Keller Williams Realty - Loveland Colorado

Did you know that the housing and building industry accounts for nearly 40% of the world’s energy and raw material consumption? Our ability to “green our homes” truly has the ability to change the world. The principles of green are really about understanding priorities for a well-lived life—living healthy, being smart with money, and acting more sustainably.

We typically spend more than 80% of our nonworking or commuting hours inside our homes. Because we spend so much of our lives inside, it only makes sense we make a healthy inside zone the first priority. Here are a few DIY tips from Green Your Home to get you started:

• Cross-Ventilate. An average adult takes in more than 14,000 breaths—or about 3,000 gallons of air—a day! Surprisingly, you are more likely to breathe polluted air inside your home than outside—even in cities like Los Angeles, which aren’t known for air quality. Opening one window won’t cut it…you need cross-ventilation so the breeze actually blows though your home, taking the pollutions back out with it. Open a front door and a back door, or one window upstairs and one downstairs.
• Lighten Up. Simply swapping out the five most commonly used incandescent bulbs for CFLs or LEDs in your home can save you $60 to $100 a year. Combined with well-designed artificial lighting, natural lighting is also a great way to boost efficiency.
• Low Flow. American families use about 400 gallons of water a day, and 70% of that is used inside the home. The majority is used in the bathroom: the average person flushes the toilet 2,500 times a year. Transform your home’s toilet from water-waster to water-miser for cheap. Place a brick or 2-liter plastic bottle filled with water into your toilet’s tank. The volume of these objects means less water will be needed to fill your tank—you’ve just created your own low-flow toilet. Also, be sure and have a leaky or running toilet fixed by a plumbing professional immediately.

For more tips, buy your copy of Green Your Home now at:
www.kellerink.com/greenyourhome.

Source: Keller Williams Realty, Inc., “This Month in Real Estate,” released November 2011.

Loveland residents have one more thing to be thankful for this holiday season: Builder Magazine ranked the Loveland-Fort Collins area as the #2  Healthiest Housing Market in the United States.

According to Moody’s projections used in the rankings, the number of households in the area is projected to grow by 2.7% next year, the largest percent growth for that category on the Top 20 list. Employment and median income are also projected to rise in 2012.

Loveland-Fort Collins Profile
(pulled from Builder Online)

• Health Index: 89.4
• 2010 Population Forecast: 299,630
• 2011 Total Building Permit Forecast: 1,004
• 2012 Total Building Permit Forecast: 1,650

Jobs, price appreciation, population growth and income growth were the primary metrics used in the rankings. The Loveland-Fort Collins area was joined by other Colorado cities in the Top 20 – including Colorado Springs (#7), Denver (#10) and Greeley (#20).

>> Read the complete “Healthiest Housing Markets: Mid-2011 Update” article.

Sources: Builder Online, “Healthiest Housing Markets: Mid-2011 Update” by Boyce Thompson, 9/15/11.

October 2011 Loveland Real Estate market statistics are in. Each month we track the following leading market indicators for Fort Collins, Colorado:

• Under Contract = Number of properties under contract
• Sold = Number of sold properties
• Months Supply of Inventory = The MSI is an estimate of how long it will take for all the homes in a market area to be sold, or absorbed, based on the number of homes currently on the market and the rate that homes have sold in the past. A market is considered balanced when the MSI falls between 5-7 months. Under 5 months is considered a seller’s market and over 7 months is considered a buyer’s market.

October 2011 ’09 ’10 ’11 % Change Between ’10-’11 Under Contract 93 126 129 2% Sold 128 126 127 1% Months Supply of Inventory 10.0 8.0 6.5 -19%	October 2011 ’09 ’10 ’11 % Change Between ’10-’11 Under Contract 20 15 13 -13% Sold 24 11 13 18% Months Supply of Inventory 4.7 8.1 5.8 -28%
September 2011 ’09 ’10 ’11 % Change Between ’09-’11 Under Contract 114 112 113 1% Sold 102 108 118 9% Months Supply of Inventory 8.4 9.5 7.8 -18%	September 2011 ’09 ’10 ’11 % Change Between ’09-’11 Under Contract 14 12 13 8% Sold 18 10 13 30% Months Supply of Inventory 7.3 10.8 6.1 -44%
August 2011 ’09 ’10 ’11 % Change Between ’10-’11 Under Contract 124 104 145 39% Sold 129 98 142 45% Months Supply of Inventory 8.1 10.7 6.3 -41%	August 2011 ’09 ’10 ’11 % Change Between ’10-’11 Under Contract 20 13 13 0% Sold 16 13 14 8% Months Supply of Inventory 5.2 9.8 5.9 -40%

Since affordable pricing tops the list of motivation and criteria for buying, it is no surprise that many first-time home buyers purchase distressed properties, which can be up to 30% below market value. Cost-conscious buyers are the most interested in distressed properties, but it is important for them to take into consideration the additional costs and expenses related to damage or neglect that occurred during the foreclosure process. On average, distressed property prices for first-time home buyers are $185,971 with a median of $153,000.

Another consideration for buyers is the transaction time. Short sales and foreclosures typically take considerably longer to close because buyers deal with institutions rather than individual sellers. Yet buyers who are patient can benefit by paying less. As a seller, it is important to understand the current real estate market, and a real estate agent is there to guide sellers every step of the way. Agents can help sellers understand what the level of distressed sales and competition look like in their area. This way, they will be able to price their home right and will more than likely be able to attract attention from potential home buyers.

Source: Keller Williams Realty, Inc., “This Month in Real Estate,” released October 2011.

The TechAmerica Foundation, a leading trade association for the tech sector, recently released their Cyberstates 2011 Report and Colorado ranked #3 for the highest concentration of high-tech jobs in the United States. In 2010, Colorado had 156,900 high-tech workers with a payroll of $14.2 billion, the 12th highest payroll.

With the ACE Technology & Manufacturing Park taking shape here in Loveland, the concentration of high-tech jobs is set to increase. At the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corporation (NCEDC) Annual Luncheon last week, keynote speakers Elaine Thorndike, CEO of the Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology (CAMT) and Diana Hoyt, Senior Policy Analyst for the Innovation Partnership Program at NASA, provided a detailed overview of the ACE project. The park is estimated to create 10,000 jobs and $8 billion in net economic output over five years. As alluded to at the luncheon, once up and running the park could give Silicon Valley some competition. Click here for the official CAMT webpage detailing the ACE park.

In 2010, the average tech worker in Colorado earned $90,800, which translates to 96% more than the average private-sector wage. These are important primary jobs that play a critical role in improving our economy on a state and national level.

Source: Denver Post, “Colorado’s concentration of high-tech jobs ranks third in nation” by Howard Pankratz, 10/5/2011.