Weeks to Months

For the first time in almost two years, there is more than a month’s worth of inventory on the market.

This means that at the current pace of sales, it would take more than a month to sell all of the homes currently for sale.

This is certainly welcome news for buyers who have been craving a less frenzied market.

Since the market took off in the summer of 2020, inventory levels have been measured in terms of weeks.

Two to three weeks of inventory was the typical measurement for the last two years.

Today, inventory levels look like this:

  • Larimer County = 1.1 months
  • Weld County = 1.2 months
  • Metro Denver = 1.2 months

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Still Behind

Single family new housing starts in 2022 will show an increase versus last year, will be the most since 2007, and will still be well behind the peak of 2006.

This year, experts predict that a total of 1.1 million single family homes will be started. In 2021 there were 970 thousand new home starts.

The peak occurred in 2006, when 1.65 new homes were started.

So, this year will finish 33% behind the peak.

When we are asked why today’s market is different from the ‘bubble years’ of 2004 to 2007, the difference in new home starts is one reason we cite.

Even though the market is cooling, we remain significantly undersupplied which insulates prices from any kind of dramatic downturn.

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What the Numbers Say

During a time of varying opinions and heavy speculation about the Front Range real estate market, let’s see what the actual numbers are telling us:

Inventory is up significantly year over year:

  • Larimer County = +48%
  • Weld County = +52%
  • Metro Denver = +74%

However, supply is still low as measured by months of inventory:

  • Larimer County = 1.1 Months
  • Weld County = 1 Month
  • Metro Denver = 1 Month

Transaction count is down as the pace of sales is slowing:

  • Larimer County = -24%
  • Weld County = -15%
  • Metro Denver = -19%

Yet, average prices are still up versus last year:

  • Larimer County = +18%
  • Weld County = +10%
  • Metro Denver = +14%

The post What the Numbers Say appeared first on Fort Collins Real Estate | Fort Collins Homes for Sale & Property Search.

What the Numbers Say

During a time of varying opinions and heavy speculation about the Front Range real estate market, let’s see what the actual numbers are telling us:

Inventory is up significantly year over year:

  • Larimer County = +48%
  • Weld County = +52%
  • Metro Denver = +74%

However, supply is still low as measured by months of inventory:

  • Larimer County = 1.1 Months
  • Weld County = 1 Month
  • Metro Denver = 1 Month

Transaction count is down as the pace of sales is slowing:

  • Larimer County = -24%
  • Weld County = -15%
  • Metro Denver = -19%

Yet, average prices are still up versus last year:

  • Larimer County = +18%
  • Weld County = +10%
  • Metro Denver = +14%

The post What the Numbers Say appeared first on Fort Collins Real Estate | Fort Collins Homes for Sale & Property Search.

The Best News

The best news in a long time has finally arrived for buyers.

Inventory is up, frenzy is down.

Buyers who were frustrated, confused and disappointed by the market a few months ago are now coming back to find a much more reasonable environment.

Demand is still high for sure.  However, the intense, frenzied competition has subsided.

There is now room to breathe because there is more selection.

Here is how inventory has increased along the Front Range versus the same time a year ago:

Larimer County = 28%

Weld County = 19%

Metro Denver = 35%

These are significant increases and a trend we expect to continue.

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

Timber!

A positive outcome of the cooling housing market is lower lumber prices.

Lumber is now priced at $605 per thousand board feet.  This is a new low for 2022.

Prices for lumber are now down 47% for the year and are well below the 2021 peak of $1,733 per thousand board feet.

What’s causing this?  Higher mortgage rates have slowed the pace of new home sales and remodeling projects.

Most experts believe that lumber prices will fall even further during the remainder of the year.

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What We Notice

Here is what we notice about the market right now:

  • Listings are receiving fewer offers compared to 60 days ago – instead of 10 offers, a listing might have 2.
  • There are now several instances of a listing only having one offer.
  • Sellers who were overly-aggressive with their list price have to quickly reduce in order to generate activity.
  • Inventory is up and in some areas significantly, giving buyers more options and flexibility.
  • Home buyers who are under contract with a new home waiting for that new home to be built have been negatively impacted by rising rates.
  • More buyers are considering 7 and 10-year mortgage products in order to have a lower interest rate.
  • The pendulum is swinging away from the drastic seller’s market we have seen for the last 18 months.

The post What We Notice appeared first on Fort Collins Real Estate | Fort Collins Homes for Sale & Property Search.

What We Notice

Here is what we notice about the market right now:

  • Listings are receiving fewer offers compared to 60 days ago – instead of 10 offers, a listing might have 2.
  • There are now several instances of a listing only having one offer.
  • Sellers who were overly-aggressive with their list price have to quickly reduce in order to generate activity.
  • Inventory is up and in some areas significantly, giving buyers more options and flexibility.
  • Home buyers who are under contract with a new home waiting for that new home to be built have been negatively impacted by rising rates.
  • More buyers are considering 7 and 10-year mortgage products in order to have a lower interest rate.
  • The pendulum is swinging away from the drastic seller’s market we have seen for the last 18 months.

The post What We Notice appeared first on Fort Collins Real Estate | Fort Collins Homes for Sale & Property Search.

Inventory Bottom

In Front Range markets, the number of homes for sale has just hit bottom or is about to hit bottom.

This is terrific news for home buyers who have been waiting for more homes to choose from.

The market is shifting, there is no doubt about that.

Prices are still increasing and we expect them to increase, just not at the pace they have been.

The inventory of homes for sale, which has been significantly down for two years, is finally starting to show signs of change.

We have been accustomed to inventory levels being down 30% to 50% compared to the prior year.

That is not the case anymore.

Inventory in Larimer and Weld County is now only down roughly 5% year over year.

Inventory in Metro Denver is now up 13.5% compared to this time in 2021.

We believe this is a legitimate shift in the market, not just a short-term anomaly.

No need to worry about prices crashing or a housing bubble.  There is still too little supply and too much demand for that to happen.

However, the pace of price of appreciation will certainly get back to more normal levels of 5% to 6% per year instead of 20% to 25% per year.

Bottom line, this market shift has been a long time coming and is very good news for buyers.​​​​​​​ 

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Delinquent Indicator

A leading indicator of the health of any real estate market is Mortgage Delinquencies.

Specifically, the percentage of mortgages which are at least 30 days delinquent can foretell the amount of distressed properties that may hit the market in the future.

The most recent research shows that only 4.11% of all loans are delinquent.

This number has dropped for seven quarters in a row and is now at its lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2019 (which was the lowest ever in 20 years).

It is worth noting that the delinquency rate in the years leading up to the housing bubble hovered between 5.5% to 6.0%.

Based on this data, the likelihood of a foreclosure surge or a glut of distressed properties hitting the market is minimal.

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