by Neil Kearney | May 26, 2016 | Boulder Real Estate, Colorado Lifestyle, Visiting Boulder |
I stumbled across this video produced by The City of Boulder about the Boulder Comprehensive Plan. The video is not only well produced and beautiful, it gives some historical insight as to the creation and maintenance of the open space that surrounds our fair city. When I am showing around someone from out of town for the first time I always tell them about the foresight of our city forefathers (just over 40 years ago) who started preserving what was unique and great about our area. Can you imagine if market forces were allowed to prevail and there was a sea of houses and strip malls in an unending swath from the foothills to the city limits? If you appreciate the lifestyle in Boulder it’s well worth a watch.
by neil kearney | Apr 29, 2015 | Boulder Real Estate |
Boulder Colorado Neighborhood Profile
RED FOX HILLS
Boulder, Colorado 80301
Red Fox Hills is a small neighborhood of 114 homes tucked into a quiet corner of the Gunbarrel area Northeast of Boulder. It is an especially quiet area, away from major streets and rail lines. It is surrounded by open space and many nights the only sounds you hear are those of the neighboring coyotes. The homes were built in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s by the local builder, Hudson Homes. One of the best features of this neighborhood is the proximity to Boulder County Open Space and trails. Many of the homes in the neighborhood back to open space and the trails around The Twin Lakes provide a great place to walk, run or view wildlife. One of the lakes has recently been designated an “off leash” area for dogs. The neighborhood is also known for its community activities such as a yearly progressive dinner and a community garage sale. It is also located near Boulder Country Day School and Mountain Shadows Montessori among others. The community pool is a great place to cool off, have a picnic and to meet neighbors.
Neighborhood Snapshot
- Number of Homes – 114
- Percent Owner Occupied – 95%
- Years Homes were built – 1985 – 1993
- Distance to Pearl Street Mall – 7 miles
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| Schools
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Neighborhood Amenities
- Surrounded by Open space
- Quiet Location
- Neighborhood Pool
- Large yards
- Friendly neighborhood activities
- Choice of High Schools
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by Neil Kearney | Oct 2, 2013 | Boulder Real Estate, General Real Estate Advice |
This is a follow-up on my previous post on the floods we had locally in September.
Many homes that were affected by water damage had never had any water infiltration previously. The combination of sustained rain, rising ground water and in some cases sewer backups caused a litany of water problems throughout the area. On my street about one in four houses was affected so it’s not fair to say only certain areas were hit or that others were dry. It was a regional problem with tens of thousands of homes affected.
So how will this affect a homeowner as they look to sell a home that was damaged and how will buyers view those homes. Three words come to mind: cleanup, documentation and disclosure.
In order for a buyer to feel good about a home that has had extensive water damage they will need to know what happened, how it was cleaned up and how it can be prevented from happening again. The proper cleanup should have started weeks ago by removing everything that was wet. This includes personal belongings like boxes, bedding, furniture but more importantly means carpet, baseboards, drywall and insulation. Once all porous materials are removed they must be dried out thoroughly and treated with a anti-mold solution. In addition all concrete needs to be cleaned with a bleach solution (1 cup to every 5 gallons of water). Once the cleaning and drying is complete the finishes are ready to be re-done with new materials.
While everything is fresh in your memory it would be a really good idea to document exactly what happened to your house. This should take the form of a written documents supported by photos at every stage of the process. In my experience, the more a buyer knows and the more forthright they think the seller is being the less spooked they will get during the purchase process.
Sellers are required by Colorado law to disclose every material fact of the house. Most sellers satisfy their disclosure requirement by filling out the Sellers Property Disclosure form. The second question on this form is: “Do the following conditions now exist or have they ever existed: Moisture and/or water problems”. The answer for so many of us (me included) is now a resounding YES. But if you left it at that, a check mark I think a buyer would still have many questions. So this is when your documentation comes in to tell the buyer 1) How it happened 2) How it was cleaned up 3) What was done so that it won’t happen again. Not only would you have fulfilled your statutory obligation you would have made the buyer feel more comfortable about what happened. The goal being that once everything is laid out in detail it is a non-issue.
UPDATE: Boulder County has created a form that gives a format for documentation of the water damage remediation. To view and use the form click on this link moldremediation.
by Neil Kearney | Mar 22, 2013 | Boulder Real Estate, For Buyers |
Budding trees, singing birds and swarms of home buyers. These are the signs that spring is just around the corner. The first two happen every year but this year especially home buyers are our early and in droves. As we learned from the ‘birds and the bees’, ying and yang and Marvel Comic Books, it takes opposing forces to create balance. Right now the balance of the Boulder real estate market is off kilter. There are not enough homes on the market to satisfy the demand of the buyers.
Over the past week 171 properties have come on the market in Boulder County. Already 24% of those homes have gone under contract. If you look back two weeks that number jumps to 32%. It is a fast moving market. We just listed a home in Louisville and over the three days on the market there have been 18 showings. Multiple offers are very common and many buyers are getting caught up in the frenzy. Here are the top three mistakes I see being made in this market.
Paying Too Much
When you are at the supermarket comparing products and prices is easy. For example, you want some soup so you compare the choices available and decide; what flavor, what brand, what size, etc. It is easy to decide because there are ample choices and whether you are a value shopper looking for a generic brand or are willing to pay for organic soup with a brand name, you can easily make that choice. But if you go to a remote store, like you often find near a campground with one soup choice the decision is whether paying $5 for a can of Campbells is worth it to you. The scarcity in choice allows the seller to raise price and at that price soup will be worth it for some and not worth it for others.
Pardon the extended metaphor, but right now there is a scarcity in the real estate market and buyers are faced with buying decisions with limited options. In many cases the decision is, do I pay more than seems reasonable or do I wait and hope that something better comes on the market. I have seen many sellers pushing the market and some are being rewarded by buyers willing to pay high prices.
So, if you are a buyer how do you balance being competitive in this market where 18 buyers are looking at the same property within a few days and making a smart decision. The first tip is to do research like an appraiser would do. Look at the sales in the neighborhood over the past six months or year (depending upon how many have sold) and find the homes that are most like the home you are looking at. Compare the upgrades, price per square foot and I like to compare the assessed values as set by the county appraiser. After comparing the sold homes to the home you are interested in you should have a good idea if you are within a reasonable range or if you are going to be setting a new record for the neighborhood. If you are getting a loan, the appraiser hired by the bank will be doing the same analysis and they are much more conservative than the normal buyer who is newly in love and is riding an adrenaline high from beating all of those other buyers. If you have paid too much the appraisal will stop the sale. So save yourself some time and money and work with your Realtor to see if what you are paying is reasonable.
Getting Caught Up In A Scarcity Mentality
When houses are flying off of the market and you may have missed out on a home or two, it may be easy to start to think that the house you have just seen (and might just work) will be the only one and if we don’t make an offer now… Home buying is a process and sometimes there is a delicate balance between patience and action. This is where advice from a good buyers agent is invaluable. The truth is, even though you think that there will never be another house like the one you just lost out on, new listings are coming on the market all the time. A home buyer must always look forward and never dwell on houses that “might have been”. The right state of mind is one that objectively looks at the options and sees each house that doesn’t work as one step closer to the one that will work.
Not Acting Quickly Enough
In a sellers market the competition for good houses is fierce. Being a part-time buyer is frustrating and futile in many ways. In order to be successful you must be ready to pounce on a good home. Here are the steps that a buyer must take to be a active buyer, ready to buy.
- Financing Ready – You must have your ducks in a row. A lender letter is required with all offers and it is best that you are already in the process of loan approval, just waiting for the property, verification of your information and an appraisal. You also must have liquid funds for earnest money ready to go.
- Quick Information – Knowing about the homes on the market is the next hurdle. If you are waiting for the Sunday paper you are most likely missing most of the homes. What I do for my clients is to set them up with a search that automatically scourers the MLS for new listings every few hours and sends us both an email with the results.
- Quick Showings – Once you know about the new listings you need to get out there are see them quickly. Flexibility is a key and seeing promising new listings on the first day gives you an advantage. I showed a listing this week that had just come on the market at 10 am. We met at 5 pm and there were four other groups meeting there at the same time. What a zoo!
- Quick Offer – Being ready to make an offer quickly is another key. Be ready to analyze the data (see
above) and make a strong offer is key to getting an offer accepted. A few weeks back I was able to make an offer on the spot at the house by writing the contract on my IPad and having the buyers sign on the spot. The seller and listing agent were about to meet so we had a tight deadline and we were able to meet it.
- Be Smart- As coach John Wooden said “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” Buying real estate is a long term decision with large consequences if you don’t get it right. Be ready to make your best offer but don’t get caught up in the wave of competition.
Buying a home in a tight market is a stressful situation and under pressure it is much easier to make a poor decision. I hope the three tips above help you navigate the process a bit easier.
If you are looking for a proactive buyers agent call me Neil Kearney 303.818.4055
by Neil Kearney | Jan 1, 2013 | Boulder Real Estate |
Happy New Year!
This past Friday Kearney Realty was featured in a cover article in the Daily Camera’s At Home section. The full article can be read by going to this website.
Here are a few excerpts from the article:
Kearney Realty, a trusted name in Boulder real estate for over 20 years, has just announced the opening of their new downtown Boulder offices in the Iron Flats Building at 2400 Spruce Street.
At the same time, the agency is re-organizing into an independent, boutique agency designed to provide a high level of personalized service to real estate buyers and sellers.
“We are taking the knowledge, skills and principles from our decades of experience in Front Range real estate and transforming our team into an independent agency,” says Neil Kearney, owner. “Real estate is a personal experience, and we know that we can serve our clients best by providing personalized service. We like to describe it as a ‘high touch, high tech, five-star customer experience.”
“We bring a real mindset of service to work everyday,” Neil Kearney explains. “We’re not focused on making that one big sale, but rather on developing long-term relationships with our clients. When we provide great service, we know the rest will take care of itself. People today have access to plenty of information on properties for sale, for instance. Our job is to provide the expertise that helps our clients make good decisions based on that information. Each of our full time associates is empowered and engaged to give top quality service based on impeccable ethics, consistent systems, professional development and cutting edge tools.”
“We’re a small agency with a big handle on technology, using all of the most current methods and tools that larger companies employ and bringing great efficiencies to every transaction. As a seller, you want to ensure that your property is marketed in the most effective ways possible. And as a buyer, you want a complete picture of values, neighborhoods, and anything that might impact the desirability of a property. In the end, it’s still about our personal understanding of your needs and how to solve them.”
I am really excited to be starting the year with a new focus on our local personalized brand and an excitement to implement new ideas on how to better serve our clients. I’m also really excited to be working in our new location at 24th and Spruce in the Iron Flats building. As we get settled more I will share more about our new location.
Kearney Realty article 12-28-2012
by Neil Kearney | Oct 15, 2012 | Boulder Real Estate, Featured |
Interested in learning about the different neighborhoods in Boulder? In this report I have split Boulder into eleven different areas and present the lifestyle highlights, schools, shopping districts, local recreation and real estate statistics for each area. If you’re interested in learning about where to live in the City of Boulder this is your guide. Click Here to view and download the guide.
