Check out this blog by Keeping Matters Current. Homeowners ready to make a move are definitely in a great position to sell today. Housing inventory is incredibly low, driving up buyer competition. This gives homeowners leverage to sell for the best possible terms, and it’s fueling a steady rise in home prices. In such a hot market, houses are selling quickly. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), homes are typically on the market for just 18 short days. Despite the speed and opportunity for sellers, there are still steps you can take to prep your house to shine so you get the greatest possible return. 1. Make Buyers Feel at Home One of the ways to make this happen is to take time to declutter. Pack away any personal items like pictures, awards, and sentimental belongings. The more neutral and tidy the space, the easier it is for a buyer to picture themselves living there. According to the 2021 Profile of Home Staging by NAR: “82% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.” Not only will your house potentially attract the attention of more buyers and likely sell quickly, but the same report also notes: “Eighteen percent of sellers’ agents said home staging increased the dollar value of a residence between 6% and 10%.” As Jessica Lautz, Vice President of Demographics and Behavior Insights for NAR, says: “Staging a home helps consumers see the full potential of a given space or property…It features the home in its best light and helps would-be buyers envision its various possibilities.” 2. Keep It Clean On top of making an effort to declutter, it’s important to keep your house neat and clean. Before a buyer stops by, be sure to pick up toys, make the beds, and wash the dishes. This is one more way to reduce the number of things that can distract a buyer from the appeal of the home. Ensure your home smells fresh and clean as well. Buyers will remember the smell of your house, and according to the same report from NAR, the kitchen is one of the most important rooms of the house to focus on if you want to attract more buyers. 3. Give Buyers Access Buyers are less likely to make an offer on your house if they aren’t able to easily schedule a time to check it out. If your home is available anytime, that opens up more opportunities for multiple buyers to go from curious to eager. It also allows buyers on tight schedules to still get in to see your house. While health continues to be a great concern throughout the country, it’s important to work with your agent to find the best safety measures and digital practices for your listing. This will drive visibility and create access options that also keep everyone in the process safe. 4. Price It Right Even in a sellers’ market, it’s crucial to set your house at the right price to maximize selling potential. Pricing your house too high is actually a detriment to the sale. The goal is to drive high attention from competing buyers and let bidding wars push the final sales price up. Work with your trusted real estate professional to determine the best list price for your house. Having an expert on your side in this process is truly essential. Bottom Line If you want to sell on your terms, in the least amount of time, and for the best price, today’s market sets the stage to make that happen. Contact a local real estate professional today to determine the best ways to maximize the sale of your house this year. The post 4 Tips to Maximize the Sale of Your House appeared first on Keeping Current Matters.

The median estimated home value in this area is about $373,000.00. With the market being so crazy the median list price on homes in this area is about $450,000.00. Home value has gone up 13.1% in 12 months.  The average price per square foot is about $200.00 – $250.00. However, it is not uncommon to see it raise between $300.00 – $350.00.  The average home in this area is around 1000 – 12000 square feet. The average bedrooms in homes in 80904 is 2-3 bedrooms. This neighborhood is a great location to raise children in since there is already a lot of families living in this area. Most people in this area bring home around $48,485.00 annually. Your elevation in this area is 3,078 feet. It rains about 16 inches per year. The annual snow fall in this area is 56.09 inches, and you will get about 128 days of full sunshine. With the spectacular views of Pikes Peak sunny days are a must. Your average minimum temperatures in January is about 8 degrees and the average maximum temperature in January is 43 degrees. Your average minimum temperature in this are in July is 53 degrees. The maximum temperature in July in this area is about 83 degrees. All though it may feel hotter than that it usually stays around 83.

Check out this blog by Keeping Matters Current. Some Highlights In a recent article, Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors (NAR), discussed the state of today’s housing market. When addressing whether or not today’s high buyer competition and rising home prices are evidence of a housing bubble, Yun said that this “is not a bubble. It is simply lack of supply.” Today’s housing market is healthy, and rising prices are driven by real buyer demand. Contact a local real estate professional to learn the best ways to navigate such an energetic market. The post This Isn’t a Bubble. It’s Simply Lack of Supply. [INFOGRAPHIC] appeared first on Keeping Current Matters.

Growing up over the last 40 years, David Attenborough’s unmistakable and mellifluous voice was the narrated soundtrack to my budding environmentalism, and how I came to be nicknamed Granola. Over his extraordinary 94-year lifespan, he quite literally became the voice of planet earth and his most recent witness statement, A Life on Our Planet sends an urgent message of both a man and planet nearing the end of their lives.There were those familiar, vibrantly colorful, and intimate moments of nature going about its day, to which most of us remain oblivious, with poignant and personal moments of his relationship with this planet dating all the way back to his boyhood, when he first fell in love with fossils. The difference, this time, was the juxtaposed weight of footage featuring the harsh realities of what he calls man’s “unleashed” impact on nature and our single-handed destabilization of the planet’s biodiversity.“We had broken loose. We were apart from the rest of life on earth. Living a different kind of life,” he explains of our rapid idea progression versus typical animal evolution, which transformed what a species could achieve. “Our predators had been eliminated. Most of our diseases were under control. We had worked out how to produce food to order. There was nothing left to restrict us. Nothing to stop us unless we stopped ourselves.”There’s an acceptance and understanding of the brutality of natural selection, knowing nature is running its course, however it’s an entirely altering experience watching scenes of whale poaching, time lapses of devastating deforestation, and watching a polar bear swimming out into the blue oblivion in search of sea ice and food.As you follow Attenborough through his various explorations and travels, the timeline of his life is used as a backdrop to show the stark statistics of world population, atmospheric carbon amounts, and remaining wilderness percentages dialing up and down respectively as he experiences, learns, and tries to educate the world on the interconnectedness of life. He and his crew, he solemnly admits, were among the first to capture bleaching of the coral reef before scientists even understood the enormity of what was taking place.Almost as if he’s reminiscing, he speaks of our Halocene, our “Garden of Eden” as he calls it; a measure of time when the natural world worked so cohesively following the last of several extinction events on our planet as evident in the Earth’s strata. This compared to the new, and still-questioned epoch of Anthropocene that humanity is potentially entering now, where our species’ impact at a geological level is being researched and debated at this very moment.After making it clear that the faster we progress as a species, the faster the climate changes, you’re left somewhere just before all hope is lost. But, like the people’s climate champion that he’s become known as, he gives us the very seeds of solutions that he believes will change our course; some examples of which he shares from smaller, successfully sustaining eco-systems and populations around the world.He reminds us, as the camera zooms out and away from him standing amidst a now wild, unhindered, and overgrown Chernobyl, Russia – we are a part of and reliant upon nature’s delicate balance, and that Earth is more than capable of re-wilding itself, our choice is to act upon whether it does so with or without us.In celebration of Earth Day, why not catch this documentary on Netflix, or watch one of his newest pieces The Year Earth Changed on Apple TV+, about how the world pandemic lockdown showed us just how much nature thrives when we step back.By Melanie Robitaille, Sr. Staff Writer and Graphic DesignerThe post Re-Wilding the Planet appeared first on Focus on Good Health.

Check out this blog by 719Lending Many people dream of putting their feet up in a luxurious Colorado Springs vacation home by the beach, in the mountains, or wherever your dream getaway is. But are you ready to take the plunge into second home ownership? Here are some pros and cons to help you decide if purchasing a vacation home is right for you. Pros of Owning a Colorado Springs Vacation Home There are a lot of great perks that come with having a home away from home to call your own. You get to customize everything to suit your needs and tastes. From the bedroom and bathroom setup to the kind of coffee you keep stocked, you can create your ideal vacation oasis. You can invite friends and family to vacation with you or use the home when you are not there. Making memories with your loved ones is that much easier and more relaxing when you have lodging already in place. No more need to book expensive hotel rooms. If you vacation a lot, you can save a lot of money by purchasing a home rather than paying hotel or resort costs. Cons of Owning a Vacation Home Home ownership always comes with some headaches. Here are the top ones to get ready for if you are purchasing a second home. Some lenders require a higher interest rate, higher down payment, or more strict lending requirements for second homes. Purchasing a vacation home is a financial luxury, so only take the step if you are comfortable affording this additional expense. The home will likely be empty at least some part of the year. This makes it more attractive for potential vandalism or theft, especially since it may not be immediately reported. The same issue applies to damage or maintenance issues, as well. It may be days, weeks, or even months before you realize a small problem has become a large one. If you rent out your vacation home on a site like AirBnB or VRBO, you will need to be ready to act as a property manager/host, even if you are not located close to the property. The post Considering a Colorado Springs Vacation Home? Pros and Cons of Second Home Ownership appeared first on 719 Lending.

EXIT Realty Corp. International is on the cutting edge of all things real estate. Please enjoy these blogs available exclusively from EXIT Realty Corp. International. EXIT Realty Corp. International is pleased to announce that Pearl Insurance has become its newest Premier Partner. Pearl Insurance is EXIT Realty new provider of […] The post Pearl Insurance Becomes EXIT Realty’s Newest Premier Partner appeared first on Real Estate Industry Leaders.

Check out this blog by Keeping Matters Current. Don’t be impressed by the headlines reporting year-over-year housing numbers for the next several months (data covering March, April, May, and June). The data will most likely show eye-popping one-year increases. While the year-over-year jumps will certainly be striking, consumers should take these numbers with a grain of salt, as the situation highlights a short-term quirk in the reporting of this data. Essentially, the increases will reflect a combination of two things: sharply lower housing numbers during last year’s virus-related market collapse and the subsequent strong rebound. This will result in what will appear to be unbelievable growth. Let’s use single-family home sales as an example:As the graph reveals, last spring’s buying market was anything but typical. Instead of sales increasing, they fell sharply as a result of stay-at-home orders that virtually shut the real estate industry down. This spring’s real estate market will bounce back with more normal seasonal sales increases. The percentage increase in sales will be astronomical – not because sales have skyrocketed, but instead because they will be compared to last year’s low numbers. Bottom Line There are likely to be some sensational headlines about real estate over the coming months. However, don’t be fooled. The actual story is that the real estate market is finally back to normal. The post Don’t Be Fooled by Remarkable Real Estate Headlines appeared first on Keeping Current Matters.

An emergency fund is a must. Chances are you have already been told that you need an emergency fund somewhere in the ballpark of three to six months of your income.  Don’t just save money, save for your future. There IS a difference!  Start saving for your retirement as early as possible. Few people get rich through their wages alone. It is the miracle of compound interest, or earning interest on your interest over many years, that builds wealth.  Save your windfalls and tax refunds. Every time you receive a windfall, such a work bonus, inheritance, contest winnings, or tax refund, put a portion into your savings account. Save your coins – literally. Putting aside just 50¢ a day over a year will get you almost halfway to an emergency fund.  Treat yourself but use it as an opportunity to save. Match the cost of your nonessential indulgences in savings. So, for example, if you splurge on a smoothie while out running errands, put the same amount into your savings account. ‘Start Small. Think Big,’ with a short- term goal. The truth is, people save more successfully when they set a short-term goal. For instance, committing to saving $20 a week or a month for 6 months is much more attainable that setting a goal to save $500 a month for a year. Once you reach the short-term goal, you’ll have created a habit of saving you can be proud of! You’ll be able to keep going strong with a new goal.

Check out this blog by Keeping Matters Current. This year, mortgage rates have started to slowly climb above recent record-breaking lows. Many homeowners planning to move may feel like they’ve missed the chance to score a great rate on their next mortgage. In reality, there’s still time to secure a rate far below the historic norm. Here’s why. After creeping up for seven consecutive weeks, average mortgage rates have dropped more recently (See graph below). With rates taking a slight dip over the past two weeks at the same time the inventory of houses for sale is so low, homeowners today are sitting in the optimal seat to sell. What’s the advantage of selling your house now? Securing a low mortgage rate on your next home.To take advantage of today’s real estate market, experts are encouraging homeowners to act now before interest rates climb. Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at realtor.com, explains: “…mortgage rates slid for a second week … but we don’t expect rates to stay at this level for too long.” Hale continues to say: “For sellers, getting in early optimizes odds of a quick sale at a good price before there’s too much competition, but that means acting now … In this environment, sellers probably really can’t go wrong, and that’s especially true in the nation’s hottest housing markets where homes are selling quickly and getting the greatest number of viewers online.” Most experts agree that rates will continue to trend upward. Sam Khater, Chief Economist at Freddie Mac, states: “Despite the pause in mortgage rates recently, we expect them to increase modestly for the remainder of this year.” In addition, Freddie Mac recently released their Quarterly Forecast, which notes: “We forecast that mortgage rates will continue to rise through the end of next year. We estimate the 30-year fixed mortgage rate will average 3.4% in the fourth quarter of 2021, rising to 3.8% in the fourth quarter of 2022.” (See graph below): While buyers everywhere want to secure the lowest rate possible, it’s important to remember that today’s rates are still much lower than the historic norm. Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist at First American, emphasizes: “While mortgage rates have trended up in recent months, they are still historically low, so relative to one year ago, housing actually is still more affordable and that’s really thanks to this low mortgage rate environment we find ourselves in.” Bottom Line If you’re thinking of moving, don’t miss the opportunity to secure a great rate on your next home mortgage. Contact a real estate professional today to help you get your house ready to sell so you can find your dream home while mortgage rates are still low. The post Planning to Move? You Can Still Secure a Low Mortgage Rate on Your Next Home appeared first on Keeping Current Matters.

If you have a lot of revolving debt, then consider pay it all off with your down payment money and re-save for the down. It will boost your credit score to get you a better rate and will save you interest. Banks may require you pay off your debts through escrow to close the loan. Prioritize your debts before you buy. Come up with a six-month or one-year plan that pays down the debts with the highest interest rates first. Go into your new home as debt free as you can. A good goal is to have no debt that is not securitized by collateral. Cars are okay because you can sell the car. Credit cards are not.

Check out this blog by Keeping Matters Current. The financial benefits of buying a home as compared to renting one are always up for debate. However, one element of the equation is often ignored – the ability to build wealth as a homeowner. Most experts are calling for home prices to continue appreciating over the next several years. The most recent Home Price Expectation Survey, a survey of over one hundred economists, real estate experts, and investment and market strategists, expects home appreciation to increase as follows: 2021: 6% 2022: 4.5% 2023: 4% 2024: 3.6% 2025: 3.5% Using their annual projections, the graph below shows the equity build-up a purchaser could earn, using a $350,000 home as an example:A homeowner could increase their net worth by over $80,000 in five years. That’s an average of $16,000 annually. That number should be in any equation determining the financial benefits of owning a home compared to renting. Bottom Line Homeowners are going to make a substantial amount of money in home equity over the next five years. If you’re ready to buy a home, talk with a real estate professional today so you can enjoy this great benefit as well. The post 82,338 Great Reasons to Buy a Home Today appeared first on Keeping Current Matters.

But Pack All the Chargers The exception to the above packing tip is chargers and cords. Put all the random charges you come across in a box and see if you can match them up during the packing or unpacking process. The last thing you want to do is accidentally donate your lap top charger. Better safe than sorry! Pack an “Open Me First” Box Pack one moving box with all the things you can’t live without to survive the first night in your new home. Include personal items, as well as other necessities like toilet paper, a toothbrush, bed sheets and blankets, prescriptions, eyeglasses, toiletries, and maybe that book you are almost done reading — really anything that you might be tempted to haphazardly tear through all of your boxes to find in a crisis. Take Photos When Taking Furniture Apart People struggle with putting back together furniture after disassembling them. Use a smartphone to take pictures so you remember what goes where. Make sure to label all the pieces. Take pictures of electronic set-ups too so you can get back to your latest Netflix binge ASAP.

Check out this blog by Keeping Matters Current. One of the biggest hurdles homebuyers face is saving for a down payment. As you’re budgeting and planning for your home purchase, you’ll want to understand how much you’ll need to put down and how long it will take you to get there. The process may actually move faster than you think. Using data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Apartment List, we can estimate how long it might take someone earning the median income and paying the median rent to save up for a down payment on a median-priced home. Since saving for a down payment can be a great time to practice budgeting for housing costs, this estimate also uses the concept that a household should not pay more than 28% of their total income on monthly housing expenses. According to the data, the national average for the time it would take to save for a 10% down payment is right around two and a half years (2.53). Residents in Iowa can save for a down payment the fastest, doing so in just over one year (1.31). The map below illustrates this time (in years) for each state: What if you only need to save 3%? What if you’re able to take advantage of one of the 3% down payment programs available? It’s a common misconception that you need a 20% down payment to buy a home, but there are actually more affordable options and down payment assistance programs available, especially for first-time buyers. The reality is, saving for a 3% down payment may not take several years. In fact, it could take less than a year in most states, as shown in the map below: Bottom Line Wherever you are in the process of saving for a down payment, you may be closer to your dream home than you think. Talk to your local real estate professional to learn more about the down payment options available in your area and how they support your plans. The post How Much Time Do You Need To Save for a Down Payment? appeared first on Keeping Current Matters.

Check out this blog by Keeping Matters Current. Some Highlights There’s no doubt about it: homeowners love their homes, and that feeling has become even more important over the past year. The vast majority of homeowners say they’re emotionally attached to their home and that it has kept them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Owning a home provides a sense of safety, security, and accomplishment. Contact a real estate professional who can help move your homeownership goals forward today. The post Home Is Where the Heart Is [INFOGRAPHIC] appeared first on Keeping Current Matters.

EXIT Realty Corp. International is on the cutting edge of all things real estate. Please enjoy these blogs available exclusively from EXIT Realty Corp. International. By Steve Morris, Founder and Chairman, EXIT Realty Corp. International I’ve been in real estate 45 years this year.  In my early days as a […] The post Steve Morris: Reflections on EXIT’s 25th Year appeared first on Real Estate Industry Leaders.

Check out this blog by 719Lending Credit is one of the most important parts of your home loan application. When applying for a mortgage, every lender working with you on buying a Colorado Springs home will pull your credit. If your credit is not great, there are a few steps you can take to start improving it, with home ownership as your end goal.   5 Steps to Improve Your Credit before Buying a Colorado Springs Home Pay Your Bills One of the best ways to boost your credit score before buying a Colorado Springs home is to keep up with the payments on your current bills. These include utilities, loan payments, and credit cards. If you have trouble remembering to pay them, most banks will help you set up an autopay or autodraft to get them paid on time. Keep Credit Card Balances Low The best thing you can do for your credit is to pay off your balance entirely each month. This shows potential lenders that you don’t buy more than you can afford and are good at managing your credit. If you are working to pay off existing debt, make this a top priority. Check Your Credit Report You can obtain a free credit report from the top credit reporting agencies annually to make sure that everything on your report is accurate. If not, you can dispute things that are inaccurate or not updated. Beware of companies that offer to “fix” your credit report by getting legitimate things taken off of the report. You cannot remove items from your report unless they are inaccurate. Minimize Pulling Your Credit When applying for a new loan (home, car, etc.), most lenders will do a hard pull of your credit. These inquiries can actually lower your credit score, especially if you get your credit pulled often. The exception to this is when you have similar pulls within a few days. Lenders recognize that you are likely shopping around for the best rates for a single new loan. Keep the goal in mind Improving your credit can take time, so don’t lose sight of your ultimate goal: home ownership. Getting ready to purchase a Colorado Springs home is a big step. Make sure that your credit is in tip-top shape to make the process smoother and enjoyable. For additional ways to improve your credit score in anticipation for buying a Colorado Springs home, contact us. One of our mortgage specialists would be happy to answer all of your questions. The post Buying a Colorado Springs Home: Best Steps to Improve Your Credit appeared first on 719 Lending.

Check out this blog by Keeping Matters Current. As vaccines are administered and travel resumes, many of us are beginning to plan for those long-awaited vacations we missed out on over the past year. Some households are focusing their efforts on buying a vacation home rather than staying in a hotel, too. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reports: “Second homes (i.e., homes sold to buyers who are not going to occupy the home year-round, but use it as a vacation home, investment property, etc.) account for 15 percent of new single-family home sales.” It’s not surprising that there’s an increase in demand for vacation homes. The majority of Americans are realizing they prefer to be around small groups, as shown in a recent survey from The Harris Poll: “Social distancing taught consumers new things about how they like to socialize; (75%) said, ‘during COVID social distancing I realized I preferred smaller social gatherings at home or at friends’ place.’” Not only are vacation homes seen as a potentially more pandemic-friendly way to travel and socialize, but they can also serve as an extended home-away-from-home. With more Americans being given the option to continue working remotely or retire earlier than expected, vacation homes can be used year-round. The NAHB explains: “Remote work arrangements have made it possible for some wealthier Americans to move to alternate locations that are not just small, suburban shifts from within their current metro area.  More fundamentally, second home demand may also be benefitting by an acceleration of retirement plans, as well as stock market gains.” Bottom Line The demand for vacation homes has increased and will continue to rise as we head into summer. If you own a house in a destination area and have thought about selling, now is a great time to take advantage of today’s high buyer interest. Contact a real estate professional to discuss the opportunities in your local market. The post Why This Is a Great Year to Sell Your Vacation Home appeared first on Keeping Current Matters.

EXIT Realty Corp. International is on the cutting edge of all things real estate. Please enjoy these blogs available exclusively from EXIT Realty Corp. International. By Melanie Robitaille, Sr. Staff Writer & Graphic Designer EXIT Realty CK Elite Broker/Owner, Kirk Groombridge, is a third-generation real estate professional who recently teamed […] The post 50 Years in Real Estate and Never “Worked” a Day in His Career appeared first on Real Estate Industry Leaders.

Here at EXIT Realty Mountain View we celebrating Fair Housing Month. The State of Colorado was the first in the nation to pass statewide fair housing laws, barring discrimination in housing in 1959, nine years before the signing of the federal Fair Housing Act. “The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) is responsible for enforcement of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the federal Fair Housing Act) and other federal laws related to fair housing (such as section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and  Titles II and III of the ADA). The CCRD has been certified by HUD FHEO as a “Fair Housing Assistance Program” or “FHAP” agency. The FHAP certification is possible because Colorado’s state fair housing laws are “substantially equivalent” to the federal fair housing laws. Substantial Equivalence means Colorado fair housing law “provides substantive rights, procedures, remedies, and the availability of judicial review comparable to the federal law.” CCRD’s certification as an FHAP means that, in circumstances where both state and federal law would apply, a case is “dual-filed,” meaning a case is assigned both a CCRD case number and a HUD case number. Most of the CCRD’s housing cases are dual-filed with HUD; however, Colorado’s fair housing laws are more expansive than the federal fair housing law – as Colorado has more protected classes (ancestry, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, and source of income), and it applies to more properties (federal law does not apply to owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units). Because Colorado’s Fair Housing Laws are substantially equivalent to federal fair housing laws, guidance and information about fair housing law published by HUD about fair housing is helpful and relevant to understanding the application of Colorado’s fair housing law.” This information came from the Colorado Fair Housing website.ccrd.colorado.gov/housing-discrimination#:~:text=The%20State%20of%20Colorado%20was,the%20federal%20Fair%20Housing%20Act  

Check out this blog by Keeping Matters Current. A recent Survey of Consumer Finances study released by the Federal Reserve reveals the net worth of homeowners is forty times greater than that of renters. If you’re wondering if homeownership is a good investment, the study clearly answers that question, and the answer is yes. Do Americans believe a home is a better investment than stocks? In a post on the Liberty Street Economics blog, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York notes that 93.3% of Americans believe buying a home is definitely or probably a better investment than buying stocks. Here’s how the results break down:The survey also shows a wide range of reasons why Americans feel that way (respondents were able to pick more than one answer): Bottom Line The data show how strongly Americans believe in homeownership as an investment. That belief is warranted. The Liberty Street Economics blog put it best by saying: “Housing represents the largest asset owned by most households and is a major means of wealth accumulation, particularly for the middle class.” The post 93% of Americans Believe a Home Is a Better Investment Than Stocks appeared first on Keeping Current Matters.