About the areaBuyer TipsEvans Real EstateFort Collins Real EstateInvestmentLoveland Real EstateReal EstateSeller TipsWellington Real EstateWindsor Real Estate January 28, 2019

The Misery Index


Last week at our Market Forecast events, Chief Economist Matthew Gardner shared, among many stats, his famous “Misery Index.”

A valuable statistic with a funny title.

The Misery Index simply measures inflation plus unemployment.

It’s an effective way to look at our Nation’s economy.

Today’s Index sits just below 6%. Back in October 2011, it was close to 13%.

The lowest it has been in the last 7 years is October 2015 when it was near 5%.

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If you would like a copy of the entire Forecast presentation, go ahead and reach out to me.

I would be happy to put it in your hands.

About the areaBuyer TipsFort Collins Real EstateHomes for SaleInvestmentLoveland Real EstateReal EstateSeller TipsWellington Real EstateWindsor Real Estate December 14, 2018

Friday Fun Facts

Waiting and Waiting

Anytime the market cools off we sometimes hear prospective buyers say “I think I’ll wait for the market to correct, then I’ll buy after prices come way down.”

The reality is this… History shows that this wouldn’t be a good strategy.

Our go-to source on price appreciation is the Federal Housing Finance Authority who produces a quarterly home price index.  They have been tracking Larimer County for 41 years.

Their numbers show:

  • Yearly prices have decreased only 6 times in history
  • The average amount of that decrease is only 1.7%

So, someone who is waiting for prices to drop:

  • Might be waiting a long time
  • Might be disappointed that prices didn’t drop by all that much

If you have any questions about any of this info, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email, have a great weekend!

About the areaBuyer TipsFort Collins Real EstateHomes for SaleInvestmentLoveland Real EstateReal EstateSeller TipsWellington Real EstateWindsor Real Estate July 30, 2018

At Least

At Least List

Here’s a stat you’ve heard from me before…

It’s called “At Least List”

It measures how active the market is by tracking the number of single family homes that sell for at least list price.

Because of the demand in our market, many homes sell for list price or higher.

So here’s the latest based on closings so far in the month of July…

The percentage of single family homes selling for at least list price:

  • Fort Collins = 58%
  • Loveland = 67%
  • Windsor = 55%
  • Greeley = 75%

Based on these numbers, homes that are priced right, and positioned right in the market will attain the price the seller wants (or higher).

To see the whole story about our market along with other stats and trends, watch the recording of Tuesday’s Windermere Workshop right here.

About the areaBuyer TipsFort Collins Real EstateLoveland Real EstateReal EstateSeller TipsWindsor Real Estate May 18, 2018

Friday Fun Facts! I-25 Edition

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Relief on The Way!

There is good news and bad news.

The good news is I-25 traffic relief is on the way. The bad news is we will have to live through three summers of construction before it’s done.

Did you know the 26 miles between Highway 14 in Fort Collins and Highway 66 in Longmont Interstate 25 serves more than 45,000 cars per day? Wow!

Part of that stretch of interstate will get a third lane starting this summer. Construction is set to begin next month that will add a third lane between Highway 14 and Highway 402.

The project is happening 14 years ahead of schedule thanks to additional funding from several sources including the Cities of Fort Collins and Loveland. The first step we will notice is construction on the I 25/Highway 34 intersection.

This is great news for our region that will bring much needed relief. We will all just need to be a little patient while the work is being done.

Grab a copy of my Investment Kit so you can see the simple steps to get started without stress or complication. Email me at phunter@windermere.comand I will send you a video which clarifies the process and my Investment Checklist so you can see what to do first.

About the areaBuyer TipsReal EstateSeller Tips March 26, 2018

Greeley Is Growing!

 

In case you had not noticed, there is a lot of growth in Northern Colorado! We are seeing population growth without nearly the amount of building as we did pre-recession (we are still at only about 60% of the new home starts as compared to before the recession, even though it can look like they are building everywhere). That is currently driving the appreciation and rental rates in Greeley to an even higher extent than Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor. Check out this article below that talks in more detail about how Greeley is ranked third in the nation for growth.

LINK TO BIZ WEST ARTICLE

Any more questions about Greeley? Give me a ring!

About the areaBuyer TipsFort Collins Real EstateInvestmentLoveland Real EstateReal EstateSeller TipsWellington Real EstateWindsor Real Estate February 9, 2018

Friday Fun Facts!

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The Antidote

The stock market is in turmoil this week (I’m guessing that you’ve noticed). Investors feel like they’re strapped into a roller coaster at Coney Island- up and down and all around they go, thrashed around by the whims of the market.

These are words currently on financial news websites: Whiplash, Volatile, Wild Ride, Plunge!

But, here’s the deal. While the Dow Jones plummeted 4.2% yesterday (in one day!?), real estate in Northern Colorado did not.

Real Estate is the antidote for stock market heartburn.

Consider the numbers:

  • Over the last 40 years, Northern Colorado real estate prices have averaged a 5.36% increase per year.
  • The last 10 years have seen a 4.99% increase per year.
  • It took the worst economy of our lifetime in 2008 to cause prices to go down only 2.2%. (massive banks were going out of business on Wall Street and real estate prices here went down 2.2%!)
  • Our NoCo population is growing by about 13,000 per year and those people need a place to live.

If you’re looking for a predictable, tangible, calming, help-you-sleep-at-night, easy-to-understand place to put your money, real estate just might be for you!

As it turns out, I can help you with that 🙂

Now, here’s how the current events on Wall Street have a very relevant impact on real estate- interest rates.

If you attended our Market Forecast you saw how the 30-year mortgage rate has a direct correlation to the 10-year treasury note.

Rates on the 10-year note are up over a half of a percent in just a few weeks. We have seen mortgage rates go up recently and they will continue to go up.

We believe this may slow the rate of home price appreciation (this doesn’t mean ‘go down’, it means the pace of appreciation will slow).

As mentioned above, the long-term appreciation has been near 5% per year. Lately it’s been near 8%. Rising rates could cause the prices to go back to their more normal appreciation rate.

So, even if your stock market portfolio is taking a wild ride, sleep well knowing your real estate continues to perform.

Just released – a video recap of our annual Market Forecast. It will help clarify everything happening in Northern Colorado real estate.

Watch Here.

About the areaBuyer TipsFort Collins Real EstateInvestmentLoveland Real EstateReal EstateSeller TipsWellington Real EstateWindsor Real Estate February 6, 2018

The Gardner Report

Every quarter Windermere’s Economist Matthew Gardner puts out the Gardner Report. Check out the lates installment of this report for Northern Colorado below!

 

Gardner Report Q4

About the areaDogsFort Collins Real EstateReal Estate January 29, 2018

The New Elizabeth Hotel

This weekend I was able to check out the new Elizabeth Hotel in Fort Collins for dinner, and it is great! The Emporium, the restaurant in the hotel, while pricey was totally worth it for the quality and quantity of food. It has a very upscale vibe, and the hotel bar, lobby, and restaurant were PACKED on Saturday night. This is clearly the hot new destination in town. I had some friends stay there over the weekend, and the surprising thing was the price was only about $170 per night!

The Elizabeth is a pet friendly hotel, and was developed with McWhinney and Sage Hospitality. It even features something called the Beer and Bike Suite with its now beer tap, beer refrigerator fully stocked, and bikes for the guests to use. I highly recommend checking it out!

About the areaBuyer TipsFort Collins Real EstateInvestmentLoveland Real EstateReal EstateSeller TipsWellington Real EstateWindsor Real Estate January 26, 2018

Are We Bubbly?

Because our Northern Colorado market has been so active over the last four years, clients often ask me if wIe think there is a housing bubble forming.

There are several key statistics which we track closely in order to answer that question.

Here is one fact that we find to be insightful…

One of the root causes of the last housing bubble was the glut of inventory, and specifically new home inventory. Quite simply, the market was being oversupplied with new homes. The rules of economics say when there is oversupply, prices must come down.

Are we in a housing bubble?

Today, there are far fewer new home starts compared to 2004 and 2005 when the last bubble was forming – despite there being a larger population.
According to our friends at Metrostudy who track the new home market, Northern Colorado has had 4,452 new home starts in the last 12 months.

That number is only 60% of what it was at the height of construction in early 2005.

It is also interesting to note that over the last 12 months there have been 4,473 new home closings which shows that demand is keeping up with supply.

So when you drive around Northern Colorado and notice all the new homes being built, know that construction activity is far less than what is was during the bubble and that demand is keeping up with supply.

In case you missed our annual real estate Forecast event, you can reach out to me to see the presentation slides or receive a video recap of the information. Just email me at phunter@windermere.com

About the areaBuyer TipsFort Collins Real EstateInvestmentLoveland Real EstateReal EstateSeller TipsWellington Real EstateWindsor Real Estate January 21, 2018

Windermere Market Forecast

I want to thank everyone that was able to make it to our Market Forecast last week, we all really appreciate it! If you would like to get the powerpoint presentation or would like a rundown from the event, please give me a call or shoot me an email. Or if you would like to know more about the market activity in your neighborhood or the value of your home specifically, let me buy you lunch and we can talk more about it!