Companies Adding Jobs to Denver

New Jobs Denver Area

All of us know someone who is unemployed or “in transition” I am going to be tracking companies that are bringing jobs to the Denver Metro Area. I hope you find this of value and if you know of any companies coming to the Denver Metro Area I would encourage you to add a comment!

Dish Network plans on adding 250 new jobs to the Denver area: visit http://www.dishnetwork.com/ or

http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/03/16/daily65.html

Ascent Solar plans to add 200 new jobs to Thornton headquarter : visit  http://www.ascentsolar.com/index.php

http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/03/23/daily26.html

ICF International a global consulting firm opened a new office in DTC this month: visit http://www.icfi.com/ or

http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/03/16/daily54.html

Schwab to add 500 jobs in Douglas County: visit https://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/home/welcomep.html?src=nay or

http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/01/12/daily55.html

KeyBank plans on opening 8 more branches in 2009 visit: https://www.key.com/index.html or

http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/01/12/daily18.html

Oncure brings 40 new jobs to Denver visit: http://www.oncure.com/ or

http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2008/11/10/story13.html

Marco’s Pizza opened its first Colorado location in Broomfield and plans on opening 46 new stores in the next few years, visit: http://marcos.com/ or

http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/03/09/daily71.html

Vesta’s Wind Systems broke ground on two new manufacturing plants in Brighton this month visit: http://www.vestas.com/

http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/search/results.html

Renewable Energy Systems America is moving its headquarters to Broomfield and may be adding 70 jobs in the next few years visit: http://www.res-group.com/careers/vacancies/usa.aspx

http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2008/03/24/daily23.html

Visit www.coloradosells.com to search Denver Area Properties or for Relocation information

Buyers are Fluttering About!!!!

by Courtney Nelson

The perfect combination of home buying factors is bringing home buyers out in groves the last few weeks. Interest rates remain low, down payment requirements are 3.5% minimum and there are still some down payment assistance programs available. These factors along with great real estate values and the high interest in short sales and lender owned homes has turned our cold market to hot. Those of you looking to purchase lender owned homes or short sales be ready to compete with multiple offers. We think that we may see the supply of  homes go up in April for 2 reasons. Sellers love to list early spring and the governments moratorium on foreclosures may be up in April so the foreclosures that were on hold may be coming back on the MLS as short sales. One tip to keep in mind is most homes are selling between 96 and 98% of asking(last listed price) and some short sales and lender owned are getting at the lowest 90% of asking but more often they are getting between 95 and 98% of asking, and we will see that percentage go up as we see more people competing for offers.

visit www.coloradosells.com to search the MLS or for more real estate information

Interest Rates Should Be Dropping

by Jocelyn Predovich

Interest Rates SHOULD be Dropping!

 

The fed announced yesterday that it will buy $750 billion in mortgage backed securities along with keeping the fed funds rate between 0-.25%.  They also announced their plans to purchase an additional $300 billion in longer term treasury debt, totaling their investment to over $1.25trillion.

 

For those of you thinking about refinancing, get ready!  This is what you’ve been waiting for.

 

If you’ve already spoke to me regarding refinancing, I will be in touch with you once rates hit your “target rate”.  Feel free to email me for an update, if you don’t hear from me.

 

For those of you who have a target rate in mind, email me the rate you’re waiting for, so I can keep you properly updated.

 

Getting preapproved requires a 10 minute phone call.  Feel free to call Jocelyn Predovich Licensed Mortgage Consultant 303-325-3578 or email her at jocelyn@limetreelending.com, to discuss this opportunity.

Market Statistics for Feburary for Denver Metro Real Estate

by Courtney Nelson

Real Estate statistics for condos and single family homes FEB. 2009:

• Homes under contract is up 50% from Febuary 2008
• The average and median sold prices are still down about 14% from 2008 (largely due to popularity of lender owned and short sale homes)
• Our months supply of inventory (which is the amount of active homes compared to the rate of absorbtion) is down 39% from Feburary 2008. This is a great indication that our market is balancing out we are moving rapidly to a sellers market. Our months supply is about 6.5 months and a shift to a sellers market is between 5-7 months. A year ago we had 11 months supply.

For more market information or to search the for Denver Area Real Estate visit www.coloradosells.com or call Courtney at 720-210-7377

Down Payment Assistance for First Time Homebuyers

Finally some relief for those first time home buyers who have no money available for the minimum down payment requirements!

Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) launched new home loans and financial partnerships to help clients in the current economic climate.  More specifically, for first time home buyers without money for a down payment, CHFA is now providing a down payment option.   CFHA will provide up to 3% of the loan amount towards the down payment or closing costs.  Currently the minimum down payment is 3.5% on a FHA loan, so at a minimum clients will be required to provide $1000-2000 towards their purchase.  

Additionally, Douglas County Housing Partnership has launched a Shared Equity Program, providing up to 20% towards down payment monies!  To be eligible for this program you must either be working and have worked in Douglas County for 1 day or have lived in Douglas County for 1 year and be purchasing a home in Douglas County.

Both programs have specific guidelines surrounding the maximum household income per family.  Please call  or email Jocelyn Predovich, Licensed Mortgage Consultant at Limetree Lending Group for more details.  Phone:  303-325-3578  or jocelyn@limetreelending.com

What the Stimulus Means for Colorado Real Estate

by Courtney Nelson

Stimulus Package and Real Estate:There are new exciting opportunities for buyers because of the recent Economic Stimulus Bill. These opportunities combined with great home prices and low interest rates makes it a perfect time for many homebuyers. First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit: Any homebuyer who has not owned a home or not owned a home in the last three years qualifies for a tax credit up to $8,000. This applies to any home that is purchased between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2009. The credit you can receive is based on your tax liability so if you owe taxes each year you will owe less. If you receive money back at tax time this would be part of your refund. Please check with me and your accountant for more information.

FHA Loan Limits Increased: FHA loan limits have just been increased to $406,000 for the Denver Metro Area and $460,000 for Boulder. Previously the limit was $368,000. FHA loans are available to all buyers not just first time home buyers. Here are a few of the reasons FHA loans are an excellent option for any buyer: • FHA allows buyers to provide a 3.5% down payment to purchase a home • FHA charges less mortgage insurance than conventional loans. If you put less than 20% down you will owe mortgage insurance. • FHA interest rates are a ¼% lower, on average, than conventional products • No prepayment penalties on FHA loans and the loans are assumable • Easy streamline refinances are available • FHA requires a lower credit score with a minimum of 580 to qualify • You can have a co-signer on your loan in order to qualify and can also receive gift money from a relative for a down payment Information provided by Jocelyn Predovich with Limetree Lending 303-325-3578 Market Update Our local Denver Area real estate market continues to get great press for being one of the least effected real estate climates in the United States. According to Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, “All 20 metro areas are reporting negative monthly and annual rates of change in home prices. Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego and Washington are reporting a relative improvement in year-over-year returns, in terms of lesser rates of decline than last month’s values.” Denver’s annual decline was only 4% where most cities saw an average of 19% decreases. This is great news! In January the number of homes under contract in the Denver Area was up 50% from last January and homes are spending less time on the market. We had 11 months inventory of active homes for sale in January 2008 and now have half of that at 6 months supply of inventory. We continue to move towards a more balanced market.

Trends ~ Buyers still are drawn to the short sale and lender owned properties. Here is a breakdown of what these two types of sales are. Short Sales: These properties are homes that a seller has either defaulted on or owes more than the home is worth. They usually are still occupying the property but may have a looming foreclosure date set. Realtor’s can help sell these homes as a short sale while working with the bank to negotiate an offer that is less than the loan amount. Lender Owned: A bank has become the owner of this home because a homeowner lost their home to foreclosure. These homes are popular because the bank is the only party on the other side. Because of their popularity buyers often find themselves in a bidding war. Both short sales and lender owned properties are great opportunities for buyers. Feel free to contact me for more details on the buying process.

Visit www.coloradosells.com for more info or to search all Denver Area Properties