Snuggle-Up! and Blog

SMS Listing Tour

One of the really great mortgage companies here in Colorado is Simplified Mortgage Solutions. Each month they have a listing tour. They rent a bus and carry anyone that would like to participate, off to see listings. Of course, if you want your listing on the tour, you must be on the bus.

It's also sponsered by Legacy Title, LLC. Legacy is located right downtown and we all meet there. We leave their office at 9:00 am and are back by 2:30 pm. They have give-aways and prizes on the bus. And breakfast and lunch are provided. Lunch is usually with a reputable builder. A great time is had by all. It gives you a chance to network with other Realtors, a chance to see what's available in today's market, and a chance to get exposure for your listing.

Here's a few photos from the December Listing Tour.

Leaving Home...

On the bus with Amy and Shauna of Simplified Mortgage Solutions.

Tracie of Legacy Title, LLC and Krystal of Simplified Mortgage Solutions

Pam of ERA-Shields.

On the route.

Pikes Peak view from the front of this MLS #455294 @ 3159 Blackwood Pl, Colo Spgs, CO 80920.

Interior shot of home.

Kitchen of same home.

Master bath.

Master Bedroom.

Another great view from the front of this listing.

From the bus on the way to the next listing.

Now we're out in the country...on our way to Kansas...LOL

The country in El Paso County is beautiful.

This is the view from the back deck of a listing on County Line Road. Magnificent.

This home was featured on this years Parade of Homes. The list price? $1.2M. The builder provided lunch for us at this home. Mmmm...Chilpotle burritos.

There were around 12 REALTORS(r) on the bus tour. Great exposure for your listing.

Who wouldn't love to live in this kitchen?

Another shot of the same kitchen.

The Master Bath is gorgeous in this home. Huge, beautiful.

The main level Master Bedroom. This home also has three bedrooms upstairs and two down, plus a recreation room.

What great fun this tour is. And it's put on by some very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable industry people.

If you'd like more information on any of these homes, or any homes in El Paso County, you can search the entire Pikes Peak Assn of REALTORS(r) Multiply Listing Service by clicking here.

Welcome to Northern El Paso County, Colorado! And welcome to the members and judges of the Club Chaos Winter Eye Candy Contest.

Let me "walk" you through my side of town. I live in Moument, CO. It's 10 miles north of Colorado Springs, which has approximately 500,000 people. And 50 miles south of Denver, the "big" city, with over a million people!

This is a tour of the northern end of El Paso County. Monument is rural and the north Colorado Springs is very suburban. Lots of homes in this area are not in the city limits. They are in the country, with all that country living holds...such as large ranches and horse property.

This photo was taken from the Woodmoor neighborhood looking across Interstate 25 at Mt. Herman. All the homes in this neighborhood are on at least 1/2 acre of land.

Looking east this month, December, the moon was very close, and a low-hanging Winter Moon. It was gorgeous. I think that little spec is Venus. Hellooooo out there!

This home is on a cul-de-sac, along with the home below, in the Colorado Springs neighborhood of Briargate. Oh my, can you imagine their electricity bill? Colorado Springs has a Coal Plant that generates energy. Coal trains run up and down the Front Range of the Rockies all day long.

This home, plus the previous one make quite a statement about their desires to be noticed by Santa and all other residents of the area. Amazing.

While on a listing tour, we visited a home on County Line Road and I thought this scene was so typical of Colorado that it just had to be included in this posting. It's looking north into Douglas County.

Most of the homes have this great view of Pikes Peak. Those that don't have a view are priced accordingly. This neighborhood is Pine Creek. It's at the north side of Colorado Springs and homes in this area are $450,000 and up to $1.5M.

Each year, the builder in El Paso and Teller County hold a huge Open House. It's called the Parade of Homes and you can see as many homes as you can possibly get to all day long or until you drop from exhaustion. The homes featured in the Parade are priced from $250,000 all the way up to $4M. This beauty is in the upscale community of Flying Horse. The golf course and club house alone are worth a purchase in Flying Horse.

Wouldn't I love to cook in this kitchen? Who wouldn't??? This is the $1.2M Parade of Homes Model in Flying Horse.

Here's a quick peak at the Master Bedroom, and the bathroom with it's 2 person shower.

Here's one of Colorado's most famous residents. It's Bull Elk. This photo was taken at the Rocky Mountain National Park during rutting season in September. This guy wouldn't stand still for the photo!

Here is his herd. They will mate with several doe(s) within a short time frame...if he can catch them! HA.

Colorado has over 300 days of sunshine each year. So, are you ready to move to Colorado yet??? We'd love to have you.

What defines a bedroom? Is it a room with a closet? A room with a window? A room with both? Or is it a room with two points of egress?

I've been taught that it's a room with two points of egress. That the room does not need a closet to be a bedroom. Many people have "wardrobes," you know, free standing pieces of furniture, some call them armories, that can be brought in.

So, what's a bedroom to you? Tell me what defination your board uses. I think there's a lot of controversy on this topic.

We Colorado Springs Tweeters recently met at a local restaurant...evidently there was some conversation I missed. So, I had to re-blog this one as it's really cute. Thank you Joel McDonald.

NAR's Letter to Congress. Please print out and send to your Congressman.

Subject: Reviving the real estate market must be the focus of a future stimulus bill

Dear Representative/Senator ???,

As a constituent and a Realtor, I ask that Congress focus any future stimulus package on reinvigorating housing markets. The current crisis is the result of problems in the nation's housing markets. Efforts to boost the economy must calm jittery real estate markets.

Earlier, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) proposed a 4-Point Housing Stimulus Plan that should be part of any new stimulus package. NAR's plan would:

• Make the $7500 first-time homebuyer tax credit available to all buyers and eliminate repayment requirements. The credit's limited availability and repayment requirement severely limit the credit's use and effectiveness.
• Make the 2008 FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan limits permanent. New rules for 2009 will reduce them. Now is not the time to limit mortgage affordability.
• Get the Treasury relief program back on track and target more funds to mortgage relief. Create a federal mortgage interest buy-down program to make below-market rates available and stabilize home prices.
• Permanently bar banks from engaging in real estate brokerage and management. The banks have proven they have enough to do to simply manage the loan process. Banks should not manage home sales and purchases.

Housing has always lifted our economy out of past economic downturns. It's imperative now to foster a housing recovery, so that the economy can recover. Thank you for your hard work.

Curb Appeal IS Primary - 4 Things You Can Do

 
Even in this weather, curb appeal is primary if you're trying to sell your home! Here is a list of things you can do to make your home more appealing in today's tough market.

1. Exterior Paint - Is your home fading a bit? Are there bare spots, or peeling paint? This is the first thing that a potential buy will notice. Do it yourself, or hire someone to do it. It will bring your appraisal in at a higher value.

2. Sidewalk - You wll need to removeanything that impeds walking, or viewing a clear path to the front door, such as plants, sticks, rocks, toys or uneven pavement. And especially snow and ice, as they can be safety hazards!

3. Driveway - Don't leave cars in your driveway! Whenever possible, keep the cars parked in the garage or parked away from the house. Remember: You want the buyer to see what's for sale - the house!

4. Spruce up the Entrance - Clean up and spruce up your front entrance. Paint the front door a nice red or green! You want to draw attention to it. Add flowers to the area, either in pots or in the ground. Make sure there are no toys, shoes, or other personal items near the front door or porch area. And NEVER, EVER plastic flowers.

This is just a short list of things you can do to help sell your home more quickly. I will post an other article, soon, on staging the inside of your home!

NAHREP Colorado Springs Christmas Party Photos 2008

The Colorado Springs Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) had their Christmas Party last night. We are a new chapter and this was our first party. I do believe everyone had a great time. We had a Salsa Dancing Teacher, a "White Elephant" gift exchange, some really food and desert at a no-host Sports Bar in town, Rhino's. And the most exciting of all...we raffled a Garmin Nuvee 200. (I didn't win. Rachelle Nardo did.)

Anyway, I did take lots of photos of the event. And thought you all might like to see them.

I left my silly mug out of this posting! Aren't you glad??

A Great Christmas Story

This isn't my work, it's one of thse emails that goes around. But it was so cute that I thought you all might enjoy t, too.

~ A Baby's Hug ~

     We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, 'Hi.' He pounded his chubby baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment.
     I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map.
     We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. 'Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,' the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, 'What do we do?' Erik continued to laugh and answer, 'Hi.'
     Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, 'Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek- a-boo.' Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk.
     My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.
     We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. 'Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik,' I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's 'pick-me-up' position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man.
     Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time.
     I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, 'You take care of this baby.' Somehow I managed, 'I will,' from a throat that contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, 'God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift.' I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, 'My God, my God, forgive me.'
     I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking, 'Are you willing to share your son for a moment?' when He shared His for all eternity.  How did God feel when he put his baby in our arms 2000 years ago?
     The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, 'To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children.' Sometimes, it takes a child to remind us of what is really important. We must always remember who we are, where we came from and, most importantly, how we feel about others. The clothes on your back or the car that you drive or the house that you live in does not define you at all; it is how you treat your fellow man that identifies who you are.
     It is better to be liked for the true you, than to be loved for who people think you are...'

Notes on a Recent Purchase (Or Getting to Know My Work):

My nephew works for a local auto dealer and was sweet enough to send one of his co-workers to me. The wanted to sell their home and purchase a new one.

The family was very nice; a couple and their 8 year old daughter. But, Mrs. Buyer was set on purchasing a new home build from one of our local builders. When you are that set on a particular builder and home, you loose all your negotiation power. I strongly urged her to check out other builders. And to facilitate that, I offered to take her around to them.

We visited over 30 different model homes. Probably 10 different builders, too. She found a home she liked and had it down between that home and the one she'd seen before I started helping her. In the end, she decided they liked the home I'd shown them best.

They made an offer, and I started the negotiations for them. They got the home and at a sizeable amount off the asking price, plus we got the builder to come in and finish the basement.

Mrs. Buyer and her family love their new home. All's well that ends well!