time?

Refinance your home when mortgage interest rates are low.  Refinancing is only sensible if you can get a new loan that is

Although the Boulder County real estate market statistics showed month-over-month improvement in May, they weren’t what was expected or hoped for at the start of the buying season.

Boulder markets saw 299 single-family homes and 99 condominiums/townhomes sell in May, compared with 257 and 75, respectively, in April. And the month’s sales were slightly higher than those of the last home buyer tax incentive-free year, 2009, when 249 single-family homes and 96 condo/townhomes sold.

In May 2010, when first-time and move-up home buyers were drawn into the market by tax incentives closing on their new mortgage loans, 362 single-family homes and 134 condos/townhomes in the Boulder-area market sold.

“We did increase month over month, which really is a positive

Brad Gallup’s business, Cable-Safe, is to make sense of the mess of cables from phones, computers and accessories under and around a workstation.

His passion is to help veterans make sense of their lives following their service to their country through finding employment and other resources: he runs Colorado Hire Patriots and is the co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Veterans Alliance.

The Niwot resident and business owner is a veteran himself, having served in the Marine Corp for four years and attaining the rank of sergeant. After an eight-year break in service, he was commissioned in the Air Force and served for 17 years, retiring in 2003 as a major.

During his time between military branches, Gallup attended Ferris State University in Michigan,