Jude Sandvall: DreamHomes by Jude

08/13/2018

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08/01/2018

"Real estate agents are equipped with a whole new set of talking points about new houses on the market today compared with a decade ago.

Jeff Whiton is hearing the buzz about added space, energy savings and tech integration as he looks for a home in Colorado’s red-hot home buying market. As CEO of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver, Whiton is no stranger to the features homeowners want most.

“It’s changed an incredible amount,” Whiton says. “Homes are being designed to be much more livable from a technology standpoint and an energy efficacy standpoint.” New homes are also growing larger in just about every respect, new data reveals.

The latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau show newly-constructed homes in 2017 are 4 percent larger on average than a decade ago. And they come with a larger price tag — the average price of a new home jumped 23 percent from $313,600 in 2007 to $384,900 last year. Meanwhile, the average family size in the U.S. continues to shrink, from 3.33 persons in 1960, to 2.54 in 2017."

New federal data shows the most popular characteristics of recently built homes.

07/31/2018

Maybe the contractor was high! 🤔😂

"Snoop Dogg is accusing his home contractor of screwing him over by doing shoddy work and not paying other workers, and the rapper has slapped the company with legal papers for ruining his home remodel.

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Snoop is suing his contractors over work done to his Diamond Bar mansion."

Snoop Dogg is accusing his home contractor of screwing him over by doing shoddy work and not paying other workers, and the rapper has slapped the company with legal papers for ruining his home remodel.

07/31/2018

"The Denver City Council has approved the rezoning of The Denver Post’s former printing plant in Globeville, the latest step toward the property owner’s vision of seeing the 41 unused acres become a mixed-use neighborhood with structures as tall as 12 stories.

Council voted 9-3 last month to rezone the approximately 30-acre parcel at 4400 Fox St., after having previously approved rezoning of the adjacent 11 acres at 700 W. 44th Ave. and 4300 Fox St. parcels. The council also voted 8-3, with one member abstaining, to approve the landowner’s broad development plan for the site.

The rezoning was requested by property owner Ascendant Capital Partners DNA LLC, which purchased the property in February 2008 for $17.1 million from the Post. The printing plant moved that year to Adams County."

Denver City Council has approved the rezoning of The Denver Post’s former printing plant in Globeville, the latest step toward the property owner’s vision of seeing the 41 acres become a mixed-use neighborhood with structures as tall as 12 stories.

07/31/2018

"Kevin Molick found a new calling when he started his camper trailer company, Timberleaf Teardrop Trailers. The custom-made, technicolor retro campers were a hit. After two years, it was time to expand.

But suddenly, Molick's home of 40 years was no longer a comfortable fit. Real estate was too expensive for his burgeoning business to survive. Timberleaf sells about 30 trailers a year, each starting at $20,000.

"It's just too competitive there," Molick said. "I don't have that much of a mark-up to be able to afford twice the rent."

Timberleaf started looked around Colorado and even out of state, in Houston and Salt Lake City. But the outdoors environment there wasn't the right fit.

Molick found that "just right" moment when he landed on Grand Junction earlier this year. As it turns out, Timberleaf is just one of dozens of companies fleeing the Front Range for the Western Slope.

It's a trend that's flipping the economy in Grand Junction from underground to above ground. That is, from oil and gas to outdoors and tourism."

Outdoors companies including RockyMounts and Timberleaf Teardrop Trailers are drawn to the quality of life and tax breaks.

07/31/2018

Previewed this "development" this weekend. Kind of a throw back 😝.

One of the festival workers told Isabella about how she home schooled and raised her kids within the festival. I asked Isabella if she wanted me to quit real estate and become a festival worker and travel around with them as performers. The answer was NO! 😂

07/27/2018

"According to Redfin, Denver's highest-rated neighborhood was the Marston neighborhood around Marston Lake with a score of 92, with homes remaining on the market there for a median of only four days, and nearly 70 percent of homes selling above list price.

Other hot Denver neighborhoods include:

Athmar Park in southwest Denver, also 92, with homes on the market for a median of four days, and about two-thirds selling above list price;Montbello in Denver, 91, with homes on the market for a median of five days, and nearly 70 percent of homes selling above list price;Southwest Denver, 91, with homes on the market for a median of five days, and 60.5 percent of homes selling above list price;Green Valley Ranch, 91, with homes on the market for a median of five days, and 61.9 percent of homes selling above list price;Bear Valley, 91, with homes on the market for a median of five days, and 57.1 percent of homes selling above list price;Harvey Park, 91, with homes on the market for a median of five days, and 59.2 percent of homes selling above list price;Ruby Hill, 91, with homes on the market for a median of six days, and 61.4 percent of homes selling above list price;Washington Virginia Vale, 90, with homes on the market for a median of five days, and 62.3 percent of homes selling above list price;Mar Lee, 90, with homes on the market for a median of six days, and 62.2 percent of homes selling above list price;Cole, 90, with homes on the market for a median of only two days, and 34.6 percent of homes selling above list price."

Three cities — Fremont and San Jose in California, and Seattle — obtained perfect scores but Colorado wasn't too far behind.

07/26/2018

"Compared to similarly-sized cities, Denver is among the more expensive places to rent, according to a new WalletHub report. However, when it comes to quality of life, Denver is in the top third of cities.

The WalletHub report ranked the best and worst cities to rent in America, using “Rental Market and Affordability” and “Quality of Life” as its metrics. Denver ranked 127th out of 182 cities when it came to “Rental Market and Affordability.” In terms of “Quality of Life,” Denver was ranked 61st. Factoring in both these rankings, Denver was ranked 86th overall in terms of the best cities to rent in America."

Compared to similarly-sized cities, Denver is among the more expensive places to rent, according to a new WalletHub report. However, when it comes to quality of life, Denver is in the top third of …

07/26/2018

"While the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle dominate in availability of these high-paying jobs and the ability to attract tech workers, cities in the Midwest, Southern California and Canada are also becoming sought-after tech hubs, according to an annual analysis released by commercial real estate firm CBRE.

It ranked the best cities for tech talent, based on metrics such as rental costs for employees and companies, as well as available tech talent and outlook for jobs.

The top 10 cities remained largely the same as last year's report, led by the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Toronto and New York City. Denver is the one newcomer, replacing Dallas/Fort Worth."

While the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle continue to dominate the tech industry, upstart tech hubs in Southern California, the Midwest and Canada are growing rapidly, according to a new study.

07/26/2018

"Denver ranks No. 10 in cities with the highest share of million-dollar homes, according to a new report by LendingTree. But for those following recent real estate trends, this revelation may not come as a surprise.

A recent report by the Denver Metro Association of Realtors found that the year-to-date sales of luxury homes for the first half of 2018 was greater than the number of sales during the same time period in the past few years in the Denver metro."

Denver ranks No. 10 in cities with the highest share of million-dollar homes, according to a new report by LendingTree. But for those following recent real estate trends, this revelation may not c…

07/26/2018

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"A decade since the housing market crashed, a new report from the real estate website Zillow found half of homes nationwide are now worth more than their pre-recession values.

Zillow's June housing numbers show even bigger gains for Denver. Here, 99.6 percent of homes are worth more than their pre-recession peak. Zillow said Denver's housing market was more stable when the recession hit, allowing the market to recover more quickly, and propelling housing prices in Denver to never before seen levels. In June, the median price of a home in Denver was $397,700. That's 65.6 percent higher than the median price at the peak of the housing bubble."

Zillow has some good news for Denver-area homeowners. 

07/24/2018

"Nearly three in 10 mortgage borrowers either don’t know the rate they’re paying on their loan or decline to disclose it, according to a new survey by Bankrate. Consumers who don’t keep track of their mortgage rate may be making an expensive mistake, financial experts caution. “Most homeowners should know what their rate is,” says Martin Choy, operations manager at Westwood Mortgage in Seattle. “If they have an adjustable-rate mortgage, then they should contact their lender immediately and get their current rate.”

It’s one problem contributing to a lack of knowledge about the benefits of refinancing.