Another Parker school shows why Douglas County Colorado is serious about education. The charter school Challenge to Excellence located on Pine Drive off Jordan Road in Parker Colorado showed amazing improvement in reading and math.

Receiving the “School of Distinction” certificate from the Colorado state board of education is no small achievement. Only nine schools in the state received this award. Challenge to Excellence Charter School showed dramatic improvement in CSAP (Colorado Student Assessment Scores) scores. the CSAP is designed to show how Colorado kids are performing and whether they are meeting or beating the academic standards set for their grade.

• READING- Fifth graders scored 90% or better proficiency.

• MATH- Fifth graders scored 75% or better proficiency.

• MATH- Fourth graders scored 86% proficiency or better.

• MATH Third graders scored 81% proficiency with 26% of them scoring ADVANCED.

Linda Parker is principal of the school and accepted the award.

16995 East Carlson Drive, Parker, CO 80134,Douglas County
Phone: (303) 841-9816

• School District: Douglas County Re 1

• School Type: Charter

• Level: Elementary and Middle

• Student Enrollment: 445

• Student/Teacher Ratio: 19 to 1

Steven Beam Client Testimonials

1. “Thank you for being a patient REALTOR and helping us find a great first home!” Jamie and Katie, Highands Ranch, CO. June 2008.

2. “Steven did a fantastic job on just 24 hour notice and spent the next 2 days showing us homes and making offers. Our previous broker could not do this. We are sincerely appreciative of his efforts and will recommend him to our Associates!”

Kelly and Carol Patterson -New homeowners in the Idyllwilde subdivision in Parker, CO.

3. Steven-Thank you for selling two of our Parker homes at one time. It was very scary trying to sell two homes at once over the holidays. You sold our investment property in 20 days and our primary home in a little over a month. I will reference for you anytime.

Jason and Jill R.

Parker, Colorado

4. Moving to a new state and buying a home can be stressful and intimidating.  Steve Beam made the purchase of our home a very enjoyable experience.  With his professionalism and knowledge, he was helpful, informative and never pushy.   He was always prompt and attentive and stayed way ahead of the game throughout the whole process.  Having Steve working for us gave us the confidence we needed during this time.

Richard & Stephanie Colunga

Centennial, CO
From: Huntsville, Texas

5. I want to express my gratitude for employing such a wonderful associate.  My husband and I have moved all over the country over the past 20 years.  We just moved to Denver and we had the pleasure of working with Steve Beam.  The best way to describe my home buying experience is to tell you that it was the best real estate experience my husband and I have ever had.  Steve was a true joy to work with. He was very patient, knowledgeable, and helpful at all times.  I “will” recommend Steve Beam to everyone.  He is a true professional and treasured jewel to his industry.

Sincerely,

The Phillips

Cherry Creek, CO

6. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and satisfaction with our realtor Steve Beam. His thorough and professional customer service allowed us a very smooth transaction from our initial meeting, looking at various neighborhoods, all the way up to, during and after closing our new house.  Steve continues to be an excellent resource for us on our house related issues, even now, months after close.  I would gladly refer all potential real estate clients to him.

Mark and Lisa Boland

Castle Rock, CO
Relocation from Sweden

7. “Selling our home through Steve Beam exceeded all of our expectations. Thanks for your outstanding efforts. I wish everyone was as diligent, courteous, and knowledgeable as you!  You will be receiving many referrals from us".  Thanks for a wonderful experience!”

Mr. and Mrs. Ross Lewis
Lone Tree, Colorado

8. Our family met Steve Beam while he was hosting an open house at a client’s home.  We leisurely walked through the home when he asked us what type of house we were looking for. After telling him, he told me that he would be happy to email me a copy of listings to look over that met our basic criteria.  Being in sales myself, I was very comfortable working with someone such as Steve.  He wasn’t pushy and he seemed very down to earth.  As a test, I gave him our information, we shook hands and then we left. I remember sitting in the car telling my wife how comfortable I felt with Steve.  

Sure enough, a day later, I got an email with the listings that matched just what we had discussed.  My instinct told me that Steve was for real. We worked with Steve for about 4 months and he never missed a beat.   He always returned phone calls (my hot button) and he always made us feel like we were his only clients. 

My best story about Steve comes from a trip while out looking at homes.  Our basic criteria for a home were:  a three car garage, a small porch to sit on, decent yard, and a house facing either West or South.  We were looking at a brand new home in Castle Rock which had many of the features we wanted, but the house wasn’t in the area that we desired and it faced east.  My wife and I picked out a few features that we really liked.  Steve could see in my eyes that I was thinking about putting down a deposit.  The sales associate working for the builder was going “for the close".  All of a sudden, Steve told the sales associate, “why don’t we think about this and we’ll get back to you."  He knew, he remembered and he cared enough to say something that would lose a sale for him and the sales associate–I thanked him repeatedly on the way home. A few days later we found our dream home which met all of our criteria. We would recommend Steve Beam to anyone, at anytime. He made looking for a home a truly enjoyable experience–he is truly an asset to his industry. 

Sincerely,

The Thompson’s
Parker, Colorado

8. We listed our house for sale with Steve Beam, who is with RE/MAX Alliance.  We received an acceptable offer and the closing took place without a hitch. The initial listing to closing took place in less than 3 months, which in today’s Denver real estate market I believe to be quite good.  I believe this was possible because Steve gave us good advice on a reasonable range of listing prices.  Steve continuously kept us updated on the market activity by providing us with updated listing and sold prices in the area. He conducted a number of open houses which acquainted our property to various local Realtors and potential buyers.  Through demographic research, he was able to identify a number of potential buyers, some of whom were interested in our property.  Throughout this period, Steven Beam was friendly, courteous and diligent.  We would recommend him to anyone who needs the services of a realtor.

Sincerely,

George & Mary Cogorno

FREE-$7,500 for first time home buyers! Come and get it!

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 is here and you need to take advantage of it.

***Click here to read the frequently asked questions.*** Check with your tax preparer to make sure you qualify.

Yep that's right it is FREE Money and no one likes FREE money more than ME. If you are a first time home buyer you are now entitled to a tax credit up to $7,500 from the federal government.

Question: How is the credit amount figured? 10% of the first $75,000 spent on the home you buy is the amount of the credit. If you spend less than $75,000 on a house then you will receive 10% of the amount spent. Example: If you buy a Parker Colorado home for $50,000 (doesn't exist) your credit will be $5,000.

Client Testimonial of the week:

"Thank you for being a patient REALTOR and helping us find a great first home!" Jamie and Katie, Highands Ranch, CO. June 2008.

Question: What is a first time home buyer? Anyone that has not owned a principle residence in the last three years is eligible.

Question: I own a vacation home does that disqualify me? NO. Vacation homes do not count against you.

Question: I just got married and my wife owned a home several years ago can we get the tax credit? As long as each home buyer has not owned a principal residence in the last three years they can be eligible for the tax credit.

Read the full FAQs here.

Ok. You want to list your home for sale and you think your place is worth $500,000 and the Realtor that just interviewed for the job said no the house is worth $450,000. I hear it all the time from home sellers here in Parker, Colorado.

Be realistic and you will sell your property faster and for more money.

If you are a home seller you need to be very smart when you are pricing your home for sale in Parker, Colorado. Buyers are market savvy and they know values. Many buyers start their home search many months in advance on the internet so they have learned your neighborhood values even better than most of the sellers living in the neighborhood.

Remember this.

1. Over pricing your home initially will cost you more money in the long run. Add up your holding costs and look at what it is costing you.

2. Homes that sit on the market for a long time sell for less money than homes that sell quickly.

3. The majority of homes that are listed for sale end up NOT selling. They fail to sell.

4. The majority of homes listed for sale are so over priced they receive only a few early showings then sit on the market for months and months or even a year.

5. Your first offer is generally your best offer. So make the best of it and work hard to get the first contract to closing.

Every seller in every town across America thinks their house, which is just like the house down the street, is worth more. Guess what? Most likely it isn’t. Value and price for your home is determined by other SOLD homes in your area that are the same or close to the same in size and with very similar features such as # of bedrooms and # of bathrooms.

• Generally speaking comparable home sizes should be within 15 percent of each other.

• Run from the Realtor that promises to sell your house at a price you believe to be too high. I know it’s hard to undo the thoughts of your house selling at a really high price like they promised but chances are they are trying to buy the listing from you. Buying a listing is when a Realtor comes in and promises to sell your house at an inflated price to the rest of the sold homes in the neighborhood. When the house hasn’t sold in 3 months they come back to you and start asking for huge price reductions. Bottom line. Price it right from the start.

• Market Value in Parker, Colorado is what a ready willing and able buyer is willing to pay for a house and what a ready willing and able seller is willing to take for a house.

• Most home appraisers and Realtors like to use fresh comparables that have sold in the last 1 to 3 months if possible. We can use homes that sold as far back as nine months.

• Please don’t look at the price your neighbor has his home listed for. That is not the value of your property. I can ask $500,000 for my 2001 Toyota 4Runner but it doesn’t mean it’s worth that or anyone will ever pay me that price for it.

• The value of your Parker, Colorado real estate isn’t what your neighbor told you he sold his house for just before he jumped onto the moving truck and rode out of town. GUESS WHAT! Your neighbors lie to you about their real sale price most of the time.

• Hire a Realtor with experience to help you find the real market value and list your home for sale accordingly. Don’t waste your time, the buyer’s time and your Realtor’s time by pricing your home too high.

Don’t waste your time by listing your house for an unrealistic selling price. Buyers don’t like it, Realtors don’t like it and believe it or not your neighbors don’t like to see your house up for sale for a lengthy period of time. It makes them nervous to see your house sit for months. Be realistic and you will sell the property faster and for more MONEY.Guaranteed!

Steven Beam is a local Parker, Colorado real estate broker.