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Arn Rasker: Your Professional Realtor in Boulder

Arn Rasker: Your Professional Realtor in Boulder

by Papacito

Find a great realtor in Boulder.

Living in Boulder
Finding the best Realtor in Boulder for YOU!

Your first step towards finding a new home, or selling your home, in Boulder.

November 2, 2020 Introduction by Arn Rasker,

What we do know about the COVID19 era real estate market.

The short answer:

It's as if the sales cycle that normally starts in March was shifted over into mid-summer.

The real estate market in Boulder is currently quite strong. For three months, starting with the third month of March 2020, it looked like market activity might slow down.  What would normally have been the beginning of a seasonal spring increase in sales activity, started out lower in volume than previous years.  It is important to point out that the slower sales rate in March, April, and May was primarily due to the low number of homes on the market during those months, and the low number of new listings that came on during that period.

To everyone's surprise, listings and sales have both been up substantially since late June.  Sales and new listings continue to be strong thought October, and the forecast is now that sales will continue to be strong for a while.  Driven primarily by pent-up demand, combined with low inventory, the normal sales curve for the year seems to have been shifted towards the right by about three months.

How has Covid19 affected the Boulder real estate market?

The Covid19 "refugee syndrome".

Boulder homes have been in high demand, from out-of-state buyers who are looking for a nicer place to live during the Covid19 social isolation drills that we've all been going through.  And it's understandable.  If you need to be socially isolated, and you can work from home, why not be isolated in a great place with lots of outdoor activities to do every day?

Comparing Boulder's 2008 recession with the Codiv19 economic downturn.

From the Real Estate Perspective:

It's a very different scenario.

-Although the Covid19 event will have strong economic repercussions for many businesses and individuals, it does not have economic problems, housing problems, or credit problems, as its root causes.  The picture is much different than it was in 2008.  Home equity levels are much stronger across the country, and foreclosure rates are very low.  The 2008 recession was heavily influenced by a high number of bad loans in the banking system, which is not the case in today's picture.

-This CODID19 event was not triggered by problems in the real estate market or the lending market.

-Interest rates are at an all-time low.

-Real estate investments, although not problem free, are looking much more attractive than the stock market to many investors.

-People still need to buy and sell real estate.

-Boulder specific: Boulder is still considered a preferred place to live, and as we have discovered lately, a preferred place to self-isolate.  Boulder has a very diversified economy, which also translates to more stability.

If this event has taught us anything here in Boulder, it is that Boulder is great place to live, and people have learned that where you live and who you are surrounded by really does matter.  Sure, buying and selling a home does have an investment component.  But it is much more than that.  It is a place for family, it is shelter, it is a place of self-enrichment and health, etc.  In other words, the "Functional Value" of the home has been highlighted.

For more Boulder Real Estate Statistics, please click here

So back to "what" makes a TOP Realtor in Boulder.

A "Top" Realtor is often thought to have the highest sales in terms of dollar volume.  This however, is only interesting to you if that same Top Realtor is one who is looking out for YOU, and is not simply focused on racking up sales figures.  Arn is a professional Realtor with a very strong and broad background.  Arn knows the Boulder County market, has extensive contracting, design, and engineering background in Commercial and High-End Residential construction. Arn has honed negotiation skills. Put Arn's knowledge and skills to work for you!

If you are a buyer in the current Boulder market, a great Realtor should not only know the local Boulder housing market inside and out, but will be able to position your offer so that it rises to the top of the pile of offers, which a seller might receive in today's aggressive market. Simply finding a good home is not enough in the competitive market we currently live in.  This is especially true in the COVID19 coping era.

Similarly, if you're selling your home, your Realtor must help you prepare the home so that you will maximize your returns, help you price the home properly (Very important), as well as help you navigate through the offers to find the one that is best for you and your particular situation. Arn will help you determine which of the offers will have the highest propensity to make it to the closing table.

You'll want Arn Rasker on your team! Arn will prepare you for a competitive market situation, and he will help you get to the closing table in a smooth and professional way.  Arn has over 40 years of living in Boulder, and having been involved with design, engineering, development, construction, and buying/selling of real estate in Boulder.

Teaming-up with a professional and highly responsive mortgage team member is also very important, and Arn will help you by matching you to a mortgage broker that fits your needs.  Arn builds teams that are custom tailored to every transaction, to include banks, mortgage specialists, inspectors, architects, contractors, engineers, etc.

Give Arn a call and talk to him personally!  You won't regret it.

Click below for more information on Arn Rasker, and how to get hold of him.

He’s only a phone call away:

Arn Rasker: (720) 298-8888

arnrasker@gmail.com

Why are we HAPPY in Boulder?

Why are we HAPPY in Boulder?

by Papacito

 

Happy in Boulder!

What does “balance” have to do with happiness?

By Arn Rasker

Defining Happiness is a tricky subject.   Possibly because the term is generally a subjective one to start with.  But, somehow, those of us that live in Boulder have the privilege of living in what magazines have described as “The Happiest City” in America.  So what does that mean?

No, I don’t think it means that we, here in Boulder, walk around laughing and smiling all day long. Like anyone else, living anywhere else, we have our stressors, problems, and imperfections.  We are human, and as humans surrounded by other humans, we know very well that we are not perfect.  We make mistakes.  We experience tragedies, consequences, and sometimes death.  Life in the happiest place in America is not perfect.

I personally believe happiness can be a state of mind… A state of mind that is closely related to “balance”.  I believe happiness is actually a measure of “balance”.

Is happiness directly related to perfection?  Does perfection have anything to do with happiness?  My reaction to that thought is: No, probably not in most cases.  The people that I have personally witnessed as being very happy usually did not live in perfect homes, did not own perfect things, and were not surrounded by “perfect” people.  Actually, the happiest people I have ever been around, and this is a very personal perspective on happiness, had very little in the way of material wealth. They were also surrounded by people who were human, with all of the imperfections that make us human.

I spent my formative years in Mexico City, a very cosmopolitan and modern city, but I always preferred the rural towns and villages over the big city.   I found the happiest people in Mexico in rural villages, where life was generally not forgiving or easy by any measure, and definitely not luxurious.  Mexico City has many excellent and often expensive restaurants, luxurious homes, and impressive material wealth. Some of the best restaurants in the world are located in Mexico City.  Some of the most impressive architecture and art in the world is located in Mexico City.  Some of the most advance manufacturing facilities, producing from automobiles to electronics, are located in Mexico.  However, after living in Mexico for twelve years, I never witnessed high levels of happiness in Mexico City, when compared to what I witnessed in the rural areas.  The happiest people I have met in Mexico didn’t even come close to having the material wealth of the upper-class who lived in Mexico City.  So what is root of this difference in happiness?

Perhaps the roots of happiness are more related to “balance”.  By balance, I mean balance between work and recreation, indoor and outdoor activities, warm and cold weather, direction and tolerance, values and respect, goals and reality, safety and risk, etc, etc; … A balance between all of the elements that make up life.

Boulder is a place where many values and cultures intersect.  As a town that is founded on an education-and-science-based platform, it is made up by organizations such as: Colorado University, Naropa University, the National Bureau of Standards, the National Institute for Science and Technology, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and many innovative and ground-breaking companies.

Consequently, Boulder has a high number of intellectual citizens, who give the issues that affect all of us a lot of thought. The companies that make-up Boulder’s economy excel in many different areas, from electronics and software, to biology, to biochemical, to chemical, to pharmaceutical, to health, to energy, to metaphysical, to water, to foods, to sports science, and more.  Boulder is a place where creative energy intersects business and technology on a daily basis.

Boulder is a place where people work hard during the work hours, and play hard during the play hours.  It is a place where dialogue and sometimes arguments take place over fundamental issues, trying to find a “balance” point that is optimal.  When you look at Boulder from the outside, it is easy to conclude that we are all crazy.  All aspect of issues are brought to the table, and sometimes the issues that are discussed, or the direction of the discussion, seem utterly ridiculous.  But ultimately, the process of addressing and studying all options and concerns is a healthy attempt to get to a point of balance.

I personally have made negative comments about many of the issues that have been discussed and voted on, here in Boulder.  Achieving balance is not always an easy process.  Sometimes you need to hear something that you don’t want to hear, or that you don’t agree with, in order to gain perspective.  However, in the end, the mere fact that these often controversial issues are even brought to the table make Boulder a special place.  Boulder is a place where thought and dialogue are actively energized, controversial issues are discussed, and sometimes over-discussed.  The importance of this process, in the final analysis, is that by doing so, we are closer to achieving a “balanced” perspective.  And if balance really does have anything to do with happiness, by reviewing and discussing the complexities and hurdles associated with seeking this balance point, the process seems very worthwhile.

In conclusion, I feel that the mere effort and energy that has been dedicated towards achieving a “balance” point here in Boulder is a reason to be happy.

Arn Rasker

Realtor & Associate Broker

LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

1050 Walnut Street, Suite 100

Boulder, CO  80302

720-298-8888

ArnRasker@gmail.com

 

 

 

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