Yes You Can Buy a House in Southern Colorado and Work Repairs into the Loan! Think 203K   In the past, buyers were out of luck if they wanted to purchase a house that needs repairs. They would require the work to be done up front before they would lend money on the home. That is where the FHA 203k comes in. Read more...   The 203k loan sets up one mortgage for both acquisition and renovation. They estimate the value of the home as-is and then again, with the projects completed. If it will appraise for the "projects completed" phase,  and the projects are not luxury related but structural, safety, energy and/or livability related, then you have a good chance of getting this type of loan   There are Hud Approved lenders and these lenders have a list of Consultants who can help you with th... 03/09/2014

Salida Colorado Realtor Team: Together we Make it Happen! Is Salida already calling you? Read this later and head on over to Homes for Sale in Salida Colorado. It is a live link and updated hourly. About us. Paula is the resident geek of the team. She comes from 20 year background of teaching, both at the k-12 and college level. She is passionate about her 2 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 2 husbands (just kidding!). When she can pull herself away from her clients and/or critters, she will grab her fly rod and head down to the Arkansas River for an hour or two.  Micheal, a former architect, joined the team in 2010. His passions are his dog, Joey and his drumming. During his spare time you can find Micheal working on a creative project (he definitely has artist in him somewhere in that 6'3" b... 03/08/2014

Salida Colorado Home Prices April, 2014 Salida Colorado Home Prices and Salida Colorado Homes for Sale are both live links and updated regularly if you want to study the market on your own.   As many of you know, the nation's real estate market is either hot or heating up. I would give us a lukewarm and hope for warmer this spring. We generally follow the Denver market and 2 years later we are eagerly waiting our turn.   A healthy market involved 3 factors; namely market time, inventory and price trends. Market time One of the ways you can tell wheather the market is a seller's market (warm to hot sales) is market time. In March, the average days on market for homes sold in that month was 219. March, 2013, the average days on market was 147. For active homes, the average DOM is 295.  In... 03/08/2014

You can be in the flood zone at 7000'.  As many of you know, FEMA tightened their flood zone policies and broadened their maps after Hurricane Katrina. This creates a double edged sword for homeowners. First, there is now a bigger likelihood that their property may fall into a flood zone and, if it does, flood insurance is costly.  When you are buying land or a home, even in town, always check with the county/city. I have my clients do an insurability test. To do that, call your local insurance agent, give them the address and they will be able to tell if it needs flood insurance. However, in our area, land without a home on it often does not have an address.  What to look for visually. Is the land near a creek? If the slope is steep near the creek, the map won't go so far out. I have s... 02/27/2014

Salida Colorado Utility Providers   I have been asked this question many times, indicating it is ripe for a blog post. Below is a comprehensive list of Utility Providers for Salida Colorado       Electricity:    We have very few places here that are off the grid, so you will probably be paying for electric service. If you are in town, Xcel Energy will be your provider. If you are out of town, it will either be XCel Energy or Sangre de Cristo Electric Coop. Give them your address and they will be able to tell you ask your Realtor for help.   Have the property address handy.  XCel energy. 800.895.4999.  Sangre de Cristo Electric Coop. 719.395.2412   Water:  In town homes have city water and homes out of town have their own well. If you are in town, the City of Salida is who you would call... 01/30/2014

Salida Colorado Craft and Home Brewing: 2nd in the Nation   Salida Colorado is in the heart of the Rockies and in the heart of Colorado Brewing. We have a bevy of craft breweries in the state and a murder of local home brewers (why not...like a murder of crows?)   Colorado ranks 2nd in the nation for home brewers per capita... a popular hobby. And, Denver ranks #1 in the nation for the number of home brewers per capita. Brew shops are popping up everywhere with supplies, grains, malts, and a bevy of recipes folks are eager to share.  First of all, some definitions.  A Home brewery is just that. They don't sell, are not licensed and brew beer for their own use. Microbreweries produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer per year with 75% or more of its beer sold off-site. Craft beer making... 01/29/2014

Salida Colorado Real Estate for buyers: A Guide Part 2/2   Salida Colorado Real Estate is a live link, updated hourly. This post details the buying process from making an offer to closing.   In the first post, we explored the process buyers go though as they begin their search and end up finding a website with relevant content (an agent website, not a company website). We then discussed connecting with an agent and beginning the home showings and getting pre-approved for financing.  If you missed this post, you can find it at Salida Colorado Real Estate for Buyers: A Guide Part 1.   Making an Offer    A good strategy is the have the house you really want and a back up home if you cannot get the price you want or multiple offers occurs and someone else gets it. You can only make an offer... 01/28/2014

Salida Colorado Real Estate for buyers: A Guide Part 1   Nine out of ten buyers start looking online about 16 months before they purchase. Here is your live link to search (updated hourly) Salida Colorado Real Estate.   When they get closer, they look for an agent who has relevant content online. That is a complete change from 10 years ago. Realtors used to sit in the office waiting for the phone to ring. Now, buyers will pass them buy as they seek out experts who they find online.   What are the steps a buyer generally takes? 1. Pre-Agent   Most buyers want to search on their own at first. So, look on Craigslist, search Google until you find an AGENT (not a company website) that looks like they have relevant content.. listings, market trends, community information. Settle into that web... 01/27/2014

Salida Colorado Area Hot Springs: Time to Soak Salida has many hot springs to choose from that range from one minute from town to 1 hour and all are different. Here is a snippet about all 6 of them.           Starting farthest away is "Dakota Hot Springs", affectionately known as "The Well" by locals. it is 1 hour from Salida, heading east on HWY 50. It is out of town about 3 miles on the south side of the road. The well is one big pool that ranges from about 3 feet to 5 feet. In the middle is the cannibal pot (really hot water) and a fountain/shower head that is glorious. Because of the shower head, the place is full of steam and quite magical. Clothing is optional except Tuesdays when it is mandatory. We go at night and you really cannot see much with the steam. Next is Valley View H... 01/25/2014

Salida Colorado Real Estate: 6 Biggest Home Seller Mistakes  My blogging community, Active rain, did a survey of 1000 agents. They found 6 mistakes sellers make when they list their home. They are also true in the Salida Colorado Real Estate Market. The order is a bit different  but here is what their research indicates.   Data provided by ActiveRain.com. ActiveRain is an online community of real estate professionals who exchange best practices, write real estate blogs, and get free education from the industry and their peers.   For our area, here are the mistakes and what they mean locally. 1. Overpriced Homes.  Have you ever gone fishing in the ocean or a deep lake? You might start fishing with absolutely no action. You KNOW they are their but no bites. So you lower your line. No luck... 01/25/2014

Salida Colorado Real Estate Agent gets Creative for Client How can we help is the saying that comes out of our mouth the most to our clients. We have the reputation with our clients for working hard and having fun at the same time.  I was in our new house finishing up the paint in the bedroom when I heard Micheal on the phone. He was supposed to be building shelves in the pantry. A little annoyed and completely self righteous I kept working. What a good girl I was.  Ten minutes later, he shows up with two pieces of 1x2 in his hand and a big grin on his face...?? He handed me the boards, filled with hasty handwriting. Numbers, words, sideways, frontways...some legible and some not because of the grain of the wood.  "What is this?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. "We have an offer to write ... 01/23/2014

Salida Colorado Real Estate: Picking the Right Agent - 3 Seller Tips If you live or have a lot in the Salida area but not right in town, these tips will help.  If you have a home with acreage, acreage outside of town or live in one of the towns around Salida like Buena Vista, Poncha Springs, or the Down Valley (Howard, Coaldale, Cotopaxi or Texas Creek), then these tips are critical.  Although 90% of the country is in a seller's market, we are not yet. The tipping point for the market to swing towards a sellers market is 180 days on market. In theory, less than 180 days makes it a seller's market and more is a buyers' market. Even in Salida, the average market time is 182 days. Howard: 242 daysCoaldale: 123 days Cotopaxi: 183 daysBuena Vista: 271 daysNathrop: 275 days These 3 tips will ... 01/22/2014

Top 5 Buyer Mistakes for Winter Buying   We have noticed that there are 2 trends among some buyers. They either are waiting until spring or even next year or they are making offers and not getting the home.    Here are our 5 mistakes and then success tips for Winter Buying 1. Presenting an offer without getting finances squared away. Tip: Get proof of funds or a letter of pre-approval now. You Realtor can help you with a good lender and details for a proof of funds letter if you are paying cash. Have it ready. If it is more than a week old or so, your Realtor will call the lender to make sure it is still current. We had a buyer lose out on a house because he told us he was pre-approved and had the letter but kept forgetting it. Then, the lending rules changed and his debt to income rati... 01/22/2014

Salida Colorado Homes for Sale: One of the Top 10 Best Kept Secrets   Use this  link Salida Colorado Homes for Sale, for homes in the area. It is a live link and updated hourly. But Salida is more than a group of homes for sale. It is a lifestyle. it also lays claim to the fact that it is considered one of the top 10 best kept secrets for great places to live. Some folks know this because of friends. Others because they stumbled on it. Still others are finding it on the web and come to check it out... falling in love with it soon after.  Folks who decide to live here are unique. How so?  They like the amenities that come with rural living such as Quiet Space Arkansas River Headwaters BLM access within 5 minutes National Forest access withing 5 minutes Dog friendly town Mountain Biking M... 01/21/2014

Salida Colorado Restaurant: Currents Steak and Seafood Currents is one of my all time favorite restaurants. The owners, Brad Smith and Chris Tracy are great, the food is all-star, their wine and beer menus is superb and local, and the waiters/waitresses are ALWAYS courteous and fun.    Although currents' claim to fame is their "surf and turf", they have a great menu. Their burgers are always good and change every day.  One of my saddest moments when I moved to Salida was that was only one restaurant in town who did sushi and they did it once a month. Currents has sushi once a week and it is excellent. Currents has an impressive menu. Click on the link to view it. Some of my favorites are the fried chicken (not anything like you would imagine), beef stroganof, Pescalini Capatore (an amaz... 01/19/2014

Salida Colorado Land For Sale: 4 Year Trends   Land sales are picking in Salida and the Down Valley.  That is our best indicator that folks who are coming here are feeling better about the economy. More building permits are being issued and contractors are getting busy.  An indicator of a booming market is decreasing inventory. If you look at the first graph, you will see that indeed we did decrease in inventory until last year!  It seems like everyone bailed on the land and bought a pre-existing house! Days on market is also and indicator of a healthy market. The average is 180 days. Below 180 means that it is a seller's market. Above 180 is a buyer's market. We still have a long way to go to even hit 180. I am predicting that this spring will help land sales.   Again, it looks as if t... 01/19/2014

Looking for Real Estate in the Winter? 4  Tips Most folks consider waiting until spring to begin their search in our area, or to pick it back up again. Snow, roads, delayed flights and cold temps can be daunting.  First of all, we are in Southern Colorado and in the Banana Belt. Temperatures here are milder than anywhere in Colorado, even in the winter.  We hit the slopes in the morning at Monarch Mountain and can ride our mountain bikes on S-mountain without snow. Storms generally pass through quickly and melt quickly. Here are 4 tips for you who are going to come on out to see us in the winter. 1. Sellers are eager to sell. They are restless after the holidays and ready to negotiate since business is slower. Winter often gets you a better price. 2. Keep your search as broad as you can... 01/18/2014

Salida CO Real Estate Market: Year at a glance (Jan 2014)   When I attend regional and National real estate events, I leave a bit discouraged. Over 90% of the nation is in full recovery, with very low market times, multiple offers and significant price increases. Agents complain of lack of inventory. My sellers want that!! We generally follow suite with Denver in about 12-18 months. It has been 24 months and we are in a "tepid" market. Prices ARE going up, market time IS diminishing and inventory is decreasing a bit in the downtown area.  We have 4 distinct markets in the Salida Colorado Real Estate Market.... homes with Acreage (HWA), Residential (res), Commercial and vacant land.  Homes with Acreage Salida is known for its homes on acreage. It is one of the huge draws of folks who wan... 01/07/2014

3 Bedroom 3 Bath Homes For Sale in Salida Colorado     3 Bedroom 3 bath homes in Salida Colorado are rare. The most common is 3 bedroom 1 bath in the older homes. Only the newer homes or the remodelled homes will have more than 2 bathrooms. Most of the homes in Starbuck Dairy are 3 bath.   Click here for all the 3 Bdr 3 bath homes for sale in Salida CO.   Starbuck Dairy is an actual dairy that turned subdivision. If you walk out the front door, you can still see cows across the road in the meadow. Or, drive to town in 3 minutes.    Starbuck dairy is a small neighborhood with homes ranging from $290,000 to $325,000. All are newer and all are view homes, with Methodist Mountain to the south, the Collegiate Peaks to the west and S mountain to the east.    Number of Bathrooms: 2-3Acreage: ... 12/05/2013

Salida CO Real Estate: How to Make a Horse Property Salida Colorado is known for its whitewater sports, premier fly fishing, downhill skiing at Monarch Mountain, and mountain biking. Did you know it is a fabulous place for horse owners? We have 100's of trails from 5 minutes out of town for you and friends to take an afternoon ride. "Folks who like to ride year round have moved here, thanks to our  "Banana Belt" Weather patterns. It snows all around us but you can ski in the morning on the 2nd best powder in the state and then get on your horse for a lovely afternoon ride. Do you have to find a horse property with all the barns, turnouts, pastures, etc? You can. Or, if you want to save money, you can buy a place and add the infrastructure like we did. What turns a home with acreage into... 11/07/2013