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February 18th, 2010
Nostalgic Homes Celebrates 25 Years of Success Northwest Denver
Where were you in 1985?
Ronald Reagan was President, The Cosby Show was America's favorite TV program, Wham! and Madonna dominated the airwaves, the favored interior colors were mauve and blue, and the average single family home sale in Northwest Denver was $64,000. That's right folks, $64,000!
In 1985, Tom and CarolAnn Sinclair, the founders of Nostalgic Homes, were thinking about Northwest Denver. How could they bring attention back to a seemingly forgotten neighborhood with tremendous cultural diversity, immense architectural character, beautiful parks and lakes, mature streetscapes, and endless commercial possibilities, yet with a strong gang presence and a high crime rate?
The key to bringing Buyers back to Northwest Denver was first to educate the real estate Brokers. Nostalgic Homes arranged for Broker bus tours of the area along with Ruth Eloise Wiberg, the well-known Denver historian and author of "Rediscovering Northwest Denver," Pruett Publishing, Boulder, 1976. In later years, Nostalgic Homes arranged public bus tours to bring Buyers to listed homes that they may not have otherwise had taken the opportunity to see.
Nostalgic Homes worked with Sellers to improve the quality of their blocks, and helped in the clean-up, painting, and the hanging of curtains in what was at that time a great many HUD-repo homes so that it looked as if they were occupied and cared for.
Along with the support of a local redevelopment company, Nostalgic Homes would choose one house per year from a long list of elderly applicants to do necessary repairs, painting, and the addition of handicap access.
Nostalgic Homes created the Neighborhood Esteem Program at North High School, sponsoring neighborhood cleanups with local teens. We supplied paint to local groups for graffiti abatement, and began a promotion that became a joint campaign between the City of Denver and the Denver Board of Realtors called "Keep Denver Beautiful Neighborhood by Neighborhood".
Nostalgic Homes also took part as volunteers in the Partners Organization to sponsor adjudicated youth. We have also given a great deal of volunteer time and donation dollars to the renovation of the Historic Elitch Theater.
In 1985, with the help and support of the community at large, Nostalgic Homes put plans into action to help revitalize what was then an ailing Northwest Denver. Today, Northwest Denver is highly sought after for its vibrant, charismatic vintage neighborhoods, retail centers, parks, lakes, and unbeatable access to downtown. Accolades from print and internet publications such as Denver.com and 5280 Magazine attest to the tremendous desire Buyers have to live in our niche neighborhood.
If you are a Buyer or a Seller and haven't chosen a brokerage just yet, call upon Nostalgic Homes to serve all of your buying and selling needs. No one knows or serves this niche neighborhood like we do. Call, click, or come in today!
Corey Wadley
Broker-Owner, Nostalgic Homes
February 18th, 2010
Now is the time to buy?
If you are like many Coloradan?s who have been thinking about purchasing your first home, or perhaps moving up to your dream home, you can?t afford to wait any longer.
There is a unique opportunity occurring right in your own backyard. While interest rates remain at historic lows, property values have begun to rise in Colorado. The Federal Government continues to provide substantial cash payments; $8,500 for qualified first-time buyers and $6,500 to qualified move-up purchasers of existing or new homes.
The Federal Government has made significant contributions to the housing industry in the past year. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) which was established in 1934 has helped over 37 million families finance their homes... and they continue to offer a wide range of very affordable loans with low or no down payments. Yes, you read correctly... in certain instances your down payment and closing costs can be gifted or borrowed. If you need assistance qualifying for your first home loan, FHA will also allow you to increase your purchasing power by adding a family member as a co-signor on the loan. Finally, one of the most valuable aspects of an FHA loan is that the rate is fully assumable without escalation of the rate to a qualified buyer. That means that when the time comes for you to sell you home, your low interest rate mortgage will add even more value to your home.
It is undeniable that interest rates will rise in the near future. The Federal Reserve Board has emphatically stated that they will stop purchasing mortgage backed securities at the end of March. The Federal tax credit that you have heard about is scheduled to end in April and home prices are rising as you read this article. The Federal Housing Administration has recently announced specific policy changes that will increase the cost of buying and make qualifying more difficult beginning in the Spring... and that is why now is the time to buy!
We understand that your first home purchase might feel daunting, but the reality is that when you work with an experienced, licensed Mortgage Loan Originator and a Nostalgic Homes Realtor, the process will be both fun and educational and one of the wisest investments that you will ever make. Call, Click, or Come in Today!!!
Jaxzann Riggs, The Mortgage Network
Staging to Sell - February 1st, 2010
Staging is an emerging submarket in the real estate industry and rightly so. Staging gives Sellers an advantage against competing homes that are not prepared properly for showings on the open market. Most Sellers would tell you that they want to sell their home for the highest possible price in the timeliest fashion. In order to achieve that goal your home must show like a model home, a term that automatically brings up beautiful images in your mind. That's because model homes are using the technique that retail stores have always employed - virtual merchandising. We need the buyer to have an experience in your home; an experience so pleasing that they want it to last forever. That's how you capture a Buyer. In order to do so it does takes some hard work up front. The first step is making your peace with your decision to sell your home and then throw yourself into the project. Consult with your agent about bringing in a professional designer or stager to do a walk-thru and create a laundry list of tasks necessary to bring your property up to the model home standard. That list will likely include packing, cleaning and even bringing in some new accessories to illuminate the unique character and distinct features of your home. It's true that when you list your home for sale it is no longer your own, but more importantly a product searching for a new owner. It sounds like a lot of work, but I promise it will not go unrewarded. And since selling your home ultimately means moving, you will save yourself trouble in the long run by doing most of the packing before your house even hits the market. It can be a lot of fun too. Styling your home is a source of instant gratification, accomplishment and it sets the tone for a successful selling process. Staging is a critical element of the home marketing process. The difference in a home staged for sale is self evident. Ask me about this special service I provide. It's worth its weight in gold.
Michael Madsen
Staging Checklist
General
Put away all photos of a personal nature
Put away all calendars
Wash Windows
Clean cabinets
Wash woodwork
⌂ Clean and organize all closets
Remove as many clothes, shoes etc?as possible and store
any articles of clothing or other stored items on
shelves, fold neatly
Space out hanging clothes
⌂ Clean and organize all cabinets
The Kitchen is especially important! Remove as many items as you can live without. The goal is to make your kitchen look as though it has a lot of cabinet space
Under sink cabinets: clear out and clean up. Clean up any spilled liquids
Bathroom Cabinets: remove as many personal items as possible. Put them in a tub or easily accessible container that you can use and then store when you have a showing.
⌂ Clear off all counter tops
Clear off all counter tops. Your stager and I will help arrange decorative items. The fewer items on your counter the better.
Kitchen counter tops ? remove all appliances that plug in.
Bathroom counter tops ? remove all personal grooming products
⌂ Bedrooms
Put away (out of sight) all personal items
Keep the beds made
⌂ Garage
Clean clutter out of garage
Any necessary storage items should be put in tubs and stacked neatly
⌂ Bathrooms
Clean Clean Clean
Clear out medicine cabinet ? put everyday items in a convenient east to get to tub
Hang towels neatly
Put shampoos etc? away ? do not leave in shower.
⌂ Basement
Organize any storage items in tubs
Make as bright / light as possible
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