I had a couple of closings yesterday. These are fewer and farther between than I would like during our current downturn, but it felt good to be of genuine help to people, and I know my clients were very pleased with what they got.
The first couple came from California (retired), and closed on a new build that they originally contracted for in February. It had exceptional views and rear privacy, and they ordered with with a lot of the good stuff, such as stucco, 3 car garage, finished walk out basement, solid surface countertops, lots of hardwood, etc. Their house turned out gorgeous, and there are very few lots left with the kind of unobstructed views and setting this one had to offer. Contrary to popular belief, even though new construction is way down, we are still building thousands of homes, and the builders are not "giving away the store" to get people to have a house built. The only builder "giveaways" have been on completed new construction they did not have buyers for ("spec" homes), and those are usually not on such prime lots as this one was.
The 2nd was a first time homebuyer who bought a great 1960 built resale home in a terrific area near Palmer Park . He will be doing quite a bit of renovation to the house, but it was a very attractive deal when all was said and done, including using El Paso County bond money for down payment assistance, and seller paid closing costs, allowing him to keep his cash for doing the fixups. He got his entire $500 earnest money check back at closing! Best of all, he is an avid mountain biker, and the house is only 2 blocks from the entrance to Palmer Park where some of the best mountain biking trails anywhere are located! The seller came down over 10% from the asking price on this one including closing cost assistance, to give an idea of how hungry some our sellers are. This home was not a foreclosure or short sale either.
The Rockies will get a chance to redeem themselves this weekend. They seemed to have settled down a bit (it was really quite a good game last night I thought), and some home field support will do them good.