On February 26, 2010, Mountain States Business Brokers & Advisers joined Keller Williams Realty and Mountain States Business Brokers at Keller Williams was born - creating the largest and longest standing business brokerage in northern Colorado.
The Keller Williams philosophy and leadership is a perfect match for the Mountain States determination to provide only the highest level of ethical intermediary services on a win-win basis for buyers and sellers. Keller Williams knows how to do things right and we can bring that knowledge to bear on a greater array of transactions. The depth of business and industry knowledge available to our buyers and sellers is unmatched in the industry.
Whether engaged by a business owner to create and guide in exit planning and find and finance a suitable buyer, or by a buyer group to identify and assist in negotiating an acquisition, the full talent of the Mountain States Business Brokers at Keller Williams organization is available. Visit the website http://www.msbizbrokers.com to learn more!
Don’t miss Fort Collins’ Annual “Great Plates” event ~ it is right around the corner! From March 1st to the 14th, over 25 downtown restaurants will be offering fantastic $25.00 dinner specials for patrons. Enjoy a meal at one of our many fine downtown restaurants without breaking the bank!
“Great Plates” is produced by the Downtown Business Association. The first “Great Plates” event was held in March 2005 to celebrate the year Fort Collins was established ~ 1868 (that year restaurants offered dinner specials for $18.68). The event was so popular it became an annual affair.
This year’s event is extra-special as it kicks off our celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Old Town Square. “Great Plates” is a great way to support our local restaurants and celebrate the unique place we call home.
In March, Keller Williams Realty will be releasing the most recent KW Research Home Seller’s Survey. Below is a sneak peak of some of the great information that will be made available in the full report!
Pricing Research
Sellers who listed their home at the price originally recommended by their agent sold their home:
38 days faster: This would save a mortgage payment and taxes and insurance, for example: For a $200,000 home with a 20% down payment and 6.5% interest rate, the principal and interest alone would be $1,101*
For 2.25% higher: 2.25% of $200,000 is $4,500*
With 1 less price reduction: The average price reduction was $11,042.
* Averages based on national survey data. Actual dollar amounts are for example only.
Set the Stage
Is it worth it to stage your home for buyers?
The Keller Williams Realty Getting The Home Sold study found it typically took between 2-6 hours to stage a home and cost an average of $523, including the cost of a staging professional and items purchased or rented. So what is the benefit? The study found the average increase in list-to-sell in staged homes was 1.08%. For a $200,000 home, that translates to a net profit of $1,637 from staging. Well worth it!
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Source: Keller Williams Realty Research Getting the Home Sold, pulled 2/18/2010.
Mark your calendars: on Thursday, March 4th 9:00pm ET the Fort Collins/Loveland area will be featured on CNBC by Tom Brokaw as 1 of 15 ‘Best Retirement Cities.’ The feature is part of a two-hour documentary entitled “TOM BROKAW REPORTS: BOOMER$!”
Fort Collins/Loveland was selected because of the area’s wealth of outdoor activities, the youthful feel generated from Colorado State University, and affordable cost of living.
This isn’t the first time the area has been tapped as a great place to retire, below are other notable recognitions:
Top 10 College Towns for Grown-Ups: Kiplinger’s magazine - March 2007
City of Fort Collins selected as Top Retirement Spot: Where to Retire magazine - March/April 2005
“Top 5 Places to Retire”: MSN.com - July, 2003
Loveland/Fort Collins is the #1 Best Place to Reinvent Your Life: AARP Magazine - May & June 2003
Fort Collins, Colorado has received a distinctive national honor! The National Trust for Historic Preservation chose Fort Collins as 1 of 12 2010 Distinctive Destinations. Fort Collins was chosen because of the unique experiences the city has to offer visitors - from an evening in vibrant Old Town to exploring the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Vote for your 2010 Fan Favorite!
For the first time ever, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is allowing the public to choose a “2010 Fan Favorite” out of the 12 cities on the Distinctive Destinations list. Click here to vote for Fort Collins as the “2010 Fan Favorite!” Note that you will have to create a PreservationNation account…it is free. The competition is tough so vote now!
Fort Collins’ selection as a 2010 Distinctive Designation, along with past selections as Money Magazine’s best place to live, gives all the more reason to consider northern Colorado for relocation. Lori Juzak mentioned in a recent interview, “We LOVE it here, and are so glad we chose Fort Collins.” She also noted Fort Collins winning “best place to live reports” as part of her reason for checking out the area.
If you or someone you know is looking to relocate to the area, contact us today. We love the area and the people we serve!
On January 26th, Fort Collins Mayor Doug Hutchinson and City Manager Darren Atterberry presented the Fort Collins 2010 ‘State of the City’ address. If you were unable to watch live, you can still access the video at: www.fcgov.com/stateofthecity or click on the video link below:
Some of the recent city accomplishments:
The city recently launched Open Book which opens the City’s books up to you. Open Book is on the City website and it posts every dollar the City spends for the public to examine. The City of Fort Collins is one of the first in the United States to offer this level of information to its citizens. You can access the Open Book program at: http://www.fcgov.com/openbook/
Last year the city released Fort Collins’ first-ever community scorecard which reported progress in reaching community goals.
Fort Collins unemployment rate of 7% is lower than the state, and significantly lower than the national rate which hovers at 10%.
The Mason Corridor project has changed from a transportation project to an economic health initiative enabled by transit. The shift allowed the city to leverage approximately $60 million of federal funds and kick-start economic activity along the corridor.
Advanced Energy recently opened a new manufacturing facility in south Fort Collins to serve a growing demand for alternative energy products.
In 2006, the City was a driving force behind the creation of the Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster. Since its creation, clean energy jobs have increased by 19%. The 60-some businesses now within the cluster have set a goal to add an additional 1,650 new primary, clean-energy jobs over the next five years.
The federal government awarded FortZED $6.3 million to create a zero-energy district that extends from CSU’s main campus through downtown.
Through efficient buildings, lighting retrofits, increased recycling, and other efforts, the city reduced the city’s government operating expenses by $250,000 last year alone.
Looking Ahead
A reality the city is tackling head-on in 2010: the city does not currently have the resources to fund our well-defined needs in police, fire, transportation, and parks.
The city is working to diversify revenue, but sales tax is still their primary source. So, the city may need citizens to consider a sales tax increase this year.
The good news: our current city sales tax rate currently is the second lowest among comparable Front Range cities and our base sales tax rate has not been changed for almost thirty years. A penny sales tax increase would generate $20 million annually. It would add a dime to every $10 a consumer spends.
During the holiday season, the Fort Collins Board of Realtors (FCBR) engaged local Fort Collins real estate companies in a healthy competition to see which office could raise the most food and/or money for the Larimer County Food Bank. The Keller Williams Fort Collins office is excited to have earned three top awards in the competition:
Total Money Raised Winner by Office First PlaceAward in the 2009 FCBR food drive to benefit the Larimer County Food Bank
Top Winner by Office First Place Award in the 2009 FCBR food drive to benefit the Larimer County Food Bank
Total Money Raised by Staff Third Place Award in the 2009 FCBR food drive to benefit the Larimer County Food Bank
The Larimer County Food Bank is the only Feeding America clearinghouse for donated and rescued food in Larimer County. They were founded with the intent to avoid duplication of food collection and distribution efforts by non-profit agencies. You can learn more about the organization at: http://www.foodbanklarimer.org.
In total, the Keller Williams Fort Collins office generated 3,402 lbs of food for the food bank. Agent Nate Bainum, who spearheaded the Fort Collins office effort, said “I’m very proud to be part of KW. I believe that our participation for such a worthy cause speaks volumes about the caliber of people we have in our Family.”
2009 has drawn to a close and with that companies are busy reviewing their year-end performance and setting 2010 goals. If 2009 is any indicator, Keller Williams Realty has more than a few things to be excited about heading into the new decade.
In REAL Trends 2009 annual 500 report, Keller Williams dominated two important lists. First, of the major real estate companies studied, Keller Williams outpaced all others in the following categories: change in total # of sides, change in total # of offices, and change in total # of agents. See graph below:
Second, Keller Williams Realty brokers had the largest share of the market of transaction sides. See graph below:
Keller Williams Realty of Northern Colorado is optimistic about the year ahead. If you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell real estate, contact one of our Fort Collins Real Estate Agents today to get started!
Due to recent federal changes to their short sale guidelines, “short sales” may start living up more to their name.
A short sale occurs when a lender accepts less than a borrower owes on a loan. As part of the Foreclosure-Prevention Program, the government modified their short sale guidelines to make short sales more attractive alternatives to foreclosures. Short sales can frequently produce higher sales prices for distressed homes and are less harmful to communities than foreclosures. To-date, however, short sales have been cumbersome and difficult to complete.
The changes in guidelines are aimed to help distressed homeowners who are eligible for the loan modification program, but: Read the rest of this entry»
The Fort Collins North College Avenue landscape is rapidly changing. Ground has already broken on major construction projects concentrated at the intersection of College/Willox Lane. The overall plan for improvements, however, stretches from the southern intersection of College/Vine to the northern intersection of College/Willox.
The two main projects that have broken ground are the North College Marketplace and Union Place. The North College Marketplace is a 26-acre shopping center anchored by King Soopers. Businesses in the marketplace are anticipated to open doors for business in 2011. Union Place is a primarily residential project that covers 10 acres. The first homes are projected to be move-in ready by the end of 2010.
The underlying objective behind the North College Avenue changes are to improve the safety, operations and aesthetics of the area. To learn more about North College Avenue, you can visit the city website at: http://www.fcgov.com/northcollege.
When: March 1-14, 2010
Mark your calendars: on 
Fort Collins, Colorado has received a distinctive national honor! The National Trust for Historic Preservation chose Fort Collins as 
The Fort Collins North College Avenue landscape is rapidly changing. Ground has already broken on major construction projects concentrated at the intersection of College/Willox Lane. The overall plan for improvements, however, stretches from the southern intersection of College/Vine to the northern intersection of College/Willox.