I spent most of last weekend pulling ‘comps’ for clients looking to protest their 2017 property tax assessments. Larimer County has a nifty feature that allows you to pull up your own comps (sales that are comparable), but they don’t have all the features provided by our local MLS. Has it been remodeled? Was it a hoarder’s paradise? Was it a bi-level or ranch with one bedroom on the main with a weed production facility in the basement? We can’t always tell if someone has been growing pot but …
Northern Colorado Real Estate News
Protest Your Tax Assessment (maybe)
I’m up to 22 as of this morning. I wish it were 22 running miles but my wrecked knee precludes that. I have 22 requests to help clients protest their tax assessment in Larimer County. I expect that to double as the month progresses. People are asking if it’s worth it and my answer depends on the difference between their 2015 assessment and 2017’s. It seems as if the 2015 assessments were reasonable and I didn’t have many clients asking for help. Most of us shrugged our shoulders and accepted …
It’s Property Tax Assessment Time!
I just opened the postcard from the Larimer County Assessor’s office. Yikes! My simple ‘70’s ranch home near the Foothills Mall increased in value by more than 30% in two years. I was expecting the value to go up but not nearly $100,000. I went looking for answers and saw this headline on the Larimer County website. Property Values in Larimer County Are Up. Unfortunately, The Assessor’s Office Noticed --Steve Miller, Larimer County Assessor I’m not sure there’s much any of us can do about …
Envisioning a Different Housing Market
“Weld County is the fourth most unaffordable county in the U.S. when taking into account median home prices and the average earning of wages, according to a new report by ATTOM Data Solutions.” http://www.greeleytribune.com/news/business/report-four-counties-in-colorado-including-weld-top-the-list-of-home-unaffordability/ Yikes! Weld County’s median price for a home, $280,000 as of today, may be almost $100,000 cheaper than Larimer County’s, but it’s a median price increase of 12% from last …
Dueling Real Estate Forecasts
Real estate forecasts are a tricky thing. No one knows that more than real estate agents who are asked ten times a day what they think will happen with interest rates, housing appreciation, population growth, new construction and what is the next trendy color to paint the living room. I’m not kidding on that last one. And, yes, I have ideas about that. Falling Prices? According to an article in the Denver Post, “Location Inc., a geographic research and real estate data firm, warns that years of …
Real Estate Bubble in FoCo?
"So, are we in a real estate bubble?" Three different clients asked me that question last week. They are ready to buy but are afraid that prices have increased by too much and they will be caught in a "bursting" market down the line. I carefully explain why I don't think that will happen but I'm not a seer or crystal gazer and they should do their due diligence. I also tell them they should buy now. In a recent article published by the National Association of Realtors, (yes, I see the …
