There are a number of things we think about in relation to a home purchase.  Of course we all know the mantra of “Location, - Location – Location”.  It’s one of the reasons why the Downtown Denver Real Estate Market is so popular.

Location includes access to restaurants, shopping, transportation and amenities.  It has led to the measurement tool of Walkscore.com to help give home shoppers a tool to measure the value of a location.

The list goes on and on… but one that seems to grow in value every year would be a category called Technology.

With technology we aren’t just talking about having WiFi in you building.  It’s a big enough category to be a focus on the Urban Land Institute's recent trends report entitled “What’s Next – Real Estate in the New Economy”.

The focus of technology can mean many things.  For many high rise buildings such as the SPIRE lofts, it can involve the infrastructure in the walls.  Some buildings have older cabling that restricts the flow of data.  Others might be wired with high speed fiber optic cable.  Once that just impacted how fast you could download  your itunes music.   In today’s world of technology better infrastructure determines the performance of your high definition broadcasts which might be from your local carrier or might be on demand from such services as Netflix or Apple TV.

Beyond entertainment technology is allowing for the optimization and measurement of your heating and cooling systems.  Remote management and monitoring can provide for significant utility savings.

More importantly, the actual heating, cooling and management systems themselves can have huge implications not only on a homeowners annual utility expenses.  Many clients are looking at how the technology of their home enables a sustainable living lifestyle.

SPIRE focused on steam generated heating.  Some developers are installing radiant floor heat, solar panels, even composting areas.   Technology in home and multi dwelling design translates into decisions over which sinks, water heaters, even toilets go into a new home.  Want to see an example (without knocking on a neighbors door), check out the bathrooms at Linger next time you stop in for a drink.

All of us at New Era Realty look at each element of a home buying decision to provide our clients with detailed information about every aspect available.  Technology is just one that we like to mention because many forget how important it can be.

To learn more about sustainable downtown Denver lofts and sustainable downtown Denver homes please contact anyone on our New Era Realty team.

And if you stop in at Linger feel free to stop in and visit us.  We are just down the street in LoHi.

One of the hottest selling high rise condominium projects in Denver AND in the United States is SPIRE.

SPIRE, located in the heart of the Denver Theater district has been a favorite destination for new home shoppers since the very beginning.  We remember well because we have been there every step of the way.

The New Era Realty team has been representing buyers (and now sellers) at SPIRE since the first reservation opportunities.  The New Era team watched the groundbreaking and reviewed hundreds of pre construction floor plans and documents.  We got our regular workouts walking the 42 floors of stairs in the “in construction” preview period.

Our favorite part was sharing our client’s celebration when they got their set of keys and entered their new Denver loft for the first time.

SPIRE still has some incredible inventory (including our own listings) that we share with clients every day… but one thing is very different from the pre construction days of last year.

Today the ground floor restaurants are in full swing.  There’s Snarfs for some incredible sandwiches,  Organic Pizza for some healthy and delicious ‘za, and Row 14 for amazing dining and cocktails.

Now there’s more!

Yesterday the new Crave Dessert Bar and Lounge opened at the SPIRE lofts to satisfy your sweet tooth.   That’s right… now SPIRE residents can burn off their calories in their huge fitness center, with a yoga class, in the swimming pools or spas and then go downstairs and celebrate their workout with a decadent dessert.

Life at SPIRE just keeps getting better and better.  Mixed use residential towers offer an impressive lifestyle amenity to their residents.   They offer ground floor convenience for fine dining and a spot to relax with friends and family.

With the temperature dropping it’s now wonder that convenience becomes so popular.  For SPIRE loft residents this even means certain building food delivery.  Life at SPIRE isn’t that far removed from luxury room services.

Congrats Crave Dessert Bar and Lounge and welcome!  The Downtown Denver condo and loft residents at SPIRE have already been singing your praises.

And the trend continues!  October sales figures showed positive gains in most areas as limited inventory and improved sales created opportunity for sellers.  On the other hand, buyers were left scratching their heads wondering where the supposed “buyer’s” market went.  Simply stated, buyers are having much greater difficulty finding suitable homes in 2011 as compared to 2010.  First-time buyers are being increasingly priced out of the market as they compete with investors vying for lower priced properties that are also apt rentals. These properties sell in days, not weeks and as the old saying goes, the early bird catches the worm!

Overall Metro area sales increased 12% compared to October 2010 with buyers snapping up 3,183 homes and condos in October 2011.  The number of properties under contract increased nearly 4% from the same time last year.  At the same time, the inventory of single family homes fell 30% and condos followed suit with inventory falling over 45%! The only negative and unsettling trend is the value of homes dropping 6% from last year for an average sales price of $269,503.  Of course we should all be glad we don’t live in Las Vegas where if you bought a house in 1996, it’s worth less today!

Why are values falling in Denver with such limited inventory and increased sales?  I see three factors that are driving down prices: 1) Lower priced (sub $200K) properties are dominating sales right now as first-time buyers, investors and renters who are paying inflated rents realize the financial benefits of owning inexpensive homes, 2) Motivated sellers with average properties that are stagnating on the market.  Once these sellers finally receive an offer, they agree to significantly reduced prices, and 3) Weak listing agents who aren’t educated about current market conditions and don’t fight for their sellers when negotiating offers.

There is no doubt we live in tumultuous times but fortunately our local Colorado real estate markets appear to be fairing better than the rest of the nation.  At our current national job growth it will take 52 months to return to the number of jobs we had in January 2008.   The good news for Colorado is that we have gained approximately 700 jobs over the past year while many states continue to lose them.  Foreclosures continue to dominate many local markets, however foreclosure sales in Colorado fell to a 42 month low and were down 28% compared to October 2010.   The key message here is that it is important to consider local economic conditions and take those into perspective whether you are homeowner, tenant, seller or buyer!

As always, we are up-to-date on the latest market happenings.  Please don’t hesitate to contact us whenever you or someone you know is considering buying or selling a Denver loft, condo, or home!

Two development groups, two proposals, and one pushed back deadline to decide.

The Regional Transportation Districts (RTP) Board last night held a meeting where they posed questions to the two competing groups in an effort to reach a decision on who’s proposal best serves the needs of Denver and the future life of Denver’s historic Union Station.

The board originally planned to reach a conclusion last night but rather than making a decision they allowed each of the competing development teams to make additional efforts to support their proposal.  After meeting behind closed doors the board announced that the decision would have to wait.. at least until December 6^th.

The two teams are the Union Station Alliance (USA) and the Union Station Neighborhood Company (USNC).

As summarized by the Denver Business Journal the two proposals are described as:

Union Station Alliance: Hotel with retail.

Union Station Neighborhood Company: Market with office space, restaurants and retail.

RTD's staff, and an evaluation panel of government officials and real estate experts, has recommended USA's $48 million plan for a hotel at the station, but USNC members argued that their proposal better preserves the historic nature of our iconic Denver landmark.

Both proposals can be linked to from the website and there is an online poll that has been set up on the Denver Business Journal’s website here.

Denver loft and condo and residents in Riverfront Park, LoDo, and other nearby neighborhoods are following (As we are) this pivotal decision.  The new Union Station area will be a wonderful mixed use neighborhood in the center of our city providing new restaurants, retail, and of course residential downtown Denver lofts and condos.

All of us at New Era Realty follow the urban developments of Union Station and the surrounding areas in our rapidly developing city.  These are great improvements for our city and we look forward to these new urban amenities for our Downtown Downtown Denver loft and condo clients and friends.

We look forward to learning more about who will win this proposal and lead the redevelopment of Denver’s historic Union Station.

To learn more about Denver real estate please contact any of us at New Era Realty.

The Downtown Denver condo and loft lifestyle continues to attract new residents, both residential and retail, every day.  While we have been working to help our clients find their dream loft, condo, town home , or single family residence in the many great Denver neighborhoods, we have also shared with our readers the many great lifestyle amenities that have been opening in our city.

We haven’t been the only ones to notice.

This month the Denver Post published an article titled “Denver's restaurant scene is on fire, and it's nowhere near done” focused on the same stories we have been reporting on.

Apparently it’s not just the great Denver real estate market offerings that are drawing folks to the area, it’s also the vibrant nature of our city… or as the article quotes one individual as saying that Denver is “exploding”.

The article lists several new restaurant openings that took place in 2011 in many of our favorite downtown Denver condo and loft loft neighborhoods such as LoHi, Golden Triangle, Cheesman Park, LoDo, the Theater District (and on and on).

The restaurant openings don’t just mean new dining options.  They also reflect the growing amenities for Downtown Denver residents and the increased appeal of the urban lifestyle.

The Denver Restaurant Scene is certainly on Fire, but so is the market for those wanting to call our city home.    The Denver Post mentions several new additions to the 2011 restaurant scene including Bittersweet. Row 14. Street Kitchen Asian Bistro. Linger. Charcoal. Wild Catch. Le Grand Bistro. Jelly. Ale House at Amato's. TAG Raw Bar. Spuntino. Pinche Tacos. Russell's Smokehouse.  and Axios Estatorio.

Just last week we shared the new Williams and Graham (shhhhh… it’s a secret).

But our newest addition isn’t an opening.  It is an explansion.

LoHi, the CPV and Riverfront Park residents all share a love for the fine dining restaurant Colt and Grey with its’ culinary treats such as bone marrow, Dal Makhani, or sweetbreads.  While their menu is the talk of the town, their Charcuterie may have even gained an even stronger following (Boar Cacciatore anyone?).

So when something works… keep doing it.  Colt and Grey has acquired the neighboring corner space on Platte street AND the downstairs for what will soon be opening as a Charcuterie store and additional seating.

Cheers Colt and Grey and again thank you for a wonderful addition to the Downtown Denver loft and condo lifestyle.

To learn more about why chef’s nationwide are flocking to Denver… and the great Denver real estate opportunities that surround their restaurants, please contact any of us at New Era Realty.

Happy dining Denver… Just wait to see what happens in 2012.

Your selection of a real estate agent is an important one, especially in a niche like the Denver Loft and Condo market.

Buying or selling a property is a very custom experience.  Unlike other experiences that can be reviewed on amazon.com or reading restaurant reviews on yelp, every home is unique.  Every neighborhood is unique.  And every client with their own goals and objectives is most certainly unique.

For this reason (and many more) the expertise, experience, and client attention of your agent is important.  All of us on the New Era Realtyteam know how important taking care of our clients and providing the highest level of professional services is.  It’s something we focus on every day and with every client.

We were pleased our consistent dedication was recognized this past month when 5280 awarded their 5 Star Professional Awards to New Era Realty’s Broker Owners, Chris Behrens, Brian Lehnerz, and John Stegner.  This is the second year for these professionals to receive this recognition (of the only two years it has been offered – that’s batting 100%).

The New Era Realty team would just like to thank all of our clients who put our names forward and passed on such wonderful feedback for this recognition.

We love what we do because we love to assist our clients in making their goals of finding their dream home, condo or loft come true.  Everyone at New Era Realty values the opportunity we have to play such a special role for our clients.

The Denver real estate marketplace is a gift for us.  It’s a wonderful community of neighborhoods each offering something special that we can share as we work with our clients on their goals.  From LoHi to Wash Park, Golden Triangle to Ball Park, Downtown Denver loft and condo living offers something for everyone.

Thank you again to all our clients and readers out there.

Happy Thanksgiving!

New Era Realty knows LoHi.  Our office, located on 15^th, is just footsteps from the growing restaurant hub of this terrific downtown Denver condo neighborhood.

Over the past summer we have worked to keep you updated on the great new Denver lofts and condos, as well as new home developments happening in Denver’s hottest neighborhood.

It’s also been a pleasure to keep you updated on the great new culinary restaurants opening in LoHi.  We do have to, just to be prudent, taste test them as part of our neighborhood expertise.  We believe in being thorough.

We are pleased to share with you that LoHi can once again claim one of the best new establishments in town with this past week’s opening of the Williams and Graham Restaurant.

Located at the corner of 32^nd and Tejon just across from LoHi Steak Bar you will find the new Williams and Graham in the site of what was once long ago a bookstore.   That historic bookstore is the inspiration for the establishment in that same footprint.

To call Williams and Graham a restaurant isn’t quite right, we would call it a speakeasy restaurant and bar paying homage to the prohibition era.  Upon entering all one can see of this establishment is a very small bookstore nook with two racks of hardcover titles to peruse.

But check in at the register to get access to the secret bar and booth space behind the curtain decorated like a prohibition speakeasy with vintage tunes playing and a cast of bar servers and mixologists dressed in classic attire.   This level of retro is just cool.

The food is amazing.  The menu features a selection of large and small plates to delight your taste buds.  The bartenders are mixology masters whipping up not just their signature cocktails but also custom creations to meet your request.

I personally enjoyed a newly created drink called “The Urban Brain”.  Ask for it and you will not be disappointed.

LoHi and the incredible Denver real estate opportunities in this neighborhood are the secret that we like to share with our clients.  To learn more about this great Downtown Denver neighborhood where Linger, Ale House at Amatos, LoHi Steak Bar, LoLa, Vita and more call home just contact any of us at New Era Realty today.

A market or a hotel with ground floor marketplace…. That seems to be one of the driving questions over the future of the Historic Union Station in the Downtown Denver condo and loft area planned between Riverfront Park and LoDo.

If the plans sound similar please read through the article below for details.  They are very different.

The article in the Denver Post titled “Competing Union Station plans bring different benefits to Denver's table” brings two of Denver’s largest development teams head to head as they pitch their design plans to RTD.

On one side is the Union Station Neighborhood Co., a partnership led by Continuum Partners with East West Partners.  East West Partners is the developer who brought us Riverfront Park.

On the other side is the Union Station Alliance led by Sage Hospitality's Walter Isenberg and longtime Lower Downtown developer Dana Crawford.

Union Station Neighborhood Co. has proposed a solution that includes a market with upper level office spaces.  Union Station Alliance contends that a boutique hotel with the terminal utilized as a lobby offers a greater public gathering space.

Opinions are strong on both sides in this debate over the future of the historic Union Station building.  Its ultimate use will be an amenity serving not only the many travelers passing through Union Station but also our clients and residents of the great downtown Denver loft and condo adjoining neighborhoods.

The new Union Station location will be a center for restaurants, shops, office, and of course transportation serving local downtown residents.  In the span of the next decade local downtown residents will have the energy and amenities of this great neighborhood.

It is one reason so many clients have focused their dream home search around this growing area.  From the condos and modern lofts of Riverfront Park/Lodo and into the historic Denver square homes and bungalows of LoHi, great Denver real estate opportunities are marketing access to this new neighborhood.

It’s one reason all of us at New Era Realty are so excited by the opportunities of both plans.  It’s a critical piece of the design equation and a valued amenity for Denver condo and loft residents.

Either way, the great neighborhoods surrounding Union Station have a lot to gain by this project.  Those residents don’t have long to wait to find out the answer as RTP plans to announce the winning proposal on November 22^nd.

High gas prices, long commutes, traffic, stress, or any of hundreds of reasons are motivation to seek out a car free lifestyle.

But not every city makes it easy.  Car free, car optional, or car limited living is enabled by a great infrastructure.  This lifestyle is strengthened by pedestrian paths and bridges, bike lanes, car sharing, and the talents of our urban planners.

Throw in the thriving energy of a growing city for the final touch and you have a city where the local neighborhoods support a density of restaurants, shops, amenities and services.

Sound like a great place to live?  It is.  The top 10 ranked cities to live car free in the United States as reported by 24/7 Wall Street are:

1. San Francisco – Oakland – Fremont CA
2. Portland – Vancouver – Beaverton, OR-WA
3. New York – Northern New Jersey – Long Island, NY-NJ-PA
4. Honolulu, HI
5. Seattle – Tacoma – Bellevue, WA
6. San Jose – Sunnyvale – Santa Clara, CA
7. Denver – Aurora, CO
8. Salt Lake City, UT
9. Los Angeles – Long Beach – Santa Ana, CA
10. Boston – Cambridge – Quincy, MA-NH

It was no surprise to find our great city of Denver in the top 10.  Our Downtown Denver real estate clients enjoy one of the greatest urban lifestyles for fun, dining, and definitely sustainable living options.

One of our favorite downtown Denver condo and loft buildings, the SPIRE in the heart of the Denver Theater District, even marketed itself as a car optional luxury tower.   With a location just blocks from the 16^th Street Shuttle, the Cherry Creek Trails, and the Light Rail residents are only footsteps away from car alternative transportation.

SPIRE loftsalso structured relationships to offer Connect by Hertz car sharing in the building and a B-Cycle bike sharing station across the street.  Your SPIRE loft is sold car optional so you can save tens of thousands of dollars in your purchase prices in choosing a car free lifestyle.

Downtown Denver is rich with car sharing options including eGo CarShare, Occasional Car, and the previously mentioned Connect by Hertz.

All of us at New Era Realtylove our city.  To learn more about the great Downtown Denver lifestyle or any of the great Denver condos and loft opportunities, contact us today.

Whenever you read the best cities in the U.S. for almost any category you will find Denver on the list.

Denver condos for sale: take a look at this video highlighting the condo for sale at 1000 E 1st Ave, #107, Denver, CO.  For more information about this lovely condo, including the current price, call 1-800-214-4714 and enter code 3353!