Facebook
X
Pinterest
Copy Link
Windermere Colorado Triples in Size
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
November 9, 2016
Windermere Colorado triples sales and agents in two years
Innovative program and Millennial agents drive success for Colorado real estate company
Fort Collins, COLO. (Nov. 9, 2016) – After opening its first Colorado office in December of 2014 in Fort Collins, Windermere Real Estate Colorado has experienced accelerated expansion with new offices in Centennial and Denver Metro over the past two years. The rapid growth stems from a number of factors, but primary among them are a one-of-a-kind home selling program and a fresh approach to hiring and engaging a younger workforce.
With the Front Range expansion, Windermere Colorado has tripled sales volume from $77 million in 2015 to $205 million now, increasing employees from 21 to 65 agents during this same time. Windermere Real Estate’s Colorado President, Eric Thompson, explains, “We’ve figured out how to be relevant to top-selling real estate agents and how to be relevant to the customer. In our mind it’s pretty simple: agents want their company to save them time and energy, and customers want a predictable process with no surprises.”
Thompson and his team pioneered a revolutionary program to market a home called the “Windermere Certified Listing.” Similar to buying a certified pre-owned vehicle, the program includes a pre-inspection of each listing before it ever goes on the market. With the pre-inspection in hand, the seller can decide how to handle certain repairs and then be transparent with the buyer as to the exact condition of the home.
“The biggest disappointments in a typical transaction occur when there is a surprise. With this program we’ve virtually eliminated all surprises,” says Thompson.
Now entering its third year, the Certified Listing program is getting results. For example, Windermere’s listings in the Northern Colorado market sell for 14 percent more and 42 percent faster than the market average. It has also been a key driver to attract productive agents to Windermere because the company’s staff handles the scheduling of all the vendors who prepare the home for sale. “The Certified Listing program was a big reason why I chose to align with Windermere,” said Natalie Davis, Windermere agent and past Chair of the Fort Collins Board of REALTORS. “It saves me an enormous amount of time and allows me to focus my energy on my customers.”
Interestingly, the program has also resulted in a younger generation of agents joining Windermere. Currently, 20 percent of Windermere Colorado employees fall under the Millennial generation, an uncommon characteristic for a real estate company in an industry where the average age for a realtor nationally is 58.
At 35 percent, Millennials are the largest share of home buyers, which has been consistent over the last four years according to the National Association of Realtors. Having younger real estate agents to connect to this group is something Windermere leveraged at an early stage. “Most of my clients are in their 20s or 30s,” says Kyle Basnar, a Millennial agent at Windermere Colorado. “Windermere educates us on how to effectively guide this group and give them the information they need to make good decisions.”
Both the younger and experienced agents at Windermere also appreciate Windermere’s commitment to giving back to the communities where they serve. The Windermere Foundation has generated over $31 million in donations since its inception toward supporting low-income and homeless families. In Colorado, Windermere partners with Homeless Gear, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and the YMCA.
“Charitable giving is incredibly important to me and the agents on our team. The fact that Windermere is so committed to giving back to the communities where they serve was certainly a major factor in our decision to join Windermere,” said Carl McNew, co-owner of Windermere Metro Denver.
About Windermere Colorado:
Since its inception in 1972, Windermere Real Estate has grown to be a network of 300 offices with more than 6,000 agents by focusing on three basic principles: hire the best people, give them the best tools and create thriving communities. Windermere’s growth has allowed them to expand into the Colorado market led by Eric Thompson, President of Windermere Colorado. For more information, visit www.windermerecolorado.com.
About Windermere Real Estate
Windermere Real Estate is ranked the largest regional real estate company in the Western U.S. serving communities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Mexico. The Windermere family has a proud heritage of serving our neighbors via the Windermere Foundation, which funds services for low-income and
homeless families. Since 1989, the Windermere Foundation has contributed more than 31 million dollars towards improving lives in the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit www.windermere.com.
Interesting Takeaways
The Zillow Group just completed an extensive survey of home buyers and sellers. Here are some interesting takeaways from the research:
- Half of today’s home buyers are under the age of 36, and 47 percent are first-time buyers. Solo home buyers are in the minority;
most buyers are shopping with a spouse or partner (73 percent). - Eighty-three percent of buyers are shopping for a single-family house. Their top considerations are affordability and being in a safe neighborhood.
- Today’s sellers are most often members of Generation X (38 percent), and the majority (63 percent of all sellers) are listing a home for the first time.
- Most sellers are trading their homes for one they see as an upgrade, seeking a median of 100 more square feet and a home that costs an average of 11 percent more.
- Sellers’ top regret was that they didn’t take more time to prepare for a sale (30 percent). (By the way, Windermere’s Certified Listing is a proven 10-step process which prepares both the home and our clients for the sale. Let us know if you want to know more about it.)
Top 5
A new report from Veros Real Estate Solutions, which works in enterprise risk management and collateral valuation services, shows the strongest and weakest markets for the next 12 months ending in Sept. 1, 2017.
Their Top 5 Markets:
At the bottom of their list is… Atlantic City.
Hot and Not
Where are the hottest markets in Northern Colorado?
Hint – it starts with “W”
Turns out the communities with the largest increase in year over year sales are… (drum roll please)
Windsor and Wellington!
Windsor transactions are up 22% more than last year. Wellington has seen an 11% increase.
All other NoCo communities are flat or lower than last year.
For example, Boulder transactions are down 9% compared to 2015.
Certainly one of the reasons for the uptick in Wellington and Windsor is the amount of inventory available to choose from and specifically inventory in the lower price ranges.
So, while prices are up everywhere, only two places have seen more sales than last year.
Signs of Slowing
It’s not just temperatures cooling off as we transition from summer to fall, there are signs that the market is cooling as well.
The numbers are in and both Loveland and Fort Collins had their slowest August in several years.
Loveland had 127 single family home sales last month. This is 16% lower than August 2015 and the slowest August for Loveland since 2012.
Fort Collins had their slowest August since 2011 with 206 single family sales. This is 13% lower than last year.
This is good news for buyers who may have been reluctant to enter the multiple-offer frenzy that occurred this past spring. It looks like we are moving toward a more “normal” market.
Beware of Low Down Payments
First-time buyers can borrow with little down, but that may not be wise
Financial planners warn: "Borrowers should not overlook the true measure of home affordability: monthly cash flow."
Is your down payment going to affect your cash flow in the end? Check out this article to see what they suggest.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/02/homebuyers-beware-of-banks-offering-too-much-cash.html
The Winner Is…
With the Olympics stoking the spirit of competition, we took a look at how Colorado stacks up against the other states when it comes to real estate prices.
Our impartial judge for the competition is the Federal Housing Finance Authority who tracks close to 300 real estate markets all over the country.
For this competition we are looking at home price appreciation over the last five years. Simply, how much have prices gone up for each state?
And the winner is… (not Colorado)
The winner is Nevada with a 68% increase in the last five years.
Here’s the top 5:
1. Nevada 68%
2. Arizona 57%
3. California 54%
4. Florida 53%
5. Colorado 48%
Here’s the deal about this list- other than Colorado, these are all the states that were hit hardest by the real estate downturn in 2008 & 2009. These states are still clawing their way out of the hole that was created. While Colorado continues to show a more steady pattern without the wild swings seen in other places.
1100 Valley Drive, Windsor
UNDER CONTRACT IN TWO DAYS!
Gorgeous craftsman style home within a short walk of Main Park and Poudre River Trail! Solid Hickory floors and newer carpet! New paint throughout home and new stainless steel appliances! Open floor plan with bay window in the living room. Full basement allows for room to expand. Sit on covered back porch and enjoy Mature landscaping on a large corner lot. Huge garden plot! Oversized 2 car garage means storage with room for parking plus a large garden shed with power! Gated RV Parking! No HOA!
Click below on the link for the details.
https://www.coloproperty.com/listing/details/1100650
The Mountain Market
With fall right around the corner many of us will be trekking up to Estes Park to see the Aspen leaves turning.
As you drive through Estes you may wonder “how’s the mountain market?”
Here are some fun facts about real estate in Estes Park.
- The average price today is $394,046 – not that different than Fort Collins.
- Average prices have gone up $60,000 in the last three years.
- Their market has about 300 sales per year- roughly a tenth of the amount in Fort Collins.
- If you were looking for a home in Estes between $300,000 and $500,000, you would have 15 to choose from.
Now you know about the Mountain Market!
1018 Cottonwood Drive, Windsor
Welcome Home to 1018 Cottonwood Dr in Central Windsor. This 4 bed 2 bath Ranch Home features an open floor plan, Updated newer kitchen and appliances, newer flooring throughout, updated bathrooms and 2 car attached garage. 10 Minutes to I-25, 2 blocks to Main Street and 1 block from Windsor West Park. Close to shopping, schools and trails. Enjoy the Colorado lifestyle in this beautiful updated Ranch Home. Bsmt is Partially finished & permitted. Move In Ready. Call for your private showing today.
https://www.coloproperty.com/listing/details/1100061
