Great Western Bank will host the Eire Chamber of Commerce's business after hours at 5:30pm Wednesday, April 28, at 785 Cheesman, Erie. The Cost is $10 at the door. RSVP to the chamber at 303-828-3440
By KAREN THOMPSON, GRI, REALTOR, Colorado Homebuyer Pro
(KTHOMES, LLC)
Vista Ridge in Broomfield offers more upscale living with a gorgeous view of the Rocky Mountain front range and at a reasonable price. Homes are widely priced from the mid $200,000 range all the way up to the $700,000 range. There is something for everyone at Vista Ridge. Many markets today are filled with foreclosure homes, but not Vista Ridge, as of this writing anyway. There are a few short sales popping up here and there, but not an overwhelming amount, again as of this writing. Finding a more stable market today is both challenging in that they are hard to find, but also rewarding as you can consider yourself a step ahead of the rest, if you are able to purchase in such a market. The community of Vista Ridge offers golf, swimming, tennis and walking trails. Located just off of High...
Looking to update your washing machine? Would you like some help paying for it? If you are an Erie Resident, the following program will be of interest to you! The 2010 Town of Erie High Efficiency Washing Machine Rebate Program will consist of 60 rebates of $50 each, good toward the pruchase of high-efficiency washing machines. The rebates will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The maximum allowable rebate is one per family account. Applications are available at www.erieco.gov. Residents should gring the application and all supporting docuemtns to the Town of Erie Public Works office at Town Hall or mail all required materials to: Town of Erie, P.O. Box 750, Erie, CO 80516; ATTN: Public Works Rebate Program. For more information, call 303-926-2870 or ema...
Toastmasters is a non-profit, peer-driven group which practices speaking and leadership skills in a a safe, friendly environment and is now in Erie. The group will hold weekly meetings from 7-8 a.m., on Tuesdays, in the Lehigh Room at the Erie Community Center, 450 Powers Street, in Erie. For more information, call 303-641-0923; email gmccallum@mesanetworks.ne; or visit www.erieexpress.freetoasthost.biz
The Erie Chamber of Commerce will host its business expo from noon-5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 15 and from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan 16, at the Erie Community Center, 450 Powers Street, in Erie, to allow businesses to showcase products and services. High School career day will offer students the opportunity to explore possible internships and apprenticships. Taste of Erie will provide an evening of food-tasings prepared by local restaurants. The expo will be open to businessess Jan. 15, and open to the general public on Jan. 16. For more information call the chamber @ 303-828-3440
400 Powers Street, Erie, CO 80516 Phone: (720) 685-5200 Fax: (720) 685-5201 Hours: Monday - Thursday 10 am -8 pm Friday 10 am - 5 pm Saturday 10 am - 5 pm Sunday 1 pm - 5 pm Erie Community Library Capacity is over 80,000 items Opening day collection will be over 50,000 items Opening anticipated December 2007 20,000 square feet 1000 sq ft living room with fireplace Drive up book drop Children’s activity area and storytime kite Outdoor features include a Peace Garden and patio area Multi-purpose room to accommodate larger groups Mobile laptops Express Check machines Study room Express book collection Area designed especially for teens Erie Community Library Budget: Design/Consulting: 515,000 Construction: 4,800,000 Fixtures/Furnishings: 375,000 Permits and Fees: 42,500 Equipment:...
Welcome to the Erie Community Center! Your Recreation team is pleased to welcome you to the Erie Community Center! We look forward to sharing all of the center amenities and many recreation activities and programs designed with you -- our community -- in mind. We're here to help you create many delightful memories at the center. Holiday Hours The Erie Community Center will have the follwing holiday hours: Thursday, December 24 8:00 am - 3:00 pm Friday, December 25 CLOSED Thursday, December 31 8:00 am - 3:00 pm Friday, January 1 CLOSED Thank you from the Erie Community Center Staff - Happy Holidays! Annual Membership Promotion! Get 10% off Annual Passes from December 18 - January 4! (on all renewals and new passes). To receive 10% discount - annual passes must...
Our children are off school next week, if you are looking for things to do, consider this activity at the Erie Community Center Kris Kringle’s CookieFest – Wednesday, December 23 Have your 5-13 year old join the fun from 1:00 – 3:30 pm! They will be making holiday crafts, cookie decorating and eating, a holiday movie and more! Parents are welcome to come with their child if they wish! All supplies provided. Fee: R $10 / NR $12.50 Register here!
Here in Denver, the market seems to improving and I'm guessing that many of the builders that were here during the hot times, may creep back into the Denver market as things get better. So if you are a home buyer and are tempted to visit a sales office, here is just some advise for you. 1. Do you have an Agent? These days, builders are very particular about their marketing efforts, what's working, and what isn't. Builders welcome buyer agents that accompany their clients to their sales offices. If you have an agent that you are speaking with, TELL THE BUILDER YOU ARE WORKING WITH AN AGENT. This is a very important step. It allows your agent to get paid by the builder (which can save you from having to pay them to assist with the transaction) and it will let the builder know that you hav...
As a follow up to last years success, Becky Coet and myself decided to continue with the tradition of giving back to our community! As members of Keller Williams-The Red Door Group, we always want to be agents constantly give back to the communities we service. We have teamed up with the Erie Food Bank this year and are looking forward to delivering over 800lbs of food and other food bank items. With our community continually growing, we know we can exceed last year's donations and look forward to increasing what we can collect from the community each year! This is such a feel good activity for us and we look forward to doing this each year!! We will be delivering bags donated by local grocers by Friday, October 16th to have residents of our community fill them up with items from their ...
Last week was a very strange week. I was on my way back from working with a client in Aurora when I noticed a large animal near the bridge on Erie Parkway. I looked over and low and behold... A MOOSE!!! Not a deer, or an elk, or a large dog, an actual MOOSE! (yes, these are animals that people thought I may have seen instead) Now, I consider myself an outdoorsy girl and pride myself on my knowledge of the outdoors, but never in my life have I come across a live moose...I was so excited I ran inside and told my husband and he thought i was kidding too. Now I know its a long drive from Aurora but why would I dream up a story about seeing a moose as a way to start a conversation? So the next day I was constantly looking out my dining room window and staring into the field waiting to see an...
On July 29th the Mayor and the Trustees of Erie held a State of the Town meeting open to the public and it was a great turnout. Attendees were informed of the bright future in store for the town and what a great bunch of people working diligently to truly make Erie the next place to call home! Topics that were discussed at this meeting ranged from the Erie Airport to new Urban Level Development followed by a Q and A session that nearly every attendee chimed in on. As a resident of Erie and an active member in the community, I felt it was truly necessary to know what the future holds for the town. Growing up in a small town, its difficult to see too many changes that can make that small town, bigger, and often times less desirable to the residents, but I have to commend the Mayor and the...
Erie has just started a Farmer's Market and it runs each Saturday from 8am to 12noon. There are local vendors and this is a great place to get to know your community! It's located off Briggs in the parking lot of the Blackjack Pizza. Come on down and meet some of the vendors! Heidi
PAY ATTENTION, SOME THINGS HAVE CHANGED. Effective July 1, 2009 House Bill 1091 goes into effect. This bill mandates the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in residential properties. The bill applies to all properties - single family, multi-family, mobile homes, owner-occupied, rental, and homes for sale. In other words if someone lives in it, there needs to be a carbon monoxide detector. Besides things changing minute by minute in the mortgage industry, things are also changing among appraisers. In the "olden days", your lender had a list of appraisers that they found to be efficient, trust-worthy, and accurate. Appraisals for conventional loans could be done very quickly and you could have your results in about a week depending on the time of the order. Unfortunately, the...
Loan Considerations for Buy and Hold InvestorsAs far as investment loans, little or no money down loans are impossible. However, lenders do permit the use of Home Equity Lines of Credit or second mortgages from other properties owned by the borrower as a source of down payment. Or, self-employed borrowers are using funds from business lines of credit to fund down payments or renovations (please note: there are asset seasoning guidelines for doing so and the debt incurred by accessing other credit lines must be accounted for against the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio). Thus, we have clients leveraging themselves with other homes they own in order to get in with little or nothing down. There are exceptions, but practically every lender requires Full Income Documentation on any investm...
Loan Considerations for Fix & Flip / Short-Term InvestorsSecuring conventional financing on a fix & flip or short-term loan is not recommended. Most conventional lenders sell off their mortgages to investors on the secondary market. If the loan is paid off early (before six payments are made), the investor has not recovered their initial investment. The investor will attempt to recover their loss from the lender, who will ultimately come after the loan originator. The loan originator would then be obligated to pay back any premium paid out by the lender. If such activity becomes habitual with the loan officer, the lender can cease doing business with them and their firm.Furthermore, conventional loans require conventional appraisals. The lender will require that the home is a) hab...
Loan Considerations for Jumbo MortgagesFor the Greater Metro Denver area, any loan amount greater than $417,000 is considered a jumbo loan. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac assign different thresholds for various regions across the country. For instance, $417,000 is not considered a jumbo loan in a high cost city like San Francisco, yet there will still be higher rates for going above $417K. Due to the size of jumbo loans, they are considered greater risk for lenders, resulting in higher rates. Rates have fluctuated greatly over the past few years on jumbos. As of today, a 30 year fixed could range from 7% - 8%; a full point higher than the prime rate below a loan amount of $417,000. Five year ARMs are popular on jumbo loans, as they typically price out a half point lower than fixed pro...
Loan Considerations for Loan Amounts Between $200K - $417KWith all the doom and gloom publications that are mostly exaggerated, many potential borrowers believe that home mortgage lending options have dried up. While underwriters and investors are scrutinizing files more closely, attractive rates and terms still exist for owner occupied purchasers seeking a conforming loan limit (under $417,000). FHA and VA can still lend up to 100% LTV and conventional permits up to 97% LTV. There are certain guidelines to meet when going to these high LTVs, but they are not impossible to surmount.Every home buyer should first ask themselves what payment they feel comfortable in committing to on a monthly basis. Too many buyers over-extended themselves in recent years on homes they simply could not...
FHA First-Time Buyer Tax CreditIn an effort to boost the sagging real estate market and overall economy, first-time home buyers are being offered a limited time tax credit when purchasing a primary residence. The highlights of the tax credit are:• The tax credit is available for first-time home buyers only. • The maximum credit amount is $7,500. • The credit is available for homes purchased on or after April 9, 2008 and beforeJuly 1, 2009. • Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit. • The tax credit works like an interest-free loan and must be repaid over a 15-year period. Due to the volume of questions that can be generated with the above, I would recommend clicking on the below link for ...
Loan considerations for a first time buyerLending guidelines are changing on a daily basis for every type of loan: conventional, FHA, VA & commercial. Nevertheless, there are still very attractive first-time home buyer options available. If you are or will be a first-time buyer, it is critical to speak with a loan officer before looking at homes. It is a crushing feeling to view a home, picture making it your own and then find out that you cannot qualify to purchase it. A loan officer will pull credit, analyze debt-to-income ratios, review assets and income and determine what you can afford. Presuming a pre-qualification occurs, the loan officer will then be able to provide an array of loan options. Presently, FHA loans are the predominant loan for first-time home buyers as they ...
