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It's still very early in the year, but after 2 months, the real estate market in Northern Colorado is pretty disappointing. Nothing is fundamentally flawed about the state of housing, we are just in the middle of a period with very low energy after several years of nothing but optimism and action. There is nothing wrong with slow and steady, but when there are few homes on the market, it is tough to get excited. Within the next 2-3 weeks, we are likely to see the number of homes pop up as the spring selling season gets started. This could be a very exciting time as we test actual buyer demand.

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The Colorado State legislature was busy in 2023 crafting, modifying and updating many of the landlord/tenant rights, roles and responsibilities that all landlords must incorporate into their business practices in 2024. Whether you are an accidental or intentional landlord, here are handful of the most recent updates. As always, consult a real estate attorney to make sure you're protected and working within the law.

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The Northern Colorado real estate market is off to a bumpy start in the new year. The problem with digesting or predicting stats in the first year of the month is that the sample size is way to small to really make any kind of big prognostications - we have very little inventory, so every sale (or lack thereof) can skew the figures quite a bit. What we're left with after the first month of 2024 is a pretty wobbly region - Fort Collins outperforms, Greeley/Evans maintains and Loveland under performs. It won't be this way for the entire year.

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WE DID IT! We made it through the most uncertain, difficult and stressful real estate years in the last decade. Let's also remember it was very difficult and uncertain in 2020. It was beyond stressful for homebuyers in 2020, 2021, and 2022. It was terrible for almost everyone in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Often times, we are so myopic when it comes to "tough", "stressful" and "unprecedented" markets, that we fail to remember that we all made it through something similar just a few years back, only this time the variables and players are a bit different. We can always count on a changing and evolving market. That's why I'm employed! I live through the good and the bad every day so that you can make sense of the market and trends when it is your time to buy or sell. And, for what...

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As expected, the Northern Colorado real estate market had a pretty dreadful November, mainly the result of peak interest rates in the late September/October timeframe. It's a complicated time being a homebuyer, unless you take a leap of faith on the right home, and hope that the interest rates will begin to come back down. Some buyers are seeing this as an opportunity to pick up properties without ANY competition. Across the region, with waning demand, buyers are now seeing about a 3% reduction off of list price on average. If you're dipping your to into the market, understand this could be an amazing opportunity. Interest rates are already down 1% from their peak just 6 weeks ago, prices are off their highs and you have much, much less competition. The next 2-4 months might be the...

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The homes that closed in October were the result of contracts written in mid August through September when interest rates were accelerating towards the peak of about 7.8%. Even with the highest rates since the year 2000, there was still a "reasonable" amount of activity in Northern Colorado given the climate and rates appear to be stalling and potentially dropping in the new year. Sales are still down between 20-30% even with a bit more inventory than typical, however, much of that inventory is has been picked over and is sitting. In a unique market like this, it can be both difficult to sell a home, while also difficult to buy a home. It takes deep market awareness, patience and strategy to put the pieces together on either side. Working with an experienced real estate...

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The warm summer months are officially over as we head into fall. Typically, fall is a time where inventory begins to drop off and much of the buyer demand cools off since there are fewer homes to tour. The fall of 2023 is a bit of an anomaly, which is to be expected since the majority of the year has been an anomaly - with interest rates keeping buyer demand at bay. We are actually seeing an uptick in inventory when it typically declines - this is 100% a result of lingering listings that have been on the market for months. Something has got to give - either rates or prices and it doesn't appear that rates will be falling anytime soon.

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The tide is definitely (and finally) shifting after higher and ever increasing interest rates keep pummeling the Northern Colorado real estate market. The action isn't some fast paced, furious back and forth, rather a slow and creeping standstill tug-o-war. Sellers are finally starting to feel the pain of fewer and fewer buyers in the market. It used to be you would put your home on the market and get a flood of buyers. Now that is reduced to a trickle. Not to be forgotten, buyers are feeling the pain too. Home prices are remaining generally steady (give or take a few percent here and there) while rates continue to increase, nearing 7.5% for exceptionally well qualified borrowers. Buyers have to commit to a high payment, with hopes that rates will recede once inflation is...

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We have reached the midpoint of the Summer and typically, this is when the market is at it's maximum volume, but this year, things seem pretty muted and honestly, a bit disappointing. While rates seem to have peaked, they are still perceptibly "too high" for many cash strapped buyers. Affordability in Northern Colorado has been a major concern over the last decade, but it has only really hit home when the cost to borrow has increased exponentially within the last year. All things being equal, Northern Colorado has weathered the interest rate storm fairly well, as prices are still holding strong - at least in Larimer County.

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School is out and folks are on the move in the late Spring in Northern Colorado. Northern Colorado has been long suffering from lack of available inventory, which was making it even more difficult on buyers. Higher rates, more competition and lack of quality, move in ready homes have put a damper on sales this spring. Although the amount of homes available have ticked up nicely in May, it is still not the perfect market for both buyers or sellers to do what they need to do, so many are deciding to do nothing. My advice: the market is what you make of it - it will never be perfect. The rewards come to those to are active rather than sitting on the sidelines. Work with a professional who can help educate you on the market and one who will navigate through the bumps and hurdles you...

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This time of year is really the point in the real estate cycle where we begin to understand how things will play out for the remainder of the year. As it stands now, our inventory has jumped up quite a bit from March into April (a welcome sign for homebuyers) but there are no appreciable signs of any major improvements to the Northern Colorado real estate market at this stage in the game. Inventory is still struggling - sellers are still holding back, probably due to concerns on finding a replacement property while rates are in the mid 6% range, with no signs of improving, unfortunately. The economic pressure of higher rates has still not brought values down much in Northern Colorado, simply because inventory shortages are keeping buyers somewhat competitive, where houses are...

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This is the exciting point in the real estate world. Once we pass spring break, things begin to thaw a bit - the weather and the real estate market. Buyers begin to come out looking to make a convenient move in the spring and summer, while homes show their best with greening grass and attractive curb appeal. We also get some great insight into what the market may look like through the spring and summer. Luckily, rates have recently come down a bit to make homes more affordable for all buyers. Inflation is seemingly tamed or at least being tamed, so we may have greener pastures ahead. Here's what's happening in the NoCo communities.

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We are a couple months into 2023 and things are getting more difficult to navigate in Northern Colorado. High interest rates in the 6.25-6.5% for most well qualified buyers is putting a huge damper on sales. Conversely, while the early spring is when we should expect to see MORE inventory, we are continuing to see less. This does not necessarily mean that competition over few available homes is increasing home values, but it is keeping them generally in line with 2021 figures. Buyers are having a tough time navigating this environment: they are either forced to reduce their budget due to high rates, increase their monthly payment to get what they want and/or need, and there is not a large number of homes to choose from. Sellers, on the other hand, grapple with the thought of...

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January is a month with a lot of energy. New year's resolutions, pent up energy after the holidays, and there's always the desire to get out and start the year strong. In the real estate world, stats from January are rarely indicative of much, it's a pretty quiet month overall. I want there to be a signal that begins a trend for the new year, but I think it's just too early to tell what's going to happen. As we saw in 2022, a lot can happen in a year, or even in 6 months. Markets can be strong, then weak. The good thing is that it seems like both price reductions and interest rates are stabilizing, and a more normal, stable market will return in the new year. See below for a more specific breakdown on the 3 major markets in Northern Colorado.

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In my entire career, I don't think I've ever seen a "status quo" kind of year in Northern Colorado Real Estate. I've seen the lowest of the low, the highest of the high and everything in between. Typically, a year will have a constant theme. In 2022, the year was "rollercoaster" simply due to the incredible shift midway through the year in home prices, sales and interest rates. Both buyers and sellers in the market experienced different emotions based on what time of the year they were playing in the sandbox. Now, let's just hope for a more consistent and stable 2023 moving forward!

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Real estate in Northern Colorado has gotten pretty sticky over the last 3-4 months, and as we head into the holiday season, it seems like buyers are taking the wait and see approach. As it stands now, most industry experts believe that interest rates still have some room to come down, and prices also have some room to come down. Right now, the fate of the market is in the buyers hands, for the first time in about a decade. Buyers can continue to wait through the holidays and into the new year for even better interest rates to help with affordability, partnered with a pattern of slowly decreasing prices across the region. Showings have nearly dried up, which has led to a decrease in sales between 24-42% in Loveland, Fort Collins and Greeley. It's going to be a long, cold winter for...

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The Northern Colorado real estate market is in full slowdown mode as the “new normal” begins to pan out – higher interest rates keeping many buyers on the sidelines, while now sellers are competing for buyers who are brave enough to take on the 6-7% interest rate environment. There is plenty of pain on either side of the transaction at this point. Buyers have to bite the bullet and take a leap of faith that if they over extend themselves, they will be able to refinance with expected lower rates in the next year, hoping that prices don’t creep further down after purchasing. Also keeping their eyes on eroding home values are home sellers – who have to price their homes ultra competitively to lure buyers. Sellers are adding incentives to help buyers pay down interest rates and are up...

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The real estate industry, and the consumers within, are often vulnerable to scams due to the nature of the complicated and costly transaction. Over a decade ago, it was predatory mortgage terms that swindled home buyers. More recently, it’s been hacked wiring instructions that led to home buyers sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to a scammer’s bank account. And now, it’s a handful of predatory real estate brokerages that are taking advantage of desperate or needy homeowners.

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The full effects of interest rates well into the high 6% and even low 7% range is starting to be felt across Northern Colorado as inventory is beginning to inch up. While we were praying for additional inventory earlier in the year, so that buyers could have a bit more negotiating power, high interest rates have taken the wind out of buyer’s sails. There really is not a clear direction with the market currently. Inventory levels, while increasing, are still not appreciably larger. This means that home values are still not coming down, they are holding steady and even slightly increasing. Prices will only drop when there are so many homes on the market that sellers need to drop prices to find a buyer and that certainly isn’t the norm. Right now, the only homes dropping in value...

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We’re finally starting to see the effects of the massive rate hike from late spring. All the contracts from late May through June that closed in July are giving us a real indication of the market slowing down for the first time in about a decade. But fear not, a slow down certainly doesn’t mean a decline in prices, just a tempering of appreciation that was out of control. Finally, buyers might have a little breathing room in terms of lesser competition and more options, but they still have the big hurdle of new interest rates eroding their buying power. The biggest shift is that no longer are houses going far up above list price as they were most of the last 2 years. Things are starting to balance out a bit, which helps to make the market much more stable and predicable for both...

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