A lifelong resident of Boulder County, Dina Long is the owner-operator of Padgett-Boulder, a Padgett Business Services franchise serving Boulder County. Dina’s business focuses specifically on the accounting and tax needs of small businesses with one to 15 employees and tax preparation for individuals.
Small businesses in the RE/MAX community use Dina to keep their daily accounting and tax obligations in order. She keeps them legal and compliant with their payroll and sales and business taxes as well as provides full monthly financials. Most importantly though, Dina provides them with more time in their day and eliminates their tax and accounting headaches. She also does annual tax returns for individuals.
She resides in Lafayette with her husband Jeff – a loyal CU Buffalo fan—and their children, Natalie and Davis. RE/MAX helped them find “our perfect home in a great community.”
If you have a nagging tax question you'd like some quick phone help with, give Dina a call and let her know you’re part of the RE/MAX of Boulder community. “I’m always happy to help small businesses in our community whenever I can,” Dina offers. “Whether you’re a client or just have a tax question, let us know if we can help.”
You can reach Dina at (303) 495-3920, read her blog of tax tips at www.padgett-boulder.com.
Dina Long of Padgett - Boulder
Weld County is among fastest-growing metros in the U.S.
The Greeley metro area – essentially all of Weld County – was ranked fourth among metropolitan statistical areas nationwide for growth between April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Weld grew by nearly 69,000 people, or 38.1 percent, in the eight-year period.
While no other Colorado metro areas broke into the top 10, they were all in the top 50 percent of the 363 metro areas included in the count. The fastest-growing metro area was Palm Coast, Fla., which had a population increase of 83.1 percent. Three other western metro areas – St. George, Utah; Provo-Orem, Utah; and Bend, Ore. – rounded out the five fastest-growing metro areas.
Here’s a look at how much Colorado’s metro areas grew from 2000 to 2008 and how they ranked among other MSA’s nationwide:
Colorado and its cities still rank among the best in appreciation rates
While Colorado is not immune to the sting of the recession and the slowest housing market in recent history, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's latest appreciation rate rankings show the state and its cities are not hurting as much as many other states.
With an appreciate rate of -2.61 percent for 2008, Colorado ranked 17th among 50 states and the District of Columbia. At the top of the pile was North Dakota with an appreciation rate of 1.89 percent for the year, while Nevada was at the bottom with a -28.24 percent appreciation rate.
Colorado’s metropolitan statistical areas also had a strong showing on a list of 292 MSA’s nationwide, with Boulder cracking the top 20 at 17 with an appreciation rate for last year of 2.99 percent. It is joined by cities from Alabama, Texas, Washington, both Dakotas, both Carolinas and New York; Decatur, Ala., took the top spot with an appreciation rate of 6.58 percent for 2008.
None of Colorado’s cities made the bottom 20 for appreciation rate, though Greeley had the poorest showing, coming in at 224th with a rate of -7.25 percent. The cities making up the bottom 20 were all in California, Florida and one in Nevada. Overall, few states and cities escaped the drop in appreciation rates last year.
Here’s a look at how Colorado and its cities ranked and their housing prices have performed over the last five years:
Historic Little Bighorn town for sale in Montana
If you have a hankering for history and a few million bucks lying around, perhaps you would be interested in buying a town.
Garryowen, Montana – known as the site where the Battle at Little Bighorn reportedly began – is for sale and will likely go on the auction block this spring.
Christopher Kortlander currently owns and operates the town, which is home to the Custer Battlefield Museum, Garryowen Trading Post, a Federal Post Office, Conoco Gas Station, convenience store, Subway sandwich shop, Historical Rarities and a rest area. It also is the location for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, who is believed to be one of the first victims of the Battle at Little Bighorn and whose body was found when Interstate 90 was being built. The granite tomb was dedicated during the Burial of the Hatchet Ceremony in 1926 at Garryowen, during the 50th Anniversary of the battle.
For a cool $6.5 million, the 5-acre purchase includes three buildings, the grounds, and water and mineral rights. A 3,900- square-foot luxury penthouse tops the 8,000-square-foot main building, and a private, stockade-fenced compound houses an office and three guest suites. While the site is historic, its amenities are definitely modern: all buildings have wireless Internet, integrated mainframe phone system, and central heating and cooling with all building components metered separately for propane and electricity. Every building also has a comprehensive remotely monitored alarm system.
The town may have the most history, but it is certainly not the first town to go on the auction block. In 2007, Bobby Cave put a $2.5 million price tag on his 13-acre town of Albert, Texas, in an attempt to auction it off on eBay. According to http://www.alberttexas.com/, Cave has reduced the asking price to $883,000.
Five years ago, the town of Monse, Wash., covering 60 acres with seven houses, an old school house, a general store and post office, all platted into 100 parcels, went up for sale. The owners couldn’t find someone to buy the entire town, so they agreed to divvy it up and have since sold a handful of parcels, though the majority of the property is still for sale.
Bridgeville, Cali., the former Pony Express stop, sold on eBay in 2002 and went up for sale again in 2007. It is currently listed on eBay for $1.75 million.
Uncertain times make future of housing market a moving target
Unprecedented economic difficulties and uncertain outcomes of efforts to revive the economy mean the task of forecasting the future of the housing market virtually impossible.
Yet Ken Hotard, vice president of public affairs for the Boulder Area Realtor Association, can still see bright spots in the Boulder area market, which include solid appreciation and consistent sales numbers.
While sales are down in every Boulder market, homes are still selling, and median sales prices increased in four out of nine areas in both single-family and attached-dwelling markets. In fact, Broomfield had a 12.2 percent increase in median sales prices for single family homes from Feb. 1, 2008, through Jan. 31, 2009, while Louisville saw a nearly 5 percent increase – a “good, solid run,” Hotard says.
Average days to contract also declined in nearly every market, including 11.6 percent in Longmont, 10.3 percent in Superior and 9.9 percent in Broomfield. Hotard attributed the steady decline to homes in the right price range that are ready to sell, noting some homes are getting multiple offers.
“High-end homes are not selling well at this time; they are the weakest part of the market,” he says. “Homes between $275,000 and $600,000 that are competively priced and in good condition are going to sell quickly in this market.”
Another bright spot is that virtually every brokerage Hotard hears from reports that interest in real estate is increasing, he says.
“A lot of churning is going on,” Hotard says. “More buyer interest is expressed, and inventories are increasing a bit as we go into spring and summer. I expect to see sales improve, as well.”
He says he is encouraged to see lenders coming forward with new products, particularly for jumbo loans for higher-priced homes, which will encourage buyers to get into the marketplace. And those with solid credit scores and a down payment of 15 percent to 20 percent, proving they can afford the mortgage, will be able to buy.
One drawback, however, is consumer confidence, Hotard says. “It remains low. It’s hard to gauge – not just in real estate but in retail, as well. People are holding back.”
But people’s savings rate is up, which will provide assets that banks can then loan out, he says.
“We are generally in the same place; haven’t really lost ground but haven’t gained any at this point,” Hotard says.
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