Halfway Check

by Fort Collins

This is a market which is changing quickly. We are studying the numbers every day so we can be clear about where the market is heading.

Here is a check on the market halfway through October.

Compared to last October…

Available inventory is up 73% in Northern Colorado and up 112% in Metro Denver. This is significant for buyers who, for years, were challenged with limited selection.
Number of closed transactions is down 50% in Northern Colorado and 41% in Metro Denver. This reflects the fact that fewer buyers are active right now given higher interest rates.

Prices continue to be higher than last year. They are up 12% in Northern Colorado and 13% in Metro Denver. We don’t expect double-digit increases to continue, but don’t expect anything like a price crash.

Fun Facts • Windermere Real Estate • June 5, 2020

Prices Still Up

by Fort Collins

Prices Still Up

It seems that COVID-19 did not cause prices to decrease and certainly didn’t cause them to crash.

Average prices are up compared to last year:

· 2.8% in Larimer County

· 5.4% in Weld County

· 3.3% in Metro Denver

Low supply, sustained demand, and incredibly low interest rates are all fueling the price growth.

At Windermere Real Estate we are taking Safer at Home and Social Distancing very seriously. Our people are following our Safe Showings protocol, staying connected to their clients, and providing help wherever needed.

Blog • Fun Facts • August 23, 2019

A Closing Window

by Fort Collins

For home sellers who would like to move to a new home this year, there is a window of time that is closing as we head into the Fall months.

Most people know that the Spring and Summer are the most active months for real estate and that activity trails off into the Fall and Winter.

Here are the specific numbers behind this…

The number of homes sold along the Front Range in November tends to be between 15% and 29% lower than September.

That means the best window of time for current sellers to obtain a contract from a buyer and close by the end of the year will occur over the next 45 days.

For sellers who have homes on the market today, it is time to ensure that:

The home is priced right versus the competition
All of the marketing elements are in place
It is easy for a buyer to make an offer on the home

Blog • Fun Facts • May 10, 2019

Inventory vs. Sales

by Fort Collins

A stat we find interesting is the relationship between the inventory for sale versus what is actually selling.

Specifically what we look at are price ranges.

We are curious to know if the inventory that is for sale lines up with what the buyers want.

Here’s what we notice…

In Larimer County, 23% of all the single family homes for sale are priced under $400,000. No surprise, this is a popular price range among buyers and it represents 45% of all sales.

So, the ratio is 23% of the inventory versus 45% of the sales.

In Weld County, the difference is more pronounced.

Homes under $400,000 represent 44% of the inventory and 69% of the sales.

Because the percentage of sales is higher than the percentage of inventory, properties under $400,000 will sell much quicker and are more likely to have multiple offers.

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To see the latest on the market, be sure to check out a copy of the new Gardner Report, our Chief Economist’s quarterly look at Front Range real estate.

Blog • For Buyers • Fun Facts • Housing Trends • December 21, 2018

Still Up

by Fort Collins

All the talk of the market cooling off might make someone think that prices must be going down.

The truth is prices are still going up.

Here are the latest year-over-year appreciation numbers from the Federal Housing Finance Authority (they track 243 markets all across the Country):

Colorado Springs 11.44%

Greeley 10.53%

Denver 9.97%

Boulder 9.89%

Fort Collins/Loveland 8.64%

Fun Facts • Market News • Northern Colorado Real Estate • September 7, 2018

The Cost of Waiting

by Fort Collins

It’s true, certain parts of our market are cooling off. We are seeing fewer multiple offers, fewer bidding wars, and fewer inspection concessions.
However, homes that are priced right and in great condition are selling, and in many cases, selling quickly.

As buyers feel the market cool a bit, it may cause them to want to wait. They sometimes feel like it’s a better choice to ‘wait and see what happens.’

The reality is, there is a real cost to waiting given two specific facts.

1. Interest rates will continue to rise
2. Prices will continue to rise

Interest rates are a little more than 0.5% higher than a year ago and experts predict them to be another 0.5% higher by this time next year.

Prices have been appreciating at roughly 10% per year for the last four years. Based on the numbers, we see that appreciation could be 5% per year for the next two years.

So, let’s look at a house priced at $450,000 today. If prices go up “only” 5% for the next 12 months, that home will cost $22,500 more in a year.

And, if rates go up another half percent, the monthly payment will be $206 higher. That’s an 11% increase!

In an environment of rising prices and rising rates, there is a real cost to “wait and see.”

Colorado Real Estate • May 26, 2017

Should We Wait?

by Fort Collins

Here’s a question on the mind of some buyers today…

“Should we just wait?” They see how active the market is. They see prices up and inventory down. They wonder if they would be better off to wait.

There are two powerful forces at work in our market and two key reasons why we think the greatest risk for a buyer today is to wait.

The first is prices. If you research the last 40 years of prices in our market what you will notice is that Larimer County’s average yearly increase is 5% and Weld County’s is 4%.

You will also notice that prices increase much more often than they decrease. In 40 years, prices have gone up in Larimer County 34 times and down only 6 times. The most prices have ever gone down is 3%.

The second force at work is interest rates. Rates today are essentially half of their 40-year average. Money is on sale, half off!

When rates increase (like they have in the last 6 months), you can measure the direct impact to a buyer’s payment using the 1%/10% rule. For every 1% increase in rate, the payment increases 10%.

So, if a buyer chooses to wait, the odds are they will be met with higer prices and higer interest rates.

We just released a video which covers this important topic. Check it out below.

Press Release • February 15, 2017

Prices Continue to Pop in 2017

by Fort Collins

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Prices Continue to Pop in 2017

Real Estate Prices in Larimer and Weld Counties Are Up Double-Digits

Fort Collins, Colo. (Feb. 15, 2017) – Continuing a trend that started four years ago, average residential real estate prices in January 2017 increased by double-digits compared to one year ago. Larimer County’s prices are 10.5% higher than last January and Weld County’s are up even more at 12.8%.

The average price of a property in Larimer County so far this year is $378,253 and in Weld County it is $310,948. Both Counties have seen their residential average prices go up by almost $100,000 in just three years.

“For three years now we have had the perfect storm to cause prices to increase at a rate that is double the long-term average. Northern Colorado is in the top-10 nationally for fastest growing communities, we have an incredibly healthy economy with high employment, interest rates that are roughly half of the long term average, and very few homes to pick from,” said Eric Thompson president of Windermere Real Estate in Colorado.

“The inventory of listings is especially low in the lower price points. For example, if someone wanted to buy a single-family home in Fort Collins under $300,000 they would have five listings to choose from today. Greeley has 33 homes at that price point,” Thompson said. “These dynamics create a unique opportunity for move up buyers to capture the appreciation in their home and leverage the low interest rates to buy the home of their dreams.”

Even though the number of homes available for sale across Larimer and Weld Counties may be down, Windermere Real Estate in Northern Colorado saw their January closed transactions increased 48% compared to last year. Their new written contracts are up even more at 110% compared to 2016.

About Windermere Colorado:

Since its inception in 1972, Windermere Real Estate has grown to be a network of 300 offices with more than 7,000 agents by focusing on three basic principles: hire the best people, give them the best tools and create thriving communities. Windermere’s growth has allowed them to expand into the Colorado market led by Eric Thompson, President of Windermere Colorado. For more information, visit www.windermerecolorado.com.

About Windermere Real Estate

Windermere Real Estate is ranked the largest regional real estate company in the Western U.S. serving communities in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Mexico. The Windermere family has a proud heritage of serving our neighbors via the Windermere Foundation, which funds services for low-income and homeless families. Since 1989, the Windermere Foundation has contributed more than 28 million dollars towards improving lives in the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit www.windermere.com.