Blogs by Author - Brian Lee Burke

Nov 10, 2026 • 5 min read

How Buying a Home Changes Your Life: 8 Benefits of Owning in Colorado

The benefits of buying a home go far past a front door key. Homeownership in Colorado changes your monthly budget, your long-term wealth and your sense of stability. Here is how buying a home changes your life, the case personal-finance author Dave Ramsey makes for owning, and how our Home Loan Readiness Program gets you there if your credit or debt is not quite ready yet. If you are looking for

Home Buying

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Recent Blogs

Jul 4, 2021 2 min read

Highlands Ranch Golf Club Luxury Home for sale

Beautiful golf course home located on hole 2 of Highlands Ranch Golf Club. This 4 bedroom, 4 bath home is the one you have been waiting for—hardwood floors throughout the main floor.The kitchen has plenty of counter space and cabinets, so storage will never be something you need. The butler pantry leads you to a dining room with a coffered ceiling and is big enough to host as many guests as you w

Jun 30, 2021 8 min read

Best Uses for a Spare Room in a Denver Home

The best use for a spare room in a Front Range home is the one that matches how the household actually lives day to day: a guest suite, a paid-off home office, organized storage, or a legally rented bedroom. Denver-area buyers ask about this room more than any other because it changes both the monthly budget and the sale price.Start with how the room gets used ten months out of twelve, not the tw

Jun 22, 2021 7 min read

Preparing a Colorado Property for a Horse: What to Check

A Colorado property needs the right zoning, enough usable acreage, secure fencing, and a reliable water source before a horse can move in, and each of those pieces works differently depending on the county. Here's what to check before buying or converting a Front Range property into a horse property.Space requirements scale with the number of horses. A barn built for one to two horses without an

Jun 21, 2021 6 min read

17 Questions to Ask a Realtor When Selling Your House

Here are the 17 questions to ask a realtor when selling your house in Colorado. Ask every one in each listing interview. The realtor you hire should answer each question clearly and back it up with recent, local sales numbers. If a realtor dodges on experience, price range or Colorado disclosure rules, keep interviewing.Ask about experience, recent sales in your price range and neighborhood, mark

Jun 14, 2021 6 min read

Best Times to Deep Clean Carpet in a Denver Home

The best time to deep clean carpet in a Colorado home is before you move in, then every 6 to 12 months after that. Front Range dust, mud season, and winter air that drops to 10 to 25 percent indoor humidity work carpet fibers harder than most climates, so a full year between cleanings lets dirt cut into the pile instead of sitting on top of it.Clean carpet before furniture arrives, not after. Onc

Jun 10, 2021 4 min read

Here’s a Sneak Peak at Denver’s Summer Seller’s Market

We won’t mince words - this summer is the ideal time to sell your home fast in Denver. Like the rest of the country, Denver’s real estate market strongly favors sellers, and there are a few reasons why the future looks bright for folks contemplating selling. Let’s examine the four driving forces behind the booming seller’s market. Despite a 14% increase of new listings as of the end of April, mor

Jun 10, 2021 7 min read

Why Your Denver Water Bill Is So High (and How to Fix It)

A Front Range water bill spikes for a handful of predictable reasons, a running toilet, an irrigation leak, tiered summer rates, or Colorado's dry climate demanding more water per square foot of lawn than a homeowner expects. Here's what drives the cost up and what actually fixes it.Denver Water and most Front Range municipal utilities charge in tiers: the more water a household uses past a basel

Jun 10, 2021 7 min read

How to Become a House Flipper in Denver and Aurora, Colorado

Becoming a house flipper in the Denver metro comes down to four disciplines: buy at the after-repair value times 70% minus the rehab, fund it with hard money you can carry for six months, pull permits from the right jurisdiction, and list on day 91 so FHA and VA buyers can close. Flippers who hold all four make money on the Front Range in 2026; flippers who skip one lose the profit to holding cos

Jun 8, 2021 10 min read

Buying Acreage in Colorado: Wells, Septic, Fences and More

Buying acreage in Colorado comes down to seven documents: the well permit, the septic permit and inspection, a survey (not an ILC), the title commitment with every easement and mineral reservation, the county zoning letter, the road maintenance agreement, and the covenants. Get all seven inside the inspection deadline and most acreage surprises disappear before closing.The post on key tips to buy

Jun 3, 2021 10 min read

Restoring an Old Home in Denver: Costs and Permits

Start with three things before you swing a hammer: a lead and asbestos check, a wiring and plumbing inspection, and a call to the City and County of Denver's permit office (or your county's, if the home sits outside Denver proper). Homes built before 1978 carry known, fixable risks. Homes built before 1950 carry knob-and-tube wiring and galvanized or cast-iron plumbing on top of that. None of thi