Every time I open the news, I’m amazed at what is happening in the Colorado legislature. As a rental property owner, I cringe as it is becoming next to impossible to cost effectively operate a rental property. The new bill is titled “safe housing”. Who...
Denver private real estate loans
Own a vacant building in Lakewood, the city will send you a bill
New vacant building tax immediately implemented Lakewood, CO just implemented the first vacant building tax I have seen in Colorado. It seems a bit counterintuitive to put more taxes on a property owner that is already struggling with vacancy. Why did Lakewood...
Colorado property values soften. Property taxes increased 36%-82%
Get ready for sticker shock as you open the mail and get your tax bill. As values soften throughout the state, why are your property taxes going up? How can assessed values continue to increase even though property values are softening? Why will your taxes likely...
Is Colorado setting up buy now pay later for property taxes
The legislature passed a little known bill to allow property owners to defer their property taxes above 4% increase starting in 2023. To get the message out, they sent out the flier above that I received this week. On the surface, this sounds like an amazing plan. ...
Colorado has highest debt per person of any state
What does Colorado’s debt load mean for real estate prices? I was surprised to see Colorado exceed every other state in the country on both the amount of debt and debt as a percentage of income. Why do Coloradoans have more debt than others? Why is debt an important...
Denver has highest increase in violent crime in US, impact on real estate
Of U.S. cities with more than half a million residents, only Denver’s overall violent crime (including aggravated assault, sex assault, robbery and homicide) has risen by more than 90% between 2012 and 2022, according to FBI data. What does the surge in crime mean...
Property tax bomb awaiting Denver
Denver office vacancy exceeds 30% for first time since 1990’s In 2019 office vacancy stood around 16%, lower than the national average. Fast forward and Denver office vacancy has almost doubled to over 30%. Why is the vacancy rate so important to Denver...
Second homeowners charged higher property taxes in Colorado
Although HH, the Colorado tax reduction initiative was ultimately defeated, there was one profound item in the legislation that will have far reaching impacts. One of the biggest changes in the proposal is that second homeowners (non-primary residents) are now paying...
Colorado property tax bill fails in stunning defeat
What happens now for Colorado property tax relief? Leading up to election day, millions was spent to try to convince voters to give up Tabor for small tax relief. Voters saw through the games and complexity and in the end the bill failed miserably with over 60% voting...
‘Airbnb collapse’, what does this mean for Colorado cities and real estate prices
A tweet that went viral last week proclaimed "the Airbnb collapse is real," with a screenshot of data attributed to AllTheRooms, a short-term rentals analytics company, showing revenue per available listing at Airbnbs between May 2022 and May 2023 down nearly 50%. ...
Denver Tops the nation in rent increases; if it is not due to demand, then what?
Metro Denver apartment rent inflation has outstripped income gains by a higher margin than any other major city in the U.S. since 2009, according to a recent study by Real Estate Witch. Furthermore, Denver has experienced the second highest jump in rents in the...
Denver Ties Detroit in a Top 10 List
It is not very frequently Denver and Detroit get lumped together for anything. But both cities unfortunately have a few things in common now. In this case Denver and Detroit take top honors as top 10 states in a Redfin study where more people are looking to leave...
Appealed your Colorado property taxes, what is next, one fundamental flaw in assessor data.
Hopefully many of you on this list took the time to appeal your Colorado property taxes. I absolutely did! For my appeal, I filed the formal appeal and also spoke with the assessor to discuss. I got my letter this week and the assessor refused to adjust the value...
91% believe rent “stabilization” in Colorado should be implemented, what happened in the legislature?
In a recent survey done by New Era Colorado where they polled 506 Coloradans between 18 and 34, a whopping 91% supported “rent stabilization” policies. The legislature is hearing this drumbeat loud and clear. The biggest focus of this legislative session has focused...
New property tax bill is radically altered leads to huge tax increases and allows local governments to grow 20 times inflation.
Wow! You can always hand it to the politicians to take a simple property tax measure and fill it to the brim so in the end it costs more than it actually saves you. In a last-ditch effort, the Colorado legislature approved: SB23-303 Reduce taxes and voter approved...
Taxes jump, you have 30 days, how do you appeal (quick guide) and should you?
Get ready for sticker shock; as 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. How can assessed values continue to...
Denver prices set to fall 16%, will Golden handcuffs come off
I’m asked daily what happens to prices in high cost cities like Denver. Will prices stabilize due to the Golden handcuffs of low rates? Will prices go into a free fall due to higher mortgage rates? Historically there is a correlation between rents and prices,...
“Apparently we are too stupid”; Colorado Mayors Blast Polis’ statewide zoning proposal
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. Colorado mayors are...
Coloradans can defer payment on a big chunk of their rising property tax bill; should you???
The legislature passed a little known bill in 2021 to allow property owners to defer their property taxes above 4% increase starting in 2023. On the surface, this sounds like a great plan. Why wouldn’t someone want to defer their property taxes. Unfortunately the...
Rent Control through the backdoor in Colorado passed the house
Every time I turn around there is yet another proposal to implement rent control. The newest house bill concerning requiring just cause for an eviction recently passed its first hearing. On the surface it sounds harmless, but the details are the most troublesome of...
New affordable housing rule, government has first right of refusal on properties
There is yet another proposal in the statehouse on affordable housing. This new bill would allow governments the first right of refusal on basically any multifamily property. On the surface, the new proposal sounds innocuous, but the devil is always in the...
Denver passes affordable housing law, 88% decline in Apartment permits.
Last year Denver passed an “affordable housing program” that requires multifamily developments to pay linkage fees and/or reserve a percentage of units for low income housing. What has happened to apartment construction since passage? Were my original predictions...
Colorado property values soften. Ready for a 51% jump in your property taxes
Get ready for sticker shock as this year is a reassessment year. As values soften throughout the state, will your property taxes finally go down? Unfortunately the short answer is just the opposite, look for your taxes to jump an astronomical amount. How can...
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 with...
























