So if you’ve been thinking about buying a house (condo, townhouse, duplex, etc.) but weren’t planning on putting any money down, the time to do that would be now. As in right now. Why? Because, according to the provisions of the “Housing Rescue Act”, no-down-payment loans will be disappearing. Actually, these types of loans have been gone for some time now, but there was a loophole. Up until now, there have been a handful of loan programs in which a 3% ... Read More

Today, President Bush signed the “Housing Rescue Bill.” So it seemed like as good a time as any to learn about it. There’s a lot to it, and a lot of fine print. But a couple of things stood out to me, as someone who represents buyers and sellers here in the real world: Foreclosure “rescue”: Homeowners facing foreclosure can refinance into low-cost fixed rate loans insured by FHA. But “can” is a tricky word. There are a lot ... Read More

I grew up in a Hutchinson. Many of you who grew up in Denver are nodding. For the rest of you, I’ll explain. Hutchinson Homes built houses here in the Metro Denver area from the 1950’s until the early ‘80’s. They built a lot of houses. If you’ve spent any time in Denver at all, you’ve seen a Hutchinson. They all look alike. Two bedroom windows, front door, picture window, garage. Mostly brick. Garage may be one ... Read More

I became a realtor right after I helped my parents move out of my childhood home. They had lived there for 40 years (almost to the day). They had reached a point where the house didn’t fit their needs any more. They wanted a new home with minimal maintenance. They didn’t want a condo or a townhouse or anywhere they had to share walls. They still wanted to have a yard. But they didn’t want to maintain it. ... Read More