Is your home ready to sell or do you need to do some repairs?  How’s the roof, the windows, carpet, etc.  This can be quite a challenge for people who just don’t have the money to put the cost into these repairs, and who need to sell.  Quite the dilemma.  This does effect the price that you will get for your home, however, there is still hope.

In Summit County, there are a lot of contractors and handyman available to do the work, but how do you pay them?  One possibility is that if you meet certain income requirements there could be programs available that provide free or low-cost home repairs. It may be worth your while to check with the Summit County housing authority to see if they have any programs that may assist you with this, or they might be able to point you in the right direction.  Another option is to approach a contractor and see if they are willing to do it at cost or for free in exchange for a legal document promising to pay when your home sells .  Other options are to negotiate trades, for example, if you own your own business or have a niche on something you do, offer do do a trade.  This seems to be quite popular in Summit County.

When your home is repaired and ready to sell, you will get a much better price and it will be more desirable to Buyers.

It is a good idea to talk to a Realtor and get an idea of what type of price you might get for your property without the repairs vs getting the repairs done.

For more information contact Leah Baxter,CRS,GRI  of The Baxter Mountain Team,  ReMax Properties of the Summit, Frisco, CO.  970-389-6367. leah@leahbaxter.com

 Sourced from: Kinetic Content Library

Did you know that according to the latest 2010 Census Bureau statistics, the population in Frisco is currently 2612. The population in Summit County is currently 27,239. The towns that comprise Summit County, Colorado consist of Breckenridge, Dillon, Keystone, Silverthorne, Copper Mountain .
There are approximately 3023 housing units, which include single family, duplex’s, town-homes, condos, and mobile homes. Out of the 3023 properties, only 972 are occupied, which means that 68% of our properties are not owner occupied. A majority of the these homes are owned by Second homeowners from all over the country.

The median household income for Frisco is $78,512, (the US is $62,363). One may think that property values are moderate, however, it is quite the contrary. The median value of a home in Frisco is $504,200 compared to the median value of a home in the U.S., which is $185, 400.
Our home values are 2.7 times higher than the national median value of a home.
The good news is our property values have not dropped. They have increased over the past 10 years and are remaining stable right now. For example, the median price of a home in Frisco in 2000 was $298,800. In a span of 10 years that is over a $200,000 gain. Have your stocks and other investments produced that? Now is a great time to buy, interest rates are low, prices have come down to 2005-2006 price points, and a lot of Seller’s are motivated! The following statistics are taken from the actual data of the Census Bureau 2010

OCCUPIED HOUSING UNIT CHARACTERISTICS: In 2005-2009, Frisco town had 970 occupied housing units – 610 (63 percent) owner occupied and 360 (37 percent) renter occupied. One percent of the households did not have telephone service and less than 0.5 percent of the households did not have access to a car, truck, or van for private use. Multi Vehicle households were not rare. Fifty-seven percent had two vehicles and another 22 percent had three or more.
HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS: In 2005-2009, Frisco town had a total of 3,000 housing units, 68 percent of which were second homeowners. Of the total housing units, 42 percent was in single-unit structures, 57 percent was in multi-unit structures, and 1 percent was mobile homes. Forty percent of the housing units were built since 1990.

The Types of Housing Units in Frisco town, Colorado in 2005-2009
Single-unit structures 42%
In multi-unit structures 57%
Mobile homes 1%
OCCUPIED HOUSING UNIT CHARACTERISTICS: In 2005-2009, Frisco town had 970 occupied housing units – 610 (63 percent) owner occupied and 360 (37 percent) renter occupied. One percent of the households did not have telephone service and less than 0.5 percent of the households did not have access to a car, truck, or van for private use. Multi Vehicle households were not rare. Fifty-seven percent had two vehicles and another 22 percent had three or more.

HOUSING COSTS: The median monthly housing costs for mortgaged owners was $1,777, nonmortgaged owners $550, and renters $1,361. Thirty-seven percent of owners with mortgages, less than 0.5 percent of owners without mortgages, and 35 percent of renters in Frisco town spent 30 percent or more of household income on housing.

Occupants with a Housing Cost Burden in Frisco town, Colorado in 2005-2009
Owners with mortgage 37%
Owners without mortgage 0%
Renters 35%

Percent paying 30 percent or more of income for housing
Source: American Community Survey, 2005-2009

COSTS: The median monthly housing costs for mortgaged owners was $1,777, nonmortgaged owners $550, and renters $1,361. Thirty-seven percent of owners with mortgages, less than 0.5 percent of owners without mortgages, and 35 percent of renters in Frisco town spent 30 percent or more of household income on housing.

Occupants with a Housing Cost Burden in Frisco town, Colorado in 2005-2009
Owners with mortgage 37%
Owners without mortgage 0%
Renters 35%

Percent paying 30 percent or more of income for housing
Source: American Community Survey, 2005-2009

Three years ago, Summit County Sellers had buyers lining up to buy their property.  They were getting top dollar and receiving a nice appreciation.

It isn’t a surprise that it is a  buyer’s market out there which is great news for buyers, not so great for sellers. Sellers are no longer in a position to dictate the rules of the game and have to be careful how they respond and counter to offers, due to the fact that if a buyer doesn’t get his way he might just move on to the next seller, and there are a lot of sellers out there.

Summit County is usually last to feel a recession and last to recover. Interest rates are still very low, and now is the time to get in the market for the buyer.

If you purchased your home in Summit County within the last few years, you should not expect to make any money if you sell today.  This is the type of market we are experiencing. The good news is, if you owned a home in another part of the Country, you would be fortunate if you didn’t have to take a loss on your home.  Also, if you purchased your home within the past 5-10 years, you will most likely be able to experience a return on your investment.  The problem that we see is the Seller’s still want more money back, if this is the case than hold on to your property for a few more years.

There are a few difficult things about being a seller today. A seller doesn’t know how long it will take to sell his home and when he gets a contract he can’t guarantee whether another one will come or not. What this means is that if a seller has to sell his home then he has to be wary of scaring the buyer away.

The inspection is one aspect of a contract where a seller can lose his shirt. If trying to sell your home it is a wise idea to have your home inspected before listing your home. This way you can make the necessary improvements and will avoid being surprised by unexpected requests. Because sellers are not in a position to capitalize on their real estate investment it is more important than ever to be on top of things, in order to retain as much value as possible.

An experienced Realtor is incredibly helpful in maneuvering a tricky real estate market, enabling a seller to evaluate his home, price it appropriately and sell it in a reasonable amount of time. For more information give Leah Baxter a call 970-389-6367 or if you would like a free market analysis leah@leahbaxter.com – www.leahbaxter.com for a list of all the properties available in Summit County.

Sourced from: Kinetic Content Library

"Great home for the first time home Buyer"

If you are thinking about using the extended and expanded home buyer tax credit to purchase a home this year you better act fast.  Now is the perfect time to get a great deal on a home in Summit County or surrounding areas. The tax credit can be used on homes purchased by July 1, 2010, but the homes must be under contract by April 30, 2010. The prices of Single Family homes and other types of properties (i.e. Condo’s, Duplexes, Town homes) have come back down to price points we were seeing in 2006.   You have a little more than a month to locate your new home. Check out the MLS on current listings in Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, Frisco, Silverthorne or Dillon.

What does this mean?  The tax credit is for two types of buyers, first time home buyers (home buyers who have not owned a home in the past 3 years) or home owners who have lived in their home for 5 of the past 8 years and want to purchase a new primary residence.
Important aspects of the tax credit include:

• Homes must be closed by July 1, 2010, under contract by April 30, 2010.
• Homes must have a value of $800,000 or less and must be the buyer’s primary residence.
• There are income restrictions, $125,000 for singles, $225,000 for couples.
• The credit is also affected by being single or married. Married couples who file together are entitled for up to $8,000 for a first home buyer, up to $6,500 for current homeowners. Single people are entitled for up to $4,000 for a first time home buyer and $3,250 for a current homeowner.
• The credit will need to be repaid if you sell your home within a time period of 36 months.

Leadville is only 30 minutes to Summit County and there is a perfect 3bd/2ba home for Sale for $230,000.  The Summit Stage runs between Copper Mtn. and Leadville for $5, so you don’t have to even worry about the commute.  What are you waiting for now is the time and it is  running out! Contact Leah Baxter,  or  email leah@leahbaxter.com at ReMax in Frisco  to start looking for your new home if you intend on using the tax credit.

Phone direct-970-389-6367

]]> http://blog.leahbaxter.com/2010/03/30/thinking-about-using-tax-credit-toward-buying-a-home-in-summit-county-colorado-act-fast/feed/ 0 http://blog.leahbaxter.com/2010/02/02/2009-sold-statistics-in-on-properties-in-summit-county-colorado/ http://blog.leahbaxter.com/2010/02/02/2009-sold-statistics-in-on-properties-in-summit-county-colorado/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:55:32 +0000 lbaxter http://baxter.realty-buzz.com/?p=141 Continue reading 2009 Sold Statistics in on Properties in Summit County, Colorado]]>

BRECKENRIDGE- The average price of a SF home sold  in Breckenridge was $1.34 million, price per sq. ft. was $327sq ft.  The avg. Sales price for a duplex was $956k  or $325 per sq. ft.. The avg. price of a condo sold was $576k  or $431 per sq. ft.   The avg. price of a Town home was $300k or $409 per sq ft. 

COPPER MOUNTAIN- The average price of  a SF home sold  was $1.5 million or $276 per sq. ft.   The average price of a condo was $504k or $365 per sq. ft. 

FRISCO- The average price of a SF home was $929k or $273 per sq. ft.  The average price of a Duplex was $769k or $248 per sq. ft. The average price of a condo was $448k or $289 a sq. ft.  The average price of a Town home was $1 million or $471 a sq. ft.

KEYSTONE- The average price of  SF home sold was $1.5 million or $352 per sq. ft. The average price for a condo was $500k or $346 per sq. ft.  The avg. price of a Townhome was $1.29 million or $268 per sq. ft. 

SILVERTHORNE/DILLON- The average price of a Single family home sold for $967k or $252 per sq. ft. The average price for a duplex was $638k  or $229 per sq. ft.  The average price of a condo was $332k or $289 per sq. ft.  The average price of a townhouse was $527k or $241 per sq. ft. 
The change of the average sales price from 09 vs 08 are as follows: Breckenridge was -3.2% , Frisco was -5.3%, Copper MT. was +2.8% , Keystone was +5.0% Dillon was -5.1%, Silverthorne and Wildernest were +0.5%.
These statistics were obtained from SAR’s MLS Database.  This information is believed to be accurate, but has not been verified.  Buyers and Sellers are cautioned to verify all information to their own satisfaction. 

If you would like a free Comparable Market Analysis of your property, please email me at leah@leahbaxter.com or call 970-389-6367.

The market in Summit County, Colorado which consists of Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mtn., Frisco, Dillon and Silverthorne ended up pretty well last year. 

The most expensive condo to sell in Summit County was $2.4 million. The Most expensive single family home sold for $5.5 million . There were 646 condominiums sold in Summit County with the lowest price of $122,500.

The lowest priced  non-modular home Single family  home sold for $300,000. A total of 324 Single Family homes sold in Summit County.  The average Sold price was $950,000 and the Median Sold Price was $755,000.  The percentage of Asking price was 95.7%.

The total number of residences sold was 1199.  The average sales price was $463,000 and the percentage of asking price was 96.5%.

Please visit my website www.leahbaxter.com or simple go to the MLS and search all properties available in Summit County.  Leah Baxter can be reached at 970-389-6367 for more information.

Now is a great time to buy in Summit County .  I know the news media is portraying doom and gloom for the housing market, however, they are basing their information on major cities.  We are not a major city.  We are a resort community.  People love the mountains to relax and play.  Our economy is not based on the national economy.  People choose to come in for fun or because they want to live in the mountains.

Interest rates are low,our prices are not going down, so don’t wait, because we are not in a housing bubble.  Our market continues to be strong and the sales prices continue to rise slowly, but steady. 

Source:  National Association of Realtors via Associated press:msnbc.msn.com & data research Associates. Believed to be accurate but not guaranteed.

Contact Leah Baxter at leah@leahbaxter.com or www.leahbaxter.com for more information on purchasing in summit county.  Search the Summit County MLS  free.