A Literary Life

By Kate Jonuska

Earlier in 2010, local builder Today’s Homes announced a mini revolution, an attempt to re-brand and re-invigorate the company by streamlining their building process, creating new floor plans with quality standard features, and committing to a higher level of customer service. After a few months working under the new mission statement, sales manager Scott Vaughan says surprised and satisfied customers are really noticing the changes.

“We’ve seen stronger sales out there since the unveiling of the new models. The traffic numbers have increased at least 50 percent at all of our locations with the overall excitement of the new floor plans we’ve unveiled,” says Vaughan, who wants “to create the best possible new home buying experience out there. I feel confident that we’re doing that, and we’re making some great improvements in our customer satisfaction rating, as well.”

Today’s Homes builds in several communities throughout the Pikes Peak region, including The Residence at Stratmoor near Interstate 25 and Academy Boulevard, in Banning Lewis Ranch near Woodmen and Marksheffel roads, and in Forest Meadows near Woodmen and Black Forest roads.

But Vaughan believes the luxury town home community of Dublin Terrace, located at Powers and Dublin boulevards.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the June 20, 2010 Home & Style.

By Kate Jonuska

Having starred in many Parade of Homes, earned many prestigious awards and passed from person to person through satisfied customers, the name Claude Comito carries weight in the Colorado Springs real estate community. Along with partner Larry Nichols, their company Nichols & Comito Custom Homes stands for quality in the high-end market.

But through a separate venture, Comito Building and Design, founded in September 2009 Comito wants to share the top-notch quality, impeccable taste and thoughtful design he’s know for with a wider audience.

“A lot of people like what we have done and what we have to offer, but what we hear a lot is, ‘We would love to use you guys and have you build our home, but we don’t know if we can afford you,’” says builder Claude Comito. With this new company, “We want to bring out that we’re as competitive as anyone. We’re offering great value — and have been along — but now we are smaller, leaner and meaner. We’re able to offer some great products at a lower cost.”

Comito Building and Design is a fully custom builder who can create any client’s dream home starting in the $600,000s, hopes to build 10 to 12 homes a year, and offers some remodeling and renovation work, as well.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the June 13, 2010 Home & Style.

By Kate Jonuska

The commitment to a job done right doesn’t change with market conditions, but that strong commitment does demand that successful business professionals change their strategy, update their skills and roll with the punches. Such is the evolution of The Becky Gloriod Team, where they’re using their expertise to continue to sell high-end homes as well as expanding their skills to aid the growing number of distressed homeowners.

“We have always specialized in the high-end. In fact, we have sold the highest sales price, the most expensive home, in Colorado Springs this year,” says broker owner Becky Gloriod, referring to an Old North End home that recently sold for $1.594 million. “In 2009, we sold 14 percent of all the homes sold for more than $1 million in El Paso county.”

Such a portion out of thousands of local agents certainly distinguishes The Becky Gloriod Team at seven figures and above, but co-broker owner Jack Gloriod explains their skills aren’t that narrow.

“In the last decade, we’ve sold more houses than anyone else in town … We’ve had the total highest volume throughout El Paso county in the last 10 years cumulatively,” he says.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the June 6, 2010 Home & Style.

By Kate Jonuska

If necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, savvy and dedicated professionals often rise to the occasion in tough times, revolutionizing the way an industry does business. Such was the motivation of passionate agents at five RE/MAX offices all over the state, who banded together to introduce Colorado to way of connecting buyers and sellers, via auction.

“It’s been working across the country and the numbers are staggering, how many homes in 2009 sold through auction, but it hasn’t yet been in this area,” says Joe Clement, broker/owner of RE/MAX Properties, Inc., the auction’s Pikes Peak area participating office. “You see foreclosure auctions every now and then, but nothing like this, with a large variety of quality properties. Other RE/MAX offices around the country have had success with it, so we thought it was a great time to introduce the idea here, too.”

Clement stresses that, certainly, auctions for distressed properties have become more common, but this event is a completely different affair. It’s a reserve auction – meaning that properties have a minimum price – of highly motivated buyers who simply want to sell, quick and simply.

“We had a nominating committee that each property had to go through at each office before they were accepted into the auction, and we had certain criteria of quality,” he explains. “We wanted good properties and we wanted properties where the reserve price was attractive, better than what you might get on the house in a regular transaction scenario.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the April 4, 2010 Springs Home & Style.