Category: Buying a Home In Colorado: The Guide

Which Comes First: the Home Loan or the Home?



August 9, 2010Should a Home Buyer Seek Pre-Approval or a Home First? Starting a home search can feel a little bit like the “Chicken and the Egg” riddle.  Should a buyer become pre-qualified for a home loan first, before finding a home they would like to purchase?   Or, should a buyer start shopping for homes before knowing what type of loan they might qualify for? The Real Estate Division of the...

Is a Short Sale a Good Opportunity for a Home Buyer?



August 5, 2010When you hear about real estate these days, these terms come up often: “short sale” and “foreclosure.”  For the potential home buyer, these phrases can evoke both interest and fear.  Interest because it sounds like the potential for a great deal, and fear because of the potential to end up in the same boat. But what is a short sale? Is it an opportunity for a good investment?  Is it...

Understand Your Home Buying Motives to Develop the Best Search Strategy



July 28, 2010There are many different reasons to purchase a home, and the story behind your purchase defines your future home better than how many bathrooms and bedrooms you want. Each motive will require a different home search strategy. For example, a first time home owner is likely to be in a different situation than someone shopping for a ski in ski out condo in Breckenridge, each will require a different...

Buyers Beware of the Home Stager



July 23, 2010I was reading today about a favorite trick of real estate agents, "home staging." In case you are not familiar with the concept, the idea is to make the house more appealing to buyers by preparing a home for viewing. For example, sometimes having a million dusty nick nacks all over the place can detract from the beauty of the home, and reduce its appeal to buyers. The home stager is advertising...

Possible Extension of Tax Credit Deadline for New Home Buyers



June 30, 2010Missed Your Closing Deadline for the Tax Credit?  Don’t despair; you may still get the credit you deserve! Are you one of about 180,000 home buyers that went into contract by April 30th but may miss the tax credit because you haven’t closed yet?  Because of the popularity of the tax credit, lenders and appraisers have experienced closing delays.   If this is affecting you, there is good...

Home Viewing Advice: Tips For Finding Your Dream Home



June 25, 2010Develop a "Dream Home List." My husband and I had developed a list of characteristics to help find our future home when we first started house hunting.  We defined “must” haves and “want” to haves.  The list included everything from price range, to age of home, to location, to basic floor plan.  We each wrote our own list, without consulting the other, and then combined lists to come...

Top 5 Things to Look for When Viewing Houses



June 1, 2010After looking at what feels like a million homes with our exclusive buyer’s agent, we became very efficient house hunters.  At first, it was hard to strip away the bad decorating or the incredible upgrades to the bathroom and see the house for what it really was.   Over and over again, I keep hearing this advice “Look at the things that you can’t change.”  Again, I have to go back to...