The Five Golden Rules of Home Preparation on a Budget

June 16, 2020 By Claire Garlick Leave a Comment

When you show your home’s best features by staging and preparing it effectively, you help increase your final selling price without breaking the bank. In fact, on average, sellers receive $2 in increased sale price for every $1 they put into staging a home.

As the infographic below shows, the following five golden rules of home staging will help you show off its best assets – I also recommend hiring professionals for the cabinet and floor refinishing.

And, don’t forget curb appeal:

Freshen up landscaping, especially in the front, new flowers and mulch go a long way
Wash your front door
Remove cobwebs and any wasp/bird nests around the house
Consider power washing your siding and decks
Replace rotting boards and sand and re-stain your deck if needed

Click on the image to enlarge:

Article originally published at http://blog.rismedia.com/2015/golden-rules-home-staging/

Pikes Peak Region Attraction Updates

June 16, 2020 By Claire Garlick Leave a Comment

How is the Coronavirus affecting attractions around Colorado Springs?

As businesses transition into recovery, some are beginning to reopen or set reopening dates. Please check individual websites for the most up-to-date information and also take note of seasonal operation times as well. Be advised, the attractions that are open are implementing additional cleaning policies and employee health checks.

ATTRACTIONS OPEN IN THE PIKES PEAK REGION

Academy Riding Stables
Adventure Mini Golf
Adventures Out West
- COVID-19 Human Appreciation Package: Offering free tours in May and June for those who have fought on the frontlines of the pandemic. If you are a grocery store worker, hardware store and general supply store worker, delivery driver, restaurant employee or have served in this capacity and lost your job, AOW is offering you free tours in May and June. Please call the office to book. Other friends and family who join you are 1/2 price. This offer is valid on their AM Colo-rad and Thursday Night Family Night. (Availability may be limited)
- New Sanitation Procedures: To remain CDC compliant, all tours and facilities are set up and scheduled to respect social distancing. All Jeeps, Segways, Hot Air Ballon baskets, and zipline equipment is cleaned and sanitized between each tour. All Jeep tours are exclusive to your party, as well as Segway tours. Balloon flights will be limited to 8 passengers with 1 party per passenger compartment. Ziplines tours will be reduced and spread out throughout the course and property to allow for social distancing.
Battlefield Colorado Outdoor Laser Tag
Cave of the Winds Mountain Park
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo – The zoo is launching a phased reopening to the public. Starting Thursday, June 11 through Friday, June 19, zoo members and general public tickets are available. Everyone must reserve or purchase their tickets in advance online.
Colorado Jeep Tours
Colorado Springs Camping
Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center
Dragonfly Paddle Yoga
Echo Canyon Rafting Expeditions
Garden of the Gods Park
Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center
Glen Eyrie Castle – open for overnight guests as of May 13, 2020; however, tours and teas are closed at this time.
Golf Courses
Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain
Pikes Peak Tour by Gray Line
Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloons
Rock Ledge Ranch
Rocky Mountain Vibes – Currently no updates. 2020 season: June 26 – Sept 12; please visit website for home game schedule.
Royal Gorge Bridge and Park
Royal Gorge Route Railroad
Royal Gorge Zip Line Tours and Colorado White Water Rafting
Sertich Ice Center

RE-OPENINGS COMING SOON

The Broadmoor – set to open June 28
The Broadmoor World Arena and Pikes Peak Center – suspended all upcoming events
CityROCK
Cosmo’s Magic Theater
The Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad – Opening June 20
Flying W Ranch
Manitou Cliff Dwellings
The Money Museum
National Museum of WWII Aviation
Peterson Air & Space Museum
Seven Falls
Space Foundation Discovery Center
Switchbacks – July 11
U.S. Air Force Academy – Planetarium and Visitor Center
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Musem
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center

VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES

There are still great ways to enjoy and support our treasured local attractions through innovative virtual experiences. Enjoy these Colorado Springs experiences from the comfort of your own home during COVID-19:

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo will continue to connect the community to its mission, animals, the natural work and each other by a virtual experience called “Abnormally Normal.”
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center – Explore the FAC permanent collection from home! The recently launched eMuseum features 50 objects representing the depth and richness of the collection, as well as objects beloved by guests.
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum – The Pioneers Museum is promoting regional historic content online, such as its online collections database and “The Story of Us: Pikes Peak Region A-Z” online exhibit. View their online collections database at www.cspm.org and continue to enjoy historical content on their social media platforms.
Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center – Explore online programs from coloring to online video series about history, geology, flora and fauna of the park.
Let’s Roam – Let’s Roam is offering 15% off on virtual activities when you mention “Colorado Springs CVB” to a representative! Let’s Roam’s custom-built video conferencing game interface allows for unique gameplay and a no-hassle, streamlined experience for teams of any size.
The Money Museum – The Money Museum is offering virtual exhibits where you are able to learn about the museum’s spectacular rarities, explore historical subjects and expand your collecting knowledge.
The Space Foundation’s Discovery Center – Offering virtual tours, dynamic multimedia content and other inspirational educational programs and activities on their website, as well as through its social media channels at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
United States Air Force Academy – Interested in a campus, athletics or academics tour? The USAFA is offering 39 different virtual tours on their website.

Recommendations for keeping you and your family healthy:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick
PLEASE stay home if you are sick
Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Throw tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces regularly
Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth when you’re out in public and wash immediately when you return home.
Practice social distancing, keeping at least 6 feet between you and other people.

What attractions are doing to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus:

Employees must stay home if they are sick or have been exposed to someone who is.
Daily health screenings for all employees and implementing onsite temperature checks.
All commonly touched surfaces are sanitized as frequently as possible.
All employees are required to wear a face mask that covers their nose and mouth.
Where appropriate and applicable, physical barriers have been installed.
Employees will be required to social distance (6+ feet), and take small breaks throughout the day to wash their hands
Whenever possible or applicable, windows or doors will opened to increase indoor ventilation

Information provided by https://www.pikes-peak.com/ and https://www.visitcos.com/.

Home Prices: It’s All About Supply and Demand

June 8, 2020 By Claire Garlick Leave a Comment

As we enter the summer months and work through the challenges associated with the current health crisis, many are wondering what impact the economic slowdown will have on home prices. Looking at the big picture, supply and demand will give us the clearest idea of what’s to come.

Making our way through the month of June and entering the second half of the year, we face an undersupply of homes on the market. Keep in mind, this undersupply is going to vary by location and by price point. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), across the country, we currently have a 4.1 months supply of homes on the market. Historically, 6 months of supply is considered a balanced market. Anything over 6 months is a buyer’s market, meaning prices will depreciate. Anything below 6 months is a seller’s market, where prices appreciate. The graph below shows inventory across the country since 2010 in months supply of homes for sale.

Robert Dietz, Chief Economist for the National Home Builders Association (NAHB) says:

“As the economy begins a recovery later in 2020, we expect housing to play a leading role. Housing enters this recession underbuilt, not overbuilt. Estimates vary, but based on demographics and current vacancy rates, the U.S. may have a housing deficit of up to one million units.”

Given the undersupply of homes on the market today, there is upward pressure on prices. Looking at simple economics, when there is less of an item for sale and the demand is high, consumers are willing to pay more for that item. The undersupply is also prompting bidding wars, which can drive price points higher in the home sale process. According to a recent MarketWatch article:

“As buyers return to the market as the country rebounds from the pandemic, a limited inventory of homes for sale could fuel bidding wars and push prices higher.”

In addition, experts forecasting home prices have updated their projections given the impact of the pandemic. The major institutions expect home prices to appreciate through 2022. The chart below, updated as of earlier this week, notes these forecasts. As the year progresses, we may see these projections revised in a continued upward trend, given the lack of homes on the market. This could drive home prices even higher.

Bottom Line

Many may think home prices will depreciate due to the economic slowdown from the coronavirus, but experts disagree. As we approach the second half of this year, we may actually see home prices rise even higher given the lack of homes for sale.

Article originally published at https://www.keepingcurrentmatters.com/2020/06/02/home-prices-its-all-about-supply-and-demand/