Colorado Springs is Second Safest City in U.S.

danathomas — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:56:38 +0000

A study by InsuranceProviders.com lists Colorado Springs as the second safest city in the U.S., based on crime rates, natural disaster risk and span of time between car accidents per capita. Arizona and Colorado account for five of the 10 safest cities.

The study looked at information based on three safety factors: crime rate, risk of natural disaster, and driving safety. Crime statistics were compiled from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Statistics based on violent crime incidents per 100,000 people. Information from the United States Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was used to determine how likely a city was to experience a natural disaster such as an earthquake, hurricane or flood. Driving data from Allstate was used to determine the safest cities in which to drive based on the average number of years between accidents by drivers in each city.

As expected, being located away from coastal areas made a city safer, mostly due to the lower risk of hurricanes and earthquakes. Crime rates, on the other hand, had relatively little influence on a city’s safety rating. While a high crime rate certainly knocked down a city’s safety rating, even cities with the highest crime rates compensated by having low rates of natural disasters and car accidents.

Joel Ohman of InsuranceProviders.com emphasizes that the concept of safety cannot be based on only one factor.

“To determine the safety of a city, it is important to account for a variety of factors,” he said. “A city with extremely safe drivers but a high crime rate, for example, may rank lower in overall safety than cities with lower crime rates and less-safe drivers.”
Arizona had the most cities on the top 10 list, with Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa ranked seventh, third, and first, respectively. Aurora came in at No. 9.

Mortgage Applications Surge 23%

Admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:57:02 +0000

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity jumped 23.1% in the week ended January 13. Refinancing applications climbed 26.4%, while the gauge of loan requests for home purchases rose 10.3%. The refinance share of total mortgage activity rose to 82.2% of applications from 80.8% the previous week, making it the highest refinance share since October 2010. Read article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/18/us-usa-economy-mortgages-idUSTRE8030O920120118

Rising Rents Make Home Buying a Better Choice

Admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:54:39 +0000

Housing affordability has been pushed to a 40-year high thanks to fallen home prices and record-low mortgage rates have. Meanwhile, rental prices are continuing to rise at a fast pace. Rental prices in 20 of the largest metro areas increased 3.75% in 2011, and prices are expected to continue to rise in 2012, according to a new report released by Hotpads.com, a rental listing service. Meanwhile, home prices fell by 1.83% in 2011. Read article:

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2012/01/20/rising-rents-make-home-buying-better-choice

Home Price Index Holding On in Colorado Springs

danathomas — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:09:16 +0000

Home prices in Colorado Springs are stronger
than the national average, according to data released
today from real estate analytics firm CoreLogic.

Read Article:

Fort Collins-Loveland posts second-lowest unemployment rate in Colorado –

Admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:16:37 +0000

Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the unemployment rate in the Fort Collins-Loveland metropolitan statistical area was 6.1% in October, down from 6.8% in October 2010, and the second-lowest of all MSAs in Colorado. Read article:

danathomas — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:24:01 +0000

The number of single-family homes listed for sale last month in the Colorado Springs area fell to its lowest point in nearly seven years, while sales rose and prices fell — continuing recent trends in the local housing market.

Home listings in November plummeted to 3,667 — the fewest in any month since 3,557 in January 2005, according to a report released Monday by the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors. Read Article:

Admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:35:31 +0000

Family Mortgages Help Buyers Pursue the American Dream

Admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:23:48 +0000

Family mortgages are growing in popularity. When parents of grown children are looking to earn greater interest on their investment money and simultaneously their grown children are looking to buy a house at a lower interest rate, an intrafamily loan could help both sides. The intrafamily loans are giving some buyers a competitive advantage by allowing them to make an all-cash offer, especially on homes like foreclosures where the market is competitive. Read article:

Family Mortgages Help Buyers Pursue The American Dream

Admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:22:52 +0000

The 8 Healthiest Housing Markets: Fort Collins-Loveland, Colo. #2

danathomas — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:42:49 +0000

2011 Building Permit Forecast: 1,004

2012 Building Permit Forecast: 1,650

With Colorado State University the major employer here and often ranked as one of the best cities to live in the country, households are expected to grow by 2.7 percent in 2012 and employment is expected to grow 2.6 percent. Housing permits are expected to rise 50 percent as well, according to Moody projections. Read Article: