Fort Collins - A Town Envisions the Future on Its Own Terms

FORT COLLINS, COLORADO — As this mid-sized city in the American West prepared to revise its long-term city plan last year — the blueprint for its future — the biggest challenge was the here and now.  

 

Tax revenues had plunged thanks to the recession. Retailing had eroded, in a place that had long seen itself as the downtown of far-flung rural northern Colorado, taking the health of the downtown with it. Even the mechanics of the planning process, using experts in transportation and economics paid by the city, posed a daunting hurdle, not to mention how to pay for the roads and redevelopment that planning usually promises.

“We could do an urban design plan, but we didn’t have the money to pay for any of it,” said the mayor, Karen Weitkunat. “It put a reality check on what we were here to do.”  Source: New York Times

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Fort Collins Info - Weekend Events

Old Town Comes to Ram Town
	Enjoy Downtown at the next CSU home game! Downtown will have a huge area in Ram Town and will be serving up the best of craft beers, downtown businesses, and

Read all here . . .

Old Town Fort Collins skating rink being set up, holiday events begin Friday

Workers are installing the skating rink in Old Town Fort Collins this week as downtown merchants prepare to kick off the holiday season.

The season starts Friday, Nov. 4 with a First Friday Gallery walk, along with the illumination of the Downtown Holiday Lights. click here for full article . . .

Fort Collins Real Estate Info: 2010 census: Second highest homeownership rate on record

WASHINGTON – Oct. 7, 2011 – The U.S. Census Bureau yesterday released a 2010 Census brief, “Housing Characteristics: 2010.” It found that the homeownership rate in 2010 was the read full article here. . .

Just Sold! 4616 Cliff View Ln, Fort Collins, 80526

Steve Bullard participated in this sale - Click HERE for Details

New River West Subdivison Web page & Blog

Now to offer the residents of River West subdivision we have added a page on our site dedicated to River West information, downloadable documents and a community Blog.  Click here for the site and keep checking back for our blog!

 

Study: Fort Collins has safest drivers in U.S.

FORT COLLINS - Allstate has released its annual Best Driver's in America report, and a Colorado city is ranked number one.

For the second year in a row, Fort Collins takes the top spot. However Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora slipped in rankings from the 2010 report. 

read full article here

Foreclosure activity down in most U.S. metro areas

LOS ANGELES — Most of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas are seeing a sharp drop in foreclosure activity as banks take longer to move against homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments.

In the first half of this year, 84 percent of metropolitan areas with a population of at least 200,000 saw their foreclosure rate drop versus the same period last year, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac said Thursday. read more  . . . 

U.S. home prices up 0.7% in June: CoreLogic

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. home prices rose 0.7% in June, the third consecutive monthly increase, according to CoreLogic. Year-over-year, prices are down 6.8%. Excluding distressed sales such as short sales and real estate-owned transactions, year-over-year prices fell 1.1%. "While there is a consistent and sustained seasonal improvement in prices over the last three months, prices are lower than a year ago due to the decline in prices after the expiration of the tax credit last year. The difference between the overall HPI and our index excluding distressed sales indicates that the price declines are more concentrated in the distressed sales market," said Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic. The CoreLogic HPI is a repeat-sales index that tracks increases and decreases in sales prices for the same homes over time.  read full article here

Fort Collins Real Estate - Home Closed!

3531 English Ct, Fort Collins, 80526

 

Comments;  Very nice ranch style home, move in ready. Three bedrooms, large living room, formal dining area. New interior paint and carpet. New light fixtures. Master bedroom with two closets and walkout to covered patio. Laundry area with added storage/pantry. Private fenced yard, extra vehicle parking area. Garage work space, w/220v. Back of culdesac, large lot. Two back-yard storage buildings included. Pride of ownership. Rocky Mtn High School. Walk to neighborhood park. . .

Click here for sold price

Steve Bullard is a local Northern Colorado Realtor click here to learn more about Steve

Denver-area home sales jump in June

DENVER - Metro area home-sellers bucked a national trend for the month of June.

While the National Association of Realtors says single family home sales across the nation dipped 0.8 percent due to cancelled contracts and tight credit, Denver home sales shot up 20 percent from May to June, according to the latest statistics from the Colorado Association of Realtors.

The Realtors Association reported 3,370 single family units sold in June, which is up from 2,797 sold in May.

"All real estate is local," Colorado Association of Realtors Metro District Vice President Sandy Trujillo said. read the full article here

Looking for Real Estate in Fort Collins and  Norther Colorado, click here to for more information

NAR: Pending home sales turn around in May

WASHINGTON – June 29, 2011 – Pending home sales rose strongly in May with all regions experiencing gains from a year ago, pointing to higher housing activity in the second half of the year, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). read full article here .  .

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A Fort Collins Jazz Experience

 

Friday

» Fort Collins Youth Jazz Project

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Old Town Square Stage. Local jazz students ages 11 to 21 perform in a concert directed by Dave Lunn.

» Jazz Friday Gallery Walk

6 to 9 p.m. Downtown Fort Collins galleries. Jazz and visual art combine on this self-guided tour through downtown galleries. Meet Daryl Price, designer of the A Fort Collins Jazz Experience poster, at Old Town Art and Framery. Information:www.FortCollinsGalleryWalk.com

» Ben & Jerry’s FAC Concert

7 to 9 p.m. Old Town Square. Enjoy jazz standards from the Crown Jazz Band featuring local jazz saxophonist Andrew Vogt.

» All-Evening Jam at Jay’s

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Seven Out of 10 Renters Say Owning a Home is a Top Priority

Most Americans still believe that owning a home is a solid financial decision, and a majority of renters aspire to home ownership as a long-term goal. According to the 2011 National Housing Pulse Survey released today by the National Association of Realtors®, 72 percent of renters surveyed said owning a home is a top priority for their future, up from 63 percent in 2010.

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Real Estate: Home staging will help sell your house

Whether you’re thinking of putting your home on the market or your home is currently for sale, you should take seriously the professional advice given by real estate agents and professional home stagers.

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July 4th Events for Northern Colorado

Fort Collins:  Fireworks in City Park - FIREWORKS: Begin at dusk and are shot over City Park Lake.  The City of Fort Collins  will cap off July 4th  by providing a spectacular fireworks show at City Park at 9:35 p.m. FREE and open to the public.  Come enjoy live music starting at 6:00pm.  Click here for more info   

Loveland: 4th of July Celebration, North Loveland Park 29th St & Taft Ave 9pm. Click here for more info  

Windsor: Boardwalk Community Park, 100 N 5th St, 9pm  Click Here for more info

   Click here for more info

Denver home prices steady, some sellers on sidelines

Real Estate Market Report
BY GILBERT MOHTES-CHAN, MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2011.
Inman News™

Metro Denver heads into the prime summer season with fewer available homes on the market. The monthly inventory of unsold homes in May declined 11.1 percent year-over-year to 19,573 units. The number was virtually unchanged from April, which recorded the lowest level of inventory in nearly a decade.

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Don't Believe the Doom on US Housing

Data from the US housing market has not made for nice reading in recent months but one analysts believes the worst could well be over and that if youtake a closer look at the data prices are stabilizing.

“The decline is mainly because the mix of homes sold has changed in favor of distressed sales, which typically sell with a 'foreclosure discount.'

Non-distressed properties (sold by voluntary sellers) have already started to stabilize,” said Ajay Rajadhyaksha, the co-head of US fixed income strategy at Barclays Capital said in a research note on Friday.

“As voluntary sales pick up in the summer, the mix of homes should change again in the next few months, in favor of non-distressed sales. As a result, the aggregate index of home prices should stop declining and could even go up,” he added.

As a result Rajadhyaksha dismisses fears that recent drops in prices indicate a double dip for the housing market and predicts national valuations have reached a point where downside risks are limited.

“For investors who look to the home price indices for clues to the macro-economy, we recommend focusing on the index of voluntary sales, since non-distressed borrowers will increasingly determine the true health of the housing market,” he wrote.

“This index has held up reasonably well and suggests that prices are stabilizing. In sum, there are many reasons to worry about the US macroeconomic picture (the recent softening in the labor market, the US fiscal picture, etc.) but the recent drop in US home prices should not be one of them,” said Rajadhyaksha.

Steve Bullard is a Colorado Native and a local Realtor for over 18 years.  Call Steve at (970) 690-3654

Why It’s Time To Buy

Back in June 2006, when the housing market peaked, the prospect of a five-year national housing bust seemed unimaginable to most people. And yet here we are, with the latest Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller index showing that prices hit new bear-market lows, falling back to 2002 levels nationally and to 1990s levels in some battered regions.
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6 Tips For Buying A Home In A Short Sale

By preparing for a real estate short sale, you can emerge with a great home at a favorable price.

Short sales can be lengthy and difficult, but if you know what you're doing, you can end up with a great deal. Image: fotog/Getty Images

When sellers need to sell their home for less than they owe on their mortgage, they’re shooting for a short sale. Short sale homes can sometimes be bargains, but only if you do your homework, stay patient, and remain unemotional during the sometimes lengthy and difficult short sale process.

Here are six tips for protecting yourself emotionally and financially when bidding on a short sale.

1. Get help from a short sale expert

A real estate agent experienced in short sales can identify which homes are being offered as short sales, help you determine a purchase price, and advise you on what to include in your offer to make the lender view it favorably. Ask agents how many buyers they’ve represented in short sales and, of those, how many successfully closed the transaction.

2. Build a team

Ask agents to recommend real estate attorneys knowledgeable in short sales and title experts. A title officer can do a title search to identify all the liens attached to a property you’re interested in. Because each lienholder must consent to a short sale, a property with multiple liens, like first and second mortgages, mechanic’s and condominium liens, or homeowners association liens, will be harder to purchase.

A title search may cost $250 to $300 up front, but it can help weed out less desirable properties requiring multiple approvals.

3. Know the home’s fair market value

By agreeing to a short sale, lenders are consenting to lose money on the loan they made to the sellers to purchase the home. Their goal is to keep those losses as low as possible. If your offer is dramatically less than the home’s fair market value, it may be rejected. Your agent can help you identify the price that’s good for you. The lender will determine whether approval is in its best interest.

4. Expect delays

There are two stages to a short sale. First, the sellers must consent to your purchase offer. Then they must submit it to their lender, along with documentation to convince the lender to agree to the sale.

The lender approval process can take weeks or months, even longer if the lender counteroffers. Expect bigger delays if several lienholders are involved; each can make a counteroffer or reject your offer.

5. Firm up your financing

Lenders will weigh your ability to close the transaction. If you’re preapproved for a mortgage, have a large downpayment, and can close at any time, they’ll consider your offer stronger than that of a buyer whose financing is less secure.

6. Avoid contingencies

If you must sell your current home before you can close on the short-sale property, or you need to close by a firm deadline, your offer may present too many moving parts for a lender to approve it.

Also, consider ordering an inspection so you’re fully informed about the home. Keep in mind that lenders are unlikely to approve an offer seeking repairs or credits for such work. You’ll probably have to purchase the home “as is,” which means in its present condition.

This article includes general information about tax laws and consequences, but isn’t intended to be relied upon by readers as tax or legal advice applicable to particular transactions or circumstances. Consult a tax professional for such advice; tax laws may vary by jurisdiction.

Read more: http://buyandsell.houselogic.com/articles/6-tips-buying-home-short-sale/#ixzz1PUXH0J6f


 Read more: http://buyandsell.houselogic.com/articles/6-tips-buying-home-short-sale/#ixzz1PUX7IRED

Americans: Home Ownership Still a Great Investment

Seventy-five percent of 
Americans say that “owning a home is the best long-term investment they can make and is worth the risk of ups and downs in the housing market,” according to a new survey of 2,000 bipartisan voters by the National Association of Home Builders. 

Despite their situation — whether underwater on their home or even renters — the survey found Americans to be optimistic about home ownership. Eighty-one percent of those who own their homes outright, 76 percent with mortgages, 67 percent of renters, and 65 percent who have underwater mortgages cited home ownership as the “best long-term investment.” 

When survey respondents were asked whether they’d recommend buying a home to a friend or family member just starting out, 80 percent of Americans said “yes.” Even home owners currently underwater — those who owe more on their mortgage than their home is currently worth —overwhelmingly (78 percent) said they would recommend home ownership to family or friends starting out. 

More buyers are coming up through the pipeline too. The survey found that 73 percent of those surveyed who do not own a home said their goal is eventually to buy one. 

The NAHB survey also found: 

▪ 58 percent of Americans oppose eliminating the mortgage-interest deduction and 63 percent oppose lowering it. What’s more, 57 percent of those surveyed say they are less likely to support a candidate for Congress who wanted to eliminate the mortgage-interest deduction. 
▪ Respondents were split on about requiring a 20 percent down payment to purchase a home: 49 percent were in favor and 49 percent opposed it. However, mortgage holders and renters aged 18 to 54 were more opposed to it: 58 percent of younger mortgage holders and 59 percent of younger renters opposed adding a 20 percent down payment requirement. 

Source: “The Cook Report: The Home Front,” National Journal (June 2, 2011)