So why does the city of Boulder continue to attract home buyers on a consistent basis?
One reason, there are many savvy realtors who are well groomed and understand the market, the community, and the people. Well experienced and established realtors have been one piece of the puzzle that has kept Boulder as one of the most sought after communities not only in the state but in the country when regarding real estate.
In January of 2002 the median sales price for a home in the city of Boulder was $360,450. At the end of December of 2006 the median sales price for a home in Boulder was $440,000, which is an increase of 18% during that time span (Source: Boulder County Government Department of the Assessor).
According to this statistic home values in Boulder appreciated over three percent a year on average.
Legislation is underway to control all of the foreclosure that is crippling the state. Who is at fault, and why is Boulder not affected by an otherwise unstable market?
Historically, Boulder has had a reputation of having good borrowers. Since Boulder real estate has been able to appreciate at a steady rate many home owners have been able to use the equity in their homes as large down payments once they have sold their home and purchased a new property or refinance to get a better home loan or interest rate.
Many borrowers in other cities across the Front Range have not been able to do so because these markets have depreciated in value.
Retail, wholesale, and private investors are partially to blame because many of the loan programs designed over the past four or five years have influenced borrowers across the nation with lower credit scores to qualify to buy homes. As a result, many of these borrowers have defaulted and gone into foreclosure. Now the three biggest investors in the United States; Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae have to tighten up their guidelines so unstable markets like Colorado can recover economically.
As Wall Street runs to fix the market and Colorado pushes to pass legislation to regulate the mortgage market, Boulder will slightly feel the affects of the current housing crisis around the state.
In any case, Boulder will always have a strong market for home owners ready to sell their properties. Boulder is a city unlike any other, a small real estate utopia if you will, catered to home owners and home buyers alike.