Real Estate & Relocation ^ Colorado

Be careful of what you say!

Cruising around the blogisphere this morning brought me to a very good post on Real Estate Undressed.  Mr. Larry Cragin posted photos of bears playing on a children's playset.  I loved the photos of the adorable bears having a wonderful time! They must have thought the playset was provided just for them.

Naturally I brain traveled back in a time to an earlier date this year when I was showing homes.  My clients and I arrived at a lovely home on Bell Mountain in Castle Rock. The owners were home and proudly showed us around, describing every detail of their obviously loved home.

Our conversation turned to the large lot that backed up to open space. Mr. Seller  shared with us his experience with a bear in his back yard.  His exciting rendition of how the bear rambled across the back yard one morning triggered the fear factor in my clients.

Being from the city they failed to understand the beauty of having a large wild animal appear at random in their back yard.

Needless to say, without any question Mr. Seller talked himself out of selling his home.  Oops!

The good intentions a seller may have many times are not received as intended.

In the past I've had sellers meet us at the house and droll on about home features my buyers absolutely didn't want.  Of course the buyers would never be so bold as to tell the homeowner the feature was not their preference, they politely let the seller continue.

As an agent for the buyer, we seldom need the seller to step in for a tour.  In fact, I would rather not have the seller there, at least the first time.  Later when the transaction turns to reality, the buyers and sellers can and should get together to discuss the finer details of the home.  But certainly not prior to the decision to buy.

To a seller letting go of your home when you feel so strongly toward it is difficult.  Yes, you know it well, but the best thing to do is leave.  The pain of not being able to say anything for fear it is the wrong thing may be too great to bare.

No pun intended...

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Colorado is  home to many wild animals, having them in your back yard is not a common occurence, but it does happen.  When faced with a bear the best thing is to not turn and run.  The last thing you want to do is look like food!

Bear cubs as adorable as they are, should never ever be approached. Mama will be near by and she will most assuredly object to her babies associating with a two legged creature.

Bear meetings should be avoided at all costs.

The Importance of Photos

Recently I closed on a home that should have sold for much more than it did. The home was a little dated but it was located on the most beautiful open space I've seen in a long time. My buyers and I both agreed the reason we were able to purchase it priced as well as we did was thanks to the amazingly crappy photo the listing agent used in the MLS!

The photo obscured the house to the point one only had to guess what the it actually looked like. In total, the agent only presented 5 or 6 photos of the house in the marketing materials.  None of them did it justice!

I'd love to post it here, but I would not want to get anyone in trouble. I merely want to make a point.

Pay attention to what your listing agent is posting on the internet.  If you have a  listing agent who is not offering your home in the best light, it could come back to bite you!

Most people begin their search on the internet. The one and only one thing that pulls them into looking at your home are the photos. Buyers need photos, good photos and lots of them.  Trying to market your home without a decent collection of photos is a huge handicap. 

My buyers and I agreed, the listing agent's mistake was our gain.  Funny how that works!

Photos are the topic of concern on many websites these days.  One of my favorite blogs to drop by is one by Athol in Connecticut.  He has made an entire blog featuring Bad MLS Photos.   Unfortunately for  the consumer and our industry,  the future of Athol's  blog fodder is secure...

(the photo is NOT of the home I sold. It is one pulled from my extensive collection of personal bad photos, it was taken through a screen.)

Denver homeowners are you planning to sell your home?

Looking to Sell Your Home?

Homeowners contemplating selling a home in the Denver market can expect an average of 96 days on the market.  However it is important to know 36% of the homes coming on the market are selling within the first 30 days. 

Facts like these valid more than ever before the importance of having your home positioned and priced right on the market.  Homes that are selling stand out above the crowd in both price and condition.

I have found through my experience, a homeowner is better off taking a month to prepare a home for market then putting it on the market and trying to prepare for a showing.  With so many homes on the market and not enough buyers to go around, buyers are not interested in waiting for the home to be ready.  They move on.

By taking the time to make your home sparkle, you invest your time wisely. One month of prep could very easily translate into 30 days or less marketing time.  I can only speak for myself and those who have indicated to me, they prefer NOT to have to worry about showing a home every day for months on end!

Make it easy

For a buyer looking for a home is stressful. From the seller's perspective it probably doesn't seem as bad as their side.  Keeping a home in marketable condition while living in it has got to be on the top of the stress list.  Selling Denver real estate these days is a challenge for both parties.

33 days of snow on the ground is just one more task to the "honey do list".  Keeping the sidewalk & driveway clear of snow and ice is always appreciated.  Not just by the people who travel the sidewalk, but for the homeowner who has to clean the floors inside.

Keeping you home in "show home" condition during the winter months takes more care, taking the effort to make showings easy will pay off in the long run.  So many homeowners aren't doing their part.  If you do yours you'll be way ahead of the game.

Short Sales of Real Estate

Colorado's Foreclosures have reached a ten year high.  Many homeowners are finding they owe more than their home is worth. What's a home owner to do?

Selling your home "short" may be the answer.

My blogger friends, Maureen Frances and Dmitry Koublitsky, of  MiOakland County (Michigan) posted a great resource written by lender, Ken Macia on Short Sales.

If you are facing hard times, foreclosure or just need to talk, do it now!  Time is NOT on your side.

Getting your home ready to market

Tips from the "other side"...

When I take buyers out to look at homes, we play a game.  After looking at a couple homes, I have them choose one.  Each time we look at a home, they tell me which one is #1.  Seldom do we use the street address for an identifier.  What we end up calling each home as we go, usually has something to do with the home itself.

For instance a yellow house will become just that "the yellow one."  Sometimes a  home stands out for a negative reason.  The smelly one or the cluttered one, the cat house or worst yet the really dirty one.

IF you are a seller, the moniker you want to have should not be a negative one.  Go for something more pleasantly memorable, if you want to end up sold.

Purging made simple!

Now that spring is here, it's time to get the home ready to sell.  When the real estate signs are popping up faster than the tulips, how is ones home to stand out in the crowd?

Major decluttering is the first step.  In recent years, some brilliant person devised the concept of the "Pods".  No, it's not an Apple Ipod, but a "Portable On Demand Storage" or PODS.  This wonderful concept makes getting all the STUFF out of the house and out of site a cinch.

PODS have lots of competition on the market, but the concept is the same.  One calls for a delivery of this portable storage unit, it gets delivered to your front door, you fill it, they come and take it away.  You pay a higher fee than if you rented a storage unit, but you also save yourself the inconvenience of having to transport your stuff.  After you move to the new location, you call and the portable storage unit is delivered to you.  So easy, it's brilliant!

What I found even more amazing is how just one guy can maneuver the container.  Here are a few pictures to tell the story.  Enjoy!

Get Rid of Your Junk

It's the season to buy and sell real estate.  When preparing to sell your home in Denver (or elsewhere) there are some practical suggestions to rid your home of clutter and make some extra cash while doing so.

Get Rid of Your Junk - Choose one of several methods to sell your old belongings and make some money.

Denver Real Estate and Relocation

How To Clean Like a Pro

Drive out the dust, dirt and scum from top to bottom

Courtesy Chicago Tribune
By Annie Groer
The Washington Post

I love to cook, am a whiz with a hot iron and rather enjoy polishing the family silver(plate).

But the larger task of cleaning an entire apartment or house leaves me cold. Always has.

I might have remained forever ignorant of what it really means to clean from "top to bottom" (remember this phrase, it will reappear) had not a flyer from MaidPro, the Boston-based national cleaning franchise, recently come my way.

"All our service providers are professionally trained through our MaidPro University," the ad boasted. University? Where better to acquire a remedial education than from a firm that charges by the hour, trains two-person crews to clean as many as four houses a day, and has as its pun-ly motto, "It's About Time."

Clearly grime is money.

My professor was self-described "neat freak," Philip Doyle, who spent 25 years in hotel management (housekeeping was definitely part of his portfolio) before he bought a MaidPro franchise here in October. His classroom was the home of a client, where I watched Doyle and one of his top cleaners do everything from shaking dead leaves off a pair of potted trees and dusting oil paintings with a fat, sable paintbrush to vacuuming a sofa and knife-creasing throw pillows.

Doyle's first rule of cleaning echoes that of many household experts: "top to bottom." This technique drives all dust, cobwebs, pet hair and shower scum downward from ceilings, walls and furnishings. Once on the floor, the collective mess becomes a snap to vacuum, sweep or mop up.

His second-favorite direction is "from the farthest point to the door," which allows the cleaner to exit without tracking dirt over newly pristine surfaces.

In less than 10 minutes, I had acquired two foundations of cleaning. But real Maid Pro students learn much more, especially the overarching lesson of the order of chores.

First, strip the beds and put sheets and pillowcases in the washer. Then clean the whole kitchen, which is the toughest room in the house and gets a full half-hour of attention. (Doyle loves washing kitchen floors with a "Sh-mop," its large head covered by an abrasive pad and elasticized cloth cap). Continue by cleaning all bathroom surfaces before doing the bedrooms. Finish the laundry and bathrooms, clean the hallway and stairwell, and end up in the living and dining rooms.

MaidPro owners nationwide must use the same cleaning products, most of them from Procter & Gamble, including a liquid Comet cleanser that is not available to the public. The techniques are also uniform.

Take the toilet: Spray liquid scouring solution on the outside, from the top of the tank to the base of the throne. Pour Mr. Clean Toilet Bowl Cleaner into the water. Wait 15 minutes, wipe the exterior with a nylon scrubby and a microfiber cloth (color coded so it will not mistakenly be reused in the kitchen, thank heavens). Tackle the bowl with a long-handled toilet brush.

For framed art, spray Windex onto a paper towel to clean the glass. Spraying the glass directly may ruin the picture behind it. To shine a metal frame, first remove the photo, glass and backing, then apply polish (Doyle uses Nonox for Brass, Mrs. Wright's Silver Cream for sterling or silverplate and a soft toothbrush for detail work). When the polish dries, rinse it off with hot water and completely dry the frame with a soft cloth before reassembly.

He routinely damp-cleans hardwood floors with a mild solution of 4 ounces of Spic and Span and 28 ounces of water. Occasionally, he uses Dura Seal paste wax on a wood floor and polishes it to high gleam with an electric buffer. He uses Riccar upright and tank vacuums with HEPA filters for most tasks, but prefers a ProTeam backpack vacuum for draperies because the wand has an adjustable suction vent and the machine is light enough for the cleaner to wear while climbing a ladder.

In dusting furniture--MaidPro uses microfiber cloths because they create enough static to attract dust--he instructs cleaners to move knickknacks and clean each with a brush.

He generally just dusts wooden furniture or goes over it with a cloth slightly dampened with a diluted Spic and Span solution because, over time, Doyle says, aerosol furniture polish containing silicon softens the finish and makes it less dirt-resistant and more scratch-prone.

There are other rules to master, including these: Always put newspaper on the floor before de-gunking an oven, never spray cleaners on or near a fish tank or pet cage, and check for toothpaste splatters on bathroom mirrors.

After several weeks of MaidPro University training, it's time for "graduation" to a team of one's own. In the Washington area, MaidPro prices range from about $60 for a condo (oven and refrigerator cleaning cost extra) to $1,200 for a five-story ambassador's residence.

Other commercial services also train their staffs, although they don't call it college.

Maid Brigade, based in Atlanta, offers a weeklong combination of morning classes and afternoon hands-on cleaning lessons. Chicago-based Merry Maids, the nation's largest franchise cleaning service, not only trains its own workforce but posts helpful hints on its Web site (www.merrymaids.com) for the rest of us.

Who knew that lemon oil applied to bathroom tile walls can retard soap-scum buildup? Ditto for car wax on the sides of a porcelain bathtub (do not wax the tub's bottom and invite a fall). If stubborn toilet bowl rings don't succumb to an acid-based bowl cleaner and a nylon-backed scrubby sponge, attack them with a pumice stone (it must always be kept wet during rubbing). This will work only on vitreous porcelain.

Now I cannot wait to buy microfiber cloths, a fat paintbrush and a Sh-mop for my place.

- - -

Order of chores

Total Time: 3 3/4 Hours

To start:

10 minutes: Strip beds, wash sheets and pillowcases. Later wash towels and bathroom rugs separately.

Kitchen

30 minutes: Dust using duster, microfiber cloths and sable brush (cabinets, fridge top, vents, knickknacks). Wash dishes. Clean appliances, wipe down counters. Remove trash, rinse out trash can. Dust and wipe down baseboards. Vacuum and mop floor. Rinse and dry sink. Move laundry from washer to dryer, start second load.

Bathrooms

50 minutes (25 minutes per room): Spray cleaner on shower tile/glass surround, fixtures and tub. Let sit. Spray toilet exterior; put cleaner in bowl. Start high and dust ceiling, light fixtures, vents, tops of doors. Clean walls, doors and light switches. Clean mirror and vanity, polish sink fixtures. Clean shower surround and tile, recessed soap dish and tub. Remove trash, wash tile baseboards, vacuum floor, then mop. Wash, rinse and dry sink. Replenish towels.

Bedrooms

40 minutes (20 minutes per room): Start high and dust ceilings, vents, door frame tops, pictures. Dust lampshades and light bulbs with brush. Use cloths for lamps and furniture. Vacuum behind nightstands and under bed; put on clean linens. Remove trash. Vacuum baseboards and wipe down. Vacuum and damp-mop wood floors. Vacuum rugs.

Hallways and stairs

20 minutes: Clean from top to bottom all vents, door frames, light switches, pictures, furniture, etc. Vacuum stair carpeting, use damp cloth for wood railing.

Powder room

15 minutes: Follow bathroom instructions above.

Living and dining rooms

60 minutes (30 minutes per room): Clean all surfaces from ceiling downward. Remove all objects from furniture, dust them, clean surfaces and replace. Follow bedroom procedures for lamps, pictures, etc. Vacuum furniture with attention to pet hair; get vacuum hose underneath furniture and cabinetry. Fluff upholstery. Empty trash. Dust baseboards and vacuum floor toward the exit.

Give Your Home a Check Up...

Courtesy Chicago TribuneThe Associated Press

Winter can be hard on a home. As the weather warms, it makes sense to give your home a good checkup. Spotting minor problems and fixing them can save homeowners headaches and money later on major repairs.

Here are ideas from HouseMaster Home Inspection Services and AllState for keeping the outside of your home in shape.

Inspect gutters.

Gutters should be inspected for debris and proper mounting. The expansion and weight of ice and snow from winter storms can sometimes loosen gutters, changing pitch and water flow. Make sure downspouts are extended far enough to carry water away from the foundation.

Look over the yard.

Check the grading to ensure it drains away from a home's foundation. Wet and snowy winter weather can cause soil to settle in plant and flowerbed areas adjacent to a home's foundation wall. This can cause water to build up next to the foundation. If needed, re-fill or re-grade depressed areas.

Basement window wells should be cleaned. Covers can prevent rainwater buildup and leaks.

Repair driveway and walkways that are cracked, broken or uneven to provide a level walking surface.

Remove all dead trees and keep healthy trees and bushes trimmed and away from utility wires.

Check the heads and operation of automatic sprinklers.

Test pumps.

Test sump pumps to make sure they are working. Be sure the motor, float switch and check valve are working and water is draining from the chamber. A back-up pump is worth considering in areas with groundwater problems.

Check roofs, siding and windows.

Look at roof valleys, chimneys, skylights and vent flashings. Temperature changes from summer to winter can cause expansion and contraction, which may lead to cracking in some roof cement and window caulking materials, creating potentially damaging water leaks. Include exterior caulk maintenance with spring cleaning. Check for rot in window sills and door thresholds; repair and repaint, if necessary. Inspect and clean siding.

Condition air conditioners.

Check the drainage pan and lines. The drainage pan and drain line should be free of dust and debris. An obstructed pan and line can lead to an overflow and water damage.

Have the air conditioning system inspected by a professional as recommended by the manufacturer.

Other tips:

Safely store oil and gas for lawn equipment and tools in a vented, secured area. And check outdoor light bulbs in all fixtures to be sure that they are the correct wattage as recommended by the manufacturer.

Some work, particularly on roofs, may require professionals. When looking for professional help, check references with a Better Business Bureau, homebuilders association or contractors association.

Wallpaper vs. Paint

I read my log files occasionally just to see what search terms folks are searching for.  One that came up today struck me as important.  It was "wallpaper vs. paint."

Now I am assuming someone is considering doing home improvements and wants to know which way to go.

I wish I could have posted something sooner, but alas, I fear I am too late!

DON'T Wallpaper!  Did you hear that? 

I don't care how much you pay or how lovely the wallpaper matches your couch, don't use it.  The people who will come to buy your home will HATE it.

Yes, HATE it!  Your house will set on the market, rotting from the wallpaper.  (It's actually better to have Radon and Expansive soils than wallpaper! At least they can be mitigated.)

Paint is good.  If they don't like it, they can repaint, it's cheap, it's easy.

But Wallpaper is not easy.  It takes a lot of hard work and elbow grease to remove.  I know I've been on both sides.

In college I earned a living hanging wallpaper.  Three years of wallpaper is a lot of wallpaper.

Sometimes at night I swear I can hear the people in and around Toledo, Ohio  cursing me.

Staging Your Home to Sell

The way you live in your home and the way you sell it, are two different things.  The most successful home sellers know this.  Many will go to extreme efforts to stage their home.

This year I had a client who was leaving the country. She had two small children and was faced with the task of selling her home. 

Since it was difficult to keep the home looking nice, while selling all the families personal possessions this home owner opted to hire a "professional stager".

Over the course of a few weeks, my homeowner sold all her household goods and moved into an apartment.  In order to make her house show well, she paid a "stager" to come in an furnish it.

The stager completely furnished the home with beds, sofas, a dining room table and chairs.  Additional decorating details of wall decorations, blankets and books pulled the setting together, making it warm and friendly.

The house sold within a good time and the homeowner was off to her next challenge.

While this may be an "extreme" measure for most people, it is part of what a homeseller must consider doing.  If your home isn't decorated like a "model" you can hire a pro to help you. 

The cost typically will be a good investment in both time and money.  Your home looking good will sell at a higher price, quicker.

Curious and want more information about staging your home to sell?  Visit "Setting the Stage" at The Berkshire Group, Realtors.

Using Feng Shui Techniques to Sell Your Home

Denver homeowners have been adopting various techniques to sell their homes. Feng Shui is an evolved study of the natural and built environments.  Using Feng Shui to effect changes that improve people's feeling and well being have been helpful in the sale of homes.

Resources for Feng Shui can be found at The Berkshire Group, Realtors, A Denver Real Estate Company.

Pricing your Home

Setting the asking price of a home is a function of studying the market to see what like homes are selling for.  Looking at the numbers gives a seller a clue as to what a willing buyer will pay for his home.

Considering the amount of competition is important too.  Having a large number of competing homes on the market, makes for a "buyers market".  The reverse is true in a "seller's market" where the inventory is few.

Your price has nothing to do with "need".  Yes, you may need a huge downpayment to purchase your next home, but that has nothing to do with the value of your home.

Pricing you home well above the market will hurt it in the long run.  The longer your home stays on the market, the stronger the signal is to the real estate community that "something is wrong" with the house.

When agents start working with new customers, they start with the newest listings first, assuming they offer the best odds for selling.  The older listings linger longer because the perception is the home is either not in good shape, over priced or the owner is unreasonable and difficult to deal with.

Homes that sell the best are the ones  priced within the market, readly available for showings, clean and staged to show.

For more tips on selling your Denver home

Inspections prior to sale

In various areas around the country real estate customs are different.  In California, is is customary for the seller to have his home inspected prior to putting it on the market for sale.  In Colorado, the seller puts his home on the market and lets the buyer inspect it.

This custom is not in the best interest of the Colorado home owner.  Why?  Most real estate transactions fall to close due to inspection items.  Typically, it's an item that the seller could have easily fixed if he had known there was a problem. 

Understanding that buyers get very touchy about having homes with unsafe or excess items of deferred maintainance.  If they find an issue that the home inspector calls to repair they will ask the seller to repair it.  If they ask for a monetary amount it's usually in excess of the actual cost to repair. Even if the seller is willing to repair, the buyers may insist on terms that the seller isn't willing to meet.  When the parties can't agree on settlement, the buyers walk.

In an effort to avoid wasted time and aggravation, the seller should hire his own inspector to find defects prior the home going on the market.  If issues are found, the seller can remedy them.  By doing so he is putting his house in the best light for the prospect.

Since home inspectors are not required to be licensed in Colorado, choosing a home inspector can  be tricky.  Naturally the seller should hire an experienced reputable inspector for the job.   The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) have an excellent reputation, primarily because of their tough membership requirements, testing and continuing education.

To learn more about Home Inspections visit The Berkshire Group.

The best paying renovations to make in your home - Denver, Colorado

Homes need updating from time to time.  It seems every seven years the styles and colors change, making some homes more obsolete than others.

If you are thinking about renovating your home, prior to selling it, you want to be sure to spend money where it counts.  If you spend a $1 it would be best that you receive your $1 (or more) back upon the sale. 

Large ticket renovations are best made during the time when you can enjoy them for a few years. Kitchens and bathrooms are in this category.  The cost to renovate these needs to be done long prior to selling the home, unless of course you have a huge equity in the home and the neighborhood values support the improvements.

Avoid the Handyman Special Look

Additions of rooms and wings to a home seldom bring in an equal dollar amount to what they cost.  Such additions are typically done for the enjoyment of the owner.  Sometimes, if they are done in a less than "workmanship manner" they are  a detriment to the sale of the home. 

The best money spent is on paint and carpet.  Most buyers are not willing or able to purchase a home and then come in to paint and carpet. They have spent all their available resources to obtain the home, so having it completed is always a plus.

Pay Attention to Every Detail

Homeowners that do "partial" renovations are making a big mistake.  It is human nature for buyers to look at what is "not done" as opposed to what "is done".  So when planning to do renovations do them completely, right down to installing new switch plates on the wall.  I guarantee if a seller were to complete the entire renovation, and not place the switch plates, the buyer would notice the missing switchplates and NOT the renovation.

Remoldeling Magazine publishes a "Cost vs Value" report covering 53 cities around the U.S. The report accounts for various remoldeling job costs, resale value to the home and how much of the cost is recouped.  The costs for Denver, Colorado are as follows:

Type of Remodel	Job Cost	Resale Value	Cost Recouped
Major Kitchen	$41,859	$27,000	64.5%
Bathroom	$10,023	$6,143	61.3%
Master Suite	$66,830	$42,143	63.1%
Family room	$51,017	$30,000	58.8%
Window replacement	$8,854	$6,643	75.0%
Roofing replacement	$10.664	$5,286	49.6%
Attic bedroom	$34,668	$22,714	65.5%
Basement remodel	$47,174	$21,714	46.0%
Sunroom addition	$30,384	$11,143	36.7%
Deck addition	$7,374	$3,571	48.4%

Improvements are described as follows:

Major Kitchen Remodel: Update an outmoded 200-square-foot kitchen with new cabinets, laminate countertops, and standard double-tub stainless-stelel sink with standard single-lever faucet. Include energy-efficient wall oven, cooktop, ventilation system, built-in microwave, dishwasher, and garbage disposer.  Add custom lighting and new resilient floor.  Finish with painted walls, trim, and ceiling. Include 30 linear feet of semi-custom grade wood cabinets, including a 3 by 5 foot island.

Bathroom Remodel: Update bathroom that's at least 25 years old.  Replace all fixtures to include standard-sized tub with ceramic tile surround, toilet, solid-surface vanity counter with integral double sink, recessed medicine cabinet, ceramic tile floor, and binyl wallpaper.

Master Suite Addition:  On a house with two or three bedrooms, add a 24 by 16 foot master bedroom suite over a crawlspace.  Include walk-in closet/dressing area, whirlpool tub in ceramic tile platform, separate 3 by 4 foot ceramic tile shower, and double-bowl vanity with solid surface countertop.  Bedroom floor is carpet; bath floor is ceramic tile.  Paint the walls, ceiling, and trim. Add general and spot lighting and exhaust fan.

Family Room Addition: Add a 16 by 25 foot room on a crawl space foundation with vinyl siding and fiberglass shingle roof. Include drywall interior with batt insulation, prefinished hardwood floor, and 180 square feet of glazing, including windows, atrium-style exterior doors, and two operable skylights.  Tie into existing heating and cooling.

Window Replacement:  Replace 10 existing 3 by 5 foot double-hung windows with vinyl or aluminum-clad, double-glazed, wood replacement windows. Wrap existing exterior trim as required to match.  Don't disturb existing interior trim.

Roofing Replacement: Remove existing roofing to bare wood and dispose of properly. Install 30 squares of fiberglass asphalt shingles with new felt underlayment, galvanized drip edge, and mill-finish aluminum flashing.

Attic Bedroom:  In a house with two or three bedrooms, convert unfinished space in attic to a 15 by 15 foot bedroom and a 5 by 7 foot shower bath.  Add a 15 foot shed dormer and four new windows. Insulate and finish ceiling and walls; carpet unfinished floor.  Extend existing heating and central air conditioning to new space.  Retain existing stairs.

Basement Remodel:  Create a 20 by 20 foot entertaining area with wet bar, a 5 by 8 foot full bath, and a 12 by 12 foot auxiliary room.  Exterior walls are insulated. Include five six-panel primed hardboard doors.  Main room includes 15 recessed ceiling light fixtures, three surface-mounted light fixtures, and snap-together laminate flooring system.  Bathroom includes standard white toilet, vanity with cultured marble top, resilient vinyl flooring, two-piece fiberglass shower unit, a light/fan conbination, vanity light fixture, and recessed medicine cabinet.  Bar area includes 10 linear feet of raised panel oak cabinets with laminate countertops, stainless steel bar sink, single-lever bar faucet, under-counter refrigerator, and vinyl floor tile.

Sunroom Addition:  Add a 200-square-foot sunroom to a two-story house.  Form and pour footings for slab-on-grade foundation.  Use exposed post and beam framing on interior side and extruded aluminum window frame and flashing system with insulated, low-E laminated, or tempered glazing.  Provide for natural ventilation using screens and ceiling fan.  Insulate all non-glass areas; provide movable shades for glass area.

Deck Addition:  Add 16 by 20 foot deck using pressure treated SYP joists supported by 4 by 4 posts set into concrete footings.  Install composite deck material in a simple linear pattern.  Include a built-in bench, a planter of the same decking material, and stairs. Provide a railing system made of the same composite material as the decking or a compatible vinyl system.

Selling Your Home - Are you serious?

If you are pondering whether or not to sell your home, you should begin with examining your reasons for selling.  Are you wanting a different home because your current home no longer meets your needs? Do you feel it's time to move because your home is old and dated? Are you mostly interested in selling at a handsome price just because you think you can?

There's no right or wrong answer to this question.  The answer lies with you.  What is important is to judge the strength of your motivation.  Selling a home is an invasion of ones privacy.  It takes time and determination to do it right.

If you lack the determination or as Realtors call it "motivation" the experience could just be one of frustration and aggravation.

So, if you are downright serious and willing to listen to a professional, who knows how to sell a home, you will avoid wasting time and energy for nothing.

Examine your motivation for selling before jumping into the seller's pool.  If yours is short don't bother.  If it is strong, continue reading. 

Tomorrow we talk about the most important renovations to complete (or not) when selling your home.

To talk to a professional in home sales, call The Berkshire Group, Realtors, a Denver real estate company.

Metro Denver; Now is the Time to Sell Your Home

January is the month for the statistic reports for the past year.  As the sale numbers come out, it becomes clear that 2005 should be a good year for sellers in real estate.

Existing inventory is low and prices are high.  This combination makes a good environment for selling.  Is it time to sell your home?

If your answer is "yes", continue reading The Denver Blog over the next few days for tips and stategies to get your home ready for the Denver real estate market.

Take advantage of the favorable economic conditions this year.

For more information about Selling Your Denver Metro home contact: The Berkshire Group, Realtors as Denver Real Estate Company.