Fort Collins Back To School Information

If you area relocating to Fort Collins, you may be feeling a little pressure to get your children ready for the start of school. Don’t worry though, Fort Collins is an amazing place to raise a family, and the award wining Fort Collins school district, the Poudre School District, will be right there with you to ensure your children have a smooth adjustment to their new Fort Collins neighborhood and settle into a great routine.

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The number one question I get asked is “How is the Fort Collins real estate market doing?” My answer? It depends on what you are using as the definition of “good and great”.

Fort Collins, Colorado Real Estate Market Snapshot

Currently, the average price of Fort Collins homes for sale is $212,500-which is down 1.1% from last month, but up a small amount overall from the all time low 2 years ago, higher than the median sale price this time last year by almost .1%, just below the average sales price from 5 years ago and 50% higher than the average sales price 10 years ago.

But does that mean the market has turned around? That everything is better now? Not by a long shot. There are still quite a few foreclosures out there-and those in and of themselves cause a drop in market prices, sales, and value, sadly because many foreclosures get trashed-cabinets, kitchens and carpet getting ripped out is a prime example- before the bank takes over the real estate.

Currently there are 315 Foreclosed Fort Collins homes for sale, with a median price of $207,000. One good sign? The average foreclosure sales prices is up 10.9% from last month-meaning the majority of the ones on the market right now probably were not trashed-or at least are in good working order to hold onto a fair market price comparable to other homes in the area. That is an excellent sign the market is starting to pick back up.

Fort Collins Real Estate Mortgage Values

Another factor that can tell you a lot about how a local market is doing? The real estate mortgage rates. Right now, the Colorado Mortgage Rates are as follows:

• 15 year fixed today: 4.603% last week: 4.571%
• 30 year fixed today: 5.184% last week: 5.181%
• 1 Year ARM today3.348% last week: 3.322%
• 3/1 Year ARM today: 3.458% last week: 3.437%
• 5/1 Year ARM today: 3.433% last week: 3.417%

So while it is obvious the rates are going up, they have not had a dramatic spike in quite some time-and bear in mind that the rates can and do change daily, so always make sure you check with your lender on the best possible rate you can get.

Buying Fort Collins Real Estate

Wading through all of the mortgage information out there-and figuring out what type of mortgage and rates are the best fit for you, your finances, and your future can be a lot to take in and digest. After all, learning it, keeping up with it, and studying it is part of my full time job!

So if you ever have questions, need or want to know more, or would just like to discuss the market, feel free to contact me Jason Humpal, your Northern Colorado real estate agent, anytime.

Until next time,
Jason

It is time for a Fort Collins real estate market update. If you have been following the ever changing Northern Colorado real estate market, then you know the last year has been a bit of a roller coaster for Fort Collins home sellers (and Fort Collins home buyers!)

Fort Collins Homes For Sale

There is good news to report though from the Federal Housing Finance Agency-for the first time in a  long time, Colorado, as a whole, is at a .03 percent price appreciation for the year and ranked 9th on their list for year-over-year price appreciation.  Judging by my data, (along with the data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency)  it looks like the appreciation rates for our area will be close to 6.87 over the next 5 years-putting us back in the positive.

What does that mean for Fort Collins real estate buyers?

That means that Fort Collins home owners-who saw their home prices plummet when the housing bubble nation wide popped-will finally see the prices of their homes start to exceed the values they held before the bubble popped. It is a great trend to start seeing and we can hope that everything holds strong in the new year as the economy levels out.

It also means that anyone buying a Fort Collins property at the prices they hold now has great potential of gaining a lot of equity in their homes as the values go back up over the next 5 years.

Northern Colorado Real Estate Area

If you are interested in learning more about Loveland real estate, or the Fort Collins area, browsing the Northern Colorado MLS or our Fort Collins Featured Listings, simply contact me, Jason Humpal, your Century21Humpal Northern Colorado real estate expert.

Until next time,

Jason

Fort Collins Colorado real estate market saw a 2.9 increase in sales, putting the market only 1 point down from where it was a year ago. As you can see, October gave us an increase of 41.5% from last year; exciting news all around for Fort Collins home buyers. You can take a closer look at the Fort Collins Market in our table below:

Fort Collins Real Estate

More good news for anyone searching the Northern Colorado MLS for Fort Collins homes for sale: The senate has passed a bill to extend the Home Buyer’s Tax Credit through April 30, 2010. So if you are interested in learning more about the Fort Collins area, Loveland, CO, or Northern Colorado neighborhoods, contact me, Jason Humpal, your Fort Collins real estate expert.

Until next time,

Jason

Northern Colorado Area Information

Great news for Northern Colorado home buyers and residents: Unemployment is going down. The Greeley statistical area has dropped from 8.1 in August to 7.5 for September. the Fort Collins and Loveland area also saw a similar decline, going from 6 percent unemployment to 5.6 percent. On top of the unemployment going down, the work force numbers have gone up, bringing really great news for the Northern Colorado real estate market.

Northern Colorado Real Estate Information

The Northern Colorado area includes many wonderful communities, including: Greeley, Windsor, Loveland, Fort Collins, Wellington, Johnstown, Longmont,Berthoud, Firestone, Frederick, and Platteville. Read more about why Northern Colorado is a great place to raise a family and search the Northern Colorado MLS home search and request our Northern Colorado relocation guide. For any and all questions about Northern Colorado real estate, simply contact me, Jason Humpal, your expert Northern Colorado Realtor.

Until next time,
Jason

If you are in the position to buy a Fort Collins area home, and the time is right for you to buy Loveland property, then you have a little over a month left to take advantage of the $8,000 first time home buyers tax credit.

But wait, you say? We have until Nov. 30, 2009, right?

Yes and no. You have until Nov. 30th to be closed on a Loveland, CO area property, and to do that you will need to get the Fort Collins home buying process started soon.

That means you have to find a Fort Collins home for sale, make an offer (or two or three counter offers), get inspections, get the Loveland, CO real estate appraisal (which might come in low, probably sending you back to the offer table), check Fort Collins, CO property titles (perhaps clear titles), get your Fort Collins, CO real estate loan approved, get the loan money on time, and get all problems found during the inspection fixed. All before Nov. 30th.

By Nov. 30th, you must have the house keys in your hand in order to take advantage of the tax credit, so the sooner you start the Loveland area home buying process, the better.

Search Loveland Homes for Sale

An expert Loveland, CO Real Estate Agent will try to foresee all the potential problems that could arise in the process of buying a Fort Collins real estate home, but there always things that could arise that are beyond anyone’s control. Overall, the more time you allow for buying a Loveland area home the better chance you have of closing in time for the credit.

Because though you shouldn’t be buying a home just for the credit, it would really stink to close on Dec. 1, 2009 and miss out on an $8000 tax credit.

If you have questions about Northern Colorado Real Estate or want to browse the Fort Collins and Loveland Area MLS home search, then contact me, Jason Humpal, for all your Northern Colorado first time home buying tips.

Until next time,
Jason

There is a lot of information out there about the $8000 First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit that any Loveland Area Frist Time Home Buyers can take advantage of using. But sometimes, a video can be worth more than 1000 words.  Here is a great explanation of the major points of the tax credit,  from the Chief Tax Economist from the National Association of Home Builders:

The FAQ referenced at the end of the clip can be read here.

Recently, Bridge Loans made it possible to use some of the tax credit towards the cost of the home, such as for closing costs, as additional down payment, or as part of the mortgage interest rate buydown cost, rather than waiting for the full refund to come later. Be wary of people claiming they can  help you get the money quickly though-it is best to consult your Lender and tax professional.

So what does this mean for Loveland Home Buyers? It means that if you qualify for a home, and the time is right for you to buy a home, this tax credit can make it that much more affordable. No one buy yourself can tell you if the time is right to start searching the Loveland MLS for your dream home, and regardless of home prices nation wide taking a hit, you should only go into buying a Loveland Colorado home if you feel the time is right for you and your family-don’t feel like you have to jump on the band wagon just because other’s are claiming the time to buy is now.

The Century 21 Humpal Loveland Real Estate Team is here to help you navigate the waters as you journey towards owning your Loveland area property, so feel free to ask us any questions any time. We are doing what we love, and that is helping you relocate to the Loveland area and find the Loveland homes for sale that fit your needs so you can sit back, relax and pick the one you like the best. We will handle all the stress for you, including helping you get the most out of the $8000 Housing Tax Credit.

If you have any questions about the tax credit, feel free to contact me at century21humpal@century21.com, or leave comments below.

See you soon in your Loveland Real Estate,

Jason

All of us here at Century 21 Humpal are very excited about the start of our Ft Collins and Loveland Area Real Estate Blog! We plan on sharing local school information, Northern Colorado area information, real estate tips, and Loveland real estate market advice to help you with buying or selling your Northern Colorado real estate.

So who are we?

We are John and Jason Humpal; brothers, best friends, and the brokers/owners of  Century 21 Humpal Ft Collins and Loveland Real Estate! We enjoy doing everything together and feel so blessed that no only do we have  close knit families, but we are able to spend so much time together through work, too!

Our love for Colorado Real Estate started when we were young and growing up in the Northern Colorado area. Our family started Century 21 Humpal Loveland  Realtors in  1989 and in 2006 John and I  took over the tradition of providing outstanding customer service to our clients. Not only do we have a strong passion for what we do, but we are also honoring the reputation of our parents everyday with the outstanding Ft Collins real estate marketing and Loveland real estate tips we do for each of our clients.

 Our dedication to treating each client as if  they are the only client is not only because we love our Ft. Collins and Loveland real estate jobs, but because we were raised to follow the Golden Rule, and you can trust that you will receive the highest service and complete dedication to your Northern Colorado real estate questions-whether you use us as your Loveland Realtor or not. 

Our team of expert Ft. Collins Realtors and Loveland Realtors have numerous years of real estate knowledge to share, some specific to our lovely areas of Ft. Collins and Loveland, and some that can be applied to any market.

So sit back and enjoy the conversation; we are looking forward to getting to know you all!

Yours,

Jason Humpal