The Next Boulder?

by Fort Collins

The hottest question we get in Northern Colorado is this “do you think Fort Collins is the next Boulder?”

Let’s look closely at that question and start with what is similar. They are both beautiful college towns nestled against the foothills. They both have affordability issues which push real estate buyers to satellite communities (what is happening is Wellington is not unlike what happened in Louisville).

Yet there are differences at a fundamental level that will forever keep these two places very different from each other. For example the average Household Income in Boulder is 60% higher than Fort Collins. Here is another big deal, Boulder is only half the size of Fort Collins (25 square miles versus 57 square miles). And get this, the City of Boulder owns 71 square miles of open space in and around the City.

Essentially Boulder is a small island surrounded by an ocean of open space inhabited by very high income-earners. That is why the average price of a single family home in Boulder is now over $1 million.

We put together a short video which shows you more detail about this hot question. Check it out:

Fort Collins Real Estate • February 17, 2017

Stadium Impact?

by Fort Collins

Today we are looking at one of the hot topics in Northern Colorado. Is the new CSU football stadium impacting real estate values in the surrounding neighborhoods?

The answer, based on the research we’ve done so far, is… yes!

New CSU Stadium Rendering – Image credit: stadium.colostate.edu

Here are the details…

We looked at the residential properties in the 1-mile radius surrounding the new stadium. We pulled the sales over the last three years in that area. Then we compared that area to the market as a whole.

Let’s talk about prices first. Residential prices inside the City Limits of Fort Collins went up 11% last year and 12% the year before that. Within the stadium’s 1-mile radius, prices only went up 1% last year, but 14% the year before that. It seems that recent construction has impacted prices.

Now what about number of sales? Residential transactions have gone down 5% per year each of the last two years. Near the stadium, the decrease has been even larger at 7 to 8% per year.

It does seem that the stadium has had an impact. We will continue to keep our eye on this trend!

*One footnote is that last year had more condominium sales than the year before which has an impact on average price.

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.