A fall from a lift in Crested Butte, leads to a 21m loss for Vail even with the ski safety act (first ever). Is the lawsuit actually a win for Vail resorts (even though they lost money)? Why is this case so monumental? What does this case mean for Colorado...
How can property taxes jump 40% since 2023 when values are basically flat in most areas? Is there anything you can do about it? In 2022, with property values and in turn taxes surging, the Colorado governor signed a grand bargain to save on property taxes in...
When I was writing this, there were 10 wildfires burning throughout Colorado (above is a pic of the Derby fire north of Vail), can you avoid the biggest mistake for a property owner; do you know what the biggest mistake is? Being a lender in Colorado for the last 25...
After the legislature last year approved the ability to tax second homeowners more, one ski town is going all in establishing a “vacancy tax” for property owners. Ironically nightly rentals can be considered "vacant". What is in the new Vacancy tax proposal? What...
Cannabis was the new goldmine for many years. Unfortunately, the high does not last and is turning more into a hangover. The napa valley of pot is no more. What led to the bust of the Napa valley of pot? Who are the winners and losers in the new paradigm? ...
First, thank you to everyone who reads my blogs and has contacted your legislatures and various associations to ensure that the real estate industry is being heard at the Colorado Capital. Many of the original proposed bills have been...
In Colorado you will be receiving your new tax assessment in the next few weeks (typically the beginning of May) and time is of the essence as you have a limited window if you want to fight your tax value. Your taxes are likely going up even though the market...
Wow, how skiing has changed over the last decade. Assuming a family of 4, a full ikon pass will cost almost $5k/year and that is before you take a bite of an overpriced slice of pizza!. On the flip side, an epic pass for 4 will be closer to 4k/year. What do the...
In the last several weeks, I’ve had two deals fall through due to insurance. One was on a rural property that they could not find reasonable insurance on, and the other was on a condo in Denver that was under insured due to the huge jumps in insurance costs for the...
Why is Steamboat Springs leading the way? Although in the last legislative session the initiative to charge second homeowners more was defeated, it is rearing its head again in the form of a new backdoor “vacancy tax”. The leaders of this new push are the Colorado...
The Colorado Legislature has proposed a new law to limit lawsuits against builders in order to incentivize builders to increase supply of affordable housing. Will the new law help or hurt the market. What is in the new bill and how does it radically change...
When you look at the chart above of single family homes, there is a major outlier in red. What is happening in Colorado Springs? Is Colorado Springs a warning for real estate throughout Colorado. On the flip side look at Glenwood Springs (orange) it is...
Every time I look at the docket of new bills in the Colorado Legislature I am amazed. This new bill will radically alter rental contracts in Colorado and changes the real estate market profoundly. The proposed bill not only impacts property owners but also lenders....
Nightly rental regulations and enforcement continue to be a leading topic for legislation in every Colorado ski town. A newer ordinance in Summit county (Breckenridge) continues this trend but ironically is supported by most in the industry. What is in the new...
I’ve heard from every realtor that 2024 was a tough year in Colorado, interest rates were high and closing volumes plummeted, look at the chart above of Denver it tells a much different story, but is that the whole story. Are volumes actually down regardless...
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 has almost doubled, prices are down, and sellers are now in a panic to dump properties. Is now a good time to...
It is crazy that in Colorado we should be looking at a third world country on how to solve our affordable housing crisis. Is Colorado making the same mistakes as Argentina made in the past? What did Argentina learn that drastically lowered rental prices and increased...
The Colorado Rocky Mountains were blessed with abundant snow over the holiday season and unfortunately ski traffic was also brimming with accidents snarling traffic throughout the high country. At one point I saw i70 shut down an entire day leading to 90...
Wow, 2024 has been quite the year in real estate. The beginning of the year started out good but as interest rates rose substantially volumes dropped off a cliff and prices began falling in some markets. At the same time, we are seeing substantial increases in...
I learned the hard way about investing in mountain towns. I successfully lost over 100k on my first ski investment property! Hindsight 20/20 I violated 1 of the 4 golden rules of investing in mountain property. I developed these 4 rules after evaluating thousands...
I continue to hear that Colorado has a huge shortage of housing, at the same time Colorado just reached a milestone where current inventory handily surpassed prepandemic levels. What do the 6 states have in common with the biggest increases in inventory? What does...
It is crazy to think that every major ski town in Colorado has made the same major mistake and that nobody has noticed until or done anything until now. What caused every ski town to duplicate the same mistake? What does this mean for property owners? When...
Zillow analyzed appreciation over the last 4 years (basically the pandemic real estate gold rush) to see the cumulative appreciation. Which markets performed the best and which ones the worst in Colorado and even more importantly why? Why are some markets hotter...
A lot happened last legislative session and I totally missed a recent law that could have huge impacts on property owners. A new Colorado law that went into effect in May allows fire districts to levy “impact fees” on any property without a vote. What does this mean...
