May 2015

With available homes in short supply, sellers are in control and buyers often have to concede to higher prices and terms. Buyers can’t waste time, put in low offers or make demands for fixes. Here’s what they can do, according to Bradley Tuttle’s Real Estate Update:

Make a good first impression

Not only do buyers need to impress sellers, they have to impress real estate agents by hiring only one agent and letting that agent profile their needs to the marketplace. They need to specify their “must-haves” so they don't waste everyone’s time viewing homes that lack what they want most. When they find the home they want, they should send the seller a letter outlining why they love the home along with the offer.

Get lender’s preapproval

Not only

The Boulder Valley’s real estate market remained resilient in April despite the lack of inventory, thanks to the strong demand for homes.

The 284 sales of single-family homes in Boulder County in April represented an 8.1 percent decrease compared with the 309 sales in April 2014 and a 4 percent decrease compared with 296 sales in March.

Countywide, 89 more single-family homes were for sale in April compared with March – 398 versus 487 units, respectively – representing a 22 percent increase, but April’s inventory was a drop of 30.2 percent compared with the 698 available in April 2014.

The county also saw 119 condominiums and townhomes sell in April, a 6.3 percent decrease compared with the 127 that sold in April 2014 but a 5 percent increase

Colorado’s small business owners are among the most optimistic in the country, according to the sixth annual U.S. Bank Small Business Survey.

The survey monitors the attitudes, perceptions and outlook of small business owners over two phases: the first phase was comprised of 1,000 national responses to serve as a baseline across U.S. Bank’s 25-state footprint. The second phase represented an over-sample of 2,202 state-level interviews in the 11 markets of Arizona, northern and southern California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.

Of those Colorado small business owners surveyed, 61 percent said conditions for small businesses are stronger in their state than the rest of the country. That’s up from the

348 S. 68th Street, Boulder             OPEN SATURDAY 10 AM – NOON     Chad St. Onge                  

664 Tantra Drive, Boulder              OPEN SATURDAY 11 AM – 1 PM       Ty Hart  

7166 Dudley Drive, Arvada             OPEN SATURDAY 11 AM – 2 PM      Lydia Waskul                                                 

410 4th Avenue, Longmont            OPEN SATURDAY 2 – 4 PM              Denise Patryas   (information coming)             

4885 Darwin Court, Boulder         OPEN SUNDAY 12 – 2 PM              John McElveen                                

1151 Utica Circle, Boulder             OPEN SUNDAY 1 – 3 PM             Kevin MacInness                             

992 Sycamore Avenue, Boulder OPEN SUNDY 12 – 3 PM                Irene

By Jessica Shanahan, Premier Lending LLC adapted from the Shirmeyer Rate Market Report.

Mortgage interest rates increased slightly on the week as economic data was mixed.  Economic data stronger than expected included August Housing Starts, August Building Permits, and April Leading Economic Indicators.  Housing Starts were up 20% to their highest level in seven years.  Economic data weaker than expected included the May NAHB Housing Market Index, weekly jobless claims, April Existing Home Sales, and the May Philadelphia Fed Business Index.  The April Consumer Price Index (CPI) was up 0.1%, in line with expectations. Excluding the food and energy components, core CPI was up 0.3% in April and up 1.8% year over year.  Fed Chair Yellen speaks on the

750 Morgan Drive, Boulder                    OPEN SUNDAY 2 – 4 PM             Steve Altermatt                               

5377 Wild Dunes Court, Boulder           OPEN SUNDAY 12 – 3 PM           Bill Allen                               

4631 Starboard Drive, Boulder              OPEN SATURDAY 12 – 2 PM       Mike Bader          

2206 Kay Street, Longmont                     OPEN SATURDAY 11 AM – 2 PM       Brian Sundberg                

Colorado moved up five spots in Chief Executive magazine’s 2015 ranking of the Best & Worst States for Business.

The magazine surveyed 511 CEOs across the nation and ranked states based on taxes and regulations, quality of the workforce, and living environment that takes into account cost of living, crime rates and education quality.

“The results of our 11th annual survey clearly show that CEOs favor states that foster growth through progressive business development programs, low taxes and a quality living,” according to the magazine’s report.

Texas and Florida maintained their rankings of No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, from 2014, while California held on to last place for the second consecutive year.

Here’s a look at the top 20 states for

What do you need to do to make the best possible offer in a real estate market as hot as this one? Two experts, real estate attorney Jon Goodman and RE/MAX of Boulder REALTOR Duane Duggan, discuss cash offers, "love letters," and inspections among other fascinating tips and topics. 

Watch this segment from Channel 9NEWS here!

By Jessica Shanahan, Premier Lending LLC adapted from the Shirmeyer Rate Market Report.

Mortgage interest rates increased slightly this past week as interest rates globally have increased and the dollar rally has ended.  Economic data, though, was mostly weaker than expected.  Economic data weaker than expected included the March JOLTS Job Openings Report, April Retail Sales, April Export and Import Prices, March Business Inventories, the April Producer Price Index, the New York Empire State Manufacturing Index, April Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization, and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index.  Weekly Jobless Claims, though, were stronger than expected.  The Treasury auctioned $64 billion in 3 Year Notes, 10 Year Notes, and

1159 Juniper Ave., Boulder               OPEN SUNDAY 11 AM – 1 PM               Lynn Ryan         

7793 Essex Pl., Boulder                     OPEN SUNDAY 2 – 4 PM                      Lynn Ryan          

1801 Kristy Ct., Longmont                  OPEN SUNDAY 2 – 4 PM                      Denise Patryas       

13985 Pinehurst Cr., Broomfield        OPEN SUNDAY 11 AM – 1 PM              Brian Sundberg        

7715 Crestview Ln., Niwot                  OPEN SUNDAY 1 – 4 PM                      Patrick Dolan       

1416 Elder Ave., Boulder                   OPEN SATURDAY 11 AM – 1 PM          Lynn Ryan      

 6920 Hunter Pl., Boulder               OPEN SUNDAY 1 – 4 PM                         Patrick Dolan     

1745 Lombardy Dr.,