Good News For Sellers : Housing Starts Fall To 1-Year Low In May 2010

Single-family housing starts plummeted to a one-year low in May, just 30 days after soaring to a 20-month high.  It's no wonder home builders are confused.

Against a revised April figure, Housing Starts fell 97,000 units in May, a figure representing almost one-fifth of the total market size.

It's the worst showing for Housing Starts since May 2009, a surprise to builders and economists alike.

Furthermore, single-family Building Permits plunged in May, too -- down 10 percent from April. A permit is a certification from local government that authorizes home construction.

Housing permits are a precursor to Housing Starts with 82% of homes starting construction within 60 days of permit-issuance. Fewer permits, therefore, directly reduces the number of new homes coming to market in the coming months.

For home buyers in Henderson , this should create a sense of urgency.

Home prices are based on supply and demand and supply appears to be falling about the same time that economists predict a surge in home demand.  It could spell rising home prices and a complete loss of negotiation power with home sellers.

For now, though, home affordability remains high with properties cheap and mortgage rates near all-time lows. If you plan to buy a home later this year, the May 2010 Housing Starts data may be a reason to move up your timeframe a bit.

Summer Events In Belle Creek

Get Ready for Summer Fun!

There are a lot of great things happening in Belle Creek this summer.  Starting next weekend, there are plenty of great family activities to keep us all smiling:

June 5:  Community Garage Sale and Community Fair
Got Stuff?  Need Stuff?   Saturday, June 5 is the Annual Community wide garage sale.  Set up your sale in your garage, alley, or front porch- or rent a space on the central park.  Contact the Belle Creek Family Center to rent a spot.
Also at this time will be the Belle Creek Vendor Faire in the Family Center Gym.  Pick up a gift for someone special- or yourself!
The Neighbors to Neighbors group will be selling cold water and manning the jumpy castle at the central park.

June 19: BLOCK PARTY
There will be 3 Block Parties  this summer, sponsored by Neighbors to Neighbors of  Belle Creek.  The first will be at the pocket park at Dayton Way and 106th, on the south side of the neighborhood.  ALL are invited to attend.  More details will come soon.

Look for more events here, including National Night Out (August 3), Block Parties, Belle Creek Movie Nights, and other community events)

First Belle Creek Movie Night- Finally!

What a great night for a movie!
Friday was calm and the weather was perfect to sit in a sleeping bag and enjoy "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs".  Belle Creek Movie Nights are back after a non- start.  The original launch of May 14 was rained out in a big way, but now we know it's summer in Belle Creek.
The next movie is "Tarzan" on June 11, starting at around 8:28 (sundown).
See you at the movies!

How Many Showings Does it Take?

When selling your home, one of the "moving targets" is the number of showings to expect.  Not surprisingly, the number of showings goes down during the holidays and during cold winter months when the weather is unpredictable.  But different price points will also experience different levels of activity.

Following is a breakdown by price level of home many showings per month we experienced in the Denver Metro market for the first quarter of 2010:

• Overall, the number of showings per month for all price categories was 8.7 per home.
• Homes under $250,000 saw an average of 10.5 showings per month, with the $50k-100k range seeing the highest number of showings per month at 15.
• Homes from $250k-300k saw an average of 7.4 showings per month.  Homes from $350k-400k were at 3.7 showings per month.
• Homes in the higher price ranges, from $400,000 up, saw an average of 4.8 showings per month.

The good news for those selling homes in the $250k-400k price range is that the number of showings increased year over year: from 4.7 in 2009 to 6.1 for 2010.  Homes above that range increased from 3.4 to 4.8.  Homes priced in the lower ranges held steady at 10.5 showings per month.

Buyers are getting back out there, which is good news for all homeowners.  With renewed interest and activity in residential real estate, we will see a ripple effect throughout the economy.

New Playground Proposed for Belle Creek

Belle Creek Family Center

Bringing the Community Together

Initial Plans for New Playground Proceeding with Enthusiasm

The Playground Committee met last week and made great strides in choosing a location for Belle Creek’s new playground equipment.  The proposed site is the pocket park on Dayton Way, between 108th Drive and 109th Avenue.  All pocket parks were initially considered as possible sites, as well as the Belle Creek central park.  Each area was considered based on size, drainage, and whether there would be proper setback from a road.  Some sites were excluded based on these criteria alone.

Subcommittees were then formed to poll the surrounding neighbors to determine whether this new amenity was agreeable to all those immediately adjacent to the green spaces.  Once all the polling was completed, the subcommittees met to vote on a final location to present to the Metro District.  The location on the northeast side won hands down- by a 3 to 1 ratio.

Funds for the $100,000 project are being donated by the City of Commerce City Parks and Recreation Department.  These funds come from lottery dollars that are earmarked specifically for this project, to be used for a playground, which includes site preparation, irrigation, and playground equipment.

Once the Metro District approves the site, the committee will come together to select equipment.  The Playground Committee foresees the playground opening by early summer 2010!

This is great news for Belle Creek residents and will make further improvements of this sort proceed even more smoothly.  Having gone through the process once already, future committees will have a system in place to follow for other projects.  Other great ideas from the committee included a pavilion or gazebo and grills.  These ideas will be explored at a later date.

See you at the playground!

Coming Soon! 10813 Belle Creek Boulevard

You are not going to believe how beautiful this home is!
3 spacious bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms in this 1763 square foot home.
472 sqft finished basement.
Top notch designer finishes everywhere- Wow!
Join me Saturday, April 17 from 11am - 2 pm to see this spotless beauty.
Check out the pictures:

Inspired! Appealing Property Taxes to Lower Them, Steps 1 and 2

Yesterday, I read an article on msnbc entitled "High Property Taxes? 4 steps to lowering them."
If you have lived in Belle Creek for long, you no doubt have watched our sales values take a hit, while our property taxes stay high.  I am a serious proponent of supporting public schools and having good roads, and taking care of our parks.  I am also a pretty big supporter of not paying too much for property taxes.
When we got our tax bill this year, I stared at the nearly $4,000 and swallowed the bile rising in my throat. Good lord, isn't there something we can do about this?
Turns out there is.

Step 1: Track Down the Paperwork.  

This is where I am in the process.  I called the Adams County Assessor's office (303-654-6038) this morning after trying to find the form on their website.  A very nice and knowledgeable employee told me that Notices of Valuation were sent May 2009, and they are only sent every other year.  On the back of this notice is the form for appealing your property taxes.
Unfortunately, I am not as organized as I would like to be, and I have no idea where I put that form.  When it comes to business, I can lay my hands on paperwork at a moment's notice, but when it comes to personal stuff...
He must not have been working in county government for long, because he laughed and told me he would send out another copy right away.

Step 2: Understand the Process

Although there is a form on the back of the valuation notice, you do not need it to appeal your tax value. You must submit a written protest, but it can be done by mail, fax or in person.  This must be done before June 1.  If you submit it in person, you can sit with the county appraiser and discuss where the value comes from and plead your case.
Be sure to bring as much evidence as you can.  If you have a recent appraisal, this will help.  Also, bringing a list of recent sold comparable properties in your neighborhood will help.
I have only gotten this far in the process myself, so I will report what happens as it happens.  Wish me luck...

If you would like assistance in appealing your property taxes and need recent solds in  your area, please email me or call me at 720-341-5235.  This is a FREE service that I am happy to assist you with.  

Belle Creek Family Center: Upcoming Events

Don't miss the Easter Egg Hunt and Breakfast!
Come join us March 27 at 9am at the Belle Creek Family Center.  Grab your Easter basket- the Easter Bunny is expected to hide lots of treats and fun things to find!  The hunt is on rain or shine- or snow.  See you there!

Real Estate Buzz: Activity for February 2010

The action in Belle Creek is really picking up!  Thankfully, many of the "For Sale" homes in our neighborhood are being sold.  This is great news whether you are thinking of selling or not.  When existing inventory clears our, it means less vacancy, and eventually, higher home values for the Belle Creek Real Estate Market.
Here is a snapshot of what we saw in February:
3 houses went under contract in Belle Creek in February.  This means that there is a signed agreement between the buyers and sellers to purchase the home within a given period of time (anywhere from 30-60 days, usually).  During this time, the buyers will secure financing and inspect the property and the sellers agree to take it off the active market.  Earnest money has been given to the home sellers by the home buyers as a show of good faith and their intent to see the contract through.
The properties under contract are:

• 9645 East 105th Avenue
• 9443 East 106th Drive
• 10933 Belle Creek Boulevard

These are what are known as pending sales.  Pending sales are a leading indicator- they show us what is likely to happen over the coming months.  The downside to pending or under contract sales is that we do not know what the offer price is or what the actual sales price will be until the sales close.

That said, there were 2 closed sales in Belle Creek this February!  They were:

• 10967 Beeler Street.  Listed at $210,000, sold for $212,500
• 10745 Boston Street.  Listed at $225,000, sold for $220,000

Belle Creek Family Center: Upcoming Events

Community Garden

Only 15 garden plots remaining!  Starting March 1^st, garden plots will be available to non-Belle Creek Residents.  Go to www.bellecreek.org to get the complete garden form.  Sign up at the Family Center.  

Mark your calendars…

Business to Neighbors

When…March 17^th @ 6 p.m.

Where…Belle Creek Family Center
What…network with other Belle Creek business owners.

RSVP to Melissa at melissa@themixxconsulting.com.
Or check out their website to find a specific kind of contractor @ www.b2nnetwork.com.

Belle Creek Easter Egg Hunt and Pancake BreakfastWhen…March 27^th @ 9 a.m.

Where…Belle Creek Family Center

Look for more information to come!

Don’t forget to visit www.bellecreek.org for all the current community information.

What You Don't Know Can Haunt You: Shovel Your Walks, Please!

Section 19-1 of the Commerce City Municipal Code is a ZERO Tolerance Ordinance

Exhausted, we pulled up to the front of our home on January 2, after an 18 hour cross country drive.  We had not stopped to rest overnight, preferring to get across Iowa and Nebraska in the frigid temps as quickly as possible.  Plus, at one point over the Winter Holidays, I80 had been shut down due to snow and ice, and we did not want to risk spending several days on a hotel lobby floor or in a truck stop with a young child and a dog.

But, we came home to plenty of snow.  We had been gone for over a week and had no idea when the snow came, or how many times it had snowed, but a makeshift path had developed on the sidewalk beside our house where people had gone on their daily sojourns.  I removed the "warning" slip from the city and the next day diligently shoveled our sidewalk.

Too little, too late.

About a month later came the court summons.  This was no joke, no minor oversight.  My husband and I spent about 3 hours in court on Thursday morning finding this out.  Before we went before the judge, the City Attorney called us into his office to talk about our plea.  He was very serious about the matter.  this is a ZERO tolerance issue.  It does not matter that we were out of state.  It does not matter that that was the side of our house and our neighbor had kindly taken care of the front walk, so half of it was done.  Here is what the  Commerce City Ordinance reads:

Sec. 19-1. - Duty of owner, occupant, etc., as to maintenance of sidewalks.

The owner, occupant or agent of the owner of any building, property or lot in the city shall maintain the sidewalks for the property including those on public rights-of-way in a clean condition and remove snow and ice from the sidewalks within twenty-four (24) hours after each snowfall.

I had never even heard of this ordinance, but I know it now.

We were lucky though.  The judge gave us the minimum fine of $25 because it was our first offense, and after court costs it came to about $60.  And I can guarantee that there will be no further offenses of that sort.  So shovel your walks, neighbors.  Then go out and play!