by Neil Kearney | May 24, 2016 | Listings
2412 Ginny Way
Beautiful Lafayette Home – Backs to Open Space
$875,000
This home is updated and well maintained and is an haven of serenity within a busy world. This light and bright home takes advantage of beautiful open views of the adjacent designated open space from almost every room. The large home features an updated kitchen with cherry cabinets and granite countertops, a finished garden level basement, and a deck that spans the entire width of the house. Within the gated neighborhood of Blue Heron Estates, it’s just a short walk from the large community park and pool as well as great walking trails. The house has a great sense of openness and flow. You’ll find four bedrooms and three bathrooms upstairs, plus a fifth bedroom in the basement and main floor study. Great location near the many restaurants and stores at 95th and Arapahoe.
Please scroll down and click on the 3D virtual tour.
by Neil Kearney | May 20, 2016 | Listings
I’ve just listed this three bedroom townhome in Indian Peaks at 696 Beauprez Avenue. This three bedroom Indian Peaks townhome is well located in a quiet spot fronting green space. Two bedrooms upstairs plus one down in the finished basement. Main floor has many windows and vaulted ceilings in the entry and dining area. All appliances are included. Attached two car garage. Great opportunity in a quality complex. Super well located near the thriving corner of 95th and Baseline which is filled with restaurants, coffee shops and places to work out. This listing went under contract very quickly.
by Neil Kearney | Apr 29, 2016 | Boulder County Housing Trends, Statistics
The Kearney Report is produced and presented each quarter so that our clients can have an easy to read report on the state of the Boulder area real estate market. The report gives information and shows graphs for Boulder County, the City of Boulder, East County which includes Louisville, Lafayette, Erie and Superior, and Longmont. I break it out in this manner because each of the sub-markets is different. For example, this past quarter the median price in the City of Boulder was 22% higher than last year but in Longmont it was just 1.5% higher. But at the same time the number of sales was down 18% but stayed equal in Longmont. It’s worthwhile to take a closer look!
To view a PDF of the latest report click on this link. The Kearney Report 1st quarter 2016
Here are some highlights from the report:
During the first quarter the real estate market within the City of Boulder has been very tight. Sales were down 18%, inventory has dropped significantly and prices are up significantly. The entry level prices in Boulder are disappearing. This past quarter just 7% of the sales were for $250,000 or under. This represents smaller, older, more modest condos in Boulder. One year ago 19% of sales were in that range and in 2014 it was 24%. Many people are being quickly and dramatically priced out of Boulder. Over the past three years the percentage of sales under $500,000 has dropped 19 % points and those sales have shifted almost equally into the high price ranges or $500 – $750k, $750 – $1 Million and over $1 million. 16% of the sales during the first quarter in Boulder sold for $1 million or more. Within Boulder 45% of properties sold for over full price. The average premium paid was 6.28% or more than $27,000 over list price!
by Neil Kearney | Apr 27, 2016 | Boulder County Housing Trends, Statistics
Boulder County has one of the hottest real estate markets in the entire country. There continues to be three major factors operating in the Boulder County real estate market; low inventory, strong buyer demand and rapidly rising prices. Interestingly, despite the high buyer demand, sales actually decreased over 14% for the quarter. The only cause that seems to have a direct correlation is the lack of inventory of active listings. At the end of the quarter the available inventory of residential properties for sale throughout the county was down 15%.
It’s competitive out there! During the first quarter, 42% of the properties that sold through our regional MLS system sold for a price above the asking price. Presumably most of these sales were multiple offer situations. The average premium paid above list was $21,865 or an average of 5.33% above list. Another 20% of sales sold for exactly list price.
Because of low inventory and high demand the prices are rapidly increasing. At the end of the 4th quarter of 2015 Boulder County ranked 7th in the nation for home appreciation with over 13% for the proceeding 12 months. The trend has not slowed one bit during the first quarter. Prices at the end of the 1st quarter were up over 13% from a year ago. In the City of Boulder the change was even more pronounced, up 22% from the year-ago quarter. That is a spot number, not an average over four quarters but even still, the appreciation is astounding. Below are some quick facts about the Boulder County real estate market for the most recent quarter.
The chart above shows prices in Boulder County over the past five years (average price =blue line, median price = green line) compared to the United Sates average (orange line). The chart below shows the percentage of sales in each price range. The comparison shows data from the first quarter over the past three years. There has been a definite shift to the right as prices have risen throughout the county. Two years ago 32% of the sales were $250,000 or below, this past quarter it was 12%.
by Neil Kearney | Apr 20, 2016 | Featured, Uncategorized |
Within a six month period in 2015 and 2016 both of my parents, John Kearney and Jo Kearney, passed away. I mention this and post it here, because many of you who will read this have done business with or have had contact with them over the years. It is a great loss to our community not to have them still around. I was very lucky to have had two great parents. They laid the foundation on which I have built a wonderful life and career. I worked with them both closely for over twenty years and together they were my steady and consistent mentor. They taught me mostly by example. Here are some of the lessons I learned from my parents on how to conduct business.
- Lead with service. The number one goal is to be of service to each person who comes through the door. Whether it results in a sale or not.
- Treat everyone well. Not just the people who you think can help you. It all comes around in the end.
- Be grateful. Know how lucky we are to be doing what we do. Relish in the opportunity to meet nice and interesting people.
- Love is reflected with love. It’s amazing how nice everyone is to work with when you don’t take the bait at any point to make it confrontational. The attitude that “everyone is a friend” makes it much easier to make friends. “The Golden Rule” works in all instances.
- Go the extra mile. Take the time to do something special. Make someone’s day. Do the unexpected. Not only will others notice, you will feel great about yourself.
- Be Consistent. Be someone people can count on. Being dependable and doing small things consistently adds up to big things over time.
- See the best in others. Look for the best in others. Look to compliment, don’t look to criticize.
- Have compassion for others. Give someone a break. Be kind. Do something unexpectedly nice. Take a chance on someone where others have passed. Use your intuition about people, not always their credit score.
- Win-win-win negotiations are best. Be the first one to suggest a reasonable solution. Go more than half-way when needed. Take a long view and don’t take negotiations personally.
- Have an abundance mentality – Be generous. Expect the good to continue and don’t be afraid to share it with others.
- Do everything with integrity. Honesty, transparency, fairness are always the right things to do. If it seems like it’s in the grey area, it’s probably the wrong thing to do.
- Don’t burn bridges. Treat everyone with respect. Never leave on a sour note. Don’t take advantage of an opportunity to say “I told you so”.
- Work hard. Showing up every day and working hard when you are at work ensures longevity.
- Have fun! Deciding to have fun wherever you are is a great recipe for having a happy life.
- Set goals. If you can see it and believe it you can achieve it. Aim high and write them down.
- Take a long view. Everything that you do should be congruent with the person who you want to become and should be leading you in the direction that you want to go.
- Smile. A warm and genuine smile help every situation and it puts people at ease.
- Take responsibility. Don’t pass the buck. Do more than your share. Be the first to find a solution and the last to place blame.
- Be loyal. Take care of your clients, your friends and your family.
Obviously I have a wonderful legacy to fulfill and I’m striving every day to embody these principles into my thoughts and actions. In in doing so I remember and honor my parents.
