Posts Tagged ‘Springs Real Estate’

Homes Colorado Springs- The best Place to Live!

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

Colorado Springs has been rated as one of the best places to live in all of the United States. And if you look at its natural beauty, its booming tourist industry, and its beautiful year round weather, it is easy to see why. Each year, many of Americans decide to set up home in Colorado Springs. If you are considering doing the same, this article is for you. Throughout, we will discuss the three steps that you need to follow to find your dream homes Colorado Springs.

The first step that you need to take when searching for homes in Colorado Springs is to find a real estate agent. When looking for an agent, you want to choose one that is located right in Colorado Springs. After all, if you are looking for your dream home, you want someone who is familiar with the area. A Colorado Springs real estate agent will be able to guide you, step by-step, in your search for the perfect home.  The best part about choosing a Colorado Springs agent is that they will be familiar with the area, being able to provide you with any information that you need. A Colorado Springs agent will be able to tell you where the best schools are, where the safest areas are, where the best family neighborhoods are, as well as anything else that you need to know.

Once you have found an agent, you can begin looking for houses. In looking for the right house, it is important to tell your agent what you are looking for in a home. Tell them both the things you need and the things you want. Do you need a 3 bedroom home? Are you hoping to find a home with a pool? Is a garage a necessity? The more you can tell your agent about what you are looking for, the better they will be able to narrow down the search for you. When looking for your home in Colorado Springs, your real estate agent can help you find homes, but you also have the opportunity to search yourself. Ask your agent for their MLS website so that you can explore Colorado homes on your own time.

Once you have found a home you like, the final step is the purchase. Before you purchase, however, it is important to have an inspector go through the home. Most homes that you find will be in great condition, but there is the odd home that will have problems that may be unnoticeable to the untrained eye. An inspector can help to ensure that you won’t run into any unforeseen problems after purchasing the house. If the inspector goes through and gives you the thumbs up, it is time to make your purchase. Your Colorado Springs real estate agent will help you to negotiate the price, after which you can sign and date the paperwork!

If you are looking for homes Colorado Springs area, begin searching for a real estate agent today. A Colorado Springs agent will be able to tell you everything you need to know to help you find the perfect house and perfect location for your new home.

The Advantage of MLS for Colorado Springs Real Estate

Sunday, May 8th, 2011

Colorado Springs has been fortunate in that it has not witnessed the big swings that other markets have had. Colorado Springs has been lucky enough to have a slow, stable and strong growth in its housing market. In fact, Colorado Springs has had an average growth rate of 7% since 1992 and has not had the massive declines that other parts of the country have experienced.

However, there is a down side to the housing market in Colorado Springs. Property owners have been looking for brokerage options in selling their homes. The frequency of homes in the Colorado Springs area being bought and sold is exponentially more significant compared to the national average. This is due to the fact that there are many military related jobs as well as a mobile workforce associated with companies such as HP and Boeing. Since homeowners aren’t usually a fixture to the years of appreciation that properties accumulate, the high brokerage commissions are severely felt. Sellers therefore believe that their only alternative is to skip agent fees altogether by putting their property up as For Sale by Owner. However, there are other alternatives available, one of which is to utilize a flat fee listing on the Multi Listing Service (MLS).

Often times, listings are sold by buyers’ agents who sometimes work with a listing agent. Whether the listing agent sells directly to the buyer or works with the buyers’ agent, the commission rate is typically the same. Even when the buyer did not have an agent, the seller may not see any savings.

A MLS listing allows the seller to see some profit as the agreement with the listing agent is to list the property for a small, flat fee. The seller is responsible for showing the property and handles negotiations with the agent as the middleman. If the buyer’s agent is responsible for the sale, only the buyer’s agent is paid but the listing agent is not paid at closing. If a seller finds some aspects of selling a house difficult, a MLS broker can agree to take on additional functions for more money at closing but this is usually less than 1%.

Other than savings on commission payments, a huge benefit to using MLS for selling property in Colorado Springs is the effective exposure. Buyers and their agents can find data with MLS feeds and internet sites. A for sale sign is never sufficient in pulling in interested house hunters, especially, given the fact that many of them are not residents of Colorado Springs.

The MLS for Colorado Springs outreaches to neighboring areas such as Woodland Park, Falcon and others. Sellers are finding that the flat fee MLS listings offer is effective in selling anything from an urban to suburban property and a single family home to a condominium. No matter the type of property, the fact that a seller can save money by avoiding those steep commissions as well as gaining exposure to buyers, makes this alternative the best to hiring a broker. It is expected that more and more sellers will use this medium in the future.