Colorado
Why are Colorado home prices so high? Look down.
Colorado homes are so expensive, in part, because the land they sit on has become increasingly valuable, enough to rank the state seventh in the country for its residential land costs.
The lots that Colorado’s homes sit on averaged $942,200 per acre in 2022, compared to $343,800 in 2012, according to an analysis from Cinch Home Services, a provider of home warranty and repair services based in Boca Raton, Fla. The value of residential land in Colorado rose 174% in those 10 years, one of the fastest gains of any state.
“America’s most expensive land markets are being shaped by intense competition, limited supply, and concentrated pockets of investment. What stands out in this data is just how dramatically prices can climb within a single state,” Cinch said in its study.
That was the case in Colorado, where Boulder was the most expensive residential market studied, with an average land value of $1.69 million per acre. Edwards was next at $1.6 million, followed by Denver at $1.2 million.
The study used property values from the Federal Housing Finance Agency for Core-Based Statistical Areas, which have a population of 10,000 or more. That cut-off excludes the state’s priciest enclaves like Aspen, Vail and Telluride. The study assumed four residential lots per acre, although developers in Denver are packing them in tighter than that.
At the other extreme were Montrose at $150,100 per acre and Pueblo at $115,200 per acre.
Although the 2022 estimates are somewhat dated, most housing markets in Colorado have seen prices stay stable since that year.
Hawaii had the most expensive residential land of any state at an estimated value per acre of $3.49 million, with Honolulu being the most expensive urban area in the state. California was next at $3.3 million, with Manhattan Beach carrying the highest value. New York was third at $2.98 million per acre, with Brooklyn having the highest residential values.
New Jersey, Massachusetts and Washington were the other states ahead of Colorado in terms of how much residential land cost.
The cheapest residential land was located in Mississippi, a relative steal at $67,300 per acre. West Virginia was also near the bottom at $76,700 per acre.
Colorado ranked seventh among states for the size of its increase of 174%, which tied with Washington. Idaho experienced a tripling of its residential land value in the 10 years studied, while Nevada was close with a 293% increase. Arizona had a gain of 220%, while Florida was up 211% and Utah was up 202%.
Consumer prices in metro Denver rose 27.4% over the same period, indicating that residential land inflation, as captured in the Cinch study, was 6.3 times the rate of overall inflation.
Land has also become a larger share of total property values in Colorado, the study found, rising from around 35% in 2012 to closer to 40% in 2022.
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Colorado
Evacuation warning issued for area near wildfire in southwest Boulder
Authorities have issued an evacuation warning for homes near a wildfire that broke out in southwest Boulder on Saturday afternoon.
Just before 1 p.m., Boulder Fire Rescue said a wildfire sparked in the southwest part of Boulder’s Chautauqua neighborhood. The Bluebell Fire is currently estimated to be approximately five acres in size, and more than 50 firefighters are working to bring it under control. Mountain View Fire Rescue is assisting Boulder firefighters with the operation.
Around 1:30, emergency officials issued an evacuation warning to the residents in the area of Chatauqua Cottages. Residents in the area should be prepared in case they need to evacuate suddenly.
Officials have ordered the DFPC Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) and Type 1 helicopter to assist in firefighting efforts. Boulder Fire Rescue said the fire has a moderate rate of spread and no containment update is available at this time.
Red Flag warnings remain in place for much of the Front Range as windy and dry conditions persist.
Colorado
Two-alarm fire damages hotel in Estes Park, 1 person taken to a Colorado hospital
A two-alarm fire damaged a hotel in Estes Park on Friday night. It happened at Expedition Lodge Estes Park just north of Lake Estes.
The lodge, located at 1701 North Lake Avenue on the east side of the Colorado mountain town, was evacuated after 8:30 p.m. and the fire chief said by 10 p.m. the fire was under control.
One person was hurt and taken to a hospital.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. So far it’s not clear how much damage it caused.
A total of 25 firefighters fought the blaze.
Colorado
Warm storm delivers modest totals to Colorado’s northern mountains
Lucas Herbert/Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
Friday morning wrapped up a warm storm across Colorado’s northern and central mountains, bringing totals of up to 10 inches of snowfall for several resorts.
Higher elevation areas of the northern mountains — particularly those in and near Summit County and closer to the Continental Divide — received the most amount of snow, with Copper, Winter Park and Breckenridge mountains seeing among the highest totals.
Meanwhile, lower base areas and valleys received rain and cloudy skies, thanks to a warmer storm with a snow line of roughly 9,000 feet.
Earlier this week, OpenSnow meteorologists predicted the storm’s snow totals would be around 5-10 inches, closely matching actual totals for the northern mountains. The central mountains all saw less than 5 inches of snow.
Here’s how much snow fell between Wednesday through Friday morning for some Western Slope mountains, according to a Friday report from OpenSnow:
Aspen Mountain: 0.5 inches
Snowmass: 0.5 inches
Copper Mountain: 10 inches
Winter Park: 9 inches
Breckenridge Ski Resort: 9 inches
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area: 8.5 inches
Keystone Resort: 8 inches
Loveland Ski Area: 7 inches
Vail Mountain: 7 inches
Steamboat Resort: 6 inches
Beaver Creek: 6 inches
Irwin: 4.5 inches
Cooper Mountain: 4 inches
Sunlight: 0.5 inches
Friday and Saturday will be dry, while Sunday will bring northern showers. The next storms are forecast to be around March 3-4 and March 6-7, both favoring the northern mountains.
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