MyTownCryer

Home Tour

Your home is your sanctuary; a place where memories are made, where family gathers, and where you can lay your head after each long day. But an unorganized home can be an unnecessary source of stress. No matter how big or small your space is, the following tips can help you get your home decluttered and organized in no time.

Decluttering your kitchen

Can’t ever find what you’re looking for in that crowded pantry or kitchen cabinet? Start by throwing out expired foods, and donate canned goods that you’ll never use. Then group your items by category. Use organization tools like tiered spice racks, turntables, or baskets to organize spices and canned foods. Store your flour, sugar, and other bulky items in clear jars to keep track of how much you have and maintain a cohesive look.

Organizing your laundry room

First things first, get things off the floor. Hang wire shelving to elevate bulky laundry baskets, and place hooks on the wall to hang your ironing board, brooms, and other long, narrow items. If you’re extra tight on space, mount a retractable drying rack to the wall. Keep your detergent and other cleaning supplies in a caddy or basket, or hide them away in an easy-to-reach cabinet. And, be sure to presort your dirty clothes in designated hampers.

Organizing your bathroom

The key to keeping your bathroom functional yet tidy is to give everything a home. Glass apothecary jars are a great way to store cotton balls and swabs while adding an elegant touch. Add shelving above the toilet for additional linen storage, and place hairdryers and brushes in over-the-cabinet baskets. Keep your countertop decluttered by storing bottled products in caddies under the counter, or mount stylish baskets to the wall instead.

Maximizing other storage spaces

If you lack storage space throughout your home, go vertical. Your wall space can be your best friend for storage, especially in your garage or closet. And don’t forget to utilize under-the-bed space, which can be used for storing winter clothes or other seasonal items. If you’re handy, build recessed drawers or cabinets into the wall for even more hidden storage.

And my favorite!  Organize your garage

You spent a small fortune on your automobile.  Now you are letting it take on the sun, the rain, the snow, ice and heaven forbid, hail stones!  Remember, your car is worth more than the kids bicycle.  A garage can be a sanctuary too!  Two great choices here are Rubbermaid and The Elfa System at the Container Store.  Before you know it, cars and bicycles will live indoors in harmony.

Do you have a serious problem with clutter and disorganization?

The professional organizers we interviewed suggest asking yourself these questions and providing answers on a scale of 1 (perfectly organized) to 10 (overwhelming clutter). If your responses tend to be (5) or higher, you have a problem.

1. Does the amount of clutter in your home, car or office seem overwhelming?
2. Do your de-cluttering and re-organizing efforts repeatedly relapse into disorder?
3. Are you ashamed when visitors come to your house?
4. Do you refuse to let visitors inside your house?
5. Do you own multiple copies of the same item — nail scissors, charging cords, a specific book, flashlights — because you couldn’t locate the original item when you needed it?
6. Do you keep something that’s broken because you intend to repair it someday?
7. Do your closet and dresser include clothing more than 10 years old (OK, fine, we’ll make exceptions for a few vintage and costume pieces).
8. Do your family and friends express concern about disorder in your home?
9. Is it hard for you to pare down your things because they might be useful someday?
10. Do you save appliance boxes, fast-food boxes and other things that most people automatically throw out?
11. Does your concern about saving food for an emergency result in a larder could easily feed everyone on the block?
12. Do you tend to get distracted during chores, shifting from one task to another before the first job is finished?

Not Gold…

If you have ever successfully ridden the Triple Bypass these notes about the day along the way will make you laugh out loud, really!  Fred was riding to the top of Loveland Pass and then back toward Denver.  Caroline and Dee were riding all the way to Avon.  Their impressions are priceless.

Fred to Tom:

I suspect Dee and Caroline made it in fine shape to the end….and Andrew came by to cheer them home???

Thank you for the water!! And great to see you – guess we both are very recognizable….

I did hear the girls yell at me as I went down Loveland pass..they were only about 10-15 min behind me.

Some observations (From Fred)

– ask the girls if they saw a BIG dude – add 30lbs to me – riding a bike with NO SADDLE – probably 3/4 way up Squaw pass road….I rode beside him to make sure my eyes were not off…he was huffing and puffing….grinding it out…

– LAST riders I saw about 2:10 were at the Georgetown (below the lake) rest stop, there were 3 people getting on the sag vans.

– The last ridding riders – were at Silver Plume at 1:47…..on the bike trail there were probably 100-200 people still grinding it out

– Going down that bike path was NO fun – not sure it would ever be fun since you don’t know what is around a corner – could be a deer – in this case just riders on the wrong side. Beautiful path however – I never knew it was there!

– That has to be one of the most expensive bike rides I have been on – I would suspect the AVG cost of a bike is 3-4K…I saw several bikes over $10K – a Pinarello Dogma or a Colnago Super – are in that price range…Ride of the Rockies doesn’t even have that average

– I didn’t like waiting in line to use the potty at Loveland ski area….although I talked to young lady who had no clue as to where the ride was going next (yes I pointed at the riders going up the Loveland pass road) and was wondering whether to wear a coat or not….I think she should have gone to medic tent for hypoxia! Guess she was from out of town.

– The bike path from ID Springs to Floyd hill is open…and oh my oh my…the climb up the back of Floyd was a test of determination

– I-70 on the weekends going west is for the birds!!! – I got to my car at Soda Springs Exit on I-70 at 2:25…traffic was starting to back up there all the way to ID springs tunnels as I saw it from the path, and I had lots of cars on the frontage road down Floyd hill.

– I ended up at 98 miles….obviously not as much work as what the girls put in.

Great riding Dee & Caroline – and great sagging Tom!!!!

Caroline to Fred:

This is Caroline responding to Fred in the car on the way home:

– Fred, you were the talk of Loveland pass!! Everyone around me was like oh my gosh he is hauling!! Followed by, wow, he is having way more fun than us, who’s the sucker now? 

– couldn’t believe all the instant casualties (mostly flats I presume) up squaw pass, but then realized I have been a casualty of squaw once before and shouldn’t be too hard on them;)

– heard what I thought were multiple gun shots along the ride only to find out it was amateur tube pumping hour with co2 cartridges that blew the tube to smithereens…

– the constant dodging of other people’s snot rockets got a bit tricky on the tight paths

– witnessed a wild near wipeout at the bottom of a slick vail pass. Dude hit the cement wall and somehow recovered with rubber side down

– one guy barely got 10 ft off the road to squat in the woods, and I’m pretty sure guys don’t squat to pee

– tommy enjoyed making fun of all the riders with cycling shoes still on, walking around the BBQ looking incredibly crippled. 

– deedee’s only war wound was a blood blister from getting her thumb caught in a Porta-potty door handle…rough

– a lot of Texans out there. Ride the same way they ski, like goobers.

All in all, good times and good sag wagon to keep the blood sugar flowin:)

Fred’s Follow Up:

Oh my – did your note make me laugh…well written…..

Yeah I don’t get the number of nose blows I encountered also…to crazy…. Lots of work for ENTs I guess….Way I look at it – you not working hard enough if all those pipes are not cleaned out in the 1^st 10 min of ride!!! LOL!

As for speed Garmin says 52 mph at the last turn off Mt Evans road- where it becomes Chicago Basin, possible but it is not that steep there…. more believable is 44 down Loveland pass which was captured over duration than a blip… it is fun to go down – but I would prefer without anyone around – maybe an AIR HORN for descents and a bell for ascents!!! LOL!

Goobers – to funny!!! And Tom is right about people walking in those shoes!!!

You have to love bikers talking the day’s events over.  With thousands out for the Triple, you have to believe one’s own eyes.  It truly is a people watching event!

1.  What’s your credit score?

2.  Is that shiny car in the driveway paid off?

3.  Are you a “full time” Realtor, or do you have another job too?

4.  Do you benefit in any way from the companies you recommend?

5.  Will you provide me with three buyer or listing testimonials and their contact information?

6.  Does your auto insurance carry the appropriate liability coverage?

7.  What is your Errors & Ommissions Liability Insurance coverage limits?

8.  Do you own your home free and clear?

9.  What is your home address?

10.  What is the value of your home?

Mark Twain

The pull of societal strings always plays a role in what’s happening in Residential Real Estate. What’s Hot, and What’s Not.

With 11,000 Boomers turning 65 in this country everyday, and Millennials becoming the most populous generation in the work force, societal norms are being challenged once again.

In Denver, when the Boomers were starting families, we had jet traffic overhead from Stapleton, we had busing, we had neighborhoods suffering the plight of social unrest very close to the CBD, we did not have all four of the “major professional sports” and we did not have a world class transit system serving all of the above.

Now we have Millennials and Boomers charging into our Core Tier One neighborhoods in large numbers. We have “new” construction of residential properties on almost every block in town. We have a dozen or more “urban” neighborhoods enjoying a new identity with weekend “festivals” drawing locals and outsiders alike.

Some have speculated that this will impact the demand for our “Second Tier Suburban” markets because of the lack of buyers. I think these doomsayers are wrong. Our second tier market is doing quite well, thank you very much. Growth along the SE Light Rail all the way to Lone Tree with both jobs and residential opportunities has supported this growth and vitalization extremely well. Homes in Littleton, Cherry Hills, Greenwood Village, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Castle Rock and Parker are very strong with builder sales offices reporting 12-14 delivery times for a new home.

What about our 3^rd Tier Markets; you know, those “distant suburbs”. Larkspur, Elizabeth, Sedalia, Morrison and others are in fact in many cases returning to previous average high price levels. Only at the highest price ranges are they lagging the overall market trends.

What does this all mean for our long-term residential health? There is no question, the “urban push” by Millennials and Boomers will continue, and it will provide a more than ample foundation of support for price appreciation into levels never reached before. Due to the very much-improved urban environment, when the kids come along for the Millennials, they may not leave. They may stay put, remodel and support the neighborhood school. Boomers will be close to the “action”, and we may see even more support for the Arts, Museums and entertainment demanded by this group with a very high disposable income.

In our Tier Two Locales, expect more of the same. There will always be a need for our close in suburbs that provide some space for families, hobbies and a break from the “hustle and bustle of the city”. In fact, these “Town Center” communities are thriving due to their low municipal debt and strong fiscal policy management. Drive through any of these 1970s communities and dumpsters are the tattoo of a vital market.

Our Tier Three Locales will not be as free from economic events. Energy, Interest Rates and Commuting Times have always weighed heavily on these locations, and moving forward, it will be no different. In fact, if a reproduction cost analysis is done on many of these areas, homes are on the market now at prices below their reproduction costs. So, as it may be a good time to buy in these areas, the aforementioned issues will always be impactful.

Listings Needed

So, what should you do? The simplest answer is and always has been the same. “Live Small to Live Large”. Don’t be “house poor”. Don’t buy into the hype. Buy shelter if you are starting out in a good accessible location. If your budget affords you the possibility to create a lifestyle, remember, at some point, resale will be necessary. Don’t go overboard. When all said and done, being happy in your home should be your goal!

Bullish on Homeownership

April has arrived like a Lion.  Inventory is low, low, low, and Demand has remained strong.  As a result, you will see another month of spectacular data for the Denver Market.

If you have any question about being a seller now, don’t.  The time has come to put your home on the market.

Be Bullish!

DMARMarketTrendsApril1