Five Colorado metropolitan statistical areas made a showing on the 2012 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index, which ranks metros by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth.

All five of those Colorado metros appeared in the top 50 metros, with Fort Collins-Loveland ranking highest at No. 12, followed by Boulder at No. 15. While the Fort Collins-Loveland’s rank was a drop from third in 2011, Boulder’s was an improvement from 59th – the most improvement of any Colorado city.

The components by which metros are measured include job, wage and salary, and technology growth. In most years, these give a good indication of the underlying structural performance of regional economics, according to the Milken Institute.

The

It’s never been more expensive to rent a home in Boulder or the Denver metro area, according to latest Denver Metro Apartment Vacancy and Rent Survey.

The county areas with the highest average rents in the first quarter of 2013 were Douglas County and the Boulder/Broomfield area, where the average rents were $1,186 and $1,150, respectively, according to the survey recently released by the Apartment Association of Metro Denver and the Colorado Division of Housing.

The average rent rose in all Denver-metro counties measured except Adams County, with the largest increases found the Boulder/Broomfield area and Douglas County, where the average rents grew year over year by 7.4 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively, according to a Colorado Division of

The spring housing market has sprung in the Boulder area, with both single-family and the condo and townhome sales in March showing significant improvement over the same month last year.

“The pattern we started late last year, coming into 2013, is continuing through March,” says Ken Hotard, senior vice president of public affairs for the Boulder Area Realtor® Association. “We’re seeing increased sales volume year over year, and it’s fairly healthy increases.”

The 315 single-family homes that sold in March represented a 16.7 percent increase over the 270 that sold in March 2012; and the 110 condominiums and townhomes that sold in March was 25 percent more than the 88 units that sold a year ago.

But it was the jump in sales from February to March

Most people understand what “baby-proofing” a home is, but “elder-proofing?” 

Just as not every home is suited for babies and toddlers, neither are they necessarily equipped for seniors who are living longer.

But the longer seniors reside in homes – whether their own or their adult children’s – that aren’t suited to their particular safety requirements, the greater their risk of suffering a personal injury, according to Yahoo! Homes.

The practice of “elder-proofing” a home may require extensive remodeling in some cases, but homeowners can do a number of things with just a toolbox, a few smart ideas and a weekend.

Here are seven handy tips Yahoo! Homes suggests to “elder-proof” a home:

Keep the nightlights on – Eyesight tends to deteriorate with

The Boulder metropolitan area is made up of some of the healthiest people in the country, according to the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

Boulder ranked No. 2, behind Lincoln, Neb., while Fort Collins-Loveland came in at No. 5. Colorado ranked second among states only to Hawaii, which has held the No. 1 ranking for four consecutive years.

The states that ranked the highest and lowest in 2012 gavw, for the most part, a repeat performance of their health ranking in 2011. Minnesota, Utah and Vermont rounded out the top five healthiest states, while Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and West Virginia bottoming out the lowest well-being scores.

The state-level data are based on daily surveys conducted from January through December

Whether saving more money or freeing up cash is the goal, homeowners can consider cutting down their insurance bill by increasing their deductible.

According to Forbes, increasing the insurance deductible – and not just by a few hundred dollars – can do just that.

Depending on the value of the home, savings and income, setting a $2,500 or even a $5,000 to $10,000 deductible can save a homeowner $1,000 a year – and more for owners of higher-valued homes.

When homeowners choose a deductible, they’re picking a number they’re willing and able to spend out of pocket in the case of a loss. It should certainly cover what they would prefer to write a check for versus calling the insurance company.

“We have clients with deductibles of $100,000 fairly

March home sales signal the start of the buying season

 The spring housing market has sprung in the Boulder area, with both single-family and the condo and townhome sales in March showing significant improvement over the same month last year.

“The pattern we started late last year, coming into 2013, is continuing through March,” says Ken Hotard, senior vice president of public affairs for the Boulder Area Realtor® Association. “We’re seeing increased sales volume year over year, and it’s fairly healthy increases.”

The 315 single-family homes that sold in March represented a 16.7 percent increase over the 270 that sold in March 2012; and the 110 condominiums and townhomes that sold in March was 25 percent more than the 88 units that sold a year

Except during the Depression and World War II, when it was inactive, the YMCA of Boulder Valley has been a part of the community for nearly 140 years.

Today, the organization as well as its spirit permeates the Boulder Valley through services and programs not just for youth, but for the young at heart of any age.

At its facilities in Boulder and Lafayette, the YMCA offers class for the very young through the elderly including dance, fitness, swimming, Pilates, martial arts, Yoga, weight management and ice skating. It also offers sports programs that cover the gamut of interests, community and before- and after-school programs as well as preschool, a senior exercise class and a program for people with Parkinson’s disease.

“The YMCA is not just for

Rates Improve Slightly on Cyprus Banking Crisis

Mortgage interest rates improved slightly on the week as news centered on the Cyprus banking crisis.  Cyprus has until Monday to come up with 5.8 billion Euros in order to obtain bank rescue funds from the ECB.  Cyprus considered taxing deposits to raise this money.  Markets are concerned that Cyprus may leave the European Union if unable to raise the necessary funds to receive its bailout.  As a result some money has moved into the relative safety of US and German bonds.  Economic data was mixed.  Economic data stronger than expected included February Building Permits, weekly jobless claims, February Leading Economic Indicators, and the Philadelphia Fed Business Index.  Data weaker than expected included

Before you find yourself in the dilemma of being ready to move on – literally and figuratively – but the “for sale” sign has grown its own roots in your front yard, recognize the many things that you can do to avoid finding yourself in that situation. Bradley K. Tuttle’s Real Estate Update offers these tips to avoid a home spending longer than necessary on the market:

Tip 1: Be realistic about the price.

 Determine the sales price by educating yourself about the market by reading the newspapers, visiting online real estate sites, researching the sale prices of homes in your own neighboring and consulting with the best experts in the business.

Tip 2: Fix up your home.

Most buyers don’t want to purchase a big list of must-do fixes in order to