The analytics firm CoreLogic reports that completed foreclosures were down 16 percent Year-over-Year (Y-o-Y) for the month of April.

CoreLogic reported approximately 52,000 completed foreclosures for the month of April--virtually the same number reported for the previous month.

The average monthly rate of foreclosures still has a ways to go to reach the average monthly rate reported from 2000 to 2006, which was at 21,000.

However, positive trends continue, where the number of homes in some stage of foreclosure decreased 24 percent on an annual basis, dropping from 1.5 million to 1.1 million Year-over-Year (Y-o-Y) from April 2012 to April 2013.

Additional data on foreclosures is available here.

Photo source: trexglobal.com

Posted in In The News, Real Estate Trends, Real Estate Market Conditions

In a report released last week at Denvers SmallBiz expo, Denver Chief Economist Jeff Romine referred to Denvers housing market as being "the strongest in the nation." Supporting his claim, Romine explains, "our home values are up 8.3% over the past year and 5.1% over the past five years."

In conjunction with the release of his report, Romine sat on a panel of public and private business leaders to discuss Denvers economic recovery and to strategize on how best to foster continued growth. On that panel, Romine commented, "there are many positive indicators that Denvers economy is recovering quite strongly, showing better days ahead for our small businesses and the greater community."

Romines report points to Denvers recovering housing market as a driving force in the metro areas overall economic growth and recovery, citing several key economic indicators. For example, Romine reports that 12,250 new jobs were added to the economy in 2012, that 1000 new business were added, that unemployment continues to drop, down 1.9% from 2011.

More specific to the housing market, Romine reports that construction of new homes in on the upswing, with a recent tripling of commercial permitting activity and a doubling in residential permitting.

Photo source: bizjournals.com

Posted in In The News, Real Estate Trends, Real Estate Market Conditions, Headlines

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock released the latest economic development report to local private and public business leaders at the Denver Small Biz Expo last Thursday. The report, released in cooperation with the Office of Economic Development, described Denvers housing market as "the strongest in the U.S.," with an economy that boasts a record-high labor force with low unemployment.

Discussing the strategy behind Denvers economic development, Hancock explained, "through strategic investments in our business and neighborhoods, were placing Denver on the map as a globally connected and globally competitive city." Hancock went on to say, "never has the entrepreneurial spirit been more alive and well in Denver."

Key economic indicators from the report (for the Denver metro area) include:

• 12,250 new jobs in 2012
  
• 1,000 new business enterprises added
• The average wage paid by Denver firms is now approaching $60,000 annually
• Denvers resident labor force is at a record high, with 330,000 residents employed
• Unemployment continues to drop, now standing at 7.3 percent, down from 9.2 percent in 2011
  
• Consumer confidence is rising, evidenced by the 4.6 percent increase in retail sales and 9.4 percent increase in vehicle purchases
• Construction is on the upswing, with a recent tripling of commercial permitting activity and a doubling in residential permitting
  

The report, which claims that "Denvers housing market is the strongest in the nation," cites data that shows Denvers home values are up 8.3 percent over the past year and 5.1 percent over the past 5 years.

Photo source: Denvergov.org

Posted in In The News, Metro Brokers Agents, Real Estate Trends, Headlines

Check out these informative Website Training Videos from Metro Brokers Inc:

1.    The Advantages of Being a Certified User on Metro Brokers Online.

2.    Help with Adding Tools to your agent website.

3.    Customize the Dashboard on your Agent website

4.    How to Change the Header on your Agent website.

5.    How to add a Link to your Agent website.

6.    Add a Button with Link to your website

7.    Reordering the Links on your Agent website

8.    How to add a Team Member to your website

9.    How to add Qualifications to your site.

10.  Using the Power Search/Listings Alerts on MBI website

11.  How to add Neighborhoods to your Agent website

12.  How to add Additional Photos to Your Listings

13.  How to add SOLD Listings to your Agent website.

14.  Add a Custom Page to your website

15.  Add a YouTube Video to your website

16.  Setting Up Your Own Google Adwords Campaign.

17.  How to Register a Domain Name Through GoDaddy

18.  Setting up your facebook account

19.  Adding Search Engine Optimization Tags to Your Agent Website.

photo credit: Guttorm Flatabø

Posted in Education And Training, Online Education

Mike Bradley, Mark Harrison, and Tom Guest present a check from the proceeds of the 3^rd Annual Metro Brokers TriathlON Friday to Matt Feeney of Adaptive Adventures.

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Posted in Industry Leadership, Giving Back