Bernardi Buzz

With the recent ups and downs in the stock market, many people are not sure how to invest their retirements funds (IRAs, SEPs, 401Ks, etc.). It is possible to use retirement accounts to invest in real estate. A good rental property can generate 6 to 7 percent annualy from cash flow only (hopefully over time [...]

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It’s always interesting to see what the new year will bring. The first quarter of 2011 is behind us and the sales results are in. In Boulder County, it seems that the market is stabilizing and in some areas showing signs of life. For the county as a whole, the average prices for homes sold [...]

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Whether you plan to stay in your home for a number of years or are sprucing up your home for sale, home improvements projects can improve your quality of life and the resale value of your home. However, the flat (or in some areas declining market) has had some impact on which projects provide the [...]

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In these tough economic times. people want to save money any way they can. Some home sellers believe that selling their home themselves will net them more than if they use a realtor to sell their home. Studies of pricing have not born out this idea — quite to the contrary, studies have shown that [...]

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There have been rumors circulating that the new healthcare bill will impose what amounts to a sales tax on real estate transactions starting in 2013. The rumors imply that all real estate transactions, including the sale of your primary residence, will be subject to this 3.8 percent Medicare tax. This is NOT true. There are [...]

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Despite all the doom and gloom on the news, we did not have a bad year in Boulder County real estate. While some segments of the market saw some ups and downs, overall it was a better year than 2009. While we do not quite have the final 2010 information, based on preliminary data there [...]

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Many people think that the holiday season is a hard time to sell a home and put off listing their home until after the beginning of the new year. There are pros and cons to having your home on the market but the pros may well outweight the cons. The obvious downside is accommodating showings [...]

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I recently spoke at a conference of top European real estate agents held in Rome. Attendees included top agents from all over Europe — Italy, Spain, France, Germany and many other countries. Most of the attendees did not speak English and I gave my speech in Italian (a new language for me!!). While we all [...]

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In recent years, lenders have tried to convince consumers that borrowing money secured by your home is convenient way to solve short term financial problems or enjoy some special treats. These loans can take the form of a second mortgage or a line of credit. With a second mortgage, a specific amount of money is [...]

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There are signs that the Boulder area economy may be starting to recover.    Many individual indicators are showing moderate improvement: –the June unemployment rate for Boulder County is 6.6 — lower than the state and national rates and almost a percent better than last June (7.4), –vacancy rates in all categories of commercial property (office, [...]

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