Real Estate & Relocation ^ Colorado

Comcast La Piazza dell' Arte ~ June 23 & 24

Art takes to the street this weekend when artists demonstrate their talents in the 5th annual Comcast La Piazza dell' Arte show.

The popular Larimar Square will become a street museum for the weekend.  There will be food and drink served along with fun.

The festival will  be located between Speer Boulevard and 15th Street, and 14th Street from Market to Lawrence Streets.

For more information and photos from past events visit the Larimer Arts site

BYOHT

Occasionally my imagination gets a workout when I'm driving down the highway.  I see a moving van and wonder who's possessions are inside. Where are they going?  Where are they coming from?  How long (if ever) will it take them to sort through the boxes to assemble order to their lives?

I've personally moved more times in my life than I care to count.  Most moves were only from one neighborhood to another nearby.  Two, no three  moves were across country.  Never were these moves made easier for me and my family by us having professional help.  We always did the "do it yourself" thing, packing, driving and unpacking ourselves.

Moving for us was always an adventure of sorts.  I remember being excited about driving the enormous U-Haul truck by myself.  No, it wasn't so much the driving the truck part that excited me, it was the "by myself" part.  My three little kids, who I love dearly were also a pleasure to be separate from at times!

On that same trip I came close to it being "my final destination." After stopping for food, I restarted the journey with the emergency brake on.  Not having deep experience of feeling for the truck, I didn't even notice!  It wasn't long until my trailing husband cut me off, making me  pull off the road.  He motioned me out of the truck and jumped inside. He drove off through a huge mud puddle, thankfully putting out the fire that had started from the burning brakes!

Adventure like this is one I can live without!

Moving to a new home should be an adventure, maybe not as wild as my experience, but an adventure of finding a new neighborhood with new friends and new activities.  So bring your familiar possessions, the spouse, the kids and pets (if you have them), then embrace the experience as a mission in making memories.

BYOHT means Bring Your Own Hot Tub (see the photo above) my inspiration for this post.

The cost of elbow room

Homeowners from parts of the country where the lots are large always want a large lot.  "I need elbow room," they say.  But of course it is natural to want to duplicate the conditions they are used to. 

But let's discuss this first.  Denver and the metro area is high plains desert.  What that translates to, is a different kind of climate than most people are used to.  We have places not to far from the city where there is vacant land as far as the eye can see. But the land is dry.  Yes, dry and dusty.

So my friend if you want land you can have it.  But if you want anything green you will need to water it.

Mr. Transferring Buyer the green acre you want will need to be 1) on an automated sprinkler system. 2) mowed 3) watered.

Last year I sold a home to a couple who had to have an acre in a nice neighborhood.  We found them the home, they bought it.  5 months later they called me to resell it. Why?  There was nothing wrong with the house, it was the water bill they couldn't live with.   At a clip of $300-$400 a month, they decided the cost of elbow room just wasn't worth it.

The good news is...

Denver metro neighborhoods are planned communities.  Most of the lots have been scaled down to allow for a modest yard that offers some space at an affordable, sustainable cost.  The county planners also provide many parks and open spaces throughout the neighborhoods.  In fact some counties pride themselves on maintaining a large percent of land designed as "open space" never to have buildings on it.

My job as a relocation specialist is to help transferees find an acceptable home that allows them to feel comfortable with the Colorado lifestyle and still be able to manage the budget.  Finding the right home in the right neighborhood is a process.  Like putting the pieces of a puzzle together until you  have the  whole  picture, we take one step at a time.

Colorado Swimming Pools...a home amenity or not?

Backyard swimming pools as nice as they are when the weather is hot, aren't necessarily a hot commodity across the country.  The Phoenix Real Estate Guy was answering a question in his blog today.  Questions like this are ones I deal with frequently when hearing about homeowners wish lists who are relocating to Colorado.

It is a natural tendency for people to want to have a home that is better if not equal when they move to a new place.  Homeowners transferring to the Denver metro area often come with plans to have a nice back yard swimming pool like they had back _________ (fill in the blank).

Now there is nothing wrong to want to improve your homeownership position, an owner must consider that some things aren't considered an "improvement" here.  Swimming pools are often considered a negative amenity in the Denver metro area.   Why?

Our season isn't long enough to warrant pool maintenance for just a few months.  Year round maintenance is very expensive.  Pools take up a lot of space.  Most neighborhoods have community pools, which are included in the cost of HOA dues therefore others take care of them.

Of all the reasons above, I do believe because of Colorado's climate, pools just aren't as necessary.  When the sun goes down in Colorado, so does the temperature.  The temps drop low enough to be refreshing, we don't need to jump in a pool.

I have listed homes, perfectly lovely homes that did not sell until the in-ground pool was filled in.  Homeowners seldom want to assume the cost of maintaining a pool.  Finding a buyer that does is  difficult to do in a timely manner, so the pool ends up being an albatross to the seller.  It is easier to make it go away then to wait for a buyer who desires a pool.

Other parts of the country a pool is a huge asset.  Two homes side by side, the one with the pool would sell sooner than the one without.  Not so here in Colorado!

Once again this twist of reality proves that real estate is local.  Moving to a new area takes more research than relying on what worked well in the past.  Maybe it will, maybe it won't.  It is always good to ask.