My wife and I were out for a longer day hike when we crest the hill and got a dead-on view of a new wildfire. We knew immediately it was in the direction of our house, and it was growing rapidly. The evacuation notices immediately go out, giving some folks less than...
In my blog last week, Vail in big trouble, will they sell Breckenridge and Park City?, I asked each of you whether Vail’s days were numbered and a break up imminent. I was actually a bit surprised at how close the voting was as I thought it would be a total...
Take a look at the stock chart of Vail Resorts, which has lost almost 60% of its value in the last five years while the S&P has returned an approximately 90% gain. The vultures are circling with a Utah billionaire proposing a sale of Park City to stop the...
Over the last 30 years I continue to hear about the “affordable housing crisis”. Do we really have an affordable housing crisis or a leadership crisis within the ski towns. A recent proposal in Steamboat pegs the build cost of one affordable housing unit over 1.7m....
The Colorado legislature just voted for the largest tax increase in Colorado’s history. As you suspect they are framing this as a tax increase “without increasing taxes”. Essentially the new ballot initiative will allow the state to eliminate the taxpayer...
Colorado has gone from red to purple, to now ultra blue. The headline in the Wall Street Journal says it all. Not only did a socialist win for Congress, but the governor’s race also went much farther left than predicted. Will changes in Colorado laws...
It has been an interesting year for the Colorado Legislature. After a brutal year for property owners last year, this year was not as bad with no huge bills impacting property owners. We can thank Governor Polis for putting business interests back at the...
The Pueblo wildfire grew from 40 acres to 30 thousand acres in one day at the same time fire weather watches are up and winds are howling throughout the state. Two fires start near Campgrounds/lakes and yet the fire chiefs proclaim they have no idea how the fires...
This week, U.S. News and World report again released its popular ‘best places to live’ ranking, and once again, Colorado got snubbed in a big way. Just two short years ago Colorado Springs ranked as the 3rd-best place to live in the United States in the same report...
Crested Butte, CO it the latest to propose a vacancy tax with one major shift, nightly rentals would be covered by the new tax along with second homeowners. Who knew that Colorado ski towns would be taking economic lessons from Portland Oregon,one of the worst...
In my blog last week, Should Colorado double the income tax rate, I asked the question if Colorado should increase the tax rate on higher earners. I was very surprised with the results of the survey. My base case was that this survey would be a blowout one...
Instead of cutting bloat from the Colorado Government there is a new proposal to help the state spend even more by doubling the state income tax rate on “wealthy taxpayers”. The theory is who doesn’t want free money; someone else is going to pay. What...
Colorado property insurance costs have roughly doubled since 2020 placing Colorado in the top spot of insurance increases in the entire country. What is the top factor driving Colorado insurance rates much higher than the national average (it is not...
Colorado is losing businesses and jobs at an alarming rate. The Colorado Chamber of Commerce has been sounding an alarm for years about excessive regulation and last year more people moved out of Colorado than into the state. Not only are people leaving but...
In my blog last week, One CO town proposes to tax employers for hiring workers, I asked the question was are proposed linkage fees a good idea. I was very surprised with the results of the survey. My base case was that there would be an even split, but the...
Reading the headline, it sounds absolutely crazy to propose taxing businesses for creating jobs, but is this really a crazy idea? Is every job worth the same in Colorado? For example if someone builds a large hotel in Steamboat creating 15 jobs, should the developer...
In a stinging defeat Lakewood Colorado voters easily defeated by a 2 to 1 margin proposed zoning changes that would have allowed duplexes and triplexes anywhere in the city. The special election vote strikes a blow against those who have been pushing for more density...
In Steamboat Springs, Condo inventory was up 70% in the Fall, while single family inventory was up almost 50%. The above information looks very ominous but should it? What is the primary driver behind the “surge” in inventory? What does this mean for values and...
Home values in Denver are falling faster than any other major metro area tracked by a key index, earning the Mile High City a dubious distinction as the weakest housing market in the nation. From the chart above it looks like Denver is in a free fall compared...
Colorado ski resorts have continued holding strong in the face of higher interest rates. Why are interest rates not the best metric for Colorado ski real estate? Which ski towns are performing better than others? What two factors are driving the difference in ski...
I’m amazed that there hasn’t been a bigger emphasis on the financial cliffs that most major cities will soon face. Most cities are heavily funded by property taxes and most importantly commercial property taxes. How will cities fund their budgets that...
Condos were once the hottest real estate in Denver and throughout the front range and now suddenly the tides have turned. Days on the market have jumped, prices are down, and sellers are now in a panic to dump properties. Is now a good time to...
It seems like anytime there is even a hint of snow or the slightest breeze, I70 gets shut down for hours turning an 1.5 hour drive from Denver into a 5 hour adventure! What does this mean for ski real estate? Will ski traffic lead to lower real estate...
Colorado is having a tough year. Snowfall was down nearly 60% over the holidays, resulting in only about 11% of skiable terrain being opened in December and skier visits are down 20%. Vail resorts, the largest ski operator, is getting hit hard as seen in the stock...
