Newest trends in home renovation make staying put possible

Since the current economic conditions have would-be home sellers foregoing entering the market, many are looking at improvements that make their current living conditions more stylish, enjoyable and usable. Here are some of the trends making a big splash on the remodeling scene in this year, according to Caseremodeling.com:

Attic Transformations
Redesigned attics include private bathrooms, recessed lighting and hardwood floors – adding livable space and making them for much more than just storage.

Skylights
Skylights and solar tubes brighten otherwise dark areas with natural sunlight without increasing energy consumption.

Eco-Friendly Renovations
Insulated windows, sliding glass doors and more-efficient appliances are growing in popularity along with homeowners’ concern for the environment and energy costs.

Soaking Tubs
Soaking tubs add luxury and comfort without the high cost that comes with a jacuzzi tub.

Walk-in Closet Suites
Many bedroom and bathroom renovations now include large walk-in closets with plenty and flexible storage space.

Lower-Level Living
With space suitable for a game room, hobby area or home theater, basements are becoming the new place for families to hang out.

Colorado cities make strong showing on economic-performance list

Every Colorado city or metro big enough to qualify appeared on the Milken Institute’s 2008 Best Performing Cities Report recently. The report depicts U.S. metropolitan areas with the top economic performance, including job, wage and salary, and high-tech gross domestic product growth over 1- and 5-year periods. All of the Colorado cities except for Boulder and Colorado Springs, which dropped two slots and 14 slots respectively, improved from the 2007 rankings. Greeley-Weld had the highest large-metro placement, coming in at No. 20 out of 200 metros, while Grand Junction came in at No. 5 out of 124 of the small metros. Here’s a look at how all of Colorado’s cities placed on the list:

Reece Therapy provides life coaching, counseling

Counselor/psychotherapist Debra L. Reece, MS NCC, recently opened Reece Therapy PC in Louisville.With 20 years of professional experience, Reece specializes in life coaching and counseling clients dealing with trauma and anxiety. She became a counselor/psychotherapist because of her desire to help people. She attributes her success to her positive attitude, helping nature, love for her profession and being empathetic.

A nationally certified counselor, Reece received her Master of Science degree in counseling and her bachelor's degree in management from the University of Phoenix. She is a member of the American Counseling Association and the Colorado Counseling Association, and supports the Wings Foundation. Reece is currently a doctoral student at Argosy University and wishes to start her own nonprofit organization in the future. She is accepting new clients at her practice.

Reece is a Colorado native and raised three successful young men. You can reach her at 303.926.5240 or by e-mail at debbiereece94@comcast.net.

Area inventory needs to shrink to bring about market recovery

Boulder areas home prices continue to hold “reasonably well,” based on August’s market statistics, but it’s the number of homes on the market that concerns Ken Hotard, Boulder Area Realtor Association senior vice president of public affairs.

While the city of Boulder’s inventory hovered at a near-optimum six-month supply of 435 homes for sale in August, 450 homes were listed in the mountains and 308 on the plains. Hotard says even if only half of those homes were for sale in the mountains or on the plains, it would still be too many given the condition of the market. Meanwhile, Longmont saw a much-needed drop of homes on the market from 892 in August 2007 to 547 last month.

Hotard says one positive sign is that several builders with approved developments are putting off building, including one in an urban renewal district with favorable financing, because the market is not ready for their projects. “I think that’s a real statement on how real professional builders are viewing the market and they are showing some restraint, which is to their credit,” he says.

Inventory will slowly reduce over the next year and tighten up by this time next year, bringing the Boulder market closer to a balance between buyers and sellers, Hotard says. “The buyer rules today, whenever they happen to show up, which is not often enough.”

It’s too early to tell the impact the federal government’s move to take over operations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, he says, but it should help stabilize the financial market and could lead to another interest rate cut. For home buyers and sellers, that means credit will become more available for qualified borrowers.

Hotard says he will wait before making any predictions about what kind of impact on the local real estate market Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy protection, Bank of America’s buyout of Merrill Lynch or the potential of a federal bailout of American International Group Inc. (AIG), will have. And until new government leaders are in place, how they will address economic issues is still unknown, he says.

“I don’t know how insulated our area might be from that fallout,” Hotard says. “I can’t imagine we’re completely insulated, but I suspect we’re better insulated than much of the country to weather it.”

The Changing Table

The Changing Table, Boulder and Denver's cloth-diaper service, is a mom-run business started up by Julie Carson just a few years ago in classic out-of-her-family-room style. It has recently expanded to open a new kid-friendly store in Boulder. Carson is mother to two children, a 3-year-old and a 5-month-old.

The store has everything needed to start cloth diapering little ones today, from soft cotton and easy-to-use cloth diapers to a weekly diaper-delivery service. It also offers all the advice and supplies needed to begin washing cloth diapers at home, including the mom-approved Charlie's Soap. Diaper covers, Fuzzi Bunz, bamboo-fitted diapers, swim diapers, cloth wipes, training pants and wood potty chairs for that big transition are all available at the store. The Changing Table is also Colorado's exclusive source for biodegradable disposables and wipes.

The Changing Table wants to help Colorado families go green with style and ease by providing all-natural pacifiers, hip (and safe) glass baby bottles, beautiful organic cotton receiving blankets, and exclusive-to-us, adorable hand-knit cotton baby hats. The store makes cute diaper cakes from cloth or biodegradable disposable diapers for gifts and/or a centerpiece for a baby shower, and carries Jeff Kagan's rockin' CD. Expecting parents can also register on The Changing Table's popular on-line gift registry.

The Changing Table is located at 2825 Wilderness Place, Suite 400, in Boulder behind the Boulder Beer Co. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call (303) 746-0927 or visit the store online at http://www.thechangingtable.net/.

Colorado home prices continue to gain value overall in slow market

Prices of homes in Colorado are still climbing – though at a slower, more-sustainable pace – despite significant depreciation in prices elsewhere in the country, according to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight’s house-price index for the second quarter of 2008. The state average increased 1.82 percent, compared with the nation average dropping 1.71 percent for the year.

Metro Area Ranking (out of 292)

Boulder - 69
Denver-Aurora - 143
Fort Collins-Loveland - 127
Greeley - 170
Colorado Springs - 177
Pueblo - 207
Grand Junction - 6
Colorado 18 out of 51

None of Colorado’s metro statistical areas (MSA’s) were among the bottom 20 for appreciation from the second quarter of 2007 to the second quarter of 2008. In fact, the bottom 20 featured only California and Florida cities, with one Nevada metro squeezing in. However, Grand Junction – which saw a 5.25 percent increase over the year – was the only Colorado city to make the top 20 list. With an appreciation of 2.47 percent for the year, Boulder made a solid showing at 69 among 292 metro statistical areas nationwide. Here’s a look at how all Colorado MSA’s home-price changes compare with the state and nation:

Second Quarter Appreciation Rates



Source: Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight