Douglas County Ranks High on Wealth Scale

By Kristal Kraft Denver Realtor | Published: March 20, 2010

Douglas County Colorado Enjoys the Good Life

According to Forbes metro Denver suburb county, Douglas County ranks 8th on the wealth scale.  Residents have an average median income of $97,480 annually.

Douglas County has also been one of the fastest growing counties in the country of recent years.  People are attracted to this south metro Denver location because of the excellent school system, abundance of newer housing, planned communities, proximity to Denver Tech Center, Downtown Denver  and views of the Rocky Mountains.

Douglas County is known to be partial to preserving open space.  Seeing sprawling horse ranches, county parks and greenbelts is by design, not accident.

Neighborhoods Within Douglas County

Popular communities within Douglas County are Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Roxborough, Parker, Larkspur, Sedalia and Castle Rock the County Seat.

Each community has a different flavor.  For instance Highlands Ranch is a planned community with a variety of homes across many price ranges.  Highlands Ranch offers four outstanding indoor recreation centers with all types of sporting activities and exercise equipment.  These amenities are included in the monthly HOA dues.

Nearby Parker has a town center and many strip mall type stores, but it also offers rural living that is very attractive to horse owners and those who prefer larger lots.

Castle Rock has both and old downtown and a brand new shopping area.  It is home to a large Outlet Mall too.  Castle Rock has homes from very affordable up to luxury estates.

Roxborough is a unique community located in the foothills.  Housing in this area is also diverse in price range.  The famous Roxborough State Park is nearby, featuring red rock formations so spectacular, National Geographic named it America’s Most Beautiful State Park. Golfers in the know will recognize the popular Arrowhead Golf Club.

The City of Lone Tree is also located in the northern part of Douglas County, adjacent to I-25.  This progressive community is fairly new as Cities go and has it’s own Mayor and City council to govern.  Lone Tree is the most convenient to Downtown Denver thanks to the RTD Lightrail Station located at Lincoln St.  This future “GoBurb” community enjoys the convenience of suburban living with clean and reliable public transportation.

Price ranges of homes are

Douglas County 2009 2010 Change
New Listings 1,128 1,210 +7.3%
Sold 225 294 +30.7%
Median Sold Price* $265,000 $291,500 +10.0%
Average Sold Price* $314,557 #335,457 +6.6%
Percent of Sold Price to List Price* 96.6% 97.1% +0.5%
Total Days on Market 115 108 -5.9%
Active Listings NA 2,853 –
Pending Sales** NA 52 –

Photo Credits: Kristal Kraft taken of Parker home with a view of Pikes Peak in the distance.

Credits: Colorado County map and Statistics from Forbes.com

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Homes for Sale in Denver Face Scams from Craigslist…Still.

By Kristal Kraft Denver Realtor | Published: March 9, 2010

Denver Real Estate Report

If It’s To Good to Be True, It’s Probably Not True!

Today I received two calls to rent a property I have for sale.  The property is being advertised FOR SALE in many places, including Craigslist.

I informed the first caller that the property was for sale not rent.  I hung up assuming he made a simple mistake in reading the ad wrong.  It happens all the time.

The second call came several hours later, from the sound of her voice it was a young female who was a tad agitated.  She wanted to know why she found my listing for rent for $800 and for sale.  I calmly informed her the property was for sale and NOT for rent.  I don’t know why she’s finding it for rent as this was not true.

We hung up.

Then it hit me, like a ton of bricks.  She probably wasn’t crazy, she was  finding this property For Rent, only trouble it wasn’t a legit rental.  It’s a scammer.

Rental scam these days are quite common.  In fact it’s been a problem for Craig’s List for a long time.  Guess there must be some trusting, gullible people who are willing to wire their money to faraway lands, just because they are told to do so.

If you Google search for Craigslist Scam you will find in part the following information:

You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:

  • DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON – follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist.
  • NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service – anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.
  • FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
  • CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer “buyer protection” or “seller certification”
  • NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
  • AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL “GUARANTEE” YOUR TRANSACTION.

Renters please pay attention.  Only you can protect yourself.  Use some  common sense, don’t blindly trust people, research the property, be sure you are dealing with the owner or a  representative of the owner.

Consider this a public announcement, pass it on, spread the word.  Have experience with similar issues?  Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you.

OH! If you know anyone who wants to BUY a great house, here’s a very cool one to look at!

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Interactive Colorado State Tax Website

By Kristal Kraft Denver Realtor | Published: March 8, 2010

Denver Real Estate News – Colorado State Tax

Colorado residents will be happy to know they can now track now much taxes they pay AND where the money goes!  The Colorado Department of Treasury has unveiled a very cool new website call Tax Tracks.

First start with adding in your Annual Adjusted Money Income, click continue and colorful pie charts will show you where and what your money is spent on.

Colorado State Taxes – Consumer Friendly Facts

The information doesn’t end with the pie charts.  Click on a “type of tax” and a description of that tax is provided.

For instance, it’s very nice to know that Colorado has a “flat income tax” and is only one of seven states in the U.S. that does!  Colorado Income Tax is 4.6% of your modified federal taxable income, regardless of your income level.

How is Your Colorado State Tax Money Spent?

The average amount of state income taxes paid in Colorado was $2,027, so you can compare your tax bill to the average.

Following the trail of information, you can also vote on whether you feel each category of tax allotment is the 1) right amount 2) too little 3) too much.

I must admit it really gets one to thinking of our taxes in a different way.  Which one of these services would you be willing to live without?  Any?  Which one of these services needs moderating by you?

Education receives the highest amount of our taxes, is it delivering the results we want?

Of course these questions can only be answered by you.  I know for a fact the quality of our education has directly related to property values.  The better the school district, the stronger the neighborhood/property values are.  Oops, off on a tangent here!

Colorado State Tax Resource for Denver Relocation Personnel Too

Kudos to the Colorado State Treasurers Department and the good folks who have developed this interactive tool.  I see many uses for it, not just residents, but people relocating to Metro Denver too!  It’s a perfect tool for comparing the cost of living from one State to the next.

Since my business is selling Denver real estate, I’m delighted to find this resource as my job just got easier!

Thank you Colorado!

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Purchasing a Home Today Makes Cents!

By Kristal Kraft Denver Realtor | Published: March 7, 2010

Denver Real Estate Report

OK you read the title and now you think I flunked 3rd grade spelling!  Actually the title says exactly what I want it to say!  If you are in the market to purchase a home, do it now because in a few weeks, April 2010 to be exact the cost of purchasing a home is going up.

  1. FHA MIP (upfront mortgage insurance premium) increases from 1.75% to 2.25% of the loan amount.
  2. Seller contributions to the buyer will be cut in half!  Where once 6% was allowable now only 3% is allowed.
  3. Buyers must have a FICO score of 580 or better to qualify for the 3.5% down payment, which makes getting an FHA loan so attractive.

This isn’t the first time I’ve talked about the FHA Guidelines changing.  Every aspect of real estate has been going through dramatic changes, from lending guidelines to appraising practices.  We are all learning how best to deal with the changes so the consumer is not left out in the cold.

Denver Home Purchase is Possible

Home ownership is very possible for those who have maintained their credit standing, avoid excessive debt and save for a down payment.  It all makes sense.

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Tools of Technology Assist Relocation to Denver

By Kristal Kraft Denver Realtor | Published: March 4, 2010

Moving to Greater Denver area may not hold so much mystery as it once did.  From the comfort of our easy chair we can surf the ‘net viewing homes inside and out.  Property searches yield so much information with just a click of the mouse; school accountability scores, neighborhood demographics, crime statistics, taxes, etc.

Google Street View is Great for Denver Relocation!

Now Google has taken the information explosion even further with Google Street View.  If you want to get the “feel” of driving down the street visit maps.google.com type in an address and click.  If you have used an address located in the Greater Denver area, you will find most of the streets have a visual, just like driving down the street!

Neighborhood Photos Help When Moving to Denver!

Note the little “yellow” pegman situated on the in the upper left corner.  Dragging him onto the map will turn the streets blue, indicating there are user generated photos of the area.  Amazing as it sounds, many photographers (just regular folks like you and me)  are now publicly sharing their photos with geo tags sending info to Google for viewing on these maps.  The photos are garnered from photo sharing sites like Flickr and Picassa.

I love the interactivity that enables us to quickly determine if a neighborhood might work.  Of course the Street View photography results are sometimes less than wonderful.  I looked up my own house only to be disappointed that the Google guys drove by on trash day!  Now my house will forever be adorned with the lovely green mini-dumpster I so love looking at!

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