Blog • Fun Facts • March 23, 2024

Five by Five

by Rondi duPont

Here’s a fun fact about the current inventory along the Front Range.

The number of properties for sale is five times as many versus the all-time low in 2022.

And, it is one-fifth as many compared to the all-time high in 2006.

Also, it is half of the long-term average.

So, selection is much higher than the frenzied 2021/2022 market.

However, inventory is still very low relatively speaking.

Blog • Fun Facts • September 18, 2020

Pendings are Popping

by Rondi duPont

Temperatures may be cooling off but the Front Range real estate market is not.

Typically the market starts to slow down a bit in the Fall after a hot Spring and Summer.

Not this year.

The indicator we use to measure future closed sales is current pending sales.

Simply, we look at the number of properties under contract and scheduled to close versus the same time last year.

Current pending sales are way up along the Front Range when measured against 2019:

Metro Denver up 34.1%

Larimer County up 48.6%

Weld County up 50.2%

Based on these numbers, closed sales numbers over the next 60 days will be very strong.

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 • September 4, 2020

New Home Surge

by Rondi duPont

Sales of new homes have jumped to their highest levels in 14 years.

The annualized rate of single-family new construction homes is now at 901,000 according to the new Census Bureau report.

This means that across the U.S., at the current pace of sales, there will be almost 1,000,000 new homes built and sold over the next 12 months.

This pace is 36% higher than one year ago and the highest it has been since the end of 2006.

Given the low inventory levels of previously-owned homes that most of the Country is experiencing, this uptick in new home activity is welcome news.

Blog • Fun Facts • June 26, 2020

Caught Up

by Rondi duPont

We’ve been waiting for June to catch up. It finally happened (almost).

Back in April, real estate activity was significantly limited and the showing of property was restricted which caused the number of closed properties in May and early June to be much lower than last year.

Bottom line, fewer properties going under contract in April caused fewer closings 30 to 45 days later.

Closed properties in May were down compared to 2019 by 44% in Northern Colorado and 43% in Metro Denver.

Then activity jumped significantly in May. The number of properties going under contract was way up compared to last year.

We’ve been wondering when we would see this sales activity reflected in the number of closed properties.

Well, it finally happened (almost).

The number of closings so far in June compared to the same time period through June of 2019 is only down 1.8% in Northern Colorado and 1.6% in Metro Denver.

In both markets, there are only a handful of closings separating activity in June 2020 versus June 2019.

By the end of the month, when all the transactions are tallied up, we expect that June of this year will out pace June of last year in terms of number of transactions.

This is significant not only because of COVID-19, but also because of the reduced inventory compared to last year. Quite simply, there are fewer homes to buy.

All of this speaks to the health and resiliency of the Front Range market.

Colorado Housing • Fun Facts • April 17, 2020

Special Event

by Rondi duPont

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On Wednesday April 22nd you are invited to a special online event with Windermere’s Chief Economist Matthew Gardner.

He will be giving his insights into the U.S. economy and what that means for real estate along the Front Range of Colorado.

You will hear the answers to the biggest questions we are hearing from clients now like “do you think housing prices will crash?”

This event is exclusively for clients and friends of Windermere Real Estate. To receive the registration link simply comment on this blog or reach out to me.

Many of you have heard Matthew speak at our Market Forecast events we hold each year in January. He is famous for making complex economic dynamics very simple to understand.

You will get useful and valuable information which will give you clarity about where the market is headed and when we can expect the economy to improve.

For example Matthew predicts unemployment to hit 15% by the end of June, but then to improve to 8% by year-end and 6% by this time next year.

Again, if you would like the link just comment on this blog or reach out to me.

At Windermere Real Estate we are taking Shelter in Place and Social Distancing very seriously. Our people are working at home, staying connected to their clients, and providing help wherever needed.

Blog • Fun Facts • September 23, 2019

A Closing Window

by Rondi duPont

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 • July 19, 2019

Compound Effect

by Rondi duPont

If you have driven on I-25 lately you may have noticed that the Front Range is a popular place.

The projections show that it will only get more popular in the future.

Today, 4.8 million people live along the Front Range from Fort Collins down to Pueblo.

In 2030, just 11 short years from now, 5.7 million people will live here. Yes, that’s almost 1 million more than today.

This is all according to the Colorado State Demographers Office.

While this seems like a big increase, keep in mind that this assumes that population growth occurs at a fairly modest 1.7% per year.

It seems that our state will continue to grow and there will continue to be a demand for housing.

Blog • Fun Facts • May 6, 2019

Tax Time

by Rondi duPont

Property owners all over Colorado have a gift waiting for them in their mailbox- their new property tax notifications.

Every two years, each county in Colorado places a new value on property for property tax purposes.

No surprise, values were up along the Front Range.

Here is the percentage of increase for various Colorado counties (keep in mind that this increase is for two years):

Adams 24%
Arapahoe 22%
Larimer 19%
Douglas 14%
Jefferson 14%
Boulder 12%

If you have questions about how to respond to your tax notification, we can help! We would be happy to provide you with an up-to-date market analysis and walk you through the steps on how to protest your new value if you don’t agree with it.

You can also watch this webinar we put together which shows you everything you need to know about your new property valuation and how to respond.

You can watch it HERE.

Fort Collins Real Estate • Fun Facts • Market News • April 5, 2019

Get Real

by Rondi duPont

We’ve seen some headlines recently that suggest home prices along the Front Range have peaked and are starting to decline.

When we dig in and do the research, this is what we find…

Home prices are still going up, just not as fast as they have been.

We’ve known that the double-digit appreciation that we’ve seen for the last several years could not be sustained and we expected the pace of appreciation to slow down.

So far in 2019, this is the case. Prices still going up, just not as fast.

It’s like running up stairs. Eventually you will get tired and you will need to start walking (but you’re still going up).

Headlines that suggest that prices have peaked and are falling create unrealistic expectations for buyers and give sellers a skewed perspective on the market.

Here are the numbers…

Average Price:

Up 1.53% in Metro Denver
Up 6.1% in Larimer County
Up 5.1% in Weld County

Months of Inventory:

5 Months in Metro Denver
5 Months in Larimer County
4 Months in Weld County
(Remember that 4-6 months of inventory represents a balanced market)

There has been an increase in Days on Market which means that homes are taking longer to sell. But the increase is measured in days, not months.

Here are those numbers…

Days on Market:

Up 4 Days in Metro Denver
Up 11 Days in Larimer County
Up 3 Days in Weld County

So, be mindful of headlines that can be sensationalized and might suggest that the market is falling.

Bottom line, the market is going up, just not as fast as it was.

Blog • Fun Facts • March 15, 2019

Condo Cyclone

by Rondi duPont

While the “Bomb Cyclone” closed roads and schools over the last two days, the “Condo Cyclone” is opening new opportunities for first-time buyers.

What’s the “Condo Cyclone” you ask. It’s the proliferation of multi-family inventory that has come on the market up and down the Front Range.

Compared to last year, multi-family inventory which includes town-homes and condominiums, has increased…

• 79% in Metro Denver
• 34% in Larimer County
• 45% in Weld County

This is terrific news for the market overall, as inventory has been unusually low for several months. It’s especially terrific news for first-time buyers who need this type of product as a stepping stone to home ownership.

What we notice is a $170,000 to $130,000 difference in average price between a single-family home and a multi-family home in Front Range markets.

Specifically, here’s the spread between multi-family and single-family average price:

• $349,801 vs. $512,312 in Metro Denver
• $312,493 vs. $469,294 in Larimer County
• $237,645 vs. $370,027 in Weld County

So as we dig out from the “Bomb Cyclone” we can be happy for the “Condo Cyclone” which brings more affordability and opportunity to our markets!

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