Good news for Denver – this article in Forbes magazine is positive news in our economy….read the full article below.

Best Cities To Buy A Home
While the overall housing market isn’t on the upswing, these metros show long-term promise.
By Sarah Lynch

http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/22/cities-deals-home-lifestyle-real-estate-home-buying.html?partner=email
Real Estate
Best Cities To Buy A Home
Sarah Lynch, 06.22.09, 5:58 PM ET

It’s no sellers market. But by some measures, things are looking up in Los Angeles. Though the area is one of the worst-hit of the country’s crippled housing markets, those with listed properties in relatively solid areas are beginning to see consistent bites.

This month, “one of my clients wrote an offer on a home that had 20 offers,” says Monique Carrabba, Read more

Ate lunch at Organixx this week – the restaurant is located at 1520 Blake Street and is one of the newest additions to Downtown Denver eating.  It’s among good company on Blake Street (between 14th & 15th Streets) with neighbors like Blake Street Vault and the Rio.   It’s very casual – walk up to the counter and order and then decide – eat in or take out.  The restaurant is focused on being “green”,  from the chairs and tables to the food they serve.  The interior has a kind of Asian theme in the decorations (bamboo centerpieces, grasscloth -inspired screens, modern serving dishes) and the food was good – most important!!   

We had two of the salads (the quinoa salad nicoise and the avocado tower with shrimp) as well as two of the sandwiches (the fish tacos and the chicken caesar club).  Each was around $9; you can check out their menu online at www.organixxrestaurant.com.    The portions were the perfect size and we LOVED the fish tacos!!  An added bonus was the cucumber water available to everyone.  Refreshing and a nice change of pace.

You can snag a coupon from one of their people on the street handing them out (look for the alfalfa sprout hat!) or bring in your bike helmet, bike lock or some other small bike-related item for a discount on the spot.  All in keeping with their theme of keeping our footprint small.  Check it out – fun, fast and (af)fordable!

Walked the residences on the 33rd floor on Wednesday, they look awesome!   Last week I snapped a photo with my phone from the deck of a residences on the 32nd floor (on the Champa Street side).  As you can see, the views are gettting pretty amazing.

Check out www.SPIREdenver.com to see more photos of the representative views from the 10th, 20th, 30th and 40th floors.

Hello again to everyone out there on the information super highway!

I hope this blog finds you well and more importantly ready to go seize your weekend! I’ve been searching high and low for things to do around Spire this weekend and I’ve found everything from a concert series to meeting your favorite athletes. Let’s take a look at what will be motivating you throughout the rest of the week……keep typing those TPS reports a bit longer, it’s almost Friday! Read more

One of our four preferred lenders wrote up a great summary to answer questions about the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit so we thought we would pass this along…

First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama, on February 17, 2009 right here in Denver.

The Act authorizes a Tax Credit of up to $8,000 for qualified First-Time Home Buyers purchasing a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.

The Tax Credit is “refundable”, meaning that the Tax Credit can be used to offset Income Tax that is owed, and may even result in a refund to the buyer. Also, the Tax Credit does not have to be re-paid. To claim the First-Time Home Buyer Credit, the purchase transaction must close by November 30, 2009.

The Tax Credit is equal to 10% of the purchase price of the home, up to a maximum of $8000.

The income limits are: $75,000 Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) for Single Filers and $150,000 MAGI for Joint Filers. The tax credit is gradually phased out for Single Filers up to $90,000 MAGI and Joint Filers up to $170,000 AGI.

A First Time Home Buyer is a buyer that has never owned a primary residence, or has not owned a residence in the past 3 years (i.e. owned a home in the past, but has rented for 3 years).

For more information on the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, contact a

Mortgage Professional at Megastar Financial Corp. They can show you how you can use the Tax Credit to your advantage to make your dream of living at the Spire a reality.

www.megastarfinancial.com or 303-321-8800

Remember, the program is only available until December 1, 2009.