The Genius Speaks

Have you ever had to change your Gmail address? Is it worth it?

Fri, 04 May 2012 16:50:40 -0700

Have you ever had to change your gmail address? Is it worth it? I've used google as a search engine since 1999. Boo Yah, old school Internet baby. I have never ever used my gmail account for email! I only got one around 2004 or so. I got this to customize my home page and some other Google services. At the time I was a professional poker player. Thus my mrpokergenius at gmail.com Since I never gave this email out it didn't care or bother me. Now I'm not sure that is the case.

Google is now using the email for all of your services and linking all of your information. This is starting to affect me because I'm not sure this is the image I want to project (a poker player). 10% of people think this is super cool and can actually help me get listings, buyers, etc. However, I feel that there is an even larger percentage of people that will not like this (maybe 20%). If those numbers are correct then it is stupid to have this email address.

Will google let me change my email address and keep all of my services? Please, please, please! I would love it if they did. This does not appear to be the case though. Tell me I'm wrong and tell me how to do it. I have already set up a new gmail account with an appropriate name, damn all the names and variations are gone. I think I found a good one. miketheconsultant at gmail.com

It will stink though to lose my access to all the other services and settings though. Especially the privacy settings and such that I have set up and customized.

Here is some of the stuff that I would need to change.

iGoogle - Not a big deal. Really nice to have a customized home page though. Not to difficult to change.

You Tube - This could stink. I don't have very much up there now, but one of my biggest business plans is to get this changed. Video testimonials, property tours, neighborhood video tours, and just me in front of the camera talking about stuff. Right now it's all stored under the mrpokergenius channel, again not a real good name for videos. This is a good reason to change it.

Google + - This is a big deal. This is the thing that initially bothers me. When you look up my profile on Google + right under your name it has your email address. I haven't been using this much, but plan too. The circles and video hangout are pretty awesome. 45 people (I know that's not a lot, but it's something). If I'm going to get this all integrated and set up. Now is the time before I have to change accounts.

Picasa - This is what I am really losing, or am I. I have a decent amount of pictures up here and several photo albums. One thing I do is create an album of every listing with all of my pictures. This is great so my transaction coordinator can put these up on the mls. I plan to get a VA to create Postlets, Craigslist, etc. I hate to lose these, plus I have a bunch of personal pics up there.

I'm asking all of this because I just got my brand new Android phone. The Samsung Nexus on the Sprint network. WOW! I'm amazed. It's got Android 4.0. I have an ice cream sandwich do you? I upgraded from the Samsung Moment the 2nd (?) Android phonephone on the Sprint network. It was not possible, due to firmware, to upgraded the OS beyond 2.2. The new phone is so awesome it's amazing 3G/4G come on Sprint turn it on. The processor and RAM and ROM. It's like going from Windows 3.1 to XP. This allows me to stop carrying a camera and a video recorder.

I will use this phone a lot more for uploading from the field. Video and photos directly to Picasa and You Tube. My old phone couldn't even have Instagram. Before I spend a lot more time customizing the phone etc. the big question.

Would you switch your gmail address or not? For all my work email I use customized domains and Microsoft exchange.

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

Mike Henderson specializes in the following areas in real estate in the Denver, Colorado metro area; investors, first time homebuyers, luxury property, short sales, and light rail properties. Of course I can also provide financing or refinacing across the state of Colorado.

Tips for having a successful garage sale - SELL THAT STUFF - then sell your home

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:16:34 -0700

Sorry blogging community I've been to busy selling houses and short sales are very complicated, so I haven't been blogging much. Bad blogger. I taught a class tonight Spring Sellers Seminar. My first tip was have a garage sale. One of my facebook friends Krista Steiger is having a garage sale. Another friend, Julie Koon, should have a garage sale. Both are old high school friends and I might be seeing them at the Glendale High School 25th reunion this summer.

Here are some of the basic steps to have a successful. Special bonus prize for whoever can guess what the image in front of the shirts on the wall.

1) Find all the stuff you want to sell. One of our first garage sales I had 74 clothing items shirts, jeans, and t-shirts

2) You are lying go back and find more stuff. You never will want to do one of these again.

3) Now you really want to make sure you get rid of certain things. Primary things are BIG STUFF. In the lower left you can only see the corner, that is a big giant poker table from a game that I ran out of my house. EXPENSIVE STUFF. This is stuff that you can actually get some money for. Note anything that is potentially more than $5 is big bucks

4) Market the hell out of it. This is the most important part. The first thing is craigslist. This is the grand kahuna. You want to start marketing a couple of days in advance. You are talking about all the cool stuff. Great deals and the address. Note craigslist only lets you post once every 48 hours. You can get around this be using different pics. Address is 123 Main Street and next post is corner of Main and First.

5) Market your specific stuff as a seperate ad. Wierd stuff. I used to sell cable television on a door to door basis in my early 20's. I'm actually a certified cable installer. I had a ton of the old fittings and adapters (absolutely no use to me) posted these a guy came by looking for them. $10 KACHING! I doubt I would of sold those any other way. Old TV's, VCR's, and chairs are perfect. One garage sale I sold four different Palm Pilots. Yes I had from a Palm 2.0 to the Tungsten. I had ads for each of these in the appropriate spots on Craigslist. I was driving everybody to the garage sale. I even sold a Nitrious Oxide tank that I used to own. Hint I've never been a dentist or had a hot rod.

6) Sign the hell out of it! This is done the day of. You should either a day or two before have a map made out so you know how many signs you need to make. Find major streets and drive traffic from there. Side streets, all the streets. If there is a close corner with a four way stop that is four signs just on that one corner. Cheap signs take a cardboard box black marker and you can get potentially 10 signs. I think for our last garage sale we had between 20-30 signs up.

HOW DO YOU PRICE YOUR STUFF? TO SELL

99% of the stuff you have you never want to have to have back in your house. You can see the racks of clothes on the wall. I think the first hanger were like 5 bucks and the next was $3. Everything else was $2 or 3 for 5 bucks. Please, please, please don't label every item with a sticker. Note on day 2 everything was dollar. Have several boxes full of crap labeled one dollar, fifty cents, twenty-five cents, dime. Tags go on big items.

HAGGLING TIPS

If they leave with the stuff and you have currency in your pocket you win. If you haggle over price and they walk away with nothing you have failed. Only exception is if it is something you are willing to keep or a big ticket item with the price disparity to big.

DAY OF THE SALE

You are up at an insane hour. Typically before 6:00 a.m. Post on Craigslist again. Get the last minute early risers. You are hanging your signs first. Hopefully there are two of you. Really needs to happen to make things easier. One person hangs up signs while the other sets up stuff. I recommend McDonald's or Burger King for breakfast. You stayed up late the night before getting all the last minute stuff and signs.

Have change ready. A muffin making thing (I'm not a cook for all of the change). Go by the bank and make sure you have enough ones and fives and loose change. Enjoy the solitute before the mass of people show up. I also like to have a Ghetto Blaster aka portable stereo for music.

Typically end time is 1-3. I don't put end times on my signs. As long as there are people I am selling. ALso if the process starts driving you insane you want to close up early it's cool. If you have a sign up that says 8-2 and you close at one, people will knock on your freaking front door.

NEXT DAY

Lower prices. Your signs are still up. Post on craigslist the rest of stuff you have left. Your signs are still up so you get to sleep in a little later. Haggling is almost nonexistent get rid of stuff. Close garage sale. I go out and pick up signs first, then put all crap back in garage. Take all extra junk into Goodwill or other organization that will accept it. Turn it all in and collect charitable receipt for taxes. You don't have to do all the Goodwill stuff that day.

IMMEDIATELY AFTER

Treat yourself, two days of hell are over. Enjoy your vice get a drink, see a movie, or go out to eat. You've got extra cash.

These are a few tips for a successful garage sale. If I go to this extreme for a couple of hundred bucks imagine how hard I would word for you to sell your house or help you buy one.

Good luck. If you have tips to share please post your comments below.

WHEN DO YOU HOLD?

Friday and Saturday seem to work best. Saturday and Sunday are a good comprimise. Look for a weekend with good weather. If weather looks bad one weekend it's easy to postpone it. The earlier in the garage sale season you have it like right now, the better.

Last garage sale we had 80% of our stuff we had out we sold made a couple of hundred bucks.

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

Real estate market report - Littleton, CO - Southbridge area

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:03:58 -0700

Here is the most recent real estate market data for the Southbridge area in Littleton, CO. The zip code is 80120. Homes in this area have an average sold price of $319,000. This compares to around $230,000 for the entire Denver metro area. Part of the reason the homes are priceier is it is such a desirable area. It is a very short commute to both the employment areas in both downtown Denver and the Denver Tech Center. Access to the light rail is close by. The topography also gives a great view of the Rocky Mountains. The average home is only 123 days on the market. 37 homes have sold in the past year and only 14 are currently on the market. This leaves a 4.5 months of inventory which is slightly below 6 months which is defined as a balanced market.

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

Real estate market report - Littleton, CO - Shadycroft area

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:34:52 -0700

Here is the most recent real estate market data for the Shadycroft area in Littleton, CO. The zip code is 80120. Homes in this area have an average sold price of $409,000. This compares to around $230,000 for the entire Denver metro area. Part of the reason the homes are priceier is it is such a desirable area. It is a very short commute to both the employment areas in both downtown Denver and the Denver Tech Center. Access to the light rail is close by. The topography also gives a great view of the Rocky Mountains. The average home is only 75 days on the market. 28 homes have sold in the past year and only 16 are currently on the market. This leaves a 6.9 months of inventory which is slightly above the 6 months which is defined as a balanced market. The biggest reasons homes aren't moving faster is the price compared to other areas in the market.

In addition to having all the sold data broken down by individual areas we also have the entire market broken down by price point.

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

Market Report - Littleton, CO - Ridgeview area

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:18:31 -0700

Here is the most recent real estate market data for the Ridgeview area in Littleton, CO. The zip code is 80120. Homes in this area have an average sold price of $274,000. This compares to around $230,000 for the entire Denver metro area. Part of the reason the homes are priceier is it is such a desirable area. It is a very short commute to both the employment areas in both downtown Denver and the Denver Tech Center. The average home is only 78 days on the market. 60 homes have sold in the past year and only 17 are currently on the market. This leaves a 3.4 months of inventory which is well below 6 months which is defined as a balanced market. If you want to get one in this great area you need to move quick.

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

What is your wierdest real estate commision deal or want to buy a giant Marlin

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:41:11 -0700

I have a giant blue Marlin that is 9 feet 6 inches long for sale. Real estate agents are constantly complaining about the commissions we make on short sales and distressed properties. This is justified with banks constantly renegotiating commission between the agent and the home seller. It seems strange because they are not party to the contract. Part of my commission from the last sale is going to be a giant blue Marlin.

I work with a lot of investors so this house did not even hit the mls. Finding real estate deals that are not on the mls is the key to being a great agent for an investor. The client will be moving out on Monday and will be going from a 5 bed 2 bath house to a two bedroom apartment. Obviously they don't even have room for all of their furniture plus a Big Beautiful Blue Marlin, it takes up a lot of room. I lowered my real estate commission in order to make the deal work. It had to work for both the homeowner and the investor. In order to help me try to get value from the deal, I'm getting this giant mounted blue marlin.

Man, I wish I had more blog subscribers to get this out to as many people as possible. I may get stuck with a mounted blue marlin. The trash out people are coming on Monday to clear out the house, and if you've ever seen it done, it's not pretty at all. I hate to see it and it's a tragedy in so many ways. I did manage to help the homeowner avoid a foreclosure, get cash in the pocket, help coordinate their move, structure a deal that will actually improve their credit, and save as many of their possessions as possible. A mounted blue marlin is going to be left behind and I refuse to let it just be destroyed.

Part of the problem is just figuring out the transportation and storage of a mounted blue marlin. I don't have a pickup, I've got a Hyundai Azera for taking clients around town. My wife has a Suzuki Grand Vitara, a compact SUV. We might have to strap it onto the roof. If we have to make a sudden stop, the mounted blue marlin may not like it. I'm not even sure the strapping on the roof will work. The home is about three blocks from our house and we might have to carry it. My wife is not excited by this at all. I don't even know how much a giant blue marlin weighs. I would like a local buyer to be able to pick it up from the house directly. I don't want to have storage and transportation involved at all. If that mounted blue marlin has to sit in my garage or be moved to my basement, the deal will be much worse for the end buyer. I can take it directly to the UPS store and have shipped anywhere in the United States.

I would love your help on this. I'm willing to pay a commission or a referral fee for finding this mounted blue marlin a home be it a bar, restaurant, or a private individual. We will convey the fish story along with the Marlin. A great, well-written blog will be written if the marlin is acquired by a public restaurant to give them some free publicity. I did my part and saved a home from foreclosure in Littleton, CO. Let's find a good home for this guy, not the giant trash bin or my basement storage room.

If I end up keeping it, I'll give it to the first homeseller who gives me a listing. I can also give it to the next investor who provides me with private capital to purchase a fix and flip or a buy and hold.

If you are looking for an agent who is a creative negotiator, wait until you hear the rest of this tale.

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

2011 Denver Parade of Homes Heritage Hills Luxury House in Lone Tree

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:56:32 -0700

2011 Denver Parade of Homes Heritage Hills Luxury House in Lone Tree
This luxury home in Heritage Hills Colorado is located at 9683 S. Shadow Hill Circle at a price of about $1,495,000.

This house has a huge porch that wraps around to the back side of the house.

There is a large kitchen that is open to the living room area.

It's got a beautiful, formal office space.

There's a fireplace and space for a large television in the living room which has vaulted ceilings.

The basement has space for a large couch to sit in front of the fireplace and television.

There's also a sink with built-in cabinets and space for a game table in the basement.

The master bedroom is very large with huge windows.

There is another fireplace with room for seating within the master bedroom.

View more houses from the Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado by visiting these other blogs:

Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes: Model 1
Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes Luxury Models in Heritage Hills
Luxury Homes in Heritage Hills located in Lone Tree, CO
Heritage Hills Homes for Sale in Lone Tree CO
Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado
Heritage Hills Colorado Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

Heritage Hills Colorado Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:09:00 -0700

Heritage Hills Colorado Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes
This luxury home in Heritage Hills Colorado is located at 9648 S. Shadow Hill Circle at a price of about $1,225,000.

There is a beautiful fireplace and large space for a television in the living room.

There is a spacious kitchen that connects to a formal dining area.

The formal dining area has a warm feel with plenty of light from the windows.

There's a huge back patio with fireplace and built-in cooking area.

A beautiful stairway leads up to the bedrooms.

Near the top of the stairs is a cozy alcove that makes a perfect reading area.

An open hallway at the top of the stairs overlooks the entry and dining area.

Large master bedroom area.

View more Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado by visiting these other blogs:

Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes: Model 1
Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes Luxury Models in Heritage Hills
Luxury Homes in Heritage Hills located in Lone Tree, CO
Heritage Hills Homes for Sale in Lone Tree CO
Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado
2011 Denver Parade of Homes Heritage Hills Luxury House in Lone Tree

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:43:48 -0700

Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado

This home for sale in Heritage Hills Colorado is located at 10113 S. Shadow Hill Drive at a price of about $1,607,000.

This is a large house with a patio area as you come in the front and also a second entrance that goes to an office.

This is a closer view of the front patio which has a large, outdoor fireplace.

If you go through the patio doors, you enter directly into the office that contains several built-in shelves.

There is a spacious kitchen that leads into a formal dining area.

Here is the formal dining room that opens up onto the back patio.

There is a large deck that wraps from the dining room to the kitchen/living room area of the house.

The master bedroom has a large master bath included.

The master bath includes a full-size bathtub, two sinks, and a large shower that doubles as a steam room.

There is a basement with fireplace and a built-in bar area.

View more houses from the Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado by visiting these other blogs:Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes: Model 1
Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes Luxury Models in Heritage Hills
Luxury Homes in Heritage Hills located in Lone Tree, CO
Heritage Hills Homes for Sale in Lone Tree CO
Heritage Hills Colorado Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes
2011 Denver Parade of Homes Heritage Hills Luxury House in Lone Tree

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

Heritage Hills Homes for Sale in Lone Tree CO

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:56:17 -0700

Heritage Hills Homes for Sale in Lone Tree CO

This is the fourth model in this year's 2011 Denver Parade of Homes in the Heritage Hills luxury homes. This home is located at 9510 Vista Hill Lane at a price of $1,300,000.

This house is built with a beautiful light-colored brick and as you walk through the entrance you enter into a courtyard.

Through the courtyard, you can enter either through the front door of the house or access the office.

There are wonderful, heavy wood beams that span the ceiling of the living room and kitchen areas.

There is a beautiful formal dining area.

Off of the kitchen and living room area is an awesome enclosed patio that has a fireplace and large screens so you can completely enclose the space.

View more houses from the Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado by visiting these other blogs:

Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes: Model 1
Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes Luxury Models in Heritage Hills
Luxury Homes in Heritage Hills located in Lone Tree, CO
Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado
Heritage Hills Colorado Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes
2011 Denver Parade of Homes Heritage Hills Luxury House in Lone Tree

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

Luxury Homes in Heritage Hills located in Lone Tree, CO

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 23:49:34 -0700

Luxury Homes in Heritage Hills located in Lone Tree, CO

If you didn't get a chance to see the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes, here are some photos of one of the luxury homes in the Heritage Hills area at a price of $1,485,000. This home is located at 9494 Vista Hill Lane. Click on any of the photos to learn more information about this house.

This house has a two-car garage on the left plus a separate single-car garage on the right.

When you walk around the corner to the entrance of the house you see there is a large, open courtyard area tucked within.

The courtyard area has a huge fireplace and fountain with plenty of room for seating.

It has a spacious living and kitchen area on the main level.

There's a warm and welcoming dining area near the kitchen.

As you head up the stairs, there's a cozy library nook.

Downstairs there's a full basement with a bar area that is perfect for entertaining.

This house also has a fireplace and bar area in the backyard for even more living space.

View more houses from the Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado by visiting these other blogs:

Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes: Model 1
Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes Luxury Models in Heritage Hills
Heritage Hills Homes for Sale in Lone Tree CO
Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado
Heritage Hills Colorado Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes
2011 Denver Parade of Homes Heritage Hills Luxury House in Lone Tree

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes Luxury Models in Heritage Hills

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 23:22:53 -0700

Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes Luxury Models in Heritage Hills

The 2nd model home in the Heritage Hills area is located at 9482 Vista Hill Lane at a price of $1,190,000. This is just one of the seven luxury homes in this rural area that was on display at this year's Denver Parade of Homes. Each house had its own unique features so be sure to visit our other postings that showcase the other homes.

This house has a two-car garage plus a separate single-car garage where Dad can store his toy to keep it safe from accidental scuffs and scrapes. Just inside the entrance to the house is a beautiful staircase that leads up to the bedrooms. There's a nice private bedroom at the top of the stairs to the left that is perfect for a teenager who would like their own space. A master bedroom and another child's bedroom is located to the right. The hallway leading down to the other bedrooms overlooks the great room, kitchen, and dining areas. There is also a sitting area upstairs before you reach the bedrooms. There is stonework on the walls that reaches up to the high ceilings which are supported by heavy wooden beams. The great room looks out to the back patio which has a partially covered sitting area with a huge fireplace.

View more houses from the Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado by visiting these other blogs:

Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes: Model 1
Luxury Homes in Heritage Hills located in Lone Tree, CO
Heritage Hills Homes for Sale in Lone Tree CO
Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado
Heritage Hills Colorado Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes
2011 Denver Parade of Homes Heritage Hills Luxury House in Lone Tree

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes: Model 1

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:55:37 -0700

Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes: Model 1

If you missed this year’s Denver Parade of Homes, we’ll give you a showcase of some of the luxury model homes that were featured. The 2011 Denver Parade of Homes featured 64 houses from Loveland down to Castle Rock. There were seven luxury homes priced over $1 million which were open to tour in Heritage Hills Colorado. Following is a description and some photos of the first of those models located at 9466 Vista Hill Lane at a price of about $1,135,000.

The outside of the home has stone and stucco walls and heavy wooden awnings over the windows. The entryway looks pretty plain, but just inside is a lovely patio area with plenty of space for seating as well as a separate entrance to an office space which makes it convenient for a person who works out of their house. Clients can enter directly into the office rather than have to go through the house.

View more Denver Parade of Homes houses in Heritage Hills Colorado by visiting these other blogs:

Get an Inside View of the 2011 Denver Parade of Homes Luxury Models in Heritage Hills
Luxury Homes in Heritage Hills located in Lone Tree, CO
Heritage Hills Homes for Sale in Lone Tree CO
Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes in Heritage Hills Colorado
Heritage Hills Colorado Luxury Home Pictures of Denver Parade of Homes
2011 Denver Parade of Homes Heritage Hills Luxury House in Lone Tree

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CONTACT ME I CAN HELP! IF I CAN'T, I KNOW WHO CAN

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Colorado Real Estate license FA100027713

Colorado Mortgage Broker license LMB100026528

Don't know what to blog about - what did you do today? My day and my blogs

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:57:12 -0700

I'm writing this out of sheer exhaustion. To many 12 hour days in a row. I often see people say what to write. What did you do today? I'm only writing blog related materials not the trivial stuff that happened. This blog won't be pretty, but I'm not sure I care.

Call RED X about a billing mistake. I'm not happy actually used the "F" word on the call, something I hardly ever do in business situations. Have about three blogs I could write on them including crappy customer service and stupid business decisions. This will be done.

Attended my final Efficiency by Design class -

A great series. Need to write a recomendation for the founder Darice Johnson. Also write about the book Unlocked. One of the three books I would tell an agent to read. None of that related to today, but it needs to be done. Class was fun, I was there which helps. Could talk about the Majestic Elephant and the Jackass, Bill Murray from Caddyshack talking about the Dali Lame, my new philosophy of real estate that I stole borrowed from another agent. That last one should be an actual blog.

Walked over to my real estate office to work use the scanner, mine broke recently. Ran into my boss Lon Welsh and got to spend some quality time with him. Awhile back I took the DISC test online, a useful tool that my company set up to take. I had trouble interpreting the results. I showed hime and he did too. His best line that is a really wierd personality profile, but I'm sure you knew that. I told him in the training class that at the very end I encouraged people to make sure to use the free 30 minute consultation with Darice because he was paying for it, but he is notoriously cheap. The class gasped, how dare I insult him. He is truly a great guy and awesome managing broker. I told him and he laughed and said of course we're frugal. Talked to him about the new book that he wrote and asked him if he was aware of the Madden curse. He wasn't. Blogs to write series tenatively title My broker can beat up your broker.

Ran into Doug Davidson, branch manager of Denver Mortgage Company. Joe Massey, a MLO was also there. I'm about ready to walk out the door and have my stuff ready. I've got an appointment with my wife for later in the afternoon for a Bank of America loan modification. I found a program that I really want to do and we fit all the criteria FHA short refi program. Talk with those two about loan mods and if they have any experience with them. WOW! They told me something I was not aware of even with all of my reading on Active Rain. He wasn't aware of short refi program. Was complaing that I might be the only person in America who is still paying on the loan we got in 2004. In 2004, I was the mortgage broker on the loan for my wife. It was a stated income 5 year interest only ARM. I wonder what the default rate on those was. At least two blogs in this conversation.

I'm starving, so I swing by Chick-Fil-A for lunch. The person at the counter is somebody that I talked with a couple of weeks ago, actually got two leads at the restraunt in one day. He told me about his rental property and the issues. The tenant missed a recent payment and had a sweet deal. Gave him advice back then and checked to see if he followed. He collected the past due amount and raised the rent. One or two blogs here. Get call from an expired lead, Woo Hoo they called me back.

Head home. Start following up on the action items of the expired leads. Get a proactive call from GoDaddy about my renewals and services and checking on things. I have several different services and 25 domains that expire on different dates. The rep was super awesome and we discussed several options. I'm sure they were trying to upsell me, but it wasn't the right time yet. Should write a blog on awesome customer service.

The big event of the day Bank of America to see about a loan modification personally. We would like one, we should qualify for one, and I want to see what my clients and potential clients go through. This is the meat of the stuff. I'm putting together 3 vlogs on this subject. Here are some topics to write.

1) My opinions of Bank of America as a stockholder, my mortgage servicer, and a taxpayer.

2) The first week of trying to get a loan mod before the appointment.

3) The actual appointment of getting in the door. It was amazing and I was shocked. (humor and disbelief)

4) Getting prepared for my appointment.

5) The wild and wacky stuff they considered and didn't consider.

6) The 2 or 3 stupid mistakes that we made that could of screwed it up.

7) How freaking awesome the center was. It was utter hell up to this point and it turned into a very pleasant experience. We'll have to see how the results are.

Come home exhausted and wolf down nachos before a networking and panel discussion on "rent to own" this was mostly for investor. It was awesome and a potential for 2-3 blogs.

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Gimme Shelter!

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:53:44 -0700

I rarely reblog. I'm even less excited about doing it with somebody in my own state, but this was freaking awesome. The first three paragrahs are the most articulate that I have read. When I got into this business a couple of years ago this was my focus. It still is, but I'm working a lot more with normal buyers and sellers. Once you work with investors and are one yourself I think you've got a great handle on the market. It also makes the normal sales easy.

Via Dick Greenberg (Coldwell Banker - Fort Collins, CO):

It looks like we're going to be dealing with continued media hysteria over the economy for a good portion of the immediate future. And there is going to be a tendency to blame a lot of our troubles on the media itself, for doing what they do.

But I'm sure you all realize that underlying that on-going theatre, there is a lot of ugly reality. We're going to be facing some real economic challenges over the next several years and times may get really tough. With the focus on cutting government expenditures, we're going to have to try to get a recovery going without much of a stimulus.

We're probably going to see, among other things, inflation, along with continued unemployment, losses in the stock market, a shortage of credit and more short sales and foreclosures.

And there's going to be a lot of talk about how to weather the storm. This provides a perhaps unprecedented opportunity for us in the real estate industry.

With interest rates at ridiculously low levels, inflation degrading investments and with turmoil in the stock market, what financial options are available to protect wealth?

You'll no doubt hear about gold and silver as an option, but those are difficult and risky propositions and require some specialized expertise for investors. There are also ways to protect and cover investments with sophisticated hedge strategies, but again, difficult and risky - and probably not for the average investor.

But there is an old standby available - real estate. The real estate market goes up and it goes down, as we all well know. But we also need to remember that it also has always experienced a historically positive long-run trend. It's a good bet that trend will continue. And real estate could very well prove to be the best, and safest, hard asset to have over the next ten years or so.

We have an opportunity to re-focus on an old client group - investors. I'm not really thinking about the guy who buys 4-plexes or condos. He's already out there and we already have some of his business. I'm thinking about the average guy with an IRA, 401k, or savings account who needs a way to invest that is safe and provides a good return. Now, real estate probably doesn't look too safe to the average guy right at the moment. But it's also probably near the bottom of one of those down times, so it's probably a good time to start riding it up.

And if we're innovative and clever enough, we could position real estate to be the answer for those needs, a safe haven in the coming storm. And if we can figure that out, we might just be able to invent a new and significant segment of the industry.

I'm not sure how to accomplish that, and I know it won't be easy. But I also believe there's something there. Maybe it's time to figure out how to do REIT's the right way, or to make real estate IRA's work. Whatever, we need to get busy thinking.

The future's coming and we need to be ready to work with it.

Mary & Dick Greenberg
Coldwell Banker - Fort Collins
702-A W. Drake Rd.
Fort Collins, CO 80526
970-689-4663
www.maryanddick.com

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Local Market Report - Woodhaven/Meadowbrook, Colorado

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:43:59 -0700

The area of Woodhaven/Meadowbrook is located in Southwest Denver. It is bordered by Windermere on the west, Caley on the south, Broadway on the east, and Belleview on the north. As you can see from the map statistics below, the days on market for a house in the Woodhaven/Meadowbrook area is 85. The home values in this area have gone up 3.2 percent in the past year. Thirty-eight houses have sold and twenty-three are currently on the market. There are approximately 7.3 months of inventory in this area. That means that it will take 7.3 months to sell all of the houses actively listed.

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Local Market Report - Bow Mar/Littleton, Colorado

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:11:00 -0700

The town of Bow Mar is located in Southwest Denver with about 300 single family homes on acre-sized lots. It is bordered by Sheridan on the west, Bowles on the south, Platte Canyon on the east, and Bow Mar on the north. As you can see from the map statistics below, the days on market for a house in the Bow Mar area is 116. The home values in this area have gone up 6.9 percent in the past year. Eleven houses have sold and four are currently on the market.

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The most important news item today - Not Obama - Not the debt ceiling - Football is back

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 02:10:33 -0700

NFL football is back baby! As a victory for U.S. citizens and our culture millionaires and billionaires can get along. Now if only the house and senate could as well. Now the debt ceiling is a much bigger deal for our county, America, and our future, nothing happened. Full of Sound and Fury Signifying nothing. NFL football is back, this also means fantasy football is back.

To play or not to play, that is the question. If I do play I'm already going to change my first pick in the draft. It was going to be Roger Goodell, now I'm not so sure. My question is rather to play or not to play. They say blog about what you love and what you know about. NFL football meets both of those requirements for me. One of the reasons I moved to Denver, Colorado in 1995 was my love for the Denver Broncos. Working as a supervisor on 4th level east for stadium security was a blast and one of only two jobs in my life that wasn't based on some sort of commission and/or bonus. Eight bucks an hour, but I got to live, breath, and hang out in the stadium and see every home game.

Fantasy Football is a major time commitment for me. I have OCD (self-diagnosed) because I get obsessed with whatever I am doing. I hate losing and I can't stand giving less than 110% at anything I do. That's one reason I try not to do a lot of different things. I can't do anything half assed.

My professional poker playing career is absolutely 100% over. Thank you Congress for screwing over the online poker community. I see that some states are actually encouraging and/or starting online lottery ticket sales (saving rant for another day). After going through the four stages of grief I've been 100% focused on buying and selling real estate in the Denver, CO market.

The real estate business plan that I have in place and doing a pretty good job of executing. The plan looks like Bill Walsh of the old 49ers on offense. I thought about the Mike Shanahan and John Elway years in Denver or the Belicheck and Brady sling it and fling it years. The defensive side of the football is run like Dick Lebeau of the Pittsburg Steelers. You could argue the 85 Bears, some of the LT Giants teams were better. Nobody has been a better defense coordinator than Lebeau. I'm not 100% sure he invented the zone blitz, but he perfected it.

My reason not to play, is the time commitment that it takes. I already watch and follow a ton, but I'd have to do more. I didn't play for years because I know this about myself. I got sucked in last year in a family league, it certainly limited my trash talking. ESPN fantasy football is certainly easy to manage for the players. That is how long I took a break. I think my last league before this was in the 90's.

If I'm going to play again in the family league I'm going to play in more than one league.

Potential leagues to play in and/or start

Your Castle Real Estate - think we had one last year. I was on IR personally for a lot of last year so I didn't get involved.

Glendale 87 - 25th reunion is next year. I'm starting to get back in touch with these people on Facebook. What a great way to get back in touch with people. It would be a free league and I'd sponsor the trophy for the reunion with hopes of getting my name on it.

Active Rain - If there was an interest how many teams and/or leagues would start. I know there was one in the past that Renee Burrows was in. We could make a heads up bet for next time I'm in Vegas. Dang wish I still drank. I've got two great drinking stories from Vegas.

Bigger Pockets - My favorite site for RE investing, but haven't been over there in a while. To quote the little wierd guy in 48 Hours "I've Been Busy!"

My normal friends - I'm not sure any of my friends are normal, but they are all way cool.

Sounds like around 3-6 leagues playing in with a smack talk commitment.

Any advice on what I should do.

I created a AR fantasy football group. If I don't play I'm happy to turn it over to somebody else if I don't play. Fantasy Football is huge and fun.

Should I play or not?

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Real Estate in Denver, CO and the 4 stages of grief

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:57:33 -0700

It’s no secret that the attitude toward owning a home in recent years has changed. In the go-go years of 2003-2006 Americans got caught up in a frenzy of speculative home buying, banking on unlimited future appreciation to compensate for miniscule down payments and massive overleveraging. In retrospect this real estate bubble was all too apparent. But like all bubbles throughout history it’s easy to identify when it’s over, yet millions were swept up by it when the going was good. So, where do we go from here?

What we are experiencing now is like a twist on the classic 4 step grieving process – let’s call it the Real Estate Bubble Grieving Process. It’s made up of the following stages: Denial, Grief, Overcompensation, and finally Acceptance.

We saw Denial in full force as we led up to the peak of the market in 2006. People were standing in line to buy chits to purchase condos in Florida, then selling those chits to the next sucker in line for $20,000. Cleaning people were buying penthouse apartments in Manhattan, then selling them for a $500,000 profit and buying a bigger one. Crazy!

Next came Grief. The market collapsed and millions of people faced financial ruin, the inevitable consequence of a market gone mad.

Then we entered Overcompensation. In this stage large numbers of people decided ALL home ownership is bad. Clearly this is wrong, but the lessons of the past few years will take a long time to fade. So for now, many people who arguably SHOULD buy homes are not because they are too scared. If they don’t own, they rent. So now the rental market is overheated and rents are skyrocketing.

Finally we will get to Acceptance. I don’t think we’re there yet. Acceptance will happen when homebuyers finally accept the fact the buying a home should be a lifestyle decision as it was for most of our history, not a speculative investment. The folks that realize this first will get some great deals as the rest of the buyers sit on the sidelines, too scared to act.

What stage are you in?

Real Estate in Denver, CO and the 4 stages of grief originally published at Properties Colorado.

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HUD condo for sale 2 bdr/2 ba

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:18:50 -0700

This was a great condo property for sale. Contact Mike Henderson at 303-949-5848 if you're interested in seeing more like this.

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Beautiful HUD condo for sale

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:05:06 -0700

This was a great HUD condo for sale. Contact Mike Henderson at 303-949-5848 if you're interested in seeing more like this.

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super deal on HUD condo for sale under $60k

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:29:51 -0700

This was a great deal on a HUD condo. If you're interested in seeing more like this, contact Mike Henderson at 303-949-5848.

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Cherry Creek North – Grand opening celebration – The new north

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:13:05 -0700

Cherry Creek North - Grand opening celebration - The new north. There was an amazing array of speakers for the dedication. Julie Bender, Cherry Creek Business Improvement District (BID) President and CEO, started off. Like all great speakers, she did an excellent job of congratulating other people for making the project work. She did a great job of picking people out of the crowd like Presidents of the Neighborhood Associations and recognizing their work. Councilwoman Jeanne Robb was there as it is in her district. Bill Vidal, the current mayor of Denver, Colorado did a great job of speaking. He does his shopping in Cherry Creek North and goes to a lot of the restaurants as well.

Cherry Creek North looks much better and the consumer experience will only get better. The area is more bike and pedestrian friendly. It is more car friendly as well, as you can see from the new parking meters that now take credit cards. The business district spent $18.5 million just on repaving. This was the first major overhaul for Cherry Creek North in over 20 years. Cherry Creek North covers 16 square blocks with over 300 businesses. It is one of the nicest shopping districts in the United States.

One of the fun promotions that was done to promote exploring and shopping during the weekend festivities was they gave out a free pair of red sunglasses with a QR code that directed you to a website with a list of the vendors and the discounts they were offering. A printed list was also available.

If you haven't checked out the new Cherry Creek North, you definitely should. The Cherry Creek Arts Festival is one of the best in the country and it's a great opportunity to check out "The New North." This event occurs every 4^th of July weekend. Learn more about it at http://www.cherryarts.org/home.

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Heritage High School in Littleton, CO named top 500 public high schools in the United States

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:04:53 -0700

Heritage High School in Littleton, CO named top 500 public high schools in the United States. In a challenging economic environment where education spending is restrained, especially Colorado, Heritage High School shows that excellence in education is not only possible, but thriving in Littleton, CO.

The study was from Newsweek. Each school's score is comprised of six components: graduation rate (25%), college matriculation rate (25%), AP tests taken per graduate (25%), average SAT/ACT scores (10%), average AP/IB/AICE scores (10%), and AP courses offered (5%). (For more information on how these rankings were tabulated, see our Full Methodology.)

Heritage High School has received numerous awards such as the Blue Ribbon of Excellence designation, having 10 students recognized in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship program, being acknowledged by 5280 magazine as one of the top schools in the Denver area, and numerous other achievements. Learn more about Heritage High School at http://heritage.littletonpublicschools.net/.

I'm extra proud of it because I'm a resident in Littleton, Colorado. I live a couple of miles from Heritage High School. As a real estate agent in Littleton, CO this is a great thing for property values. I have a matrix and a chart that will show all homes for sale in the district but tracks the undervalued homes there as well. Like those smart high school kids attending Heritage High School, I use analytics, statistics, and neighborhood data to negotiate the best real estate deal for all of my clients.

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Alec Burks the NBA draft, CU Buffalos, and Colorado real estate, how the heck are these related?

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:56:42 -0700

Alec Burks, a standout CU basketball player and Big 12 player, will live out his dream tonight and be selected in the NBA draft making millions in the process. He is 6'6", 193 pounds, and can jump out of the gym. Alec Burks averaged 20.5 points and 6.5 boards in his sophomore season. This breaks my heart as a CU fan, my adopted home team after being in Colorado for over 15 years. He will have the chance to be the first CU player chosen in the top 10 since Chauncey Billups. What does this have to do with Colorado real estate?

Alec Burks had a hard decision to make about whether to declare for the NBA draft or return to CU for another year. As a CU fan, I was hoping for a return and taking CU deep into the NCAA tournament. Most scouts said he really could have used another year in college. He could get bigger, stronger, develop a much better outside shot, and develop more leadership. Alec Burks would have definitely improved as an NBA player. What does this have to do with Colorado real estate?

Making his decision much harder was the potential for an NBA lockout this summer. Let me predict something for you. That will happen! Why would a player come out and give up another year of school especially when he loved CU and may not be able even play if the league shuts down? His move makes perfect sense when you utilize game theory.

Every single college player who was/is thinking about going pro is aware of the NBA lockout. This made many players who were thinking about leaving college early decide to stay in school. Even if Alec Burks gets better, which he will, so will many of the other players who stayed in school. Alec, by coming out now and going for the NBA, has much less competition! He is/was projected as the number one ranked shooting guard. A couple of other players are now moving up, but he is still a high first-round draft pick. Now this is starting to make sense for Colorado real estate and many other markets across the country.

We have had a collective downturn in real estate values across the country. In Denver, Colorado real estate prices are recovering! Many home sellers and potential home sellers have not put their home on the real estate market because they are waiting for prices to improve. Guess what, so are your neighbors! Unless you have the best home on the block, (not all 5 of you potential sellers on the same block do) it might be smart to put your home on the market now. Well-priced homes in good condition are moving like hotcakes right now.

If you would like to get an analysis of whether or not now is the right time to put your home on the market, please contact Mike Henderson at 303-949-5848. It is either the right time now or it may make more sense to wait due to the market in your neighborhood, price point, size of home, or your personal situation. I'll set you up with free market reports in your neighborhood so you or we can determine the best time to put your home on the market.

Final 3 NBA thoughts

If the Nuggets stay put at 22, please, please, please let Kenneth Faried of Morehead State still be available
Alec Burks, good luck and all of Colorado and Buffalo nation wishes you well
Whoever the Nuggets pick, one of the things on my bucket list is to sell a home to an NBA player. Your dreams came true tonight - help a brother out.

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