Denver is coming into a prime home selling season. People want to get moved and settled before the fall school session starts. Weather is warm and allows buyers to move about the city easily, looking for their next home. According to MSNBC in a recent poll, they report a seller’s most common mistake in trying to sell their home is overpricing their home. Some homeowners only take into consideration what homes around them sold for, often relying on a website like Zillow to tell them their home’s value. These websites can’t take into consideration each home’s individual uniqueness. It takes a professional to take a look at your home and do the research to give you a realistic idea of your home’s value. Mortgage rates continue to be affordable, and Denver continues to have a strong economic base. Call or email me at Norm@NormTeSlaa.com for any questions!
Financial Literacy
January’s issue of 5280 magazine provides ten questions that will ’test’ you and tell you what your financial IQ might be. The questions deal with your ‘Financial Literacy’ and is just a good starting point for defining how your money might be working for you or what changes you may consider making to use your money more wisely. “Test Your Financial Literacy’ is on page 49 of that issue, and if you have questions especially about numbers 1, 3, 4 and 10 give me a call and let’s see how these or any other questions might affect your present mortgage or your wish to buy or sell a home in the Denver area!
February real estate statistics are available
The National Association of Realtors has reported that the median sales price fell in February, but they also state that across the country home prices and sales are uneven . It is important to remember, then, that these figures include national statistics, and they may not reflect the real estate market in your neighborhood. Let me help find the market activity statistics for your area and you can see what has happened in your community or a neighborhood you are interested in. Whether buying or selling a home or just wanting to know the market value of your home, email me at Norm@NormTeSlaa.com and I can get you updated statistics for your specific area!
Spring Cleaning Time!
The supplement to our March newsletter gives some great tips on cleaning your home, but it also stresses how a neat and clean living space can improve your mental state! I would be happy to help you buy a new home, but maybe you just need to clean the one you have! This traditional ritual can give you a psychological lift that might just carry you through until spring finally arrives and we can be sure the snow is gone for the season! “Clean Smarter, not Harder” provides some creative ideas for you to use in cleaning everything from lampshades to vases and bottles, carpets to stickers your kids may have put on their dressers or doors. Email me for a copy of this report, and begin your way to a refreshed home and mental outlook!
Real Estate Divorce Specialist
Real Estate Divorce Specialists are real estate professionals specializing in divorcing clients and the legal and tax aspects they face as it relates to real estate. This specific training now allows me to help divorcing clients take advantage of tax laws that are specific to selling a house in divorce, and I can streamline the process, helping all parties with sound advice on ther real estate issues. Whether buying or selling a home, people are looking for a professional who empathizes but also understands the tax and legal implications of dividing real estate in a divorce. As a Certified Real Estate Divorce Specialist, I can provide them with information and resources that other real estate professionals, and even some divorce attorneys, don’t know. Feel free to call if you have any questions!
Technology in today’s home
With Verizon providing a version of the iPhone, I now need to make a choice in my next upgrade. Trade my Blackberry in for an iPhone or the latest version of the Droid? Years ago I had one of those clumsy holders that were mounted in your car to hold my car phone. At the time I had a client who was just amazed that he could call me any time, and I still think he would call me just to find out where I was! The availability now of so many options of mobile phone technology has made the car phone something to be submitted to a local museum.
What about technology in the home? You might want to consider some exciting and maybe even some eye-brow raising gadgets for your home. Toilets with seat warmers and warm air dryers and deodorizers, programmable showers, biometric door locks with fingerprint recognition are all examples of high technology available for today’s home. Some of the options are quite affordable, and they are all examples of how our homes have changed over the years! Call or email me if you would like a copy of a list of the latest home gadgets and see if there isn’t something there that could brighten up the life in your home – like the toilet seat with the built-in LED lighting!
Resources for keeping inventory of your household
Our supplemental report this month is a great source of information about where you can go to get forms and ideas for keeping inventory of your household items. There are free resources for hard copy forms, online programs and software programs that are available. Any claim for damaged or stolen property should show description, cash value and quantity of your possessions. You may need documentation to support the figures you are claiming, and take down model and serial numbers of appliances and other equipment. Once you have bought your new home or if you are considering selling your present home, this inventory will be a valuable report for you to have and maintain. It is definitely a time consuming process, but once it is complete and you have a format that you can add to or revise, you will feel prepared for any event that might come along that requires this information. Please email me for a copy of this report at Norm@NormTeSlaa.com.
Great Real Estate Newsletter!
Motivation = Incentives! Potential real estate buyers may diminsh between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, but there are home sellers out there, and home buyers may find less competition for homes. “Unlock 4th Quarter Opportunities in our Front Range Real Estate Market” is a great article that may give you some help in taking advantage of what they call a ‘unique window of opportunity.’ Email me at Norm@NormTeSlaa.com if you would like a complete copy of my November newsletter. Unique challenges can result in creative solutions!
