Here's the Story of the Iconic 'Brady Bunch' House That's Listed for $1.885 Million

fun article on Brady Bunch house from countryliving.com

We all know the story of a lovely lady who was bringing up three very lovely girls—not to mention the man named Brady, who was busy with three boys of his own. It's the story of The Brady Bunch, of course. Most of us grew up with the sitcom, as well as the house in which it's set. Four decades later, the iconic Studio City, CA, home is on the market (through Douglas Elliman Real Estate) for $1,885,000, but it could be in danger. As realtor Jodie Levitus Francisco told Deadline, among the interested buyers are developers who may tear it down.

"The listing agent said the family was hoping to get someone to preserve the house," Francisco reportedly said, "and at $1.85, I don't know if a developer would pay that much."

Supposedly the "second most photographed home in the United States after the White House," the three-bedroom, three-bathroom house sits on a 12,500 square-foot lot at 11222 Dilling Street.

However, you won't recognize most of the interior; those scenes were shot in a studio. But with its "perfectly preserved 1970s decor," the Brady residence captures the spirit of the era.

Cost vs. Value: The Home Improvement Projects With the Highest ROI in 2018

the accuracy of some of these numbers vary widely by region nationwide, but some fun comparisons to roughly review from rismedia.com

A strong housing market isn't necessarily all good news for sellers. As evidenced by Remodeling magazine's newly-released Cost vs. Value Report for 2018, average return on investment (ROI) for home improvement projects dipped across the board, with "upscale" projects taking the biggest hit.

The report, which measures the average cost of 21 popular remodeling projects and their average resale value one year later, found that garage door replacement has the highest ROI at 98.3 percent (up from 85 percent year-over-year). Backyard patio jobs garner the lowest ROI, at 47.6 percent (down from 54.9 percent year-over-year).

The reason for the sweeping decrease in ROI isn't immediately obvious, but Remodeling magazine's editor-in-chief (and manager of the report) Craig Webb notes that it's likely related to the strength of the housing market currently.

"It's not clear if...nationwide affordability concerns are leading (real estate) pros to question the value of renovations that would make a house even more expensive at resale," says Webb.

However, a silver lining from the report relates to when the data was compiled. Remodeling magazine put all the cost information together before the country was struck with several natural disasters, including massive forest fires and several hurricanes. Since then, building supplies and the price of skilled labor has increased, but that's expected to change over the course of 2018. As a result, expect to see the ROI of most of these projects level out by the end of the year.

Despite these events, some longtime trends continued through the new year. Remodeling is still far more cost-effective than replacement, but, according to real estate pros, replacing is still the way to go. This year, there's a 20-point difference in ROI: 76.1 percent for replacement jobs, versus 56 percent for remodeling.

Nationally, when it comes to renovation ROI, curb appeal still wins out. Here are the top five projects with the greatest ROI in the report's "midrange" cost category:

Manufactured Stone Veneer (97.1% ROI)
•Average Cost: $8,221
•Average Resale Value: $7,986

Entry Door Replacement (Steel) (91.3% ROI)
•Average Cost: $1,471
•Average Resale Value: $1,344

Deck Addition (Wood) (82.8% ROI)
•Average Cost: $10,950
•Average Resale Value: $9,065

Minor Kitchen Remodel (81.1% ROI)
•Average Cost: $21,198
•Average Resale Value: $17,193

Siding Replacement (76.7% ROI)
•Average Cost: $15,072
•Average Resale Value: $11,554

The top five projects with the greatest ROI in the report's "upscale" cost category are:

Garage Door Replacement (98.3% ROI)
•Average Cost: $3,470
•Average Resale Value: $3,411

Window Replacement (Vinyl) (74.3% ROI)
•Average Cost: $15,955
•Average Resale Value: $11,855

Window Replacement (Wood) (69.5% ROI)
•Average Cost: $19,391
•Average Resale Value: $13,468

Grand Entrance (Fiberglass) (67.6% ROI)
•Average Cost: $8,591
•Average Resale Value: $5,809

Bathroom Remodel (56.2% ROI)
•Average Cost: $61,662
•Average Resale Value: $34,633

Nationally—and on the complete other end of the spectrum—here are the five projects with the lowest ROI in the "midrange" cost category:

Backyard Patio (47.6% ROI)
•Average Cost: $54,130
•Average Resale Value: $25,769

Master Suite Addition (56.6% ROI)
•Average Cost: $123,420
•Average Resale Value: $69,807

Major Kitchen Remodel (59% ROI)
•Average Cost: $63,829
•Average Resale Value: $37,637

Bathroom Addition (59.9% ROI)
•Average Cost: $44,717
•Average Resale Value: $26,769

Deck Addition (Composite) (63.6% ROI)
•Average Cost: $17,668
•Average Resale Value: $11,239

The five projects with the lowest ROI in the "upscale" cost category are:

Master Suite Addition (48.3% ROI)
•Average Cost: $256,229
•Average Resale Value: $123,797

Major Kitchen Remodel (53.5% ROI)
•Average Cost: $125,721
•Average Resale Value: $67,212

Bathroom Addition (54.6% ROI)
•Average Cost: $83,869
•Average Resale Value: $45,752

Bathroom Remodel (56.2% ROI)
•Average Cost: $61,662
•Average Resale Value: $34,633

Grand Entrance (Fiberglass) (67.6% ROI)
•Average Cost: $8,591
•Average Resale Value: $5,809

The 2018 Cost vs. Value Report compares, across 149 markets, the average cost of 21 popular remodeling projects with their average value at resale one year later. Average resale value is calculated based on estimates provided by real estate professionals. View the full report, including project descriptions and city-level data, here.

Summer heat: Denver residential real estate market stays hot

accurate article from Denver Post, good time to sell...

Scant inventory is keeping the Denver residential real estate market red hot.

Denver homes continue to sell extremely quickly and there are a lot fewer homes for sale now compared with a year ago.

According to the latest data from Re/Max Holdings Inc. (NYSE: RMAX) of Denver, the markets with the lowest months supply of inventory are San Francisco at 1.2, Salt Lake City at 1.3, and Boise and Denver, both tied with 1.4. A six-month supply of inventory indicates a balanced market between buyers and sellers, according to Re/Max.

That low supply means higher prices. According to the Colorado Realtors Association, the median home price in the Denver metro area is $440,000,

significantly more than the nationwide metro median of $258,000 reported by Re/Max.

More evidence Denver homes are moving fast: According to Re/Max, the metro areas with the lowest days on market were Seattle at 17, San Francisco at 20 and Denver at 21.

There's simply not enough homes on the market right now. According to the latest data from Zillow, Denver saw a 15 percent drop in houses for sale inventory in May, the biggest decline in the nation.

Nationally, there are 5.3 percent fewer homes for sale now than a year ago, according to Zillow.

3 Colorado housing markets among healthiest in U.S., report says

interesting article from Denver business journal....

A new SmartAsset study ranks the housing markets of three Colorado cities in the top 10 healthiest in the United States.

Colorado Springs ranked No. 3, Aurora ranked No. 7 and Denver ranked No. 9.

The study used four factors to determine a healthy market: stability, affordability, fluidity, and risk of loss. It only considered cities with a population greater than 200,000.

On a national scale, Buffalo, New York, ranked No. 1 healthiest housing market in the U.S.

The study saw Colorado Springs homeowners living in their homes for an average of 11.9 years. Aurora and Denver were slightly lower at an average

of 11.4 years.

Aurora topped the list of Colorado cities for ease of sale, risk and stability, followed by Colorado Springs and Denver in each category.

Regarding affordability, Colorado Springs topped the list, followed by Denver and then Aurora.


Top 10 healthiest housing markets in the U.S.
1.Buffalo, NY
2.Fremont, CA
3.Colorado Springs, CO
4.San Jose, CA
5.Seattle
6.Durham
7.Aurora, CO
8.Mesa, AZ
9.Denver
10.Pittsburgh