I was talking with the good people from Shea homes the other day and they find themselves in an interesting predicament. I am sure a lot of home builders find themselves in the exact same situation these days. You see, Shea has people walking through their models in Back Country everyday that would love to buy a new home there BUT…they have a home to sell.

You see, the “BUT I have a home to sell” issue is happening all over Colorado. Many home owners would love to buy right now and take advantage of the low prices, low interest rates and many incentives, but they can’t sell their home or afraid it will take too many years to sell their home. So Shea came up with a good idea to help people sell their homes.

I know what you’re saying, “Selling a home is a pretty standard process. Many people know how to do it.” Not so fast; this is a very different real estate market place than the last time you sold a home. Moreover, the real estate landscape is changing everyday and the way we buy and sell homes will look a lot different in two years than it does today.

So what’s Shea up to? They are going to start holding classes on selling your home. Not exactly a new creation when it comes to ideas, but it is a good one and here’s why. For years, real estate agents, mortgage lenders, and yes builders held home buying classes, but very few held home selling classes. The reason is simple; it’s been a while since we’ve been in a scenario that is so one sided with more sellers than buyers. As such, there really hasn’t been a reason to hold “home selling classes” until now.

What are you going to find out if you decide to attend one of Shea’s classes? How to sell your home with today’s latest marketing techniques and technology, the science of pricing, and how absorption rate affects how quickly you’ll sell. How about how to SAVE MONEY on the sale of your home, what buyers really want when evaluating a home purchase and a whole lot more?

If you want to attend “How to Sell Your Home Today” and hear from great realtors like Gary Lohrman from Fuller Sotheby’s, Bill Watson from ReMax, Pam Kiker from Keller Williams and the Shea Team call 720-344-1800 and tell them you want to attend the class. Or email Sheri Tannascoli at sheri.tannascoli@sheahomes.com. The class is on Saturday, Feb 27^th at 11:30am at Back Country in Highlands Ranch.

Dan Polimino is a Realtor with Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty. He can be reached at DPolimino@fullerproperties.com and www.coloradodreamhouse.com/denverpost

You don’t have to sell your home right now. You would like to, but you can wait until the market turns around and you have a better chance at getting a higher price for your home. I don’t blame you and if you don’t have to sell right now, then don’t.

In the meantime, are there some things that you can do to not only improve your home, but make it more attractive to buyers in the near future and increase the value? You bet, says Chuck St. John of CSJ Home Improvement, LLC.

Chuck says that this should be broken down to two categories: ‘normal upkeep’ and ‘improvement’. St. John says that unfortunately, many people who are getting ready to sell their homes start to neglect it. Instead of fixing things like they are going to be living in that home for another 10 to 20 years, they may let some things go because they know that they are going to sell it in the next year or two. This is a common mistake because home inspectors can see a house that has been neglected a mile away and that may be just enough to kill a deal. Besides, you want to make sure that your home shows better than the rest of your competition. Paying attention to details always pays off and helps a home show better than the rest. Chuck’s first tip is to have an inspection even though you are not selling the home. A good home inspector should be able to give you a solid list of items that need attention or maintenance. His second tip is to have someone with an unbiased opinion walk your home and list what needs to be replaced or repaired from a cosmetic standpoint.

Finally, St. John says that improving any of the following areas in a home will only add value and help get the house sold. Remodeling kitchens and bathrooms tops the list. Flooring and painting always get noticed. A new furnace and/or hot water heater are good attention getters. Outside new paint and a new roof tops the priorities list.

The takeaway message here is to use this time while you are waiting for the market to turn around to improve your own home. You’ll be glad you did.

Dan Polimino is a Realtor with Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty. He can be reached at DPolimino@fullerproperties.com and www.coloradodreamhouse.com/denverpost

I was recently speaking to a couple of frustrated lenders and it was not about being able to qualify someone for a loan. They had their clients qualified and ready to go, but the buyers could not find a home to write a contract on. You see, these buyers weren’t being extra picky. There just seems to be a shortage of homes on the market in the lower price range. If you are a buyer looking for a home in the 250K and below range, chances are, you could be having a hard time finding something that will meet your needs. Of course, there are always homes for sale in the lower price range that need a lot of work, but that doesn’t work for the majority of people who are looking. Let’s say that you are a first time home buyer with not a lot of resources to gut a house and remodel it. What does that leave you to shop for? Answer…not much.

The purpose of this column is simply to say that if you are thinking about selling your home and it falls in the 250K and below price range, this could be your lucky day. Moreover, if your home is in move-in condition then you could have multiple offers within a short amount of time. You see, since builders have stopped building and sellers have decided not to sell their homes at this time, active inventory is very low. According to Metrolist, single family and condo inventory is down by 20% from just one year ago.

This is all very welcome news because it seems that it’s been longer than normal around here since we have seen a seller’s market. Caution… this not the case for the majority of price points out there, but if you are 250K and below seller, take advantage of this now. First time home buyers have until Dec 1^st to be closed on a home.

Dan Polimino is a Realtor with Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty. He can be reached at DPolimino@fullerproperties.com and www.CoDreamHouse.com