A Summer Book List.

book

If you know me, you know I love to read. I can often go weeks without turning on the television and instead read at night (a task much easier in the summer when all the shows are over). I may never know what is going on with Pop Culture but I sure can recommend a handful of books at any given time. This summer, I have been busy devouring books and wanted to share some of my favorites…

    1. Big Shifts Ahead. This is a phenomenal read. Somewhat geared toward real estate agents but I think it would be a great book for anyone trying to determine what demographic is going to be driving the changes in the marketplace in the future. The book outlines what the authors think are the seven biggest opportunities and how to shift your approach to accommodate these opportunities.
    2. Secrets of Six Figure Women. Women and money is always an interesting topic for me. This book was originally written in the early 2000’s so the numbers are a bit outdated, although, the information is still valid. The author explores the characteristics of successful women and she has found there were a number of traits of all successful women making 100k or more.
    3. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. This book was fabulous! This two person dialogue is of a therapist and her clients and the therapist and HER therapist. The author examines the parallels of the therapist and her clients and then her as the client and her therapist. A reminder that life has its ups and downs and a humorous take on human nature and life.
    4. A Year of Less. This year we sold two homes and consolidated the households into one SMALLER home. Through this process, I have become intrigued with ‘stuff’. Have you ever thought about where all your stuff comes from and the space it takes up? The author of this book decided to go on a spending freeze for a year and the book chronicles her year. This ends up being a cathartic experiment AND the reader is surprised with what the author both gains and losses through the year of less. HINT: this has more to do with life than the actual items.
    5. Digital Minimalism. I have such a love/hate relationship with my phone. Obviously, I need it to chat with clients, friends, family, etc. but I can get so addicted to it. There are days that I come home and my hand hurts from scrolling through my phone, looking at texts, emails, social media and the Internet. I was hooked when this book opened comparing the scrolling of social media to a slot machine at a casino. This book will make you examine your relationship with your phone and social media.

    As Dr. Sesus said, ““The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Tell me, what are YOU reading currently?

 

Liz is  broker and owner of Liz Daigle Realty.

How To Get Anything Done.

Do you find yourself putting off taking action? This may mean that you are at the cusp of taking a risk and the action is scaring you. It is very typical to stall out as you look a big goal head-on. Although, taking educated risks is the heart of building wealth and the quicker you become comfortable with it, the better off you will be. Here are some tips on how to handle moving forward and taking necessary risks.

  • Make smaller mistakes and then build.This is the best way to get used to making mistakes. Start making decisions that involve a small amount of risk. Since taking the biggest risk of my life and moving to Denver to start a business and finding myself responding to the anxiety and stress of this risk the same way as I always have – with more stress. I have realized there is a lot of value in starting smaller. This year I made a goal of getting better at public speaking path and my first step forward was joining a local Toastmasters and taking advantage of their impromptu speaking in the beginning of the event. You are asked a random question on the spot and you have to learn to answer as clearly and proficiently in two minutes. Joining Toastmasters put me in the position to start working on my public speaking and make plenty of mistakes on the way.
  • Reframe mistakes as lessons. But here is the secret, these mistakes that I was making at Toastmasters, weren’t REALLY mistakes, they were more like learning opportunities over and over. Take the time to learn from these mistakes. In the beginning of Toastmasters, I found myself saying a lot of filler words, such as “um” and self-soothing. Each week, when it was my turn to speak, I made a goal of ONE less “um” as the previous week.
  • Support. Once I got better at the impromptu speaking, I realized I need more help that Toastmasters might be able to offer. It was then that I decided to hire a public speaking coach to offer me individualized help and support. In an addition to a coach, you can ask a mentor, friend or family member to hold you accountable. As a real estate agent, I also find my role is to act as a coach for my clients through the home buying and selling process.
  • Create a hard deadline. With the guidance of my public speaking coach, we chose a date to have my very first speech booked and completed. This helped me stop procrastinating and jump right into public speaking.
  • Check in. The final step would be checking in with yourself. How did that feel? Invigorating? Terrifying? This step ensures that you don’t bite off more than you can take on (something I am notorious at doing examples, include, moving to Denver and starting a business, joining BOTH Toastmasters and a public speaking coach, buying rentals that need work when I have no extra time, the list goes on….).

Challenging yourself is hard and each new level of yourself requires more work and challenges. What risk are you shying away from? There is no risk too small or too big. If you are putting off buying that home, you are luck because I can happily step into the support role for this goal. Start your search here.

Liz is  broker and owner of Liz Daigle Realty.

The BIGGEST change in the Denver real estate market now.

luxury condos

Have you always dreamed of living in a loft in Downtown Denver? Imagine being close to everything you love – trails, parks, shopping, bars, restaurants, the Rookies and not having to get in the car daily. You will be in the center of it all with the energy of the city zooming by.

For years now Downtown Denver has been near unattainable with very little inventory and laws that made it very expensive for new complexes to be developed. Recently, we saw the laws softened and more being built, adding more condos and lofts to the market.

In addition to more homes being built, metro Denver is starting to see an increase in inventory. According to Denver Metro Association, “metro Denver’s inventory is at it’s highest since 2013”. The rise in inventory is resulting in price reductions and an increase in average days on market.

Can you guess which sector of the market is impacted the most? Condos in Denver priced between 750k – 1 million.. With all the new condos that have been built and resales coming on the market, the high end lofts are taking longer to sell. There is a six month supply of inventory on the market and the average days on market is 58. Compared to last year, that is an increase of 31%.

If you have always wanted a home in the heart of the city, this just might be your time. Interest rates are low and more inventory and lower prices can mean more negotiating power for the buyer. Take a look herefor luxury condos on the market in Denver currently.

 

Liz is  broker and owner of Liz Daigle Realty.

The Busy Season has Arrived in Metro Denver.

Metro Denver

Whelp, we have reached the busiest time of year in real estate in Metro Denver. The time of year where the masses come out to buy and sell a home and what real estate agents live for. From closings, to negotiating, listing homes, presenting multiple offers and showing homes, this time of year is typically a whirlwind. As I catch my breath and continue to work hard for clients, I have rounded up a few interesting articles I have found thought provoking and interesting.

As the oldest segment of millennials reach 40, businesses are tapping into the segment called ‘millennial parenthood’. Sarah Robinson and Noria Morales, co-founders of family space The Wonder created a space for families in Tribecca. The Wonder isn’t designed to cater only to kids; it also includes adult-friendly areas, What other businesses will we see start to cater to the “older” millennial?

Wondering what the best cities are for new college grads? Go here. Hint: Denver is number 9! If you are considering buying a home, take a look at the 25 best neighborhoods in metro Denver.

This year I have vowed to sharpen my public speaking skills and even went as far as hiring a professional speaking coach. Why would I do this? Because public speaking is critical to your success. 

Starting to feel a bit distracted by your tech? According to the author of Digital Minimalism, this is exactly what they want to happen. Consider a digital declutter. Start by accessing your smartphone and app use and take 30 days off. After reading this book, I deleted Facebook and Instagram, allowing use only on my laptop and for no longer than an hour a day. I am curious to see how much more productive I am without being attached to social media.

Of course, we also want to have fun. If you are staying in Denver for Memorial Day weekend, take a look at these ten things to do in Denver this Memorial Day.

Speaking of Memorial Day, keep in mind Memorial Day is typically when we start seeing the real estate market slowly start to favor the homebuyer. This presents a great opportunity for buyers entering the market or buyers that have had a hard time competing for a home.

Liz is  broker and owner of Liz Daigle Realty.

 

 

Where Are All the Mid-Century Modern Homes??

Mid-Century Modern

Who doesn’t love some mid-century modern architecture? There are plenty of reasons why this is style is so popular. This type of home was built between the years of 1945-1980. Mid-Century Modern is marked by an open and spacious floor plan, extensive use of windows which forges a deep connection to nature. This style is marked by simplicity and urges people to go outside. This architecture was so unique at the hime because it was the first time ever homes were built with wood, steel, aluminum and stucco.

Two noteworthy Mid-Century Modern neighborhoods are located south of Denver in Englewood and Littleton. Both neighborhoods are currently a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places and it can feel like you are taking a trip down memory lane when you enter.

Arapaho Hills: Located in Littleton and homes are bound between Lowell on the east, Manitou on the west, Berry on the south and Arrowhead on the north. The neighborhood consists of 56 mid-century modern homes and are situated on a hillside and oriented on their lots to take advantage of southern and western exposures for solar heating and eastern views of the plains. Edward Hawkins and Clyde Mannon were the architects and builders of this neighborhood and are reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian houses. Since the neighborhood is so small, only five homes have sold in the last year at an average sales price of $580,000.

Arapaho Acres: Located in Englewood and bounded by East Bates & East Dartmouth Avenues, and South Marion & South Franklin Street. Built from 1949 to 1957, the first 20 homes were built by architect, Eugene Sternberg until Edward Hawkins took over contracting the remaining homes. Hawkins built custom homes here often with walkout basements. More than twice the size of it’s sister, this neighborhood has a total of 124 homes. Only six homes have sold in the past year with an average purchase price of $480,000.

Both of these neighborhoods are perfect for the MCM fan. This style of home still lends itself nicely with our current lifestyle. Take a look at other Mid-Century Modern homes on the market in metro Denver…

Liz is broker and owner of Liz Daigle Realty.

 

 

 

 

 

The Psychology of Homebuyers in Denver.

homebuyers

It is no secret that Denver is a hot real estate market. As the population of metro Denver increases, we don’t have enough homes to satisfy the amount of people. Ultimately, supply is low and demand is high for homes. Therefore, listings typically receive multiple offers and a higher price as homebuyers compete for a house. Each year, it seems homebuyers up the ante with what can keep them relevant and competitive. Buyers often send “love letters” to the seller pleading for the home and to play to the seller’s emotional side. Homebuyers end up waiving an inspection and sometimes even bring money above appraised value. In this competitive environment, it is useful to understand the psychology of these homebuyers.

  1. They love shiny objects. Homebuyers all seem to clamor around the homes that look nice: the ones that have professional pictures, neutral colors, popular upgrades and are staged nicely. Issues with the home often get overlooked if it looks nice. Homes like this typically get bid up.
  2. Short Attention Span: Since the market is so competitive, homes go under contract very quickly. If a home doesn’t go under contract in the first weekend, homebuyers lose interest and they will move on to the next round of new homes that come on the market the next week.
  3. They seem to be more open to competing for a home versus negotiating. Maybe it is the energy of a good competition but buyers seem to want the gratification of winning the home. In the last 6 months, I have had two examples of this while representing a seller. In both cases, once we dropped the price slightly, we received multiple offers, getting the price back to close to the original list price.
  4. Fatigue is a real thing and a major concern. Buyers seem to come out earlier each year while sellers do not. This makes the most competitive time of the year in real estate March to June. Buyers come out in full force in the winter while sellers don’t seem to list a home until the summer. Often, Homebuyers find themselves bidding on multiple homes and not getting any of them. This takes a toll and some decide to sit out the rest of the year.

Now that we can see inside the psyche of a homebuyer in Denver, how can buyers and sellers use this information?

Buyers need to stay open to homes that may not be perfect. Paint, carpet and tile go a very long way to make a house a home. Also, take rests when needed but don’t stop.

Sellers need to remember that we are a very visual population and prior to listing their home, they need to make it look nice. Professional pictures and video will not only get more people through the door but more offers. Pricing is crucial and buyers seem to respond better to the milestone prices such as 400k or 550k and will raise the price, if needed. Additionally, to catch the most number of buyers, sellers need to consider listing their home between March and June.


We have lived through five consecutive years of rapid appreciation in the real estate market in Denver and more buyer’s continue to join the ranks and compete for a home. As in any cause of supply and demand, if supply is low and demand is high, the buyers will raise the price of the good. By understanding the psychology of current homebuyers, both home sellers and buyers can use the psychology of Denver homebuyers to win in this market.

 

Liz is  broker and owner of Liz Daigle Realty.