BlogFun Facts December 1, 2023

Most Surprising News

The most surprising piece of news for our friends and clients is that prices are essentially flat compared to last year.  People find that surprising given what interest rates have done over the last 18 months.  They wonder, how could prices not fall significantly after interest rates jumped considerably?

The answer is the fundamental economic lesson of supply and demand.

There is enough demand in the market for the current supply to keep prices stable even in an environment of higher rates.

Now that rates are (finally) trending down, it gives us even more confidence about the continued growth of real estate prices along the Front Range.

Here is a look at how home prices compare to one year ago:

Larimer County = Down 0.8%

Weld County = Up 3.4%

Metro Denver = Up 0.8%

Uncategorized September 4, 2023

UPS AND DOWNS

Here is a look at how the market performed in August versus August 2022

 

Prices:

Larimer County Up 4%

Weld County Up 8%

Metro Denver Up 6%

 

Transactions:

Larimer County Down 18%

Weld County Down 31%

Metro Denver Down 15%

 

Inventory:

Larimer County Up 18%

Weld County No Change

Metro Denver Down 4%

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.

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.

Fort Collins Real EstateFun Facts March 1, 2019

Vegas Baby

 

The results are in from FHFA.gov’s latest ranking of the top performing markets in the U.S.

Each quarter they track 245 cities across the country and rank their real estate markets by home price appreciation.

What’s the highest performing city the the U.S.

Vegas!  Their prices have gone up 17.63% in the last year.

How about the worst?

Bloomington, Illinois sits in dead last where prices went down 3.58%

Here’s how Colorado cities are ranked:

    • #10 Colo. Springs = 11.41%
• #16 Greeley = 10.68%
• #59 Fort Collins = 8.29%
• #64 Denver = 8.15%
• #97 Boulder = 6.85%

Fort Collins Real EstateFort Collins RealtorFun FactsWindsor Real Estate February 23, 2019

4 in 40

Did you know, according to FHFA, process in Larimer County have dropped more than 1% only 4 times in the last 40 years?
FHFA stands for the Federal Housing Finance Authority. We are one of 261 markets that they track. Since 1978 they have been measuring home price appreciation here.
If you look at the appreciation numbers for each individual year, you will notice that most years the prices go up and some years the prices go down.
But there have only been 4 times in those 40 years where prices decreased more than 1%
Here’s what happened those 4 times:
• 1982 = -3.99%
• 1987 = -1.86%
• 2008 = -2.29%
• 2010 = -1.12%
Sometimes we hear buyers say that they would like to wait for the “prices to come crashing down.” The reality is that the price drops don’t happen all that often and when they do, they don’t drop by that much at all.
If you would like to see a short video with a recap of our annual Market Forecast presentation, watch the video below.
ForecastFort Collins Real EstateFort Collins Realtor February 12, 2019

2019 Annual Forecast

If you missed our Annual Forecast Review last month, click the link below to get a recap of the event:

 

 

BlogFort Collins Real EstateFort Collins RealtorNorthern Colorado Real EstateWindsor Real Estate January 21, 2019

OUR FORECAST

This past Wednesday and Thursday evenings we had the pleasure of hosting our annual Market Forecast events in Denver and Fort Collins.

Thank you to the 700 people who attended both events. We appreciate your support!

In case you missed the events, here are some highlights including our forecast for price appreciation in 2019:
• In 2018 Prices went up:
o 8% in Fort Collins
o 8% in Loveland
o 8.5% in Greeley
o 8% in Metro Denver

 Inventory is (finally) showing signs of increasing:
o Up 25% in Northern Colorado
o Up 45% in Metro Denver

• There are distinct differences in months of inventory across different price ranges = opportunity for the move up buyer.

• There are several reasons why we don’t see a housing bubble forming:
o New home starts along the Front Range are roughly 60% of pre-bubble highs 14 years ago.
o Americans have more equity in their homes than ever, $6 Trillion!
o The average FICO score of home buyers is significantly higher than the long-term average.
o The home ownership rate is back to the long-term average.

• Our 2019 Price Appreciation Forecast:
o 6% in Fort Collins
o 6% in Loveland
o 7% in Greeley
o 6% in Metro Denver

If you would like a copy of the presentation, go ahead and reach out to me.  I would be happy to put it in your hands!

Fort Collins RealtorFun Facts October 21, 2018

A History Lesson

One of the most common questions we hear from clients is “Where do you think interest rates are going?”

Virtually all of the experts we follow put rates above 5% going into next year and some see rates approaching 5.5% by the middle of 2019. What’s certain is that there are economic forces at work that are pushing rates higher.

So, how about a little history lesson? How do today’s 30- year mortgage rates compare to this same date in history going all the way back to 1990?

• Today = 4.85%
• 2017 = 3.94%
• 2015 = 3.82%
• 2010 = 4.27%
• 2005 = 5.98%
• 2000 = 7.84%
• 1995 = 7.75%
• 1990 = 10.22%

While today’s rates feel high only because they are higher than 2017, they are quite a bit lower than at many times in history.

Fort Collins RealtorGardner ReportNorthern Colorado Real Estate July 31, 2018

2nd Quarter Gardner Report

The following analysis of the Metro Denver & Northern Colorado real estate market (which now includes Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Park Counties) is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. We hope that this information may assist you with making better-informed real estate decisions. For further information about the housing market in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact your Windermere agent.

 

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

Colorado continues to see very strong job growth, adding 72,800 non-agricultural jobs over the past 12 months—an impressive increase of 2.7%. Through the first five months of 2018, the state added an average of 7,300 new jobs per month. I expect this growth to continue through the remainder of the year, resulting in about 80,000 new jobs in 2018.

In May, the state unemployment rate was 2.8%. This is slightly above the 2.6% we saw a year ago but still represents a remarkably low level. Unemployment remains either stable or is dropping in all the markets contained in this report, with the lowest reported rates in Fort Collins and Boulder, where just 2.2% of the labor force was actively looking for work. The highest unemployment rate was in Grand Junction, which came in at 3.1%.

 

HOME SALES ACTIVITY

  • In the second quarter of 2018, 17,769 homes sold—a drop of 2.4% compared to the second quarter of 2017.
  • Sales rose in 5 of the 11 counties contained in this report, with Gilpin County sales rising by an impressive 10.7% compared to second quarter of last year. There were also noticeable increases in Clear Creek and Weld Counties. Sales fell the most in Park County but, as this is a relatively small area, I see no great cause for concern at this time.
  • Slowing sales activity is to be expected given the low levels of available homes for sale in many of the counties contained in this report. That said, we did see some significant increases in listing activity in Denver and Larimer Counties. This should translate into increasing sales through the summer months.
  • The takeaway here is that sales growth is being hobbled by a general lack of homes for sale, and due to a drop in housing demand.

 

 

HOME PRICES

  • With strong economic growth and a persistent lack of inventory, prices continue to trend higher. The average home price in the region rose
    9.8% year-over-year to $479,943.
  • The smallest price gains in the region were in Park County, though the increase there was still a respectable 7%.
  • Appreciation was strongest in Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties, where prices rose by 28.9% and 26%, respectively. All other counties in this report saw gains above the long-term average.
  • Although there was some growth in listings, the ongoing imbalance between supply and demand persists, driving home prices higher.

 

 

DAYS ON MARKET

  • The average number of days it took to sell a home remained at the same level as a year ago.
  • The length of time it took to sell a home dropped in most markets contained in this report. Gilpin County saw a very significant jump in days on market, but this can be attributed to the fact that it is a very small area which makes it prone to severe swings.
  • In the second quarter of 2018, it took an average of 24 days to sell a home. Of note is Adams County, where it took an average of only 10 days to sell a home.
  • Housing demand remains very strong and all the markets in this report continue to be in dire need of additional inventory to satisfy demand.

 

 

CONCLUSIONS

This speedometer reflects the state of the region’s real estate market using housing inventory, price gains, home sales, interest rates, and larger economic factors.

For the second quarter of 2018, I have moved the needle very slightly towards buyers as a few counties actually saw inventories rise. However, while I expect to see listings increase in the coming months, for now, the housing market continues to heavily favor sellers.

 

Matthew Gardner is the Chief Economist for Windermere Real Estate, specializing in residential market analysis, commercial/industrial market analysis, financial analysis, and land use and regional economics. He is the former Principal of Gardner Economics, and has more than 30 years of professional experience both in the U.S. and U.K.