Enewsletter - February 1, 2010
HARRY’S COLUMN
BUYING OR SELLING ? LOOK FOR THE AGENT WHO CAN OFFER INCENTIVES
In today’s economy, most consumers are looking for “deals”. As a result, smart businesses are offering incentives to their customers. Restaurants are offering “$20 dinner for two” deals. Grocery stores are featuring their own discounted brands. Smart consumers are taking advantage of these offers.
As for incentives in the housing market, some builders are now offering lower-cost, smaller houses to retirees. One builder stated, “The 1200 square foot house used to be built only on an odd lot where we could build little else. Now, it could be more of a mainstream product”. Other builder incentives feature such things as bargain-basement prices on upscale cabinets and spas. These ‘extras’ often make the difference between making or losing a sale.
If real estate Buyers and Sellers want to cash in on this trend, they should look for a Real Estate agent who offers the kind of incentives that will enable them to buy or sell their homes more efficiently and more profitably. For Sellers, this means an agent who can make potential Buyers feel more comfortable with their decision to purchase …for example, our Interstate Job Loss Protection Program reassures the Buyer that, if he loses his job, his mortgage payments (up to $1800 a month), will be made for up to 6 months, while he is looking for another job. Another example of an incentive that works for both Buyers and Sellers is our CyberHomes Complete Market Analysis of a property. This program enables both parties to get a realistic analysis of the home’s true market value.
But, perhaps even more important in today’s tight market, we offer a very effective package of valuable incentives to our clients who are in the process of buying or selling a home. As long-time specialists in relocation, we have developed close, working relationships with local lenders, banks, service providers, mortgage brokers, moving companies, staging companies, remodeling companies, etc. Furthermore, because we are affiliated with a network of relocation specialists in all parts of the country, we can offer assistance with these services to our clients nationwide. In addition, we can assist with arranging for temporary housing, trailing spouse re-employment, auto rentals and purchasing, discounts on furniture, information about the various neighborhoods and school districts and a variety of other specialized services that are extremely helpful to our clients as they go through the confusing process of relocating their families.
Putting a “For Sale” sign in your front yard is easy. Getting the best price possible for a Buyer or a Seller is the goal of any real estate agent who is worth his salt…. but using incentives to generate an additional $10,000 in our client’s pocket is our goal. Give us a call.
BUSINESS WEEK HIGHLIGHTS BLACK FOREST
On January 30, 2010, Business Week published a list of the fastest-growing cities in every state in the U.S. This year, they selected Black Forest as the fastest-growing “city” in Colorado. Here are some of the facts that led them to this decision:
Number of households – 13,072 (This represents an increase of 106% since 2000 and an increase of 6% since 2009
Average household income - $107,436 (This represents an increase of 13% since 2000)
Yes, yes, we know that Black Forest is not a city, but rather, it’s an area within the city of Colorado Springs, and Business Week’s accompanying explanation covers that fact, but the point is that Black Forest has shown a tremendous growth, in spite of the troubled economy.
There are some very attractive listings in the Black Forest and we would be happy to show them to you. Give us a call.
GOOD NEWS..BAD NEWS. IT’S A BALANCING ACT
On January 31, 2010, the Gazette reported that our local economy has seen the bottom of the recession. Four of the local monthly economic indicators for December, 2009 show good news but four other indicators show that we have still not reached full recovery.
The Good News:
Initial claims for unemployment are down 19.9%
Single-family home permits are up 104.7%
New auto and truck registrations are up 20.4%
Taxable retail sales are up 2.5%
The Bad News:
Wage and salary jobs are down 3.7%
Unemployment rate is up to 7.9% (but that’s better than the national rate of 10%)
Hotel occupancy rate is down 33.6%
Foreclosure filings are up 32.4%
The article points out that, although the indicators all look promising, full recovery might take a couple of years. In the meantime, there are some terrific deals available in our local real estate market.
HAVE YOU LISTENED TO MY LATEST PODCAST?
Every month, we are interviewed about local and national trends in real estate, topics of interest in our city, the latest news about tax credits, FHA rule changes, current sales and listing statistics, the status of our local market as it compares with the national picture, and a variety of topics that you might find helpful in planning your next Real Estate investment. To hear my most recent interview, just click on the podcast link at the top of this email.
And, please remember, I would be honored to serve as your Broker for all of your residential real estate needs. I want to help you, my reader, make the most prudent and accurate Real Estate business decision.
Also if you know of anyone who desires to buy or sell local real estate, or, who is moving in or out of the Pikes Peak region, remember that, with over 37 years of providing relocation and Real Estate services to clients throughout the country, I am uniquely qualified to assist them with the relocation process, including buying and/or selling their homes on both ends of their move. Please allow me to implement my negotiating skills on your behalf.
And, if you would like to learn more about our Job Loss Protection Program, or, about our CyberHomes Complete Market Analysis of a property, please contact us.
JOKE OF THE WEEK
There has been a lot of speculation recently about the direction our country is taking. In order to illustrate the various terms used to explain our options, we offer the following examples:
SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The state takes one and gives it to someone else.
COMMUNISM: You have two cows. The State takes both of them and gives you the milk.
FASCISM: You have two cows. The State takes both of them and sells you the milk.
MILITARY DICTATORSHIP: You have two cows. The State takes both of them and shoots you.
BUREAUCRACY: You have two cows. The state takes both of them, accidentally kills one and spills the milk in the sewer.
CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.
PURE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors decide who gets the milk. REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors pick someone to decide who gets the milk.
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: The government promises to give you two cows if you vote for it. After the election, the president is impeached for speculating in cow futures. The press dubs the affair "Cowgate".
ANARCHY: You have two cows. Either you sell the milk at a fair price or your neighbors kill you and take the cows.
