Blogs by Author - Brian Lee Burke

Sep 15, 2026 • 6 min read

What Front Range Investors Should Verify Before Investing in Property

Property can look convincing from a distance. Clean listing photographs, updated flooring, a tidy rent estimate, and maybe a spreadsheet showing comfortable monthly income are all positives. Still, an investment succeeds or fails somewhere below that polished surface. The real questions concern recurring costs, physical condition, tenant demand, legal limitations, and how the property behaves aft

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Nov 10, 2020 5 min read

Insulation to Install in a Colorado Home: R-Value Guide

Colorado spans three building climate zones depending on elevation, from Denver's Zone 5B up through Zone 6 and Zone 7 in the mountains, and the target R-value for attic, wall, and crawlspace insulation changes with the zone. A Denver metro home wants R-49 to R-60 in the attic and R-13 to R-21 in exterior walls; a mountain-adjacent home in a colder zone wants the higher end of both ranges.Getting

Nov 10, 2020 7 min read

Winterizing a Front Range Home: Full Checklist

A Front Range home needs to be ready for 65-degree afternoons and single-digit nights in the same week, so the fall checklist has to cover more ground than a generic winterizing list written for a milder climate. The three jobs that matter most before the first hard freeze: shut down the sprinkler system, protect exposed pipes, and get the furnace tuned for altitude.The Denver metro area sees its

Nov 8, 2020 7 min read

Customizing a New Colorado Home Without Losing Resale Value

A new home on the Front Range starts to feel personal once it reflects the people living in it, and six changes do that fastest: plants suited to the dry climate, personal art, a paint plan built around strong Colorado light, lighting upgrades, a room dedicated to a hobby, and small hardware swaps. Each one also carries a Colorado-specific rule worth knowing before spending money on it.Front Rang

Nov 3, 2020 6 min read

What Colorado Real Estate Agents Won't Tell You

A real estate agent works for you, not the other way around. The national commission settlement that took effect August 17, 2024 rewrote several of the old rules for buyers and sellers on the Front Range, and every one of the changes below is information you are entitled to have in writing before you sign anything.Nothing in Colorado law requires a buyer or seller to work with the first agent the

Oct 21, 2020 7 min read

Eco-Friendly Home Upgrades That Pay Off in Colorado

The three eco-friendly upgrades that pay off fastest on a Colorado home are homemade cleaning products that skip harsh chemicals, a metal roof built to take a hail hit, and a water-wise yard that meets Front Range watering rules. Each one answers a real Colorado problem: hard water, hail season, and drought restrictions.Denver averages 300 days of sun a year, and at 5,280 feet the UV load is roug

Oct 21, 2020 7 min read

How Remote Work Affects Colorado Homeowners Insurance

Working from a spare bedroom or basement office changes what your homeowners policy needs to cover, and Colorado's hail, wildfire and theft risk make the base policy price move for reasons that have nothing to do with where you work. Here is what actually changes, what does not, and what it costs.A standard Colorado homeowners policy covers ordinary home office contents — a desk, a laptop, a prin

Sep 29, 2020 6 min read

A Colorado Buyer's Guide to a Higher Credit Score

A higher credit score earns a Colorado buyer a lower mortgage rate, a smaller down payment requirement, and access to more loan programs, and most of the fastest gains come from three habits: paying every bill on time, lowering credit card balances, and leaving old accounts open.Conventional loans start at 620, FHA loans start at 580 with 3.5% down (500 with 10% down), and the Colorado Housing an

Sep 26, 2020 6 min read

4 Showing Mistakes That Cost Colorado Sellers a Sale

Four things quietly cost Front Range sellers a buyer at showing time: pest activity, clutter that hides a room's real size, personal items and valuables left in the open, and strong odors from cooking, smoke or air fresheners. None of them take more than a weekend to fix, and all four show up in buyer feedback when they go wrong.A showing is a short window, no more than 20 to 30 minutes, for a bu

Aug 30, 2020 6 min read

Home Office Space for Colorado-Based Businesses

Denver and most Front Range cities allow a home-based business as long as it stays a secondary use of the home, does not add regular customer traffic, and does not require exterior changes that signal a commercial operation. A spare bedroom, a finished basement corner, or part of a garage all work, but the right layout depends on zoning, HOA rules, and how much internet and workspace the business

Aug 29, 2020 6 min read

Denver vs. the Suburbs: Pros and Cons for Buyers

Denver's core neighborhoods and the surrounding Front Range suburbs answer different questions for a buyer: the city trades yard size for commute time and walkable amenities, while suburbs like Aurora, Lakewood, Littleton, and Centennial trade some commute time for larger lots and newer construction. Neither is the better choice outright; the right one depends on the trip a buyer takes most.It de

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