Yes is the Answer

It turns out that ‘yes’ is the answer to the most common questions we hear right now about the market…

Do you think more properties will come on the market this Spring?  Yes, the normal pattern in our market is for new listings to be 40% to 70% higher in April versus January.  The peak month for new listings is typically June.

Do you think buyer demand will grow even more as time goes on?  Yes, for two main reasons.  Buyer activity, just like listing activity, increases significantly in the Spring and Summer.  Plus, we expect the economy to open up even more as the COVID vaccine gets rolled out over the course of the year.

Do you think interest rates will go up?  Yes, all of the trusted forecasters and economists expect rates to be slightly higher by the end of the year.  Our own Chief Economist sees rates at 3.07% by year-end.

Do you think prices will keep rising?  Yes, because of the simple economic forces of supply and demand.  Supply is at historic lows.  The number of properties for sale today is roughly 80% below the average.  Demand is being fueled not only by the low-interest rates, but also a rebounding local job market that is poised to rebound even more.  Plus, the new work-from-home dynamic positions the Front Range as a sought after place to live.

The post Yes is the Answer appeared first on Fort Collins Real Estate | Fort Collins Homes for Sale & Property Search.

Yes is the Answer

It turns out that ‘yes’ is the answer to the most common questions we hear right now about the market…

Do you think more properties will come on the market this Spring?  Yes, the normal pattern in our market is for new listings to be 40% to 70% higher in April versus January.  The peak month for new listings is typically June.

Do you think buyer demand will grow even more as time goes on?  Yes, for two main reasons.  Buyer activity, just like listing activity, increases significantly in the Spring and Summer.  Plus, we expect the economy to open up even more as the COVID vaccine gets rolled out over the course of the year.

Do you think interest rates will go up?  Yes, all of the trusted forecasters and economists expect rates to be slightly higher by the end of the year.  Our own Chief Economist sees rates at 3.07% by year-end.

Do you think prices will keep rising?  Yes, because of the simple economic forces of supply and demand.  Supply is at historic lows.  The number of properties for sale today is roughly 80% below the average.  Demand is being fueled not only by the low-interest rates, but also a rebounding local job market that is poised to rebound even more.  Plus, the new work-from-home dynamic positions the Front Range as a sought after place to live.

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Latest Ranking

CoreLogic produces one of the most respected and widely-used home price index reports in the United States.

They track home price appreciation in the largest markets across the Country.

Here are the highlights from their most recent report:

  • Home prices are up 9.2% Nationally
  • This is the highest increase since February, 2014
  • Denver ranks fourth among the largest 10 cities
  • Denver’s appreciation was 8.8% over the last year
  • Phoenix was first at 13.7%

 

The post Latest Ranking appeared first on Fort Collins Real Estate | Fort Collins Homes for Sale & Property Search.

Latest Ranking

CoreLogic produces one of the most respected and widely-used home price index reports in the United States.

They track home price appreciation in the largest markets across the Country.

Here are the highlights from their most recent report:

  • Home prices are up 9.2% Nationally
  • This is the highest increase since February, 2014
  • Denver ranks fourth among the largest 10 cities
  • Denver’s appreciation was 8.8% over the last year
  • Phoenix was first at 13.7%

 

The post Latest Ranking appeared first on Fort Collins Real Estate | Fort Collins Homes for Sale & Property Search.

Inverted

Home for Sale

Typically, in the Front Range Market, the number of new listings will exceed the number of closings on a monthly basis.

Meaning, the amount of properties that hit the market in a given month will be higher than the amount of properties that sell in that month.

It is normal to have the ‘inflow’ exceed the ‘outflow’ because some properties never sell for a variety of reasons.

As a result, the market remains stocked with inventory.

Starting about 5 years ago, we saw months where the number of new listings was roughly the same as the number of closings.

Then, in late 2020, these numbers inverted.  Closings started to exceed new listings.

This culminated in December 2020 when we saw the most drastic difference we have ever seen.

Here are the specific numbers for December:

  • Larimer County = 267 New Listings / 426 Closings
  • Weld County = 293 New Listings / 530 Closings
  • Metro Denver = 3028 New Listings / 4807 Closings

What this means is the market needs new listings.  This also means that your home is likely worth more than you might think.  If you want to see your home’s current value, even if you aren’t thinking of selling soon, we would be happy to show you.

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Buyer Beware: Is That House For Sale Haunted?

Haunted House

Image Source: Canva

A trope as old as horror movies: a family moves into a beautiful house that they bought for well under market value. They’ve put all their savings into the move, and they’re looking for a fresh start. When they meet the neighbors and other townsfolk, they quickly learn that there’s a history to the home that they weren’t aware of.

When they start to experience the abnormal, it’s easy to brush off as new home jitters. The children who hear noises in the closet, and a husband who starts sleepwalking, are chalked up to stress and anxiety from the move. It’s only when the experiences escalate beyond control that the family finally realizes the extent of the haunting.

While sharing a home with the supernatural can be a selling point for some buyers, it’s quite the opposite for others. In fact, a 2017 survey by Realtor.com found that 33% of people were open to living in a haunted house, 25% would consider it, but 42% said it was a deal-breaker. So how do you make sure you’re fully informed about a home’s history? Knowing the right questions to ask is the first step:

 

Ask to see the seller disclosure form

In the famous 1991 case Stambovsky v. Ackley, the new homeowner, Jeffrey Stambovsky, won a lawsuit against the previous owner for not disclosing the history of hauntings.

In this case, the previous owner had published stories about the family’s experiences in Reader’s Digest and their local newspaper. In her writings, she explained several interactions with ghostly beings in the home, including finding that her children had been given rings, which would later disappear, bed shaking, and conversations with the floating specters.

The court took this evidence and ruled the “defendant is estopped to deny [the ghost’s] existence and, as a matter of law, the house is haunted.” Setting a new standard, this case created a basis for future seller disclosers. In this instance, they found that the history of the home, and the seller’s experiences in the home, would have influenced the marketability, and therefore, omitting these facts was unfair to the buyer.

Fast forward to 2019, there is not a specific section on seller disclosure forms for hauntings or ghostly sightings, but thanks to Stambovsky v. Ackley, sellers in many states are obligated by law to disclose things that affect a house’s marketability.

 

Ask Google about the history of the home

In 1991 when Mr. Stambovsky bought his haunted house, search engines didn’t exist. Today, we’re lucky enough to have things like Google which would have found the previous home owner’s stories in mere seconds. Search keywords like the address or town name, and words like “haunted” or “ghosts”, as well as “murder” or “news report” should help you start your dive into the history of the home.

 

Ask the neighbors and your agent  

This is where nosey neighbors come in handy. When you find a place you’re serious about, contact the neighbors to see what they know about the home’s history. The same goes for your real estate agent; he or she can reach out to the listing agent to see if there is anything haunting you should know about prior to buying. While many states don’t require sellers to disclose paranormal activity or deaths in the home, if asked, all real estate agents must, by law, answer truthfully.

The post Buyer Beware: Is That House For Sale Haunted? appeared first on Fort Collins Real Estate | Fort Collins Homes for Sale & Property Search.

Buyer Beware: Is That House For Sale Haunted?

Haunted House

Image Source: Canva

A trope as old as horror movies: a family moves into a beautiful house that they bought for well under market value. They’ve put all their savings into the move, and they’re looking for a fresh start. When they meet the neighbors and other townsfolk, they quickly learn that there’s a history to the home that they weren’t aware of.

When they start to experience the abnormal, it’s easy to brush off as new home jitters. The children who hear noises in the closet, and a husband who starts sleepwalking, are chalked up to stress and anxiety from the move. It’s only when the experiences escalate beyond control that the family finally realizes the extent of the haunting.

While sharing a home with the supernatural can be a selling point for some buyers, it’s quite the opposite for others. In fact, a 2017 survey by Realtor.com found that 33% of people were open to living in a haunted house, 25% would consider it, but 42% said it was a deal-breaker. So how do you make sure you’re fully informed about a home’s history? Knowing the right questions to ask is the first step:

 

Ask to see the seller disclosure form

In the famous 1991 case Stambovsky v. Ackley, the new homeowner, Jeffrey Stambovsky, won a lawsuit against the previous owner for not disclosing the history of hauntings.

In this case, the previous owner had published stories about the family’s experiences in Reader’s Digest and their local newspaper. In her writings, she explained several interactions with ghostly beings in the home, including finding that her children had been given rings, which would later disappear, bed shaking, and conversations with the floating specters.

The court took this evidence and ruled the “defendant is estopped to deny [the ghost’s] existence and, as a matter of law, the house is haunted.” Setting a new standard, this case created a basis for future seller disclosers. In this instance, they found that the history of the home, and the seller’s experiences in the home, would have influenced the marketability, and therefore, omitting these facts was unfair to the buyer.

Fast forward to 2019, there is not a specific section on seller disclosure forms for hauntings or ghostly sightings, but thanks to Stambovsky v. Ackley, sellers in many states are obligated by law to disclose things that affect a house’s marketability.

 

Ask Google about the history of the home

In 1991 when Mr. Stambovsky bought his haunted house, search engines didn’t exist. Today, we’re lucky enough to have things like Google which would have found the previous home owner’s stories in mere seconds. Search keywords like the address or town name, and words like “haunted” or “ghosts”, as well as “murder” or “news report” should help you start your dive into the history of the home.

 

Ask the neighbors and your agent  

This is where nosey neighbors come in handy. When you find a place you’re serious about, contact the neighbors to see what they know about the home’s history. The same goes for your real estate agent; he or she can reach out to the listing agent to see if there is anything haunting you should know about prior to buying. While many states don’t require sellers to disclose paranormal activity or deaths in the home, if asked, all real estate agents must, by law, answer truthfully.

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The 12 Facts of Real Estate

While your true love may be getting you a partridge in a pear tree in the near future, we decided to give you the 12 facts of Colorado real estate:

  • 1 is the ranking Colorado owns for long-term home price appreciation versus all other states
  • 2.6% unemployment rate in Colorado right now
  • 3.73% mortgage rate for a 30-year mortgage which is about half of the long term average
  • 4.7% apartment vacancy rate in Metro Denver, the lowest since 2015
  • 5.5% is the long-term average for yearly home price appreciation along the Front Range
  • 6,000,000 live in Colorado
  • 7,000 residential properties are for sale in Metro Denver right now and the average for this time of year is 14,700
  • 80,000 is the number of people that is added to our state’s population each year
  • 9 homes are for sale in Larimer and Weld County priced over $2,500,000
  • -10% is the decrease in new home construction in Larimer County compared to last year while Weld County grew by 17%
  • 11 times in the last 40 years home prices have gone up at least 8% along the Front Range
  • $1,202,488 is the average price for a single-family home in the City of Boulder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s time to register for our annual Market Forecast event.  We will be live at 5:30 on January 16th at the Marriott in Fort Collins.  Back by popular demand is our Chief Economist Matthew Gardner.  Save your seat HERE.

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Well Maintained Ranch Style Home in Evans!

The bones of this ranch home in Evans at 3834 Belmont Ave is well maintained with only one neighbor with vacant land to the south. Very large kitchen with tile floors, and two living rooms! Great big backyard. Home is close to shopping, with easy access to Highways 85 and 34. Roof will be new before closing. Seller has loved living in this home for a long time, and it’s ready for your vision to make it your own. Come see it today! Contact Paul Hunter for your private showing at (970) 673-7285 for more information or click the link below for more details.

http://windermerenoco.com/listing/88746714

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Fantastic Cul de Sac Home in Fort Collins!

This fantastic home at 3927 Gardenwall Ct is at the end of a cul-de-sac in the popular Waterglen neighborhood features an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings and fireplace. Your new home is move-in ready. All three bedrooms, including a great master suite are on the second floor. Enjoy the large fenced back yard adjacent to a sprawling green area, while relaxing on the large stamped concrete patio. Close to I-25 and Old Town. A beautiful home and excellent value! Contact Jon Holsten for your private showing at (970) 237-2752 for more information or click the link below for more details.

http://windermerenoco.com/listing/88744179

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