With a 45 million dollar construction budget this 6,000-seat facility acts as an anchor for the Arista Development. Arista is a 215 acre multi-use development providing commercial, residential, and entertainment destinations.
The Arista lofts pictured below from their website:
And one of Denver’s hottest night spots will be coming to Arista as well: The Purple Martini will open in 2007.
We continue to go back and forth over this decision. We’re currently building a really cool “Find a Home” feature which will be based on either Google Maps or Microsoft VE mapping platforms. Both of these applications have their merits, and both have some drawbacks.
I’d love to get some input from folks out there who may use Google maps and VE maps on occasion:
It seems like every other mapping feature out there is Google. Lots of cools sites like Trulia are based on Google maps. But then some of the big dogs out there have embraced Microsoft’s Virtual Earth platform. Companies like Redfin, John L. Scott, and Hotpads all utilize this technology. (Just a sidebar: I really don’t like John L. Scott’s search feature. Any mapping platform that makes you click a hundred times to see the view you want is a bit ridiculous)
I’ll pass on any comments to my programmers.
Seriously, why do folks in the real estate and lending industry put their mugs on their business cards? I don’t. At least I don’t any more. It just seems silly to me.
I understand the logic behind it: we’re visual, potential clients will remember a face before they remember a name. Got it. I like movies too. 
But is that really the only differentiating factor between you and some other real estate professional? Your face? Ho boy. You’re in trouble if it is.
So how do I differentiate myself from other real estate professionals? Here are two suggestions:
The real estate industry is ripe for change. It is changing as I write this. A company like mine that offers buyers 75% of our commission was not even a possibility a few short years ago. I’m passionate about saving my clients money. I’m passionate about building a green company. I’m passionate about what I do, and so my business is thriving.
Last night my wife Michelle, myself, and our friends Barb and Scott went out to dinner at Foolish Craig’s in Boulder to benefit Project Angel Heart’s “Dining Out for Life” charity event.
Here is Project Angel Heart’s Mission Statement taken from their website:
Mission Statement:
Project Angel Heart promotes the health, dignity and self-sufficiency
of people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses
by providing nutritious, home-delivered meals with care and compassion.
What a fantastic charity.
Foolish Craig’s and many other local restaurants in the Denver, Boulder, and Ft. Collins areas agree to donate 25% of their proceeds to Project Angel Heart on this night. It was a great time, good food, and a terrific charity. Here is a complete list of Project Angel heart participating restaurants.
For more information on Project Angel Heart take a look at their website.
And the award for this week’s top remodel goes to 4750 South Dudley Street, Denver, CO 80123. Take a look at the Virtual Tour as well. We’ve set the price on this one at $189,000 and it just wont’ last.
Just take a look at these great shots:
Great job done by the owner. We won’t be on the market long at $189,000 so set your showings now!
I was asked the other day by a client how Real-a-Save can afford to rebate 75% of our commission and still stay in business. 
It’s a good question, and one that deserves a response. The answer is that Real-a-Save has changed the way we approach each deal, streamlining the process for both our customers and our employees. We’ve gotten rid of the wasteful practices and enhanced the time-saving ones in an effort to increase customer satisfaction AND increase our own productivity.
We are an efficient company by definition, not a commission rebating and discount company by definition.
Yes, we do rebate a large portion of our buyers’ agent commission: 75% is significant. And yes, we will list your Colorado home for only $2,500.00. The key here is that in both our buyer and seller programs, our clients receive excellent service. If we can maintain the outstanding client-side experience then we’ll be successful, because the fact is that we’ve already made the business-side of the equation more efficient for our employees.
How did we do this?
We created a unique web-based company that never generates paper.
Why did we do this?
Here are two of the other areas that we feel are wasteful:
We understand that a homeowner can occasionally sell their home through an open house. But we also understand that many agents who hold open houses are doing so in order to capture new buyers who walk through the doors w/out a Realtor. We believe that the most honest thing we can tell our clients is that THEY are the most qualified person to hold an open house because:
What about Listing Presentations?
A listing presentation is usually an opportunity for an agent to present lots of colorful pamphlets and marketing materials telling you why you should choose them. It’s a sales-pitch. We believe our programs speak for themselves, and that our potential clients are capable of reading about our programs on our website, and making the choice on their own, without the pushy sales pitch, and wasteful and copious stacks of glossy paper marketing materials.
There is a better way to do business. And we’re leading the way.
Every once in a while you get a listing that temps you. Maybe I should buy this place;-)
Take a look at these pictures and just try to disagree
.
And do you think you might be able to relax in this backyard while soaking in a private hot tub?
Yes, it’s one of the dangers of looking at so much great Boulder real estate: you get house-envy once in a while.
But if this is up your alley, then you’d better hurry. Because for only $407,500 it just ain’t gonna last.
If you’d like to see a Virtual Tour then just click this link.
Great place. Open space. That’s what you need to remember as you take a look at our listing of the week. 12064 West Capri Ave in Littleton has one of those views that people fall in love with right away. Take a look at this Virtual Tour.
And for only $319,900 you get all this:
So I was on the phone today with a potential client who mentioned that she was considering hiring a traditional Colorado real estate company because her alternative brokerage was not working out for her. That’s fine. Really, I may own an alternative brokerage but I honestly feel like there is room here for many models…including the traditional companies.
Where are all the Colorado listings hiding?
But what got me was the reason she gave: that a more traditional agent would have connections with other agents that might facilitate the sale. It was basically the old argument that BIG brokerages use which goes like this: We’re big. We have lots of agents. Don’t you want someone who has access to all of those agents to list your house?
Selling Colorado real estate? You better list with the big brokers or else..
It’s such a crock. I don’t blame this person for believing this myth as it’s a very attractive picture. I can just see all the top producers in the region at their morning coffee telling each other about their hidden gems…uh oh. Oh darn. That was a fast. The argument falls apart THAT quickly. Just where are these gems hidden if not in plain sight? The fact of the matter is that they are on:
So what listings are these agents sharing that are not actually available to the general public? The answer is: none. Their listings are on the same MLS that everyone else’s are on.
My brother (who does not live in Colorado) and his wife are trying to sell their house and he mentioned the same argument to me the other day. They’ve listed with an alternative brokerage as well and since the market has slowed down a bit in their area they are thinking that maybe they should list with one of the BigMax brokerages…”because they have so many agents…”. Again, the same old myth that my potential client presented to me today.
The idea that a big Colorado real estate company will sell your home simply by virtue of its SIZE is just ridiculous.
People are getting wise to the flaws in this argument. Self-directed real estate buyers are comfortable cruising the listings on sites like ours, and even driving past their favorite homes before calling in someone like Real-a-Save. The fact of the matter is that the availability of information has forever changed the real estate industry. We are not the gatekeepers of the information any more. I believe we have evolved into facilitators more so than micro-market experts with pockets full of tribal knowledge. There is no tribal knowledge any more. All of the information is available all of the time to anyone who wants to look for it. Can anyone really deny that?
And they should be. The Village Bistro is just a few minutes north of Denver on 120th in Westminster but when I was sitting there the other night with my wife having one of the best meals of our lives, we felt as though we were in downtown Denver. Watch out LoDo, The Village Bistro has got your number.
Check them out. They’ve got a good and growing wine list, a seasonal menu, and a laid back atmosphere with great service. We love them and we’ll be back soon.
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