Aspen continues leading the way in Colorado on nightly rental regulations. Historically what happens in Aspen ultimately flows through to other mountain communities. What is in the exclusion of nightly rentals in Pitkin County? Are these new regulations legal based...
Median income soars in CO mountains, is 150k/year income affordable housing
It is likely no mystery that the Colorado ski towns are getting considerably more expensive, but the recent data released by HUD is eye opening. HUD releases income figures every year based on census data and other factors, such as the rate of inflation. What do the...
Tax bills double in CO mountain towns, new legislation doesn’t help, you can reduce your taxes
Our legislative branch and Governor have touted a new proposal to drastically reduce property taxes after they have skyrocketed due to increasing values and the elimination of the Gallagher amendment. Unfortunately the new bill will not help the overwhelming majority...
Big changes in mountain real estate, volumes drop, but there is one big surprise
Although March is typically not a big sales time in the mountains with mud season and the resorts closed, there are some interesting trends emerging. As suspected single family homes sales volumes have dropped dramatically along with median and average sales price. ...
Colorado property tax relief: Polis reveals plan to ease skyrocketing tax bills
Colorado property taxes were set to jump almost 50% in some markets which finally go the attention of the Colorado Governor. At the last minute, Governor Polis put together a proposal that supposedly will drastically save taxpayers. What is in the new proposal? ...
Big changes to traffic patterns and Colorado mountain real estate post Covid
Anyone who has ventured into any Colorado ski town recently has noticed a profound change since Covid. Everything seems to be busy all the time, prices have skyrocketed, and longtime locals are quickly priced out. What is causing the swift changes and what does this...
Colorado legislature proposes statewide elimination of single family zoning
With a supermajority, the legislature has been busy crafting bills that will radically alter the real estate landscape. The recent proposal allows the state to dictate zoning in every county throughout Colorado and eliminate single family zoning. As you can imagine...
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...
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...
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...
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 tango over the...
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...
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...
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 why is it so...
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 real estate? What...
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 and other...
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...
New Short Term rental tax 20.4%, what does this mean for real estate?
While other mountain towns implemented taxes and regulations on short term rentals, Steamboat was a bit late to the party. Locals were not happy and elected a new council. The new ballot question will raise the short term rental tax to 20.4%. Will this pass in...
Aspen prices soar, further limits to development, what are the alternative resorts
Aspen home prices jumped from 10 million to 16 million from 21 to 22. At the same time the city council has recently increased restrictions on new construction. How many demolitions/new builds do you think the city will now allow? Hint, the number is much lower than...
Colorado ski real estate doubles, will there be a drop on the other side? 5 factors that will shape the future
The amount spent on real estate in six of Colorado’s resort-anchored counties doubled from 2019 to 2021. Average prices in Eagle, Grand, Pitkin, Routt, Summit, and San Miguel in 2021 were up 57% from 2019. Where does Colorado ski real estate go from...
Breckenridge plunges 28%, Steamboat down 22%; what is causing the huge slowdown?
It is not surprising that Colorado ski towns like Breckenridge and Steamboat are finally slowing down. After years of double-digit price gains, are the mountains finally turning a corner? Is the big slowdown due to the nightly rental regulations restricting the...
Big changes to Aspen nightly rentals: no new permits, impact on property values
Aspen is following Breckenridge’s lead with substantial changes to Aspen nightly rental regulations. Aspen is proposing a cap on the number of units along with a cap on the number of rental days allowed. How will this impact real estate prices in...




















