Rainbow Ridge is one of my favorite Arvada 'pocket neighborhoods', because the homes there are so unique.  Normally, I try to take photos of the neighborhood that don't feature houses, because they tend to look so similar from neighborhood to neighborhood.  But this post will feature some of the distinctive custom homes of Rainbow Ridge. (These homes are NOT currently for sale, and this is NOT an attempt to market these properties!)   Rainbow Ridge is in west Arvada, being just off of Ward Road, and is proximate to I-70, which isn't  close enough to cause a noise problem but is close enough for very easy access. Rainbow Ridge is on a - well - a ridge, so many of the homes have very nice views. The lots are large, and the homes tend to be good-sized too. Therefore, this is a pricier n... 04/04/2010

  The Pond is a ‘pocket neighborhood’ nestled between Pond Lake and Standley Lake Regional Park Wildlife Refuge.  It is a private, covenant-controlled community, built in the early 1970s to early 1980s. Community members enjoy the use of a clubhouse, pool and tennis courts in addition to strolling around the private pond. The Pond is popular for its quiet streets, trails where members can enjoy the sights and sounds of Pond Lake, and great location in North Arvada. Another thing residents like is the vicinity to the Standley Lake Library. One main street meanders through The Pond – Independence Way – with lots of cul-de-sacs and loops, giving the neighborhood even more of a private feel. The Pond children attend school at Weber Elementary, Moore Middle School, and Pomona High School. C... 04/02/2010

This Morning I received an offer on one of our Short Sales listing. This home has been on the market for about 40 days. I was delighted to hear the offer was coming in. Most of us SS'er  realize the importance of an offer to get into the gate keeper at the lien  holder. I reviewed the offer, it was 20% below our listed price, which was already about 20 % below market value. The offer was 40 % below MV. I called the other agent this morning. Once he answers, I replied as follows: Agent Bob, This is Sam Adams with the Division of Low Offers Authority, I understand you just wrote an extremely low offer on a property yesterday.....Pause ...Agent Bob replies....hummmmm ...yes I did.... I continued a few minutes with the drill....yet started to laugh....I told him it was Gary D....APRIL FOOLS... 04/01/2010

'Sierra Vista' is one of Arvada's established neighborhoods, desirable because of its great location and large lots. Built in the 1960s to early 1970s, home styles vary from one-level (ranch) styles with basements, to bi-levels and 2-stories. Wide streets that gently curve and roll past well-tended yards lead the eye to majestic mountain views. Lot sizes in Sierra Vista range from a quarter to a half acre, a really nice advantage over newer homes for those that want lots of room to play, or a little distance from the neighboring homes.  Sierra Vista's 265 homes nestle between Kipling and Simms on the west and east, and between 74th on the south and 77th on the north. Sierra Vista is near Two Ponds National Wildlife Center, Majestic View Nature Center, the Arvada Center for the Performin... 03/28/2010

Village of Five Parks Arvada March 24, 2010 The Village of Five Parks in Arvada, Colorado is a beautiful recently built neighborhood in the northwest Denver metro area. The Village of Five Parks Arvada is a neighborhood of new homes, townhomes, and condos. The Village of Five Parks Arvada is a very family friendly neighborhood. Restaurants and nightlife are located in the neighborhoods downtown. There are many parks and trails for biking and running. There is a community center with a great swimming pool. Standley lake is nearby for boating, fishing, and picnicking. If you're looking for a new family friendly neighborhood with great views, The Village of Five Parks Arvada is the neighborhood for you! The Village of Five Parks Arvada real estate sales are somewhat slow but better than so... 03/24/2010

I've been thinking about finishing up this series, I have to write the last part about Attracting Buyers and giving good Advice (if you don't know what I'm talking about, see my previous post). I admit, I've been putting it off because it's so difficult to put into words what must get done to fully market a property, especially while I'm busy getting it done. Just over a week ago, I listed an Arvada house for sale. The seller wanted to get the paperwork done early, and not start showings until several days later. This gave me the opportunity to get great photos up, flyers made, web sites activated, etc., pretty much simultaneously with going live in the MLS. Then ... We had 17 showings the first week, and 3 offers.  Bidding war. Emotions running high. Finally, hours later and long after... 03/23/2010

I know we all get busy with our businesses and don't feel like we have the time to do anything else.  I would love to continue to build my referral base of Realtors and Brokers for the future of my business.  Follow me on FaceBook Metro Brokers Keith Ziegler INC.  Or Twitter Realtor4lifeMB.  Let's all have some fun while serving our peope in our communities.  03/12/2010

I had coffee with a former client, now friend of mine, who bought a house in Arvada recently.  The whole time we were looking at houses, negotiating, waiting (short sale), she was torn about leaving Lafayette.  Lafayette had been good to her and her family, and she really loved it. But they needed a shorter commute for her husband, hence the move.  What she thought she'd miss most about Lafayette was the life she'd built for her 2-year-old daughter. It is hard any time moms and dads move their kids, we never know how they'll react.  But she didn't need to worry about finding good things in Arvada. We met for coffee yesterday, and she said, "Arvada is a giant playground!"  She said there are so many programs and opportunities for little kids, and there are even more for kids three and up... 03/11/2010

Arvada Real Estate Market Report Arvada, Colorado Arvada, Colorado is a great community with lots of amenities. There are abundant shops and restaurants in Olde Town. The Ralston Creek trail is nearby for biking or running. It's a fast commute to downtown Denver or the mountains. Many parts of Arvada have great Rocky Mountain views. There are numerous parks and recreation opportunities in Arvada. Arvada homes styles include lofts and townhomes in Olde Town, small homesteads on large lots, suburban homes, and very large new custom homes. If you're looking for a great community with an easy commute and great views, Arvada is the community for you! Real estate sales are relatively strong in Arvada. If a home is priced competitively, it sells quickly for close to the asking price. Now is a ... 03/05/2010

My son-in-law pronounced this sign an 'epic fail' and memorialized it with a click of his iPhone.  I'm sure the person who made the sign knew what they MEANT to say, they just left out a detail here and there. It's in front of a large and busy grocery store here in Arvada.   Copyright © 2011 Joetta Fort * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Read more about life in Arvada, Colorado. And here's a little intro to Olde Town Arvada. Find all the homes available in Arvada, Westminster, Broomfield, North Denver, Thornton, Lafayette, Louisville, Wheat Ridge and Golden. Gardeners might enjoy my posts about gardening in Denver to Boulder’s front range. I write posts on real estate issues and local events in the Denver metro area, especially those communities between Denver and Boulder, ... 03/05/2010

In light of the fact that the question, "What do real estate agents do to earn their money?" has been asked and answered thousands of times, it seems the public feels the answers haven't been very good.  Please read my first post on the subject here.  My value to you is three-fold: Attracting other agents Attracting buyers Advice 1. Attracting Other Agents Most people don't realize how important a factor this is. The vast majority of home sales in Colorado have one agent who listed the house and another who brought the buyer. If you think about it, the reason for this is obvious. If I list your house, I am one person. There are thousands of other agents out there, who just might have a buyer looking for a house in your price range. So, chances are great that someone besides the one who ... 03/04/2010

The question comes up a lot - What do real estate agents do to earn their money? And it's been answered thousands of times, but still you find yourself asking it again. Obviously, the 'standard' answers aren't satisfying.   So let's don't discuss the long list of tasks I perform, such as 'take pictures', 'make phone calls', 'print flyers', 'put listings online'. Those things might make you frown and think, "I could do that myself if it meant saving thousands of dollars!" I would love to discuss those tasks with you later, but I don't think they should be the answer to the 'big question' because you've probably seen these lists before and I don't believe they satisfied you. I'm also not going to justify my commission by telling you I need to buy health insurance and take care of my famil... 03/04/2010

   What does March Madness mean to you . I guess it depends on how you interpet the word madness.mad·ness  1. The quality or condition of being insane. See Synonyms at insanity. 2. Great folly: It was sheer madness to attempt the drive during a blizzard. 3. Fury; rage. 4. Enthusiasm; excitement. I;d like to refer to the madness as "euthusiam and excitment "  in being  generous. I was once told we are all blessed with a million dollars in compliments we have to spend. I really do try to spend mine do you? It is more blessed to give then receive. So here is the deal, Lets call it March Madness of Millions....try to spent a million in compliments this month....bet ya can't do it !!! OBTW you look marvelous today !!!  Wishing you and those you come across a Marvelous March Madness Month !!... 03/02/2010

I was minding my own business in Arvada, CO (a historic small town between Denver and Boulder) when I saw this car in front of me at a red light the other day, and thought it was one of the funniest things I'd seen in a while.  You may not believe it's real, but it was. Adverising financial services on the tail of a beat-up car, so cluttered it looks like people may be living in it, reminds me of some marketing photos of homes for sale. Such a perfect example of how NOT to market your services, I just couldn't resist! Copyright © 2011 Joetta Fort ******************************************* I write posts on real estate issues and local events in the Denver metro area, especially those *communities between Denver and Boulder, as a public service. My hope is to give people an idea of the '... 02/24/2010

One thing about Arvada - you can always tell a newbie when they mis-pronounce the name of our fair city. I saw this in Wikipedia:  (pronounced /ɑrˈvædə/) Does that help? I didn't think so! LOL The trouble comes with the pronounciation of the second 'a'. Some say it like 'day': Are-vay-duh.   But that's wrong. Some say it like 'paw': Are-vaw-duh. But that's wrong too. Say it like 'dad': Are-vad-uh Ding, ding, ding!  Spot-on pronunciation of 'Arvada'. Copyright © 2011 Joetta Fort ******************************************* I write posts on real estate issues and local events in the Denver metro area, especially those *communities between Denver and Boulder, as a public service. My hope is to give people an idea of the 'flavor' of our community, in case they're new or moving to the Denver ... 02/22/2010

When pricing their home for sale, most Colorado home sellers believe they should price it a little higher than what they really want/need to get, to allow room to negotiate, because buyers always offer less. Is it true that buyers always offer less? And is it a good idea to 'pad' the price of your house? I'll address the second part of the statement first. It is true that buyers normally offer less. Most buyers believe the sellers have built in some negotiating room, and actually expect a lower offer. And the buyers are right about that. I did a quick survey of 176 Arvada homes sold in the past six months between $200,000 and $250,000. 61% sold below asking price, 24% sold right at asking price, and 15% sold above asking price. But there's another factor not noticeable on the surface. M... 02/21/2010

Village of Five Parks Arvada Real Estate Market Report The Village of Five Parks in Arvada, Colorado is a great new neighborhood in the northwest Denver metro area. The Village of Five Parks Arvada is a neighborhood of new homes, townhomes, and condos. The Village of Five Parks Arvada is a very family friendly neighborhood. Restaurants, nightlife and shopping are nearby. There are many parks and trails for biking and running. There is a community center with a great swimming pool. If you're looking for a new family friendly neighborhood, The Village of Five Parks Arvada is the neighborhood for you! The Village of Five Parks real estate sales are good compared to some other newer neighborhoods. If a Village of Five Parks home for sale is priced competitively, it sells quickly for close t... 02/18/2010

Colorado - smack dab in the middle of the old Wild West - has some pretty wild storms, not the least of which are hail storms. I've heard we are in the hail capital of the nation. The hail can pile up until it looks like snow. I've actually slipped and slid my car up a hill in July due to hail.  Now, don't let this frighten you into avoiding Arvada, storms that severe don't happen very often. But last July we had a doozy of a storm. Besides denting cars, breaking windows on cars and houses, and destroying gardens, these storms cause roof damage. Normally, homeowner's insurance covers hail damage, so Colorado home owners can get a new roof, new windows, siding repair, whatever's needed for the cost of their deductible. (And the increased cost to the premiums, BTW.) *Check with your own i... 02/17/2010

While I was out previewing homes for sale in Arvada the other day, one of the owners was at home. It was an elderly lady, who got a sad expression on her face as she told me she had an offer she was about to sign, although she didn't really think it was good. I looked around for her agent, thinking he would be there to advise her. But no agent was there with this sweet lady as she struggled to make one of the biggest decisions of her life. I was shocked and amazed. Never mind the fact that this lady was about to sign a 14-page legally binding contract, probably without reading it and even if she did, without understanding much of it. What about the agent's duty to his client? Colorado State's Definition of Working Relationships form says one duty of a transaction broker is 'assisting th... 02/16/2010

Joetta's Neighborhood Newsletter Hello Friends and Neighbors! Input from Readers “Do You Want to Learn to Make Recipes,                                                 or Would You Rather Learn to Cook?” That’s what it says on the home page of KitchenCue.com. I just had to check it out after I read what Kathy said: “My son, Kevin Higgins, is a Pomona HS graduate (as are all my kids). He and his wife, Chef Shellie Kark, own a company called KitchenCue which produces interactive cooking empowerment DVD's that are excellent and very professionally done. Their goal is to bring families back to the dinner table by empowering people in the lost art of healthy cooking. Chef Shellie was an instructor at the Cook Street Cooking School and developed their curriculum. The KitchenCue DVD's were fea... 02/11/2010