About the areaBuyer TipsEvans Real EstateFort Collins Real EstateHomes for SaleInvestmentJohnstown Real EstaeLongmont Real EstateLoveland Real EstateReal EstateSeller TipsWellington Real EstateWindsor Real Estate May 2, 2019

New Gardner Report!

 

The following analysis of the Metro Denver & Northern Colorado real estate market (which now includes Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Park counties) is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. We hope that this information may assist you with making better-informed real estate decisions. For further information about the housing market in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact your Windermere agent.

 

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

Colorado’s economy continues to grow with the addition of 44,800 new non-agricultural jobs over the past 12 months. This represents a reasonable growth rate of 1.7%. As stated in last quarter’s Gardner Report, we continue to see a modest slowdown in employment gains, but that’s to be expected at this stage of the business cycle. I predict that employment growth in Colorado will pick back up as we move through the year, adding a total of 70,000 new jobs in 2019, which represents a growth rate of 2.6%.

In February, the state unemployment rate was 3.7%, up from 2.9% a year ago. The increase is essentially due to labor force growth, which rose by more than 84,000 people over the past year. On a seasonally adjusted basis, unemployment rates in all the markets contained in this report haven’t moved much in the past year, but Boulder saw a modest drop (2.7%), and the balance of the state either remained at the same level as a year ago or rose very modestly.

 

HOME SALES

  • In the first quarter of 2019, 11,164 homes sold — a drop of 3% compared to the first quarter of 2018 and down 13.5% from the fourth quarter of last year. Pending sales in the quarter were a mixed bag. Five counties saw an increase, but five showed signs of slowing.
  • The only market that had sales growth was Adams, which rose 4.9%. The rest of the counties contained in this report saw sales decline, with a significant drop in the small Park County area.
  • I believe the drop in the number of home sales is partially due to the significant increase in listings (+45.6%), which has given would-be home buyers more choice and less need to act quickly.
  • As mentioned above, inventory growth in the quarter was significant, but I continue to believe that the market will see sales rise. I expect the second half of the year to perform better than the first.

 

 

HOME PRICES

  • Home prices continue to trend higher, but the rate of growth is tapering. The average home price in the region rose just 2.1% year-over-year to $456,243. Home prices were .3% higher than in the fourth quarter of 2018.
  • I anticipate that the drop in interest rates early in the year will likely get more buyers off the fence and this will allow prices to rise.
  • Appreciation was again strongest in Park County, where prices rose 21.9%. We still attribute this rapid increase to it being a small market. Only Clear Creek County experienced a drop in average home price. Similar to Park County, this is due to it being a very small market, making it more prone to significant swings.
  • Affordability remains an issue in many Colorado markets but that may be offset by the drop in interest rates.

 

 

DAYS ON MARKET

  • The average number of days it took to sell a home in Colorado rose five days compared to the first quarter of 2018.
  • The amount of time it took to sell a home dropped in two counties — Gilpin and Park — compared to the first quarter of 2018. The rest of the counties in this report saw days-on-market rise modestly with the exception of the small Clear Creek market, which rose by 26 days.
  • In the first quarter of 2019, it took an average of 42 days to sell a home in the region, an increase of four days compared to the final quarter of 2018.
  • Job growth drives housing demand, but buyers are faced with more choice and are far less frantic than they were over the past few years. That said, I anticipate the late spring will bring more activity and sales.

 

 

CONCLUSIONS

This speedometer reflects the state of the region’s real estate market using housing inventory, price gains, home sales, interest rates, and larger economic factors.

For the first quarter of 2019, I have moved the needle a little more in favor of buyers. I am watching listing activity closely to see if we get any major bumps above the traditional increase because that may further slow home price growth; however, the trend for 2019 will continue towards a more balanced market.

 

 

As Chief Economist for Windermere Real Estate, Matthew Gardner is responsible for analyzing and interpreting economic data and its impact on the real estate market on both a local and national level. Matthew has over 30 years of professional experience both in the U.S. and U.K.

In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities, Matthew sits on the Washington State Governors Council of Economic Advisors; chairs the Board of Trustees at the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at the University of Washington; and is an Advisory Board Member at the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies at the University of Washington where he also lectures in real estate economics.

About the areaBuyer TipsFort Collins Real EstateLoveland Real EstateReal EstateWellington Real EstateWindsor Real Estate December 11, 2017

Get Real

A story ran last week which highlighted the number of people who have moved out of Colorado.

Let’s get real, there are still a large number of people moving to Colorado.

In fact, 223,000 moved to Colorado from another state last year according to the latest American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The net migration into our state (after subtracting out people who left) was 30,859 people.

In Northern Colorado the net migration looks like this:

  • Larimer County = 7,001 people
  • Weld County = 7,117 people

So what does that mean for housing? Knowing that, on average, 2.5 people live in each household, the number of new housing units required for these new residents looks like this:

  • Larimer County = 2,800 new housing units
  • Weld County = 2,847 new housing units

Any questions about this information, give me a call!

About the areaBuyer TipsInvestmentReal EstateThings to Do March 20, 2017

New NOCO Golf Course!

I hope you all had a great weekend, and enjoyed the amazing Northern Colorado weather. I got to show properties to a friend of mine, and thanks to Chad Parron I got to take a tour of the new TPC Colorado golf course in Berthoud. It is going to be an amazing PGA Tour course. TPC has experience in these PGA courses, so it’s great news for us!

It won’t be open until next year, but there will be high end homes in a community that will be called Heron Lakes that will sit on the course with beautiful views of the rockies. Check out the picture below taken from where one of the fairways will sit! If you have questions about the homes feel free to give me a call, or you can check out their website here.

About the areaBuyer TipsReal EstateSeller Tips December 30, 2016

Friday Fun Facts

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Did You Know?

Here are some fun “Did You Know?” stats as we wrap up 2016 (arguably one of the most fascinating years in the history of Northern Colorado Real Estate)

  • This year the median price of a home supassed…
  • $350,000 in Fort Collins
  • $300,000 in Loveland
  • $250,000 in Greeley
  • 2,281 homes were sold in Fort Collins this year
  • That’s 133 fewer than last year
  • Windsor had 197 more home sales than last year
  • The only major market with considerably more sales than 2015
  • Today, as we finish 2016, there are only 10 single family homes on the market in Fort Collins priced under $300,000.

Happy New Year to all of you. Be sure to register for our 2017 Real Estate Market Forecast if you want to see insightful information about our market and hear some entertaining real estate stories. www.windermereforecast.com 

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Register for our annual Real Estate Market Forecast events! We will be in Denver January 18th and in Fort Collins January 19th starting at 5:30 pm.. Back by popular demand is our Cheif Economist Matthew Gardner. Seating is limited.

Sign up at www.windermereforecast.com 

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