Congratulations to our “very own” and local, Marianna Wagner from the Wagner iTeam - for being interviewed by Lani with RE Revealed.

If you ever wanted a chance to get to know Marianna – check out this Interview with her!

Correction made per Mariana’s Instructions!

Are you in the beginning stages of your Home Search or the process of deciding to sell your home? But you’re not ready to take that final step and either talk to a Realtor or register on a Real Estate Site?

 Did you know, that the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors in Colorado Springs lets you search on their site, without having to register? You can search for Homes, get Information on Financing, Foreclosure Prevention and Schools, view Maps, learn about the process of buying and/or selling a home, link to the local Building Department and even be connected with a number of foreign language helpers.

Curious about the process? Check it out.

Interested in the latest News about the Colorado Springs Real Estate Market? Check out the following blog, for Info on the Market, Neighborhoods, Things to do, general Information etc.

Colorado Springs Real Estate Connection

Are you getting tired of hearing the same old, same old….how the Housing Market is in the Dumps? However, if you own Real Estate, buy it, sell it or invest in it – you want to watch the market. Depending on the area, some markets are showing signs of life, while other areas are still sliding. Do you know where your area or target market fit in?

Check out the following articles for information about the Housing Markets current status.

When will Housing hit Bottom? By Rex Nutting

Homesales crater on Credit Squeeze ByRex Nutting

Colorado Housing and Mortgage Market By The Mortgage Foundation

Countrywide reaches Eye of Storm By The Wall Street Journal, James R. Hagerty & Jonathan Karp

With Buyers sidelined, Home Prices Slide By The Wall Street Journal, James R. Hagerty

With all these seemingly negative News – keep in mind, people still need homes to live, they still need to sell in order to move and they still own and sell Investment Properties. If a Seller is motivated and a Buyer is realistic, a Deal can be accomplished.

Have your energy costs increased? Or have you gotten a notice that they are likely to increase? If you’d like to make sure that you’re paying the least amount possible on your energy bill – have your home audited. Yep – you can hire an energy auditor, who will check your house for any type of energy drains.

From caulking, sealing and weather stripping to adding different light bulbs, small pumps to speed up the flow of hot water from your sink (instead of letting it run forever until it gets hot), as well as adjusting air flow through the cooling/heating ducts, and/or replacing water heaters, A/C units, heaters and kitchen appliances with new, energy saving models.

If you act now, energy efficient improvements may be eligible for a tax credit. This applies to your primary residence only. Also – many cities offer a rebate if you purchase energy efficient appliances – you might want to check out your city’s web-page for additional information.

And once again – the drop in the Housing Market makes the News. (As in the latest article, written by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer.)

When reading articles like these – please keep in mind – they are a general overview and do not take local markets into consideration. People still need to move – and homes are still selling. It just might take a little more time (longer on the market), work (get it in top shape) and flexibility (from concessions to closing dates, closing costs and Inclusions).

For additional Information, please check out “Housing Market Woes – But you Still have to Sell” – ideas and thoughts on how to sell your home in the current market.

By the way – Have you sold your home recently? What was your experience?

Over the last few month, you couldn’t escape the housing market “blues”. Every time you opened a paper, turned on the radio, surfed the web or talked to Neighbors – homes weren’t selling, prices were dropping, foreclosures are on the rise and the time to sell is much longer, while at the same time the concessions expected from the Seller seemed to increase daily. So, what’s a Seller, that truly has to sell, to do?

Just settle for the least amount of money he/she can live with and hope for the best? Save some money by selling yourself and not work with a Realtor? Let the house go into foreclosure, reasoning that it won’t sell anyways?

No! No! No!

Let’s start with the Realtor portion! Considering that the fees for the Realtors will possibly be higher than most other fees – why shouldn’t you save on those? Considering the surplus of homes currently on the market, you need all the marketing and networking power possible, to get a buyer into your home. Just adding a “For Sale By Owner” Sign will not bring the masses into your home. Besides – how do you know those “Buyers” are true Buyers, not just neighbors looking or potential buyers that are not able to afford or qualify for your home? By using a Realtor – those worries will be alleviated! Plus a Realtor has the connections to network with other Realtors, therefore “share” potential Buyers in addition to Information, increasing the potential for a sale quite dramatically.

Another point is marketing – do YOU really want to be the one taking on the work of marketing? Designing fliers, postcards and on-line ads. Work with a variety of on-line sites to increase exposure? Invite people to, and hold open houses? Do you have the time to do all that? Or do you already have a hard time keeping your house in showing condition?

So, if you have decided to work with a Realtor, make sure it’s someone you “click” with. Someone who has the same goals as you – regarding price, time to sell and concessions. Someone who makes your goals – their goals and looks out for YOUR best interest.

Once all that is worked out – it’s time to start taking a look at your house. If you’ve lived in it a while, you might be so used to it, that you can’t really see all the “little things”. If you can’t imagine yourself as a potential Buyer and take an objective look at your house -have a friend pretend to be your buyer and give you input.

Start from the outside and work your way in. What does your exterior look like? Is it weed free? Planted? Most of all – is the paint in great condition, does it accentuate the good features of your home and are the windows sparkling? Is your roof in good condition? The spouts and gutters clean and clear? The front door welcoming? Try the lock – if it needs to be wiggled, lifted or jimmied – you might want to replace it. Nothing more frustrating than a door that won’t open when you’re trying to bring a buyer into the home. That says to the Buyer: If this isn’t working right – what else is wrong?

Your Entry Space/Foyer - is it clean, uncluttered, welcoming and easy to navigate? Same goes for the rest of your rooms! Does each room have a purpose? Or do you have enough “stuff” to furnish another home? (If that’s the case – put it into storage!)You’re trying to sell and you’ll have to pack things up anyway. Make it easier on yourself and on your Buyers – pack up and un-clutter. This is not the time to showcase you several collections of Hummel figurines, your wall displays of corks from around the world or your amount of pet toys.

Now that you’ve uncluttered – take a look at your walls! Are they in great shape? Featuring a welcoming color? (White is no longer considered neutral!) Are they decorated or bare?  What about your floors, ceilings and windows? Great Condition, spotlessly clean, updated where necessary, painted, accessible and functioning? Great! If not – you’ll have to get them into selling condition.

Furniture – do you have too much, not enough? Is it attractive? Make sure it’s arranged in an inviting array, highlighting the main features of your room (like fireplace, views, french doors). Is the layout easy to navigate and has a good flow? Or do you have to climb and wind around your furniture?

Lighting – can potential Buyer’s SEE your house? Or is it sheathed in darkness? Add light! Floor lamps, table lamps, candles, new chandeliers to define a space.

Finally, add some accessories! Plants, Flowers, Candles, Art work!

If all that sounds overwhelming – you can hire a Stager and/or Decorator. Why would you want to? Just dropping the price of your home to match the closest competitor might not be enough in the current market. Where the number of homes on the market has reached record numbers. You are in competition with every other house for sale that’s similar to yours. Specially if it’s in the same general area, with the same general features, offered at a similar price. And considering “Suburbia Environments” – this is more the Rule, than the exception.

Put yourself in the Buyers shoes! If you look at 10 homes – similar in size, price, location and amenities, yet one is in great condition, decorated for the Buyer to imagine themselves living in there, and ready to move in, versus homes that clearly have been lived in for a while, with little bits and pieces that need to be redone, painted, updated etc. Which home would you buy?  And if you said you wouldn’t care – than tell me – if you see a home that’s in top condition, compared to another that clearly needs some work, offered at the same price – wouldn’t you expect to pay less for the home that needs more work? Because after all – someone has to do the work!

So the market we’re currently dealing with, requires not just great pricing, but great condition. You want to stand out from the competition to ensure that Buyers not only remember your house, but consider it for purchase.

According to an article, written by Rich Laden, on October 2nd, in the Colorado Springs Gazette, the housing slump continues. This time through a reduction in new building permits.

What’s your opinion on this?

TV lineups seem to be fairly bursting with Real Estate Shows, from flipping to restoring, renovating to landscaping, curb appeal to interior design – there is something to be found for anyone. Yet, the same questions still come up - will I see a return on my investment? For many markets, you’ll be best served by using a Realtor – but to just give you some ideas, as to where your Dollar would be most likely to return to you in case of a sale, check out the following link: A big payoff from the tiniest room

By now, everyone, or at least most of us, have heard about the housing market. How it’s not doing well, it’s in a crisis, the prices are dropping, homes aren’t selling and in general it’s in a downslide.

If you’re secure in your job and with your payments – you probably have less worries, than someone who might have lost their job or is stuck with an adjusting mortgage rate. If that’s the case – foreclosure might have crossed your mind. But before you stop making payments, check out the following resource link: Pikes Peak Foreclosure Prevention Partnership.

This site is dedicated to help you prevent foreclosure. The biggest issue is waiting too long – and hoping that it’ll work itself out. If you are foreseeing a time, when you are unable to make your house payment, contact the Foreclosure Prevention Hotline and talk to specially trained people. A number of resources are given on the site as well – just keep in mind – not all of them work free of charge.

If it’s not you that needs help – but you know of someone who does – please direct them to the Pikes Peak Foreclosure Prevention Site.