I know that I’ve mentioned this numerous other times but I think it’s important to bring it up again. Pricing your home to sell is more important than ever. Note that I said TO SELL. This does not mean pricing it at a level that “you need to get.” That is not the same as fair market price.

Also, do NOT price your home at a certain rate assuming that buyers will offer a lower amount anyway. Again, that is not the same as fair market value.

Stop insisting that your house is better than “everyone else’s” (It’s not. I assure you.) so it can be priced higher than everyone else’s. Not in this market it can’t.

The sad truth is with the market we’re in, and the lack of credit that is available, you don’t have to take my word on all of these things. You can price your home too high and find out for yourself what happens when you do that.

I know of an economist who jokes about his neighbors whose home has been for sale for a year - only he insists that technically their home really isn’t for sale because it’s priced way above market value - and just sits there with a useless For Sale sign in the yard.

Right now buyers not only have their choice of inventory they have the gift of time. I’ve talked to numerous people whose lease doesn’t expire until next spring and summer but are looking now “just in case” they find THE home. So far, none of them have, so they continue to wait until credit becomes more available and sellers get more realistic about their home prices.

Keep in mind that sometimes it’s just a matter of a few thousand dollars so pricing your home correctly to start with (if you truly want to sell it at this time) is crucial. If you’re unwilling to price it correctly then why not wait until the credit and housing market picks up again?

photo credit: lrargerich

Beth Skinner is a real estate professional who actually returns phone calls and emails! Click here to search the MLS for your dream home.

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They just announced on the news that author Michael Crichton has died after a bout with cancer. I LOVED his book State of Fear. Damn cancer.

Beth Skinner is a real estate professional who actually returns phone calls and emails! Click here to search the MLS for your dream home.

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I made this chocolate pie yesterday in honor of Election Day. I cut back the sugar to 1 cup though. I decided 2 cups would just be WAY too rich. It’s a very good pie actually. You should try it! (P.S. This is not a pic of the actual pie!)

Beth Skinner is a real estate professional who actually returns phone calls and emails! Click here to search the MLS for your dream home.

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After I saw this guy on NCIS last week and just now on a South Park episode I HAD to look him up on YouTube. Now you too can enjoy it if you haven’t seen it:

To continue the madness here’s the Sneezing Panda vid (you kind of need to see the South Park episode to enjoy it to its fullest extent)

I admit I laughed so hard after seeing this I nearly sneezed myself.

Beth Skinner is a real estate professional who actually returns phone calls and emails! Click here to search the MLS for your dream home.

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You’ve (hopefully) seen the news declaring that home sales are up by over 5% which was the biggest increase in about 10,000 years it feels like. Although I’ll note AGAIN that this really should mean very little for the Broomfield area because like politics, all real estate is local.

According to the MLS, for September 2008, in the Broomfield area, 77 single family homes sold, while 17 condos sold. The most accurate number to compare it with is September 2007, where again 77 homes sold but only 12 condos sold.

The average sale price for a single family home in Sept. 2008 in Broomfield was $333,217 and for Sept. 2007 it was $312,505. The average sale price for a condo in Sept. 2008 in Broomfield was $220,677 and for Sept. 2007 it was $182,000. The average sale price for a single family home for the first 9 months of the year LAST year was $336,828 and THIS year it is $341,900. This is why I continue to stress that all real estate is local and the nationwide figures shouldn’t indicate a whole lot to those of us here in Broomfield except in the sense of how folks perceive the overall economy.

The news trumpeted the “fact” that “1 in 475 U.S. homes” received foreclosure notices in September. If this were spread out evenly we might be in serious trouble but it’s not. It’s concentrated in certain pockets. According to RealtyTrac, 6 states account for more than 60% of foreclosure activity in the 3rd Quarter. California contributed to more than a quarter of the nations foreclosure filings alone. These are extremely important details that the media and the politicians like to gloss over or leave out entirely and it’s significant because it negatively affects your property values due largely to people’s perception alone and not the complete data.

So what’s my point to all this? Oh who knows, I just like to rant… My point is if you’re thinking of buying a home, and you have the money for a down payment, and you understand all the costs involved with buying a home, don’t hold off because you think the economy is going to crash so badly homes will only be worth pennies on the dollar (especially in Broomfield!). Buy a home, plan to stay there for a while, take care of it, don’t use your home like an ATM and borrow against all the equity to buy a sports car and I guarantee you’ll be happy you did.

Beth Skinner is a real estate professional who actually returns phone calls and emails! Click here to search the MLS for your dream home.

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If you’re a senior, and living in Broomfield, and perhaps you’re a little bored or lonely and looking for something new to try or for some new friends check out the Broomfield Senior Center.

They can help arrange transportation for you through RTD and its “Freedom to Ride” program, they help serve free lunches Monday-Friday at Lakeshore, they also have support groups and all sorts of classes and lectures.

If you’re new to Broomfield or the Senior Resource Center you can show up on the first Wednesday of the month for a coffee and introduction at 9 a.m.

On November 6th, they’ll be hosting a fair that highlights the resources of the Senior Center as well as other places in Broomfield. They’ll also be providing breakfast and then lunch for a nominal charge. It’s from 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Broomfield Community Center at 280 Lamar St.

Search the Denver area MLS here.

Looking for a ranch home in the Denver area?

photo credit: roland

Beth Skinner is a real estate professional who actually returns phone calls and emails! Click here to search the MLS for your dream home.

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Because I keep getting a ton of calls and requests “for ranch homes” I’ve decided to start a new blog based solely on ranch homes and neighborhoods in the Denver suburbs. It’s called (what else?) The Skinny on Ranch Homes.

Try it. You’ll like it!

Beth Skinner is a real estate professional who actually returns phone calls and emails! Click here to search the MLS for your dream home.

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If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary this weekend don’t skip the Peter Pan play at Broomfield High School. I will be going because a friend from my Krav Maga classes is playing a pirate in the show and I can’t miss that.

Details: Thurs., Fri., and Saturday at 7 p.m. OR Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

$7 for adults, $6 for students and seniors, $4 for children under 12.

In case you don’t know where BHS is:

View Larger Map

photo credit: nonstopflights

Beth Skinner is a real estate professional who actually returns phone calls and emails! Click here to search the MLS for your dream home.

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Early voting has begun in Broomfield and will last through Halloween.

You can take advantage of numerous voting stations throughout Broomfield:

Vote in the lobby of the Broomfield City and County Building at 1 DesCombes Dr. anytime between 8 and 5 Mon. through Sat.

Two churches: Church of the Holy Comforter and Risen Savior Lutheran Church will allow voting from Oct. 29-31 from 8-5 p.m.

If you want to wait until election day to vote go to www.broomfield.org/elections to find the closest voting center to you. (Note that you can vote at any one of these - just once though!)

Follow that link to find other interesting tidbits about voting in Broomfield as well. For instance, did you know that as of 10/01/2008 there are 8,909 registered Democrats, 10,057 registered Republicans, and 9,646 Unaffiliated voters in Broomfield?

Beth Skinner is a real estate professional who actually returns phone calls and emails! Click here to search the MLS for your dream home.

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Please join us for an Open House on Sunday at 3815 Red Deer Trail in the Red Leaf subdivision of Broomfield starting at 11 a.m.!

This outstanding home is in move-in condition and measures 1,580 square feet. It has 3 bedrooms upstairs + a master suite and 2 full bathrooms along with a half bath on the main floor. The kitchen includes a huge breakfast bar that makes entertaining easy. There’s also plenty of storage space in the crawl space area. Leave your lawn mower and snow shovel behind because the HOA takes care of those chores for you.

Beth Skinner is a real estate professional who actually returns phone calls and emails! Click here to search the MLS for your dream home.

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