The Metro Denver Market

The Colorado Foreclosure Hotline was originally created in 2006 to form a central hub of agencies to combat a growing foreclosure problem in a public and private partnership. Within the Call center are networked 26 independent HUD approved counseling agencies to help distressed homeowners in danger of foreclosure.

Counselors sit down with distressed homeowners in a face to face setting to analyze their situation, income, loan and budget. Armed with this information the counselor puts together a mitigation packet, which can be utilized to bring the lender and borrower to a resolution that makes the most sense for both parties. Having assisted tens of thousands or distressed homeowners over the years, the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline is an excellent…

The concept of urban sprawl is based on the outward growth of a city into its outlying areas (suburbs) and subsequent expansion of rural areas. Design of these suburban developments cause increased dependence on automobiles as well as many other issues, such as long commutes for city workers, racial segregation, rising rates of obesity, and higher costs for public transportation. Urban sprawl also has some distinct advantages, such as larger lots for single-family residences and lower prices for land.

There are continual debates as to the benefits and disadvantages of urban sprawl, and the term typically is used in a negative fashion. The perception of urban sprawl is somewhat accurate when one considers that rates of pollution per person is higher in…

Blockbusting is term in real estate that refers to the outdated and outlawed practice of developers and real estate agents who worked to reduce property values by lying to white homeowners about minorities moving into their neighborhoods. Many such homeowners in racially segregated neighborhoods did sell their homes for well less than market value. Property values continued to decline as developers would buy the homes at a great discount and then leave them abandoned in further effort to give the neighborhoods the look of a slum.

Nefarious real estate agents would hire non-white people to pretend they were looking to buy a home in a white neighborhood in order to scare the homeowners into selling their homes at discounted prices. The practice of selling…

The word foreclosure is not a pleasant word in the world of real estate for either the lender or the mortgage holder. Foreclosure essentially means the mortgage is being terminated, typically because of lack of payment of the part of the mortgage holder. Foreclosure proceedings can also refer to the process of the government foreclosing on the property owner for unpaid taxes.

Most mortgages, whether for commercial or residential real estate, operate on the basic principle of borrowing money from a bank or other lending institution for the purchase of property. The bank needs to secure the money they have lent, so this requires security, which is often the property itself. The lending institution is then relatively safe in the event the mortgage holder…

In the realm of real estate, a life estate is a limited ownership for a period of time. Specifically, a life estate lasts for the lifetime of the tenant who is allowed to enjoy all of the rights of ownership until their death. A life tenant is allowed to live in the home or rent it out for money or any other use they can conceive of.

The life tenant is however unable to sell the real estate or leave the property to their heirs, as the ownership reverts to whoever was designated in the agreement of the life estate, normally called a remainder man. During the life of the tenant, he or she is responsible for the maintenance of the property as well as the right to either live in the home or rent it out. The life tenant is not allowed to damage or devalue the…

In many areas of the world, real estate refers to a piece of land and any type of improvement attached to it. Real estate is often synonymous with real property or realty, while personal property refers to any other possession that is not a fixed or immovable part of the real estate. It is disputed as to the meaning of the word 'real' as it refers to property, with the main argument since it refers to the reality of matter. The other side of the case states that 'real' refers to the French meaning of the word - royal in which feudal ruler owned all of the land and his or her subjects paid rent to live upon the land.

The laws of real estate differ across the globe, but there are main categories throughout. Within the realm of residential real estate,…

Did you know that the terms 'house' and 'home' are not interchangeable in the real estate community? Pay close attention to how your real estate agent refers to the home you're selling or buying. While it may seem silly to you and that there is no discernable difference between the words, there actually is when it comes to real estate. It's actually a matter of perspective.

In the real estate world, the agent working on getting a buyer for your home will refer to as a 'house'. The word house simply represents a structure that the new owner will be turning into their own domain. The real estate agent is actually helping you understand this without actually saying it. By referring to your home as a house during the sale, you are able to let go of the…

Denver Real Estate Sales data for the metro region should be of interest to you whether you are buying or selling a home. It will give you a measure of where the market was, is and is trending. These numbers were provided by Metrolist and reflect combined stats for residential, condos, income and land designated properties.

Overall the August numbers for Highlands Ranch are fairly consistent of those from July. For the year through August Highlands Ranch has seen 1,238 homes go under contract with 1,010 of those resulting in sales. Condo Sales for the year through August are 227 under contract resulting in 167 sales.

Residential Sales for August are: 

• Active listings 769
• Avg List Price $431,226
• Pending 7
• Under Contract 135
• Sold 112
• Average Days on Market 82
• Average Sale Price $364,835
• % of List Price 97%
• % of Original Price 94% 

Condo Sales for August are: 

• Active listings 159
• Avg List Price $245,702
• Pending 2
• Under Contract 25
• Sold 18
• Average Days on Market 94
• Average Sale Price $210,685
• % of List Price 97%
• % of Original Price 93%

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…