I always watch what happens on the coasts to see what is next for Colorado. Whether it is minimum wage, required sick leave, etc… these all originated from the coasts and migrated to Colorado. NY’s laws on nightly rentals will soon find their way to...
Colorado Hard Money Blog
Colorado’s wildfire risk is so high some homeowners can’t get insured. The state may create last-resort coverage.
State lawmakers are preparing to introduce a bill in the legislature that would create a state sponsored governmental program offering basic home insurance to the growing number of Colorado homeowners who say they can’t get coverage from private companies because the...
Wild West Buying and selling in Colorado ski towns: a cautionary tale from steamboat values plunge
There is a condo complex in Steamboat Springs, CO where units have precipitously dropped in value overnight while owners cannot sell, refinance, rent, or in many cases use the units. The units themselves are fine, but there is one huge problem. What happened in...
Buying and selling in Colorado ski towns: a cautionary tale from steamboat values plunge, 4 ways to quickly lose money in ski real estate
There is a condo complex in Steamboat where units have precipitously dropped in value while owners cannot sell, refinance, or in many cases use the units. The units themselves are fine, but there is one huge problem. What happened in Steamboat? Why is this a...
Will the golden handcuffs of low rates save Denver real estate in this cycle? November paints an interesting picture of what the future holds.
The prevailing theory is that this real estate cycle will be considerably better than others as so many people locked in rock bottom rates which will serve as “golden handcuffs” and prevent a meaningful increase in inventory. This in turn will keep prices high...
Denver Long term rental licenses go into effect Jan 23; Costs and requirements skyrocket; affordable housing reduced
Denver is making waves again with the passage of a new law that requires all long-term rental properties to meet “min housing requirements”. This new law goes into effect on January 1 2023. On the surface the new law sounds innocuous, but the reality is...
2023 Colorado real estate predictions, will the party continue one more year?
Wow, 2022 has been quite the year in real estate. In Denver, the average home price peaked at $913,000, a whopping 52% increase from 2019. In Summit County (home to Breckenridge, Keystone, etc..) the average home is 1.2m up 116% since the pandemic. Even with higher...
What Colorado ski resort is the best investment? Top two choices
What a run it has been the last several years with most Colorado ski resorts averaging 30-40% / year increases. Many resort areas are still up double digits for the year, but just like the seasons are beginning to change there is a cold bite to the air in...
Statewide transfer tax gearing up for 2024; I’ll bet 178 million this will not work
It is amazing, they just called the last races in Colorado a few weeks ago and already there is a ballot initiative to increase taxes further. In the last cycle voters passed an affordable housing initiative and hot on its heals is a new statewide transfer tax...
Forbes take on the Denver market gumdrops and roses; is this reality?
I recently receive a Denver Metro Association of realtor’s newsletter touting: “People have been flocking to the Mile High City from more expensive cities in search of a cheaper cost of living and to work remotely in the Rocky Mountains. “ Is this...
Vail sues Vail, what does this mean for the resort and city
It is a bit ironic (and confusing) as the company Vail resorts sues the city that its name originated from. The suit highlights a not so happy marriage or relationship or breakup of the two Vails. In a nutshell Vail resorts and Vail are having a legal...
What does this election mean for CO real estate: are taxes really going down?
It has been a crazy election cycle in Colorado with multiple initiatives impacting everything from alcohol, nightly rentals, income taxes, school lunches, magic mushrooms, etc… Some taxes were reduced, others were increased. What were the big Colorado initiatives...
CO Short term rental elections 20% tax rates approved, what are the results and what does this mean to you and Colorado ski real estate?
Regardless of party affiliation, this has been a big voting season for Colorado real estate and there was a resounding message relayed at the polls. Voters in Steamboat Springs, Aspen, Dillon, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, and Summit County all decided whether...
6 CO ski towns have short term rentals on ballot; what does this mean for real estate
Voters in Steamboat Springs, Aspen, Dillon, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, and Summit County will all decide whether to impose additional taxes, with at least part of those funds in each municipality going to support affordable housing. What are the new short term...
Wine & Beer in Colorado grocery stores, Big changes to CO liquor laws on ballot and impact on real estate
Colorado is an odd state, prior to a few years ago, you were unable to buy full strength beer in grocery stores. In almost every other state, you can walk into a grocery store and buy wine/beer, but not in Colorado. A trio of ballot proposals will radically alter...
Denver values up 13%, Summit up 23% for the year, the chart should scare you!
The Summit Daily recently posted an article that Fall is a great time to hike a 14er. I took the pic below of a 13k foot peak the same week the article came out. Probably not a good time to attempt a peak ascent in the snow. The article on 14ers is eerily similar...
How to increase your Colorado Zestimate 300% with a simple step; 4 tips to determine the correct value
I was recently looking at a property in Colorado and looked up its Zestimate (above)… it is a miracle that the Zestimate suddenly increased 300% with no changes to the property. I’ll bet 900 million that the Zestimate is not accurate. Why did the Zestimate jump so...
Ruling in Louisiana court halts Frisco’s plan for short term rentals
Frisco had originally planned to offer a “locals” only license classification for short term rentals. A new ruling in Louisiana put these plans on hold and could jeopardize many other communities short term rental laws. What was in the ruling and...
Steamboat’s occupancy plummets, revenues soar, what is going on?
Steamboat’s occupancy rate “supposedly” plummets 13% from last year, yet accommodation taxes are up an astonishing 48%. Why is it important to focus on occupancy and sales taxes? How accurate are either of these numbers? What does this mean for...
58% of sellers in Denver drop prices; inventory rises 94%; what does this mean for Colorado real estate values?
Don’t be surprised by the recent numbers. I mentioned months ago that many Canadian markets changed on a dime and the same would happen in major US cities. A recent Redfin report showed that Denver ranked second behind Boise in price drops amongst 97 cities. ...
Breckenridge records lowest occupancy rates since 2015; will real estate follow?
The headline in the Summit Daily sound ominous: Summit County servers stung by lack of visitors with lowest occupancy rates since 2015. From the headlines it sounds like Breckenridge is in a free fall. Is it really? What is going on in Breckenridge...
Will higher interest rates impact Colorado ski real estate? One market down 71%
Depending on the Colorado ski town, cash transactions make up between 30-75% of all closed transactions. With this many cash transactions, what do rising interest rates mean for sales in the various ski towns. Will there be a slow down in ski real...
Extreme bidding wars set to continue in Denver, Housing enters a national recession
The Denver Metro Association predicted “extreme bidding wars” will continue in their August Newsletter. At the same time the National Association of realtor’s chief economist said: “We’re witnessing a housing recession in terms of declining home sales and home...
Ready to give Colorado 270 million more of your money?
A new Ballot proposal, 108, will be voted on in November to “divert to” (aka give) the state of Colorado an additional 270 million dollars of taxpayer’s money for affordable housing. What is in the new proposal? How effective will a statewide fund be? What can we...