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As a full-time real estate agent, Lindy Franklin values her client’s trust and strives to surpass their expectations.  She is passionate about helping her clients move forward with their real estate goals, from first time home buyers, to couples upgrading or downsizing, a bachelor purchasing his ultimate bachelor pad or a family purchasing their vacation home.   

Lindy attributes her success as an agent not only to her passion for real estate, but to her listening, analytical and negotiation skills. She earns her client’s respect by working diligently on their behalf, earning their trust, referrals, and repeat business. Contact Lindy at 970-210-2429 or lindyfranklingj@gmail.com 

 
Congratulations to Rick Thurtle, Broker and Owner of Rick Thurtle & Associates, our Grand Junction Realtor of the Week! A longtime Grand Valley resident, and an active member of the Mesa County community since 1998, Rick loves to use his extensive knowledge, experience and attention to detail to make clients’ real estate transactions as smooth and profitable as possible. Over the years, local residents have grown to trust his tradition of public service making him one of the highest profile brokers in the area. He is known for serving all types of customers, from first time home buyers to longtime residents of the Western Slope.
 
Rick is a Certified Real Estate Negotiations expert, serves on the board of directors of several non-profit entities including the United Way of Mesa County, the Salvation Army, the Center for Independence, the Roice Hurst Humane Society, Mesa County RSVP and the American Red Cross and many others. 
 
Rick enjoys sporting events and live music Quick read more or view full article with his wife Vicki, as well as skiing, hiking and fishing across the beautiful Western Slope.
Rick is an avid Pickleball enthusiast. He and his wife Vicki enjoy spending time with their rescue dog, Scully.

To get in touch with Rick, call 970-243-3376.

Congratulations to Alyssa Needham, Realtor with DKT Realty. Inc on being inducted into the Grand Junction Area Realtor Association at their quarterly luncheon last week! Janell Gear, owner of Gear & Associates Realty, Hal Heath owner of Heath and Company Realtors, Mindy Timian-Winger of Western Slope Realty, Debbie Thomas of DKT Realty, and Mike McGinnis of ProMark Realty were there to celebrate with her.

Congratulations to Jennifer Howard, broker at Gear & Associates, our featured Grand Junction real estate agent of the week! Jennifer was born and raised in Grand Junction and her family has called Western Colorado home for many generations. 

"Having bought and sold many of my own homes, I know the stress and emotion that can come along with the biggest sale or purchase in your life," says Jennifer. "Through honesty, communication and understanding your wants and needs, my goal is to make this exciting step in your life as painless and, dare I say fun, as possible."

Jennifer is passionate about real estate and would love to help you sell your current home and/or purchase your next one.  Whether you are looking to upsize, downsize or just move to a new part of town, she can help you navigate the process. 

When she's not working you can find her at home with her husband and son. They enjoy traveling, remodeling their fixer upper house, Quick read more or view full article and spending time with friends and family. 

To get started on your next real estate move, get in touch with Jennifer today at 970-201-8740 or jennifersellsgj@gmail.com.

Participating Walmart stores:

If you haven't bought a home yet, you're missing out on a wonderful feeling! That moment when you walk through your doors, throw your purse or keys on the floor, plop down on your couch and breathe a sigh of relief while thinking, "Finally, it's ours (or mine)!" And the joy of looking at all of your boxes, getting to roll your eyes about why you buy so much stuff, then giving yourself a moment to take a nap because you worked hard to get here and earned it! Yes that's a real feeling!

by Kyler Frye

Emergency situations such as fire, extreme weather and power outages can happen without warning. By taking the time to prepare for a possible disaster now, you and your family will be equipped to handle a crisis if one ever occurs.

Fire Escape Route and Meeting Spot
It can take a mere five minutes for a fire to engulf your entire home. This is one reason having an escape plan is so important. Include at least two exit routes in your plan in case one is blocked, and designate a safe location for everyone in your household to meet. Identifying a secondary location outside your neighborhood is good to have in the event it's not safe to return or you're asked to evacuate.

List of Emergency Contacts
Make laminated cards with a list of important phone numbers for each family member. This might include contact information for the local authorities and emergency services as well as your nearest relatives.

Home Safety Items
Be prepared in case an emergency does occur by having these Quick read more or view full article target="_blank">home safety items:

• Fire Extinguisher -- Keep one on each floor, and check them annually to make sure they're functioning properly.
• First-Aid Kit -- Store it in a central location, such as the kitchen, and make sure everyone knows where it is.
• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors -- Install detectors in each room and test them once a month. Use long-life lithium batteries to cut back on replacements.
• Food and Water -- Put together a three-day supply of nonperishable foods and at least three gallons of water for each member of your household.

According to sellers, silence isn't always "golden"

By Rick Thurtle

When trying to sell a home, silence isn't always golden especially when you're expecting your real estate agent to call. In fact, it's one of the leading complaints among sellers in the real estate market. Often times you find an agent who is more than willing to take on your listing, but once the relationship is made, the seller enjoys getting a call at least once a week. A seller should establish with the agent up front the expectation that regular communication will occur. Even if it's just to check-in, the seller will be more satisfied being kept in the loop.

Keeping the communication lines open between the two parties assures the seller that the agent is keeping them apprised of any and all offers. In addition, agents often provide valuable tips on why prospective buyers weren't interested. Often times, an agent is privy to the buyer's dislikes of the property. For instance "this room's too dark" or "the kitchen has a funny smell." This allows the agent to Quick read more or view full article give the seller constructive feedback and offer important tips on how to make the home more attractive to future buyers.

If you're a seller and are not hearing from your broker, be sure to keep calling them until they get the message that you expect a regular update. Selling a home can be a lot of work and sometimes quite stressful. It is incumbent upon an agent to satisfy the seller's expectations of routine updates, this will ensure the possibility of future business not to mention a successful sale. Furthermore, as a seller you must demand the communication exchange between you and your agent. If both parties work in a cooperative effort, the selling experience will be more successful and enjoyable for both the agent and the seller involved.

During their time in the Grand Valley, Dana and her husband have bought and sold more than 30 fix and flip properties. "It is a passion of mine to take a distressed property and turn it in to someone’s updated new home," said Dana. "I'm excited to pursue a real estate career in the Grand Junction area so I can use what I have learned from our buying & selling experiences to help my clients."

To get in touch with Dana for any of your real estate needs, give her a call at 970-250-8518 or send her an Quick read more or view full article e-mail at dkwbroker@gmail.com

• Home purchase and refinance loans
• Down payment assistance
• Closing cost assistance
• Homebuyer education classes???

• 94,786 ?Colorado homebuyers achieve homeownership;
• 117,528 households attend homebuyer education classes held statewide;
• 62,439 affordable rental housing units be developed or preserved; and
• 4,527 businesses access capital to support 59,793 jobs.???

CHFA loans available.





























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If you'd like to see if CHFA can help you, contact their office on the Western Slope:
348 Main Street
Grand Junction, CO 81501??
970.241.2341
800.877.8450
970.241.9422 (fax)


Source for all info: CHFA website Read Less

About GJARA- (taken from www.gjrealtors.com) 

The Grand Junction Area REALTORS® Association (GJARA) is the successor to the Grand Junction Area REALTORS® Association, originally chartered by the National Association of REALTORS® way back in 1930. GJARA is a not-for-profit trade association with a membership Quick read more or view full article comprised of approximately 900 Realtor® members representing a wide range of real estate professionals in Grand Junction and surrounding communities. The Grand Junction Multiple Listing Service, started in 1974, contains over 1500 properties, both residential and commercial, offered in the greater Grand Junction region.

The Grand Junction Association of REALTORS® is part of the nationwide Realtor family network made up of the National Association of REALTORS® and the Colorado Association of REALTORS®. GJARA is governed by a Board of Directors who employs the 3-member Association staff. Staff is directly responsible for the day-to-day services provided to our membership in the form of MLS access, servicing of electronic keyboxes and keypads, educational offerings and various forms of informational updates and supportive services. Staff is also available daily to assist the general public with locating and contacting member agencies, processing public complaints, and answering general questions regarding the home-buying and selling processes.