by KatieDrucker | Aug 27, 2019 | Boulder Info
Moving to Boulder or coming to check out the area? I know it’s hard to believe you would ever want to escape Boulder on the weekends, but trust me, sometimes you need to get out of Dodge – even when “Dodge” is as good as Boulder is. Check out some of my favorite weekend getaways:
1. Hike and Eat in Nederland:
When Boulder is too hot to get outside, Nederland – a tiny Western-ish town nestled in the Foothills 30 minutes above downtown Boulder, is a good place to go. Hike one of the many trails and then grab some delicious pizza (don’t forget to ask for a side of the spicy honey though my inner New Yorker is disappointed in me for that) and beer at Crosscut Pizzeria and Taphouse before heading back down to the bustling (and sometimes sizzling) city of Boulder.
2. Dance and Dine at Gold Hill Inn:
Put on some flannel, get in the mood to stomp your feet and head up the hill to Gold Hill – an old mining town with a rich history for a Friday night of food and dancing. Gold Hill Inn offers a six course meal in their dining hall and has Bluegrass/Folk bands playing in the bar area almost every Friday night Memorial Day – New Years Eve.
3. Explore Rocky Mountain National Park:
Four hundred and fifteen square miles of mountainous terrain with 300 miles of hiking trails to explore, Rocky Mountain National Park is only an hour from Boulder. If you are not in the mood to put on your hiking boots Trail Ridge Road is a great option. The road traverses Rocky Mountain National Park climbing to 12,000 feet with awesome overlooks and mountains as far as the eye can see.
Experience rustic Colorado in the lap of low-key luxury at this Ralph Lauren-esk guest ranch. Nordic ski, fat tire bike, hike, soak in one of the best hot tubs I have found in the state, get your yoga on, get a massage or curl up with a book – the options are endless. This is one of my favorite places in Colorado – and believe me – I have explored every nook and cranny of this state.
5. Lunch at Tennessee Pass Cookhouse:
If you are in Boulder during the winter months don’t miss earning your gourmet lunch by snowshoeing or cross-country skiing one mile to the Tennessee Pass Cookhouse. The cookhouse is a yurt with 180 degree views. Located 2 hours and 15 minutes from Boulder but worth every minute of the scenic drive. (Note: dinner is also an option but the menu is meat heavy and you don’t get the views.)
You may also want to read our Moving To Boulder and our Best Neighborhoods in Boulder Colorado articles if you’re new to the area and/or considering Boulder as your new home. And check out our Good Good Map to learn more about the lay of the land.
Good Good is a Boulder area real estate agency. We specialize in helping good people find the perfect Boulder home. We’re low pressure but high touch. If you’re looking for a real estate guide in the Boulder area, we may be a good fit. Give us a call if you’d like to chat. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have about the Boulder area or give you a tour.
Thanks,
Katie (Good Good Founder) | 720.415.4914 | Katie@goodgoodrealty.com
by KatieDrucker | Jul 23, 2019 | Selling Tips
Ever wondered why mannequins are often headless?
As explained in Mad Men:
“… so the shoppers can imagine them to be anyone.”
Just as shoppers need to be able to imagine themselves wearing the clothes on the headless mannequins, buyers need to be able to see themselves living in your home.
Here are three tips on how to start transforming your home into a headless mannequin, so to speak.
1. Everything Personal Has To Go: The plants that you love, family photos, religious paraphernalia, books that are not innocuous, etc. have to be removed.
2. No Clutter: There should be nothing on any surface of the home – coffee tables, counter tops, tables, etc. Cupboards, drawers and closets should all be partially cleared out so that the home appears to have more storage than it actually does have. There should not be a ton of furniture in the home – just enough to be pleasant but still feel roomie no matter the size of the room/property.
3. Neutral and Clean: I know this is a bummer but lack of personality sells. The bright green, pink, yellow walls should be painted a neutral gray, white, beige, etc. The bedding should be crisp and neutral and the towels should also be fresh and, yes, neutral in color. Plain Jane wins the game.
Making your home into a headless mannequin is your first step of getting your home ready to be someone else’s.
Good Good is a Boulder area real estate agency. We specialize in helping good people find the perfect Boulder home. We’re low pressure but high touch. If you’re looking for someone to guide you through the real estate process in the Boulder area, we may be a good fit. Give us a call if you’d like to chat. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have about the Boulder area or give you a tour.
Thanks,
Katie (Good Good Founder) 720.415.4914 | Katie@goodgoodrealty.com
by KatieDrucker | Jul 10, 2019 | Buying Tips, Investors
Some people love them. Some people hate them. Either way, more and more people are opting for them with the median sales price of single family homes well over $1,000,000 in Boulder.
Here are few key things to look closely at before pulling the trigger to buy into an homeowners association (HOA):
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Take a Good Good (sorry I had to) Look at the Reserves:
Look at the reserve funds. Does the homeowners association have a good savings account in case the roof, the stairs, the siding, etc. need to be fixed/replaced. If the HOA has a big reserve the buyer should breathe a little more easily that he/she will not be assessed (charged a big fee to pay for the repair/replacement in addition to monthly payments).
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Read Through the HOA Minutes with a Fine-Tooth Comb:
Carefully read through the meeting minutes but also read between the lines. Do you see a lot of mentions of water leaks? Do you see discussions about getting bids for siding, roof, stair repairs/replacement, etc.? Do you see any mentions of executive sessions – private discussions between the board of directors (this usually happens when legal matters need to be discussed)? If you see these things you should assess if you think the reserves are large enough to cover whatever it is you suspect is going to need money.
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Rules and Regulations:
Read through the Rules and Regulations to make sure none of them are deal-breakers for you – I have found that buyers mostly care about being able to have grills on decks or patios, pet restrictions and renting rules.
The seller will send over all this information to the buyer before the Association Documents Delivery Deadline in the contract. If there is anything unsatisfactory in these documents – rules, financials, etc. – the buyer may object under the Association Documents Objection Deadline and get his/her earnest money returned.
Good Good is a Boulder area real estate agency. We specialize in helping good people find the perfect Boulder home. We’re low pressure but high touch. If you’re looking for someone to guide you through the real estate process in the Boulder area, we may be a good fit. Give us a call if you’d like to chat. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have about the Boulder area or give you a tour.
Thanks,
Katie (Good Good Founder) 720.415.4914 | Katie@goodgoodrealty.com
by KatieDrucker | Jun 12, 2019 | Buying Tips
There is no standard equation for offers on properties in Boulder.
Sometimes offers are due in immediately, sometimes the best strategy is to wait to put in an offer. Sometimes the offer needs to be 10 percent above the listing price, sometimes, though not often these days, 10 percent below will suffice.
Every situation is different – a real estate transaction is very fluid. But here is generally what to expect when you find a place you want to call your own:
- You walk into a house and you feel at home. You want it.
- I (assuming I am your real estate agent) call the listing agent and ask the following questions: When will the sellers be looking at offers? Do you have any other offers in hand. If so, are those offers above asking price? Cash? What else can you tell me about the offers? Would anything besides price be enticing for your sellers – a fast close, a rent back, etc.? What else can you tell me?
- I work up a comp report and email it over to you so that you can see the most recent, like-kind properties that have sold in the immediate vicinity of the subject property. I also include a dissertation dissecting the comp report for you so that you feel confident that you know what the property is worth.
- I call you to see if you have any questions about the comp report and to tell you what information I extracted from the listing agent. From there we discuss a game plan for an offer.
- I write up the offer that we discussed and either send it over to you via Docusign (a software program that enables you to sign remotely) or we get together to go through the offer before you sign – whichever you prefer.
- You email me your pre-approval letter from your lender (blog post about this is in the works) or your proof of funds if you are a cash buyer – a bank statement or a letter from an accountant.
- I send the offer and financing information over to the listing agent.
- We eagerly wait for a response. There could be several possible responses – the sellers just sign the offer (woohoo!), the sellers send a counter offer over to us, the listing agent calls and tell us multiple offers ended up coming in or the seller would like x,y or z…and gives us a second chance to resubmit. Plan on hearing from me a lot during this waiting period.
- Hopefully you get under contract and the contract process begins.
Good Good is a Boulder area real estate agency. We specialize in helping good people find the perfect Boulder home. We’re low pressure but high touch. If you’re looking for someone to guide you through the real estate process in the Boulder area, we may be a good fit. Give us a call if you’d like to chat. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have about the Boulder area or give you a tour.
Thanks,
Katie (Good Good Founder) 720.415.4914 | Katie@goodgoodrealty.com
by KatieDrucker | Jun 4, 2019 | Buying Tips
Earnest money is collateral.
Earnest money is typically around 2 percent of the list price of a property (though this number can vary and is negotiable), is usually due 48 hours after a contract is executed and is held by the title company as collateral for the seller in case the buyer walks away from the deal.
Don’t worry, this is not as scary as it sounds at first blush.
In Colorado the real estate contract is extremely buyer friendly. There are ten possible standard contingencies in the contract. The buyer can get out of the contract at each contingency if something is not satisfactory with earnest money in tact as long as the buyer/buyer’s agent gives written notice to the seller before the corresponding contingency objection deadline.
Let’s use a real example from a deal I had a few weeks ago:
My buyer was under contract for a home with solar panels attached to the roof. Everything was going smoothly until we received the due diligence documents from the seller/seller’s agent. In those documents there was a loan document stating that about $17,000 was owed on a loan for the solar panels. And the person who took out that said loan is now serving 15 years in jail for embezzling money from the person who was selling the house. Yikes!
If the buyer did not want to take over that loan or wanted no part in this messy situation, we could have given written notice to the seller/seller’s agent that the buyer wanted to terminate the contract because of the due diligence documents.
As long as we gave that notice before the due diligence objection deadline the buyer’s earnest money would have been returned to the buyer. This is true of all the contingencies in the contract.
If a deal does close the earnest money is counted towards the buyer’s downpayment.
Have a specific buying questions, reach out – no stings attached!
Also, check out another one of our blog posts written for first time home buyers.
Good Good is a Boulder area real estate agency. We specialize in helping good people find the perfect Boulder home. We’re low pressure but high touch. If you’re looking for someone to guide you through the real estate process in the Boulder area, we may be a good fit. Give us a call if you’d like to chat. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have about the Boulder area or give you a tour.
Thanks, Katie (Good Good Founder) | 720.415.4914| Katie@goodgoodrealty.com
