Passionately Urban

Selected by ABC as one of three American cities known for their holiday festivities, the Mile High City will be featured in-studio at "Good Morning America" as Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper unveils the city's holiday window display live from New York.

"Good Morning America" will also be broadcasting from the Denver Union Station holiday pep rally - where we hope you will join us! A large crowd of Denverites showing their holiday spirit is needed for live shots that will accompany Mayor Hickenlooper in New York.

Join the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders, Cherry Creek Shopping Center & The Dickens Carolers, TUBACHRISTMAS and Winter Park Willie for this festive holiday broadcast and a chance to be on national television. Giveaways include:

FREE WINTER PARK LIFT TICKETS, SKI TRAIN TICKETS, COLORADO AVALANCHE TICKETS, DENVER NUGGETS TICKETS & MORE!

In regards to real estate,

1. The First Time Buyer (People who have not owned a home in the past 3 years) -

• They are buying homes today that don’t have inflated equity
• They don’t have to wait for their home to sell
• They have sellers willing to pay their closing costs and buy-down already good interest rates
• They are in the first “Buyers” Market in nearly 8 years
• They have the largest selection of homes in 15 years
• The current down turn in pricing will allow them to buy homes in neighborhoods that were out of their reach 2 years ago
• They can get that extra bedroom or bath or garage
• They can still buy a home with 3% down (or 0% down with CHFA), a job and reasonable (not perfect) credit through FHA
• FHA loan limits are the Highest ever; $406,250 in Denver
  County
• If rates go dramatically lower …FHA has a streamlined refinance program that doesn’t require re-qualification of the buyer.
• If they buy before July 9, 2009, they are eligible for a $7,500 tax credit….
• If they buy before Dec 31 2008, they will get that back with their 2008 return

This is a life changing opportunity for these buyers…Know someone who could benefit?

2. The person who needs to refinance, upgrade, or wants to invest in real estate -

Treasury may set mortgage rates at 4.5% to boost sales
By Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch
Last update: 4:24 p.m. EST Dec. 3, 2008

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The Treasury Department is contemplating a proposal that would cut mortgage rates for new loans for homes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The plan would employ Fannie Mae (FNM:
Fannie Mae to offer mortgages with rates as low as 4.5%, roughly 1% lower than current rates.

The measure is under consideration as part of the Treasury Department's continued effort to limit foreclosures, which has been at the core of the financial crisis. The plan would seek to revitalize the financial market without bailing out homeowners and lenders, the Journal reported.

As part of the proposal under consideration, Treasury would buy mortgage securities backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, in addition to those guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee a significant chunk of all new mortgages in the United States.
Ronald D. Orol is a MarketWatch reporter, based in Washington.

More Mortgage News Today -
Treasury Weighs Action on Mortgage Rates

Please contact me at Kmarks@TopDenverAgent.com if you have any questions and would like to discuss! If I can't help you locally, I know licensed, experienced, reputable mortgage bankers and Realtors across the nation who can help you in your area.

So I purchased space in a new downtown Denver map that will be published in January. I'm excited about this and hoping that it comes out okay.

I'm not crazy about having my mug all over my advertising, but I might as well be like every other Realtor!

According to an article printed on November 3rd in the Denver Business Journal, ULI ranks Denver among top 10 real estate markets.

The Urban Land Institute named metro Denver one of its top 10 real estate markets to watch next year, in its Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2009 report released Oct. 21.

The report, which is based on the insights and predictions of real estate experts nationwide, cited this market’s pluses as a major federal government presence that “should buffer job losses,” as well as steady population growth. Greater diversification of industries in the metro area and a mass transit system that “should pay future dividends” also are positives for Denver-area real estate, the report said.

Metro Denver also made last year’s Emerging Trends top six markets to watch for 2008.

The top five markets named in the 2009 ULI report were Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles.

Other top 10 markets, in addition to metro Denver, included Houston, Boston, Dallas and Chicago.

The 30-year-old Emerging Trends report is the oldest industry outlook for real estate and land use in the nation, according to the ULI. The land group collaborates with accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP on the study, and polls more than 600 real estate experts across the country. Those experts include investors, developers, lenders, brokers and consultants.

Experts cited in the 2009 Emerging Trends report expect the country’s real estate and financial markets to hit bottom next year. Those markets are expected to flounder for much of 2010, with ongoing declines in property values, more foreclosures and “a limping economy that will continue to crimp property cash flows,” the report said. Real estate values could drop 15 percent to 20 percent from their mid-2007 peak.

“Only when property financing gets restructured will pricing recorrect, so we can find the floor, and this transition could wipe out companies and people,” one respondent said in the report.

Those interviewed for the ULI report generally believe financial institutions will continue to be pressured to move bad loans off their balance sheets, and will do that via auctions. Investors will be discouraged until that “bloodletting” ends, the report said. When investors start buying again, cash and buyers with low leverage will be “king,” banks will impose tougher lending guidelines and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) will be popular again in a more regulated form.

One silver lining for the real estate market, according to the report, is that smart investors will be able to capitalize on the inevitable economic recovery, which could come as early as 2010. “Money will be made on riding markets back to recovery and releasing properties, not on … financing structures,” the report said.

Based in Washington, D.C., the ULI is a nonprofit group that advocates for responsible land use, and to create and sustain “thriving” communities worldwide. The group’s local branch, ULI Colorado of Denver, is one of its largest district councils.