MyTownCryer

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BUYING CARMELO ANTHONY’S HOUSE?

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Dee & Tom Cryer

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BUYING CARMELO ANTHONY’S HOUSE?.

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Second Dishwashers Fast-Track Kitchen Cleanup

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Dee & Tom Cryer

Dishwasher

Installing a second dishwasher speeds cleanup, customizes your kitchen, and makes your home more functional and practical.

Second dishwasher location

Large kitchens have stations for cooking, food prep, and dishwashing. The main dishwasher sits to the left or right of the main sink, beneath cabinets for plates and glasses.

Place a second dishwasher strategically to accomplish your dish flow objectives.

If the second’s main job is cleaning glassware, locate it near stemware storage, perhaps in a butler’s pantry where crystal and china live.

If you keep kosher, put the second dishwasher where you store either your meat or milk dishes.

If dish control is your objective, install the second in the island prep station.

Second space

Most dishwashers are at least 24 inches wide (32 to 34.5 inches high), though you can find 18- or 30-inch models. Your choice should be based, in part, on how much cabinet space you’re willing to sacrifice. If you’re doing a total remodel, integrate the second dishwasher into your design. If you’re giving your space a facelift, then sacrifice your least-used cabinet.

Second installation

Second installs are the same as first:

Tap into the water supply.

Hook up drain lines to waste lines.

Wire to the electrical source.

These tasks are accomplished by snaking plastic and copper tubing and armored wire behind cabinets and sometimes under floors to the new dishwasher. Figure on spending $200 to $300 for labor.

Dishwasher prices

Dishwashers cost from $250 for a four-cycle, 24-inch Kenmore to $2,500 for Miele’s eight-cycle LaPerla stainless steel model.

Two-drawer dishwashers, where upper and lower sections can run independently, cost about $1,300. Single-drawer washers–a good option for limited space–cost $700 to $1,000.

By: Caralee Adams

Published: February 3, 2011

Caralee Adams, a veteran journalist, has written for Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Fitness, and The Wall Street Journal.

Posted in 2010 Mid Year Denver Market Watch, Buying or Selling Real Estate, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, Denver, Denver Housing, Denver Residential Real Estate, Greenwood Village | Tagged Denver Dishwashers, Denver Second Dishwashers | Leave a comment

Super Joe Hubert Is Back With A January, 2011 Denver Market Update

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Dee & Tom Cryer

Joe Really Is Super!

Says Joe:

As a quick recap, January 2011 combined MLS Residential Statistics had the following changes compared to January of 2010.

Decrease in the Number of Closed Sales to 1,724 (down 6.4%)
Average Days on Market increased to 120 days
Number of Active Listings increased 5.2% to 13,714
Absorption Rate increased to 8.1 months (up 21.4%)
Average Sold Price increased (up 6.7 % from $260,530 to $277,922)

For more details on the combined MLS Residential Statistics, select the first link below titled “Total MLS” or feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Total MLS
All Metrolist Areas as one download
Aurora North (AUN)
Aurora South ( AUS)
Brighton, Fort Lupton (BFL)
Broomfield (BRM)
Douglas County West (DCW)
Douglas Elbert Parker (DEP)
Douglas Highlands Ranch Lone Tree (DHL)
Denver Northeast (DNE)
Denver Northwest (DNW)
Denver Southeast (DSE)
Denver Southwest (DSW)
Downtown Denver (DTD)
East Suburban North (ESN)
East Suburban South (ESS)
Jefferson County Central (JFC)
Jefferson County North (JFN)
Jefferson County South (JFS)
Jefferson County West (JFW)
Jefferson County Northcentral (JNC)
Jefferson County Southcentral (JSC)
Lafayette (LAF)
Mountain Clear Creek (MCC)
Mountain Conifer Pine (MCP)
Mountain Evergreen North (MEN)
Mountain Evergreen South (MES)
Mountain Gilpin County (MGC)
Mountain Jefferson County (MJC)
Mountain Jefferson North (MJN)
Mountain Jefferson South (MJS)
Mountain Park County (MPC)
Mountain Park East (MPE)
North Northeast Suburban (NNE)
North Northwest Suburban (NNW)
North Suburban Central (NSC)
North Suburban East (NSE)
North Suburban West (NSW)
South Suburban Central (SSC)
South Suburban East (SSE)
Superior (SUP)

Courtesy of Land Title Guarantee Company

Budget Puzzle: You Fix the Budget via The New York Times

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Dee & Tom Cryer

Work Together Teamwork

Are you able to unravel the puzzle? Can you balance the budget? Well, the New York Times has created a handy dandy interactive puzzle solver. Give it a shot, can you give up some entitlements? Can you take from one and give to another?

SOLVE THE BUDGET PUZZLE

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Budget, Deficit, New York Times, Puzzle, The Federal Budget Helix, United States, United States federal budget | Leave a comment

Whole-House Sound Hath Charms to Soothe the Savage in You

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Dee & Tom Cryer

Custom Speakers

Whole-house sound sets the mood, reduces sound system clutter, and adds value. Run wires behind the walls or go wireless–there’s a system for every budget.

Get wired

The highest quality whole-house sound travels through structured wires embedded in your walls. Wires run from your sound system, neatly tucked into a storage room or closet, through the ceiling into speakers mounted in rooms you select. This is the gold standard option for the music purist and should be installed by a sound specialist.

Structured wiring is most easily installed in new construction, and nearly half of all new homes built in 2008 have it. Retrofitting a house with structured wiring will cost $700 to $2,700 per room, depending on the control units you select. A pair of speakers for each room can cost from $100 to $2,000.

Leverage existing wires

Leveraging existing wires is a less intrusive way to achieve whole-house sound because you aren’t cutting through walls to run new wire. Expect to sacrifice audio fidelity, but it’s minimal.

A source hub–a central device that iPods, CD players, and other source equipment plug into–sends audio signals in a digital format over existing electrical wires. A receiver plugged into a wall outlet in each room converts digital back into analog music.

Costs run $500 to $1,000 per room, including speakers, and takes a day or less to install.

Go wireless

Installing a wireless system is the easiest, most affordable way to get whole house sound–and the only one you can do yourself.

Music is distributed from your computer, through a router, and into a small player box (about the size of a toaster) placed in each room you choose. If you want sound in five rooms, you’ll need five player boxes and five sets of speakers.

Wireless systems cost about $400 per room and can be set up in a couple of hours.

By: Caralee Adams

Published: February 3, 2011

Caralee Adams, a veteran journalist, has written for Better Homes & Gardens, Parents, and Fitness.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Denver Sound Systems | Leave a comment

Steam Shower: Make Your Life a Little Steamy

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Dee & Tom Cryer

Master Bath

Install a home steam shower and feel the tension melt away every day.

Bring on the steam

A steam generator heats water over an electrical element, which produces steam that is piped into the shower. The generator, about the size of a microwave oven, can be installed next to the shower or tucked away in a nearby closet, connected with water and electrical lines. Generators generally range from $800 to $1,000.

Make your own steam shower

You can transform your existing shower/tub into a steamy spa, or build a new steam room by framing a shower and installing waterproof drywall or cement backer board and tile. (You will likely need a permit–check your local building codes.)

The key: The shower must be completely sealed and waterproof. That means tiling the entire space, including the ceiling, and installing a tight-fitting glass door. Make sure the space is large enough for a bench to relax upon, ideally 3-by-5 feet; If you are tight on space, try a corner bench. (Cost: $7,000 to $10,000, including the steam generator.)

Fiberglass shower

Install a modular fiberglass, self-contained steam shower. They are cheaper than wood-framed showers, and can be installed in one to five days. The unit comes with a flexible, braided line to hook up to hot and cold water. To run the generator, connect electrical wiring (usually 220 volts). If you’re really handy, install the unit yourself, or hire professionals for $500 to $1000. Units, including steam generators, range $1,000 (3-by-3 feet) to $5,000 (6-by-3 feet unit).

Using the shower

Although steam is a healthful choice for most people, steam showers can adversely affect people with heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes; as well as pregnant women, young children, and the frail elderly. Kids five years old and older may take the steam under parental supervision.

Maintaining steam

Hot, damp areas are perfect incubators for mold and mildew. After using your steam shower, open the door to dry out the unit, and run the bathroom fan to suck out the steam.

Every few months, flush the unit to get rid of calcium deposits.

By: Caralee Adams

Published: February 3, 2011

Caralee Adams is a veteran journalist. Her work as appeared in national publications, including Better Homes & Gardens, Parents, and The Washington Post.

Create A Garden Room: It’s a Natural Choice

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Dee & Tom Cryer

Courtyard Garden

Create a garden room to provide space for tools and seeds, and to allow you to commune with nature from inside your home.

Garden room must-haves

Sink: Keep it deep for rinsing slugs off garden vegetables or cleaning muddy trowels. A stand-alone stainless steel sink from a kitchen supply store is a workhorse ($250 to $1400), but a plastic tub ($80) will do, too.

Countertops: When you create a garden room, more countertop is better for repotting plants or pressing seeds into soil. Counter space next to the sink makes cleanup easier. Stainless steel is best because it won’t stain and you won’t care about scratches. Cost: $75/sq. ft. If your budget is tight, use an old wood table that a few more scars won’t hurt.

Storage: Throw up some cabinets in your new garden room; you can get deals at Habitat for Humanity ReStore resale outlets ($45 for a single cabinet), rescue school lockers from a yard sale, or stack and anchor inexpensive bins to a wall. A forged iron curtain rod with some large J hooks is a great place to hang baskets for less than $100.

Light: Your seedlings and hanging plants will love natural light. Replace wood doors with a swinging all-glass door. Rip down window treatments to maximize light.

Flooring: Choose a surface in your garden room that won’t show dirt and is easy to clean.Vinyl sheets ($8 to $10/sq. yd.), are best. Ceramic tile (typically $1 to $10/sq. ft.) is sturdy and can give a natural feel to your space. To hide dirt, use darker tiles and grout. Also, make sure you periodically reseal grout lines to keep out dirt.

By: Caralee Adams

Published: February 3, 2011

Caralee Adams, a veteran journalist, has written for Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Fitness, and The Wall Street Journal.

Painting Walls Red: How to Pick It and How to Get Rid of It

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Dee & Tom Cryer

Red Walls

Painting walls red–or any bold color–makes a definite statement, which you may want to take back someday. A tinted primer will cover your mistake.

Seeing red
Painting walls red is less forgiving than, say, painting walls Linen White. Make a mistake, and you’ll feel like you’re dining inside a tomato. Change your mind, and you’ll need at least two new coats of paint to cover your regrets. Here are tips on where and which red to choose.

Painting walls red can make large spaces feel more intimate, and small spaces look more interesting. Splash a little red in a powder room, or on just one wall in a den.
Bluish reds can be festive and a good choice for dining and living rooms.
Orange-hued reds are anxiety-producing colors–popular in casinos–so keep them out of the bedroom.
Paint your selection of a sheet of poster board–not on the walls–and place it in different parts of the room, at different times of the day, and in different sunlight conditions. At night, turn on lamps to see how your red reacts to artificial light.
Choose to re-choose
Red walls don’t play well with new colors: Whites turn pink, yellows become orange, and blues look purplish. You won’t be able to throw up a coat of crème and call it a day.

Here’s how to neutralize red:

Prime walls with water-based sealing primers, such as Benjamin Moore Color Foundations or Behr Premium Plus Interior Enamel Primer.
Tint primer to make it closely match your final color. Or, choose a grey or pink tint to help transition from red to a more neutral color.
Paint two coats of primer and let dry completely. Use fans to speed up the process.
After priming, choose a good quality paint and you’ll likely need only two coats. For a high-quality paint, look for 100% acrylic and stick to national brands.
Apply new color with a 3/8-in nap roller. The shorter the nap, the better the coverage, which is important when covering red colors.
Caralee Adams, a veteran journalist, has written for Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Fitness, and The Wall Street Journal.

By: Caralee Adams Published: February 3, 2011

Posted in 2010 Mid Year Denver Market Watch, Buying or Selling Real Estate, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, Denver, Denver Housing, Denver Residential Real Estate, Greenwood Village, Luxury Homes | Tagged Home Decorating | Leave a comment

Kentwood Real Estate Recognized by Realtor Magazine

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Dee & Tom Cryer

Home of the Finest Realtors

Kentwood Real Estate was recently recognized by Realtor Magazine, the official publication of the National Association of Realtors, as the number one real estate brokerage in the country for the highest closed sales production per Broker Associate on an annual basis!

Pam O’Connor says she’s a strong believer in the power of local branding. Independent brokerages and franchisees with deep roots in their markets have a significant advantage over national companies that don’t have a recognized local brand.

“National brands are less meaningful than they used to be because of the Internet. Consumers may have a harder time, for example, finding a branch in their neighborhood because they have to drill down so far when searching the company Web site,” she says. “What makes a difference is having skin in the game. With local ownership, it’s their money and their deals and these businesses tend to do better.”

Kentwood Significantly Out Performs Local MLS Averages for 2010: Kentwood vs. MLS

Posted in Buying or Selling Real Estate, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, Denver, Denver Housing, Denver Residential Real Estate, Greenwood Village | Tagged Denver Real Estate | Leave a comment

Does Cost Equal Value in the Mountain States?

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Dee & Tom Cryer

Cost vs. Value 2010

Posted in 2010 Mid Year Denver Market Watch, Buying or Selling Real Estate, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, Denver Housing, Denver Residential Real Estate, Greenwood Village | Tagged Cost vs. Value | Leave a comment

MyTownCryer

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BUYING CARMELO ANTHONY’S HOUSE?