Real estate shoppers have lots of new construction options in the North Metro area, especially around Broomfield. One of the biggest problems that resale sellers have at the moment is that new construction prices are so competitive that someone trying to sell a 15-year-old home has a hard time pricing their property.

Most people who decide on new construction go directly to the builder and talk to one of their sales reps. That’s just fine, and most builder sales reps are very honest people. If you take a representative with you to help in negotiations you might be surprised at how helpful it can be.

When you work in real estate for a living you get accustomed to asking for concessions and being a stickler for price–in essence you become a negotiator. The key to successful negotiations is not to simply ask for the moon and then settle for something much less, but rather it is a combination of attitude and experience, which results in a win-win for both parties.

Our culture is not a negotiating culture. We don’t go to the market and haggle with the folks at Safeway over the price of apples. We simply pay the asking price. So most Americans don’t have experience starting at one asking price and then working their way down. Or, throwing in various concessions that ultimately net a lower price. Real estate professionals do this for a living. We’re constantly engaged in some sort of back and forth with buyer and seller representatives. Now, it’s not as if we’re seated in a dark, smoky room for hours on end making offers and counter offers…that’s just not how negotiations work. But we rely on our experience (what sort of incredible bargains has this builder given in the past? Have we used building concessions, mechanical concessions, or financing incentives in the past with this builder?) to guide us in advising our clients in structuring an aggressive offer that the builder may accept.

So if you are considering buying new construction we’d advise bringing a negotiator with you. You might be surprised at what a bargain you get.

Broomfield dog owners flock to Camp Bow Wow on a daily basis- myself included. Good ol’ George

just loves the place. Camp Bow Wow isn’t just another kennel. The dogs hang out together all day, and dog owners can check in from time to time throughout the day via their webcam.

Worried about your dog?

Don’t. Camp Bow Wow puts each new “camper” through an interview of sorts that usually lasts several hours. They won’t just take any old dog- they make sure that the dog is properly social and non-violent. Once they complete the interview, the dog gets his diploma and is welcome to come back for a half-day, full-day, or overnight.

For more information about Camp Bow Wow visit their website or call 1-877-700-BARK.

If you’re a resident of Broomfield, Colorado then you’ve probably had a chance to at least seen a coyote over the past few years. This spring the coyotes in our neck of the woods are getting a bit more brazen than in past years.

My wife was recently running on a trail in Broomfield with our dog George. She looked back to see George surrounded by 3 coyotes not a few inches away. Dog and wife started running (maybe not the best choice) away, and believe it or not the coyotes pursued for about 30 seconds. It took some serious screaming on Michelle’s part to get them to stop the chase.

Now our dog is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, so he may have approached the coyotes as potential playmates, and they may have been protecting their young. But to actually chase after someone for that amount of time seems a bit unusual.

Fair warning: keep an eye out for coyotes in Broomfield! Sometimes we get reminders that we share colorful Colorado with lots of wildlife.

With a 45 million dollar construction budget this 6,000-seat facility acts as an anchor for the Arista Development. Arista is a 215 acre multi-use development providing commercial, residential, and entertainment destinations.

The Arista lofts pictured below from their website:

And one of Denver’s hottest night spots will be coming to Arista as well: The Purple Martini will open in 2007.