Metro Brokers 2011 Board Of Directors

       Candidate - Video Profiles

    Click for your Proxy and Ballot

          Joe Bennell           VIDEO PROFILE

          Joe Bingham                VIDEO PROFILE

          John Braswell       VIDEO PROFILE

          Ty Dokken             VIDEO PROFILE

          Darrell  Evangelista VIDEO PROFILE

          Dirk Freeman           VIDEO PROFILE

          Hossein Tolooee    VIDEO PROFILE

Posted in Board Of Directors, Industry Leadership, Announcements

The Fourth Annual TriathlON Friday event, sponsored by Metro Brokers is scheduled for Friday June 1^st at the Cherry Creek State Park.

This is a unique event, it's a sprint distance triathlon with a ½ mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run.

"Between 200-300 athletes are expected to band together this summer to participate in this thrilling sprint-distance triathlon," Reports YourHub.com.  "which brings together the community for an evening of fun, and benefits Adaptive Adventures, a non-profit organization that provides progressive sports and recreation opportunities to improve quality of life for children, adults, and veterans with physical disabilities."

For more information and to register for this fun event for all ages, go to www.metrobrokerstriathlon.com.   Early registration is in effect now at a discounted rate, with no processing fee.   Please note, online registration closes on May 29, 2012, however race day registration will be available on site.

See the story at YourHub.com

Watch the Video:  The 4th Annual TriathlON Friday is a Family Event

Posted in Press Room, Giving Back

Home prices in the metro Denver area are on the rise.  The Denver Business Journal reports that prices have risen from 1.2% to 6% in April, in year over year comparisons.

"That does not surprise me," said Sunny Banka of Metro Brokers Sunny Homes in the Denver Tech Center. "It should show the market is going up because of the low inventory and I believe we have a lot more buyers in the market."

Home prices in Denver are higher than the national average- which showed a year-over-year price decline of 0.8 percent, excluding distressed sales (short sales and "real estate owned" transactions). With those distressed sales, the national HPI fell even farther - 2 percent from February 2011, stated the article.

A renewed interest in the market has begun in Denver.  Banka believes that home prices in Denver have already hit bottom and will continue to climb and with the recent slight increase in interest rates, buyers see a window of opportunity closing.

Read the full story at The Denver Business Journal.

Read: The Market Won't Get Any Better Than This! It's Time to Buy!

Posted in Press Room, Buyer Resources

Is your credit less than perfect and you can't find a decent place to rent?  Don't despair; here are a few tips that might make renting that new place possible.

Know your Credit Rating before you meet with a potential landlord.  Order a copy of your credit report and be upfront with the leasing agent or landlord about what problems they will see on your credit report.  "Perhaps, more importantly, you can also begin addressing trouble spots on your credit." suggests Nicholas Pell on MintLife.com.  "Write letters to resolve issues that might not belong on your credit report and start paying down old debts to reverse the damage done to your credit score. It might not help you get the apartment this time, but it will in the future."

Cosigning is another way to get an apartment.  If a friend or family member is willing, they might be able to cosign the lease with you- this makes them legally responsible for any costs associated with the apartment.  So be sure you understand the sacrifice and risks involved for them and use this as a means to fix your own credit problems.

Offer a Larger Deposit.  Offering to pay a little more upfront might show them you are serious.  "Many states set limits on how much a landlord can demand as a deposit, however." says Pell. "Still, offering something over and above the standard deposit can make your landlord feel more at ease. In the worst case scenario, they've at least recouped more of their losses.   It will (also) be harder for you to walk away from (that large of a) deposit and your landlord will know that."

No Credit Check: Larger leasing companies will always pull a credit check but smaller landlords might not because of the time and expense it takes.  Looking for places that might not pull a credit check might make your search a little more difficult, but you can find decent places to rent amongst them.

Have a Long-Term Plan:  Your long term goal should always be to repair your credit.  You might need to get a car loan soon or perhaps you might be looking to buy your own home in a year or two.  Order your free, annual credit reports and start fixing your credit and then make it a point to stay on track.

Read the full article at MintLife.com.

See more rental advice:  Renters-What to Know Before You Sign that Lease

Posted in Technology And You

It's a challenge to sell a vacant home.  When the home is empty of furniture, the buyers tend to focus on flaws such as carpet wear, nail holes and gaps in the moldings, instead of how the space flows. And this can drive the price down.

"Home owners don't realize how much harder a vacant home is to sell. In today's market, you have to win the beauty contest," says Thomas Scott, VP of Marketing at Showhomes, a home staging company. "Vacant houses simply underperform staged homes and the increased sales price provides an excellent return on what staging costs. Choosing to stage your home should be an easy decision in today's market."

If you have to move out of your house before it sells, use these tips from BankRate.com to help you keep it secure:

Insurance:  Make sure your insurance covers your empty home.  "Both your insurance company and your lender need to know if you move out, particularly because they will want to know you have taken some precautions to protect the property from damage," says Veronica Gonzales, a REALTOR® in Albuquerque. 

Make the home look occupied:  Just like when you leave on vacation, set up a few timer lights and have someone check on the home frequently to make sure the doors are locked and there are no flyers sitting at the front door.  "You can even set an alarm as a deterrent, which works even if you don't have it monitored because the sound will go off whenever a door or window is opened." suggests Gonzales.

If you have window blinds, turn them upward so people can't see in and notice that the property is empty, but it still lets in light for prospective buyers.

Keep up with the yard and have someone inspect the house regularly for any damage, such as frozen pipes.  "Use a programmable thermostat to keep the house relatively cool in summer and warm enough in winter," says Linda Zenker, an agent in Virginia. "Make sure you change the battery before you move out and change the batteries in the smoke detector. A beeping battery signals that the house has been neglected."

"You should also occasionally run the water in the faucets, run the dishwasher and flush the toilets to make sure everything is working and to eliminate sour smells from unused systems." adds Zenker. 

Stage Your Home:  The best way to sell your home is to stage it.  "Without people, even the best home quickly looks and smells vacant. Dust settles, leaves scatter, and stale smell spreads. These cues often shorten the showing time, leading to fewer sales." says an article on Showhomes.com.

"In many locations, organizations such as Showhomes and Homes in Transition place temporary tenants in your home along with their furniture in order to give a home a lived-in look." says the article. "The tenants maintain the home and are required to make it available to buyers and real estate agents at all times. Depending on the company and individual arrangements, hosting a short-term tenant could be free for the homeowner or require a small fee." 

"I recommend Homes In Transition for every vacant listing I get." says REALTOR® Hector Pimentel in Albuquerque.  

A few other staging tips and tricks from real estate agents include:

-Putting up a shower curtain and placing towels in the bathroom.
-A bowl of fake fruit and a wine bottle in the kitchen.
-Setting the table, add a few plants and maybe an outdoor table and chairs.
-Placing an area rug in a large room helps to define the living space.

"I'll sometimes leave a few books or toys in a small bedroom so that the kids can play while the parents look around," says CJ Wright, a REALTOR® in Florida. "I also put a wicker chair with a throw and a book in the family room or sitting room, or movies and a chair in the media room."

Even a few pieces of furniture can sometimes be more appealing than a cluttered home.  Buying a home is an emotional experience, says Showhome.com, "Emotion influences what people buy and how much they will pay. Vacant houses are devoid of life, and the chance to make an emotional connection is lost."

Read more "Tips for Selling a Vacant Home"

Find a Metro Brokers REALTOR® to help you sell your home.

photo credit: Marcus Spaapen

Posted in Seller Resources, Headlines