New homes from $400s
Introducing Farmlore, a new community taking root in the heart of Brighton.
Farmlore’s warm, rural character will blend beautiful new homes with the area’s rich agricultural roots creating a friendly, small-town vibe all its own.
Located in Brighton just west of Prairie Center on 144th Ave.
When I first read about this project in an email newsletter called “The Briefcase,” I checked the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1st. Disbelieving what I read, I Googled the topic and found countless trade and general audience publications about the project (none of them in Denver), and none saying it was a joke.
Yes, Costco has acquired a 5acre site in South Los Angeles that was formerly occupied by a church, and they announced last year that they were partnering with Thrive Living to build a Costco warehouse store on the site with 800 apartments, many of them “affordable” above and around it. The parking will be in two underground levels.
addressing the country’s and Colorado’s extreme shortage of affordable housing.
With many low-income areas being “food deserts,” bringing a Costco to the Baldwin Hills neighborhood south of downtown Los Angeles sounds like it helps to address that problem as well. Here in our own metro area, I can think of several lower income neighborhoods that could benefit from a project that brings both affordable housing and affordable food shopping to the same location. And I suspect that some developer could assemble a 5-acre parcel to carry that off — and that we have developers committed to
affordable housing to replicate the Los Angeles project if Thrive Living isn’t ready to do it themselves.
In the L.A. project, 184 of the 800 apartments are to be set aside for lowincome families. It could be expected
On its website, Thrive Living describes itself as a national brand currently pursuing a mission of building workforce housing in markets experiencing severe affordability gaps. They are an affiliate of Magnum Real Estate Group, “a vertically integrated real estate company which has developed $5.5 billion of real estate, including a wide range of ground-up residential rental and for-sale apartments, adaptive re-use and historic conversions, student housing, community facility development, retail, and light office.”
It was coincidental that I read about their Los Angeles project with Costco on the same day that Governor Gavin Newsome announced a statewide plan in California to crack down on homeless encampments.
Here in the metro Denver area, we have seen a real surge in the construction of multi-story “transit-oriented developments” but it never occurred to me that Costco or other “big box” stores on multi-acre site could also be a venue for
that many of the residents will be Costco employees, whether or not they qualify as “low income.”
According to CoStar, the site is in the “Inglewood / South L.A.” retail market,, where the apartment vacancy rate is 4.4%, and the average rent of $1,650 per month is considerably lower than the Los Angeles average of $2,191 per month.
As usual, I will publish links to this project in the posting of this column at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com.
The much discussed NAR Settlement of March 15, 2024 requires that Realtorowned MLSs, of which REcolorado is one, remove all mention of buyer agent (or “co-op”) commissions from listings by August 17th, and REcolorado has announced that they will comply even earlier — on August 6th. Buyer agent compensation fields will disappear from listings, and no mention of buyer agent compensation can be included in public remarks or other text fields.
The sharing of commissions between listing agents and buyer agents may be banned, but the settlement specifically says that sellers can still offer to pay buyer’s agents. Listing contracts, buyer agency contracts and the contracts to buy and sell listings had to change, and revisions to those documents were released in mid-July by the Colorado Real Estate Commission, for use starting in August. Signed contracts are “grandfathered,” but all new contracts must be written using the new forms.
The new forms no longer state that the listing brokerage will share the listing commission with a buyer’s brokerage. Instead, a 2nd paragraph states that the seller will offer x% or x dollars compensation to a licensed broker who represents a buyer. A 3rd paragraph then states that the listing commission stated in the 1st paragraph will be reduced by the amount of the compensation paid to a buyer’s broker.
It’s a simple and logical work-around. At right is a sign rider I created which complies with this change. I have printed several variations of this sign rider with different percentages to accommodate whatever compensation the sellers we work with want to offer, including
one that doesn’t specify a percentage.
The brochures in the brochure box and the web pages we create for each listing will also have this information, so buyers will know what’s being offered.
First of all, do not hire someone who solicits you, either at your door or by phone/text/letter/email.
$722,000
This 3-bedroom, 2-bath home at 48 Lang Street is in Twin Lakes, 20 miles south of Leadville at the foot of Independence Pass. It could be your escape from the Front Range rat race! This is a year-round mountain home, not a vacation home — unless you enjoy twelve months of vacation each year! Enjoy the quiet mountain life of Twin Lakes Village (population: 204). In summer, enjoy the drive over Independence Pass to Aspen. In winter, drive over Fremont Pass to Copper Mountain. Escape those I-70 traffic jams, too! Closer to home, enjoy hiking the Colorado Trail, which passes through town. This home was built in 2000 with all the modern conveniences, including high-speed internet, yet you're in a historic and charming mountain town. If you've been hankering for a slower lifestyle, this mountain home may be your escape. Visit www.TwinLakesHome.info to take a narrated video walk-through of this home and see lots of photos, then come see it! Open Saturday, August 3rd, 11 to 2. Or call me to request a private showing.
You’ve seen TV ads, no doubt, for Angi.com, and I like them as a resource because they survey every client about the service provided and price charged by the vendors they recommend. Those vendors are incentivized to do good work, because they want to get more referrals from Angi.
I also recommend calling your trusted
Realtor (me, for example) to get referrals and, importantly, to tell the vendor that you were referred. That way, they will, just like the Angi vendor, want to make you happy so they get more referrals.
The most risky thing you can do (other than what I described in the first paragraph) is to do online searching for vendors. Without a focus on getting repeat business or referrals, the vendor you find on-line could disappoint you.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 24
1. TELEVISION: What was SpongeBob SquarePants’ original name when the story was pitched?
2. MOVIES: Which famous horror lm was set at Crystal Lake, New Jersey?
3. LANGUAGE: In Great Britain, what are stabilisers?
4. MUSIC: Which band had a hit with the 1961 “ e Lion Sleeps Tonight”?
5. GEOGRAPHY: How many U.S. states have a border with Mexico?
6. MATH: How many sides does a hectogon have?
7. INVENTIONS: In what year were at-screen TVs rst sold?
8. FOOD & DRINK: What kind of cheese is used in a caprese salad?
9. U.S. STATES: Which state’s nickname is “ e Land of Enchantment”?
10. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What kind of dog is Scooby-Doo in the
animated cartoons?
Answers
1. SpongeBoy.
2. “Friday the 13th.”
3. Training wheels.
4. e Tokens.
5. Four: California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
6. 100.
7. 1997.
8. Fresh mozzarella.
9. New Mexico.
10. A Great Dane.
(c) 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.
1. Who was the rst to release “Talk to Me, Talk to Me”?
2. Who released “Love Is Strange”?
3. Name the rst song released by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. 4. Which group wrote and released “Behind Blue Eyes”?
5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “You’re asking me will my love grow, I don’t know, I don’t know, You stick around, now it may show, I don’t know, I don’t know.”
Answers
1. Little Willie John, in 1958. e most popular version, however, was released by Sunny & the Sunglows, later named Sunny & the Sunliners, in 1963. e song was written by group member Joe Seneca.
2. Mickey and Sylvia, in 1957. e song was covered by several others and ended up being used in the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack in 1987.
3. “Buy for Me the Rain,” in 1967. eir big hit was in 1970,
“Mr. Bojangles,” followed by “An American Dream” in 1979.
4. e Who, in 1971. It was penned by band member Peter Townshend.
5. “Something,” by the Beatles, in 1969. e song was released on their “Abbey Road” album. Very quickly the song was certi ed gold and within 10 years over 150 other artists had covered the song.
(c) 2024 King Features Syndicate
Lawn
Professional lawn service:
Fertilization, weed control, seeding, aeration & mosquito control. Call now for a free quote. Ask about our first application special! 1-833606-6777
Health
Dental insurance from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 400+ procedures. Real dental insurance - not just a discount plan. Get your free Information Kit with details!
1-855-526-1060
www.dental50plus.com/ads #6258
Medical
Attention oxygen therapy users! Discover oxygen therapy that moves with you with Inogen Portable Oxygen Concentrators. Free information kit. 1-866-4779045
Miscellaneous
Aging Roof? New Homeowner?
Got Storm Damage? You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind their work. Fast, free estimate. Financing available.
Call 1-888-878-9091
Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule free LeafFilter estimate today. 20% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-833-610-1936
Home break-ins take less than 60 seconds. Don’t wait! Protect your family, your home, your assets now for as little as 70¢/day! 1-844-591-7951
Prepare for power outages today with a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a FREE 7-Year warranty with qualifying purchase* Call 1-855-9486176 today to schedule a free quote. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move.
Water damage cleanup: A small amount of water can cause major damage to your home. Our trusted professionals dry out wet areas & repair to protect your family & your home value! Call 24/7: 1-888-872-2809. Have zip code!
Safe Step. North America’s #1 Walk-in tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our free shower package & $1600 off - limited time! Financing available. 1-855-417-1306
Full-time. This position is required to work at the Fort Morgan campus, with the option of hybrid/ ex scheduling as appropriate for position & institutional needs. Work must be completed within Colorado. The position is responsible for the recording, analyzing, reconciliation, and maintenance of all nancial records of the institution in an automated environment. This includes preparation of nancial statements, performing nancial analysis, maintaining appropriate internal control measures, security of records, grants, and contracts accounting, monitoring approved budgets, and preparation of nancial reports to external agencies and college personnel. Salary $80,700-$92,805 annually. For additional quali cations, full announcement, bene ts & Employment Application, https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/jobs/3368712 or call 970-542-3130. EOE
Full-Time, 187 work days beginning July, 2024. Located in Fort Morgan, CO. Hybrid position (both on-campus and remote work). The faculty member is responsible for instruction to students in the RN to BSN completion program as well as RN to BSN program coordination. Salary $74,400-$89,500 annually. For additional quali cations, full announcement, bene ts & Employment Application, https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/ jobs/3360685 or call 970-542-3130. EOE
MobileHelp America’s premier mobile medical alert system. Whether you’re home or away. For safety & peace of mind. No long term contracts! Free brochure! Call 1-888489-3936
Don’t let the stairs limit your mobility! Discover the ideal solution for anyone who struggles on the stairs, is concerned about a fall or wants to regain access to their entire home. Call AmeriGlide today! 1-833399-3595
Replace your roof w/the best looking & longest lasting material steel from Erie Metal Roofs! 3 styles & multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited Time Offer up to 50% off install + Additional 10% off install (military, health & 1st responders.) 1-833-370-1234
Doodle Puppies
Golden Doodles and Bernedoodles
Home-Raised
Heath Tested and Guaranteed Standard and Mini Size available Schedule a visit today! (970)215-6860 www.puppylovedoodles.com Wanted Donate
Car to
Today! Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up. 100% tax deductible. Call 1-800-245-0398
