BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE – Page 2 – The skinny on Steamboat Springs real estate.

01May 2021 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

Finding a New Home for Your Next Stage of Life

BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE, Helpful Advice, HOME BUYER HANDBOOK

Imagine the first place you lived as a young adult. Now imagine trying to fit your life today into that space. Not pretty, right? For most of us, our housing needs are cyclical.1 A newly independent adult can find freedom and flexibility in even a tiny apartment. That same space, to a growing family, would feel stifling. For empty nesters, a large home with several unused bedrooms can become impractical to heat and clean. It’s no surprise that life transitions often trigger a home purchase. While your home-buying journey may not look like your neighbor’s or friend’s, broad trends can help you understand what to keep in mind as you house hunt. No one wants to regret their home purchase, and taking the time now to think about exactly what…

01Apr 2021 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

Can I Buy or Sell a Home Without a Real Estate Agent?

BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE, Helpful Advice, HOME BUYER HANDBOOK

Today’s real estate market is one of the fastest-moving in recent memory. With record-low inventory in many market segments, we’re seeing multiple offers—and sometimes even bidding wars—for homes in the most sought-after neighborhoods. This has led some sellers to question the need for an agent. After all, why spend money on a listing agent when it seems that you can stick a For Sale sign in the yard then watch a line form around the block? Some buyers may also believe they’d be better off purchasing a property without an agent. For those seeking a competitive edge, proceeding without a buyer’s agent may seem like a good way to stand out from the competition—and maybe even score a discount. Since the seller pays the buyer agent’s commission, wouldn’t a do-it-yourself…

17Mar 2021 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

TWO THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS

BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE, Helpful Advice

Owning a home isn’t always a happily-ever-after story. On any given day, you might deal with a leaky roof, a weedy lawn or a bad neighbor. Homeowners associations can help with these inconveniences. HOAs are governing bodies found within common-interest communities, such as planned or gated neighborhoods and apartment or condominium buildings. They’re run and funded by residents, and have boards of directors that organize regular meetings, establish and maintain budgets, and enforce rules and regulations. When they work well, HOAs can increase property values by ensuring that their communities stay visually appealing — no rusting Oldsmobiles on front lawns, for example. When they don’t work well, whether because of high fees or poor management, they can make owning a home a bureaucratic pain. To decide whether you should buy a home in a…

08Jan 2021 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

6 Things To Know About Historic Homes

BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE, Helpful Advice

6 Things To Know Before Buying a Historic Home The amount of work and money required to maintain a historic home can vary, depending on the condition it’s in. However, if you go in prepared, this labor of love can be less laborious. Here are six things to keep in mind before you make your home in a little slice of history. 1. Historic districts have their trade-offs Living in a designated historic district might restrict what you can do to the exterior of your home, including your choices for such things as paint color and window type. Check with your local planning department. Although such restrictions limit your options, “the great thing about designations and design restrictions is that they apply to everyone equally,” says Ginny Way, an architectural…

01Jan 2021 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

New Year, New Home? Set Homeownership Goals Whether You’re Buying, Selling, or Staying Put

BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE, Helpful Advice, HOME BUYER HANDBOOK

The start of a new year always compels people to take a fresh look at their goals, from health and career to relationships and finance. But with historically low mortgage rates, increased home sales and price growth, and a tight housing inventory, the time is right to also make some homeownership resolutions for 2021. Home buyers, is this the year you work to improve your credit score, pay down some debt, or save for a down payment? Home sellers, we’ve laid out plans for you to get top dollar for your property, including timing your home sale, making your property stand out from the crowd, and investing in your extra living space. And even if you’re staying put for awhile, homeowners, you can resolve to improve your status quo by…

28Dec 2020 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

Buying an Energy-Efficient Home: A financially Bright Idea

BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE, Design Trends, Helpful Advice

Whether you give a hoot about the environment or not, it could pay to think about energy efficiency when shopping for a home. Newer houses certified by Energy Star — the federal government’s energy-efficiency rating program — use an average of 20% less energy than homes built to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees the system.But using less energy is just the beginning. Green certification programs like the National Green Building Standard (NGBS) or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) go even further, with strict standards for indoor air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and water conservation, among other things. Although energy conservation might not sound as exciting as a luxury bathroom or backyard patio, improving health and comfort while reducing energy bills could help turn…

13Oct 2020 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

THIRD QUARTER RECAP AND MARKET OUTLOOK

BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE, SOTHEBY'S NEWS

by steamboatsir | Oct 13, 2020 The year 2020 will go down in recent history as a year of change and discovery. What started off as a steady year early on quickly turned into a roller coaster of a record-setting real estate market in Steamboat Springs. Ending 2019 strong and heading into the new year, we had a healthy market, and the first quarter started out positive with a 15% increase in residential sales volume year-over-year. However, things quickly slowed down amidst the Coronavirus shutdown in the spring of 2020. In the second quarter, residential sales volume dropped a whopping 44% as compared to 2019. Values did not slip during this slowdown, and median price-per-square-foot was up 5%. As people stayed at home, they became more aware of their surroundings and their dreams.…

01Oct 2020 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

5 Secrets Buyers and Sellers Must Know About Virtual Home Tours

BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE, Helpful Advice, HOME BUYER HANDBOOK

by olson team | Oct 1, 2020 For years now, virtual home tours have helped real estate buyers far and wide find the perfect home. From long-distance military personnel being relocated, to investors expanding their portfolio, to homeowners looking for a vacation getaway, this technology makes finding a house that’s a bit out of driving distance much easier. And for real estate agents, virtual tours have been a useful way to help buyers with their home search and to assist sellers in creatively marketing their listings. Because of the pandemic, virtual home showing options recently experienced a huge spike in popularity. One survey found that nearly 33% of recent home tour requests were for virtual tours, as compared to just 2% pre-pandemic.1 And it’s easy to see why. Buyers want to quickly find…

03Sep 2020 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

SOARING REAL ESTATE MARKET: AUGUST 2020 SEES A RECORD MONTH IN REAL ESTATE SALES

BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE, SOTHEBY'S NEWS

by steamboatsir | Sep 3, 2020 For the Monthly Market Snapshot, click here. If this year hasn’t been wild enough with everything going on in the country and around the world, this summer, the Steamboat Springs real estate market has been more active than ever before. In the last few months, we’ve seen unprecedented activity, despite record lows in available listings. August represented the highest residential sales volume in any given month in our market, with a whopping $121M in residential sales volume. Last month, we reported that July 2020 saw a 99% increase in pending residential listings when compared to the same time in 2019, while the number of active residential listings on August 1st 2020 was 49% less than it was on August 1st 2019. This is a clear display of the…

07Aug 2020 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

LOWEST MORTGAGE RATES IN HISTORY: WHATIT MEANS FOR HOMEOWNERS AND BUYERS

BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE, SOTHEBY'S NEWS

Lowest Mortgage Rates in History: What It Means for Homeowners and Buyers In July, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell below 3% for the first time in history.1 And while many Americans have rushed to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity, others question the hype. Are today’s rates truly a bargain? While average mortgage rates have drifted between 4% and 5% in recent years, they haven’t always been so low. Freddie Mac began tracking 30-year mortgage rates in 1971. At that time, the national average was 7.31%.2 As the rate of inflation started to rise in the mid-1970s, mortgage rates surged. It’s hard to imagine now, but the average U.S. mortgage rate reached a high of 18.63% in 1981.3 Fortunately for home buyers, inflation normalized by October 1982, which sent…