What is the most important thing a seller in Denver should look for when hiring a real estate agent to sell their house? We are often asked this question. Is it the size of the company they are licensed with? Is it their marketing program? Their years experience in the business? Should you choose the agent who suggests the highest listing price?

There are many things that should be taken into consideration when hiring someone and giving them the responsibility for selling your home. In our opinion, the most important question you can ask a potential listing agent is a simple one:

Do you truly believe that now is a good time to buy a home?

Why should this matter when hiring someone to SELL your home? Buyers are nervous about purchasing right now. They want to know they are making an intelligent choice. We believe, especially in today’s market, you need to hire someone who realizes that this is one of the best times in American real estate history to buy. If an agent doesn’t believe that, how will they be able to convince a potential buyer to buy your home?

When interviewing a real estate professional, ask them to explain why purchasing a home makes sense today. They should be able to explain it simply and effectively. See how many of the following facts (which should be shared with every potential purchaser) the agent knows:

The Wall Street Journal last week stated:

“With home sales starting to improve, and with prices now possibly forming a bottom, real estate could well be the asset class that represents the best low-risk buying opportunity out there today.”

Donald Trump was just quoted saying:

“I’m pretty sure this is a great time to go out and buy a house. And if you do, in 10 years you’re going to look back and say, ‘You know, I‘m glad I listened to Donald Trump’.”

John Paulson, a multibillionaire hedge fund operator and the investment genius who made a killing betting against housing a few years ago, is now bullish on residential real estate market. He recently said:

“If you don’t own a home, buy one. If you own one home, buy another one. If you own two homes, buy a third. And, lend your relatives the money to buy a home.”

A recent Gallup Poll showed that 67% of American’s think that now is a ‘good time’ to buy a home. The Gallup Organization went on to say:

“Overall, there is good reason for most Americans to think now is a good time to buy a house. Interest rates remain near historic lows. Home prices are down sharply, providing many incredible buys.”

The iconic financial paper in this country, the country’s most famous real estate investor, the most successful prognosticator of the housing market and 2/3 of all Americans say now is the time to buy a home. Shouldn’t your agent agree?

Bottom Line

Selling is nothing more than the transference of conviction. How can agents transfer that conviction if they themselves are not convinced? Find a listing agent who truly believes that someone should buy your home – TODAY! This is the single most important thing you should look for in a potential listing agent.

LoDo | Riverfront

$300,000 – $2,000,000 price range

12 Month Evaluation – 58 sold properties in last 12 months.  58 divided by 12 months equals 4.83 properties sold per month.  There are currently 74 active comparable properties on the market.  74 divided by 4.83 equals 15 months of worth of inventory.  This means a strong buyers market.

An absorption Rate of 5-7 is considered a normal market. Less than 5 is a sellers market and more than 7 is a buyers market.

Normal Market – In a normal market there is a 5-7 month supply of homes. A normal market has a balanced level of inventory where the market is not leaning in either the seller’s or buyer’s favor.

Seller’s Market – In a seller’s market there is less than 5 months supply of homes. Since there are fewer homes to choose from, sellers are in control and buyers have to be willing to pay top dollar to get the home that they want. Multiple offers are often the norm in a seller’s market.

Buyer’s Market – In a buyer’s market there is more than 6 months supply of homes. Buyers are in control since there are so many homes from which to choose from. Sellers often have to give an incentive (pay for closing costs or pay for repairs) to buyer’s to buy their home.

Golden Triangle, Denver’s Art & Museum District

$300,000 – $1,000,000 price range

1,400 to 2,500 square feet

12 Month Evaluation – 6 sold properties in last 12 months. 6 divided by 12 months equals 1 property sold per month. There are currently 11 active comparable properties on the market. 11 divided by 1 equals 11 months of worth of inventory. This means a strong buyers market.

Average Price per Square Foot | $244 | Sold Properties, Last year it was $320 per square foot

An absorption Rate of 5-7 is considered a normal market. Less than 5 is a sellers market and more than 7 is a buyers market.

Normal Market – In a normal market there is a 5-7 month supply of homes. A normal market has a balanced level of inventory where the market is not leaning in either the seller’s or buyer’s favor.

Seller’s Market – In a seller’s market there is less than 5 months supply of homes. Since there are fewer homes to choose from, sellers are in control and buyers have to be willing to pay top dollar to get the home that they want. Multiple offers are often the norm in a seller’s market.

Buyer’s Market – In a buyer’s market there is more than 6 months supply of homes. Buyers are in control since there are so many homes from which to choose from. Sellers often have to give an incentive (pay for closing costs or pay for repairs) to buyer’s to buy their home.

Capitol Hill’s borders are Colfax to Seventh and Broadway to Downing.

It was Henry C. Brown who donated land to Colorado for a State Capitol. Henry ownded substantial adjacent land and wanted to develop it. Brown built the Brown Palace Hotel. He had no relation to Margaret Tobin Brown (Molly, the unsinkable). 

It was Brown who named Broadway, referencing the Broadway of New York City. Broadway Street was the original eastern border of Denver where the diagonal streets of Downtown Denver ended.

Pre-eminent among Capitol Hill’s numerous historical residences are the 1899 William Lang designed Molly Brown House and the 1906 Crawford hill mansion at Sherman and 10th. This French Renaissance Revival extravaganza became home to the “Sacred 36″ an elite group of Denver Socialites. Today it’s executive offices.

Among Capitol Hill’s numerous Historical Multi-Unit Residences are the 1896 Spanish Colonial Revival Style Sterns Mansion at 1030 Logan, the 1891 Queen Ann Style Pennborough at 1265 Pennsylvania and the 1890 Richardson Romanesque Style Charline Place at 1419 – 1441 Pennsylvania.

Noted for it’s density and diversity, it’s bohemians, gays, punks, politicos, artists, urban homesteaders and professionals, Capitol Hill has a total current population of 15,000 with 11,700 housing units. Home ownership on the Hill is at 18%, while in Denver it’s over 52%. More than 50% of 25 and Over Hill Residents have College Degrees, compared to less than 40% for Denver.

Lower Highlands, also called LoHi is located adjacent to Riverfront Park on the West side of I-25. It is close enough to Downtown and Lodo with only a short jaunt across the walking bridge on 16th street and Commons Park. LoHi is full of life, you can lose a Sunday afternoon at LoLa’s sipping Cocktails listening to Jazz and eating Tacos overlooking the skyline.

The Neighborhood overlooks the new Commons Park, the Central Platte Valley and the Downtown Denver Skyline. The street have some of the oldest real estate in the city going back to the mid-1800′s along with modern infill townhomes w/rooftop patios that overlook the skyline

• Commons Park is a 30-acre park with wetlands and trails along the South Platte River.
• The 16th Street Mall Shuttle will connect the 16th Street Mall to the Central Platte Valley and the Highlands.
• The Light Rail Spur connects riders between Central and Southwest Light Rail Lines to Denver Union Terminal and 16th Street Mall and many of the Central Platte Valley’s attractions including Coors Field, Invesco Field, Auraria Campus, and The Pepsi Center.

Attractions you love are so close.  Many restaurants, brew pubs, espresso bars and night spots are all nearby. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts brings Broadway to your doorstep and four major league sports teams are in the downtown area. LoHi is definitely on the rise, buy now because LoHi is Denver’s most happening Neighborhood

Boundaries:  Larimer Street, Speer Boulevard, Wynkoop Street and 20th Street

Population:  2,180

Overview: Lower Downtown–or LoDo, as it is commonly referred to–is located in the area where Denver was founded in 1858 by General William Larimer. Redolent with history, this neighborhood of three and four story red brick buildings was built on the site of Denver’s first Gold Rush settlement. I have been working and playing in LoDo since 1992 when the only bars were The Cruise Room, The Wazee Supper Club and Billabongs. Coors Field was just a Field of Dreams, Now the Colorado Rockies are the 2007 National League Champions. What a transformation and what a Rocktober in Denver. Today, LoDo is a vibrant 25-block urban neighborhood and tourist destination.

Lower Downtown was a bustling commercial area during Denver’s early years. However, much of Denver’s industrial economy shifted away from Lower Downtown after World War II, and almost one-fifth of the buildings in the area were demolished in the 1960s and 1970s. In order to preserve Denver’s historic legacy, Denver City Council created the Lower Downtown Historic District in 1988. The historic district designation introduced zoning ordinances that limited building heights, preserved dozens of buildings from the wrecking ball, and instituted strict guidelines for building rehabilitation and new construction.

Today, LoDo is a  neighborhood with lots of entertainment options. Art galleries, dozens of restaurants, brewpubs, jazz clubs, and specialty retail stores line the ground floors of historic buildings. LoDo Loft residents enjoy proximity to outdoor parks, including the Cherry Creek bike path, the 16th Street Mall, The Pepsi Center, and the recently completed 30-acre Commons Park in the Central Platte Valley. Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, anchors the neighborhood at 20th and Blake Street. Wynkoop Street is home to historic Denver Union Station, the Tattered Cover bookstore, and the Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver’s first brewpub (and the country’s largest) that opened in 1988.

Most recently I lived in West End Lofts (In the Bridge Loft over the Alley) and walked my Labradoodle around the street’s of LoDo 4 times a day. So you could say that I do Know this Neighborhood every street and every alley.

The Golden Triangle – Home is Where The Art Is
This is My Neighborhood, I Live Here, Work Here and I Love It!!

An evolving Arts and Residential district adjacent to Denver’s Civic Center Located on the east end of Downtown Bordered by Colfax, Speer and Lincoln, The Golden Triangle is becoming the city’s architectural core it is home to The Gio Ponti Designed Art Museum, The Hamilton Wing Expansion designed by Daniel Liebskind, The Acoma Plaza of the Arts, The Colorado History Museum, the Public Library designed by Michael Graves, and the soon to be built Clyfford Still Museum.

The Golden Triangle has a Walk Score of 97, Located in Downtown Denver only 4 Blocks to the Central Business District also Walk to Art Museum, The State Capital & City & County Building. An 8 Minute Bus Ride to Cherry Creek, Leave Your Car at Home and Reduce your Carbon Footprint. Tony’s Market is in the Golden Triangle along with the Updated King Soopers