May sales figures are out and they are painting a picture of a difficult market in Northern Colorado, which is unusual during the peak selling season. There is "adequate" action and activity in the market, just not the fast paced machine we have been used to. Even in the interest rate restricted 2023 and 2024, buyers were quick to make decisions. Now, with essentially the same rate environment, buyers are hesitant, apprehensive and cautious as they tour homes. Showing activity is down as some buyers watch from the sidelines, waiting for price reductions. Buyers seem to have all the time in the world to wait, while sellers sit back, anxiously. Bottom line, the homes that are moving quickly are: well priced, turn key homes in the most desirable neighborhoods. The ones that have trouble moving are homes with projects or deferred maintenance, resale homes in new construction neighborhoods where they compete with builders, and homes that require a lot of creativity or mental gymnastics to fit the buyer's needs. There is still opportunity for every buyer and every seller as the market is much more balanced - but having the right expectation and level of patience is key.

April sales figures are out and while it appears like all is well, there is some uncertainty creeping into the market, especially as we head into May. In most years, April is a very strong month, with competitive sales, great inventory, and overall healthy activity. This year, we're seeing much of the same, but a cloud may be forming over the market. Buyer, who are usually very motivated to make quick and informed decisions, have been hesitant to commit to homes, or better yet, hesitant to commit to an interest rate and monthly payment. Economic uncertainties with the fallout of the administrations tariff plans, stock market fluctuations, and overall economic health are giving buyers pause. While sellers have held up their end of the market, providing new and attractive options for buyers, those buyers are slow to commit, which is causing a lot of real estate professionals (myself included) to be left scratching our heads wondering where the showings and buyer activity actually is.

While March is typically the month where the market begins to unfreeze a bit, it is still too early to tell if this market will take off for the year or if it will be somewhat subdued over the next few months. The good news is, there are some signs of life as both home buyers and sellers are coming into the market after the colder off season. April is really the month we hope inventory starts to improve, or, buyers will need to get more competitive with a smaller amount of available listings. Also, with the stock market being in turmoil, there is a chance interest rates could come down a bit, but that good news might be offset by losses in downpayment investments or savings, putting some buyers on the sidelines until better conditions come forward. If you're considering making a move this year, now is the time to reach out to your favorite agent (I'm sitting by the phone awaiting your text) and get started strategizing to make sure your plans can become a reality.

Right out of the gate in January, the market is showing signs of life, in an otherwise typically subdued buying or selling season. January is typically low energy, and has been especially slow in the last 2 years, but in 2025, there is optimism. After the election, there is at least some clarity as to how the next few years will play out, and with interest rates remaining stable and not expecting any big changes, some fence-sitters and the wait-and-see folks are up and moving. It is still too early to tell how the remainder of 2025 will shake out; however, it's good to see the market off to a good start this year.

Northern Colorado real estate finished very strong in 2024, capping off a year of pretty low energy, activity, supply and demand. All that being said, the market had tremendous head winds throughout the year - from a glut of picked over inventory, a major shift in the real estate industry, and higher than expected interest rates. I'd say that we came out in great shape in 2024 and could be poised for a less volatile and bumpy 2025.

With the election over, we can now focus on even more thrilling items - real estate statistics! I know, I know, Christmas is coming a few weeks early for all my stat wonks out there. November was a good (albeit not great) month for the entire region with improvements across the board in sales and median value as compared to 2023 figures. This is proving that even minor progress is still progress as we work through the new normal with rates sitting stubbornly in the mid to upper 6% range. December is usually very non-energetic in the market, but there will still be "some" activity into the new year.

The entire region had a pretty surprising turn around in October as both home values and sales had positive movement. These closings were the result of homes that went under contract in late august, through early October - many of these buyers were able to take advantage of the very, very brief period where interest rates dropped staggeringly close to the 6% range, which have since rebounded closer towards 7%. Across the board, sales were up, and prices popped up nicely too. Last month was make or break for this market, and it appears that the health of the market will be deemed by this real estate doctor as "fair". It will be a pretty lackluster Winter as demand and listings *should* seasonally recede. For buyers: your opportunity lies in picking up homes that have been lingering on the market, there is a good chance you can get reasonable deals on these units. For sellers: getting showings and eyeballs on your listings has been difficult this fall, buyers are more patient than ever and it shows. Your home needs to show well, be priced right and you need to remove any hurdles or impediments so that buyers can easily fall in love and put your home under contract. Good luck!

September, in my opinion, was a make or break kind of month for the Northern Colorado real estate market. The market has been pretty transitional for the last several months, building up inventory, waiting on interest rates, waiting for buyers to enter the market, waiting for "better" news, etc. For the ones who have been in the market - good for you! It hasn't been as easy as it used to be, but if you're working with an experienced and flexible Realtor, chances are you made it through just fine. The world may never go back to low interest rates for buyers, or insane demand for sellers, but we're in a much more balanced market, which allows both sides to play fair. It does take quite a bit more finesse, but it is completely doable with the right partner on your side. It still be many more months before we see what the impact of interest rates and the upcoming election will have on the markets, but for now, things are stable and steady - and that is something you can count on.

August was neither fantastic nor poor, there was "adequate" energy in the market, but nothing overwhelming. July was, after all was said and done, a pretty poor month for the market in terms of sales, so it was good to see a bit of a positive bump as we head further into the back half of the year. A huge positive has been a move in the interest rates, down to the low 6%'s (as of this post) that wasn't felt in August, but will certainly help to get some mortgage applications going. It will be an interesting 8 weeks in the real estate world as low(er) mortgage rates will potentially help some fence-sitting buyers enter the market, where inventory is still increasing. Buyers will have more choices, and with better buying power, can potentially make more advantageous moves. Let's not forget the election either, which really does nothing for the market in reality, but only changes perception.

July is often a huge question mark in Northern Colorado real estate. Typically, we do see some kind of a slump, but it often comes in varying degrees. Most times it is perceptible for a few weeks. Other times, it can feel like the sky is falling. This year, it has felt a bit more like the sky is falling. We have our typical slump due to families taking their family vacations and the bulk of the selling season energy was swallowed up in April, May and June. An additional wrinkle that we are facing in the market is that there is finally some definitive hope for interest rate reductions in coming months. We did see a pretty major drop in the first week of August, in anticipation of the fed meetings in September. Whether it is our traditional July slump, or buyers pulling out and waiting for further rate decreases, for some listings, it's hard to bring in showings.

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While June is typically a pretty ferocious month in the real estate market, it was actually pretty quiet across Northern Colorado. There were some mixed metrics which should lead one to believe that real estate is very local - some communities may be on fire while others might be struggling. The good news is, no communities in NoCo are struggling. With prices remaining steady (and certainly not declining appreciably), inventory remaining low and interest rates not budging from around the 7% mark, it is hard to gain too much upward momentum. Many sellers (who will become buyers once their home sells) are remaining on the sidelines, not wanting to give up their 3% interest rates.

This market has guts! While interest rate relief appears to be coming well into next year, buyers are still very competitive in Northern Colorado, while many more sellers are jumping into the market. It is great to have some energy in the market. While the Loveland/Berthoud market lagged in sales as compared to the rest of the region, prices across the board were up as compared to 2023. I'm excited to see fewer buyers and sellers sitting on the sidelines. I understand fear is a huge factor in decision making, but when buyers and sellers are actually educated and empowered - fear is removed and opportunities can be capitalized on.

I get it - we all need insurance but do we really understand it? There's health insurance, car insurance, life insurance and of course, home insurance. Usually, insurance is a set it and forget it kind of thing - we get a quote from an agent when we purchase a home, and we just keep paying the premium - set it and forget it. We might occasionally shop around for a better deal, but beware, a better deal might mean coverage that will bite you later. Let's talk about it.

As we get further into the year, we are seeing the traditional "energy" in the market as weather warms up, school is drawing to a close and people are on the move, AKA the spring rush. Typically, we see strong inventory and demand for homes through August and into September, but it could also be a quick flood of homes April through June with a less than stellar July and August. Time will tell, but as it stands now, we're in a good and healthy season!

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.

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.

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.

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 it's worth, if you read my monthly updates, you get a glimpse into the madness of the real estate world. Thank you for another year of support! Let's all have some wins in 2024.

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 most opportune time to purchase a home in the next decade.