Today on The Kim Monson Show, we dive deep into the socialization of key sectors like transportation, education, and energy, questioning whether present policies are leaning more towards freedom or force. We explore the challenges faced by the American middle class in terms of taxation and rising costs, and what can be done to preserve the American idea in today’s complex political landscape. Ken and Roger Mangan discuss the rising costs of home insurance and the legislative changes impacting homeowners in Colorado, offering valuable advice to listeners on how to navigate these changes effectively.
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It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
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The socialization of transportation, education, energy, housing, and water. What it means is that government controls it through rules and regulations.
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The latest in politics and world affairs.
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Under this guise of bipartisanship and nonpartisanship, it’s actually tapping down the truth.
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Today’s current opinions and ideas.
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On an equal field in the battle of ideas, mistruths and misconceptions is getting us into a world of hurt.
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Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
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Indeed. Let’s have a conversation. And welcome to The Kim Monson Show. Thank you so much for joining us. You each are treasured, you’re valued, you have purpose. Today, strive for excellence, take care of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body. My friends, we were made for this moment in history. Thank you to the team. That’s Producer Joe, Luke, Rachel, Zach, Echo, Charlie, Mike, Teresa, Amanda, and all the people here at Crawford Broadcasting. Happy Monday, Producer Joe.
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Happy Monday, Kim.
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And I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is next week. And we have been recording some fantastic interviews with some fantastic guests. And so it will be a great week. We normally pre-record for the week of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fourth of July and Easter. So I thank you for your hard work on that, Joe. It’s my pleasure, Kim. And so let’s get into it. Check out my website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. And while you’re there, make sure that you are signed up for our weekly email newsletter that goes out on Sundays, highlighting our upcoming guests as well as our most recent essays. And we published the one that Pam Long has written. What if the Colorado GOP promoted an executive branch slate in the 2026 election? And it has, we published it yesterday. And Pam had emailed me and said that she’s had a number of thought leaders in the state reach out to her regarding this very important piece. So be sure and check that out. That is at the website. And you can email me at kim at kimmonson.com. The text line is 720-605-0647. And if you text me on the text line and you have something specific, for example, I had somebody that texted and wanted me to share something with somebody else. But if you don’t put your name on there, I don’t know who it is. And so be sure and put your name on there if that’s… Something that you want me to do something about that. So it’s 720-605-0647. And so be sure and do that as well. I wanted to say thank you to the Harris family for their goal sponsorship of the show. And also thank you to Hooters Restaurants for their sponsorship of the show. Hooters Restaurants has been a great sponsor of both the Kim Monson Show and America’s Veterans Stories for many years. I got to know them. It’s a very important story about when I was on city council and the proper role of government. That whole story is on my website. But they have locations in Loveland, Westminster, and in Aurora, and great specials Monday through Friday for lunch and for happy hour. And so be sure and check that out. Kurt Gerwitz and I were over there just recently after he was on the show, and I had the nachos, which are just absolutely delicious. So be sure and check that out. Our word of the day is an interesting word, and it’s despoil. And it is spelled D-E-S-P-O-I-L. And it could be to strip of belongings, possessions, or value, to pillage. And through public policy, we are really seeing the American middle class despoiled and And it is through just a variety of things, through taxes and higher and higher costs for electricity and for power. And so if we don’t get this turned around, they will spoil almost everything of the American idea. So we are at a really a time of choosing. And it is important that we understand what’s going on. That’s why we do the show is to help you get your brain working. around these issues. As you know, we search for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to do it. And it’s never compassionate nor altruistic to take other people’s stuff, whether or not it’s their rights, their property, freedom, livelihoods, opportunity, childhoods, or lives via force. And force can obviously be a weapon, but we’re seeing policy and unpredictable and excessive tax yet. taxation, fear, coercion, government-induced inflation, and then this agenda of the World Economic Forum and globalist elites that are playing out with this Colorado state legislature, this Colorado governor, as well as at the local and county level. And my friends, it’s important to understand this Democrat Party has been taken over by radical activists. This is no longer the Democrat Party of JFK nor your grandpa or your grandma. And I think we as moderate Democrats and Republicans, unaffiliated libertarians, conservatives, we must come together and really change hearts and minds for liberty, which is the responsible exercise of freedom. And on the show, we focus on the issues, not the personalities. We will mention the people that are pushing these issues. But we want to stay out of all the personality stuff because then we start to lose sight of the issues. And I think that’s why in politics, many times there’s so much personality fighting is because they don’t really want to talk about the issues. Lauren Levy and Karen Levine will be our featured guests in hour number two. And so I thought, let’s talk about property. And I went to James Madison. And this was an article in the National Gazette in March of 1792. And he said this. And he was really, he was considered the father of the Constitution. And he was, hold on here just a second. I can’t quite remember exactly. He was born in 1750. He died in 1836, and he was an American statesman and diplomat and founding father who served as our fourth president and also known as the father of the Constitution. He said this, “…government is instituted to protect property of every sort.” This being the end of government, that alone is a just government, which impartially secures to every man whatever is his own. And we’ve moved to a point where many times government is being used to take from one person to give to another, which is very partial. And again, James Madison said, government is instituted to protect property of every sort. This being the end of government, that alone is a just government, which impartially secures to every man whatever is his own. And we have these very important discussions because I am so blessed to work with really amazing people. I am so pleased to be talking with Roger Mangan, and he is the head of the Roger Mangan State Farm Insurance Team and has been in business for a while, helping his clients, taking care of his family, giving back to his community. The last two weeks, Roger, we’ve talked about auto insurance. Let’s talk a little bit about home insurance.
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Thank you, Kim. That’s a hot topic today because premiums like auto insurance, premiums have gone through the roof. I think the context in which I’d like to discuss this in the few minutes that we have is it’s a different world out there. 10 years ago, we didn’t have a lot of the construction that dominates the Denver market. So when a hailstorm comes through today, it hits buildings, whereas 10, 20 years ago, it was hitting empty fields. So the industry last year, the total industry, spent $26 billion in just hail losses. That’s a very significant number. And then the other problem we have in Colorado is wildfires, as you all know. We’ve experienced that recently with the Marshall Fire. So we are restricting wildfire areas where we don’t write anymore in order to conserve the resources and reserves we have. In Colorado, think about this, Colorado itself represents 10% of all the state farm policies nationally. We write a lot of homeowners insurance in this state. Now, one of the things that’s happened that has accelerated rates, which the consumer probably is not aware of, is a law that was passed that opened the door for all types of home and car repair vendors where they can sue without the consent or knowledge of the insurer. A riffer, for example, filed a riffer fired by the Colorado homeowner for shoddy work sued their insurance company the actual homeowner was happy with the settlement but under colorado bad faith law the riffer was able to take a case to the court and sue for double even triple for the damages and you didn’t even know he did that so if you wonder why rates go up it’s just not the losses we have but laws that allow things to happen that are Totally off the charts.
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Well, and that does make it really difficult when government gets involved in what should be a private contract, Roger.
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Yeah, no doubt. No doubt about that, Kim.
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And so what can people expect regarding possible homeowners increases or homeowner insurance increases this year? Is there any ballpark?
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You know, I’m going to say somewhere between 10 and 15 percent and some even more than that, depending on the longevity they are with homeowner. They have been with State Farm, for example. So we have a loyalty discount that is significant. It ranges in the 30% category. And then it depends on the kind of roof you have. So if you’re not a State Farm insured, be sure if you’re going to get your roof repaired or replaced that you talk to your contractor and ask him for an impact-resistant roof. And we call it IRR, impact resistant roof class three or four. That alone with State Farm, and I can’t speak for other companies, of course, that renders a 30% discount. So between your loyalty discount and your 30% discount. impact resistant roof discount, that’s 60%. So somebody who’s been with us a long time that has a new roof is paying significantly less than people who are new to us. But then again, if you had a hail storm last year and replaced your roof, You come to us, and we can insure for probably 30% less than your current carrier. So give us a chance. Give us a call. We’ll give you a quote. And what’s that phone number?
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303-795-8855. And most definitely, like a good neighbor, the Roger Mangan Insurance team is there.
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Today, particularly in Colorado, your Second Amendment right to keep and bear firearms is under relentless attack. The Second Amendment is in our Bill of Rights to ensure that each individual has the right to resist oppression, stand firm against government overreach, and protect our right to defend ourselves, our families, and our freedoms. Colorado’s premier grassroots Second Amendment organization, the Second Syndicate, is exposing the most pressing threats to the Second Amendment and providing education, resources, and tools to stay informed. empowered and prepared join the movement protect your rights support the second syndicate.com that’s the2ndsyndicate.com where the second is first
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There’s so much noise coming at us. Sometimes it is difficult to make sense of it all. How can you sift through the clamor for your attention and get to the truth? The Kim Monson Show is here to help. Kim searches for truth and clarity by examining issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Tune in to the Kim Monson Show each weekday, 6 to 8 a.m. with encores 1 to 2 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. on KLZ 560 AM, KLZ 100.7 FM. The KLZ website, the KLZ app, and Alexa. Play KLZ. Shows can also be found at KimMonson.com, Spotify, and iTunes.
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And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. And as you know, one of the nonprofits that I dearly love is the USMC Memorial Foundation. And I would highly recommend that you support them. A great way to do that would be to buy a brick that will be on one of their pathways of service. And this is a great way to honor your loved one’s military service. And it is a lovely gift. You’ll receive a beautiful certificate, which you can wrap up and give for Hanukkah or Christmas. And it is an excellent gift. And so check that out. It is usmcmemorialfoundation.org, usmcmemorialfoundation.org. Let’s go through some headlines here. This first one is from Politico, and it says, The Trump administration will require SNAP participants to reapply for benefits. And there was a report last week also that 186,000 people that are receiving SNAP benefits are actually dead. And so it is important that we really take a look at this program. And this is interesting. says the Trump administration will require millions of low-income people to reapply for food stamps as part of an effort to crack down on fraud, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said. Rollins told Newsmax on Thursday that she plans to have everyone reapply for their benefits, make sure that everyone that’s taking a taxpayer-funded benefit through food stamps, that they literally are vulnerable and they can’t survive without it. She did not provide further information on when or how people would need to reapply. And her comment comes after funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, ran out of federal funding during the government shutdown, leading many conservative pundits and even President Donald Trump to criticize just how much the government spends on food stamps. SNAP, which serves nearly 42 million Americans, costs roughly $100 billion. in fiscal year 2024. Snap fraud can occur when participants intentionally lie about their qualifications for the program, retailers exchange benefits for cash, or criminals skim EBT cards for benefits per USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. That is one of the things that we really do need to crack down on across the board is fraud and obviously waste and abuse. And also, I really think that we need to get to a point where we trade value for value. I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, but back during the 30s and FDR’s programs, and one can debate those. We’re going to put that off to the side. But all those projects that were built because of government programs such as the Hoover Dam project, And Red Rocks and people had to work to receive those benefits. And there is such dignity in work, trading value for value. And so I think that this is a good idea by the Trump administration to do this because there really is dignity in work. in in work and trading value for value next headline and we’ve been talking about this it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out but this is uh from looks like it’s from msn and it says that electricity prices in the states with the most data centers are going up for everyday people And again, these data centers certainly are taking a lot, a lot, a lot of energy. And we need to be trying to figure this out because here we have been trying to shut down a reliable, efficient, affordable, and abundant power supply with naturally occurring hydrocarbons such as oil, natural gas, and coal. increasing demand for electricity, not only by pushing people into electric vehicles, but now with all these data centers, and everyday people are going to get squeezed. This becomes, again, another wealth transfer by taking money from everyday middle class Americans. And so it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is going to happen. And then, let’s see, this is another report. It says electricity prices are going to soar next year. Well, if we know that’s going to happen, why don’t we start to change public policy so that we are addressing these challenges? And… And instead, what’s happening is you’ve got PBIs that are trying to really control our lives. And one of the ways to do that is to control our power sources, our food sources. And so we need to be addressing this. That’s why I really recommend as we’re getting together for – Thanksgiving and for Christmas. Kids are coming home. There’s going to be conversations. And it’s important that we have these important conversations about the issues that we’re facing here in our country so that we can solve these problems. What’s happened is there are those on the far left that if they only watch some news sources and totally believe those news sources, then many times they may not be open to discussion. But there will be those at your dinner table that are. So it’s important that you be informed and reasonable and try to keep the temperatures down as far as conversations. But I’d highly recommend that you have a climate conversation in your hip pocket. And that is the documentary, which was the vision of Walt Johnson. And we made it, I think, about three years ago, and I had the great honor to moderate it. And it’s just a very thoughtful conversation about all these things regarding climate. And as we know, Bill Gates just recently took a U-turn on climate. saying whether or not climate is an existential threat. And tomorrow we’re going to have Daniel Turner on with Power of the Future to address what Bill Gates said about that. And I wonder if Bill Gates is changing his tune just a little bit because he wants all of these data centers and they’re such energy hogs. But anyway, check out A Climate Conversation. And I’d recommend that you rewatch it before you get together for the holidays so that you can have a reasonable approach to all these things regarding climate. Because things are changing a bit. Walt is actually working on a sequel to this movie as well. So stay tuned on that. Next thing, this is from the New York Post, and it says that our kids are – whoops, hold on here. These pop-ups get in the way of all of our headlines here – It says that our kids, college kids’ math skills are worse than ever, California finds, and they blame our pass-the-buck public schools. And we are spending so much on education. And again, this is a big wealth transfer from everyday people into the teachers’ unions. And I guess it’d be one thing if our kids were learning how to read, write, and do arithmetic, but that is not occurring. So this New York Post article says, “…what happens when a child is promoted grade by grade through America’s K-12 school system but can’t actually perform at grade level in reading, writing, or math?” At the University of California at San Diego, they found that they get into college and become someone else’s problem. University of California San Diego’s Senate Administration Workgroup on Admissions released a startling report last week documenting a steep decline in college preparedness. Between 2020 and 2025, it found the number of freshmen with math skills below middle school level increased nearly 30-fold, with about one in eight of them unable to handle even the most basic high school math. The university has had to add a new course devoted exclusively to teaching elementary and middle school common core math subjects. Well, maybe that’s part of the problem there. In addition to the remedial math classes it already had in place, covering high school topics like algebra and geometry. It says, but by the time these kids arrived at San Diego’s campus, they had already been failed many times over. It says, how does a child graduate from high school not knowing how to do basic math? Well, in 2023, 13% of students who took a UC San Diego math assessment could not perform at first grade level. And 25% of the kids got the equation seven plus two equals blank plus six wrong. So my friends, we are letting our kids down in our education system. And we as parents and community members and grandparents need to step up and take a more active role in what is happening in education. And back one of the ways to keep people under the thumb of government is if they can’t read and write and do arithmetic. And that’s one of the things that typically with slavery is many times slave owners did not want to have their slaves be able to read and write and do arithmetic. and so here we have 2025 america that that is happening with our american children and they’re falling behind yet we are spending so much money on this it’s absolutely unbelievable so again we’ve got to start to demand real results for our children regarding their education and we have to i know i know people are busy i know parents are busy but you have to take an active role in what’s happening at school what’s happening when the kids come home we need to be reading and writing and doing arithmetic with them and it’s super super important let’s see next thing i wanted to mention was that here we go it says democrats and republicans are rallying together after a utility company proposes $193 million electricity rate hikes. And it says you can’t squeeze blood from a stone. And this is an article from The Cooldown. And it says AES Indiana, the utility that has a monopoly on electricity in central Indiana, has proposed rate hikes that would increase bills for 530,000 customers by 13% by 2027. The Indy Star reported on top of the 40 percent that has already risen since 2020. Says, however, Indianapolis City Council members from both sides of the aisle are taking a stand against the hikes to protect their residents. Now, I’m not quite sure how that’s all going to work out. You can take a stand against these hikes, but you’ve got to look at the foundational problem, and that is government and PBIs, politicians, bureaucrats, and interest parties trying to move people into an energy source that they’re making more and more expensive and is not reliable, efficient, affordable, and abundant, and that is… Wind and solar. And so, again, we are coming to the realization of all of these policies from all of these different years. And so it’s important that we understand what’s happening with that. Another nonprofit that I dearly love is the Center for American Values, which is located in Pueblo. And I was down there last week. I had the great honor to emcee their event for some of their donors to celebrate their 15th anniversary. And they are focused on these foundational principles of honor, integrity, and patriotism. The center is nonpolitical. It’s nonpartisan. And they do They focus on these through educational programs, as we can see is so needed, K through 12, regarding these foundational principles and also by honoring our Medal of Honor recipients with their portraits of valor. So I’d highly recommend that you check out the Center for American Values, which is located in Pueblo. And then another great sponsor of the show is Mint Financial Strategies. And your financial freedom starts with the right guide. Mint Financial Strategies is here to help. As an independent firm with over 25 years of experience and the credentials of an accredited investment fiduciary, they offer advice that’s focused on you, not a sales quota. Their strategy-first approach is all about helping you live life on your terms with clarity, confidence, and control. Call Mint Financial Strategies today. That number is 303-285-3080. Mint Financial Strategies is your path to independent financial confidence. And as I mentioned, I work with people that strive for excellence. And there is great opportunity here in the metro real estate market. And if you’re buying a home, selling a home, or looking at a new build, you definitely want Karen Levine on your side of the table.
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All Kim’s sponsors are an inclusive partnership with Kim and are not affiliated with or in partnership with KLZ or Crawford Broadcasting. If you would like to support the work of The Kim Monson Show and grow your business, contact Kim at her website, kimmonson.com. That’s Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
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And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMonson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. And on the line with me is Susan Kochevar. She is a great sponsor of the show. She’s an entrepreneur and owner of 88 Drive-In Theater. Very well informed. She’s like Colonel Rutledge. She’s so curious about everything and reads extensively. Susan Kochevar, welcome. Great to have you. Good morning, Kim. So first thing I wanted to talk with you about is zoning and property rights. And this is tricky because what we’re seeing is zoning is being used. There’s this whole big rewrite that is occurring. with much zoning here in Colorado. And we’ve seen it pushed down from the Colorado State Legislature and the governor, where they want to increase density in these single-family neighborhoods. And we’ve seen pushback on this in Littleton and in Lakewood. And I… I agree with that, but zoning can be used as a – and I think I said something along the line of zoning is a property right on these single-family homes and these neighborhoods. And you pushed back and said it’s really property rights. So I said we’ve got to talk about this, Susan Kochvar.
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Yeah. So my contention is that zoning violates your property rights. and while i really understand people in neighborhoods don’t want a giant high density housing property next to their homes because um what’s happening through the zoning is the cities um from wherever it’s coming from you know the federal government the crazy left the state wherever the cities uh put restrictions on the people who want to come and build that high density housing. And they don’t, there’s a lot of people in a small space There’s not enough parking. And you’ll see typically that the roads are what they call on a road diet. They’re very skinny. So it’s very hard for people to drive around those. And you can see, I know they put a high density housing area in Westminster, calling it their downtown, and it’s failing. You know, the idea was they were going to put the high density at the top of a tall structure, and they were going to put shopping in the bottom, so those would be jobs for those people to work in. And it’s also, the people that tend to live in those properties need help, so they’re subsidized.
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So that’s one of the key things right there, is these housing developments are not standing on their own from an economic standpoint. And if they had to stand on their own from an economic standpoint, didn’t have subsidies for rents and all that, then they probably wouldn’t be built, right? Right.
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Yes, that’s exactly the situation. The cities are using zoning as a weapon and, um, you know, trying to force communities, um, you know, all, everyone’s going to live together and, you know, the rich people, the poor people and everybody are going to live together. Um, I don’t, uh, you know, I wouldn’t argue that that doesn’t, um, hurt the property value of some of those neighborhoods, but, you know, um, I could understand that point of view. Uh, the other point I want to make is that, um, The government’s role in protecting your property rights is not protecting your property value, because property value is extremely subjective. You know, there are people, I’m sure, who have elderly folks in the high density housing, their grandparents or their parents, and their proximity helps them. So to them, that’s valuable. Just as to some people, a community with an HOA is very valuable. To me, that is not valuable. I would not sign into one of those contracts. So that’s why the property value issue is to me not a very strong argument. The strongest argument I think is The zoning and the funding that the cities are using to develop these communities, and they’re interfering in the market and forcing properties to be developed in a way they would naturally be developed, and that just makes everybody unhappy. The high-density housing just does not do very well and does not work out very.
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not have that power in the end so talking about parking and roads would you would you say that parking is in a way is a property right because these high density subsidized apartment buildings and these apartment developers are probably getting extremely wealthy because many times and each of these deals can be structured differently But I know that some of these, when I was on city council, I went over and looked at an affordable or a subsidized apartment building. And my understanding with the way that deal was structured was the developer was getting market rates for every apartment. But there were those that were getting subsidized by… other taxpayers to live there. So they would pay a portion of that rent, and then the taxpayers were paying the other portion of that. And how that becomes so unfair is then, in essence, the person that’s paying market rates is also paying additional costs to subsidize possibly their neighbor. And there’s something really wrong about that. And then the developer is still getting market rates for…
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rent and it’s the taxpayer that is really on the line for all that and so that is an that’s an assault upon property rights right yeah it certainly is that’s that’s the uh the angle of attack that i think we need to take because um the the whoever owned the property um that the high density houses gets built upon. We don’t exactly always know what happened there, but sometimes what happens is because of the zoning, the city will decide that cities act like they’re big developers and they’re like, well, we would like to see our city look like this. So you get the economic development, the zoning people, and they want they’re like, well, we want the city to look like this. So this property owner can only sell their property to high-density housing. And if you think that doesn’t happen, you’re wrong. Cities will find reasons to deny a zoning change for a business if they don’t want it.
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But then I’ve also seen many times that they will change zoning, which is kind of changing the rules for people as well, which I think is what’s happening in Lakewood and in Littleton. Yeah.
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So the original property owner can’t just, you know, they just disturb the market so much. The original property owner can’t sell to whoever thinks that spot would be good for, I don’t know, something that those homeowners would appreciate. Maybe maybe more single family homes or, you know, townhomes or just a much larger apartment complex that has plenty of, you know, like a high end apartment complex. The person cannot sell their property to what the market wants. They have to sell the property to who the city wants. And that goes both ways with the changing of the zoning. So you have that issue. And then you also have the issue of high density housing and all of the federal and state monies that come in to help develop those. And that really messes up with the market, too, which is what you’re saying. And then they build these World Economic Forum and globalists think people can live in. really nicely in about 500 square feet, and they don’t really need a car. So they push those policies through, mostly comes through city staff.
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And a lot of the staff has been trained at these public universities that have been, that has instructors that are pushing the agenda of the World Economic Forum and the Globalist Elites.
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Exactly. Cities have city managers which help push and decide all that stuff. I would actually argue you should have a strong mayor who’s accountable to the people rather than a city manager, and this is why. Because if they get obstructionists on the city council, they will wait them out, and often there’s not enough of them on city council to help the citizens. It’s a big mess. It’s… they just mess up the market so much and destroy the property rights. They destroy the property rights of someone trying to sell a property to its highest and best use, whatever the market really wants. And they destroy the value of the properties for the homeowners. You know, I don’t, wouldn’t argue that that doesn’t hurt their property values, but that, but they destroy their property rights, you know, quiet enjoyment of their property. So it just, it’s, such a mess. It’s how we untangle it. I don’t know. There’s so much in there. Getting the money out of it in terms of subsidies, I think, would be a really good starting place.
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Well, it really is. And the subsidies and the incentives are used to coerce a market to try to achieve a specific goal of many of these pbis and so that goal has been to put people into the transit corridors and push them as you said into apartments and ride trains and buses and bicycles and walk and it’s so interesting how they hide all this though i remember when i was on city council I don’t know which organization it was, but they’d gone through different communities and had a walkability index. And having freedom of mobility to go where you want to when you want to, you can access – Different jobs, but you can also access relationships. I know that years ago when I used to go back to New York a lot, a friend of mine that lived there, and she was single, and she… had to kind of had to date in a specific area because it was so inconvenient to try to get out of her little area. And so again, freedom of mobility, you know, work, relationships, social interactions, all those things. If you have freedom of mobility, you’ve got a whole lot of different choices, Susan.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, that brings me to the 15-minute cities, and that’s the problem that that would cause. And there is already so much loneliness in our society, and I think that all this zoning and things are contributing to that. They just kind of lock people in. It’s an extremely bad idea. The freedom to travel and the freedom of property rights are really what built the country.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, yes. And I’m just looking here. I hadn’t thought about that. I hadn’t really looked this up. But it says Denver apartment vacancy hits a 15 year high. And this is from the Denverite back in April. I’ve been wondering about and they continue to build these apartment buildings. And the reason is, is because of the subsidies and the incentives. And they have a long range plan. I think, of taxing a lot of people out of their property and really trying to push people into these rental units. Your final thought on this before we go to break, Susan.
SPEAKER 03 :
I completely agree. You can see the property taxes rising all over the country, and it is extremely hard to get those cut back. And they always tell people, oh, for the kids or the fire department, but they are – eating away at us with that.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, they really are. And people fall for this. Instead of taking a good, strong look at the financials, we saw this in just this last election. And I still can’t believe that Denver, the people of Denver voted for just south of a billion dollars in debt extensions. It’s just unbelievable to me. And we’ve got, Susan, that’s why It’s so important that we engage in this battle of ideas that is raging because we are borrowing ourselves into oblivion if we don’t get this turned around. We’re going to continue this great discussion with Susan Kochavar. And for everything mortgages, you want to make sure that you have Lorne Levy on your side of the table. He can help you in 49 of the 50 states, just not New York. But for everybody that’s moving out of New York, he can help you with that mortgage.
SPEAKER 14 :
Many seniors are feeling squeezed because of inflation, higher property taxes, and increasing costs of living. If you’re 62 or older, a reverse mortgage may be the solution. Reverse mortgages can be complicated, so it’s important that you understand the process and work with a trusted professional. Mortgage expert Lorne Levy will help you craft solutions for your unique circumstances, whether a reverse mortgage, first mortgage, or a second mortgage. If you’d like to explore how a reverse mortgage might help you, call Lauren Levy at 303-880-8881. That’s 303-880-8881. Call now.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s twice the distance of Paul Revere to sound the alarm. assemble at my father’s house the kim monson show is our modern day sybil luddington bringing us the latest breaking news in the battle for truth and freedom ben’s plumbing heating and cooling is proud to stand with kim will you stand with us get engaged with the issue that keeps you up at night so that you can influence your school and community with truth and justice And for quality craftsmanship at a fair price, call or text Ben’s Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling at 303-995-1636. That number again is 303-995-1636.
SPEAKER 02 :
Do you strive for excellence as you work with your clients and customers? Does it make sense for you to add a unique and focused branding opportunity to your marketing portfolio? Would you like to access a broad customer base that loves our country and wants to make life better for ourselves, our neighbors, our colleagues, our children, and our grandchildren? Then you may be a perfect fit as a sponsor slash partner of The Kim Monson Show. To learn more, reach out to Teresa at 520-631-9243. Teresa would love to talk with you. Again, that number is 520-631-9243.
SPEAKER 05 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. And have Susan Kochavar on the line. She is an entrepreneur, owner of the 88 Drive-In Theater, and she is an avid reader, which is amazing. And in fact, Susan Kochavar, when we were talking with Colonel Rutledge about our kids being able to read and write and do arithmetic, your daughter was reading at the age of three, right? Right.
SPEAKER 03 :
She was, yeah. She really wanted to read, and I ordered the Hooked on Phonics, and they said, oh, well, she’s too young, really. She’ll probably only sit there for like 20 minutes a week. Well, she was one of those little kids who wanted to read right now, so she thought we were going to sit there all night until she could read, but it didn’t take her very long. Probably… I don’t know, maybe a week, and she really was getting it and starting to read. And interestingly, she’s homeschooling her children, and her five-year-old is starting to read, and the three-year-old right along with her, so it’s fun to watch.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, that is pretty awesome. And you read extensively, and you are reading Eric Trump’s new book, yes? Yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, Under Siege. I always like to read people’s books because it’s a good way to figure out who they really are. They’ll tell you if you pay attention. The Trump family has been through a lot. Agree with them or not, they have been through a tremendous amount of pressure. Most people could never stand up to all of that. But I highly recommend the book. In a lot of ways, it’s uplifting because… He talks about, you know, the work ethic and their desire to, you know, make all their properties as perfect as they can be, not a light bulb out, things like that. And that’s just very, very encouraging. But it’s a really good walk all the way through COVID, through Trump coming down the escalator and being spied on, all the way through that first presidency and then Coming out of that, I mean, just everything that we’ve been through, some of the stuff that had happened I had forgotten about. He talks about, you know, when they had the shutdown in those buildings in New York and Eric Trump is running the business and he’s saying, we can’t shut these down, folks, because, you know, you get mold here and we have to have people working on furnaces and different things like that. He talks about their employees and how they tried to keep them all because, you know, those people would just they wouldn’t have any. any wages and so he tried they tried to keep all their employees paid in some kind of way um you know trump really understood how bad that shutdown was and i do remember him saying we can’t just flip this off you know it won’t come back um and i think those are some of the things that he meant and eric trump goes through their struggle with all that he goes through the struggle of being debanked you know people that they have worked with banks that they had worked with forever and they just debanked them and that, uh, that would work with them. And, um, it’s just, uh, it’s a really good look at what happened and, um, how terrible government can be, you know, um, when, uh, Trump was running for office. Uh, and, and I think even after he won then, uh, Health inspectors would just visit the properties and give the highly trained staff a bad time and try to shut them down. They had so many issues. You know, government is largely malevolent. And boy, did they see that.
SPEAKER 05 :
So, Susan, there are those that Trump has not really walked back to. the support of the COVID vaccine, at least from what I can tell. And so there are those that are a little frustrated with him. Did Eric address that at all in the book?
SPEAKER 03 :
He did not address that. And I have to say, I agree with people. I don’t know why, um, why he won’t address that issue he did go after rfk jr and they are working to uh pull all the shots and then i think get rid of that mrna technology which is so dangerous but um and i would violate your rights by the way because you know you get um shed on by um mrna particles and that’s that’s another very dangerous aspect of that but And recently, Trump said he was vaccinated for COVID again. I don’t know if that is a true statement or not, but I find that externally concerning as well. I like a lot of things he’s done, but, you know, I never follow anybody over the cliff 100 percent.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, and I think it’s important that we have these conversations. And also regarding the Trump administration, I really want them to stay within the Constitution. Whenever we start to get outside the Constitution, we get in a whole bunch of trouble. And that’s where we are now with those that have been chipping away at the Constitution with this I have air quotes living constitution under Obama, which instead of limiting government, government has gotten so big and huge and people are starting to pay attention. But we’ve got two things that we’ve got to really do, Susan. One is we need to make sure that our elections continue. are free, fair, honest, and transparent. We can’t audit our elections here in Colorado. We can do a risk-limiting audit, which the Secretary of State chooses which ballots will be audited. And it’s not a real ballot. It’s an image. And so that’s a real problem. But on the other side… we’ve got to engage in the battle of ideas for hearts and minds. Because, for example, on this report that I gave that kids going into the University of California in San Diego can’t read and write and do arithmetic. Well, how can they be… critical thinkers? How can they understand this whole American idea and liberty and all that? And so we’ve got to engage in this battle for hearts and minds as well. And we’re trying to do both those things here at the Kim Monson Show. And of course, you’re such a great supporter of all that.
SPEAKER 03 :
It’s getting to, it’s like living in a dystopian novel. It’s like all those dystopian novels and movies were a roadmap for the World Economic Forum type folks. It’s very alarming. You know, I hire kids and they do not understand the denomination of the coins. And, you know, you might have, so credit cards are easy for them, but when they have to just collect the change, not do the math, not count up to the nearest dollar and then, you know, go to the bills, they do not understand the denominations of the change uh it’s it’s infuriating and so i have to start teaching the basics with the kids and you know the thing is that when you teach somebody and they learn something they smile and it’s very empowering and i’ll see kids that will be afraid of the register because they know they don’t understand the coins and you know you know when you don’t and you know especially when you get to 16 17 you don’t want to be embarrassed So that’s the thing I have to do is to teach them and not make them feel embarrassed. And once they master that, it’s amazing how much faster they start to learn everything else. It just infuriates me that these kids are coming out of school and can’t add. It’s horrible.
SPEAKER 05 :
It makes me think about our World War II, all these veterans that I’ve interviewed. And the guys that were navigators, they used slide rules and maps. And they were so – they’d been educated. Many of them did not have any more than a high school education. But if you look back at the Saline County, Kansas, eighth grade exam in 1895 – It is astounding what they knew how to do. And now we have kids getting into college that can’t read and write and do arithmetic. And it’s really letting our kids down. So let’s just talk a little bit about your kids. We’ve got about a minute left and all that you’re doing to help these young people. And you’re setting them up for success with this probably first job at 88 Drive-In Theater.
SPEAKER 03 :
yeah it’s fun to work with the kids i really love them they um some of them even come from the alternative schools which um uh and they’re actually really good kids i’m not quite sure how they’re getting shoved out of the public schools even uh the you know more standard school is probably a better way to say that but you know i hire them and they start working and and uh I kind of empower them. Everybody learns to do every job. Some of them, and I tell them, some things you’re going to be better at than others, but you have to learn to do all of it. Everybody has natural talents. And they tend to smile and work better together that way. So I really love them, and I like to explain to them all the taxes on their paychecks, and I like to show them all the taxes that I pay, show them the sales tax form and where all that money goes, and explain to them that the sales tax, certainly in my city, are nearing 10% when you get the state taxes and the RTD taxes in there. So I always have to tell them, that means every time a customer walks in here, $0.10 of every dollar goes to the government. So they only have $0.90 of every dollar to spend. And don’t understand that either.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, boy. Susan Kojavar, you’re doing such amazing work. And thank you for your great sponsorship and friendship of the Kim Monson Show. I wish you and yours a very blessed Thanksgiving next week. You too, Kim. Keep on talking. Okay. And our quote for the end of the show is James Madison. He said this, as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may equally be said to have a property in his rights. So today, be grateful, read great books, think good thoughts, listen to beautiful music, communicate and listen well, live honestly and authentically, strive for high ideals, and like Superman, stand for truth, justice, and the American way. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you. God bless America. Stay tuned for our number two.
SPEAKER 07 :
I don’t want no one to cry, but tell them if I don’t serve
SPEAKER 18 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s the Kim Monson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
SPEAKER 05 :
The socialization of transportation, education, energy, housing, and water, what it means is that government controls it through rules and regulations.
SPEAKER 12 :
The latest in politics and world affairs.
SPEAKER 05 :
Under the guise of bipartisanship and nonpartisanship, it’s actually tapping down the truth.
SPEAKER 12 :
Today’s current opinions and ideas.
SPEAKER 05 :
On an equal field in the battle of ideas, mistruths and misconceptions is getting us into a world of hurt.
SPEAKER 12 :
Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
SPEAKER 05 :
Indeed. Let’s have a conversation. And welcome to The Kim Monson Show. Thank you so much for listening. You’re each treasured, you’re valued, you have purpose. Today, strive for excellence. Take care of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body, my friends. We were made for this moment in history. Thank you to the team. That’s Producer Joe, Luke, Rachel, Zach, Echo, Charlie, Mike, Teresa, Amanda, and all the people here at Crawford Broadcasting. It’s Monday, and we’re off to the races, Producer Joe. Happy Monday, Kim. And check out the website. That’s Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. And while you are there, Pam Long has written a really important piece regarding, we have, I think we now have 21 people on the GOP side that have announced that they are running for governor. And so she said, how about the Colorado GOP promote an executive branch slate in the 2026 election? And she emailed me yesterday and said, that a number of thought leaders throughout the state have reached out to her. It’s a really good article. And so be sure and check that out. I want to say thank you to the Harris family for their goal sponsorship of the show. They’ve been a great sponsor for many years and really do appreciate them. We’ll talk with Susan Harris. She’s going to be on tomorrow. And check out the website. Again, it’s kimmonson.com. make sure you’re signed up for our weekly email newsletter that goes out on sundays you can email me at kim kimmunza.com thank you to all of you who support us as you know we search for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force force versus freedom if something’s a good idea you should not have to force people to do it and i do want to acknowledge our colorado union of taxpayers board members they’re all volunteers And I’m working diligently on the mailing list to get our ratings report out to all of our members. And if you would like to get that in hard copy, make sure that you go over to coloradotaxpayer.org and join. It’s only $25. And this is a monumental piece of work. And $25 a year. I should mention $2.08 a month. And this board, all volunteers, when you see them, say thank you to Steve Dorman, Greg Golianski, Russ Haas, Bill Hamill, Rob Knuth, John Nelson, Wendy Warner, Marty Nielsen, Rami Johnson, Mary Jansen, Dave Evans, Corey Onozorg, Paula Beard. and Ray Beard. And again, you can join us for only $25. That is coloradotaxpayer.org. And as you know, we look at these issues, searching truth and clarity through this lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, shouldn’t have to force people to do it. And we focus on the issues on the show and try to stay out of all the personality stuff. We’ll but want to stay disciplined and focused and have reasonable conversations about all of this. Pleased to have in studio with me, Lorne Levy. Boy, Lorne, you’ve been a sponsor of the show for close to eight years.
SPEAKER 01 :
I don’t even know. It’s been a long time.
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s been a long time. And you are a mortgage specialist, and you can help people in 49 of the 50 states. Just not New York, but all those people moving out of New York, you can help them with their mortgages.
SPEAKER 01 :
Gladly, gladly. Wherever they want to go.
SPEAKER 05 :
And what’s that phone number for people to reach you?
SPEAKER 01 :
303-880-8881.
SPEAKER 05 :
So we’ll be talking about the Fed and interest rates and all that here with you and Karen Levine here and the metro real estate market in just a little bit. But our word of the day is despoil. It’s D-E-S-P-O-I-L. And it could be to strip of belongings, possessions, or value to pillage. And I would say that this agenda of these globalist elites in the World Economic Forum is to try to despoil everyday middle class, class Americans. And that’s why we have to engage in this battle of ideas so that we can understand and reclaim our great state and our great American idea. Our quote of the day is from James Madison. It was an article in the National Gazette in March of 1792. He said this, government is instituted to protect property of every sort. This being the end of government, that alone is a just government, which impartially secures to every man whatever is his own. And Lauren, when you start to see government using tax policy and incentives and subsidizing rents or subsidizing whatever, that is partial. And that is totally antithetical to this whole American idea.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, it’s determining winners from losers, I guess.
SPEAKER 05 :
Taking from one to give to another. Taking by force could also be called stealing, right?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, I don’t think they would call it that.
SPEAKER 05 :
They call it government policy. And I chose these property quotes because we were going to be talking about government. and property. So that’s why I chose that. So Lauren Levy, I talked a little bit about the Trump administration says that they’re going to have everybody reapply for SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It’s basically food stamps. And I think that this is a good idea. What do you think about this?
SPEAKER 01 :
I think anytime you have to just, for example, you pick any industry where you have a license, whether it be Karen as a realtor and myself as a mortgage broker, we have to reapply every year, basically. We have to renew our license, show our qualifications, show our insurances, and I’m sure there’s a lot of industries that have to do that. It’s not just you get it one time. Your driver’s license is only good for a certain period of time before maybe you have to take an eye test. And I’ve always believed that people that were getting government assistance, many, many deserve it. But the people that push back when they say, should you be drug tested to receive this stuff or should you be actually looking for employment and have to show that? I think you should have to show that to get help. So I don’t see a problem.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, and the work programs back in the 30s, and again, not debating the merits or non-merits of it, but when people were getting assistance, they were building things. They were working. Hoover Dam, Red Rocks. And so this value for value, I think, is really important. Now, there is a small percentage of people that really can’t take care of themselves. And we should address that, I think, through… I think we should lower taxes across the board so that people can thrive and prosper. And Americans are very generous people. And then I think there should be value for value. If you’re receiving food stamps, I think you need to do some work to get those.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, I mean, I think there’s definitely some people that need help, right? But it shouldn’t be very difficult to show that you need the help, you know, if you have to reapply. That should be a quick process if you really need the help, I would think.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, one would think so. So it’s going to be interesting to see what happens with that. Also, I reported that our kids are graduating and not being able to read and write and do arithmetic. And in fact, in some colleges, they’re having to offer remedial courses for math as like first grade. This is unbelievable. Your kids recently have graduated. Any… Any thoughts about this?
SPEAKER 01 :
I know things have changed, obviously, from when I was in school. That’s fine. I mean, I know they don’t know how to do cursive, so they don’t really know how to write a check. They don’t know how to balance a checkbook because they just trust that the bank’s doing it for them, and they just look on their phone and see their balance. And I talk to my kids about, how do you know if there’s something that looks wrong in there? Math-wise, I remember years ago, they started bringing home that new wonky math thing
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, Comic-Con.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, and I couldn’t even… I’m pretty good at math, and I couldn’t figure some of that stuff out the way they were showing it, so it’s not surprising.
SPEAKER 05 :
They’re doing these things to really dumb our kids down, I think.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, I don’t know what they’re doing all day, then.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, you and I have talked about this, and that was the furries in school. And you actually saw that firsthand, right?
SPEAKER 01 :
I heard it firsthand from my own kids because I didn’t believe it. I mean, who would believe that that was a thing? And we better explain it to people. The people that dress up as dogs and cats and act as dogs and cats. That’s one thing if you want to wear a costume to school. That’s been going on for 100 years. But I couldn’t believe that they were getting, what do you call it, accommodations. Yeah, like litter boxes. Yeah, like litter boxes in the bathrooms and licking their hands in class. That was detention. We had a word called detention. And I know it firsthand.
SPEAKER 05 :
So that did happen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah. And then I talked to my kids about it. Like, oh, yeah, that happens. That’s real.
SPEAKER 05 :
And then we wonder why kids can’t read and write and do arithmetic when we’ve got that going on in the classroom.
SPEAKER 01 :
Exactly. And the teachers either don’t want to do anything about it or can’t. Yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s difficult being a teacher these days. So, gosh. Well, let’s go to break. We have Lauren Levy in studio. I think we’re going to have Karen Levine in studio here. It’s so interesting that… The traffic, even at this time of day, can be pretty interesting. And it’s because people like the convenience of their vehicle to be able to go where they want to, when they want to. Now, granted, sometimes they get slowed down a little bit, but people still want to drive around in their cars. And we have these important discussions because of our sponsors. And the Roger Mangin State Farm Insurance team can help you with all of your insurance needs. And they may be able to save you some money if you bundle your insurance together. The only way to find out is to give them a call. That number is 303-795-8855. Like a good neighbor, the Roger Mangan team is there.
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SPEAKER 20 :
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SPEAKER 16 :
There’s so much noise coming at us. Sometimes it is difficult to make sense of it all. How can you sift through the clamor for your attention and get to the truth? The Kim Monson Show is here to help. Kim searches for truth and clarity by examining issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Tune in to the Kim Monson Show each weekday, 6 to 8 a.m. with encores 1 to 2 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. on KLZ 560 AM, KLZ 100.7 FM. The KLZ website, the KLZ app, and Alexa. Play KLZ. Shows can also be found at KimMonson.com, Spotify, and iTunes.
SPEAKER 05 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. And if you’re craving real New York-style pizza or pasta, Little Richie’s and Parker and Golden have you covered. Authentic New York flavor with Colorado roots. From daily specials and weekday lunch deals to happy hour worth planning around, they are your neighborhood favorite, and they’re always serving something worth stopping for. And if you’re thinking about having a pizza night while you’re… I have friends and family in town. Be sure and check out Little Richie’s New York Style Pizza in Parker and in Golden. In studio with me is Lorne Levy, mortgage specialist, great sponsor of the show. Great to have you here.
SPEAKER 01 :
Great to be back.
SPEAKER 05 :
And Karen Levine, RE-MAX realtor, zoomed in. It’s good to have you here, too. I did.
SPEAKER 09 :
It’s great to be here.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. So let’s talk about money. Let’s talk about mortgages, the Federal Reserve. I see reports that some of these tech companies are laying people off. I’m thinking, ah. But yet, employment’s one of the things that the Fed looks at. So what’s your ear to the ground on this, Lorne?
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, you’re right about people being laid off. Some of the hard part was when the government shut down, there was a lack of data getting released. And so it’s starting to trickle out now that they’ve reopened. But we don’t have much of it yet. So it’ll be interesting to see how the Fed does with… kind of like a black hole of data for a bit. But yeah, I mean, I’ve seen the same announcements you have. I think one of the ones I recently saw was, I think it was Comcast or Verizon. It was one of those bigger companies that was laying off a bunch of people. They were consolidating offices, a big one here in Denver. So the Fed has an interesting thing to look at because we know just from whatever we buy that inflation is being stubborn. It’s not where it was before a few years ago, but it’s not as low as they would like it. But they also have to make sure people stay employed. So it’s a tough balancing act, and that’s what you and I were talking about. I don’t know that they’re going to lower rates the way people in Wall Street was even thinking they would do as fast because they’re still worried about this stubborn inflation a little bit.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, but inflation is caused by government policy.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, no, you’re right. And that’s where the Fed is in a bind because the government’s going to do what they want to do, right? And the Fed has to react to it. You know, the Fed doesn’t have a vote when Congress votes, right? Congress creates these policies and whatever the results of them are, and then the Fed has to react to that.
SPEAKER 05 :
So when Lauren Fix was on last week over in the automotive sector, she said that there’s a lot of manufacturing jobs coming back to America. I said, I haven’t seen those headlines. She said, well, you’re not going to see those headlines.
SPEAKER 01 :
Most people are only going to disparage what the administration right now is doing, which is what you always see. And I don’t have any issues with that. It just takes time. You can’t just say, hey, Toyota’s going to build a factory over here and then it’s going to open on December 1st. Right. It takes time. It takes a few years to build the thing and get the jobs. But I believe it’s happening.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. And so, Karen Levine, regarding the metro real estate market, there is opportunity. A little bit of downward pressure on prices, yes? Mm-hmm. Okay. So, what’s going on?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, I was just pulling up some Monday morning figures. And just to give you an idea, a little over… 1,000 homes took price reductions in the last seven days. And so then that means that there’s more affordability and interest rates have improved a bit, right? So that gives a buyer the opportunity to go in and maybe negotiate a price they haven’t been able to negotiate in the most recent five, six years because they potentially – shouldn’t be in a multi-offer situation. And I say that because a buyer found a home this weekend that I’m working with, Lauren and I are working with, and it’s a property, has not been on the market a long time, and I say not a long time, less than 30 days. They took a substantial price reduction, and now we may be competing.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay. So the words on the seller side, substantial price reduction. Address that.
SPEAKER 09 :
So $500,000 home takes a $10,000 price reduction. That’s sizable.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 09 :
If you roll back to the Great Recession, price reductions were… In that price range, substantial would have been $2,500, maybe $5,000. So we are seeing that to make a buyer move off the needle, it has to be relative. And that relativity has changed over time. Does that make sense?
SPEAKER 05 :
It does. So somebody that bought within the last few years and has to sell, their equity position –
SPEAKER 09 :
It could be a little bit tight.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 09 :
It could be a little bit tight. And that’s because if they bought at the height of the market, those values are seeing downward pressure. And so when I look to price a home, interesting, I’m looking at that lovely tax assessment from 2024, 2023, 2022, and saying our value is probably below that at this point.
SPEAKER 05 :
So what’s going to happen then? When is the next valuation for tax assessments? It will come out in May.
SPEAKER 09 :
So, and they will use what? They will use June 1st of last year to, I’ll never get the 18 months right, to January of this year, I think is right. Did I get that right?
SPEAKER 01 :
It sounds about right.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah. Okay. So. You’re not going to see a big move. You’re not going to see a big move? Not a big move. Okay. Because the data will not have caught up yet.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay. Okay.
SPEAKER 09 :
And there won’t, I mean, potentially, none of the moves will be big if the market continues to stay strong. Because the market is not, the bottom’s not falling out. It’s a very healthy market.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay. Okay. So we did see these huge property tax increases because of that last assessment. And my question was going to be, if we saw devaluation, then would property taxes go down?
SPEAKER 09 :
Oh, probably not, because, you know, for some odd reason, the Front Range approved every tax increase. I know. I know. And they say they don’t want their taxes going up. I just don’t quite understand.
SPEAKER 05 :
I don’t understand that. I don’t understand that either. So, Lauren, regarding the Fed, what else should people know about the Fed as we’re coming into the end of the year?
SPEAKER 01 :
I think the biggest thing people should know about the Fed is that it’s not a major factor in what they should be worried about on a day-to-day basis. Because if you – and most people don’t hear this on the – I’m not blaming the news. People, wherever they get their information, the Federal Reserve controls the short-term. They call it an overnight interest rate. So they’re setting the shortest rate possible, the rate that banks borrow from other banks. and from the Fed, which in turn leads to more control over short-term U.S. Treasuries, one month, three months, six months, even up to a two-year rate. But you and I have talked for almost eight years, as you say, that mortgage rates are tied loosely, but tied to the 10-year U.S. Treasury. So the Fed doesn’t have a lot of control over long-term interest rates because they’re moving short-term interest rates. It’s the reaction of the 10-year note to what the Fed does that moves rates for mortgages. And not a lot’s happened since the Fed started cutting rates. Mortgages have come down from 7 to mid to lower 6s. But people that are waiting around for 3.5…
SPEAKER 06 :
It’s not going to happen for a while.
SPEAKER 01 :
Not at all. We were in a massive crisis that caused that, right? And hopefully that never happens again. So, I mean, as Karen’s saying, when you asked about people that buy a home and then maybe have to sell soon, I mean, I think Karen would say most people that she talks to, if you’re going to buy a home and then sell it in eight months and it’s not a flip that you’ve improved, she’d probably tell you not to buy it, right? I mean… People usually buy a home to stay. Because you’re always going to have to deal with the fees and the cost of doing that and then having to turn around and do it. But I’m helping someone refi that they bought their house in March and then went through a remodel. I put in their data for the new loan the same as the data when they bought it. So I needed an appraisal. It came in $180,000 higher and I almost fell over. It’s because they did a remodel and improved the property. But still, they intend to stay. They fixed it up to where they want it and that’s their… You know, there’s no intention of selling. It’s not a flip for them.
SPEAKER 05 :
So, Karen, from a tax standpoint, if somebody does that, they buy a home, put in a remodel, and that home goes up in value, is that reflected in their property tax values? Well, of course.
SPEAKER 09 :
Why wouldn’t it be?
SPEAKER 05 :
They improve their property. And that’s why probably you have to get a permit by the government to do that stuff so they know that you’re doing it, right? Of course.
SPEAKER 01 :
If you want that. I mean, there are people that do… I know people that have finished their basements without permits. And if you look them up on the county records, they don’t have a basement.
SPEAKER 09 :
They don’t have a finished… They have a basement. They just don’t have a finished basement. So when they call me and they want to protest their taxes, I graciously say to them, you do understand… That they’re going to find out about your finished basement, which is now going to increase your taxes. So let’s be careful. And the thing is, is that you may choose to not finish your basement with a permit. And as a homeowner, you have every right to do that. When you go to sell it, it will be market-driven whether that’s a problem or not.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay. Okay. Because a lot of people like to make sure that everything was… Right.
SPEAKER 09 :
They want to know the electrical is safe. They want to know that the plumbing has a drain system that goes out into the sewer line. They want to know those things. As a consumer, you would want to know those things.
SPEAKER 08 :
Right.
SPEAKER 09 :
So there is a risk. There is a trade-off. And that’s a decision that you as the homeowner need to make. Okay. And when people are like, Karen, we didn’t have a permit for our basement. Great. Disclose it. Disclose it. Disclose it. And then they disclose it, and then the buyer has the decision to make. Is that the home they want to purchase or not?
SPEAKER 05 :
Transparency is super important, and we talk about that all the time. And it really is. We’re going to continue these discussions. We have them because of our sponsors. And the Second Syndicate is co-founded by Teddy Collins and Alicia Garcia with Spartan Defense, which is a firearm store in Colorado Springs. Very, very much appreciate all the great work they’re doing.
SPEAKER 21 :
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SPEAKER 19 :
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SPEAKER 13 :
All Kim’s sponsors are an inclusive partnership with Kim and are not affiliated with or in partnership with KLZ or Crawford Broadcasting. If you would like to support the work of The Kim Monson Show and grow your business, contact Kim at her website, kimmonson.com. That’s Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
SPEAKER 05 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is kimmonson.com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter. You can email me at kim at kimmonson.com as well. And as you know, I totally love the USMC Memorial Foundation and the great work that they are doing. to maintain the Marine Memorial out at 6th and Colfax and raise the money for the remodel. And Paula Sarles and her team, Mary, the whole group, do amazing work. And now that we’re getting into the holiday season, a great gift for Hanukkah or for Christmas would be to buy a brick to honor your loved one’s military service. And you can do that by going to usmcmemorialfoundation.org. That will be on one of their pathways of service. In the meantime, you will receive a beautiful certificate that you can wrap up and give to your loved one for Christmas or for Hanukkah. In studio with me is Lauren Levy for Everything Mortgages and Karen Levine, Remax Realtor. And Karen, let’s go over to you first regarding the conversation we were having with Susan Kochevar at Hour No. 1 regarding zoning and property rights. And… We were talking in between the break about rentals in a community, short-term rentals. It seems like you should be able to do with your property what you want to do, but then there are different jurisdictions that are either taxing or outlawing short-term rentals. What’s your thoughts on this from a property rights standpoint?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, it’s a big question, Kim. And so when, as Susan brought up, zoning limits your rights to your property. And if you know the zoning going in, you made a commitment to making that investment based on that zoning. And we’re a very creative nation. And so we started thinking about ways we can generate additional income in our day to bring into our households. And so… Over time, people have invested in real estate, and some initially would invest in a property and then turn it into a rental property so that they would have some residual income. And it was a strategy to develop more wealth, a very good strategy. Some communities didn’t, it was okay when there were one or two rentals in that community. It didn’t seem to overall affect the values or the makeup of the community. And then you started to see some communities become more rental heavy. The percentage was heavier. Well, in our creativity, then we came up with the idea that, well, instead of staying in a hotel, maybe you’d prefer to stay in a home when you’re vacationing. And we started seeing short-term rental enter our market. And it was another great opportunity. But then the surrounding homes… felt violated. Their property rights were being violated. Maybe Susan and you were talking about limited parking or loud parties at night or excessive partying, whatever that was. And you as the property owner to the neighboring house of the one that was short-term rental felt violated. So how do you create balance? Well, government seems to think you create that balance by taxing or feeing or then limiting the rights of the creativity of the short-term rental owner. And it’s difficult. Zoning does the same thing. We have challenges in our communities that people want to live in certain communities, either because of their makeup or because of what they have to offer as amenities or because of their pricing or because of their ease of commuting to their jobs. But land is limited. And so density is the only option if people want to live there. But if you create density, are you then taking away rights of those who are already there?
SPEAKER 05 :
So I think that narrative, though, that we have to have denser neighborhoods, I push back on that because we’ve seen public policy push denser neighborhoods, but we’re seeing all kinds of subsidies on that.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, that’s a bigger subject, and you like to throw it all in one pot, and that’s not fair.
SPEAKER 05 :
We’ll continue this discussion. Okay, Lorne, now I’m going to talk to you, okay?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, we’ll get done with her.
SPEAKER 05 :
What’s your thoughts about short-term rentals? I don’t know.
SPEAKER 01 :
I mean, I think with regards to density, I think the answer is density should be driven by demand, right, and not by the government. So if a lot of people want to live in the same place, then density might be the answer, as long as they’re doing it by choice and not by picking winners and losers. But I see both sides.
SPEAKER 05 :
Good for you. Thank you. Okay, Karen and I can talk.
SPEAKER 01 :
Now you guys are friends again. But short-term rentals, I see both sides because you’re talking about property rights and whose property rights are more important, the person who owns the home or the neighbors. They both have rights. They both want to do what they want to do. And somewhere you have to figure out the balance, you know?
SPEAKER 05 :
It seems like there’s this inherent part in this, though, to be a good neighbor. And so if you have a short-term rental, if you put in parameters for the people that are renting, I think you and I have talked about that, Karen, that no loud music after 10 o’clock and try to park here and here. It seems like those things could be addressed by just being a good neighbor, and yet that could honor property rights, right?
SPEAKER 01 :
As long as the renters do what you tell them to do.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah. That’s exactly where you’re at, is that I am a very good renter of short-term rental. When I leave the short-term rental, it is in better condition than when I went into it. And in most cases, the neighbor would not have known I was even there. Right. But we have had good long-term renters and we have had not good long-term renters. So again, it’s good actors, bad actors. It’s being the good neighbor. It’s doing the right thing. It’s being the good citizen. Right.
SPEAKER 01 :
I had an interesting one. I rented in, I want to say Scottsdale. I might have been right around a while back for my son’s baseball tournament years back. And in that house, there were signs all over the place with their rules. And it was more about being outdoors late, you know, beyond 10 with the noise. But they had collected a pretty significant deposit from us. So the rent was, let’s just say, $200 a night, whatever it was. But then on our credit card, they held like $1,000 as a hold that would be released at the end of the rental. Like within three or four days, assuming no complaints.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 01 :
So it was a complaint deposit. And I don’t know how they would have registered that if someone called them. The management company must have a way to keep record of that complaint.
SPEAKER 06 :
But it got your attention. Yeah.
SPEAKER 01 :
It was like a good neighbor hold on a set of money that I thought was a pretty good way to address some of this. Because you hit people in the wallet, and that usually is where they don’t want to be hit.
SPEAKER 05 :
So Susan said this. She said, I would add to what Karen is saying that More people went to renting out their property or renting out rooms or short-term rentals because the taxation got so high that they couldn’t make it. It was more government interference through taxes. And she said those short-term rental people also get evaluated. And if you don’t respect the rules, then you are blackballed, so to speak. But you and I talked about that regarding properties up in the mountains. I think you had some friends that wanted to buy a property, I think, in Grand Lake. and Grand Lake was considering something regarding short term rentals, but they needed that short term rental income in order to make that work.
SPEAKER 09 :
Correct. And it was a business strategy. And so the rules were set out when they made the investment. And then if those rules change, that affects your overall strategy, which, like Susan said, if it’s a raise in taxes or a raise in fees, that revenue source no longer is covering what you intended to cover it. It’s now covering government interference fees, you know, from tax and licensing. And I think that’s where our representatives lose sight of some of the policies that when they are robbing from Peter to pay Paul, sometimes Peter runs out of money.
SPEAKER 05 :
You’re channeling your Maggie Thatcher. Okay, so this came in from Richard. It says, in Colorado, these taxing authorities evaluate your property value and therefore property tax every two years. He said he’s a big advocate that everyone should always pull a permit. If you go to the city and they say, oh, you don’t need a permit to do… your back deck that’s fine and dandy but at least you should ask and he said we should call it property tax assessment then gammy said and she had a really good point not pulling permits on majors like electrical can trigger insurance not covering accidents if caused by this work that’s a really good point yeah and she said zoning residential is just that so it must be protected it comes first and uh let’s Let’s see. There’s other things. Oh, hold on here. Let me get over here too. This came in from Jenny. She said, these town administrators are trained in the UN agenda and town planners are trained at the American Planning Association. And then they are put into the local communities to implement this transition. And that’s what I’ve really seen. Karen, I know you and I have this density back and forth. But I also have seen, being on city council, that a number of these young city planners have gone through these universities that really have been pushing the idea of density and then using tax incentives and other kinds of subsidies to make that happen. And to Lauren’s point, we need to just get to where everything is treated impartially. And that’s really the foundational idea of America. Right, Karen? Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, I think I mean, and I think what Lauren said was, if the market is demanding it, then then that’s probably a good move. If it is a city planner that, you know, their agenda is being propagandized to you. That’s questionable.
SPEAKER 01 :
right or the legislature the governor as well and i think i was going to say to those comments about the permitting i’ve dealt with this firsthand on a couple different times you’d like to think that the homeowner would want the permit for all the reasons we’ve said right for um for safety for insurance for resale for all these things but i also know that sometimes it’s not the homeowner like you know you consult with a contractor and They want the job. And the permits cost money. So it’s an extra cost when someone’s looking at doing a project. They’re not $100, you know. They’re often thousands. And it’s time because the builder has to stop, right? They have to get to a point, stop, wait for that inspector to come out, which depending where you live could be the next day, could be a week. Could be a month. Yeah. And then they can move forward to the next phase and then stop. And so sometimes the builder’s telling you, ah, don’t worry about it. You don’t need that. Like, we can get it done in five months. But if you want to permit it, it might take eight months or nine months or ten months. And time is money. Yeah, time is money. And people want what they want when they want it. And so as you’re a homeowner, you know, I’m not saying anyone’s taking advantage of anybody. But sometimes you’re like, all right, you’re the master of this. You’re the person who knows the expert. So I’ll just go with what you say.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay. Well, and then also it gets back to government not necessarily being efficient. So if it takes that long for an inspector to get out – actually, I think they should all go to the school of Chick-fil-A. I can’t believe how fast you can get through and get your meal. But that’s because it’s private enterprise.
SPEAKER 01 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay, we’re going to take calls and text messages in this last segment. Lorne Levy for Everything Mortgages is in studio, as well as Karen Levine, Remax Realtor. Lorne, if people are interested in a new home to get pre-qualified or a reverse mortgage or anything like that, what’s the best number for people to reach you?
SPEAKER 01 :
I always call 303-880-8881.
SPEAKER 05 :
And Karen, you’ve got some great opportunities in the metro real estate market. And how can people reach you? And as you can see, I’m blessed to work with amazing sponsors. Another great sponsor is John Bozen and Bozen Law.
SPEAKER 10 :
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SPEAKER 14 :
For nearly 20 years, mortgage specialist Lorne Levy with Polygon Financial Group has helped individuals realize their hopes and dreams of home ownership, fund kids’ educations through second mortgages, and access capital by utilizing reverse mortgages. Lauren Levy works with many different lenders, and his goal is to provide home loans to his clients with the lowest interest rates and closing costs as possible. Lauren Levy pledges to help borrowers overcome roadblocks that can arise when securing a loan. Call Lauren Levy now at 303-880-8881 so that you are prepared for opportunity in the mortgage market. That’s 303-880-8881.
SPEAKER 02 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
And welcome back to The Kim Monson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. And check out the Center for American Values. You might put that on your bucket list to take the family down there over the Christmas holidays. It’s in Pueblo. It’s nonpolitical, nonpartisan, focused on foundational principles of honor, integrity and patriotism. through their K-12 educational programs, programs for educators, and then honoring our Medal of Honor recipients with the Portraits of Valor. In studio with me is Lauren Levy for Everything Mortgages, 303-880-8881, and Karen Levine for Everything Residential Real Estate in the Metro Market, and that’s 303-877-7516. It’s good to have all of you here. And Let’s see. We’ve got on the line Gammy. Gammy, what’s on your radar?
SPEAKER 22 :
Good morning. I think you guys are making a lot of good points. You know, I’m I’m always proud of everybody coming on and saying their piece. But I have two points I want to make this morning. One, you’re right. The liability of not like plumbing and electric major parts of construction. If you don’t have a permit, you can be in real trouble if something goes wrong. But this takes you to a bigger issue. Remember a week ago, elections had consequences, right? And everybody goes, look, how did we lose all of this? Well, first of all. If anybody out there still believes that our elections are free, fair, then they’re living in a dream. They are rigged algorithmically. And when too much of one side gets going, the other side pops it. But I want to bring in an issue that affects every single issue that you’ve brought up. And that is my friend Tina Peters in prison because she exposed the theft by Dominion voting machines of our elections by showing that when they went in to update a system, they automatically erased election records. And we’re talking federal election records, but within the state of Colorado. So why does that matter to anything? Well, it matters because You remember the Lockerbie bomber? He got out because he had cancer. You remember that? Even though what he killed, how many people? Well, here’s Tina, never committed a crime, gold star mom, who not only is having health issues. She is a survivor of cancer in the lungs. A third of her lung was removed at one point, and I know that’s HIPAA I’m explaining. But then she’s having all this coughing and illness. She’s sleeping on a two-inch something on top of metal. She’s a 70-year-old woman. How does that affect our system as a state?
SPEAKER 05 :
So, Cammie, the Department of Justice… Looks like that they may be trying to move her to a federal facility. What’s the latest on that?
SPEAKER 22 :
That they’re saying all that. But listen, C.A.R.E.S. Act isn’t federal. Right. And that has rules for inmates who are sick. You know how to maybe let them out because they’re dying or ill. Well, the state. on inmates would have to fall under the ACA, the Obamacare Act. And all of these places she would qualify for some type of inmate wellness, you know, help. But the problem is this. They don’t want to let her out because she could expose the fraud for both the governor, the secretary of state, and the attorney general, and Rubenstein, Mesa County, clerks who got paid by both dominions.
SPEAKER 05 :
and mesa so everybody and and gammy you can source this regarding these payments correct What do you mean payment?
SPEAKER 22 :
So when you said that all these people were paid… It’s already been printed in the Gateway Pundit and many others exposed all this over the last two years. The info is out there. The problem is this. Why would you put a woman in prison for a year who has never committed a crime and because a judge said you’re speaking out could cause damage?
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. That’s an excellent point. Gammy, I appreciate – I don’t know how you do it. You are so informed on all of these issues. I don’t know how you do it, but I do appreciate you keeping us up to speed on all of these things. And she brings up a really important point regarding our elections. They must be free, fair, honest, and transparent. That’s why the two lawsuits that all of you helped – fund regarding through the Wisconsin Center for Election Justice regarding our elections as well as Unite for Freedom. Those are still working their way through the courts. And as Ginny has texted me, justice delayed is justice denied. And so we’re going to go to work and see. If we can somehow speed things up a little bit on that. But it is super important. And I, for the life of me, there’s things in this last election I don’t understand. I don’t understand in Littleton how 3A1, which put a pause on the new zoning and density that was passed by this current city council and mayor… So the people of Littleton said, hey, we want to put a pause on this density. But yet they elected the people that were pushing it. I just don’t quite understand what’s happening out there. But Karen Levine. And kind of your final thought on some of these things that you want people to know as we’re coming into the holidays, opportunity in the real estate market. It’s been a great way for people to create wealth. And Joe had a good point. He said regarding these high-density apartment buildings, he said he could maybe stomach it a little bit better if these young people could own them.
SPEAKER 09 :
could own them. Correct. And, um, we continue to be challenged with bringing affordable, affordable housing, which is, you know, entry-level housing that, um, decades ago was a condominium unit, um, that allowed you to own and create wealth and then use that condominium unit as a stepping stone, maybe to a single family home or a town home. And due to, uh, legislation of over now a decade and a half ago why they can’t roll that back I have no idea I continue to ask and we continue to have efforts but we don’t encourage or don’t make it viable for developers and builders to build condominium units without tremendous risk and they’re not willing to take on the risk at at the profit margin. So if we could bring that kind of product to the marketplace, that would certainly help in the arena of affordability.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, and actually, this was the cost of fees to build a new build. It’s pretty significant. So one of the ways to make housing affordable and attainable is to reduce the rules and regulations, right?
SPEAKER 09 :
Right. And when I guest hosted for you and we had on my friend and past state representative, we talked about the fact that they are encouraged to bring a minimum of five bills to the table. Well, why can’t they be encouraged to roll back five bills? What a novel idea. Because less government does create more affordability.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. And this is from – let’s see. This is – I want to give you the source on this. This – well, SDB. So let’s see if they have it in the first – I hate that when that happens, but it says development fees cover plan review and permit approvals, use taxes on construction materials, impact fees for infrastructure. It says on average, builders in the Metro Denver pay nearly $68,000 in fees for a detached home and $52,000 for a duplex condo or townhome. Lauren Levy, if we could reduce that, that would make housing much more affordable and attainable, yeah? Yeah.
SPEAKER 01 :
Absolutely. And I’m just looking at an article myself here because I saw it. It’s been a week or two ago. This is the CEO of Beezer Homes, who’s a mid-range, I would say, to larger home builder in the country. And they were asking him about affordability. And he was like, you know, people… want a lot of things that they don’t necessarily want to pay for to be included in a home, but that would raise the price. But he also talked about in California specifically where they were looking at building some properties. The average cost before they even put a shovel in the ground was $139,000 between blueprints, permits, everything that goes along with it, all the fees and costs associated with it. And then he said on top of that, in this country, in his opinion, we have a crisis of trades where we don’t have enough. And then you add an immigration policy because a lot of those people that do those trades maybe weren’t documented. And he’s like, you know, so now the cost of employing those tradesmen because we just don’t have enough. has gone way up, which is affecting affordability. It’s not just mortgage rates that lead to the prices. There’s many, many components to affordability. President Trump talked about a 50-year mortgage, and we can discuss whether that would be good or bad. But it’s just one component, the mortgage rate and the amortization of the loan amount and how much the property costs. It’s what’s going into those costs. There’s a lot of components to it to look at.
SPEAKER 05 :
There’s a whole lot of public policy that you’ve just mentioned there.
SPEAKER 01 :
And we talk about incentives all the time, about who they’re incentivizing to build this. Karen’s talking about a disincentive, right? This law, this defect law that’s stopping them from building condos because nobody wants to build a set of condos and make $10 million and then get sued for $10 million a year later and have to pay it all back.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. And so it’s important that we understand this. I appreciate when you’re both in here so that we can talk about one of the biggest things that’s on people’s minds, and that is being able to, well, have housing, whether or not it’s something to own or to rent. So, Lorne Levy, if people want to reach you, what’s that number?
SPEAKER 01 :
As always, just call 303-880-8881.
SPEAKER 05 :
And Karen Levine, for Everything Residential Real Estate, how can people reach you?
SPEAKER 09 :
Reach me at 303-877-7516.
SPEAKER 05 :
And I thank both of you for your sponsorship and for being here. Our quote for the end of the show is from James Madison. He said, As a man is said to have right to his property, he may equally be said to have a property in his rights. So today, be grateful, read great books, think good thoughts, listen to beautiful music, communicate and listen well, live honestly and authentically. Strive for high ideals and like Superman, stand for truth, justice, and the American way. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you and God bless America.
SPEAKER 07 :
I don’t want no one to cry, but tell them if I don’t survive.
SPEAKER 18 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
