Increase in All-Cash Home Purchases

According to a recent report in Real Estate Economy Watch, nearly one out of three home sales in December 2011 went to buyers who paid all cash, adding credence to the belief that investors are key to the recovering real estate market.

The report was based on the findings from the Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey, which surveys approximately 2,500 real estate agents nationwide each month. According to the survey, in December, the overall proportion of cash buyers in the housing market surged to a record 33.2 percent, up from 29.6 percent a year earlier, and 74 percent of investors used all cash to buy homes. Investors accounted for 22.8 percent of home purchases in December 2011, up from 22.2 percent a month earlier.

RE/MAX Alliance Well-Positioned For Denver’s Economic Growth!

According to the Policom Corporation, a Florida based economic research firm, Denver has the nation’s third-strongest economy out of 366 metro areas analyzed across the country. Their report is based on two decades’ worth of jobs and income data. This is the highest ranking ever for Denver in Policom’s annual report, having moved-up from seventh place last year.

Policom’s report is based on 23 different economic factors from 1989 to 2008. Factors include wages and income broken down in a variety of ways, plus jobs in key sectors.

Among other Colorado cities, Policom’s report ranked Boulder 87th (up from 102nd last year); Greeley 88th (up from 150th last year); and Fort Collins/Loveland 103rd (up from 114th last year).

Statistics for Denver and the surrounding area show Single Family Homes and Attached Units are up by approximately 6.46% through May as compared to the same timeframe in 2009. The overall Absorption Rate has decreased from 192 days in 2009 to 189 days in 2010. (The Absorption Rate is the amount of time it would take for ALL the Available Inventory to sell assuming the rate of sales activity remained the same and no new listings came into the marketplace.)

“Home values continue to improve across the area, and the statistics show that the real estate market overall is improving”, said Chad Ochsner, Broker Owner of RE/MAX Alliance. “Our professional and experienced associates continue to rank in the top 25 of all real estate companies in the nation, which is a great indicator of not only their commitment to their clients, but also of greater consumer confidence. Our associates have unique tools to assist home buyers and sellers and so are well positioned throughout Denver and the entire Front Range to assist buyers and sellers”, he added.

A Positive Colorado Perspective

I Dream of Denver: If you jumble together the five most popular American metro areas - Denver, San Diego, Seattle, Orlando and Tampa - you get an image of the American Dream circa 2009. These are places where you can imagine yourself with a stuffed garage - filled with skis, kayaks, soccer equipment, hiking boots and boating equipment. These are places you can imagine yourself leading an active outdoor lifestyle. Read More Here

Homebuilders a bit more upbeat: Index shows that builders were slightly more optimistic in February compared to January. Read More Here

Colorado foreclosures fall in 2008 for 1st time in years: Colorado foreclosure activity fell last year for the first time since the state began collecting data in 2003, according to a report released Monday by the Colorado Division of Housing. Read More Here

S&P: Denver had smallest 2008 home-price decline of 20 U.S. cities: The monthly S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices said average prices of existing homes in Denver fell 4 percent between December 2007 and December 2008, less than any of the other 19 cities in the report. Read More Here

Weld stands tall among nation's agriculture counties: LA SALLE - Despite encroaching suburbia, Weld County this year remains among the top 10 places in the nation in agricultural production. A federal census report conducted every five years ranks Weld as the No. 8 agricultural county nationally, with a market value for its products at $1.54 billion. Read More Here

Denver Zoo earns environmental recognition: The Denver Zoo has become the first zoo in the United States to earn an ISO-14001 certification for the entire zoo. The certification is the international standard for environmental management systems. The certification by NSF International is considered an honor, Denver city officials said today. Read More Here

Denver ranks 7th on EPA list of most energy-efficient buildings: Denver ranks No. 7 among U.S. cities with the most buildings rated highly energy efficient by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under its "Energy Star" program. Read More Here

Thanks to Andrea Croasdell, Land Title

acroasdell@ltgc.com

for compiling these articles.

HomesInColorado.com Website Statistics Posted to File Downloads

As you know, RE/MAX Alliance publishes a website statistics flyer every quarter. According to alexa.com, homesincolorado.com users view 6.2 pages on each visit, more than double the average of our local competitors in page view rankings.

From September 2008 through January of 2009, homesincolorado.com received an average of 9.700 weekly visitors.

Download the flyer for your marketing by visiting File Downloads on your Agent Control Panel or click here.

Market Musings - Denver's Better Market Position

Posted from http://samuelsonassoc.com/

The media are picking up on Denver’s better market position... more stories about falling inventory, stronger sales at the low end, fewer foreclosures. ... About how likely we are to hold our value, and that investors are taking new interest in opportunities here. Last week the Associated Press did a piece about families packing up and moving here from California ... and the week before that, The New York Times ran a story suggesting Denver may be poised to ‘ride-out’ the national recession....

We don’t have to play Pollyanna... but we should be going out of our way to convey that optimism to our customers right now. We don’t have to fabricate ... just pass on the truth about our market situation. While working with clients and other builders and Realtors, I’m always coming across stories that strike me as remarkable, particularly in contrast with low expectations in other parts of the country. Most successes are at the lowest price range, where inventory has declined fastest ... but there are good reasons to expect that the better market will creep upward.

Have you checked out our web site DenverTomorrow.com?... For six months, www.DenverTomorrow.com has been broadcasting positive news about the Colorado market ... some from our clients, some from the growing number of stories in the business press. Clients of Samuelson & Associates get their stories and events covered on Denver Tomorrow as part of our services...no charge. And we’re ready and anxious to pick up on stories from outside that reflect all that’s happening here.

DenverTomorrow.com has news about Colorado housing... about the activity in renewable energy and energy conservation ... about mountain resort real estate ... master-planned development ... the growing number of new-urban projects around Denver ... about living in the city ... and the strength of new transportation and aerospace in Colorado. When we see a story in the local or national media about what’s happening, we link to it.

Link your own web site to DenverTomorrow.com... It’s a good way to create synergy and attract attention to all that’s going on. Meanwhile, let us know how we can help you take advantage of what the market offers now...and be well positioned as it gets better. It may be a better defined advertising campaign, linked to press/public relations and advertorials. It may be a new approach to your use of media, taking advantage of low advertising rates this year. It could be a toning up of your web presence...better copy and graphics, stronger sales points, clearer about your strengths.

We’ve helped clients through markets like this before! Call us ... or write us at mark@samuelsonassoc.com

2008 RE/MAX Alliance Statistics Posted

The final numbers are in for 2008 and RE/MAX Alliance Associates deserve the praise! Congratulations to all of our associates who, in a challenging market, are persisting in creating valuable relationships with buyers and sellers.

In 2008, RE/MAX Alliance associates closed more than 11,000 transaction sides at an average of 13.5 sides per agent. All total, RE/MAX Alliance Sales Volume for 2008 was an impressive 2.8 Billion Dollars.

The 2008 Statistics Flyer is available on your Agent Control Panel under File Downloads -> Marketing Pieces or you can download it here: 2008 Statistics

RealtyTrac - Third Quarter Foreclosure Report

- U.S. Foreclosure Activity in 2008 was up 81 percent from 2007

- More than 2.3 million properties received at least one foreclosure filing during the year
- Nevada, Florida, Arizona, California and Colorado posted top 5 state foreclosure rates
- Stockton, Calif., Las Vegas, and Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., posted top 3 metro foreclosure rates
- The year ended with a 17 percent monthly surge in activity in December, driven largely by California NODs

To read the full report,

click here to download the PDF

.