Keller Williams Realty Bucks National Business Trends During the Toughest Real Estate Market on Record

RISMEDIA, January 29, 2009-Bailout. Credit crunch. Foreclosure. Despite these words permeating the headlines and airwaves, there are companies out there moving forward - even in real estate. Keller Williams® Realty Inc., the fourth largest real estate company in North America, announced that it outpaced the market in 2008, while remaining free of debt, and gave back more than $30 million in profits to its agents.

“Our strategy is no secret. We faithfully follow the sound financial model of leading with revenue - the same model our market centers follow,” said Mark Willis, CEO of Keller Williams Realty Inc. “As we watch companies throughout the country take on billions of dollars of debt, we are proud to say that our company has not one dollar of financing debt and we remain strong and financially sound. It is our joy to be able to give back to our agents during these times.”

Despite pervasive downward trends in the real estate industry, Keller Williams Realty continues to outperform the industry. For the first 11 months of 2008, existing home sales for the United States fell 17% when compared to the same period the year before. By comparison, Keller Williams Realty is poised to outdo those numbers by 10 percentage points, and in addition, the company experienced a much smaller contraction in its agent base compared to the National Association of REALTORS®, who saw a 10% decline in membership.

“Keller Williams was founded 25 years ago during one of the toughest markets on record - when interest rates were higher than 18 percent. We continue to urge our agents to zero in on lead generation and reducing expenses so they can thrive during this market,” said Mary Tennant, president and COO of Keller Williams Realty Inc. “We admire our agents’ spirit, tenacity, and dedication to their businesses. They just keep powering forward.”

Throughout 2008 Keller Williams Realty launched new products and services specifically to boost its agents’ businesses, including two new books: Your First Home: The Proven Path to Home Ownership for first-time home buyers, and SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times. Both books are written by Gary Keller, co-founder and chairman of the board of Keller Williams Realty, who also authored national best sellers The Millionaire Real Estate Agent and The Millionaire Real Estate Investor.

For more information, visit www.kw.com.

Littleton Pumpkin Patch

If you are looking for something fun to do with the family in the next couple of weeks that fits the season, then undoubtedly the pumpkin patch at Bellflower Farm on Bowles in Littleton is the place to go. They have a miniature maze, small blowup haunted house, log cabin, pony rides and a jumping castle this year. There is a charge for admission, but once inside your children will have a blast, I know mine did. When you are done playing there are many terrific pumpkins to choose from.

The pumpkin patch is on the south side of Bowles between Grant Ranch Blvd and Lowell. Parking can be a challenge if it is busy, but definitely worth it. Happy pumpkin hunting!

Positive Perspective - Highlighting the Upside of the Economy in a Challenging Market

September 2008, Issue Three

U.S. Treasury Department Announces Takeover of Fannie Mae; Freddie Mac: Much to the relief of those in the real estate industry, on September 7, 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department announced its takeover of mortgage-finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. From it should come a much-needed boost to the nation's housing market. (REAL Trends)

Job Gains: The Colorado economy added roughly 35,000 net new jobs during the most recent 12 month period, a 1.5% gain. Such growth currently ranks fifth in the nation behind Wyoming, Texas, New Hampshire, and Utah. (Vectra Bank)

Cherry Creek Rolling Along: After a successful round of high-end redevelopments, the district will see several upscale new hotels, shops and office buildings in the next few years. (Denver Post)

New, energy efficient apartment tower coming to Cherry Creek: At a time when many major real estate construction projects are being delayed or killed, RedPeak Properties has broken ground on a 14-story, $58 million luxury apartment high-rise in Cherry Creek. (Rocky Mountain News)

Good News for Denver-area Housing Market: The Denver area housing market showed the most appreciation of 20 metropolitan areas tracked by the closely watched S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices from May to June. (Rocky Mountain News)

Mortgage Volume Up 7.5%, Rates Down: The Mortgage Bankers Association reports a 7.5-percent increase in home loan demand during the week ended Aug. 29. The index indicates a 10.5-percent jump in purchase applications and a more modest 2.1-percent rise in refinancing requests. (Daily Real Estate News)

”Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start." Nido Qubein

by Land Title Guarantee Company

Welcome attendees of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver!

Next week Denver will be hosting the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We would just like to take a moment to welcome all of the people visiting Denver Colorado! While a lot of the residents here are excited about what this means for our city, we have a lot of people who are not looking forward to the traffic and congestion it is going to cause downtown. The convention has been great for all of those trying to rent out property in the areas surrounding the downtown area. I even heard through the grapevine that Oprah is renting a house in the Capitol Hill Neighborhood for somewhere in the neighborhood of $50,000 dollars! While there will be plenty of things for you to do that are convention related, we thought it might be helpful to include a link to the Colorado Vistors guide in case you find yourself with a little spare time while visiting here and would like to experience some of the great things our city and state have to offer. (Denver visitors guide link: http://www.denver.org/ ) This guide will also be helpful if you are looking for a place to eat! Who knows you may like it so much you will want to move here!
To start your free no obligation search of all Denver Metro area real estate for sale visit http://www.jeffcorealestateblog.com/ and click on the icon on the right labeled Home Buyers Scouting or email us at www.cosmithteam@kw.com.