In the legislature, it appears the biggest struggle for Coloradans is “$20 beer at a Nuggets game, the $10 water at the airport or the $80 Tylenol at the emergency room,” state Rep. Yara Zokaie, a Fort Collins Democrat, said during a news conference at the state...
Steamboat vs Vail, let the tax wars begin. Which city has a better solution?
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...
One Colorado city proposes 5k/room in short term rental fees
One mountain town just proposed a fee of 5,064/room; the fee for a 4-bedroom house annually for a short-term rental license would be 20k. According to the study, after looking at local economic data on the workforce, the affordability gap and occupancy...
Who really owns nightly rentals in CO, the answer will surprise
The primary argument in nightly rental regulation debates is that locals who rent their properties would not be able to stay in the community so any regulations would drastically hurt locals. How true is this argument? A new study sheds substantial light on this...
Airbnb growth slows, what does this mean for Colorado ski real estate?
10 years ago, nightly rentals were a novel concept, fast forward to 2024 and the number of nightly rentals has surged over 40% in the last 5 years. What does this huge increase in nightly rentals mean for real estate values? Has the real estate market gotten...
Summit County sued for caps on nightly rentals, who won the lawsuit?
A federal judge had 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...
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...
Live like a local, pay hotel property taxes on nightly rentals
Big changes in store for Colorado real estate in the upcoming legislature Colorado Governor Polis, in a recent interview, called short term rentals paying residential rates a “loophole” that he supports closing. “Residential properties that work like hotels...
Short term rentals coming for the suburbs of Denver, Colorado
Joining Denver and some of Colorado's biggest ski towns, which have created strict rules for STRs in recent years, residents across Jefferson County (suburb of Denver) say they have fallen victim to an issue that has long plagued other parts of the state. Why are the...
Aspen/Pitkin County lines up ban on short-term rentals
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...
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. ...
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...
NYC Spars With Hosts Over New Airbnb Rental Laws, 25% drop in nightly rentals, what does this mean for Colorado
I always watch what happens on the coasts to see what is next for Colorado. Whether it is minimum wage, required sick leave, etc… these all originated from the coasts and migrated to Colorado. NY’s laws on nightly rentals will soon find their way to Colorado. The...
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...
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...
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...
Vail resorts stock drops 22% from peak; impact on Colorado ski real estate
Vail, the largest owner of ski resorts not only throughout the world but also in Colorado, has dropped 22% while other hospitality stocks have been rising at double digit rates. Why is Vail stock dropping so much? What impact will this have on ski real...
Where does Colorado ski real estate go from here? One metric is painting a rosy picture
I’m constantly amazed at Colorado ski real estate. Many markets are up almost 40% in the last two years alone with sales continuing to exceed. On the other hand, Denver and the front range real estate markets are starting to feel a pronounced slow down. What...
Live like a local, pay hotel property taxes; big changes in Colorado real estate
Property taxes on short-term rental properties in Colorado would more than triple under a bill drafted by state lawmakers that comes as communities from Durango to Denver grapple with surging numbers of vacation rentals. What is in the new proposal? How...
Steamboat Springs imposes nightly rental moratorium: impact on real estate
Last summer was a tipping point with mountain towns overflowing with tourists and their impacts becoming more noticeable including traffic, crowded trails, etc… As more people move to the mountains full time there is a bigger push to diversify the mountain towns away...
Denver fines short term rental companies 1k, mountains and burbs not far behind
Denver officials will now fine short-term rental companies $1,000 for each illegal short-term rental transaction, City Council determined 11/20. Littleton also passed a new ordinance to regulate short term rentals. Is the new focus on nightly rentals unique to...
Big changes in Colorado ski real estate from the virus
Happy summer to everyone, it sure doesn't feel that way in the mountains with a dusting of fresh snow on the peaks this week. Do you know what pass this is? There are some big changes coming down the pipe not just for the weather but in Colorado ski real estate. From...
Vail resorts skier visits plummet
Vail resorts recently announced that skier visits through January 5th are down 7.8% across all its resort properties while lift ticket revenue was flat. With prices not increasing, how are visits down yet revenue still flat? What does this have to do with one ski...
Airbnb rental owners beware: Felony charges filed on nightly rentals
I always hate in the news where you hear about a story and are left wondering how it was actually resolved. A few months ago, Denver began filing felony charges against homeowners for illegally renting properties via airbnb and Homeaway and lying on the affidavit. ...
























