Fort Collins, CO Real Estate Podcast with Rob Kittle

What goes into my staging consultations? Let me walk you through the process.We’ve touched on the subject of home staging in the past, but today I wanted to delve deeper into what a one-hour consultation with me looks like. When you call me after hiring Rob Kittle, I like to come out and visit you as soon as possible. During my visit, I fill out a form that details each room of the property. I write down notes as we walk through the home together and then leave those notes with you after our consultation ends. I also send a copy of those notes on to Rob so that we are all on the same page. The first area I like to focus on is curb appeal. People driving up to your home will instantly perceive whether or not they can envision themselves living there. Everything after this first impression should then reinforce their already positive opinion on your home. If someone has a negative first impression of your home, everything they see inside of it afterwards will only serve to reinforce that impression. They’ll convince themselves that it simply isn’t right for them. This is why curb appeal is so critical.The next step is to talk about decluttering. Your home needs to have enough furniture to define the space, but not so much that the beauty of the home is being distracted from. Other basics, like cleanliness, are also important. During our consultation, we will determine whether your home needs anything from a fresh coat of paint to a good dusting. "Buyers want to see themselves living there, not you living there."On top of cleaning, organizing, and decluttering your home, you will also need to neutralize it. Buyers want to see themselves living there, not you living there. Religious artifacts, sports memorabilia, and other personal items should be put away during showings. Finally, good lighting is very important. Opening the blinds to allow in natural sunlight is a great way to make everything else you’ve done to the home shine. I look forward to working with you!

We’re hosting another client appreciation event. Will we see you there?Thanks to the record number of referrals you gave us in 2017, we were able to also have a record number of closings. We can’t thank you enough for the amazing year we had. "Don't miss out! Click here to RSVP to our bowling party!"To show you how grateful we are, we’re happy to invite you to our annual client appreciation event. We hope you’ll join us for a bowling party at Chipper’s North on February 10 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. You can RSVP here. We hope to see you there!If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Today’s topic is all about staging. Our friend Pam Sunderman joined us recently to discuss.I get a lot of questions about home staging. A lot of people want to know if it will still make a difference, even in a strong seller’s market like we have here in Fort Collins. Although there are some things you can’t change about your home, like its location, there are a few things that you do have control over that can lead you to the most profitable sale possible. You have control over the condition of your home, its price, and who you hire to help you prepare it. That’s what you should focus on. To go a little bit deeper on the topic of staging, we were joined by our friend Pam Sunderman of Pam Sunderman Design. She’s a professional staging consultant, and we offer a complimentary one-hour consultation to the sellers who choose to work with us. Pam’s job is to help buyers fall in love with your home by getting the condition to a 10, and then we capture that perfect condition with great photos.Pam says that even in a hot market, it’s important to focus on the staging. The goal is to have buyers feeling like they can make your home their own. When you’ve been living in your home for years, you become a little blind to what it looks like from a buyer’s perspective. The fresh set of eyes that Pam provides can really help the home sparkle when buyers come to see it.Our goal with all of our home sellers is to sell their home for top dollar. Staging doesn’t have to be expensive. Sometimes all you need are a few cans of paint. It’s all about minimizing and neutralizing what you already have. You don’t need to get new furniture, but you might need to take some out and put it in a storage container. "It’s all about minimizing and neutralizing."If you plan on selling your home, you’re going to have to do all the heavy lifting eventually. Getting it done up front will make your move so much easier.We’re not here to tell you what to do, we’re just here to help. In our experience, a staged home will sell faster and for more money every single time. If you have any questions for us in the meantime or would like to learn more about how we can help you make sure your home is in tip-top condition, give us a call or send us an email today. We look forward to hearing from you.

This Thanksgiving, let us take care of dessert. That’s right, our Great Pie Giveaway is just around the corner and we hope you’ll take advantage.Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so we’ve got a special offer for you. This year, the pie is on us. That’s right. Our Great Pie Giveaway is coming up soon, and you won’t want to miss it. Who doesn’t love free pie?"You can find the form to register right here"Taking advantage of this opportunity is simple. All you have to do to get yours is to register with your choice of apple or pumpkin by Wednesday, November 15th at 5:00 p.m. You can find the form to register right here. Then, after you’ve registered, your pie will be ready for you to pick up on November 20 or 21 between noon and 6:00 p.m. You can pick up your free Thanksgiving pie at our Old Town office at 300 S. Howes, Old Town Fort Collins, or at the Sheffield Homes sales office in West Greeley, at 10309 W. 11th Street. In the spirit of the holiday, we want to let you know how thankful we are for all of you. We appreciate your loyalty, friendship, and referrals, which is why we’re so happy to help you with your own Thanksgiving feast. We hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity, and once again: Thank you. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to call Cheryl at 970-670-4200 or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

One of the most important things to know about Sheffield Homes is their commitment to a high level of excellence that often exceeds local building codes.tI recently had the opportunity to join Jason Gordon with Sheffield Homes to talk about what sets their new homes apart from the rest.One of the most important things to know about Sheffield Homes is their commitment to a high level of excellence that often exceeds local building codes. Built using 2" x 6" construction, with high-end standard features such as slab granite counters, the goal of Sheffield Homes is to build the highest quality home possible. That’s exactly what they’re doing right now in The Point at Promontory subdivision, which you can learn more about here. If you have any questions about building a home, buying a home, or anything else related to real estate, give us a call or send us an email.

There are plenty of options for buying a home with less than 20% down. Here are a few of them.Our friend Patrick Boehler from Velocity Lending is here once again to answer one of the most common questions he gets from homebuyers. The question is, “Do I need 20% down to buy a home?”The answer is absolutely not, and the truth is that you have a ton of different loan options that require far less than 20% down."USDA and VA loans don’t require a down payment at all."For example, USDA and VA loans don’t require a down payment at all. These loans do come with restrictions, however. VA loans are only given out to active duty military service personnel and veterans, while USDA loans are only given to homes in rural areas that are eligible for the program.At the same time, you can get an FHA loan for as little as 3.5% down. Conventional programs, like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, can get you loans with 3% down. Patrick and Velocity Lending even have a 1% down conventional loan for well-qualified buyers as well.Programs change constantly, and new ones are always coming out. If you have any questions for Patrick or want the latest news from the lending world, give him a call at (970) 672-0010 or send him an email to patrick@myvelocitylending.com.If you have any real estate questions for us, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email anytime. We look forward to hearing from you.

Today I'm answering the common question “What’s the difference between an appraisal and an inspection?”I get this question all the time: What is the difference between a home inspection and an appraisal?In short, the inspection deals with the questions about the condition of the home—does the furnace work? Does the air conditioning work? Are there issues with the foundation? Is radon present?"The inspection deals with the condition of the home."Typically, the Realtor will give you a list of approved inspectors for the area. This is something you’ll want to attend to, as there is a lot of information you can gather from an inspection.On the other hand, an appraisal has to do with value, and as a lender, that’s something we primarily deal with. We will handle ordering the appraisal for you from our roster of approved, local appraisers. Value is ascertained by taking the three most comparable sales in your neighborhood—if you’re watching the value in your neighborhood go up, your home may actually appraise for more if you’re going to refinance or list that property at that time, based on the recent sales in your neighborhood.Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Today, I’ll be covering a common question I often receive, which is: What is the difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval? Let’s find out.Today, I wanted to take a moment to talk about a common question I receive. People frequently ask me what the difference is between pre-qualification and pre-approval. Actually, these two things are fairly different. A pre-qualification, typically, is done online or over the phone and uses unverified information.A pre-qualification simply doesn’t hold as much weight.  A pre-approval, however, is verified using documents. This is what we’ll typically run here at Velocity Lending. "Pre-approval truly makes a world of difference."When undergoing the process of a pre-approval, we will look at things like a person’s pay stubs, whether the person is self-employed, as well as their assets and credit report. After running your loan through underwriting, we will then produce your pre-approval letter. In our competitive northern Colorado market, having a pre-approval in hand will be the difference between striking a deal and having your offer passed over. Pre-approval truly makes a world of difference. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

If you want to find and secure your dream home in our market, here are a few tips that will help you.I get a lot of questions from people asking me how they can get into their dream home. Oftentimes, buyers in our market find their dream home online. But, before they can even access the property it’s already under contract. Here are a few key tips you can use to make sure this doesn’t happen to you. First, know that there is other inventory out there that you don’t have access to—but your agent does. Real estate agents have access to homes that aren’t on the market, and finding a home that’s not on the market is advantageous because you don’t have to compete for it."Getting a pre-approval letter will make your offer stand out."Another great tip is to remove contingencies from your offer. If you have a home you need to sell first before you buy your next one, for example, there are certain strategies you can apply to your offer in order to do so. Lastly, get a pre-approval letter instead of just a pre-qualification letter. This will greatly enhance your stature as a buyer. If you work with us and get a pre-approval letter, our lending partner will call the listing agent representing the home you’re interested in and explain to them how strong of an offer yours is because the loan is essentially fully approved. If you have any questions about how to find your dream home in our market, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We look forward to hearing from you.

Just because the market is hot doesn’t automatically mean your home will sell for top dollar. Prepare your home for the market by preemptively eliminating buyer objections.When someone plans on selling their home, I often hear them say things like, “Well, I know the carpet should be updated, but we’ll just offer a carpet allowance. We’ll still get multiple offers on our home because the market is so hot.” That’s not exactly the case. When it comes to selling your home for top dollar, multiple offers are important. However, the best way to get top dollar for your home is to eliminate objections before the buyer comes up with any. In fact, 70% of negotiations happen before you put your home on the market. That means people won’t ask you to repair the hole in the wall; they expect that they will have to take care of it themselves. Home sellers always say, “Well, of course I would replace the brass light fixtures, the polka dot wallpaper, and the avocado-green appliances!” The problem is that when a buyer comes into your home, they think that what they see is what they’ll get. They will have to figure out what smells and they will have to update the light fixtures. In fact, the No. 1 reason homes don’t sell is because of a strange smell in the home. Deferred maintenance items also discourage buyers from making an offer on your property. Buyers don’t want to move in and start fixing your home; they want to move in and start living in it. 99% of the time a buyer walks into a home that is completely done, they will fall in love with it. That turnkey property is the one they are willing to pay top dollar for. "70% of negotiations take place before your home is even on the market."In order to get multiple offers on your home, you want 100% of the people who walk into it to say that they love it. If people drop off because of deferred maintenance, then you’re left with a small pool of buyers who won’t even consider making an offer on the home unless you significantly reduce the price. Again, you need to eliminate buyer objections before they come up. If you know that there is deferred maintenance on your home or some other item that the inspector will ding you for, let’s take care of those items before your home is on the market. That way, the buyer won’t see something and say, “Oh my gosh, if that is an issue, what else is wrong with this home?” You want the buyer to think that your home is loved and well cared for. Ultimately, the carpet allowance doesn’t work. If you’re going to spend $5,000 on a new carpet, you might as well get the carpet, enjoy it now, and impress prospective buyers once your home is on the market. We also pay for a stager to come in and make your home look its best. Why? Condition is an incredibly important factor when it comes to getting top dollar for your home. If you have any other questions about preparing your home for the market, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

How can we help sell your home? Allow me to explain how we do it better than the rest.You wouldn't put a Picasso up for sale at a garage sale. Your house is just as important, which is why the team you hire to sell your home is so crucial. Getting massive exposure for your home is the best way to get top dollar, and having the right game plan is important.When you sell, you control three things: the price, the condition, and the Realtor you hire to execute your game plan. We're a premier agency with Zillow, and we have a 'coming soon' program to help create buyer urgency for our listings. When your property goes on Zillow as a coming soon listing, buyers start to see it and fall in love with it before it goes on the MLS."We market to every Realtor in northern Colorado and our database of more than 5,500 buyers."We also market to every Realtor in northern Colorado. Many sellers list with RE/MAX, but they only market within RE/MAX. We use the Internet to market your property to our database of more than 4,000 agents in northern Colorado so every Realtor sees it before it hits the market to create more exposure and urgency.In addition, we market our listings to our more than 5,500 active buyers in our database to let them know the home will be for sale. Everything we do is proactive, unlike most Realtors who put a sign in the yard and pray that someone else sells the home.If you have any other questions about how we can help you sell your home for top dollar, give me a call or send me an email. I'd be glad to tell you more.

There are some important underwriting regulations that have changed recently that we wanted to break down for you. Will you be affected for the better?Some underwriting guidelines have changed recently and this time, it's actually a good thing. Normally a change means these guidelines have tightened up, but they've actually relaxed some guidelines, and Fannie Mae has released a bunch of improvements for the consumer. If you're an investor, have student loans, or own a condo, all of these are relevant to you.If you've had trouble refinancing your condo and have been told the property is non-warrantable, they will no longer require a condo questionnaire if you want to refinance for a better rate. That's usually where problems arise—things like the condo complex being in litigation or the owner-occupant ratio percentage being off."Fannie Mae has finally relaxed some important regulations."Fannie Mae also reduced the down payment for investment properties from 20% to 15%. Since Fannie Mae allows for up to 10 financed properties, this is true for all 10 if they are a single-family unit, condo, or townhome. It doesn't apply to two- to four-unit buildings.Finally, there were changes when it comes to student loans. Student debt can be a thorn in your side if you're trying to secure financing because those payments typically need to be calculated into your debt-to-income ratio. Fannie Mae has made it so that the payment that shows up on you credit report is actually the payment used to qualify you. If you have income-based repayment, we can now use that amount to qualify you. Additionally, if you have loans you're looking to pay off, you can actually pull equity out of your home to pay them with what's called a 'rate and term' refinance instead of a cash out refinance. The difference is that a cash out refinance has a 0.25% higher interest rate.If you have any questions about these changes, don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I'm here to help!

Today I’m bringing you a quick update on what’s going on in the mortgage world.In late March, the Fed raised the bank to bank interest rate by 0.25%. However, that doesn’t mean mortgage rates jumped as well.In fact, the opposite is true. Mortgage rates actually dropped 0.25% following the Fed increase. "Usually bad news for the economy is good news for mortgage rates."Bad news for the economy is usually good news for interest rates. For example, the stock market reacted negatively to a few things recently and that was good news for mortgage rates. A 0.25% drop might not sound like much, but on a $300,000 home, that equates to saving $45 a month or $15,000 over the life of the loan. It also means you can get approved for $10,000 to $20,000 more on a home loan.Most people think the Fed dictates mortgage rates, but the market does. Rates change daily, sometimes even more than once a day. To get the most up-to-date information on mortgage rates, the best thing to do is contact your local mortgage lender. If you need any recommendations, I’d be glad to help out.If you have any other questions, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

We wanted to share a quick update with you today. It concerns the health of our market and whether buyers or sellers have an advantage.A lot of our clients have been asking us about what’s going on with the market. I pulled some statistics today that I would love to share with you. In Fort Collins right now, there are 60 active listings and 325 properties that have gone under contract or sold in the last three months in the $300,000 to $400,000 range. Basically, the market is absorbing about 108 properties per month, and we only have a two-week supply of inventory right now.Studies from the National Association of Realtors show that if the number of homes that are on the market is equal to the number that have sold in a six- month period, that indicates a balanced market. It keeps the appreciation at an equilibrium, which is good.With just a two-week supply of homes, we are in a heavy seller’s market in this price range in Fort Collins. There is significant upward pressure on prices in this market."There is significant upward pressure on pricing in this market."In Loveland, Windsor, and Greeley, we saw pretty much the same situation in the $300,000 to $400,000 price range. We have a two-week supply of homes in Loveland and Greeley, and a three-week supply in Windsor.Obviously, these numbers will change depending on the price point you are in. If you have any questions for us or would like to know the specific numbers for your price range, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you!

What would your life look like if you were totally debt free? I have a special guest today with a product that can help you make that vision become a reality.Ed is a financial planner who has been a great help to me and my clients, and he has a great offer for you today.With this proprietary product, Ed wants to help you get all your debts (including your house) paid off in seven to 10 years. Take a moment to close your eyes and envision what a debt-free life would be like. What would you do? "What would you do if you were totally debt-free?"If you have a $250,000 house, for example, and you can eliminate that cost in addition to all your other costs, you can save about $100,000 to $200,000 on average that you won't have to pay toward debt or interest. You could use this money for early retirement or to turn your life around or take on any other goals you have in your life.This product really does change lives, and Ed wants to offer it to you as my client. If you want to learn more, you can email him at MMLLC007@gmail.com or you can call him at 970-685-8732.This is an offer you don't want to miss out on. Ed took me through this and ran me through all the software, and let me tell you, it is phenomenal. Reach out today!In the meantime, if you have any questions about real estate in Northern Colorado, don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email.

Can you find your dream home on a budget? Yes!Can you get your dream home if you’re on a limited budget? Of course! There are just a few steps you need to take. "Talk to a mortgage broker to see what you can qualify for."First, make sure you talk to a mortgage broker to see what you qualify for. From there, we can discuss what features you want in the pool of homes that you qualify for. This includes the size of the yard, location, whether the property has a pool, size of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, etc. Then we will take a look at the available inventory on the market. From there, we will narrow down what locations and features are going to be realistically available to you. You may have to compromise on some items, but you will ultimately find the home of your dreams. If you have any questions, please give me a call or send me an email. I’m always happy to help! 

I was recently on a radio show answering some great questions about real estate and I wanted to share those with you today. I was recently a guest on 600 KCOL Fox News Radio with Jimmy Lakey to a few questions about the real estate world, and I want to share those answers with you today. Q: Does it make sense to start planning upgrades and remodels if the seller isn’t going to sell for four years?A: Honestly, the sooner the better. I have clients that have met with me to discuss the sale of their home in two years, so four years in advance would break my record, but I think it would be a smart way to approach adding value. Make sure you’re careful with how you upgrade and which remodels you undertake.For example, I once had a home that I had lived in for 10 years and made some upgrades to including a great tile backsplash. When I went to sell it five years later, that backsplash was already outdated. Make sure you choose finishes that are timeless without too much personality. When it comes to sitting down and figuring out what those items would be and the best way to approach working those upgrades into your home, the sooner the better.Q: When you hire Rob Kittle, you hire a team. Tell us a little bit about the Rob Kittle team. A: There are about 23 people that work with the Rob Kittle team right now, which includes a team of specialists. It seems that one of the biggest complaints when it comes to working with a single agent is that the client never knows what’s going on. With a team there is more communication and clients are informed about every step of the process. It’s one thing to promise that you’re a good agent, and another thing to prove it, and I feel our team works hard to prove it.Q: Are Zillow’s estimates accurate?A: The founder of Zillow has said that their estimates are within 20% accuracy, so be cautious with those. Zillow’s estimates don’t take into account if you’ve done any upgrades or remodeling, which is obviously going to have a huge impact on your home’s true value.Q: I’ve seen you in a moving truck around town, what’s that about?A: The moving truck is just another service that we offer our buyers and sellers. If you are going through a transaction with us or if you’re a past client, we’re going to let you use our moving truck. It’s actually a pretty popular service, and I’ve had to look into buying a couple more. If you have any other questions about real estate that you’d like me to answer, or if you’re looking to buy or sell a home, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I also encourage you to check out Jimmy Lakey's Radio Show- KCOL Morning's with Jimmy Lakey!I look forward to hearing from you! 

Jimmy Lakey founded River’s Promise to help children in Africa go to school and to fund other basic needs for African orphans. Today, we’re sitting down with Jimmy to learn a bit more about his organization.Today we’re visiting Jimmy Lakey, the founder of River’s Promise, to donate some of our profits. River’s Promise is a foundation in Africa that helps send children to school and funds other basic needs for African orphans. If you have bought or sold a home with us, you have helped us donate $10,000 to River’s Promise. It takes $3,000 to build a house, and $35 a month helps send a child to school and funds other amenities. Whenever we buy or sell a house, a portion of that transaction goes back to help the community. River’s Promise has one paid employee who actually lives in Africa; everyone who works for the organization in the U.S. does so on a volunteer basis. Jimmy and his wife are true humanitarians. They adopted their son, River, from Rwanda. Although the Lakeys wanted to adopt more than one child, the adoption process took a very long time. “I thought, I can’t leave them behind,” says Jimmy. Not only that, Jimmy wanted to make sure that he had an answer for the day when his son would ask about what happened to his friends at the orphanage, so he and his wife started their foundation. You can read their full story here. Jimmy and I have both been to Africa; I went to Guinea in West Africa back in 1995. I saw the conditions there firsthand, and I believe that some money in the right hands will make a huge difference. That’s why the Kittle Team makes donations to foundations like River’s Promise. If you are interested in helping River’s Promise, Jimmy has a few tips. “I stopped taking things back with me [from the U.S.],” Jimmy says. “I can have a shoe drive here or I can buy shoes from a vendor [in Africa] and keep him in business.” From school supplies to clothes, Jimmy can use your donations to help children as well as their local economy. At Kittle Cares, we are honored to help organizations like River’s Promise improve people’s lives. If you have any questions about River’s Promise or Kittle Cares, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We would be happy to help you!

Looking to buy in Fort Collins? Perform a full home search, Looking to sell in Fort Collins? Get a free Home Price EvaluationThe selling season has already started off with a huge bang here in Fort Collins, as there is a complete lack of inventory out there for home buyers. We are starting to see multiple offer scenarios on pretty much every property.How do you compete with these conditions as a buyer? The first thing you need to be able to do is get instant access to that new inventory as soon as possible. With our system, you’ll get an automated email as soon as a home that matched your criteria goes on the market.Because we do sell more homes than anyone else in the area, we’ve also got access to many more listings that are not on the market yet but will be soon. We can use your criteria to match you up with our “Coming Soon” listings as well.  The next step is making an offer against other buyers. We’ve got a long checklist of tips for you on how to do this properly to beat out the competition. We’d love to share that list with you, just give us a call or send an email and we’d be happy to get it out to you. If you have any other questions, we would love to answer those too. Just give us a call or send us an email!