Is it a good time to buy?”. Oh, boy. Throw that question out to a
group of agents and see how many different answers you get.

My answer: it depends.

Honestly, most agents you ask will likely give you the same answer as me. Most Realtors I come across are as honest and fardworking as the next guy. But I had to laugh this morning as I was perusing my favorite blogs, and an unsuspecting potential buyer asked that question to a group of Realtors. Five out of five answers were variations of “yes!”.

This is such a complicated question that there really is no set answer. What is your financial situation? How long are you planning on living in the house? Investment? Is a job transfer for you or your spouse likely in the near future? Do you need to sell your home first?   What does your savings account look like?

The Denver real estate market has some wonderful values for the serious shopper.   There are many exciting areas with tremendous values.  We’ve got tons of good Denver neighborhood information set up for our users to help them to decide on a great neighborhood to call home.

Do your research.  But make sure that you are buying for the right reasons, and always buy well within your price range.  Be conservative with your home purchase and you will never regret it.  But there are many people out there who bought too much house for all the wrong reasons…and they are suffering now because of their decision.

I just had a conversation with a rich guy. I can sum up our hour-long conversation with these words: debt is always debt.

Yes, even your home. Deep down we all know that Rich Guy’s advice is right. You just know it makes sense to get rid of ANY kind of debt. Can the majority of us really afford a home without a mortgage? Not in my experience. But Rich Guy did make a strong argument for paying down that mortgage as quickly as possible. It’s food for thought anyway.

I’m sure you know that if you make one extra mortgage payment per year on a 30 year mortgage then you will knock about 7 years off of your payment time frame. That’s a bunch of money. And don’t be fooled into thinking that you need to pay some company to set this up for you. Simply make an extra payment, and be sure to include a note to your mortgage company that you want the principle reduced by the extra payment amount.

As evidenced by the recent and ongoing collapse of the sub-prime market, home ownership does come with pitfalls. The first step towards being able to pay down your mortgage is having a mortgage that is small enough: buy only what your can afford. The Denver real estate market has lots to offer the careful home shopper right now. Do your research. Take your time. Put 20% down if you can afford to.

Don’t Gamble!

If you are a first time home-buyer, or a first time investor my advice is that you should NOT try to time this housing market. Don’t buy a home like you’re buying a stock- thinking that you’ve got this market figured out and that you should be able to flip a house within two years, timing it for the inevitable market upswing. Can you afford to be wrong? Can you afford to pay the mortgage on your investment property or your first time home should the market take longer than 2 years to correct? If you have plenty of cash in the bank, then maybe you can. But if you’re doing a 100% finance mortgage, live paycheck to paycheck, and don’t have much in savings, then the answer is no, you can’t afford to take that risk.

You can always find a renter to pay the mortgage for you, right? Maybe. Maybe not. Have you driven around Denver lately and seen the signs for free rent? Can you compete with that? If your rental property has some clear advantage like a location right near a college, or a very desirable neighborhood for renters like Wash Park, Platt Park, or Highlands, then maybe you do have a clear advantage over the big multi-unit apartment complexes offering free rent. Do your research. Go on craigslist and check that your rental competition is in a certain neighborhood before you base a purchase on the fact that you will certainly find a renter at the exact price you need.

Take a drive out to Quebec and Montview and turn into the Stapleton neighborhood. It’s perfect for folks who just don’t want to commit to the suburbs, but want the suburban lifestyle perks like newer construction, parks, open space, and lots of bang for your buck.

The Denver real estate market has cool downtown areas like LoDo, and great suburban hoices like Broomfield. If you’re sort of stuck between those two extremes, then Stapleton just may be for you. Take a look at an example of what Stapleton has to offer. Our spotlight property of the week for tapleton falls on 8700 E 29th Ave presented by ReMax. This beauty has 4 beds and 5 baths, not to mention an incredible kitchen with all the perks.

This one not your style? Take a quick look at a map showing all the properties currently for sale in Stapleton. I’m sure you’ll be surprised at the variety and great choices.

Remember that your cash rebate from Real-a-Save if your purchase this property using us as your agent is around $9700.00. Give us a call at 303-415-2541 if you’d like to schedule a private tour.

Real-a-Save has created a great resource for folks looking for Denver neighborhood information on our neighborhood pages. Check them out if you’re interested in researching other areas of Denver.

Well, that about sums it up for LoDo. If you are in the market for Denver real estate that has everything this amazing city has to offer, then look no further. LoDo is the place for you.

Step out to Coors Field for a day at the ballpark, then head over to Lodo’s Bar and grill for a Coors and some game-chat, stay out late at Rise, then wake up with some help from Elixir. Denver is a city with something for everyone

Our spotlight property of the week in LoDo is 1735 19th Street presented by Kentwood City Properties. This city-dream has 3 balconies so you can take in the stunning Denver views, as well as granite, hardwood, 3 beds and 3 baths. It’s worth a look if you’re in the market for a place that has it all, and is close to it all. Give us a call at 303-415-2541 if you’d like to schedule a private tour.

And remember, your cash rebate on this purchase is approximately $16,000 from Real-a-Save. See our buyer’s information page for more details on our homebuyer rebates.

Real-a-Save has put together some of the best Denver neighborhood information on our neighborhood pages. Take a look if you’d like the latest on many popular Denver neighborhoods.