BlogFun Facts June 9, 2023

A New Change

There is a new type of change to be prepared for.

One interesting way to track the market is to measure the year-over-year difference in inventory.

Quite simply, this looks at how many homes are available today versus the same time one year ago.

For the past several months in a row, the difference as measured by percentage change, has been significant.

That is because inventory levels between May of 2020 and May of 2022 were rock-bottom low.

For example, inventory in March of this year was up over 120% compared to March 2022.

When measured against historical numbers, inventory in the first half of this year is incredibly low.  But, when measured against the first half of 2022, inventory is significantly higher.

Well, that is about to change because inventory increased in June and July of 2022.

So, now when we look at inventory levels versus a year ago, the percentage change will be more modest.

For example, Northern Colorado inventory today is up only 8% compared to one year ago.

BlogFun Facts February 3, 2023

Equity Rich!

Homeowners in Northern Colorado have a bunch of equity in their homes.This fact was reported by our Chief Economist Matthew Gardner at our annual Real Estate Market Forecast event.The term ‘equity rich’ is defined as someone who has at least 50% equity in their home.For example, if someone owns a home worth $500,000 and their mortgage balance is less than $250,000, they are ‘equity rich.’A whopping 57% of Larimer County homeowners and 46% of Weld County homeowners are equity rich.To put that in perspective, in 2015 there were roughly 20% of Northern Colorado homeowners who had this much equity in their homes.This level of equity is one of many reasons Northern Colorado is protected from any sort of severe market downturn resulting from an excessive amount of distressed properties hitting the market.

For BuyersFun Facts July 23, 2021

2 to 3

Along the Front Range we have gone from two weeks of inventory to three weeks.

For much of the Spring, there was only two weeks of inventory on the market in most areas. Meaning, it would only take 14 days to sell all of the homes currently for sale.

Now, because the pace of sales has slightly slowed down and there is a bit more inventory, there is roughly three weeks.

We can actually measure inventory in number of days based on the pace of sales in July so far:

  • Metro Denver = 23 Days
  • Larimer County = 22 Days
  • Weld County = 22 Days

This is obviously good news for buyers as they have better selection and slightly less competition.

BlogFun Facts February 12, 2021

Yes is the Answer

It turns out that ‘yes’ is the answer to the most common questions we hear right now about the market…

Do you think more properties will come on the market this Spring?  Yes, the normal pattern in our market is for new listings to be 40% to 70% higher in April versus January.  The peak month for new listings is typically June.

Do you think buyer demand will grow even more as time goes on?  Yes, for two main reasons.  Buyer activity, just like listing activity, increases significantly in the Spring and Summer.  Plus, we expect the economy to open up even more as the COVID vaccine gets rolled out over the course of the year.

Do you think interest rates will go up?  Yes, all of the trusted forecasters and economists expect rates to be slightly higher by the end of the year.  Our own Chief Economist sees rates at 3.07% by year-end.

Do you think prices will keep rising?  Yes, because of the simple economic forces of supply and demand.  Supply is at historic lows.  The number of properties for sale today is roughly 80% below the average.  Demand is being fueled not only by the low-interest rates, but also a rebounding local job market that is poised to rebound even more.  Plus, the new work-from-home dynamic positions the Front Range as a sought after place to live.

BlogHomeownersHousing Trends January 20, 2021

2021 Paint Color Trends

Living Room

Embrace neutral colors

After a weary 2020, expect to see a return to prominence for nostalgic, neutral colors. The resurgence of neutrals signals a focus on simple comfort, healing, a return towards wellness, and is representative of a lifestyle with a slower pace. Colors to look for include oatmeal hues, cerulean and Aegean blues, and earthy tones.

Comforting colors

More than ever we are looking to our homes to provide us the chance to relax and recharge. Accordingly, serene, warm colors and soft pastels are making a strong comeback. They set the mood by providing a calm foundation, leaving room to add colorful decorations. Keep your eye out for rejuvenating colors including soft reds and creamy off-whites.

Add vibrance

To build upon your neutral palette, add touches of vibrant colors for an exciting contrast. This coming spring, you can expect to see nature-based hues on the rise. In 2021, these nature colors will reflect a return to vibrance after homeowners have spent most of 2020—and, in some places, remain—cooped up due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Colors to look for include rust tones and hues in the gold-to-orange range.

Color trends in your home

The calm, soothing presence of neutrals is best delivered when given ample space, so look to use the neutral palette on large surface areas. Good use cases in your home include painting whole walls, as well as furniture and carpeting choices. For vibrant colors, sprinkle them throughout the home in your décor and through smaller accents.

60-30-10 Rule

After you’ve chosen your colors, follow the 60-30-10 color design rule. It states that 60% of a room’s color should be the dominant color, 30% should be the secondary color, and 10% should be the accent color.

 

2021 Paint Colors

 Here are three 2021 paint colors that will deliver the serene home environment you’re looking for while providing a solid foundation to add decorations.

Aegean Teal

Benjamin Moore’s 2021 color of the year is Aegean Teal. It combines a calming blue, a natural green, and a soothing grey. Its qualities make it a sound choice for bedroom or living room walls, as well as cabinets and other large surface areas. Aegean Teal is the perfect choice for homeowners looking to incorporate a bluish hue into their home without the melancholy undertones that come with blue.

Urbane Bronze

Say hello to Urbane Bronze—Sherwin Williams’ 2021 color of the year. Their selection is founded in the desire to create a sense of calm at home. Urbane Bronze helps to deliver the sense of a sanctuary at home, given its organic appeal. Use this color to give your home a relaxed feel by painting your trim or accent walls. Urbane Bronze pairs nicely with greys and modern greens.

Big Cypress

PPG has selected Big Cypress as part of their “Be Well” 2021 Palette of the Year. This ginger orange pairs well with cherry and mahogany woods, as well as touches of gold. Homeowners looking to create a soothing feeling without missing a sense of warmth can depend on Big Cypress to do the job. Another earthy tone, this color is the perfect choice to create what PPG calls a “huggable” room.

 

2020 has been a unique year, changing how we perceive and live in our homes. The new year presents an opportunity for a fresh start, so consider exploring these colors and trends to find the right combination for your home in 2021.

BlogColorado HousingFun Facts November 13, 2020

A Little Perspective

House

Here’s a little perspective on the inventory of homes for sale in today’s market…

First we’ll look at Metro Denver:

  • The average number of residential listings for sale at this time of year is 15,577
  • The highest-ever for this time of year is 29,722 which occurred in 2006
  • The number of listings right now is 4,821
  • So, inventory in Metro Denver is roughly one-third of the average and 25,000 fewer than the highest-ever.
  • DMAR is the source of the stats listed above

Now, Northern Colorado:

  • Larimer County has 802 active listings today
  • Based on 10 years of data, this is the lowest it has ever been
  • The high in Larimer County occurred in 2010 with 2608 listings so today’s inventory is one-third of what it was 10 years ago.
  • Inventory today in Weld County is 727 which isn’t the lowest-ever.
  • The lowest during the last 10 years was 2017.

The highest was 2010 with 1791 properties so today there are roughly 1,000 fewer properties to choose from.

BlogFun Facts July 10, 2020

More Homes Needed

More homes are needed to fulfill the need to buyer demand.

Compared to exactly one year ago, the supply of homes is down:

  • 32.6% in Metro Denver
  • 25.1% in Northern Colorado

An interesting and useful measurement we track is months of inventory.  This stat tells how long it would take to sell all of the homes currently for sale at the current pace of sales.

Of course, months of supply can vary greatly by price range and location.  However, this stat does a good job of explaining the overall state of the market.

Specifically, months of supply tells us if the market is in balance.

A ‘balanced’ market is when there is 4 to 6 months of supply.  A buyers market occurs when the stat is higher than this range.  A sellers market occurs when it is lower.

The months of supply looks like this in our market:

  • 1.0 months in Metro Denver
  • 1.3 months in Northern Colorado

So, the market overall is significantly under-supplied and more homes are needed to meet demand.

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.

 

BlogFun Facts June 26, 2020

Caught Up

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.

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

 

BlogFun Facts August 16, 2019

How Much?

So how much real estate is sold in Northern Colorado?

As it turns out, a lot!

Last month alone there were 1,099 single family homes that sold in Larimer and Weld Counties

The average price was $429,144 which means the total sales volume for one month was $471,629,129 (almost a half a billion)!

Over the last 12 months, just over $4.5 billion worth of single-family homes have sold.

That’s a lot of real estate!

 

For BuyersFun Facts April 29, 2019

What’s New?

All about new homes…

Nationally, sales of new homes are up 3% over last year and are running at an annualized pace of 697,000 homes.

To put that in perspective, in April 2011 the annual pace was 310,000 homes and in April 2005 it was 1,260,000.

So, nationally, new home starts are roughly double what they were at their lowest point in recent history and roughly half of what there were at their highest point.

How about locally?

According to our friends at Metrostudy, sales of new homes along the Front Range are up 20% over last year.

Front Range builders have had 28 consecutive quarters of new home start increases and are now building a similar amount of new homes as compared to 2007.

So, the new home market is strong but there is no indication of builders over-supplying the market.