Cathleen Duran

First thing is first-get a strong pre-approval as the first step in your search. Be aggressive about your pre-approval. Let the lender look at everything — your credit score, your income, your savings, and your history of work — it’s for your benefit. Don’t let a lender tell you a pre-qualification is just as good because it isn’t. Having a pre-approved mortgage makes you credible to sellers, real estate agents, lenders, and yourself. Devote only a comfortable portion of your income to your housing budget. Minimize your down payment to leave money in your bank account after closing. Before starting your home search, have a wish list of what matters to you. Don’t let your love for a home block your common sense. Inspect every home, every time. Never let your real estate agent pressure you into purchasing a property. This is one of the biggest purchases you will make in your lifetime. Your realtor should be happy to show you any home you want that is within your preapproval means. Interview several agents and find the one that fits YOU!

Find a trusted real estate agent. Working with a skilled real estate agent who knows your local market inside and out can help you sell your home more quickly, and often, for more money. Invest in value adding improvements! Determining which home improvements to invest in can be daunting, and the costs can add up quickly. The key is spend your money on projects that will provide the most return on your investment. A garage door replacement, for instance, is the single most valuable investment when it comes to ROI. Your listing agent will go over all these items with you prior to listing your home. Up your curb appeal. Curb appeal should not be overlooked: As the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure your front yard is free of debris, the bushes are pruned and the grass has been cut at a minimum. Highlight the positive with professional photos!!! Spending a bit of money on high-quality photography can go a long way toward helping your home sell for a higher price. I personally always include professional photography with my real estate listing agent services. The majority of people search for properties online it’s really a no brainer. Set the right asking price. Identifying the best asking price for your home can be critical to your success. When a home is priced right, it will attract more buyers to visit. Your real estate agent should provide you with a comparable market analysis and go over it with you prior to listing your property. Remove personal items. The goal of any showing is for the buyer to envision their own belongings in the space. So, while family photos and other knickknacks might seem like they have no bearing on how much money your home commands, they really do matter — especially if you are still living in the home while you’re trying to sell it. Be ready to move fast. Once your property is listed on the market, things can happen quickly. It’s important to be well prepared ahead of time so that you can be as responsive as possible to potential offers. Use your head, not your heart. Finally, try to remove emotion from the equation and see things as a simple transaction — your home is no longer “home” but a product for sale. Be clear on what issues and items you may be willing to make concessions on if buyers ask. It’s not unusual for prospective buyers to request credits or repairs, and it’s easy as a seller to take offense.

I have worked with: first time home buyers and sellers, VA buyers and sellers, military relocation families, divorce clients, probate clients, 1031 exchange, commercial buyers and sellers, industrial buyers and sellers, marijuana property buyers and sellers to include grows, MIPS, and retail properties, land buyers and sellers, foreclosures, subject to properties, and assumable loan buyers and sellers.

I recently had a VA buyer moving back stateside and we had to do everything via video chat. This took a lot of trust and patience for both the buyer and I. Sometimes we would spend hours on FaceTime showing houses all the way down to opening all the cabinets etc. I was more than happy to do this for my buyer because I would expect the same treatment. We found a home, he put in an offer giving me his full trust. We went under contract and he had a beautiful home waiting for his return back stateside. Amazing experience.

I got started in real estate because I was working for the Marijuana Enforcement Division in 2017. There were a lot of people moving to Colorado to purchase commercial properties to start growing, extracting and retailing marijuana. I learned so much about rules and zoning I was hired by a brokerage to help with marijuana property purchases. I saw how lucrative real estate was and decided to get my license. This is the best and most rewarding career I have ever had!

Yes. I worked for Colorado Department of Corrections for almost 10 years as a corrections officer and learned about many programs available to state employees. I also have been to 10+ states for Marijuana Property consulting services to make sure that compliance was being achieved and audits would pass with flying colors. Finally I am married to a Purple Heart Veteran who has gotten me access onto all the military bases and has introduced me to many awesome programs for our military men, women and families.