The Best Areas in North Metro to find land (and buy/build garages)

Denver is a forever-growing city right now, with more cranes sprinkled along the Denver skyline then we have seen in a long time, there is always buildings going up. But as everyone knows, as the city continues to grow the one thing that we will see less and less of is actual land and I have many clients who are looking for areas to live where they can still have some acres to themselves and not look directly into their neighbor’s windows. These same clients want to make sure their commute isn’t going to take up hours of their days either because no one wants to spend 1-3 hours driving every day when they could be spending that time working, with their family or enjoying other activities.

 

An area I tell these clients to look is North Metro, just a hop, skip and jump down US-36 and I-25 heading towards Boulder but not quite that far.  These areas are easy and accessible to the highway so for anyone who may work in downtown Denver, they have a fairly easy commute to and from the city. But these areas also allow homebuyers the opportunity to have some real land where they are able to either build or just own. My family and I live in Brighton Colorado, which is about a half-hour drive from Denver each way. The area we live in is called Todd Creek Estates, a wonderful neighborhood with lots of room between homes and plenty of space for a garage to hold a good car collection. One thing my wife and I are passionate about is our car collection. Something we look forward to every year together as a family is heading to the car show to find a new car to add to the fleet. Because we have a growing collection, we needed to find an area that allowed for us to have garages of a decent size and also the ability to build if need be. For those clients who are looking for areas that have space for land these are some of the neighborhoods I recommend:

 

Spruce Meadows - Broomfield, CO

Lexington, Westminster, CO

Erie Air Park - Erie, CO 

Mustang Acres - Broomfield, CO

Tiara Estates - Broomfield, CO

Todd Creek - Brighton, CO

Pony Estates - Broomfield, CO

Eagle Shadow - Brighton, CO

Lake Avery Estates - Thornton, CO

Glen Eagle Estates - Thornton, CO

Angel View Estates - Frederick, CO

These areas are all located in Broomfield, Westminster, Thornton and Brighton all part of that North Metro area. If you are thinking it might be time to head outside the city and find a spot with a bit more land and a little more privacy, one of these neighborhoods could be perfect for you. Contact me today and let’s grab coffee to discuss your best options for finding the ideal piece of land to make your real estate dreams a reality.

Making those New Year’s resolutions stick

Let me start off by saying happy New Year to you and your family! Hard to believe it is that time of the year again when you sit down to evaluate the year and what you accomplished. Then there is the task of sitting down and working on your goals for the upcoming year, resolutions if you will, and figuring what things you want to keep doing this year versus what new things you hope to add to your list. It can be intimidating for anyone to sit down and write down all your wishes for the year, I know I always find it a bit hard. Many friends, clients and co-workers have told me about their resolutions and while they are excited to get going, they are also fearful that they will not accomplish all of these goals by the next year. This is a fear I would say everyone has about making resolutions, can I do them all by the end of the year and if I don’t, will I be ok with that?

 

So how do you make New Year’s resolutions stick? How can you make sure that you keep on the path to accomplish everything you hope to that year? Below is a list compiled by professors and researchers of what you can do to have a better chance of sticking to your goals and working through them all by the time the next year rolls around.

 

Make new, healthy habits – While we may not know we do certain things, it may be because these things have become natural ‘habits’ in our daily routines. Habits form by behavior change, replacing certain behaviors with new ones. To embrace making certain changes to your daily routine, for example, if you want to go to the gym in the morning before work three days a week, the first step is to be aware of when you wake up everyday and start training your body and brain to rise earlier.

 

Repetition – It is never easy to start a new habit so that is why it is imperative that you continue to do it on a daily/weekly basis. This will train your head and body to know ok, it’s time to get up today, let’s get to the gym. It may take a little while to teach yourself to do this so make sure to be patient!  A great book I recommend for this is The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

 

Have an accountability partner – We all know we are our worst critics and so that’s why sometimes it is important to have someone else help you along the way. An accountability partner is a great way to have someone who in a loving and caring way, helps push you when you need that extra push, or kind reminder when you are having your doubtful days.

 

Know relapsing is part of the process – Anyone knows that whenever you try to make changes to your life there will always be a few relapse periods. The point is to not get down on yourself when this happens, understand this is all part of the growing and learning process, embrace it, and try to do better the next time.

 

Be kind to yourself – Like I said before, we are our worst critics and I know I am harshest on myself when I don’t get things done. But you have to be kind to yourself in this process, use the same approach you would with a child or someone you cared about deeply rather than with judgment or self-criticism.

 

Good luck as you start your goals and resolutions here in 2017, remember, be kind to yourself, make good habits and this will be one amazing year for you!

Bringing Art to the Streets of Denver

 

Denver has always been a city vibrant with a colorful art scene. From the many music shows that grace such stages at Red Rocks to Larimer Lounge, the fashion, the first-Friday art walks, the incredible restaurants, Denver is a city that continues to grow in all areas of art.

 

Back in 2009, a group of people got together, in collaboration with the River North Art District, and decided to throw an art event that would come to be one of the most loved events in Denver. Colorado Crush is Denver’s largest independent street art festival that takes over the alleyways and storefronts of the RiNo neighborhood. RiNo has been an up-and-coming neighborhood for a several years now, with more stores and restoration of homes and buildings happening, this neighborhood continues to become a place people venture to life, eat and play. The alley that now holds most of the street art is lovingly referred to as “Art Alley”. Last year, there were over 70 street artists who ventured to Denver for the week along event to share their incredible talents with the city.

 

If you are around Denver, head down to RiNo to see some of the artists work. Get some amazing pictures of the incredible art that is brightening up the alleyways and RiNo itself. Support your local art scenes like Colorado Crush that help bring new artists to the city and bring together the community. 

Photo by @coloradocrush16  

Photo by @coloradocrush16  

THE START- UP REALTOR: SOME ADVICE FOR NEW AGENTS

The Denver real estate market is hotter than ever these days and more and more people are joining the industry as real estate agents. I have been an agent since 2006 but investing in real estate since 2003. I continue to learn and grow as the market continues to expand and develop throughout the city and the state. It has been a rewarding job where I have met many amazing individuals who have become life-long friends. Selling houses and buying houses is a job that I find great satisfaction in and why wouldn’t I? I get to help families find their life-long home, I get to help newly married couples find their first home, and I help older couples sell their house they’ve had for 30+ years to find a smaller house to spend their retirement in.  I also get to help those investors, like myself who are building their investment Portfolios.

Many people out there are getting their real estate licenses and getting into this hot market of ours. Getting started in real estate is an exciting prospect with many positive outcomes and endless opportunities and a fantastic potential for income. Now there are all the television shows on HGTV and ‘Million Dollar Listing’ that make new real estate agents have a bit of a skewed view of what real estate really is on an every day basis. Real estate consists of problem solving, troubleshooting, constant learning, trial and error, and so much more.

A lot of being a good real estate agent also comes from your own personality and if it fits in with what the job demands of you. If you are an outgoing, personable, and hard worker who is not afraid to put in time and effort then this is a good job to consider. This is a learn as you go kind of career, you will make mistakes and that’s ok. You can read text books and continue to take classes after you pass your test but the real learning comes from out in the field. This is a hands on job where you need to be able to make good connections and have people you can count on. I would recommend finding a brokerage that meets your needs, one with a training program and a lead generation platform. Finding a broker you can trust to support and guide you will help you become the top agent you want to be.

One thing to be weary of in this field which many new agents deal with is ‘paralysis by analysis’ which basically means trying to gather all the information about everything and being overwhelmed by all of that which leads to you not being able to perform as a top agent. There is so much information to know and you will not know all of it and that is ok! Like I said earlier, this is a hands on job where you learn the most out in the field and you will make mistakes from time to time. Correct those mistakes and work on developing yourself as a agent who knows their stuff.

Being a Realtor is such an amazing opportunity so don’t be too scared if you are thinking of giving it a shot! The Denver market is the perfect place to get your feet wet and the potential for growth is happening everyday. If you have any questions about being an agent or any houses you have been looking at recently, give me a call and let’s grab coffee and chat. 

Photo by: @Noahbergphotography

Photo by: @Noahbergphotography