Am I the only one who patiently awaits this, year to year?

Here’s an explanation from the Pantone Color Institute™, https://www.pantone.com/color-intelligence/color-of-the-year/color-of-the-year-2019

Vibrant, yet mellow PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment.

In reaction to the onslaught of digital technology and social media increasingly embedding into daily life (on the heels of PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet, 2018 color of the year), we are seeking authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy. Sociable and spirited, the engaging nature of PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral welcomes and encourages lighthearted

As we end the summer season I hear rumblings from folks that the market is “cooling off.”

There is definitely a seasonality to residential real estate. It’s also true that there are both myths and realities that the data supports in connection with this seasonality.

One myth is that most resale home transactions occur during the first half of the year. The graphs below tell differently. 

• On average, the distribution of closings per quarter is 19%, 29%, 29% and 23% over the last six years.
• Most sales occur in the 2nd and 3rd quarters – 58% of all closings occur in this six-month period.
• More sales occur in the last half of the year than in the first half of the year – 52% in July through December versus 48% in January through

For the past few years, I’ve decided to post this blog on bang for your buck remodeling. It’s a way to add value to the homeowner and most folks I know are tinkering with some home project, for one reason or another. The report, Key Trends in the 2018 Cost vs. Value Report is a good resource, targeted per region in the US. It comes out every year.

The report’s goal is to give homeowners objective reporting on how much it costs for a professional (not DIY) to complete a project and then how much real estate professionals believe the project will increase a home’s value if it is sold within a year of project completion. The report calculates bang for your buck by dividing the project’s value into its cost. It also compares projects that yielded great

Since many of you may be entertaining home improvements this year…..

This blog is the first part of a two-part series. First, in order to take advantage of tax breaks associated with home renovations, it is important to figure out the difference between a home repair (sometimes simple, sometimes not) and a home improvement.

The IRS defines a repair as anything that's necessary to keep your home in good condition but doesn't necessarily add to its value. In other words, to avoid “deferred maintenance.” An improvement is anything that prolongs the useful life of your home and has the potential to increase its resale value. If you want to take advantage of the available tax perks, your project needs to fall under the home improvement category.

Good news! According to CoreLogic's latest Equity Report, nearly 268,000 homeowners regained equity and are no longer underwater on their mortgage in the first quarter. Homes with negative equity have decreased by 21.5% year-over-year.

A study by Fannie Mae suggests that many homeowners are not aware of how their equity position has changed as their home has increased in value.

For example, their study showed that 23% of Americans still believe their home is in a negative equity position when, in actuality, CoreLogic's report shows that only 8% of homes are in that position. 

The study also revealed that only 37% of Americans believe that they have "significant equity" (greater than 20%), when in actuality, 74% do! This means that 37% of Americans with a

My mom, who has a discerning eye for architectural and interior design, recently told me to go to Barnes and Noble and grab a dozen magazines to get ideas for my remodel this upcoming fall. Seemed pretty cumbersome to me—lots of bulk and I can’t tell you how vexed I am when the Restoration Hardware catalog hits my mailbox—all 250 pages of it.

I do love actually holding a book when I read one (once in a blue moon) rather than using a device. But, I feel 100% comfortable with the online tools available to plan my remodel from my office chair. Here are a few apps and sites that are convenient and comprehensive enough to get your home projects off to a great start in a flash.

New tools like virtual reality measuring apps and online mood boards are using

Sometimes, I’m a little embarrassed of my comrades in real estate. Okay, I’d go so far as to say that a handful of times, I’m completely astounded (note, negative connotation) by how realtors poorly prepare and market properties and even more so how sellers don’t demand better. Perhaps it could be that sellers just don’t know what expectations to hold for their realtor. Let’s just put it out there—a realtor listing a property typically does so for around a 3.2% professional fee (commission). On a $500K listing, that’s $16,000—that’s a lot of money! If you ask me, the listing agent should earn it, every time, regardless of the home price, and doing so, they might earn you a bit more money on your sale as well!

So, what should your realtor be doing

Photo by Marc Rochkind [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMolly_Brown_House_Porch_Detail.jpg]

When you travel back east and get a sense of just how old our country really is, I know Denver may appear somewhat less impressive, but, Denver can indeed confidently claim neighborhoods with historical character and architectural styles. I recently found out that there are three locations that are applying for designation as historic districts/landmarks- The National Western Stockshow stadium arena (not awarded), the Emily Griffith Opportunity School (awarded), and the 200 block of South Lincoln Street (awarded). The homes there, built between 1889 and 1895, feature Queen Anne Architecture and were designed by William Lang, a noteworthy Denver

More often than not, when one of my clients has a tight schedule and can only go see properties after daytime work hours M-F, I will preview a home to see if it’s even worth a client visit. As I was out previewing once I entered a home after finagling with the door lock for some time. The home was dark, disheveled, and moldy.

I was immediately drawn to an oversized lit up aquarium with a green glow in the front living room. Upon closer look, I noticed an unusually large sucker fish floating upside down on the surface, dead. Suffice it to say this was not the welcome that makes most buyers say, “This is it!”

Buyers want to envision what the space will look like with their belongings, not the items of the previous owner, especially dead fish.

You can find out how to cover a text book using a grocery paper sack on YouTube (yes, my children’s school still requires text book covering), you can choose your next haircut off of Pinterest, and yes, you can estimate what your house might sell for on the open market using Zillow. The Internet has really dulled our problem solving skills over the last decade and now we can find an answer to just about anything using it. I love it when I’ve inexcusably forgotten the name of one of my favorite characters on Modern Family and voila! I’m smart again.

What does Zillow do for the home shopper/seller? I’m probably preaching to the choir, but It provides instant details related to any home, including your own, or gives you a list of homes for sale in a