The Metro Denver Market

Bruce Swedal Earns Prestigious Designation to Help Homeowners in Danger of Foreclosure

Thursday, July 15th, 2010 at 9:02pm. 185 Views, 0 Comments.

BRUCE SWEDAL EARNS PRESTIGIOUS DESIGNATION TO HELP HOMEOWNERS IN DANGER OF FORECLOSURE

BRUCE SWEDAL of RE/MAX SOUTHEAST, INC. 3600 S YOSEMITE ST. SUITE 150, DENVER, CO 80237 has earned the prestigious Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation, having completed extensive training in foreclosure avoidance and short sales. This is invaluable expertise to offer at a time when the area is ravaged by “distressed” homes in the foreclosure process.

Short sales allow the cash-strapped seller to repay the mortgage at the price that the home sells for, even though it is lower than what is owed on the property. With plummeting property values, this can save many people from foreclosure and even bankruptcy. More and more lenders are willing to consider…

NAR Short Sales and Foreclosure Certification

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 9:38pm. 372 Views, 0 Comments.

Denver, Colorado, January 1, 2010 — Bruce Swedal, Denver Real Estate Expert has earned the nationally recognized Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource certification. The National Association of REALTORS® offers the SFR certification to REALTORS® who want to help both buyers and sellers navigate these complicated transactions, as demand for professional expertise with distressed sales grows.

According to a recent NAR survey, nearly one-third of all existing homes sold recently were either short sales or foreclosures.  For many real estate professionals, short sales and foreclosures are the new “traditional” transaction.  REALTORS® who have earned the SFR certification know how to help sellers maneuver the complexities of short sales as well as help buyers…

Home prices in metro Denver climb

Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 10:45am. 224 Views, 0 Comments.

The trend lately in metro Denver is for increased home prices and January was no different. Though the number of homes sold in January decreased year over year the median sales prices increased over 16% to $210,000.  

The numbers provided by Metrolist also indicate an increase in the median condo prices of 15% year over year to $130,500.

The increase in median prices is due to the mix of current buyers and the type of inventory available on the market. Basically there is not an abundance of inventory available that matches what first time home buyers are seeking.

While median home prices have climbed, the number of homes available in inventory has declined. This time last year there were 19,748 available and this year it is down 9.9% to 17,785.

The trend…

The State of the Denver Real Estate Market – October 2009

Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 1:06am. 280 Views, 0 Comments.

Maybe you have not realized it just yet, but changes are upon us in the local metro Denver real estate market.  October, 2009 has set some records in home sales, which on a broader scale indicates a shift in the market to one of recovery and strength. 

During October there were 4,910 home that were placed under contract while the previous record for an October was in 2005 with 4,839 homes.  The majority of these sales have been under the $400,000 mark and driven by first time home-buyers.

What caused the crazy market?  Well pent up demand from the previous year to start and the $8,000 tax credit to first time home-buyers also helped to push it along.  The fact that the tax credit program has been extended and expanded to also include some existing…

Beating the Deadline for the Tax Credit

Friday, September 25th, 2009 at 5:04pm. 386 Views, 0 Comments.

Here we are on September 25, 2009 in Denver, Colorado and you may be thinking that you are out of luck in taking advantage of the $8000 federal home buyer tax credit that expires on November 30, 2009.

Well it is not too late to get that Denver home you have always dreamed of and still take advantage of the government incentive.  The key is to target homes that can close quickly which is where we can help.

Wondering what some of the key elements are? 

Well prescreening the property is an absolute must to find out about deal killing problems before you get deep into the deal.

• Are there going to be extensive repairs needed?
• Are the appliances or systems aged?
• How is the neighborhood?
• Are there health hazards such as mold?

Additional information to know when…

Shift in Housing: Small is the New Big

Monday, September 14th, 2009 at 10:24am. 380 Views, 1 Comments.

New statistics are showing that home buyers are beginning to shift their priorities when searching for their next home.  The interest is shifting away from larger homes to smaller homes which are more efficient with space and economical with utilities.

More and more first time home buyers are realizing that they don’t need the five bedroom “mansions” and smaller homes will suffice when starting out even if they decide to start a family.  They feel they don’t need five bedrooms when just starting out as the new trend shifts to smaller is bigger.

According to the US Census Bureau the size of single family homes has consistently grown every year since 1991.  That is until 2008 when it declined to 2,215 square feet from 2,277 square feet in 2007.  Homes in that…

Home Sales Being Pushed by the Federal Housing Credit

Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 10:47am. 634 Views, 3 Comments.

The signs in the marketplace indicate that real estate is on the upswing in Denver.  Sales were up in August with 5200 Denver homes under contract, 3900 of which closed.

Along with this there was another positive indicator for the market as prices were up meaning that we may be moving away from the sluggish market, but the possibility still remains for some touch and go through the end of the year.

Confidence is up in the market with first time home buyers causing a surge in demand to take advantage of the federal housing credit that allows up to an $8000 tax credit to qualified home buyers.

Those in the industry still wonder where the market will go towards the end of the year as there is typically a slowdown in the last couple months of a year in addition…

Some Interesting Neighborhoods in Denver

Thursday, May 28th, 2009 at 5:07pm. 1250 Views, 5 Comments.

Denver, like most cities, is made up of a number of different neighborhoods.  Each neighborhood has a style substance all its own.  There are any number of neighborhoods in Denver that are pleasant to live in, as well as conveniently located near commercial and industrial settings where people work.  Just like in any other city, different neighborhoods will appeal to different people.  One of the tricks when moving to a new city, or even relocating in the city someone already lives in, is choosing the neighborhood that best fits the person or family who is relocating.

Here is a look at just some of the different neighborhoods offered by the city of Denver:

Athmar Park
Athmar Park sits along the South Platte River, and was not officially incorporated into the…

Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 at 9:31am. 447 Views, 0 Comments.

I have received several inquiries on the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan proposed by the administration.  To that end I am publishing a reprint of the proposal here so everyone can easily access it.

The deep contraction in the economy and in the housing market has created devastating consequences for homeowners and communities throughout the country.

• Millions of responsible families who make their monthly payments and fulfill their obligations have seen their property values fall, and are now unable to refinance at lower mortgage rates. 
• Millions of workers have lost their jobs or had their hours cut back, are now struggling to stay current on their mortgage payments – with nearly 6 million households facing possible foreclosure.