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....
Copper Mountain hard money loans and the Copper market: affordable housing, I-70 traffic, ski passes and nightly rental regulations.
I70 traffic snarls ski real estate (2026 update)
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...
Top 10 mountain towns in total free fall
Have you seen the viral video about Colorado ski real estate where it predicts “entire communities evaporating and the seemingly perfect town that has seen its median home price slashed by over 30% in just 6 months”. How real are these bold predictions? Hint, look...
Ikon and Epic passes increase, will this impact ski real estate?
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...
What two factors predict Colorado ski town prices
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...
New Colorado backdoor tax proposal to charge second homeowners more
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...
New nightly rental regulations in Breckenridge that the industry supports
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...
I70 traffic snarls ski real estate
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...
Which Colorado ski town is the best 2025 investment?
As I predicted, we are starting to see some big changes in Colorado ski real estate. Even as prices in many markets throughout the country are staying flat, some Colorado ski real estate is still increasing while others are starting to correct. What is causing the...
4 golden rules of Ski investing
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...
Crested Butte drops 13% is this signaling a reset in ski prices
The most recent data in Crested Butte tells an interesting story. Single family homes continued to increase in value while town home median prices have decreased 13%. What is happening in Crested Butte and other mountain towns causing property declines? Why are...
6 CO ski towns rentals effect on 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...
New impact fees in Colorado without a vote: ready to pay 50k more to build a commercial building?
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...
Do you know Colorado ski real estate, take a quick quiz
It is amazing since the pandemic it seems everyone has had way too much time to watch YouTube and Instagram and are now experts on everything including Colorado ski real estate. Unfortunately ski real estate is not that simple. Look at the picture above, can you...
Breckenridge’s Struggles: Underperforming Among Ski Towns
When looking at the chart above it is clear that Breckenridge is substantially underperforming other ski towns in Colorado. Why has Breckenridge peaked and fallen while other ski towns hit a blip and powered higher? What does this mean for ski real estate in...
Will ski real estate prices move higher later this year?
It is crazy to talk about prices moving higher in Colorado’s high country while rates are staying double their lows. Why is ski real estate poised to head higher despite everything else going on in the economy? What is the key driver to watch for ski real estate? ...
New Colorado short term rental bill to define “commercial” use differently
The original Colorado short term rental bill is still moving through the legislature but now there is a competing bill to also classify short term rentals as commercial properties but with a big twist from the first bill. The new bill proposes to try to tax...
Alterra (Ikon) buys Arapahoe Basin, impact on ski real estate
Alterra Mountain Company has announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, from Dream Unlimited Corp., expanding Alterra’s portfolio of destinations in the Rockies. What does this mean for real Colorado ski real estate? ...
Bill to quadruple taxes on short term rental passes out of committee
With the failure of proposition HH, the Colorado legislature is on the hunt for tax revenue and nightly rentals are in the cross hairs. Not surprisingly, the recent proposal to quadruple taxes on nightly rentals recently passed out of Colorado legislative committee...
Copper and Keystone outperform Breckenridge, why?
Over the last several years both Keystone and Copper Mountain have appreciated at almost double the rate of Breckenridge. Why the sudden change in fate for Copper Mountain and Keystone? What big changes occurred in governmental regulations to cause the surge in...
2024 Colorado real estate predictions, will prices continue falling?
Wow, 2023 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. What do the changes mean for Colorado real estate in 2024? Will prices have a...
Did Breckenridge implement rent control? Did Summit County take “property rights”?
A federal judge has effectively frozen a legal battle over Summit County’s short-term rental regulations — at least temporarily — after county officials filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by area homeowners. One of the claims of homeowners is that the new...
Vail sues Vail, town of Vail has resounding win; what does this mean for real estate?
First, I had to share the joke above. For anyone that lives or spends time in the mountains it is unfortunately very relatable😊 It is a bit ironic (and confusing) as the company Vail resorts sues the city that its name originated from. The suit...
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...



























