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

Buying a home for the first time can be overwhelming... where do you start?  Make your first time home purchase a good experience by following these tips

1.      Ask Questions!  Ask for agent referrals from family and friends and always interview several agents to make sure you find the right fit.  Make sure you get an agent who is knowledgeable in your local market, financing options and national trends.

2.      Research your Home Lender. Your agent is a good source to refer a mortgage lender.  Shop around for your mortgage lender and get pre-approved so that you know what your budget is and you can stick to it.  By being pre-approved, you can move quickly when the right home comes along.

3.      Narrow Down Your Search:  The typical homebuyer looks at 12 homes before buying.  Narrow the field by deciding ahead of time what type of home, neighborhood and area you are looking for.  Do you want to be close to work, want a great place for kids, quality school system, walkability?  Realize you won't find everything you want but keep narrowing the criteria until you come up with the top 5 or 6 "must haves" in the home you choose. 

4.      Look Around You:  It's easy to focus only on the house you are looking at, but pay attention to your surroundings.  What's next door?  Is it near a park or a busy street?  You might consider bringing along a digital camera to help you remember details later.  Start with a close up of the information flyer to help you identify which house is which.

5.      Take a Second Look.  Once you've figured out the houses you are interested in, ask to see them again, you will notice details you overlooked the first time.

6.      Follow Through:  Always get a home inspection done including repair estimates, look into home warranties and make sure you have a reputable title company before you take the plunge.  This is where your agent offers valuable expertise.

Buying your first home is exciting but all the details involved in home buying can be challenging.  Make it easier by following these tips for first time home buyers.

Are you Ready To Buy? Make it happen in 2012.

photo credit: WDanRoberts

Posted in Marketing, Buyer Resources, GenX GenY

Two Colorado cities were listed in the top U.S. metro areas showing the greatest year-over-year increases in home value, according to Inman News.   

Ft. Collins, ranked 6^th in the top 10 markets and has a median home value of $217,300, which is an increase of 1.3% from October 2010 to October 2011. Ft. Collins was recently awarded the honor of "America's Safest Driving City" by Allstate Insurance.

Boulder, ranked 9^th in the top 10, showing an increase of .2%, year-over-year, and a median home value of $304,000. Boulder was recently voted as Number One College Town in Livability's Top 10 College Towns for 2011.

The national average sales price of a home is $169,000.  Only four of the top 10 metro area's home values are above the national average, the lowest value for a home was in Tulsa, Okla. at $101,000.

Denver's median sales price for a home is $190,000 according to Trulia.com. Denver was recently recognized as the best housing market according to Fox Business news.  Experts predict that home sales will increase in 2012 and have judged Denver as the top city for investing and making money in the housing market.

Read the full article at Inman News.

Photo Source: Ft. Collins Government

Posted in Real Estate Trends, Real Estate Market Conditions

Whether you are looking to invest or looking for a home for yourself, when buying a home, you are looking for the best deal while still getting what you need and desire in your home.

Alan Glass, on REALTOR.com, outlines the three principles a home buyer needs to apply when making a purchase.

1.      What Kind of an Investor are you? Are you willing to put in the elbow grease it will take to uncover that buried treasure? Or are you looking for something that you can move into in a neighborhood with long standing value?

2.      Invest with a Margin of Safety: minimize risk by basing your purchase on your actual income, rather than fabricated or scheduled income." Says Glass. "The burden of a monthly mortgage payment becomes much heavier in trying times."  In other words, stick to your budget.

3.      Expect Fluctuation in the Market. "The market will fluctuate, and sometimes wildly." Warns Glass. "Rather than fearing volatility, use it to your advantage to get bargains in the market or to sell out when your holdings become way overvalued."

Making sound decisions in the home buying process will result in a successful purchase and a happy home.  "In order to make smart decisions, home buyers today must understand their tolerance for risk, plan for unexpected surprises by building in a margin of safety, and prepare themselves to act when opportunities present themselves." says Glass.

Read the full story at REALTOR.com.

photo credit: nola.agent

Posted in Buyer Resources, Real Estate Trends

Your home is your largest asset, are you adequately covered by your homeowners insurance policy?

If you're reading this and you're not sure... let this be a great reminder to find your policy, call your agent and get a review. 

Fox Business News offers "The Ins and Outs of Homeowners Insurance" to help you understand your basic policy needs. 

"Go ahead and pull out your insurance policy binder," says FBN,  "it's about 40 pages thick, then flip to the third or fourth page that contains line items like: Building/Dwelling, Separate Structures, Personal Property, Loss of Use, Medical, and Extended Replacement.  This details how much coverage you have in case of a loss."

Building/Dwelling Coverage will cover the cost to rebuild your property.

Liability Coverage comes into play if someone gets hurt on your property; think: "slip and fall" or if your dog bites someone.

Usually this has a limit of $300,000, but you can get an "umbrella policy" to buy additional coverage, if necessary. Keep in mind that replacement costs can be much higher than market value.

The deductible amount is how much you pay out of pocket for each incident. The higher your deductible, the lower your annual insurance payment. Decide what makes financial sense for your situation.

HOA/Common Interest Development Properties: If you own a unit in a condominium, townhome, co-op, PUD or any other common interest development, whether a personal residence or an investment property, make sure you have an interior HO-6 policy that covers you for damage to the inside of your unit, PLUS for liability in case your unit floods all the units below you. This isn't covered by most homeowners association's master insurance policy."

Personal Property: If you have expensive artwork, jewelry or other items, you should add these to your insurance policy to make sure they are covered.

If you have a claim,  important to consider whether your claim requires insurance coverage.  Most claims are smaller than the deductible, so just handle them yourself, suggests the article.  "Reserve making claims for when everything hits the fan."

The most important thing to do? Is to make sure you aren't underinsured and it's a good idea to review your policy every year.

Read the full article at FoxBusienssNews.com

Photo Source: Examiner.com

Posted in Buyer Resources, Headlines