Visitors to the Real-a-Save website can very easily search for Denver homes for sale in close proximity to their school of choice by using the Sketch-a-Map feature. Simply open up the search page and look at the lower left portion of the screen for the Sketch-a-Map icon. This is a tool we’ve developed which allows visitors to draw boundaries right on our map. You can even save multiple “sketches”, each with unique boundaries, in your “Saved Searches” area of the website. Once you draw and save a search, our system will search for new listings in your saved search each morning and will email you when a home pops up on the Denver or Boulder real estate market which fits your criteria. Pretty cool, right? Give it a try here. And remember that Real-a-Save is the Front Range’s best choice for saving money in your next real estate transaction.
So far our business at Real-a-Save is available in Colorado only. Specifically, the Denver and Boulder real estate markets. But we do get a few calls a month from Brokers and investors who are interested in franchising and/or licensing our business model. So why haven’t we offered franchises yet? Well, we’re considering it, but are really taking our time and doing the research. The most important thing is to make sure that our current clients remain satisfied. Every franchise owner I’ve spoken with thus far has advised that it’s extremely important to prove your business model before franchising. It’s also VERY expensive and time consuming to franchise a business. If you or someone you know is interested in bringing Real-a-Save to your market, then shoot me an email at bob@realasave.com and I’ll keep you updated as to our time frame for franchising.
Traditional advertising and marketing methods are dead. Gone. As consumers, we’re getting so good at filtering out all the “noise” which gets thrown our way. Noise like the paid Google results on the top and right nav sections of your Google results page. Or noise like those wonderful “Just Listed” or “Just Sold” postcards which your local Realtor mails to you. Or what about newspaper advertising? Do I really need to address this? Magazines? Come on.
We’re lucky enough at Real-a-Save to have a really loyal base of fans. These are former clients and current users of our websites who act as advocates for our company by telling their friends. We get so many calls where a buyer/seller says something to the effect, “my buddy told me I just had to check out your site and I did. I love your business model…”. People seem to be sold on the concept before we ever have to discuss our model with them. It seems that saving people money AND providing great service is actually appealing!
Search for Boulder homes for sale on our incredible website and I’m sure you’ll agree that our savings, website, and incredible service are worth talking about.
What is going on with Boulder County’s million dollar market? In the Denver and Boulder real estate markets below the 700k price point there is some really good activity. In fact, the sub-400k market is humming in certain places due to all the first time buyers. But the 1MM market in Boulder is odd. You’ve got many homes lingering on the market for long periods of time. Those homes are pulled and relisted w/different brokers but quite often at the same price. Over and over again. This indicates that the home owners at this price point simply have not reached a tipping point that would cause them to lower prices. The threat of foreclosure is not a huge factor at this price point and so many sellers continue to hop on and off the market expecting a sale at last year’s prices. It’s not happening in most cases.
Should you consider having the sellers pay for your closing costs? Will the Denver/Boulder real estate market support such a request? Buyers should remember that money is not free and as long as they’re negotiating over purchase price, closing date, and inspection issues, then why not ask for some seller-paid costs as well? It certainly appears to be a confirmed buyers market in many areas of the Denver Metro region, so sellers are often open to paying for some costs. Email bob@realasave.com if you have any questions.
Is the amount of earnest money that a buyer sends to a seller written in stone? Who determines this number and must a buyer always stick to it when submitting an offer on a home?
Maybe it’s more accurate to think of the earnest money amount the same way you think about closing date, inspection objection deadline, price, and the response deadline. Maybe it’s just one more detail to hammer out in the negotiations. Did your agent make you aware of this option?
I think the answer to this question is that everything is negotiable. Ask your agent if that $300,000 property really requires an earnest money check of $7,500.00 to be submitted along with the offer. Can’t you send over less?
Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or a seasoned pro, your home inspection is of critical importance. It’s your main chance to verify the condition of the home, and to insure that you’re not buying a complete money-pit. While the Denver and Boulder real estate market has its share of qualified home inspectors, many buyers simply take a friend’s recommendation, or their Realtor’s recommendation. Check out ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) for a list of ASHI certified home inspectors in your area. And if you are taking a referral from your agent then you might want to ask if this inspector has ever located an issue for a previous client which has killed the deal. It’s important to know that you’re getting an inspector with your best interests in mind. Ask the hard questions up front before you hire your next home inspector. And it might be a good idea to ask to see a sample inspection report. There’s nothing worse than paying $350.00 for a 3-page handwritten piece of junk report. Email me at bob@realasave.com if you have any Denver/Boulder real estate questions.
There’s a debate going on right now in the real estate community regarding “junk fees”. What’s a junk fee? Many large brokerages charge an “administrative fee” of around $200 or so. This fee sometimes goes by other names, but what exactly a buyer is “getting” for this fee remains debateable. Be sure to ask your Realtor about any fees (administrative or otherwise) that his company may charge. These fees are often picked up by your agent…meaning that the big company your agent works for not only makes up to 50% of the commission, but they also end up collecting “junk fees” as well. Many, including me, view these fees as totally unnecissary. Feel free to email me at bob@realasave.com if you have questions. Remember that Real-a-Save rebates a portion of our commission to our buyers…so we SAVE you money as opposed to nickle and diming you to death!
There are so many excellent Denver real estate agents who are doing everything they can to unload short sale properties. But why do some agents appear to be trying to hide the fact that a listing is a short sale?
Denver short sales are a large part of the overall real estate market right now (for better or worse), and many buyers are interested in these types of deals. But many are not, and they should be respected.
Denver real estate expert Bob Connors is available for your questions at bob@realasave.com. Real-a-Save rebates 50% of their commision back to their buyers. See www.realasave.com for more information.
Golden is one of those towns that everyone seems to love. But it’s more than just a beautiful, old-fashioned downtown. Golden is quite expansive- extending up into the foothills quite a ways.
Our Denver real estate spotlight property of the week is 22204 Forest Hills Drive in Golden. This 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom beauty is in the lovely neighborhood of Riva Chase. You’ve probably looked right at this neighborhood a thousand times. Every time you drive some friends up to the mountains for skiing and you point out “The Woody Allen house” from Sleeper (you know, the one that looks like a flying saucer on a post) then you are looking at and over Riva Chase. Bet you didn’t realize you were looking into Golden, did you?
And remember, if you use Real-a-Save as your buyer’s agent to purchase Forest Hills Drive then you’d receive a case rebate of around $17,000.00. For more information on our cash rebate programs just visit our website.
