In my blog last week Is affordable housing causing the surge in ski town home prices? I asked the question what was the impact on affordable housing in relation to ski prices . I was pretty surprised at the resounding answer regarding affordable housing What...
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...
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....
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, 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...
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...
Colorado has continued pushing for statewide zoning in the last several legislative sessions. The new proposal, House Bill 26-114 would radically alter every community in Colorado. The new bill mandates 2k foot min lot sizes statewide (no exceptions for any cities)....
In my blog last week Low snow year impact on Colorado ski real estate prices, I asked the question what are your predictions for ski real estate prices. I was a bit surprised. My base case is no change in pricing, but the survey results were radically...
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...
Two high end Colorado ski towns are taking radically different stances on tourism. Vail had proposed a 17% short term rental sales tax, while Steamboat is taking the opposite approach by proposing to tax vacant homes. Which solution is correct? What does each one...
2026 looks like it is going to be a quite interesting year. Is it a rinse and repeat of 25? Inflation is remaining sticky, interest rates are high, while property taxes and insurance bills have skyrocketed throughout Colorado. There is a ton of negative news coming...
In my blog last week Top Ten Mountain Towns in a free fall, I asked the question to the readers if they agreed with the viral video proclaiming that Colorado ski real estate is in a Free Fall. As you can see the consensus was a blow out, but the interesting...
Our legislature recently enacted a new law that will impact large property owners starting this year. Who is impacted by the “Decarbonization law” Who will be paying millions for building upgrades (hint not the government)? Who will be on the hook for fines up to...
Colorado ski towns are promising high returns from tourism to fund just about everything from roads to affordable housing and everything in between. The theory is that increasing tourism will essentially solve every budget desire in each ski town. What does this...
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...
I was surprised to see the news that Eldora, in Boulder County, is up for sale. What caused the sale of Eldora. What does this mean for real estate in Nederland, CO? Why is the town of Nederland buying a ski resort? Is this even a good idea? Are property owners...
A ton of big economic changes have occurred during the first half of the year including tariffs, higher than predicted interest rates and now substantial recession talk. What does this all mean for Colorado real estate for the remainder of 25? Will prices...
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...
There is one ski town that bans non residents from buying real estate? What ski town has implemented this change? (Do you know based on the pic above?) Why was the ban put in place? What has happened to real estate values in this town and surrounding towns? Should...
Colorado ski resorts continue holding strong in the face of higher interest rates. Why are interest rates not the best metric for Colorado ski real estate? What two factors are driving the difference in ski town fortunes? Will these trends continue heading into...
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...
