The Markets

Stocks and real estate. Can anyone predict with any amount of accuracy what will happen in either of those markets? Probably not. But we are seeing an increasing number of commentators using the word recession.

The Denver real estate market continues to be a confirmed buyers market. There are high number of foreclosures and short sale properties, and we've seen a dramatic drop in the number of investors that we deal with.

The truth is that anyone shopping for real estate right now should be looking at the mid to long term range- at least 7 years and maybe longer. I think that the days of moving every couple of years are gone.

The Boulder/Denver mortgage market is also becoming increasingly cautious. Yes, it's about time. And nobody should feel sorry for the banks and lenders who are going out of business as they created their own problems. Doesn't it seem crazy in hind sight that banks were lending money to people who had no proof that they could pay the money back? Well, we're seeing more stringent lending policies coming into place. We're even seeing bank-owned properties requiring buyers to sign an addendum stating that they are not even SHOPPING in the sub-prime mortgage market. That's new.