FSBO grows in Denver

A recent article in Business Journal states:

A survey released Monday by ForSaleByOwner.com showed Denver was the fastest-growing market for sellers going it alone. Although only 1.9 percent of homes listed on the Web site last year were in , the city showed a 166 percent increase in listings.

I’m not surprised, there are tons of For Sale By Owner signs everywhere.

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FOOTBALL IS HERE!

Across our great country, NFL training camps open TODAY!

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Top Five Fridays - Denver coffee shops

I love coffee. The smell. The taste. The caffeine. It’s my morning beverage of choice.

Recently, I stumbled across a blog called Mile High Buzz that’s devoted to the coffee scene. I must say that i’ve visited many of the coffee shops that they mention.

So for this Friday’s version of Top Five, I decided to list my favorite coffee shops in .

  1. Peaberry: Great coffee. So what if they sold some of their locations to Starbucks, the locations that they kept still has FREE WIFI.
  2. Diedrichs: they used to have a lot more locations but they still have one on 16th and Broadway.
  3. Tattered Cover: While Tattered Cover is a bookstore, they do have a little cafe that serves up a decent cup of joe.
  4. Common Grounds: In a sea of Starbucks in LODO lies Common Grounds on 18th and Blake.
  5. Starbucks at Safeway:Getting coffee at Starbucks is sometimes a necessary evil. When I do go to Starbucks, I prefer to go their Safeway locations where I get a free coffee after buying 7.
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Charles in Charge

Anyone who watches the NBA knows Charles Barkley. The “round mound of rebound” looks like he’ll be making a run for Governor in Alabama.

Barkley could run for Ala. governor in 2010

Charles has his supporters:

“I say welcome Charles Barkley. Charles Barkley has been a Horatio Alger story for many people, not only in sports but in business and broadcasting,” Turnham said Wednesday.

and his detractors:

Jim Seroka, a political science professor at Auburn University, said the former Auburn basketball star is getting ahead of himself by talking about possibly running without first building a base of support or looking at finances.

is he blue or red:

“I was a Republican until they lost their minds,” he said earlier this month at a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada.

his platform:

Barkley told the school board members that poor children don’t have a level playing field with wealthier students, because the poor children have to cope with more problems like crime, drugs and teen pregnancy. But he also admonished some black parents and their children.

Charles is a soundbyte waiting to happen. Whether or not he gets elected remains to be seen. wil have a new Governor this year (Bill Ritter or Bob Beauprex) and the new Gov will be nothing like Charles.

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The Automatic Millionaire

So I’m at the Public Library (one of the smaller branches, not the behemoth on Broadway and 14th) and while standing in line to checkout I notice a stack of The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach. So I decided to check it out.

The premise of the book is that no one got rich renting. The book explains in detail how to buy and finance real estate. The book also explains four reasons why is the best bet when it comes to investments.

  • Demographic change is driving demand for housing: in other words, people want to move to (or your neck of the woods) coupled with Americans procreating equates to a population boom and a need for more homes.
  • It’s easier to get financing: When I bought my first place several years ago, my wife and I didn’t eat out for months to save our 5% down and all closing costs. If only 100% financing was available.
  • Mortgage companies now lend to riskier borrowers: NO FRICKIN KIDDING!
  • The 1031 tax break for rental properties: Buy an investment property, Sell the aforementioned investment property, Use the proceeds of the sale of the aforementioned investment property, Buy another investment = NO TAXES ON PROFITS
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NY Times articles explores mortgages and real estate

While reading the Rocky Mountain News, I noticed the main / article (Housing market shows signs of wear and tear) was by a NY Times writer. So I ventured over to the NY Times and noticed they had a slew of articles on and that aren’t NY specific. To view these articles you will need a login and password.

  • Sales Slow for Homes New and Old

    Selling a new home is getting harder and harder: just ask the builders who are being forced these days to entice potential buyers with expensive inducements like free swimming pools and fancy kitchen cabinets.

  • Re-Refinancing, and Putting Off Mortgage Pain

    It is the latest twist in the gravity-defying world of the high housing prices and exotic low-rate mortgages: As monthly payments on adjustable- mortgages are starting to balloon, many Americans have found a way to put off the day of reckoning.

  • Cashing In on Home Equity

    NEAR-RECORD numbers of owners are still cashing in on the increased value of their homes, and they continue to use that cash for purposes that raise eyebrows among financial advisers. Yet, because the housing market has been so strong in recent years, it is unlikely that the free spending will undermine most borrowers’ long-term financial health.

  • Mortgage REIT’s Are Aloft, but Dangers Remain

    SOME investors who are new to the market of real estate investment trusts may not know that a small percentage of REIT’s don’t own any . Instead, these companies hold the used to finance or lend money themselves to owners and developers.

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Looking to blog, Part 3

Previously I mentioned blogmaverick and lenderama as noteworthy blogs. Two other blogs I want to mention are Rain City Guide and the Jets blog.

Rain City Guide: I first checked out Rain City last year around the July/August when it was just Dustin and Anna Luther. Since then, this blog caught fire and exploded (in a positive way). They’ve added numerous contributors and the content is updated constantly. While most of the subjects deal with , Dustin veers off and routinely discusses technology and blogging.

Our mission at Rain City Guide is simple. We want to be the best resource for information in the Seattle area.

The contributors to this site enjoy blogging because blogs, by their very nature, tend to break down communication walls and open up a real discourse. We always enjoy your feedback, so please feel free to leave comments and join in our discussion!

the Jets blog This site rules! Until I found this site I would routinely go to each and every NY online publication to read about the Jets. Now, I just go to this site because the best articles are listed and summarized by the time my coffee is done brewing.

However, it more that just a blog, it’s a community of like minded individuals. I’ve always believed that you’re born a NY Jets fan (who in their right mind roots for a perennial loser) but I was wrong. This blog was started by a born again Jets fan by the name of Brian Basset who happens to live in Massachusetts.

Who is Brian Bassett? My history of woe and misery (that is, as a Jets’ fan) does not stretch back as far as most.. before the Jets, I loved the Kansas City Chiefs of the early nineties, mostly due to Christian “The Nigerian Nightmare” Okoye.

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Highlands Ranch is 25 years old

South of lies Highlands Ranch, a vast neighborhood in Douglas County. As you drive down C-470 or County Line Road all you notice is how closely the homes are built. Fittingly, the LA Times has article on the development of Highlands Ranch. After all, California based Mission Viejo Co. built “the Ranch” 25 years ago.

The article mixes potshots:

…the epitome of sterile suburbia, with garages but no front porches, a multiplex but no museum, a Wal-Mart but precious few mom-and-pop shops. The stereotype was cemented when National Geographic magazine ran a picture of Highlands Ranch in 1996. It showed a dizzying panorama of rooftops, one after another after another, so close they practically touched.

with praise:

Indeed, for all the carping, Highlands Ranch may turn out to be a model for master-planned developments, said Robert Fishman, a professor of urban planning at the University of Michigan.

I have several friends who live in Highlands Ranch and they seem to enjoy the rec centers, parks, and mini malls that Highlands Ranch has to offer. They cite many advantages such as quiet neighborhoods, well kept lawns, and proximity to . The only disadvantage they see is that it’s not convenient to .

I came across the article via another Highlands Ranch article: Denver Subdivison Moves From Monstrosity to Model Planned Community

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RIP Patrick

My cat Patrick passed away yesterday. I named “the little fella” after Patrick Ewing (”the Big Fella”) of the NY Knicks. A few years ago my vet told me that Patrick was a maine coon. A breed that has a genetic heart condition and an average life expectancy of 7 years. Patrick was 9 years old. Rest in peace little buddy. Rest in peace.

Patrick

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Looking to BLOG start here, part 2

Earlier I discussed how Mark Cuban’s blog is a great starting point. If you’re in the business and want to start a blog, the best place to start is lenderama.com a blog started by Todd Carpenter. Todd has been blogging about the mortgage business for a couple of years now. Most of his posts are training materials to help mortgage professionals gain a competitive edge. He even tackles how meet and develop long lasting relationships with agents. Moreover, he posts links to just about any and blogs in the blogosphere.

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