Congrats to the Albrechts on their new Fort Collins property!
Helping First-Time Buyers Navigate Today’s Market
July was busy with helping first-time buyers navigate a competitive market. I’ve spent quite a few weekends touring homes around Fort Collins, Golden, and Wheat Ridge, and it’s been interesting watching how quickly well-priced properties are moving.
Buying your first home can feel overwhelming, especially when rates, inventory, and negotiations are constantly changing. My goal is to help buyers understand their options, stay prepared, and make decisions that make sense for them.
A Quick Personal Update
Happy August!
July was busy with helping first-time buyers navigate a competitive market. I’ve spent quite a few weekends touring homes around Fort Collins, Golden, and Wheat Ridge, and it’s been interesting watching how quickly well-priced properties are moving.
Outside of work I’ve been traveling and staying out of the heat whenever possible!
Market Snapshot
Buyers
- More choices
- Negotiating room
- Seller incentives
Sellers
- Equity remains strong
- Serious buyers remain active
Buyers Have the Market Advantage
There’s a lot of surplus on the market for buyers to choose from currently. Rates are still pretty high, in the low 6% range, but the negotiation power favors the buyer.
To compete, sellers are offering concessions toward down payments and closing costs.
Bottom line: getting a good deal comes down to proper strategy, pricing, and preparation. “Timing” everything won’t benefit you as much as you might think.
Seller Concessions: For Dummies
“Okay Gavin, you keep telling me about concessions... what is that?”
Rather than lowering the home's price, the seller contributes money at closing that can be used to pay closing costs or reduce the buyer's mortgage interest rate through a rate buydown.
Definitely worth familiarizing yourself with, especially in our current market, whether you’re a seller or a buyer.
Looking Ahead
I’m not a fortune teller...
...much less trying to predict the market constantly. Rather, going into the rest of the month and into September, I’m keeping an eye on interest rates, inventory, seasonality, and how the economy pans out leading up to mid-term season.
If mortgage rates remain near current levels, I expect buyer activity to stay fairly steady through late summer.
Inventory has been increasing, giving buyers a little more negotiating power than earlier this year, but desirable and fairly priced homes are still selling quickly.
Homeowner Hack of the Month
Cutting Down on Those Bills
Stay on top of your home expenses with three quick tips:
Be cognizant of water use: Fort Collins alone is proposing a 15% price hike on water usage in 2027. Check your local upcoming policy proposals to see how you could be affected.
Check your filters: Old, dirty filters cause your heating and cooling systems to work harder. Why waste that extra money during these 100º days?
Seal your gaps: Sealing leaky spots around your home can help cut down on air-conditioning costs and energy use.
Small changes, but over time these solutions add up. Don’t sell yourself short!
Questions About the Market?
Whether you’re buying, selling, or just planning ahead, Gavin is happy to help.