Real Estate

2016 Housing Outlook

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The National Association of Realtors’ Housing Outlook for 2016: Expect change they say!

“While change is coming to the mortgage market, Freddie Mac says in its 2016 housing forecast that it’s too soon to tell whether marketplace lending is the next Uber or just another flash in the pan.

“The current generation of marketplace lenders all may fail in the next economic downturn,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Regulators may impose higher standards on marketplace lenders. The cost advantages of marketplace lending may not extend to mortgage lending.”

But Becketti says the new year will undoubtedly bring changes: “Innovation is difficult to stop. New startups will look for ways to improve upon current marketplace lending business models. Large bank lenders may incorporate the most successful of the marketplace lending innovations. It’s difficult to say where all this will lead, but one prediction is indisputable. Expect change.”

Here are five more predictions for 2016 from the mortgage giant:

  1. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage will likely average below 4.5 percent for 2016 on an annualized basis.
  2. Mortgage rates will gradually move higher posing an affordability challenge. But expect a strengthening labor market and pent-up demand to carry momentum into 2016.
  3. Home prices will likely moderate slightly to 4.4 percent in 2016, driven in part by the reduction in home buyer affordability and reduced demand as a result of Fed tightening.
  4. But industry activity will grow in 2016 despite monetary tightening. Expect total housing starts to increase 16 percent year-over-year and total home sales to increase 3 percent.
  5. While home purchases will increase next year, higher interest rates will reduce the refinance volume pushing overall mortgage originations lower in 2016 than in 2015.

The entire article can be found here – http://bit.ly/1RPQR9M

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I LOVE what I do! I have been in the Real Estate Industry now for over 11 years and am grateful to have found a career that I enjoy so much. I am highly organized and extremely efficient with a strong background in negotiations which always helps when in the middle of a tough transaction! I welcome all opportunities to work with you whether you are looking for your first home, looking to move to a larger home as your family grows, or looking to expand your portfolio and purchase an investment property. It is a great time for real estate in Boulder County! If you want to learn about what this market means to you and your family, just call or email. Contact me with all of your real estate needs! 

Janet Leap, GRI
RE/MAX of Boulder
Call me – 720.938.4197
Real Estate

Never Want To Leave Boulder? You Are Not Alone!

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Boulder just got the distinction of being named #5 on College Magazine’s list of the Top 10 College Towns You’ll Never Want To Leave. We know it, but it’s nice to get the reassurance! Thanks, College Magazine.

Here is what http://www.collegemagazine.com says, “Great college towns offer much more than blackout Friday nights. They provide perfect settings for game days, gorgeous (and walkable) natural scenery, awesome art cultures and traditions you won’t find anywhere else. When a college acts as a beacon of light for a town, call it poetic. When town and college embrace one another, call it harmony. These college towns wear such characteristics in spades.”

Read the entire article here: http://www.collegemagazine.com/top-10-college-towns-youll-never-want-leave/

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I LOVE what I do! I have been in the Real Estate Industry now for over 11 years and am grateful to have found a career that I enjoy so much. I am highly organized and extremely efficient with a strong background in negotiations which always helps when in the middle of a tough transaction! I welcome all opportunities to work with you whether you are looking for your first home, looking to move to a larger home as your family grows, or looking to expand your portfolio and purchase an investment property. It is a great time for real estate in Boulder County! If you want to learn about what this market means to you and your family, just call or email. Contact me with all of your real estate needs! 

Janet Leap, GRI
RE/MAX of Boulder
Call me – 720.938.4197
Boulder, Real Estate

Boulder Real Estate In Top 1 Percent of National Housing Markets!

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Boulder is in the top 1% of the country’s most exclusive housing markets! The average list price for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house in Boulder has crossed over $1 million, a rarified altitude that places the city among the country’s most expensive housing markets. This puts Boulder in the company of an elite list of very few cities.

Read the entire Daily Camera article here: http://www.dailycamera.com/business/ci_29105130/boulder-real-estate-hits-rarified-values-now-among

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I LOVE what I do! I have been in the Real Estate Industry now for over 11 years and am grateful to have found a career that I enjoy so much. I am highly organized and extremely efficient with a strong background in negotiations which always helps when in the middle of a tough transaction! I welcome all opportunities to work with you whether you are looking for your first home, looking to move to a larger home as your family grows, or looking to expand your portfolio and purchase an investment property. It is a great time for real estate in Boulder County! If you want to learn about what this market means to you and your family, just call or email. Contact me with all of your real estate needs! 

Janet Leap, GRI
RE/MAX of Boulder
Call me – 720.938.4197
Boulder, Real Estate

Boulder Real Estate In Top 1 Percent of National Housing Markets!

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Boulder is in the top 1% of the country’s most exclusive markets! The average list price for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house in Boulder has crossed above $1 million, a rarified altitude that places the city among the country’s most expensive housing markets. This puts Boulder in the company of an elite list of very few cities.

Read the entire Daily Camera article here: http://www.dailycamera.com/business/ci_29105130/boulder-real-estate-hits-rarified-values-now-among

Screen Shot 2015-06-13 at 8.46.24 AM

I LOVE what I do! I have been in the Real Estate Industry now for over 11 years and am grateful to have found a career that I enjoy so much. I am highly organized and extremely efficient with a strong background in negotiations which always helps when in the middle of a tough transaction! I welcome all opportunities to work with you whether you are looking for your first home, looking to move to a larger home as your family grows, or looking to expand your portfolio and purchase an investment property. It is a great time for real estate in Boulder County! If you want to learn about what this market means to you and your family, just call or email. Contact me with all of your real estate needs! 

Janet Leap, GRI
RE/MAX of Boulder
Call me – 720.938.4197
Real Estate

Fall is a Great Time To Buy a Home!


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Time Magazine explains why fall can be a great time to purchase a home. They list 4 top reasons to buy now:

  1. Motivated sellers who are more willing to negotiate
  2. Potential rising interest rates
  3. End of year tax perks
  4. Cool weather exposes systems issues

Read the entire article here: http://time.com/money/4056802/buy-home-october/?sf13687642=1

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I LOVE what I do! I have been in the Real Estate Industry now for over 11 years and am grateful to have found a career that I enjoy so much. I am highly organized and extremely efficient with a strong background in negotiations which always helps when in the middle of a tough transaction! I welcome all opportunities to work with you whether you are looking for your first home, looking to move to a larger home as your family grows, or looking to expand your portfolio and purchase an investment property. It is a great time for real estate in Boulder County! If you want to learn about what this market means to you and your family, just call or email. Contact me with all of your real estate needs! 

Janet Leap, GRI
RE/MAX of Boulder
Call me – 720.938.4197
Real Estate

October is a Great Month To Buy a Home!


House in the hands of the man on a background of blue sky

Time Magazine explains why October can be a great month to purchase a home. They list 4 top reasons to buy now:

  1. Motivated sellers who are more willing to negotiate
  2. Potential rising interest rates
  3. End of year tax perks
  4. Cool weather exposes systems issues

Read the entire article here: http://time.com/money/4056802/buy-home-october/?sf13687642=1

Screen Shot 2015-06-13 at 8.46.24 AM

I LOVE what I do! I have been in the Real Estate Industry now for over 7 years and am grateful to have found a career that I enjoy so much. I am highly organized and extremely efficient with a strong background in negotiations which always helps when in the middle of a tough transaction! I welcome all opportunities to work with you whether you are looking for your first home, looking to move to a larger home as your family grows, or looking to expand your portfolio and purchase an investment property. It is a great time for real estate in Boulder County! If you want to learn about what this market means to you and your family, just call or email. Contact me with all of your real estate needs! 

Janet Leap, GRI
RE/MAX of Boulder
Call me – 720.938.4197
Boulder, Real Estate

Boulder Secures A Top Spot On Livability’s Top 100 Best Place To Live!

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Boulder is not new to being at the top of the list. This year Livability placed Boulder #5 on it’s Top 100 Best Places To Live list. This is what they said about Boulder:

“Known as one of the best cities for liberals, Boulder spoils its 100,300 residents with pristine natural surroundings, a strong farm-to-table restaurant scene, and dynamic arts and cultural attractions. Each season brings more things to do in Boulder. Many of the city’s highly active residents plan their days around hikes, rock climbing, mountain biking and fishing. Schools in Boulder rank high, which has helped the city appear on the Top 100 since 2014.”

Read the entire article here – http://www.livability.com/best-places/top-100-best-places-to-live/2016

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I LOVE what I do! I have been in the Real Estate Industry now for over 7 years and am grateful to have found a career that I enjoy so much. I am highly organized and extremely efficient with a strong background in negotiations which always helps when in the middle of a tough transaction! I welcome all opportunities to work with you whether you are looking for your first home, looking to move to a larger home as your family grows, or looking to expand your portfolio and purchase an investment property. It is a great time for real estate in Boulder County! If you want to learn about what this market means to you and your family, just call or email. Contact me with all of your real estate needs! 

Janet Leap, GRI
RE/MAX of Boulder
Call me – 720.938.4197
Real Estate

What Kind Of House Can You Get For $300,000 Around The World? Find out…

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Ever wondered what type of house you could get for a given price in locations around the world? Fast Company did some leg work and they show what you get for your $300,000 all around the globe. I love fun real estate facts!

Fast Company Article: What Kind Of House Does $300,000 Get You Around The World? 

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I LOVE what I do! I have been in the Real Estate Industry now for over 7 years and am grateful to have found a career that I enjoy so much. I am highly organized and extremely efficient with a strong background in negotiations which always helps when in the middle of a tough transaction! I welcome all opportunities to work with you whether you are looking for your first home, looking to move to a larger home as your family grows, or looking to expand your portfolio and purchase an investment property. It is a great time for real estate in Boulder County! If you want to learn about what this market means to you and your family, just call or email. 

Contact me with all of your real estate needs! 

Janet Leap, GRI
RE/MAX of Boulder
Call me – 720.938.4197
Real Estate, Real Estate Tips

The Housing Market Realtor Growth Prediction Is Looking GOOD For Colorado!

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This is what the National Association of Realtors is reporting on the economic outlook:

REALTORS® expect prices to increase over a range of two to seven percent, with the median at 3.4 percent over the next 12 months, according to the June 2015 REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey Report.

Since all real estate is local, price expectations varied across local markets and states. The map shows the median expected price change in the next 12 months for each state based on the April 2015–June 2015 RCI surveys.[1] REALTORS® from Colorado and Florida had the most upbeat price expectations, with a median expected price growth in the range of five to seven percent. In California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Minnesota, Georgia, New Hampshire, and the District of Columbia, the median expected price growth was four to five percent. Prices are expected to increase at a modest pace of less than three percent in many Northeast states as well as in the West North Central states.

http://economistsoutlook.blogs.realtor.org/2015/08/04/realtors-price-growth-expectation-in-next-12-months-by-state/#sf11715906

 

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I LOVE what I do! I have been in the Real Estate Industry now for over 7 years and am grateful to have found a career that I enjoy so much. I am highly organized and extremely efficient with a strong background in negotiations which always helps when in the middle of a tough transaction! I welcome all opportunities to work with you whether you are looking for your first home, looking to move to a larger home as your family grows, or looking to expand your portfolio and purchase an investment property. It is a great time for real estate in Boulder County! If you want to learn about what this market means to you and your family, just call or email. Contact me with all of your real estate needs! 

Janet Leap, GRI
RE/MAX of Boulder
Call me – 720.938.4197
Real Estate

Real Estate Ranks Top Among Investments!

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Real Estate Ranks Tops Among Investments

Real estate is Americans’ top investment choice, according to a new Bankrate survey. The survey asks Americans what kind of investments made the most sense and 27 percent said they’d invest in property if they had a pool of spare cash.

CDs and other cash investments – previously the top answer in Bankrate’s 2013 and 2014 surveys – came in second at 23 percent. Only 17 percent of survey respondents said they’d purchase stocks; 14 percent said gold and other precious metals; and 5 percent said bonds.

“We’re not seeing the bunker mentality from individual investors to the same extent of the past few years,” says Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate’s chief financial analyst. “But the preference for real estate over, say, the stock market, does beg the question of whether or not Americans are again viewing residential housing as a golden ticket.”

Geographically, Americans living in the West or in urban areas showed the biggest preference toward real estate investments at 35 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Americans living in the South also showed a strong preference for real estate and cash investments, while those living in the Midwest said they preferred cash and stocks over real estate.

Source: RealtorMag.com

 

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I LOVE what I do! I have been in the Real Estate Industry now for over 7 years and am grateful to have found a career that I enjoy so much. I am highly organized and extremely efficient with a strong background in negotiations which always helps when in the middle of a tough transaction! I welcome all opportunities to work with you whether you are looking for your first home, looking to move to a larger home as your family grows, or looking to expand your portfolio and purchase an investment property. It is a great time for real estate in Boulder County! If you want to learn about what this market means to you and your family, just call or email. Contact me with all of your real estate needs! 

Janet Leap, GRI
RE/MAX of Boulder
Call me – 720.938.4197