Colorado Real Estate Market Report from October 2019

West + Main Homes

November 5, 2019
 
 Market Reports

Cooler weather in Denver brings with it a seasonal slide in the real estate market with a decrease in both new listings and the number of homes sold in October

Download the report

The number of new listings added to the Denver-area housing inventory in October was down 10.14 percent month over month, but still up 4.37 percent year to date. The 5,425 homes added to the market was the lowest number of new listings in a given month since February. The average days on market year to date was at 30, up 25 percent compared to last year which was at 24 days.

“We continue to see price reductions and longer days on market,” said Jill Schafer, Chair of the DMAR Market Trends Committee and Metro Denver REALTOR®. “Of the closed transactions in October, 40 percent had to make a price reduction. That impacted home sellers in a big way. When sellers had to drop their price, their homes were on the market for an average of 59 days. When a home hit the market at the right price it was only on the market for 14 days.”

According to Schafer, the fewer new listings added to the market may have contributed to the decline in home sales in October, down 6.40 percent compared to September, but still 1.85 percent more year to date compared to last year.Search for Homes

The housing price range that saw the biggest reductions prior to an accepted contract were homes priced over $1 million where the average price reduction was $149,742. In the entire residential market, homes priced under $500,000 had average price reductions between $10,750 to $21,362. Notably, in October, the average sold price of a single-family home was $533,483, up 1.96 percent year over year, and the average sold price of a condo was $365,665, up 6.95 percent year over year.

“Overall, the numbers show there is continued demand for homes in the Denver area,” adds Schafer. “Furthermore, interest rates remained low, job numbers were still strong, foreclosures and short sales were rare and mortgage delinquency rates were some of the lowest in the country.”

Our monthly report also includes statistics and analyses in its supplemental “Luxury Market Report” (properties sold for $1 million or greater), “Signature Market Report” (properties sold between $750,000 and $999,999), “Premier Market Report” (properties sold between $500,000 and $749,999) and “Classic Market” (properties sold between $300,000 and $499,999). In October 2019, 184 homes sold and closed for $1 million or greater – down 0.54 percent from September and up 6.36 percent year over year. The closed dollar volume in the luxury segment year to date was $3.17 billion, up 9.88 percent from last year.

The highest-priced single-family home that sold in October was $9,000,000, representing 8,373 above ground square feet in Cherry Hills Village. The highest-priced condo sale was $4,275,000 representing three bedrooms, four bathrooms and 3,466 above ground square feet in Denver. The REALTORS® representing the buyers and sellers in both transactions are DMAR members.

“It is clear the market has been slowly transitioning and the seasonal shift has begun,” stated Bryan Facendini, DMAR Market Trends Committee member and Metro Denver REALTOR®. “The market trend statistics signal it remains a good time period for buying and selling of luxury homes. In fact, year to date, 2019 is well-ahead of last year’s pace in the luxury market.”

There was a total of 2,051 luxury homes that sold year to date in October 2019 compared to 1,896 luxury homes that sold this same time last year, an increase of 8.18 percent. Luxury condo sales continued to perform well in 2019 too. The 237 condos sold year to date was an increase of 55.92 percent over last year. Year to date, single-family home sales have increased from 1,744 in 2018 to 1,814 in 2019, an increase of 4.01 percent.

Unlike the entire residential market as a whole, the Luxury Market’s days on market improved. Month over month, median days on market in the luxury segment went from 38 days in September to 28 days in October. Breaking down the numbers further, luxury condo median days on market decreased month over month by 30.77 percent from 26 days in September to 18 days in October. Median days on market for single-family homes improved by 17.5 percent year over year, from 40 days in October 2018 to 33 day in October 2019.

“Days on market in the luxury segment is a sign that homebuyers have moved quicker to make a purchase, and possibly to lock-in the low mortgage rates we’ve seen the second half of this year,” comments Facendini. “Furthermore, months of inventory for luxury single-family homes is 6.13 months, which is the equal balance point between buyers and sellers. Sellers continue to maintain an edge with condos in the Luxury Market with 4.35 months of inventory. While price reductions have become common, the year-to-date close-to-list price ratio has remained steady at 97.42 percent in 2019 in the entire luxury residential market compared to 97.35 percent in 2018.”

Further supporting this point, year to date, the single-family average sold price of $1,544,450 in 2019 was an increase of 1.35 percent over the 2018 average sold price of $1,523,883. Same holds true with luxury condos which have realized an appreciation in average sales price of 4.02 percent year to date. This time last year, price per square foot in the entire Luxury Market was $306 year to date, and has increased 9.80 percent in 2019 to $336. Year to date, single-family luxury homes bumped up from $290 per square foot in 2018 to $303 per square foot in 2019. Condo year-to-date price per square foot jumped from $487 in October 2018 to $585 in October 2019.

Related Links:

Search all homes for Sale in Colorado.

Where do the majority of Colorado transplants come from?

November 4, 2019 Buying

West + Main Homes

Released this week: 2018 data that reveals where residents of each state was born.

And the information about our fair state is fascinating even as it confirms plenty of suspicions about which American places are churning out the most transplants to Colorado.

The figures show that fewer than half of the folks currently living in Colorado have original roots. Of the total population, 5,695,564 (an increase of 88,410 from 2017), only 2,388,284 million started out here.

A far lower number, 635,176, hail from foreign countries (the assorted nations aren’t specified — and the total includes those “born at sea”). There are just shy of 15,000 from Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories. As such, the remainder came here from one of the other 49 states or Washington, D.C.

https://www.recolorado.com/agents/name-Lara_Conrad/
SEARCH FOR HOMES

Which ones? Westword broke them into seven brackets: fewer than 10,000, between 10,001 and 20,000, between 20,001 and 30,000, between 30,001 and 40,000, between 40,001 and 50,000, between 50,001 and 100,000, and more than 100,000. The ones in the last category are unlikely to surprise you…
Delaware (4,213)
Maine (9,320)
New Hampshire (7,413)
Rhode Island (4,737)
Vermont (5,787)
West Virginia (8,724)

As you can see, five of these six entries are New England states of modest size, which likely explains the comparatively small numbers. The exception is West Virginia, which is regularly listed among the handful of the country’s poorest states. We’re guessing that more West Virginians would get here if they possibly could.

BETWEEN 10,001 AND 20,000 TRANSPLANTS

Alabama (17,673)
Alaska (13,500)
Arkansas (16,907)
Hawaii (16,118)
Idaho (18,438)
Kentucky (16,959)
Mississippi (13,071)
Nevada (17,712)
South Carolina (12,707)
Washington, D.C. (14,064)

Like West Virginia, five of these nine states (plus Washington, D.C.) are from the South. But also grouped here are Alaska and Hawaii, plus two states in the western section of the continental U.S., Idaho and Nevada, that share some geographical similarities with Colorado, but aren’t as good. Obviously.

BETWEEN 20,001 AND 30,000 TRANSPLANTS

Connecticut (25,501)
Maryland (25,943)
Montana (23,647)
North Dakota (20,986)
Oregon (29,827)
Tennessee (25,362)

Even more folks are fleeing the South! Additional New Englanders are splitting! The West is best, but some parts of it are better!

BETWEEN 30,001 AND 40,000 TRANSPLANTS

Georgia (34,600)
Louisiana (33,600)
North Carolina (31,557)
South Dakota (32,739)

The exodus continues in more populous states around the country, plus South Dakota, which has less than one-third the residents (882,235) of the Denver metro area (2,932,415). As such, the 32,739 South Dakotans who now live in Colorado represent nearly 4 percent of their old state’s population. Sorry, Pierre and Sioux Falls.

BETWEEN 40,001 AND 50,000 TRANSPLANTS

Indiana (48,595)
Massachusetts (43,656)
Utah (44,759)
Virginia (40,644)
Washington (47,350)
Wyoming (40,645)

The most interesting entries here are Utah and Wyoming, a pair of neighboring states with smallish populations — yet more than 40,000 people from each wound up here.

BETWEEN 50,001 AND 100,000 TRANSPLANTS

Arizona (57,999)
Florida (65,910)
Iowa (78,211)
Michigan (93,910)
Minnesota (72,835)
Missouri (70,746)
Nebraska (88,400)
New Jersey (58,004)
New Mexico (79,706)
Ohio (88,122)
Oklahoma (57,575)
Pennsylvania (80,406)
Wisconsin (60,908)

The huge numbers of transplants from these thirteen states speak volumes about the wide appeal of Colorado. There are more neighboring states (Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma), where lotsa folks realize that the grass is greener on our side of the fence. Add in Arizonans and Floridians sick of their particular brand of heat and lots of ex-Midwesterners who’ve had more than enough of the humidity and the result is an even longer line to get into Colorado.

MORE THAN 100,000 TRANSPLANTS

California (365,982)
Kansas (101,329)
Illinois (155,086)
New York (135,248)
Texas (200,481)

More than 135,000 New Yorkers. Over 155,000 Illinois natives who reached their limit. A whopping 200K from Texas. And so many Californians that if they all lived in one place, it would instantly become the fourth largest city in the state. If that doesn’t put Colorado’s incredible growth into perspective, nothing will.

Thanks to Westword for compiling and reporting this information! Hop over there to keep reading!

Search For All Colorado Homes Here!
https://www.recolorado.com/agents/name-Lara_Conrad/

Inventory is back down after a slight uptick nationwide

West + Main Homes

October 29, 2019
 
 Market Reports

In the earlier part of 2019, there were indicators inventory resurfaced.

Now, after the hot house-hunting season, listings remain scarce, according to Zillow’s latest Real Estate Market Report.

For the five months between September 2018 and February 2019, inventory started to tick up, after declining for nearly four straight years, according to data from Zillow. Come May of this year, however, there were 10.6 percent fewer listings nationwide—a deficit that fueled the 6.4 percent shortage today. The biggest drop-off? Entry-level listings, which expanded 6.7 percent in October 2018, but fell 10.3 percent in September of this year.

With the return of shortages, appreciation could potentially reignite, following nine months of slowing, the report shows. In September, annual appreciation continued to cool, at 4.8 percent—but, comparing quarterly rates, appreciation resurged 4.3 percent. Last month, appreciation clocked in at high rates in Indianapolis, at 8.1 percent; Austin, at 7.6 percent; Charlotte, at 7.1 percent; Columbus, Ohio, at 6.8 percent; and Atlanta, at 6.4 percent. In Austin and Columbus, notably, there were 14 percent fewer listings year-over-year.

Additionally, with low mortgage rates, buyer demand is predicted to rise, contributing to less options overall.

According to Skylar Olsen, director of Economic Research at Zillow, these changes signal strength.

“Housing appears to have renewed its place as a bright spot contributing to continued U.S. economic growth,” Olsen says. “The return of accelerating quarterly price growth, rising sales numbers and increasing home builder confidence and activity all point to closing out 2019 on a healthy note, despite greater volatility over the course of this year.”

For more information, please visit www.zillow.com.

Should I Sell My House Now or in the Spring?

October 20, 2019
 
 Selling

The answer isn’t the same for every situation.

As with every decision in life, there are pros and cons, and choosing when to sell a home is no different. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration before deciding when to sell a home. Many homeowners believe selling a home during the fall or winter months is not a good idea and that the spring is the only time a house should be sold. This is the furthest from the truth. Certainly most real estate markets across the United States experience a “spring market rush” every year. There is no doubt that the “spring market” is a great time to be selling and buying real estate, however, the fall and winter seasons may be the best fit for you for many reasons.

Here are several reasons why choosing to sell your home now may be a better decision than waiting until the spring:

Less Competition
One way that you can tell the spring real estate market has arrived is by driving down a street in your local community. In all likelihood there will be For Sale signs up all over the neighborhood! One great reason to sell your home now and not wait until the spring market is there is sure to be less competition.  The fewer number of comparable homes for sale, the greater the probability that a buyer will look at your home.

Simply put, it’s the supply and demand theory. If there are less homes for sale, there are less homes that a potential buyer can choose from, therefore increasing the demand for your home. Not only will less competition increase the probability for showings, but it will also increase the probability that an offer will be received and you will get the maximum amount of money for your home.Search Homes for Sale

Serious Buyers Are Out There
Homes are sold and bought 365 days a year, period!  Many homeowners believe that buyers aren’t out there during the fall and winter months. This simply is not the case. Serious buyers are always out there!  Some buyers may stop their home search because it is the fall or winter, but serious buyers will continue to look at homes, no matter what time of year it is.

The fall and winter months are also a great time for a potential buyer to see what a specific neighborhood is like.  Do your neighbors have pumpkins on their front step?  Are there lots of Trick-or-Treaters wandering the neighborhood on Halloween?  Do any of your neighbors have any light displays for the holidays?  There are buyers out there who will look at these types of things when determining whether your home is in the right neighborhood for them or not.

The Best Agents Are Always Up To The Challenge
Any real estate agent who tells you that the fall or winter months are a bad time to sell is not someone you want selling your home! A great real estate agent will know how to adapt to the current season and market their listings to reflect that.  A great real estate agent can make suggestions and give some of their tips on how to sell a home during the fall or winter seasons. If a real estate agent doesn’t have any suggestions on making your home more desirable for the current season, you should be concerned about the creativity they are going to use when marketing your home.

Staging For The Holiday Season
Many sellers believe staging a home is the main reason a home sells.  While staging certainly helps sell homes, some buyers have a difficult time envisioning themselves in a home no matter what you do. However, there are some buyers who can easily be “sold” on a home because it is staged.  Simple “seasonal” staging such as adjusting the color of the decor or having an aroma in the air that is relative to the time of year can go a long way with some potential buyers and possibly be the difference between a home selling or not.

Quicker Transactions
Right now, there are fewer real estate transactions than there will be in the spring.  The fewer number of transactions means the mortgage lenders have less loans to process, attorneys have less closings to do, and home inspectors have fewer inspections to do.  All of these factors should lead to a quicker transaction and closing for all the parties involved.  One of the most frustrating things for a seller to deal with while selling their home is not getting answers in a reasonable amount of time. A quicker transaction is going to be less stress for you.

By considering all of the reasons above, you will be able to determine whether now is a good time to sell or if you should wait until the spring.

Related Links:

Search all homes for Sale in Colorado.Work at West + Main Homes.Denver’s Housing Market Isn’t Crashing – It’s Changing.

Mortgage rates dropped again this week.


 It’s important to consider the Cost of Waiting!

The 30-year fixed-mortgage fell 8 basis points this week, averaging 3.57%, Freddie Mac reports. The lower rates are drawing out more home buyers in the fall market.

“Despite the economic slowdown due to weakening manufacturing and corporate investment, the consumer side of the economy remains on solid ground,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The 50-year low in the unemployment rate combined with low mortgage rates has led to increased home buyer demand this year. Much of this strength is coming from entry-level buyers—the first-time home buyer share of the loans Freddie Mac purchased in 2019 is 46%, a two-decade high.”

Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending Oct. 10:

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.57%, with an average 0.6 point, falling from last week’s 3.65% average. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 4.90%.
  • 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.05%, with an average 0.5 point, falling from last week’s 3.14% average. A year ago, 15-year rates averaged 4.29%.
  • 5-year hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 3.35%, with an average 0.3 point, dropping from last week’s 3.38% average. A year ago, 5-year ARMs averaged 4.07%.

Read the full article here, and if you’re thinking about buying contact me! 

In other news…

+ Thinking about doubling up households? You’re not alone!

Find Joy on the trails in Apex…where they have trail names that are as funny as the views are stunning

3 reasons you should trick or treat if you’re house hunting!

+ Miles from Denver: This week we are exploring Steamboat Springs!

1678 new listings hit the market this week, about the same as last week’s new inventory.

Let me know if you have questions about anything home or Real Estate related, if you’d like to get out and see some of the homes that are for sale, or if you are wondering what your home might be worth today.

Breaking: Ski Resorts are Starting to Open TODAY!

Stacie Staub

colorado_snowboarding
October 11, 2019
 
 Colorado

As crews have begun making snow at three Front Range ski areas, ski season is just around the corner.

Here is a list of projected opening dates for Colorado resorts. All are subject to change, depending on weather conditions. The Know will keep this list updated until all areas are open.

Arapahoe Basin: Oct. 11

Aspen Highlands: Dec. 7

Aspen Mountain: Nov. 28

Beaver Creek: Nov. 27

Breckenridge: Nov. 8

Buttermilk: Dec. 7

Copper Mountain: Nov. 8

Crested Butte: Nov. 27

Echo Mountain: Nov. 29

Eldora: Nov. 15

Granby Ranch: Dec. 13

Hesperus: Dec. 21

Howelsen Hill: Nov. 30

Kendall Mountain: Dec. 14

Keystone: Oct. 12

Loveland: Mid-October

Monarch: Nov. 22

Powderhorn: Dec. 13

Purgatory: Nov. 23

Silverton: Dec. 26

Ski Cooper: Dec. 7

Snowmass: Nov. 28

Steamboat: Nov. 23

Sunlight: Dec. 13

Telluride: Nov. 28

Vail: Nov. 15

Winter Park: Nov. 13

Wolf Creek: Nov. 1

Updated at 1:40 p.m. on Oct. 11: Two hours after Keystone announced it would open for the season on Saturday to become “the first ski resort to open in North America,” Arapahoe Basin said it would open Friday from 3:30- 5:30 p.m.for its earliest opening since 2009.

In the wake of a significant snowstorm and cold temperatures that kicked its snowmaking operations into high-gear, Keystone will open for skiing and riding on Saturday, Oct. 12, the resort’s earliest opening since 1995.

Arapahoe Basin seems poised to open as well. There hasn’t been an announcement yet, but that area’s chief operating officer, Alan Henceroth, hinted in a blog post Friday that their opening day trail was being groomed, adding, “It’s going to be a fantastic weekend.”

At Keystone, skiers and riders will take the River Run Gondola to the summit, skiing three trails to mid mountain, then taking the Montezuma Express back to the top. At the end of the day, they will have to download on the gondola from the summit to the base.

RELATED: When all Colorado ski resorts are scheduled to open for the season

“With Keystone’s early opening, and Breckenridge’s plan to operate through Memorial Day, the two resorts will offer one of the longest ski seasons in the country, providing even more value for our Epic Pass holders,” said Jody Churich, Keystone’s new vice president and general manager. “Our mountain operations team put in a tremendous amount of hard work to get our new snowmaking system ready for Keystone’s early opening.”

A-Basin has been the first in the Front Range to open for seven of the last eight years, tying with Loveland in 2015. Wolf Creek in southern Colorado beat them both in 2011, opening on Oct. 8. Two years ago, Arapahoe Basin opened on Oct. 13.

Keystone hasn’t even attempted to open in October since 2002, conceding the battle for opening day honors to A-Basin and Loveland, but Vail Resorts significantly upgraded Keystone’s snowmaking system this year. Company officials made no secret of their desire to compete with Arapahoe Basin to get open first. The two ski areas are four miles apart.

On the other side of Loveland Pass, Loveland spokesman John Sellers said it will be a few more days before that area opens.

“With the new snow we got and the cold temperatures, we’re hoping for a productive weekend,” Sellers said. “Hopefully we will have more information early next week. Next week is not out of the realm of possibility, but we’ll have to see how the weekend goes.”

Sources: Colorado Ski Country USA, Vail Resorts. All dates subject to change

COLORADO’S REAL ESTATE MARKET REPORT – STATS FROM SEPTEMBER 2019

Market Reports

market_stats_Sept-19.jpg
October 3, 2019

Homes priced between $300,000 and $499,999 have greatest buyer demand in Metro Denver. The price segments for which homebuyers have gained more negotiating power are condos priced between $750,000 and $999,999 and the single-family homes priced over $1 million.

Download the report

September ended with 2.04 months of single-family home inventory and 2.12 months of condos for sale. According to DMAR, housing inventory under five months is considered a seller’s market.

“In the Denver area, the real estate season is usually busiest from March through September,” said Jill Schafer, Chair of the DMAR Market Trends Committee and Metro Denver REALTOR®. “This year, you could say we’ve been turning from an extremely fast-paced market to a slower moving, healthier one. There have been changes, but we have not shifted to a buyer’s market. Let me repeat that. We have not shifted to a buyer’s market. Sellers still hold the upper hand.”

Schafer adds, “Don’t get me wrong, we have been seeing changes. The number of price reductions has gone up. The spread between the list price and the sold price has widened. And the average days on market went up.”

The rate of housing price appreciation has slowed, but it has not reversed. Overall, while it decreased month over month, the average sold price of a home in September was still up 6.06 percent year over year and 2.52 percent year to date, $483,734 and $487,814 respectively. Year to date, the close-price to list-price ratio was at 99.31 percent in September, whereas it has been slightly over 100 percent since 2015. Furthermore, the days on market has increased 25 percent year to date from 24 days last year to 30 days.SEARCH FOR HOMES

Schafer notes that there are two segments of the housing market for which homebuyers have “a little more buying power”: condos priced between $750,000 and $999,999 and the single-family homes priced over $1 million.

On the other hand, homes priced between $300,000 and $499,999 have greatest buyer demand in Metro Denver. Andrew Abrams, DMAR Market Trends Committee member and Metro Denver REALTOR®, shares: “Months of inventory for homes priced between $300,000 and $499,999 were an astonishing 1.33 for single-family homes and 1.97 for condos. This means that if no houses hit the market in this price range, there would not be any more single-family homes to sell in 5-6 weeks and only two months for condos. This price range has the lowest months of inventory compared to all other segments of the housing market.”

Looking at the numbers, the record-high housing inventory for the month of September was in 2006 with 31,450 active listings, and 2015 represented the record low with 7,516. For comparison, September 2019 ended with 9,286 active listings.

Our monthly report also includes statistics and analyses in its supplemental “Luxury Market Report” (properties sold for $1 million or greater), “Signature Market Report” (properties sold between $750,000 and $999,999), “Premier Market Report” (properties sold between $500,000 and $749,999), and “Classic Market” (properties sold between $300,000 and $499,999). In September 2019, 177 homes sold and closed for $1 million or greater – down 23.38 percent from August and up 39.37 percent year over year. The closed dollar volume in the luxury segment year to date was $2.88 billion, up 10.73 percent from last year.

The highest-priced single-family home that sold in September was $7,200,000 representing three bedrooms, five bathrooms and 5,075 above ground square feet in Boulder. The highest-priced condo sale was $2,800,000 representing two bedrooms, three bathrooms and 3,042 above ground square feet in Denver.

“Like the sizzling hot temperatures, we had in September, the Luxury Market was hot too,” stated Brigette Modglin, DMAR Market Trends Committee member and Metro Denver REALTOR®.

Sales of single-family homes were up 32.48 percent and condo sales were up 120 percent from one year ago. Modglin adds, “Even with the extremely warm temperatures we still welcomed the fall season, which is when we start to see things slow down.”

Month over month, single-family homes in the Luxury Market had price depreciations with homes selling 96.49 percent from list-price to close-price, down 0.88 percent month over month and 0.42 percent from one year ago. Slowing down too was the single-family sales volume that fell 16.47 percent month over month but was still up year over year with an increase of 45.09 percent.

“Don’t slow down too much though,” comments Modglin. “If buyers are wanting to buy a single-family luxury home, now may be the time. With over six months of inventory for homes priced $1 million plus, we’ve moved from a balanced market slightly into a buyer’s market, and home sellers may be willing to give a little more than they did a month ago and even a year ago.”

The luxury condo market was in demand with condos selling 98.11 percent close-price to list-price, up 1.12 percent month over month and up 6.56 percent year over year. Luxury condo sales were ‘scorching hot’ according to Modglin with, year over year, 12 more condos that sold over $1 million and luxury condo sales volume up 135.07 percent.

Like a hot commodity, luxury condos weren’t taking as long to sell with only 37 average days on market, which was down 28.85 percent month over month and down 57.95 percent from one year ago when it averaged 88 days to sell. Luxury condo buyers are paying $191 more per square foot this year than last year with the price-per-square foot up 52.04 percent at $558.

Thank you to our partners at the Denver Metro Association of Realtors for compiling and providing this information.

Download the report

Colorado Leaf Changing Will Start Hitting Peaks This Weekend

September 26, 2019

It might be in the 80s along the Front Range this week, but peak fall colors are getting closer and closer in the mountains.

While patchy fall colors have been spotted across the higher terrain over the last few days, “near peak” conditions are expected this weekend, based on a new and detailed fall foliage prediction website’s forecast.

The website SmokyMountains.com’s hyper-local fall color map shows Colorado’s peak mountain colors arriving over the next two weekends, with peak colors perhaps likeliest around the weekend of Oct. 5. The website uses 40,000 visual data points based on past weather and official government-issued weather forecasts to produce the foliage maps.

“Although the scientific concept of how leaves change colors is fairly simple, predicting the precise moment the event will occur is extremely challenging,” SmokyMountains.com data scientist and CTO Wes Melton said. “The major factors impacting peak fall are sunlight, precipitation, soil moisture and temperature. Although we cannot control Mother Nature and ensure 100 percent accuracy, our data sources are top-tier and each year we refine our algorithmic model achieving higher accuracy over time.”

The same website predicts eastern Colorado’s peak colors to bloom between Oct. 19 and 26.

If recent weather is anything to go off of, then this year’s fall color show could be an especially bright one. Cool nights and warm days, coupled with a wet growing season and dry end to summer make extra colorful fall leaves more likely. In general, Colorado has experienced all of those weather criteria, helping fuel extra anticipation for this season’s fall foliage show.

It’ll also feel a bit more fall-like this weekend, with temperatures statewide expected to cool to more typical late September levels behind a cold front later this week.

The Know put together this great list of the best places to see the colorful trees while they last:

U.S. 285 over Kenosha Pass

This is one of Colorado’s favorite road trips for aspen-viewing, although it can be difficult to score a parking spot on the pass. In fact, “It gets kind of ugly up there,” U.S. Forest Service district ranger Josh Voorhis says. If you do find a parking spot, there are trails to hike through spectacular aspen stands. For a more extended trip, continue driving west from the pass on 285 to Como, then take the gravel Boreas Pass Road over to Breckenridge. You can return to Denver by way of Interstate 70.

Peak to Peak Highway

Otherwise known as Colorado Highway 72, the stretch between Nederland on the south and Allenspark on the north is a great place for aspen-gazing by car or bike ride. You might want to consider a side trip to Brainard Lake, too, which you’ll find at a turnoff to the west about halfway between Nederland and Allenspark.

Endovalley in Rocky Mountain National Park

You’ll find this by taking U.S. 34 (also known as Fall River Road) west from Estes Park. About 2.5 miles past the Fall River Visitor Center, turn right (west) at Endovalley Road. About two miles up Endovalley Road, there is a loop with a picnic area. You can take this loop and then head east back to U.S. 34 or continue west on the Old Fall River Road. This is a gravel road that is one-way westbound until it dead-ends at the Alpine Visitor Center high on Trail Ridge Road. From there, you can take Trail Ridge to the park’s Grand Lake Entrance to view the Kawunechee Valley (see below) or return to Estes Park via Trail Ridge.

Kawunechee Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park

This valley on the west side of the park runs north and south along U.S. 34 (Trail Ridge Road), paralleling the upper reaches of the Colorado River.

Poudre Canyon/Laramie River valley

Take Colorado Highway 14 west from Fort Collins into Poudre Canyon to see colorful cottonwoods. About 50 miles up the canyon, turn north at County Road 103 and head into the Laramie River valley for gorgeous aspens and willows.

Poudre River Trail in Fort Collins

Here you will find cottonwoods turning yellow, which can turn a simple evening stroll in town into a special autumn treat.

Vail/Eagle area

There are great aspen stands all over this area, including slopes that rise above Interstate 70 east of Vail Village. One great option is to drive south on U.S. 24 from Minturn to Leadville over Tennessee Pass. Another goes north from Vail on Red Sandstone Road to Forest Service roads 700 and 701, terminating at Piney Lake, which is simply one of the most beautiful spots in Colorado. Here, rugged peaks of the Gore Range serve as a stunning backdrop for an idyllic lake where you can see their reflections — along with changing aspens, too. “Oh my goodness, it’s gorgeous up there,” said Marcia Gilles, deputy district ranger for the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District. Yet another good drive goes west from Vail Pass over Shrine Pass to Red Cliff via Forest Road 709.

Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway

Get away from the crowds and experience this beautiful 82-mile drive between Yampa and Meeker, much of which traverses open rangeland and about half of which is paved. It traverses the White River Plateau to the north of the Flat Tops Wilderness Area. Dunckley Pass (9,763 feet) and Ripple Creek Pass (10,343) offer panoramic views. Visitors are advised to check their fuel gauges before making the drive because there are no gas stations between Yampa and Meeker.

La Veta Pass

This drive on U.S. 160 west of Walsenburg crosses the Sangre de Cristo Range between the eastern plains and the San Luis Valley. At the pass (9,413 feet), there is a panoramic vista overlooking an open bowl.

Crested Butte area

There are very scenic routes out of Crested Butte, but most are out-and-back dirt roads with slow speed limits, and they can be crowded in leaf-peeping season. One great drive that might prove less challenging heads up and over Kebler Pass, through one of the most renowned aspen stands in the state, and continues another 25 miles to Colorado Highway 133 at Paonia State Park. From there, you can go north to McClure Pass and Carbondale or west to Grand Mesa. Both are great for aspen-viewing.

Grand Mesa

The world’s largest flat-top mountain,15 miles east of Grand Junction, is a great destination for fall colors. Cross the mesa on the Grand Mesa Scenic Byway, a 50-mile drive from the town of Mesa on the north to Cedaredge on the south, and you’ll see fall colors pretty much the whole way. Stop at the Grand Mesa Visitor Center at the top of the mesa for more information. There are many beautiful lakes on the top of the mesa, and don’t miss the Lands End Overlook, about 10 miles west of the scenic byway via Lands End Road on the western rim of the mesa, which offers soaring views of the Grand Valley.

A view of Mount Sneffels

Finally, here’s one from a reader: “About 6 miles west of Ridgway on Highway 62, there is a pull-off where photographers assemble to photograph Mount Sneffels with magnificent color. A great panorama photograph.” Mount Sneffels is a beautiful fourteener.

Related Links:

Search all Colorado homes for sale.Sell your Colorado property.

Festivals, foliage, and plenty of beer: Here’s how to enjoy autumn in the Mile High City.

There are so many ways to enjoy Fall in the Mile High, from pumpkin picking to leaf-peeking…and of course dozens of Octoberfest celebrations! They are kicking off this weekend, so mark your calendars and join the fun!


Punkin Chunkin Colorado
 | September 21–22
More than 25 teams will compete at the highly anticipated pumpkin-smashing bash to see whose cannons, catapults, and contraptions can launch a gourd to world-record lengths. Beyond the joys of watching pumpkins fly overhead, spectators can also count on a pumpkin patch, car show, carving contest, beer garden, and much more to round out the celebrations. New this year is a carved pumpkin display, in which hundreds of pumpkins will be brought together to form one gigantic work of harvest art. Arapahoe Park Racetrack, 26000 E. Quincy Ave., Aurora. Tickets are $5 for single entry, $15 for a family of four and can be purchased in advance online

Water Lantern Festival | September 21
Send off summer and welcome the start of fall with this floating spectacle of light. Write a personal message of hope or reflection on one of the provided lanterns and send it off with hundreds of others as the sun sets over Boyd Lake, and watch as the lanterns illuminate the Colorado landscape. The Water Lantern Festival provides 100 percent eco-friendly lanterns made of wood and rice paper that are collected from the water after the festivities conclude. Festival-goers can also count on food, games, music, and more to accompany the main event. 4–9:30 p.m., 3720 N. County Rd. 1C, Loveland. Tickets are $35 until September 20, and $40 the day of the event

See more events.

In other news…

Find out where to watchother NFL teams besides the Broncos in + around Denver!

+ These are 5 essential questionsto ask your mortgage lender before refinancing your home.

Home building activityhas risen 12%. 

Heads up:6 miles of I-70 is going to be closed this weekend

+  1842 new listingshit the market this week, less new inventory than we have seen hit the market in the last few weeks.

Let me know if you have questions about anything home or Real Estate related, if you’d like to get out and see some of the homes that are for sale, or if you are wondering what your home might be worth today. Lara@westandmainhomes.com (720) 436-1123.

https://www.recolorado.com/agents/name-Lara_Conrad/

https://www.recolorado.com/agents/name-Lara_Conrad/
https://www.recolorado.com/agents/name-Lara_Conrad/

Open House Schedule
See some beautiful homes across Denver and the Front Range this weekend!
Email me for more information: Lara@westandmainhomes.com

3 Ways You Can Help with Rescue + Recovery Efforts in the Bahamas

From donating water filters + hot meals, to opening up your airbnb or home, every little bit helps!

More than a week after Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, thousands of people are without shelter and food.

 2,500 are still missing, and Bahamas prime minister says he expects the death toll of 50 to “significantly increase.”

Some 15,000 people are still in need of shelter or food, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.

Officials also note that the list of 2,500 missinghasn’t been checked against records of evacuees or the thousands of people staying in shelters, making it difficult to draw up casualty lists.

Thousands are scattered across the islands, with more than 5,000 people ending up on New Providence, the island where Nassau, the capital, is located. Authorities plan to put up tent cities in Nassau and as well as on Abaco, one of the hardest hitislands, where shelter for some 4,000 is planned.

Hurricane Dorian struck parts of the archipelago with 185 mph winds on Sept. 1, then settled in for almost two days of death and destruction before moving back into the Atlantic. 

As the country tries to emerge from the devastating storm, limited commercial flights have resumed on Abaco, but the electrical infrastructure around Marsh Harbour, the island’s largest city, has been destroyed.


Wondering what you might be able to do to assist in recovery efforts? Here are three ways that you can help.

+ Here are 8 essential itemsthat will spruce up every entryway

This new grant programencourages Denver homeowners to plant more trees

+ These are the fastest shrinking markets in the United States

+  2091 new listingshit the market this week, significantly more new inventory than we have been seeing hit the market each week lately.

Let me know if you have questions about anything home or Real Estate related, if you’d like to get out and see some of the homes that are for sale, or if you are wondering what your home might be worth today.

Join me for an Open House in Golden, Colorado this Sunday from 1-3pm!

Join West + Main Homes for this fun family event Saturday October 26th 1-3pm!!