This is a very good article regarding current and future home prices. I concur with all of it. Since 1980, home prices have increased every year except during the recession of 2008. Things are totally different in today's market. The economy is strong and there is a severe housing shortage. The only thing holding back a housing explosion is mortgage interest rates. And, even today's rates have not stopped many buyers from moving forward. A minor drop in rates (below 6%) will result in a huge surge in activity. So, bottom line. Prices are not going down. They are going up. Do not wait to buy.
Going into 2023, there was a lot of talk about a possible recession that would cause the housing market to crash. Some in the media were even forecasting home prices would drop by as much as 10-20%—and that might have made you feel a bit unsure about buying a home.
But here’s what actually happened: home prices went up more than usual. Brian D. Luke, Head of Commodities at S&P Dow Jones Indices, explains:
“Looking back at the year, 2023 appears to have exceeded average annual home price gains over the past 35 years.”
To put last year’s growth into context, the graph below uses data from Freddie Mac on how home prices have changed each year going back to 1980. The dotted line shows the long-term average for appreciation:
As an article from Forbes says:
“. . . the U.S. real estate market has a long and reliable history of increasing in value over time.”
In fact, since 1980, the only time home prices dropped was during the housing market crash (shown in red in the graph above). Fortunately, the market today isn’t like it was in 2008. For starters, there aren’t enough available homes to meet buyer demand right now. On top of that, homeowners have a tremendous amount of equity, so they’re on much stronger footing than they were back then. That means there won’t be a wave of foreclosures that causes prices to fall.
The fact that home values went up every single year except those four in red is why owning a home can be one of the smartest moves you can make. When you’re a homeowner, you own something that typically becomes more valuable over time. And as your home’s value appreciates, your net worth grows.
So, if you’re financially stable and prepared for the costs and expenses of homeownership, buying a home might make a lot of sense for you.
Home prices almost always go up over time. That makes buying a home a smart move, if you’re ready and able. Let’s connect to talk about your goals and what’s available in our area.
36 Year Residents of Parker
Over 350 homes sold totaling over $130 million.
RE/MAX Hall of Fame Member | RE/MAX Platinum Club
RE/Max Lifetime Achievement Award
Bob and I wanted to create an "About Us" page that would give you some insight into who we are and how we can help you. We asked ourselves, "what would we want to know about a real estate agent if we were moving to a different city". We hope you will find it helpful.
Bob and I were in real estate related businesses. I had my own interior design firm and spent much of my time working with custom home builders designing homes for my clients. Bob was a mortgage lender. As a mortgage lender, Bob had a deep knowledge of real estate. In 2004, we decided to change our careers to real estate.
There is a need for enhanced services for people relocating to Colorado. We feel like we need to introduce our community to our clients before their first home buying trip. That is the purpose of our Neighborhood Videos. These videos have been invaluable to many of our clients in determining those communities that they would like to focus on. One of our most appreciated services is previewing homes for our out of state clients. We encourage them to ask us to go preview any homes that they might be interested in. While previewing the home, we often Facetime with our clients. Or, simply take more pictures and do a video for them. Everything we do, from the moment they become customers, is designed to make the move as effective, easy and successful as possible.
I understand that people want to know that they are dealing with someone that has a proven track record and the expertise to handle their business. I am consistently among the top producing agents in our RE/MAX office in Parker. I am a member of the Remax Hall of Fame. I am am a RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement Award winner and am in the top 7% of all Remax agents nationwide. Since 2012, I have been a Platinum Club member every year except one. Platinum Club membership is for agents with annual commissions between $250,000 and $500,000.
We know that no agent can cover the entire Denver area. It's just not possible to be expert in all areas. We are 36 year residents of Parker, which is only a few miles from Castle Rock, Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch Centennial and southern Aurora. These are towns that we are intimately familiar with. On a daily basis we are in all of these communities attending events, visiting friends, shopping, dining and showing property.
How about answering the phone on the first call, anytime of the day or night. Setting our calendar based on our clients' schedule, rather than ours. Being on time. Being honest. Approaching every situation with the clients' best interest in mind. Always doing the right thing.
We embrace it. Our property search is "cutting edge". Our Parker Neighborhood Videos are unique in our market. They're so much fun to make and to view. We love previewing homes and Facetiming with our out of state clients. Nothing will replace the "belly to belly" approach, but utilizing technology is a must for us.
So much of our schedule is driven by how many clients are in town, how many contracts that we're handling, etc.. We realize that many things in real estate are time critical. So, we make ourselves available whenever our time and service is needed, day or night. We are totally client directed and driven.
Yes we do. Bob spends a huge amount of his time researching properties for our clients. His knowledge of the market is frankly amazing. Once we determine our client's needs, Bob is hard at work finding the right homes to see. He also manages our website, which is a critical component of our business. Also, Bob was in the mortgage lending business for over 25 years. His knowledge of the mortgage market is invaluable. My primary responsibility is to serve our clients from the time they decide to work with us until they have closed on their new home. The first thing I always do is listen carefully to our clients' "wants and needs" to determine what kind of home they want, what they want to spend and where they want to live. From there it's about finding them the right home, determining value for the offer, writing and negotiating the offer, managing the contract , working with lenders, home inspectors, insurance companies, contractors, title company and more. My goal is to have extremely happy clients at the closing table.
We have two main sources of business. Our main source is and always has been, our website. With over 1600 visits per month to our website, we have one of the most active real estate websites in Parker and Douglas County. Our other source of business is from our past clients. As a result of selling over 340 homes, we have accumulated many satisfied clients that are likely to contact us when they are ready to sell. Or, ready to sell and purchase another home. They are also our best source of referrals.
I grew up all over the world. My father was in the oil business. We lived in Texas, New Jersey, Peru and Libya. We moved back to Houston when I was in junior high. Bob was born and raised in East Texas before he went off to college in Austin.
I like to tell people that I have a very well rounded education. All in all, I went to school in New Jersey, Peru, Libya, Houston and then to college at Florida State, Texas A&M, University of Texas and University of Houston. It's a long story of why I attended so many colleges, but I did graduate with an Interior Design degree and good grades. Bob's college career was much less exciting. He went to the University of Texas (where we met) and is a "gung ho" Longhorn fan.
Yes we do. We have three adult children. Two sons and a daughter. One of our sons and his family live in Oregon. Our other son and his family and our daughter and her family live here in Parker. We have 10 grand children.
I have an interior design/art background. I love arts and crafts of all kinds. I am an avid scrapbooker with a 1500 square foot basement full of supplies, work stations, etc.. Also, I love gardening in the spring and summer. Both Bob and I love to travel, but because of our business, our vacations tend to be very short and never very far from a computer. Bob has a passion for bowling. And, I mean a passion. Two nights a week, he bowls leagues. And, sometimes he bowls competitive tournaments, when we don't have clients in town. In the fall, he loves to follow his Texas Longhorn football team.
We moved to Parker from Austin, Texas in 1987. Bob and I had been vacationing (summer and winter) in Colorado for years. We would ski in the winter and do the "dude ranch" thing in the summer. It became my dream to move to Colorado. In 1987, that opportunity presented itself and we moved from Austin to Parker. It was truly a dream come true. Thirty six years later, we still love it here and intend to stay in Colorado for the rest of our days.
Pretty much everything. The weather is wonderful in all seasons. We have a few heavy snowfalls. But, honestly, the snow is beautiful and it's usually gone in a few days. Remember, we're not in the mountains. The views from where we live in Parker are some of the best on the Front Range. We actually sit above Denver. That extra elevation creates views that are out and over Denver and the Front Range. Our views are into the mountains, rather than at the mountains. There's a difference. All of the towns that we represent are covered in open space, greenbelts, trails and parks. These towns are very safe and family oriented communities. It's a great place to live.
Parker Colorado is our hometown. We moved here from Austin, Texas in 1987. We arrived with three small children, all of whom went through the school system, from kindergarten through high school. Thirty six years later, we can't imagine living anywhere else. We love Parker and we know you will, too.
The Town of Parker is a home rule municipality located in Douglas County, Colorado. Its location is about 23 miles southeast of downtown Denver, putting it at the most southeastern corner of the Denver Metro Area. Parker was founded in 1864. When we moved to Parker in 1987, there weren't that many people here. For most of our major shopping, we had to go north to Aurora. In fact, the official population in 1981 (just six years earlier) was 225 residents. That's crazy when you consider the size of Parker today. Incorporated Parker, today, has over 64,000 residents. When you include unincorporated areas, the population is significantly more.
Parker's elevation is 5,869 feet. Think about this. That is about 600 feet higher than Denver and the rest of the Front Range. And, there are many areas of Parker that sit well above 6000 feet. This elevation explains the incredible views from Parker. Our views tend to be out over the Denver Metro Area, downtown Denver, the Foothills and into the Rocky Mountains. On good days, you can see the magnificent Continental Divide, which literally divides the country into the west and east. Few communities in Colorado can match Parker Colorado views.
Schools are one of Parker's best assets. Parker is served by the renowned Douglas County School District RE-1. Frankly, most of the schools in the towns that we serve are excellent. Douglas County, Arapahoe and Cherry Creek have some of the finest schools in all of the nation. Parker is home to three great high schools Ponderosa , Chaparrral and Legend. Additionally, Parker is home to some excellent private schools, which include Lutheran High School (9-12)), Ave Maria Catholic School (PK-8) and Southeast Christian School (PK-8). Within a few miles are two of Colorado's best private schools Valor Christian High School and Regis Jesuit High School.
The town has done a great job in making sure that the residents have plenty of parkland available for their pleasure. In fact, there are over 250 acres of developed parks. Additionally, 950 acres of dedicated open space can be found throughout the town. Many of the best parks were created by the developer of the subdivision. The town council has done a great job over the years of making sure that all of the major developments are packed full of great amenities. Some of the many parks are Auburn Hills Community Park, Bar CCC Park, Bayou Gulch Regional Park, Challenger Regional Park, Discovery Park, Preservation Park and Trailhead, Railbender Skate and Tennis Park, Salisbury Equestrian Park and Sports Complex, Stroh Ranch Soccer Fields, Tallman Meadow Park, Iron Horse Park, Living Well Park, O'Brien Park, Twenty Mile Historic Park, USMC CPL David M. Sonka Dog Park and Westcreek Disc Golf Course. Literally everywhere you look, you'll see parks and open space for your enjoyment. This is one of the many things that Cheryl and I appreciate about Parker.
Probably the most exciting park/recreation area to ever come to Parker is the Rueter-Hess Reservoir. It is a water resource to Douglas County. When complete, it will encompass 1170 acres, about one and a half times the size of Cherry Creek Reservoir. Hopefully, it will be open to the public in the summer of 2023.
Parker is known for it small town feel, but that doesn't mean that we don't have the big city amenities that make a community complete. We have great shopping represented by almost all of the national big box stores. Most of the national restaurant chains are here. And, we have some wonderful local independent restaurants, as well. You certainly will not need to leave Parker to have a meal in a great restaurant. Our crown jewel is the Parker Arts, Culture and Events Center (PACE). The PACE center hosts art shows, theater productions, concerts, lectures, meetings, weddings and more. Its 536 seat theater is one of the premier venues in all of Colorado. Another less known gem is the Vehicle Vault. Privately owned, this facility contains one of the premier classic car collections in the nation. Another outstanding event facility is the Colorado Horse Park. It is a world class equestrian event center and is home to a number of events including top hunter/jumper, dressage and evening competitions during the spring, summer and fall seasons. It also, includes annual boarding for over 100 horses.
Health and fitness facilities abound here in Parker. Life Time Fitness chose Parker as their first location in Colorado. It is an amazing place. And, the outdoor pool area rivals some of those found in places like Las Vegas. The town maintains two massive recreation centers. The Parker Recreation Center has over 30,000 square feet, with a gymnasium, work out facilities, pool, outdoor inline hockey rink and more. The Parker Fieldhouse has over 100,000 square feet with sports turf, batting cages, gymnasium, inline rink, track, fitness rooms and more.
There is always something going on that adds to Parker's appeal. It seems that every weekend, there will be an event in downtown Parker. It might be movies in the park. Or, an art show. Barbecue cook offs. Farmer's Market during the summer and fall. Then there are the major events like Parker Days Festival in June, Parker Stars and Stripes Celebration on July 4th, Fall Festival and Reapers Hollow at Flat Acres Farm in October and the Christmas Parade in December. Another cool event is the monthly Wine Walk that takes place in downtown Parker each month from June through October. These are just a few of the major celebrations.
Local medical care is of critical importance to the residents of any community. Parker is in great shape when it comes to providing first class medical services. We have two major hospitals that serve Parker. In Parker, we have Parker Adventist Hospital. And, just a few miles west in Lone Tree is Sky Ridge Medical Center.
We could go on and on about how much we love Parker and why. There is so much more information that we could provide. But, hopefully, we have covered enough to help you get a feel for our wonderful town and why we love to call Parker "home". Cheryl and I spent a great deal of time videoing Parker and her neighborhoods. Here are two that we did. The first one is a drive through Downtown Parker and the second one is a drive all around Parker, pointing out her sites and attractions.
This is our newest listing in Parker, Colorado. The majestic mountain views from this home will never disappoint. Located at one the highest points on the front range, it allows what we refer to as "peak to peak mountain views". With over 6800 finished square feet, 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a 4 car garage on over 3 acres, this home is a true value at $2,350,000.