There have been numerous announcements this year about companies planning relocations to the Denver metro area. Relocating to Denver might be easier than you think.  The Internet, smart phones, and a wide variety of apps alone make finding your way in a new city easier than ever.  Whether you are looking for a new favorite restaurant to go to, a move theater near your new home, or entertainment for a Friday night, there is an app for that.

A few apps for getting around, locating a restaurant, and finding entertainment include:

• Cabulous is an app that can help you call a cab directly.
• Cocktail Compass works for many cities, filling you in on the best drink deals in town.
• Fandango will let you know what movies are playing where.
• UrbanSpoon can help you locate a restaurant and reviews.

Moving to a new city has never been easier, with countless information available at your fingertips.  Of course a REALTOR® can be an incredibly valuable asset when moving to a new city.  A REALTOR® not only has access to homes listed for sale but a slew on connections and community information as well.

Relocating is more, however, than adjusting to a new city.  Relocating also means organizing, packing up your belongings, and leaving a home, often a daunting task.  Click here to read “Moving Made Simple: Tips to Help You Relocate”, for some helpful tools on how to make the entire process easier and smoother.

If you have questions about moving to the Denver metro area, or regarding Denver real estate, please contact TeamCox Realtors at 303-400-6060.

 Sourced from: Internal Kinetic Real Estate Library

Efficiency is becoming more and more attractive in the Denver real estate market. Zero-energy-cost homes are being built more readily and promise homeowners enormous savings over time.  Of course, zero-energy-cost sounds great but how can current homeowners benefit from this trend?  Luckily, there are ways to improve efficiency in existing homes and the upfront costs can be assuaged by tax credits and long term savings on utility bills.

Popular energy efficient changes to existing homes include adding solar addition for heating hot water, a relatively easy addition to a home.  While completely changing a home’s system is more extensive, it can be done but at a greater cost than implementing systems to new construction.  The bonus is that tax credits exist for adding solar panels, a savings that when added to lower utility bills can increase over time.

Energy efficient homes have two side effects that attract buyers: they are environmentally friendly and save money on utility bills.  Being green and saving money are important to today’s consumer so if you are remodeling with the intention of selling in the near future consider energy efficient improvements and make your home more attractive to potential buyers!

For more information on the benefits of energy efficient homes, please contact TeamCox Realtors at 303-400-6060.

Click here to read “Is Solar-thermal Hot Water for You?” from House Logic.

 Sourced from: Internal Kinetic Real Estate Library

Buying Denver real estate can be a lengthy process, especially when buying a Denver short sale or a foreclosure property where the motto is hurry up to wait.  The lengthiness can be frustrating, especially when you have completed everything asked of you.  For example, filling out loan paper work can lead to weeks of waiting to hear whether or not you have been approved.  The question is, is there anything you can do to speed up the process?

The best way to quicken the pace of a real estate transaction or loan approval is to make sure that all of your Is are dotted and your Ts are crossed.  Any forms that are missing information can hold the entire real estate process up, especially in a short sale transaction.

New legislation has been passed to improve the short sale process and the length of time it takes to get a deal done.  Using a Denver REALTOR® who has experience with short sales can definitely help speed the process along as well.

The bottom line is that organization and preparation will speed the Denver real estate process up, but patience remains a virtue.  Choosing an experienced REALTOR® to work with is one of your best lines of defense, ensuring a smoother and quicker process from start to finish.

For more information on what you can do to speed up the Denver real estate process, please contact TeamCox Realtors at 303-400-6060.

 Sourced from: Internal Kinetic Real Estate Library

Preparing yourself to buy Denver real estate is an important part of the process.  While it almost goes without speaking that buying a home is a big deal, the steps leading up to the decision are important.  Knowing your finances inside and out, understanding what your needs are for a home, pinpointing a Denver neighborhood, and finding a REALTOR® are all part of the pre-buying puzzle.

Locating a REALTOR® is one of the most important steps before buying a home.  While certainly you can call different phone numbers found from the classifieds and online searches, it is important to realize that any REALTOR® you choose to work with has access to all homes that are listed for sale.

A Denver REALTOR® can do a lot more than show homes, an experienced REALTOR® will listen to your needs, pinpoint homes that suit your needs, show you the homes, write a contract when you find the right home, and follow through with the contractual elements.    The Denver REALTOR® you choose to work with will be your guide throughout your real estate search and transaction.

Take your time choosing a DenverREALTOR® that you can get along with and one you feel confident about.  Ask around, do some online research, and find someone who reflects experience and knowledge.

Click here to read “What you should know before buying a home” from Forbes.

 Sourced from: Internal Kinetic Real Estate Library

Believe it or not, spring is on the horizon, which means that we need to start thinking about sprucing the outside of our Denver homes.

Staging the outside of your Denver home is as important as staging the inside.  Outdoor living spaces are very attractive to homebuyers in the Denver real estate market.  The outside of your home should be neat, tidy, and uncluttered, just like the inside.

Some ideas for staging the outside of your home:

Outdoor furniture.  For a relatively small investment you can showcase your deck, patio, or front porch as a comfortable spot to spend time and/or entertain.  If your deck is worn, an outdoor carpet can spruce it up as well.

Flowers.  Whether you have a yard for flower beds, room on the porch for a bucket of flowers, or a place to hang flower baskets, flowers add beauty and appeal to any home, drawing the eyes away from less appealing spots.

Exterior.  Clean your windows, siding, decks, walkways, etc.  You will never get a second chance to make a first impression and the cleaner and fresher your home appears the more attractive it will be.

People love to spend time outside.  You do not have to invest in an elaborate outdoor kitchen or fireplace, but if you can show that there is comfortable and inviting outdoor spaces, you will add to the overall image of space that your home provides.

Click here to read “Make Your Home Appealing to Buyers” from Realty Times.

 Sourced from: Internal Kinetic Real Estate Library

Three prestigious, well-recognized companies are planning new office projects in metro Denver, offering further signs of an improving regional economy.  The TriZetto Group is planning a $40 million corporate headquarters at Meridian in Douglas County. Trimble is planning a 125,000-square-foot building in Westminster. And Johns Manville is planning to relocate from downtown Denver to Greenwood Village.  “It’s a very positive sign for the real estate markets in the Denver metro area that companies are looking for build-to-suits, ” said Sherman Miller, executive director of the CU Real Estate Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

For information on Denver real estate, or regarding Denver relocation, please contact TeamCox Realtors at 303-400-6060.

Read article – Denver Post

If you invest in a savings account, you’ll make less than 1% and will have to pay income tax on the earnings. If, on the other hand, you contribute something extra to your house payment on a regular basis you’ll essentially earn at the mortgage interest rate which is bound to be more than you’re earning in the bank.

Making additional principal contributions on your mortgage will save interest, retire debt and build equity. An extra $100 a month in the example shown will save thousands in interest and short the term of the mortgage as well. Reducing your cost of housing is another way to improve the investment in your home. Becoming debt-free is a important goal that is achieved with discipline and good decisions. Suggestions like this are part of my commitment to help people be better homeowners when they buy, sell and all the years in between.

For more suggestions on managing your mortgage in the Denver area, please contact TeamCox Realtors – Piney Creek real estate specialists at 303-400-6060.

Do you really want to pay off your Landlord’s mortgage?
Why aren’t you looking at homes with a real estate agent?
There could be no more logical decision for your long-range planning.

Rents for Denver homes are rising amidst rising demand and tight supply. This means that paying rent will become even more painful for renters across the country and in Denver. The Denver commercial and residential real estate markets are both posting rapid rent increases with more expected in the months and years to come. It’s bad timing for people who have been spooked by, or pushed out of, the residential housing market and have decided to rent instead of buy.

Rising rents are making homeownership more attractive. One study by Trulia.com, a real estate research firm, found that “based on current market conditions, buying a home is cheaper than renting in 74% of major U.S. cities.”

For information on Denver real estate, please contact TeamCox Realtors at 303-400-6060.

Douglas County residents, especially those living in Parker and Castle Pines, are eagerly awaiting the completion of the Hess Road Extension, connecting State Highway 83 Corridor with I-25. This will greatly ease commuting times for Parker residents driving to I-25 and Castle Rock, along with Castle Rock residents traveling to the Parker area.

We have good news for you… the road opened this week (on January 24th)!

We will continue to keep you updated on major infrastructure projects in Douglas and Arapahoe counties. For more information on Parker real estate, please contact TeamCox Realtors at 303-400-6060.

Fallen Denver home prices and record-low mortgage rates have pushed housing affordability to a 40-year high. Meanwhile, Denver rental prices are continuing to rise at a fast pace, according to a new report by Hotpads.com, a rental listing service.

Rental prices in 20 of the largest metro areas increased 3.75 percent in 2011, and prices are expected to continue to rise in 2012. Meanwhile, home prices fell by 1.83 percent in 2011, according to the report. Denver home prices are widely viewed to have bottomed out and are expected, by most economists, to rise commencing in the spring of 2012.

“In a lot of cases it’s getting to a point where it makes more sense for people to buy because rent has been going up significantly faster, while home prices have been falling,” Paul Gleger, author of the report, told AOL Real Estate. If you are currently renting, this may be the best year ever to invest in your first home in the metro Denver area.

For information on Denver real estate, please contact TeamCox Realtors at 303-400-6060.