Boulder starts 2009 off hot;

with Summer here what's next?

How hot was it? Try in January a 1500 acre fire in NW Boulder and the foothills early this year.  Strong, steady, gusty winds caused lots of minor damage until a power transformer was blown over and sparked a fire in the dry grass.  Things got really hot in a hurry, especially for winter.  Some 1500+ homes were evacuated, and the emergency services jumped into high gear.  Talk about blending talent and good fortune.  Within 2 days the fire was totally under control, only 2 homes were lost, no deaths, and minor injuries.  What a truly amazing community we live in.  The local support and caring was wonderful.  It was actually a nice bit of a destraction and interruption from real life national economic news.  Can you be as sick of listening to the ongoing media bombardment regarding the economic crisis as we are?  The sky isn't falling and the world has not come to an end.  Yet, the news can make one feel very uneasy about our recent national and global economies.  However, our news is often like the weather, some times good and sometimes bad (depending upon your outlook).  We just had a spring storm that caught us up for the annual rain fall, yet in the foothills where we live, there was over 3' of heavy wet snow.  So, like the weather our economies can be very local.  There is no really good consistent national weather forecasts.  It is a local type of circumstance.  Colorado is into our full time spring 70's one week & snow storms the next.  even with all of the rain and snow, we constently hear how we can always use the moisture.  It is all your perspective.  

By the way, how the heck did Summer 2009 get here so fast?  No matter what your political beliefs, we are all hopefully that the new changes in Washington D.C. will bring about some new consumer confidence. Time sure seems to fly, our holidays & ski season are now behind us.  It seems just like our many New Year resolutions, goals and plans do.  Are you keeping your New Year's resolutions?  How did you do last year?  If your investments got hammered have you considered using your IRA's to purchase and hold real estate?  Even in these trying times, opportunities are available.  Our real estate market has held value much better than stocks and bonds did.  Can we help you achieve some of your goals and plans for you and your family?  Last Winter our ski resorts had some incredible record snowfalls.  We hope you were able to find spend some quality time with your family, loved ones, and friends this last holiday season.  We are still recovering from our personal 2008 story which began right at the end of 2007.   Our male beagle "Jester" was attacked by a mountain lion right outside our mountain home.  Liz confronted and successfully scared off the lion before the cat completed its deadly task.  Jester was scheduled to compete in the Beagle Specialty in Phoenix, AZ, but those plans were scrapped.  Our primary attention in 2008 was focusing on his full recuperation.  FYI, last year's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show winner "Uno" is actually a beagle that is half brother to our "Jester".  The news media decided we have been a worthwhile public interest story.  So a couple of our local television networks aired stories about him and the mountain lion incident as well as his relation to "Uno".  Not to be outdone, our local newspaper (Boulder Daily camera) picked up the story for the front page.  If you are interested just Goggle "Jester the Beagle" and you might still get a chance to see some of the numerous responses.  Just last October "Jester" the comeback kid, competed in the Rocky Mountain Regional and National Beagle competition right here in Estes Park, CO.  He successfully competed and ended up in the final cut in both of his competitions.  For more information try checking out our personal beagle web site at www.alpenglowbeagles.com .  Follow his amazing progress.  We call him our $6 million dollar dog with all of the vet bills. Yikes!  We are graced to have his return to health, and limited competition.  We've enjoyed the incredible number of kind comments both supportive and teasing regarding him.  In addition lion stories still concern us, see more at http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jan/06/more-lion-sightings-in-north-boulder/ As if "Jester" hadn't been through enough, we asquired a new female beagle (of course)puppy "Dancer" who enjoys tormenting poor "Jester" on a regular basis (as puppies will do). 

Enough about us; how did your year go?  The financial, stock, and banking markets seem fractured.  It makes soap operas seem tame, with the media thriving on it.  How does it impact our local real estate?  Prices appear to be bottoming.  Activity continues as buyers are still looking and buying.  WOW, interest rates in the 4's, we can't understand why folks are holding back in one of the best real estate markets we have ever seen. Choices and opportunities truly abound; are you considering any changes?  Are you enjoying living in that home and neighborhood that you have wanted to live in?  If not, why not?  Let us show you how.   There is so much that makes our area so incredibly unique and special.  Check out  www.come2boulderco.com and see why even in tough times, properties sell and Colorado and especially Boulder County is doing so very well in the current economy.  Most folks will probably miss the boat in catching this real estate opportunity.  They are either still waiting for the bottom occur (which we only know after it has past) or they have been listening too much to the media and are paralized.  This is indeed one of those once in a lifetime fabulous times to buy and sell real estate.  Call us and we can personally get you your correct data, so you can see why this is such a strong time to act.  Of course if you enjoy that soap opera and all of the ongoing media talk about the credit crunches; you might miss out on our low rates rates and inventories.  There still are buyers currently discovering some of those opportunities.  Our local inventories are actually down and recent sales of homes are looking up again.  As usual, the media has instilled a lot of fear in our country.  However, even though Chicken Little is alive in the media, yet the sky is not falling.  Don't you get a bit of a feeling of being bit manipulated?  Maybe even a sensation of being like sheep being lead to a slaughter?  They like to keep us confused and in doubt of that the tide will ever turn.  By the way, it always has.  If we could pull the plug on the immense amount of inaccurate information in the media, maybe that would help.  It certainly does seem like they are more interested in entertaining rather than really reporting the facts and solutions.  Sadly, we believe they are trying to sell all of us some kind of a horror show.  Embarrassing isn't it?  

What we do know is that, Boulder County continues as a key player in our state's economy.  Our 2008 totals were down but values seemed to hold.  We can tell you we just received multiple offers on a couple  our listings.  It ended up selling for more than the list price.  2007 Boulder County's rate of job growth was 3%, which out paced the state's 2.4%, and the nations 1.3% growth rates.  Colorado in 2006 proved to be the fastest growing state with 4.3 million in population; the overheated growth cooled in 2007.  National and state economies was expected to plod along during 2008, which it did till the banking problems in September.  Yet Boulder County still shows a lot of strength even in all of the bad news.  Forbes just announced that Boulder was one of the top 10 cities that will probably come out of the recession first.  Even our university just received an award for one of the best values from Princeton review , see that artical at http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jan/08/cu-lands-best-value-list/ .  We are thrilled to report that, RE/MAX of Boulder, Inc. finished 2007 in first place locally, with 32% of the total residential sales in both Boulder and Broomfield Counties.  With 3100 Realtors in Boulder, Broomfield, and Longmont and we are just 3% of that total and yet our office participated in 1 out of every 6 transactions.  We are anxiously awaiting the 2008 summary figures.  Last year REMAX International tallied their company wide figures and RE/MAX of Boulder, Inc. was the #1 single office in the United States for 2007 for volume per agent.  It has been mentioned that it might be the highest in the world, but no one has any interest in taking the time to convert all of the various world currencies.   

The REALLY BIG Question is HAVE WE HIT BOTTOM?  Former Fed chairman Allen Greenspan has said he sees the housing market turn around beginning in the first half of 2009.  In the Boulder County area, many seem to think we are already there, and the interest rates are incredible. We again are seeing multiple offers on some of our listings recently.  With all of the recent closings (i.e. Washington Mutual, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, etc.) no one can be totally sure what is going on nationally.  yet, just this summer the Denver Post (June 25, 2008) reported that Denver seems to be bucking the apparent national trend (this comparison was against some 20 major cities) in the national decline of housing prices.  The article located can be found on their web site at ( http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_9686382 ) for specific details.  With daily talk of panic concerns in the media regarding the bailout and suggestions that the sub-prime mortgage lending was the cause.  Most of our problems are still based on trust, or more accurately the lack thereof.  Wild fluctuations in the stock market, are a daily source of concern and yet cycles have always come and gone.  Is this merely another one?  Remember this is the kind of stuff that sells news.  Enough is enough, no more whining is necessary.  Stop and notice all of the numerous local feelings of stability and exuberance for the weeks and months ahead.  Lets spend our time and energies on something we can actually take action on.  Ben Stein recently suggested that if everyone would just go out and spend, rather than sitting back in a state of inactivity, we could as consumers actually turn around this entire recession in short order.  Locally there are abundant real life positives and potentials, as if the survivng fires with hurricane force winds wasn't enough.  Besides a beautiful location, there are many fine people who call this area home.  So, lots of opportunities remain.  After all the New Year is always the time for the introduction of changes.  Colorado in 2008 was spared any fearsome forest fires this past summer.  Our local athletes are cycling and mountain climbing and many are already preparing for the ski resorts opening.  Will we again have record snow falls for them?  We just wish there was a large lake where we could save all of this beautiful moisture.  Almost daily you can still find those moments to enjoy that special alpenglow of the mountains which we are all grateful for.  While it continues to call and invigorate us.

BOULDER continues no matter what the year to be one of the most highly reviewed, acknowledged, and written about communities.  Which may be one of the reasons some folks say "Welcome to the Emerald City".  There are lists of accolades in numerous areas (smartest, health, recreation, culture, education, environment, and business).  Last year we were chosen to be the very 1st Smart Grid City in the US, to find out more of what that means try the following web site http://www.xcelenergy.com/XLWEB/CDA/0,3080,1-1-1_15531_51065-39884-2_68_132-0,00.html .  Also, Money magazine just chose in their "Best Places to Live" under small cities Boulder is now the 8th in highest percentage of singles (what a surprise in a university town), and Boulder County the 5th Skinniest county the country (also no surprise with how active and healthy the residents are).   Even Fort Collins just up the road was chosen this year as their number 2 best city to live in.  No matter what the season or year we seem to rise above it all.  Even with our varying weather periods, Fall feels to be in full swing.  We already have two ski resorts open.  With 300+ days of sunshine our weather seems fabulous.  Don't forget your skin protection; cool crisp clean air does not mean that you won't burn.  Definitely get out and discover some new challenges.  Uncover new possibilities for you and your family.  Reaching your dreams might just be easier than you ever imagined.   In real estate you might want a dream home or a new investment property, something for your childrens'' college or your retirement?  It seems a lot more stable investment than the financial markets these days, doesn't it?  You have come to the right place.  Our local real estate markets can act like the ever changing Colorado weather so be prepared for changes.  By being alert and paying attention you will discover an abundance of clues.  May we assist you in putting your pieces of your puzzle together?  Get the facts and data so that you can make the best choices for you.  None of us wants to spend time being sold a lot of old empty promises, and being treated like just another number.  Let's get together and find you some new alternatives.  Isn't it time to make your real estate challenges work for you?  The internet has made an incredible amount of information available to all of us.  You have many choices and options for getting answers to your real estate questions and concerns.  Yet, are you getting that personal attention?  Are you interested in seeing and enjoying the kind of strong results that you expect?  Come get to know us and discover our real difference.  We're concerned for your interests and your personal circumstances.  Let's address your specific needs and concerns.  Lets get your housing dreams on an active mission, and on the road to accomplishment.

What questions do you have about our current Colorado Front Range real estate market?  Maybe you have concerns about what is going on the lending world?  Are there good lenders to work with?  Does it really make a difference? What about opportunities with the high number of foreclosures and short sales?  Is now a good time to sell, with all of those homes on the market?  These are great questions, but the answers are not simple.  Ours markets are dynamic.  The answers are always changing.  Have you noticed how rapidly changes seem to happening in your own lives?  Can it really be that it is almost 2009?

Barry "Bear" and Liz Friedlander have a long standing reputation for getting the job done.  What is it that makes them truly unique?  The most often heard comment is their personal touch.  They don't use a factory or a team approach with numerous assistants that are not agents nor know your particular needs or requirements.  Besides their extensive experience they come from the heart.  What better situation can you have than two for the price of one?  Can you imagine a husband and wife team that actually like working together?  They are excited to assist you with your unique real estate needs.  Theirs is a unique passion for the business.  Sharing a fulltime commitment for their clients.  Discover their wonderful balance and how well they work together.  With an extensive proven record of local experience, they are unlike the numerous, Johnny-Come-Latelys.  Discover their personal, step-by-step approaches, with their one-on-one attention and dynamic web and email resources, that provide 24/7 market coverage for their clients.  Contact them so that they can help you discover your dreams and goals.  Your actions along with the proper guidance, and tools can make all of the difference.

Lets get together to talk about your home buying and/or selling plans. Call them at their office (303.441.5614 "Bear") or (303.415.3596 Liz). Alternately,  send them a personal email (LizF@BoulderCO.com), we'll setup a time to meet that is easy and convenient for you.

"We look forward to discussing your dreams and making a plan while working with you!"

- Barry "Bear" & Liz Friedlander
3034415614 "Bear"
BearandLiz@BoulderCO.com