Category Archives: Anne Skinner I Colorado Mountain Realty

Anne Skinner I Colorado Mountain Realty, Martket Information

Time for Millennials to Leave the Nest-realtor.com

Leave a comment

Housing Rebound: Time for Millennials to Leave the Nest1.4K Real Estate News and Advice / by Steven Russolillo / 5 days ago

The U.S. homeownership rate hit a 48-year low earlier this year.

Steve DiPaola/Reuters


Millennials appear to be in no rush to ditch their parents’ homes. Perhaps they should be.
More adults between ages 18 and 34 are now living with mommy and daddy than ever before, according to the Pew Research Center. And the millennials who have fled the nest have increasingly become renters rather than buyers, a major reason the U.S. homeownership rate hit a 48-year low earlier this year.
But times are changing. Job prospects are improving and wages are showing signs of breaking out. Those factors alone suggest conditions are favorable for home buyers. Yet record levels of student debt are weighing on millennials and that could prompt them to miss out on a ripe opportunity to buy.
Consider the coming S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, due Tuesday. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal estimate home prices across the nation rose 5.2% in the 12 months ended in October, up from a 4.9% increase in the comparable period a month earlier.
Home values have been increasing recently at an annual clip of about 4% to 5%, pushing prices closer to precrisis records.
Of course, that is good news for current homeowners. They reap the benefits of seeing home values appreciate by more than twice the rate of inflation. But that doesn’t help a millennial skittish about becoming a first-time home buyer. Rising home values make it even more difficult to muster 20% for a down payment.
Furthermore, the benefit of ultralow mortgage rates won’t last forever. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was still under 4% in December, according to Freddie Mac. With the Federal Reserve expected to keep raising interest rates at a measured pace in 2016, they should move higher as well.
If, for instance, 30-year mortgage rates rise by one percentage point a year from now and home prices rise by another 5%, a monthly mortgage payment could jump by around 18%.
Rising prices and interest rates may please the older generation, but not the one that hasn’t yet begun climbing the property ladder.
The fear of missing out—or FOMO, as the kids say these days—should prompt millennials to act now.
The post Housing Rebound: Time for Millennials to Leave the Nest appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice – realtor.com.
Share Visit website

Anne Skinner I Colorado Mountain Realty, Martket Information, Summit County Real Estate

How a Realtor with a Snow Shovel Showed Me Exactly What Hustle Really Looks Like

Leave a comment

Some Real Estate Agents will go above and beyond not only to generate leads, but also to find the right home for you and your family. Joel Comm from inc.com tells the story of how one Realtor taught him “what hustle really looks like.” 

 

How a Realtor with a Snow Shovel Showed Me Exactly What Hustle Really Looks Like

Here’s how meeting an unrelated need can help you crush your competition.

BY JOEL COMM
Author and speaker

When I was growing up, The Hustle was a dance made famous by Van McCoy. Today, hustle means a different kind of moving, as it relates to building your business. It means you are willing to do whatever you need in order to break through your barriers and make things happen.

I recently had a surprise encounter with an entrepreneur with hustle and had to share it with you.

While much of the country is experiencing a winter heat wave, Mother Nature decided to unleash a snowstorm on Northern Colorado. Recognizing that 8 inches or more in my driveway meant that my Mustang wasn’t going anywhere that day, I turned on some holiday music and sat down at my computer to work.

I thought it might be fun to share the falling snow with my followers, so I started a live video stream using the Facebook Mentions app. I placed my phone in my window facing the street and turned up the volume on Sinatra singing the Christmas classics.

About 25 minutes into the broadcast, I decided to go out front and build a snowman for my viewers. However, when I stepped into the snow I realized it wasn’t sticky enough to build anything.

I noticed a guy shoveling the sidewalk across the street and we waved to each other. He asked if I wanted my walk shoveled. I said I would love that, anticipating that I would pay for it.

He told me he was a realtor in the Denver area and that since he couldn’t really show homes today, he was shoveling sidewalks for people just to meet people. He asked if he could shovel my walk for free, and in exchange he would leave his business cards with me, hoping that I might have a referral for someone needing to buy or sell a home in the area.

Now THAT is what hustle looks like!

I told him that I was blown away by his marketing prowess and I briefly interviewed him on the live stream. One of my viewers found his realtor website and found it wanting. So he sent him an email with an invitation to fix up his site at no cost.

And THAT is what I call paying it forward!

Talking to the realtor, Chris Smith of Keller Williams in Golden, I learned what hustle means to him. It means that when you can’t conduct activity that brings in revenue, you build relationships by finding a need and meeting it.

Hustle means you do what others aren’t willing to do because you want what others don’t have.

And hustle means you demonstrate you care by doing something nice for others without expecting anything in return.

Chris Smith didn’t know he was going to encounter a social media author and speaker who happened to be live streaming to hundreds of Facebook followers when he asked if I wanted my sidewalk shoveled at no cost.

But he trusted the process, knowing that if he just showed up and brought value to others, there would be a payoff somewhere down the line.

A perfect example of what hustle looks like.

Click here to see the live video stream where I encountered Chris and view the archived footage on my Facebook page.

Around 24 minutes in, you can see me speaking with him as he is shoveling across the street.  At 33 minutes I share the story of what had just happened. At 37:30 I brought him on camera to introduce him to my audience. And after that you can see him making good on his promise to clean up my sidewalk.

What unique ways have you seen others hustle?

Anne Skinner I Colorado Mountain Realty

The Top 12 Keller Williams Blog Posts of 2015

Leave a comment

Keller Williams tracked their top blog posts of 2015. One of my favorites is “Random Acts of Kindness” from January 2015. Find them all below and pick your favorite. 

January 2015– Random Acts of Kindness

Keller Williams associates started 2015 off with full hearts and generosity. Readers were delighted to learn about the unforgettable gift associates gave a pizza delivery driver at the Keller Williams Michigan-Northern Ohio Regional ALC Clinic.

“I was proud to be a part of the Keller Williams family before but now I’m just bursting with pride. Your act of kindness brought tears to my eyes.” – Dian Thompson-Melvin

February 2015   – Breaking Records & Winning Awards

On the same day that Keller Williams announced it was the largest real estate franchise by agent count in the world, Training Magazine named the company the world’s #1 training organization across all industries. At a Feb. 9 awards ceremony in Atlanta to honor the Training 125, Keller Williams was recognized for the growth, productivity and profitability gains resulting from its world-class education and training programs.

“Keller Williams training and technology have almost doubled my business in 10 months and is absolutely unparalleled in our industry. Simply the BEST!” – Ellen Grant

March 2015 – Making Millionaires

Keller Williams continued to make millionaires in 2015.The Millionaire Real Estate Agent (MREA) is a roadmap to success that contains four models for running a successful real estate business: the economic model, the lead generation model, the budget model and the organizational model. It’s really easy honestly; just read the book and follow what it says. There is no guess work involved. Just ask Chip Parrish of the Denver Central (Colo.) market center.

“I suit-up and show-up every day. I am in the office from 6am-4pm working hard at lead generation. When you run your business like a business, you set it up for success.” – Chip Parrish

April 2015 – A Culture Worth Studying

In April, researchers at the Stanford Graduate School of Business published a report in their Closer Look series on the importance of culture at Keller Williams. It marked the third time that the prestigious business school has studied Keller Williams.

The nine-page report can be downloaded for free.

May 2015 – Giving Where We Live

On May 14, 2015 Keller Williams associates around the globe donated hundreds of thousands of hours to their local communities during RED Day. RED Day stands for Renew, Energize and Donate. It is a global day of service and volunteerism for 700 offices and the hundreds of thousands of Keller Williams associates around the world.

“Every time we participate in a RED DAY, I feel good. Just a little help anyone receives goes a long way.” – Leslie Guzman

June 2015 – Agents Lead the Conversation

On June 25, 2015, Keller Williams CEO Chris Heller and President John Davis co-hosted the first KW Town Hall, an interactive streaming conversation with associates worldwide. After a brief update on the state of the company, Heller and Davis turned the conversation over to agents who submitted their questions through social media, using the #KWTownhall hashtag, as well as to the live studio audience of local team leaders and ALC members.

July 2015 – Topping Lists

Keller Williams was proud to be represented by 30 associates on the fourth-annual National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals’ (NAHREP) annual list of the top-producing real estate agents in the United States, two of which are on the top 10 list! The 2015 list recognizes top-producing agents whose hard work and dedication has led them to close an outstanding number of transactions. Selected from among 500 agents considered, the 250 winners collectively handled a total of 20,730 transaction sides in 2014 and over $3.9 billion in total volume.

“These 30 agents are market experts who have committed to delivering a superior customer experience. It’s no wonder so many clients choose to work with them to buy or sell their home.” – John Davis, President, Keller Williams.

August 2015 – Success Is Sequential, Not Simultaneous

In August, 2015, Keller Williams associate Chad Hyams of the Southeast Region, spoke with Mega Camp attendees in Austin, Texas on best practice tips to ensure their digital marketing strategy is on track.

“You have to go and do work; success is not going to just happen.” – Chad Hyams

September 2015 – A Look at Lead Generation

Generating leads is your business’ bread and butter. Without a lead, there’s no client, which is why you dedicate a good deal of time to cultivating prospects. All year, the KW Blog delivered proven techniques to help turn you into a lead generation machine.

“Good tips, I love this stuff! We’ve been using BOLD leads to bring in sellers, and have signed a few listings already, but we are always looking for more ideas!” – Susan A.

October 2015 – Highest Ranking Real Estate Brokerage by Sales Growth Percentage

With year-over-year sales growth of 16.1 percent, an increase of nearly $700 million over the previous year, Keller Williams moved up from No. 28 in 2014 to No. 24 in 2015 on the Franchise Times 200. The impressive showing by Keller Williams followed on the heels of recognition by Inc. Magazine earning a spot on the 5000 Honor Roll as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States.

This impressive showing followed on the heels of earning a spot on Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Honor Roll with Keller Williams being listed as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. This recognition placed Keller Williams on the Five-Time Inc. 5000 Honoree Honor Roll.

November 2015 – Profit Share Milestone Achieved

In keeping with the philosophy that agents are partners and stakeholders, Keller Williams created a distinct wealth building platform that rewards associates who contribute to a profitable market center’s growth by attracting productive associates. In the United States and Canada, we do this through profit share; and across the world, through growth share. By November 2015, Keller Williams had distributed more than $104.3 million in profit share in a single year to associates.

“For Keller Williams, 2015 marks another record year for growth, productivity and profitability gains,” said Chris Heller, CEO, Keller Williams.

December 2015 – Planning for 2016 with CEO Chris Heller

Steve Murray of REAL Trends Talked with Keller Williams CEO Chris Heller about the challenges and opportunities in real estate in 2016. Find out what kind of a sales year Heller thinks we will experience in 2016 as well as his insights on new business models, Upstream and keeping good momentum.

I’m very proud to be a Keller Williams agent, and am looking forward to what 2016 will bring. 

-Anne Skinner

 

Anne Skinner I Colorado Mountain Realty, Summit County Events

Tuesday is Colorado Gives Day!

Leave a comment

Colorado Gives Day Tuesday, December 8th

The Retriever Rescue of Colorado is the organization that Dan and I got Playa from as a puppy. They are an amazing organization that does great work. Without them we wouldn’t have our girl. They were able to rescue Playa’s mom and get the puppies to loving and caring homes.

Anne-Skinner-main-pic-238x300

Their mission statement: Believing that all Retrievers deserve a safe, loving home, the mission of Retriever Rescue of Colorado is to rescue abandoned, abused, neglected and unwanted retrievers and to promote public education on animal-related issues.

Dan and I are volunteers that do home visits for any Summit County potential adoptions. Again we can not recommend this rescue enough. Please consider them tomorrow, Tuesday December 8th on Colorado Gives Day!

Click here to Learn More or Give today! 

Thanks!

Anne Skinner

Anne Skinner I Colorado Mountain Realty

9 Ways to Stay Warm This Winter Without Turning Up the Heat

Leave a comment

Realtor.com is at it again. Maureen Dempsey explores 9 ways to stay warm this winter without relying simply on the heat. One of my personal favorites is the heated towel rack.

 

9 Ways to Stay Warm This Winter Without Turning Up the Heat

D Trocio Photography/Getty Images

By: Maureen Dempsey

The chill will be here before you know it—or, depending on where you’re reading this, it’s already arrived with a scary vengeance. Now you have three options: Crank up the thermostat, up your layering game (and risk looking like the Michelin man), or search for other types of home heating products to keep you and the family toasty.

Here’s the good news: There’s a slew of products that can warm your home in an array of astonishing ways, from heated rugs to countertops to driveways (no more shoveling snow!). Here’s a sampling of the innovative options.

Heating panels

Radiators and vented systems work perfectly well throughout the house, but add a few radiant heating panels to your room of choice to fire up the cozy factor. Starting at $600; warmlyyours.com.

Heated driveway

You might love a fresh snowfall a little more (instead of cursing it) if you don’t have to shovel it. You can increase safety and eliminate snow and ice by installing a heated driveway. Around $2,500 plus installation; heatizon.com.

Heated rug pads

A heated rug sounds pretty appealing, no? The plug-in pad slips under a standard area rug. We have a feeling the kids (and pets) will be flocking to this one. Starting at $150;cozywinters.com.

Heated countertops

The cool touch of granite is fabulous in the summer, but it’s not so great when you’re trying to make coffee on a chilly winter morning. The solution: heated countertops. Installable and stick-on are available. Starting at $750; feelswarm.com.

Heated towel rack

You can banish après-shower cold shocks with this toasty towel rack, one of the products that helped kick off the whole heated gear trend a few years back. $160;wayfair.com.

Heated mattress cover

Ten heat settings and dual control means everyone will be snug on this sherpa mattress cover. Starting at $65; target.com.

Boot heater

Can’t bear the thought of slipping your little piggies into wet, cold boots for another schlep outside? Avoid the torture with a space-saving boot dryer. $35; cozywinters.com.

Heated slippers

http://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/ways-to-stay-warm-this-winter/?iid=rdc_news_hp_carousel_theLatest

These heated indoor-outdoor slippers work as shoes, too, depending on your definition of footwear and, um, style. $125; brookstone.com.

Heated toilet seat

Let’s be honest: This heated toilet seat (with night light!) is quietly appealing. We’ll leave it at that. $122; homedepot.com.

 

Let’s be honest though, all of these sound amazing. Here in Summit County these little improvements could help make the long winter a little bit warmer. 

Anne Skinner I Colorado Mountain Realty

El Niño…

Leave a comment

With more snow expected tonight I’m just going to leave this here…

Summit County has started out the season really well. Whether it’s because of El Niño or not we’re excited about all the snow.

For the full clip check out NBC.

Anne Skinner I Colorado Mountain Realty, Summit County Events

Happy Thanksgiving

Leave a comment

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey2-247x225

Some fun Summit County Thanksgiving Day Events:

  • Keystone Thanksgiving. Click Here for more information.
  • Kidtopia opening at Keystone, November 27th
  • Turkey Day 5k: Town of Frisco. Click Here for more information.
  • Frisco Adventure Park Opening, November 26th
  • Midnight Madness at the Outlets at Silverthorne: November 26th 8pm-12am, November 27th 8am-8pm
Anne Skinner I Colorado Mountain Realty

Don’t Wait – Beat the Crowds and Buy This Winter, Realtor.com

Leave a comment

Did you know it is cheaper to own than to rent in more than three-quarters of the counties in the United States? Realtor.com’s Jonathan Smoke explains why now is the time to buy if you can, and how in doing so you can not only get the best deal, but also save money in the long run.

 

Don’t Wait – Beat the Crowds and Buy this Winter

From Realtor.com
Snow globe: rakchai/iStock; sign: jdillontoole/iStock

Now that the U.S. has regained its job-creation mojo, as the October employment report showed, the demand for housing is only going to grow.

After all, when people have jobs they can break off and form new households—ditching the roommates behind or finally moving out of Mom and Dad’s basement—and that’s what fundamentally drives home purchases.

Most of the households created over the past two years have been renting households, but based on U.S. Census data for the third quarter of this year, it appears that homeownership has started to recover.

This especially makes sense now that it is cheaper to own than rent in more than three-quarters of the counties in the U.S. And it’s not getting better— rents are rising year over year at twice the pace of listing prices. Meanwhile, mortgage rates remain at near record lows but appear poised to increase over the next year. And home prices are rising, too.

So if you qualify for a mortgage and have the funds for a down payment and closing costs—and if you intend to live in a home long enough to cover the transaction costs of buying and selling—you will be better off financially if you buy as soon as you can. After all, if you are tired of your current home now, you won’t feel better about it in six months.

The top factors driving home shoppers this summer were pent-up demand and recognition of favorable mortgage rates and home prices. These drivers will likely remain well into next year.

Yet demand for housing is extremely seasonal. In most markets in the country, we are conditioned to believe that we should buy homes in the spring and summer. So come each October, plans to purchase shift to the spring. While the school calendar and weather do influence the ideal time to move, many buyers would benefit from buying this fall and winter rather than waiting until next spring.

In October, the percentage of would-be buyers on realtor.com® saying that they intend to buy in seven to 12 months was the highest it has been all year and represented the largest time frame for purchase. Likewise, October produced the lowest percentage of would-be buyers saying they intend to buy in the next three months.

In other words, people’s stated plans point to a very strong spring for home sales. Great, right? But here’s the problem: Inventory isn’t likely to be higher in March and April than it is now. And while inventory should grow in late spring and into summer, it won’t grow as fast as the seasonal demand.

So, if you are ready, consider getting in the market now instead of early spring. You will have more choices and less competition, and you can lock in today’s rates rather than risk rates being 25 to 50 basis points higher. (A basis point is 0.01 percentage point.)

A 50 basis-point increase in rates (for example, from 4.05% to 4.55%) would cause monthly payments to be 6% higher. And that increase would not only affect your monthly cash flow but could also affect your ability to qualify.

So if you are considering buying a home this spring, it’s worth exploring the inventory now and reaching out to a local Realtor®. A new home could be the best gift you give yourself and your family this holiday season.

Jonathan Smoke

For Original article click Here.

 

Home Maintenance

Maintenance Tip: Caulking Your Bathroom

Leave a comment

Regular maintenance on your home is important to keep up with on a consistent basis.  It not only protects your home, but also when it comes time to sell it, it shows potential buyers that your home has been well-maintained and makes a lasting impression.

Quick Bathroom Tip:

One of the simplest things you can do is re-caulk your bathroom vanities, sinks, showers, toilets and trim on a yearly to bi-yearly basis.  The caulk in your bathroom is quick to wear out because of it’s daily use.  It is important to help prevent water from penetrating the cracks in your shower and causing mold.

It is a simple project, all you need is a caulk gun, matching caulk and a razor blade or paint scraper.  All of these can be picked up at your local home improvement store.  To keep caulk looking good and working properly, its important to scrape the old caulk off first with a razor blade or paint scraper.  This is time consuming, however, it is a very important step.   Putting layer on top of layer not only makes it look bad, but also reduces the effectiveness.  You can be pretty aggressive when you are scraping the old caulk off, don’t worry about removing a small amount of grout in the process.

Once you have removed the old caulking, make sure that the surface is clean and dry.  The next step is to apply a bead of caulking to all of the seams.  In the shower, you will want to make sure to apply caulking to the edges of the floor or tub, to all of the corners, to any glass doors you might have as well as to benches or shelves.  You can use multiple colors of caulking to acheive the desired effect.  For instance, if you have a glass or metal framed door, you may want to use clear caulking there and then colored caulking in the corner of the shower.

Once you have applied a bead of caulking, you can use your finger to smooth it down and push it into the cracks.  It helps to have your finger slightly damp.  You may need to run your finger over the seam multiple times to achieve the desired effect.  Keep a damp rag handy so you can wipe your finger off.  Once you have completed the job, try to allow the caulking to dry for 24-48 hours before using your shower again.  It will make your bathroom look brand new!

-Anne Skinner

 

 

photo cred: EP
Anne Skinner I Colorado Mountain Realty, Summit County Events

CAIC Benefit Bash 2015

Leave a comment
The CAIC Benefit Bash 2015

Tonight is one of my favorite events of the year – the CAIC Annual Fundraiser.  CAIC stands for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

Alpine Touring has become increasingly popular in the mountains in the last few years.  It is a great way to get out and enjoy the snow without the crowds at the ski resort.  It also allows you to access terrain that might otherwise be out of reach.  Danny and I have been getting into the sport slowly but surely as we love to bring our dog, Playa, with us whenever we can.  However, we are fully aware that there are inherent risks with skiing in the back country.  CAIC has been a hugely important resource for us in understanding the avalanche danger.  Not only do they put out daily avalanche danger reports which are vital to reading the terrain, but also they are a great resource in learning about avalanche safety. No backcountry excursion should be without CAIC’s forecast, Beacon, Probe, and Shovel.

The fundraiser this evening helps to provide funds for continuing the great work that they are already doing.  The fundraiser begins at 5pm tonight at Breckenridge’s Riverwalk center.  There will be dinner, drinks, silent auctions and tons of give aways. Buy your tickets now at www.avalanche.state.co.us/caic-benefit-bash/ as it always sells out.  I hope to see you there! (And if it is sold out please still consider giving CAIC your support because again without them the Backcountry would be even harder to access).

More Avalanche Awareness Information

Colorado’s avalanche terrain is inherently more unstable because it is a continental snowpack:

Continental avalanche climate:
(From MetEd)

  • Relatively shallow snowpack with settled mid-winter snow depths less than 5 feet (1.5 m)
  • Less frequent storms with lower-density snow than the maritime climate
  • Long periods of drought with very cold temperatures during winter
  • Temperatures variable throughout winter, leading to more varied layers within the snowpack
  • Both direct action avalanches and delayed-action avalanches are common and often involve layers deep within the snowpack; the pack can remain unstable and avalanches may be triggered even weeks after last significant storm

It is very important to have a basic knowledge of the snowpack before you enter the backcountry in Colorado because of this. The Rockies offer an endless playground of activities including snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and skinning,  just to name a few, and with the right knowledge and acceptance of the risks involved the backcountry can be an amazing experience for everyone.

MetEd Avalanche Information

There are a ton of educational opportunities in the State of Colorado. I highly recommend an AIARE Avy Level 1 course. This level teaches you have to read the terrain, understand the avalanche forecasts, use and test your beacon, probe, and shovel, and gets you familiar with the mindset needed to make informed in the moment decisions.

CAIC is a great resource for finding the right course for you. Here is a Calendar of their education opportunities. These classes are not only informative, but also very fun!

There’s so much more out there than resort skiing, and Summit County has endless opportunities for backcountry exploration. Get out there, have fun, and most importantly be safe!

Anne Skinner