Looking for an Interior Designer? Meet Margarita Bravo: Owner and Founder of Margarita Bravo4/18/2016 “In the end, Interior Design is not about a budget or pieces of furniture filling up a space. To me, Interior Design is the reflection of your personality and how you want to portray it in your space." –Margarita Bravo (owner and founder of Margarita Bravo) Originally an industrial engineer by trade, Margarita Bravo, moved to Denver with her family 9 years ago from Venezuela. She founded her interior design company, Margarita Bravo, in 2015 after falling in love with the University Park neighborhood and playing a key role in building and designing her family’s current home in the neighborhood. This experience helped her realize her passion for the overall process and the details involved in planning, designing, and decorating a space to create “lovable living spaces.” Through her company, Margarita works projects that are both big and small, including working in new builds, remodels, and as an interior designer. She enjoys working with clients who have different styles and the challenge of creating spaces that integrate the needs and styles of all family members. Her aim is for everyone to see their personal styles reflected, therefore feeling comfortable and enjoying the space. Margarita is proficient at integrating key pieces that clients may already have along with new purchases. “When working for clients, I base my craft on one simple premise: listen, listen and listen.” –Margarita Bravo Margarita’s goal in working with clients is to have fun, be creative, and to listen to the needs of her clients so she can help clients visualize what is in their head and make the vision come alive. Interior design allows her to integrate many of her best skills including those as a trained industrial engineer, listening and advising, and as a mom, helping clients with children plan for the little details that help a home run smoothly. "Interior Design is my gateway into a place where I can let my imagination go wild and think of ways to create something out of nothing. My mind, pen, paper, and unexpected places where I can find inspiration are the ingredients I need in order to turn my creative energy into a tangible reality." -Margarita Bravo There are two main services that Margarita offers: design consultation and project based services. In a design consultation, Margarita meets with clients and gives ideas room by room. This tends to be more of a one-time meeting, with clients then completing the project on their own. Her project based services tend to be more intensive with Margarita partnering with clients to both plan and execute an overall plan for a large (whole home) or small (individual room) space. Margarita can do as little or as much of the execution as the client prefers. She can work within all budgets. In addition, Margarita has a cadre of professional connections to help clients with additional services: for example, contractors, painters, wallpaper and carpet installers, and to help with purchases: for example, countertops, appliances, furniture, and hardware. When asked what inspires her to work each day, Margarita perfectly summed, “I love what I do, and I truly enjoy helping people materialize their dream space.” To see more samples of her work, visit her website at: www.margaritabravo.com. Favorite local spot: The Jimenez-Bravo family loves Observatory Park and spends lots of time at the park playing soccer, football, having picnics, and meeting up with friends and making new friends in the neighborhood. Contact: Margarita Bravo Email: mb@margaritabravo.com Telephone: 720.735.7533 Website: http://www.margaritabravo.com This article was published in "Life in the Park" magazine in May 2016 and was written by Kristin Kleimann.
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The Denver Metro Association of Realtors (DMAR) held their annual luncheon and awards ceremony on March 24th, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center to celebrate the past year of real estate and Realtor accomplishments. DMAR recognizes Denver-area’s top performers in residential real estate by presenting Denver Metro Realtors Excellence Awards. These prestigious awards honor the determination, dedication, and endless drive of Realtors in the Denver Metro area. Kristin Kleimann and Marilynn Wanamaker were recipients of a 2016 Excellence Award in the Bronze Team Category for 2015 sales. Thank you to DMAR and to our past, present, and future clients! Click here to see the full list of award winners: http://www.dmarealtors.com/sites/default/files/content/excellence_awards_winners_2016.pdf Click here to see the recap of the awards ceremony: http://www.dmarealtors.com/post-event-recap-excellence-awards-2016 Bucket lists are entertaining and dreamy. Bucket lists in your own city can be even more engaging because the experiences are easier to accomplish and check off. This list was originally a list of 29 essential Denver experiences from an article on Thrillist, published in 2015 by Rebecca Feder.
Since so many of the items on the list resonated with us and our love of Denver, adventure, history, and a challenge, we modified the original list to an attainable 20 experiences with a plan to complete each item and check it off the list. We’ll be posting our experiences over the next few months. If you are interested in joining us on our journey to check off these items, please follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/homesimpledenver/ and post your own photos of these completed Denver bucket list items on Instagram with the hashtag: #yourdenverbucketlist We look forward to seeing your photos and hearing about your bucket list adventures! If you’d like a hard copy of the original list to help you keep track of the items, please send a private message and we will send you a copy. Finally, to see the original Thrillist list, visit: https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/denver/the-denver-bucket-list-red-rocks-my-brother-s-bar-mayan-theater Looking for a scenic, easy-to-plan, and affordable international vacation? Consider Iceland!2/20/2016 Icelandair has been offering direct roundtrip service from Denver to Reykjavik since 2012. Their package vacation deals offer the ease of planning an international vacation with the flexibility to do more or less depending on your preference, all for a very reasonable price. In February of 2016 our family chose the “Warm Baths, Cool Lights” package. This package included roundtrip airfare, 3 nights hotel with buffet breakfast at the modern Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Natura, an evening bus tour to Fontana hot spring baths including an Icelandic buffet dinner, and a chance to see the Northern Lights. The flight was a tolerable 7-hour afternoon direct flight from Denver that arrived in Iceland early the next morning. With 3.5 days, we had just enough time to do some geothermal soaking, see some wild and beautiful scenery, visit some historical sites, and eat delicious local food. Here are some highlights from the “Warm Baths, Cool Lights” package: Blue Lagoon. While the Blue Lagoon is Iceland’s number one attraction (read: tourist trap), it was pretty spectacular once you made it through the lines, figured out how to work the lockers, showered, and got IN to the water. The water is a cloudy sapphire blue, heated to about 100 degrees, and surrounded by mountains of black lava. The Blue Lagoon is pretty close to Keflavik International Airport so it might make sense to visit it on arrival or just before your departure. The attached restaurant had fresh, noteworthy menu items, but like all of Iceland’s food and beverage, was expensive. Dowtown Reykjavik. We visited the often-photographed Hallgrimskirkja Church where you can take an elevator to the top for views of the city. We then walked into the downtown shopping district looking at Icelandic artwork and handmade crafts. The wind from the harbor was brutal so making frequent stops in shops and coffee shops was a welcome relief. Fontana Hot Baths in Laugarvatn. We spent a few hours one night soaking in the different temperature pools, followed by some time in the steam rooms. Our night included a traditional Icelandic buffet style dinner. Our favorite item was the traditional Icelandic brown rye bread that is baked underground using geothermal heat. It’s doughy, moist, sweet, and delicious with Icelandic butter. Try the traditional fermented shark if you like things that taste like someone took those little red fish eggs your grandpa used on his fishhook, soaked them in ammonia, and then sprinkled on some sugar. Northern Lights. While there is no guarantee you will see the elusive Northern Lights, February is one of the best months to catch a glimpse of them. We were fortunate enough to see them from the plane, and in all their splendor on our night tour. There are various Northern Lights apps to help you know the best nights to try and view the lights and many hotel front desks provide wake up calls when they are visible. Golden Circle. We rented a car and spent about 6 hours, going at a moderate pace, visiting Thingvellir National Park (took a quick hike to see one of Iceland’s oldest churches, the rift between North America and Europe’s slowly moving continental plates, and Iceland’s largest lake), Gullfoss Waterfall (Iceland’s most famous waterfall), and the predictably erupting Geysir (after which all other geysers have been named). These highlights gave us just a taste of this gorgeous country. We can’t wait to go back to see some of the other sights and parts of the country, and perhaps next time around we will visit, in Summer… Helpful Hints
About Kristin Kleimann is a Denver Realtor and lover of Colorado, Denver, homes, design, art, architecture, food, nature, nostalgia, and travel. Contact www.homesimpledenver.com www.facebook.com/kikikleimann www.instagram.com/homesimpledenver/ Denver Realtors and Broker Associates, Kristin Kleimann and Marilynn Wanamaker, achieved Edelweiss Realty Company's highest honors three times in 2015: April, July, and December. "We are very pleased to receive these honors and we look forward to helping future clients meet their real estate dreams and goals," said Kristin Kleimann, Realtor and Broker Associate at Edelweiss Realty Company. Kristin Kleimann and Marilynn Wanamaker work together as a team to bring a high level of real estate services to clients. They believe that to make good decisions, you need to be an educated consumer and they strive to empower clients with information, education, and research to help them understand, compare, and make informed decisions. As a recent client said, "Marilynn and Kristin are the "Dream Team" of real estate brokers. They have helped us with four separate real estate transactions over the past three years and have been amazing to work with. They are knowledgeable about the market and provide excellent research and advice about pricing, timing and trends. They are timely and responsible and make the whole process enjoyable. We are so lucky to have had them on our team." Another recent client summed, "Kristin and Marilynn make a great team, because their combined knowledge and skill sets complement each other so well. Marilynn seems to know everything there is to know, real estate-wise, about Denver and the surrounding areas, having been in the business here for over 30 years, and with Kristin you get EnergyPlus – plus intelligence, insight, a great sense of humor, and a lot of hard work. Kristin and Marilynn did all the research and boring legwork without us ever having to prompt them, and their knowledge and sense of the markets here combined with their intelligent and instinctive approach to pricing, honesty, transparency and just plain old honor are top-notch. I would never hesitate to work with them again, or recommend them to friends and family." Cheers to 2016! About Kristin Kleimann and Marilynn Wanamaker of Edelweiss Realty Co. specialize in helping clients navigate the complex real estate buying and selling process by making it simple and transparent. They provide clients with the most current and accurate market information and guide them through the process step-by-step. Contact www.homesimpledenver.com www.marilynn-kristin.com It's the most wonderful time of the year, particularly if you love holiday lights! Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens is glowing again beautifully. We managed to visit when the weather was a balmy 56 degrees, at night! Instead of hot chocolate, we enjoyed lime popsicles and lemonade. Our favorites light displays were the different colored floating balls, and the blue fairy forest. Parking was a bit problematic as the lots filled up quickly but street parking was pretty plentiful. We'll be back again next year... Dates: Nov. 27-Jan. 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Time: 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m., lights are on until 9:30 p.m. Where: The Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St. Cost: Starting December 14th, costs are: $13 Adult $11 for Adult Members, Seniors (65+) and Military $10 Child (Ages 3-15) $8 Child Member Free for children 2 or younger Information and tickets: botanicgardens.org Yesterday we joined Ken Schroeppel, from the Urban and Regional Planning Program at the University of Colorado Denver, on a special tour of Downtown Denver’s oldest and newest districts—LoDo and Union Station.
We learned about the history of Denver's early beginnings as well as the historic preservation and restoration of Lower Downtown's warehouse and mercantile buildings into restaurants, shops, offices, hotels, and residential lofts. This preservation and restoration transformed LoDo into a thriving mixed-use downtown city neighborhood. In addition, we learned more about the development of the the baseball stadium, new transit infrastructures, new parks and plazas, the renovated Denver Union Station, and the $1 billion in new office, hotel, and residential projects that are being developed. This was a part of the Doors Open Denver event that happens next week on April 25 and 26 where Denver buildings open their doors to the public for "exclusive and rare viewing opportunities, exposing the inside of Denver’s unique urban fabric." For more information on the event and tours, visit: http://doorsopendenver.com/ Here are a few photos from our rainy, sunny, cloudy, windy, hot, cold, Colorado Spring day... Good news for consumers! New integrated and simplified mortgage disclosures must be implemented by August 1, 2015. Kristin Kleimann, Licensed Realtor and Consultant with Kleimann Communication, Inc. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) mandated the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to combine and simplify existing mortgage disclosure forms. While the new forms and accompanying regulation rule were released in November 2013, lenders have until August 1, 2015, to implement the new forms and regulation rule. To be an educated consumer or to be able to assist and educate consumers, here are some key points both consumers and industry professionals should know: The Good Faith Estimate (GFE), the HUD-1, and some aspects from the Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA) disclosure have been replaced by a pair of new documents--now known as the “Loan Estimate” and “Closing Disclosure.” The new forms were rigorously tested, refined, and validated using consumer and industry feedback in order to ensure they are easier to use and understand. In addition, they were designed to be used as a consumer tool to shop for a mortgage as well as to compare costs from loan application to closing. The key benefits of the new forms and rules include:
From CFPB’s publication, “What the new simplified mortgage disclosures mean for consumers.” (November 20, 2013) To see what the new disclosures will look like, visit: For the Loan Estimate (replacing current Good Faith Estimate and initial truth-in-lending): http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201311_cfpb_kbyo_loan-estimate.pdf For the Closing Disclosure (replacing current HUD-1 and final truth-in-lending): http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201311_cfpb_kbyo_closing-disclosure.pdf Additional Information For more information on CFPB’s “Know Before You Owe” project, please visit: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/knowbeforeyouowe/ For more information about the testing of the disclosures, please visit: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201311_cfpb_factsheet_kbyo_testing.pdf About the Author Kristin Kleimann is a licensed Realtor in the State of Colorado with Edelweiss Realty, Co. She is also a consultant with Kleimann Communication Group, Inc. who collaborated with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to design and test these disclosures. She specializes in helping clients navigate the complex real estate buying and selling process and is a proponent of Realtor and consumer education. Owning your own home is a big responsibility and at times it can be a lot of work. Fortunately, there are some great tax advantages for owning, in addition to having a place of your own.
Content courtesy of BreakthroughBroker.com There are many resources available about the home buying process. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers one great resource called "100 Questions About Buying a New Home." It provides an overview of the basic things you need to know to get started in a quick and easy and usable format. The resource covers the following topics:
Click here to see the full resource: http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/housing/sfh/buying/buyhm Image credit "Home Buyer's Road Map" from "The Highland Group." Recolorado.com contains the most up to date, accurate listing information for the Denver Metro home inventory.
The recolorado.com site populates directly from the MLS (multiple listing service) that Realtors and agents use to input new listing information or to update listing status information. The new or updated information is refreshed almost immediately on recolorado.com after being inputted to the MLS. All of the other sites out there essentially populate from recolorado.com including Trulia, Zillow, Realtor, Homefinder, and Redfin. It takes much longer for that information to be updated on these other sites (in general, I’ve been seeing about 24-48 hours whereas it’s about 60 minutes on recolorado). These other sites do offer useful, helpful, and often some different types of information, such as local school information or payment calculations, but if you want to see current inventory, recolorado.com will have the updated information before these other sites. The home page of our website takes you directly to recolorado.com to search for homes. 5280 Magazine recently published their Denver Real Estate 2014 Guide. Some highlights from the article include: 7,094: Number of Denver homes on the market at the start of 2014. Roughly 17,000 is ideal. For sellers: Making sure your home is in good condition before plopping it on the market is, once again, required. For buyers: Making peace with the fact that prices are high may be a necessity, but being patient enough so you don’t pay a premium for an undesirable home is the smart move. Denver homes continue to gain value at a rapid rate. The article also discusses the following neighborhoods: Washington Park East South Park Hill City Park Platt Park North Sunnyside East Highland Central Congress Park South Stapleton Capitol Hill Click below to read the full article. http://www.5280.com/realestate/magazine/2014/04/denver-real-estate-2014 Source: 5280 Magazine Five things that make us happy with our homes.
According to a recent survey conducted by houzz.com, here are five things that consistently make people happy with their homes. 1. Big windows and comfortable furniture: Nearly 75 percent of respondents listed these two items as major difference-makers. It’s a no-brainer—people like lots of light and a good place to relax. 2. A big-screen TV: This is more likely to be a key feature for men than women. 40 percent of men said having a big-screen TV makes them happy with their homes, compared to just 17 percent of women. 3. Overall design and layout : 87 percent of the 6,000 people surveyed said the design of the home is a major contributor to overall happiness. If you’re unhappy with your home and there’s a project you’ve been wanting to tackle, get to it! 4. Home cookin’: 39 percent of respondents said the scent of good cooking or baking made them happiest. Clearly, it helps to have a capable chef around the house! 5. Keep it tidy: 72 percent of homeowners said they’re happiest when their houses are clean and well-organized. If you want to be happier with your home, try having a place for everything, and put everything in its place. Content courtesy of BreakthroughBroker.com |
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