About the areaBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsInvestmentReal Estate December 4, 2020

14 Times

For the 14th time this year, 30-year mortgage rates set a record and hit an all-time low.

Based on data just released by Freddie Mac, rates are now at 2.71%.  Their weekly survey of the 30-year mortgage rate dates back to 1971.

Just one year ago rates were at 3.68%.

So, what does this mean for buyers?

Based on a $400,000 loan, current rates result in a monthly payment that would be $212 less than one year ago.

 

At Windermere Real Estate we are taking Safer at Home and Social Distancing very seriously.  Our people are following our Safe Showings protocol, staying connected to their clients, and providing help wherever needed.

Buyer TipsFriday Fun FactsReal EstateSeller Tips November 20, 2020

Remodeling Impact

Americans spend $400 billion per year remodeling their homes.
So, which remodeling investment gives the best return when it comes to resale value?
It should come as no surprise, especially leading up to Thanksgiving, that the best money to spend upgrading your home is in the kitchen.
It’s the place where most homeowners spend most of their waking hours.
According the research from the National Association of Realtors, it’s where remodelers will see the biggest return on investment.
Here is the ranking of various projects in terms of the value it adds to the home:

1. Complete kitchen remodel
2. Kitchen upgrade
3. HVAC replacement
4. Owner’s suite renovation
5. Bathroom renovation
6. Finishing a basement
7. Adding a bathroom

At Windermere Real Estate we are taking Safer at Home and Social Distancing very seriously. Our people are following our Safe Showings protocol, staying connected to their clients, and providing help wherever needed.

About the areaBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsHomes for SaleReal Estate November 13, 2020

A Little Perspective

A Little Perspective

Here’s a little perspective on the inventory of homes for sale in today’s market…

First we’ll look at Metro Denver:

• The average number of residential listings for sale at this time of year is 15,577
• The highest-ever for this time of year is 29,722 which occurred in 2006
• The number of listings right now is 4,821
• So, inventory in Metro Denver is roughly one-third of the average and 25,000 fewer than the highest-ever.
• DMAR is the source of the stats listed above

Now, Northern Colorado:
• Larimer County has 802 active listings today
• Based on 10 years of data, this is the lowest it has ever been
• The high in Larimer County occurred in 2010 with 2608 listings so today’s inventory is one-third of what it was 10 years ago.
• Inventory today in Weld County is 727 which isn’t the lowest-ever.
• The lowest during the last 10 years was 2017.
• The highest was 2010 with 1791 properties so today there are roughly 1,000 fewer properties to choose from.

About the areaBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsReal EstateSeller Tips November 6, 2020

The Votes are In

Real estate buyers made their voices heard last month and made a clear choice for… higher-end properties!

One of the interesting dynamics of our current market is the significantly- increased activity in higher price ranges.

The combination of high equity and low interest rates is clearly causing people to move up. They are able to purchase the home that has the features they have always wanted whether it be size, finishes, or location.

The considerable equity growth that has occurred for homeowners over the last 7 years is allowing them to have sizable down payments on their ‘move up’ property plus today’s rates keep their monthly payments lower than expected.

Here are the numbers we researched which demonstrate this trend.

Compared to October of 2019, sales of properties priced over $750,000 last month were up:

• 176% in Larimer County
• 375% in Weld County
• 96% in Metro Denver

Properties in the $550,000 to $750,000 range also saw a large jump:
• 57% in Larimer County
• 63% in Weld County
• 83% in Metro Denver

This is a unique time in history for people to move up and own a home they have always dreamed about.

About the areaFriday Fun FactsInvestmentReal Estate October 30, 2020

Brand New Market Report

The latest quarterly report from our Chief Economist Matthew Gardner is now available. Here is a quote from the report with his take on the Front Range economy:

What a difference a quarter makes! Following the massive job losses Colorado experienced starting in February—the state shed over 342,000 positions between February and April—the turnaround has been palpable.

Through August, Colorado has recovered 178,000 of the jobs lost due to COVID-19, adding 107,500 jobs over the past three months, an increase of 4.2%.

All regions saw a significant number of jobs returning. The most prominent was in the Denver metropolitan service area (MSA), where 78,800 jobs returned in the quarter.

Although employment in all markets is recovering, there is still a way to go to get back to pre-pandemic employment levels.

The recovery in jobs has naturally led the unemployment rate to drop: the state is now at a respectable 6.7%, down from a peak of 12.2%.

Regionally, all areas continue to see their unemployment rates contract. I would note that the Fort Collins and Boulder MSA unemployment rates are now below 6%.

Cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, which is troubling, but rising rates have only slowed—not stopped—the economic recovery. Moreover, it has had no noticeable impact on the state’s housing market.

To receive a complimentary copy of the latest Gardner Report, simply reach out to us and we will send it to you right away.

BlogFriday Fun FactsHomes for SalePremier PropertyReal Estate October 16, 2020

Million Plussing

The luxury market is very active right now.  Buyers in the high-end are taking advantage of low interest rates and the equity they have built in their prior homes.

Closings of million-plus single family homes are up significantly along the  Front Range.

When compared to this same time last year, sales of properties in this price range are up:

87% in Metro Denver

150% in Larimer County

67% in Weld County

Windermere Real Estate in Colorado recently hosted a private online event for our clients with our very own Chief Economist Matthew Gardner.  We would be happy to send you the recording if you would like.

About the areaBlogBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsHomes for SaleReal EstateSeller Tips October 9, 2020

Re Bubble

The activity in the Front Range market is causing us to hear the bubble question again.

People are curious to know, based on recent growth in price appreciation, if we are in a housing bubble.

This questions seems to crop up when prices go up.

While we do not believe that the current double-digit price appreciation is sustainable, we firmly believe we will not see prices crash or see any kind of a bubble bursting.

Here’s why we think that…

This past Tuesday we hosted a private online event for our clients which featured our Chief Economist Matthew Gardner.

Matthew is well-known and well-respected in the industry.  He is often quoted in leading real estate publications.

He sees four reasons why there is no real estate bubble that is about to pop in Colorado.

  1. Inventory is (incredibly) low. The number of homes for sale is down over 40% compared to last year. The market is drastically under-supplied.  Based on simple economic principles of supply and demand, inventory would need to grow significantly for prices to drop.
  2. Buyers’ credit scores are very high. The average credit score for buyers last month, for example was 759. So, by definition, average buyers today have excellent credit which means there is low risk of them walking away from their mortgage and causing a foreclosure crisis.
  3. Buyers have high down payments. On average, buyers are putting 18% down on their purchases. This means that prices would need to fall by a considerable amount in order for the average buyer to be ‘upside down’ on their mortgage.
  4. Owners are equity rich. Well over a third of property owners along the Front Range have more than 50% equity in their homes. This means that a severe economic downturn causing a slew of distressed properties to hit the market is highly unlikely.

Bottom line, as Matthew Gardner reminded us, what we are experiencing in the economy today is a health crisis not a housing crisis.

If you would like a recording of the private webinar, we would be happy to send it to you.  Just reach out and let us know.

About the areaBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsHomes for SaleReal Estate October 2, 2020

Stat of the Month

We just completed a review of the September numbers in our market.

Here is the one number that is standing out to us- average price.

Prices are way up over last year.  Here are the specific average price increases in each of our markets compared to September 2019:

Metro Denver = 13.2%

Larimer County = 16.9%

Weld County = 7.4%

This change in prices has of course generated questions from our clients.

To help our clients answer questions about prices and other real estate topics, we have set up a private online event with our Chief Economist Matthew Gardner.

The event is set for Tuesday from 9:00 to 10:00.

Simply reach out to any Windermere broker to receive your registration link.

Matthew will be addressing these questions as well as many others:

What effect will the election have on the economy and on real estate?

How long can interest rates stay this low?

Can prices keep appreciating at their current pace?

This online event is for the clients and friends of Windermere.  If you would like to register, please connect with your Windermere broker.

Fort Collins Real EstateFriday Fun FactsHomes for SaleReal Estate September 25, 2020

6 Million

The National real estate market just hit a massive milestone.

Based on the numbers through August, we are now on pace to sell 6 million homes.  This is the highest pace we have seen in 14 years.

The 6 million threshold is a big deal in the real estate brokerage world.

Each month, as they have for a long time, the National Association of Realtors tracks the sales and then calculates the annualized rate of residential closings.

For many, many years this number has bounced around 5.5 million.  The fact that it just jumped to 6 million speaks to many factors especially the effect of today’s interest rates.

About the areaBlogBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsReal Estate September 18, 2020

Pendings are Popping

Temperatures may be cooling off but the Front Range real estate market is not.
Typically the market starts to slow down a bit in the Fall after a hot Spring and Summer.
Not this year.
The indicator we use to measure future closed sales is current pending sales.
Simply, we look at the number of properties under contract and scheduled to close versus the same time last year.
Current pending sales are way up along the Front Range when measured against 2019:
Metro Denver up 34.1%
Larimer County up 48.6%
Weld County up 50.2%
Based on these numbers, closed sales numbers over the next 60 days will be very strong.