TheDenverChannel.com










Money
Related To Story

Real Estate Market Hot For Low, Mid-Priced Homes

Multiple Offers, Bidding Wars Possible For Houses Priced Near $250K

POSTED: 11:21 pm MDT April 8, 2009
UPDATED: 4:22 pm MDT April 9, 2009

Denver-area homeowners living in the same neighborhood could have very different selling experiences -- depending on their listing price.

Real estate agents aren't shy about discussing a red hot market being felt in the lower- and some medium-priced segments of the housing market.

"In fact, one of the agents in my office told a story this morning about how they were in bidding war and there were eight offers on the property," said Gretchen Faber, a broker with The Kentwood Company in Cherry Creek.

Faber said the property was listed around $250,000. Properties that are moving faster seem to run from $150,000 to $400,000, Faber said.

"That's the segment of the market where we've seen multiple offers, buyers having to make quicker decisions. The good properties that show well and are well-located are selling," Faber said. "The higher price range is picking up, but it's still a slower segment of the market."

"It's a complete dichotomy; two completely different markets," said Charles Roberts, managing broker at Your Castle Real Estate.

"Between $250,000 and $350,000 -- it’s not so bad. Under $200,000 it's hot. And above half a million, it's stagnant in most cases," Roberts said in a recent 7NEWS interview.

Home buyers and investors seeking properties that have undergone foreclosure or are short sales are fueling sales.

"I looked at property in north Aurora and 37 offers were already put on it," Roberts said. He added that the listing agent indicated that some offers were a third above the asking price of $70,000.

According to data released Tuesday by Metrolist, the average price of a single family home last month was $232,395, which is up seven percent from February.

The housing report also showed that listings under contract were up 15 percent last month compared to February. Sales volume, or the amount of homes that were closed on, increased 29 percent.

Sales were down 14 percent when compared to March 2008, the report showed.

The single family home designation includes both residential and condominium properties.

"We have a good combination of affordability and low interest rates," Faber said.

She anticipated that overall market conditions will follow the positive strides being made now with lower priced properties, and said Denver is routinely ranked high in national studies in terms of market recovery and a place to buy property.

"I think Denver is a good bet," Faber said.
The following are comments from our users. Opinions expressed are neither created nor endorsed by TheDenverChannel.com. By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms of Use. To report an offensive or otherwise inappropriate comment, click the "Flag" link that appears beneath that comment. Flagging a comment will send it to our editorial staff for review.

Links We Like

Sponsored Content
The first step in reducing debt is recognizing how much you have. Let us help you with the rest and get out from under your debt in 12 months. More

Get car insurance quotes from all the major carriers and save time an money in the process. Just enter your zip code and start saving today. More

Does your phone have bad reception or drop calls in your house? Then you need a Magic Jack. More

A degree from ITT Technical Institute can help you achieve your goals and get you started on the path towards a rewarding career. More

Credit Report

560? 675? 720? The average US Credit Score is 692. What is your score? See it online for FREE! More

Best Local Rates On...



LocalNational

30 Yr Fixed Mortgage4.90%5.02%

48 Mo New Car Loan6.97%6.79%

$30k Home Eq Loan7.90%8.33%

6 Month CD1.02%1.13%
Help! I don't understand!
More Rates


Sponsored Links

Stock Quotes

Get a Quote
Enter Symbol

Housing Crunch

With banks and lenders facing major troubles, gain some insight on how to sell, refinance or keep your home. You'll find everything mortgage in our special section. More


E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters