Mid September 2009, interest rates improved, going back to the low 5-percent range.  For buyers using 1.00 point and a 20-percent down payment on $250,000 Denver home purchases, the 30-Year Fixed Rate is 5.125 percent.  The 30-Year Fixed Rate for $600,000 purchases of Denver real estate with a Jumbo Loan is 6.125 percent.

Additionally, the scales are tipping toward ownership as a bargain.  An AP Study conducted by Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment revealed that the gap between median mortgage prices and median rent has dropped substantially.  M&M studied 45 metro areas.  In 2006, the gap was $777 so it paid to keep on renting.  In 2009, however, the average gap is only $221.  In Cleveland, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and St. Louis, the average gap proved to be less than $100.

We highly recommend that buyers work with experienced real estate agents and reputable mortgage brokers to find the right real estate for their budgets.  Since the gap varies by market and neighborhood, professionals are best able to help first-time buyers find the right homes.  Experienced lenders must be able to deal successfully with limited time to meet the deadline for the $8,000 tax credit.  Closing must happen before November 30, 2009.

News of lower interest rates is good news considering that there has been simultaneous pressure because of $70 Billion in Treasury debt auctions, especially 3- and 10-Year Notes and 30-Year Bonds.  On another note, consumer spending and consumer credit are down.  Consumer spending is 70 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.  There is cause to be cautious about consumer spending.  Today, the Dow Jones is at 9,841 as it continues to shy away from the 10,000 mark.  Unfortunately, the Dollar has weakened relative to the Yen and Euro.

So why buy real estate this fall?

1.    Interest rates are low but will go up as nation seeks to pay off its debt

2.    A $8,000 Tax Credit is on the table

3.    Home prices are still down but are edging up

4.    Homes offer shelter and a long-term investment

For more information about real estate in the greater metro area, including farms and horse properties, call Michael Paul of Realty Oasis at (303) 268-6052.

This fenced, two-story equestrian property at 3672 Estates Circle features an expansive 2,907 square feet of living areas, with four bedrooms plus a bonus room and two bathrooms.  With a price under $450,000, this Larkspur real estate offers the best of both worlds.  It is easily accessible to employment along the Front Range via Interstate 25 and perfect for growing families.  The top-notch Douglas County School District provides innovation to help every child succeed.  It offers open enrollment, charter schools, and creative programming.  Additionally, colleges and universities from the Air Force Academy to the University of Colorado at Boulder are within commuting distance.

The property lies on the northern slope of Pike National Forest at over 6,600 feet in elevation.  Wonderful ranches and neighborhoods of homes with large acreage combine to ensure a rural feel to the neighboring landscape.  Equestrian facilities and 4-H activities complement the award-winning golf opportunities at the nearby Bear Dance PGA Golf Course.

Larkspur hosts delightful community events including a flagship summer Renaissance Festival that transforms the rural area into a tourist zone.  Residents are in the country only as long as they want to be.  Outstanding shopping is available in the outlet malls, premier malls such as Park Meadows, and in the quaint downtown areas.  The Front Range of the Rocky Mountains brings people from all over the world, many who have opened extraordinary restaurants ranging from casual to ultra-fine.

There are new double-pane windows, flagstone in the kitchen and dining rooms, wall-to-wall carpeting, an eating space in the kitchen, walk-in closets, a wood stove in the family room, high-speed Internet, and a central vacuum system.  The neutral décor is ready for all of your belongings and your horses.  From this vantage, you can explore the Rocky Mountains on horseback, on foot, or on skis.  There are no limits.

For more information about real estate in the greater metro area, including farms and horse properties, contact Michael Paul of Realty Oasis at (303) 268-6052.

Foxfield neighborhoods extend over 1.3 miles.  They feature street names as varied as the architecture of the Denver CO real estate:  Sedalia, Andes, Costilla, Telluride, Easter, Richfield, Waco, Pitkin, Buckley, Quintero.  That’s probably because the community of small Colorado ranches only recently incorporated when the town of 750 sought to preserve their little bit of countryside so close to the big city.

To prevent being annexed by Aurora or Greenwood Village, the community rose to the occasion and protected their country values.  To this day, townsfolk continue to communicate through a monthly newsletter called Communiqué, form neighborhood watch groups, volunteer, gather for a Fourth of July Parade and BBQ, and trot through the ten miles of country streets.  The board regularly meets at the Parker Fire Station #2 over budget and any concerns.

Foxfield is specifically located at an elevation of 5,755 feet at the southeast tip of Cherry Creek State Park and Valley Country Club.  It is east of Highway 83, well within the 470 circle.  The Centennial Airport and Denver Tech, Inverness, and Meridian business centers lie to the west. 

Hiking trails in the area are located as close as Cherry Creek State Park, Aurora Reservoir, and Smokey Hill Ridge.  Horseback riders explore trails systems along the Platte River South Trail, The Colorado Trail, and into the Rocky Mountains.  Centuries ago, the Kiowa, Cheyenne, and Arapaho likewise traversed the area.  And there are numerous ways to enjoy the Colorado sunshine out on the golf courses at South Suburban, the Meridian Golf Club, Inverness Golf Course, Highlands Ranch, and the Family Golf Nine Hole.   

Residents find ample opportunities for employment, recreational and cultural activities, and interesting shopping at places such as the Park Meadows Mall or five miles into Downtown at trendy pavilions and at LoDo.  But Foxfield’s business district does mighty fine for most residents with its Barn Store that brings in 1-percent tax revenues to fill the coffers. 

For more information about farms, horse properties, and real estate in the greater metro area, call Michael Paul of Realty Oasis at (303) 268-6052.

The Colorado Horse Park offers equestrian events for all disciplines, features top-quality boarding facilities, helps preserve open space and trails, provides extensive indoor and outdoor events space, and offers fun family events. 

Its purpose is to promote amateur athletics.  And that it does.  Over the past 14 years, the organization hosted the North American Junior and Young Riders Championships where riders compete for their countries as the first step to be Olympians.  It initiated equestrian sport as part of the Colorado State Games and hosted competitions, established the first-ever equestrian team for the University of Denver, hosted Pony club clinics and shows as well as clinics and educational events.  In addition, competitors who wish to qualify for established events and National Championships are now able to compete without traveling to the East Coast to qualify.

Fashioned as a non-profit version of the Kentucky Horse Park, Colorado Horse Park is fully supported by private donations, sponsors, volunteers, and members.  In turn, through its popular events and fundraising efforts, the organization is able to donate to other non-profit organizations such as Parker and Elizabeth Trail Riders, 4-H clubs, Colorado Arabian Horse Club, and schools in Douglas County and Ebert.

The Colorado Horse Park is also committed to the preservation of open space and has worked with Bayou Gulch Open Space Corridor, Trust for Public Lands, National Equestrian Lands Preservation project, Wildlife Park, Colorado State Trails, and Parker State Park. 

Volunteers run every aspect of the Colorado Horse Park.  Volunteers assist with events for dressage, jumping, driving, and the wildly popular innovative Halloween with Horses attended by 12,000.  They love spending time around horses and high-level equestrian competitions. 

In fact, the programs are so successful that ambassadors from cities across the United States tour the facilities when formulating plans for similar initiatives in their hometowns.  The present and future vision for the Park puts the horse at the heart of the American heritage and underlying the nation’s culture.  Plans to build a 500-acre museum complex focused on great Western entrepreneurs of the 19th century, interactive exhibits, historic barns, a multi-purpose performance venue, library, equine therapy, visitors’ center, gift shop, and trail system connecting to other parks.

For more information about farms, horse properties, and real estate in the area, call Michael Paul of Realty Oasis at (303) 268-6052.