Archive for the 'Highlands Ranch' Category

Highlands Ranch Short Sales

Short Sales in Highlands Ranch

A Short Sale is the sale of a home where the owner owes the bank more than the property is worth. The bank is forced to either foreclose on the property or take less than is owed on the mortgage creating a “shortage”. Usually a person applying for a short sale has some sort of hardship that is causing them to no longer afford the home that they once qualified for.  The most common reasons for owners to consider a short sale is a loss of income due to unemployment or increase in expenses due to illness.  Another cause of short sales I come across is divorce.  When a divorce happens and the couple can no longer live together the remaining spouse is unable to afford the property with one income and they are forced to sell the home via short sale.

Falling Home Values Cause Short Sales

When I started selling homes in 1991 there weren’t any short sales.  Throughout the 90′s and into the mid 2000′s there weren’t many foreclosures so a short sale wasn’t really considered.  In most cases values were steadily increasing and people Read the rest of this entry »

Highlands Ranch Foreclosures

Foreclosures in Highlands Ranch

As a real estate agent in Highlands Ranch I get asked about foreclosures and bank owned properties all of the time.  The perception is that by purchasing a bank repossession you are automatically getting a great deal thousands of dollars below market value.  There are definitely opportunities to be had in buying these homes but much of it depends on what type of buyer that you are ( owner/occupant or investor ) and what type of bank is selling the property.

Investor vs. Owner Occupant

In recent years with the government involvement with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the selling of these bank assets has changed.  Very similar to HUD Homes ( HUD Homes are FHA loans that have been foreclosed upon ) both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Read the rest of this entry »

Highlands Ranch Mountain View Homes

Many people want to see the mountains from their home

When my wife and I began our home search here in Highlands Ranch, we began as most people do with a wish list.  There were the criteria that the property had to have and then the list of what would be nice to have.  With our size family, we had to have at least four bedrooms and 2,400 square feet.  We wanted a large basement as a place for the kids to enjoy when we entertained guests. The other must have was a view of the mountains.  When we moved to Highlands Ranch, we rented for the first year to give us time to find the house that we really wanted and the rental was backing to open space with a wide open view of the front range.  Waking up to see the mountains every day was enough to get us hooked and mountain views were added to the must have list when we bought our home.

Mountain Views add value in Highlands Ranch

We quickly realized as most people do that we would have to pay extra to get a decent view of the mountains.  The builders and developers Read the rest of this entry »

Patriots Day In Highlands Ranch 2010

Do Something Special for a Service Professional on Patriots Day

Highlands Ranch Patriot Day

September 11th brings up a ton of emotions for me each year as I remember the terrorist attacks in 2001.  I can tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing that morning.  It is as if that happened just yesterday.  Instead of focusing on the anger I feel towards our enemies, I choose to focus on the gratitude I have for those who serve me and my community on a daily basis.  Yes this included the police officer that writes me a ticket when I got caught speeding. I have a brother and cousin that are in law enforcement and can tell you that I know it is a tough job.  It is tough on both the individual and their families.

September 11th in Highlands Ranch

This year and for every year to come I plan to go out of my way to thank every police officer, nurse, fireman, and military person that puts themselves in harms way in order to make me safe.  It doesn’t take much effort to take a meal to a local fire department or pick up a gift card and give it to somebody in that specific occupation with a card of thanks.  If I don’t have enough time to show my gratitude then something is really wrong.  I’d like to ask anyone who reads my blog to join me in honoring those who serve this weekend and every September 11th from now on.

Here are a few locations where we can go to say thanks and/or drop off items of gratitude.

Highlands Ranch Stations -

Where are the fire stations that serve Highlands Ranch?

Fire station # 16 is located at 8119 Blakeland Drive off Santa Fe Drive.

Fire station # 17 is located at 9554 South University Boulevard in Highlands Ranch.

Fire Station # 18 is located at 401 Timbervale Trail near the intersection of S. Broadway and Lucent Boulevard.

City of Lone Tree Police Department –

9777 S Yosemite St Littleton, CO 80124 (303) 339-8150

Please come back and post a comment on the bottom of the blog and let me know how you spent your Patriots Day.

Websites That Highlands Ranch Realtors Do Not Want You To Know About

Best Websites To Get Real Estate Information in Highlands Ranch

I am not afraid to share some of the best places on the web to get real estate information with you.  Some of these sites you probably already know about and others will be a surprise. I will share with you where the sites are at and what  each of them does well.  Ultimately you will need to contact a Real Estate Agent in order to see them and write and offer.  Hopefully my willingness to share with you some great research tools will create enough interest to warrant and interview for the job of representing you in the purchase of your next home.

When it comes to Home Prices and Home Values in Highlands Ranch as well as Real Estate trends, Zillow.com is probably the best site to look at.  It is best to look at the data over a two year time frame so that you can compare for adjusted seasonality.  For example it is important to know that home sales slow down in the winter here in Colorado.  That way when there is a 6% drop in sales from November to December, you understand that it happens every year and is normal.

Home Foreclosure Information in Highlands Ranch

The best site to find information about home foreclosures and foreclosure trends would be Read the rest of this entry »