News & Insights

NoCo Newsletter | July 17, 2025

Photo: NAI Affinity featured listing – Mead | 139+/- Acres of Commercial and Residential Land at I-25 Interchange

NoCo Newsletter | Keeping You Informed on Northern Colorado’s Commercial Real Estate Market | July 17, 2025

Discover our newest listings, recent happenings in the NoCo CRE community & other industry news. This edition brings news of a first-time home buyer struggles, water wins, improved retail sales data, and more.

REAL ESTATE & BUSINESS NEWS

  • As Contentious Colorado Housing Laws Take Effect, Some Cities Are Playing Nice — While Others Resist or Sue
    • The Denver Post | “The laws…removed home occupancy limits, will allow for accessory dwelling units on single-family lots, will limit parking requirements in transit corridors and prodded cities to increase housing density in those transit-rich areas. The laws largely apply only to Front Range cities.”
  • Nederland Buying Eldora Mountain Ski Area
    • 9News | “Nederland is finalizing plans to buy the nearby Eldora Mountain ski area, the town said. The Boulder County town said they’ll use municipal revenue bonds, backed only by the resort’s earnings, to pay for the purchase. They’ll also be looking for grants and private-sector investments to help lower the total debt.”
  • First-Time Home Buyers Are MIA. Landlords Are the Winners.
    • WSJ | “On average, 2.1 million people a year became first-time buyers over the past two decades. Many moved to homeownership straight from the rental market. Unaffordable house prices and high mortgage rates have slowed this flow since 2022. There were 1.1 million first-time buyers last year—380,000 fewer than in 2023 and almost half the historical norm, data from the National Association of Realtors shows. This year could be even worse judging by the weak spring home-selling season. Based on sales through May, the U.S. is on track to sell 4.03 million homes in 2025, fewer than last year’s tally, which was the lowest since 1995. The sharpest slowdown is happening among properties that cost less than $500,000, NAR data shows. That is the price range that usually attracts first-time buyers. The market for newly built homes is also slumping. In May, sales dropped 6% compared with the same month of 2024.”
  • Report Shows More Homes for Sale in More Than 14 Years
    • 9News | “Data from the DMAR shows there are roughly 4,000 more homes available now than this time last year. And the metro area has its highest amount of inventory available since 2011….Abrams added that the higher interest rates aren’t scaring buyers or sellers away, not even the lucky folks who locked in a low rate during the pandemic. The added inventory has people ready to sell their starter homes, he said, unlocking even more options for buyers around town.”
  • Boulder Median Home Prices Plummeted in June, Rose in Other Local Markets
    • BizWest |
      • Boulder: “The median June sales price for single-family homes in Boulder was $1.2 million, down 25% from the same month last year. There were 61 homes sold last month on 219 active listings, 1.4% fewer active listings than June 2024.”
      • Estes Park: “Homes in Estes Park sold last month for a median price of $672,010, down 11.9% from June 2024. There were 31 homes sold in June on 211 active listings, 37% more listings than the same month last year.”
      • Loveland-Berthoud: “The Loveland-Berthoud market also had a year-over-year dip in median sales price, dropping 11.3% from June 2024 to $550,000 last month. There were 164 homes sold in the market last month on 537 active listings, 32.6% more listings than June 2024.”
      • Fort Collins: “Fort Collins saw its median sales price increase 5.4% year over year last month to $656,250. There were 234 homes sold in the city last month on 751 active listings, a bump of 14.8% in listings over June 2024.”
      • Greeley-Evans: “Homes in the Greeley-Evans market sold in June for a median price of $445,000, 3.7% higher than the same month last year. The market had 113 sales last month on 329 active listings, 33.2% more listings than June 2024.”
      • Longmont: “The median sales price in Longmont was $647,000 last month, up 4.5% from June 2024. There were 70 sales in June on 187 active listings, 11.3% more listings than the same month last year.”

ECONOMIC & EMPLOYMENT NEWS

  • Fort Collins Election: Where Mayoral Candidates Stand on Housing, per YIMBY Forum
    • Coloradoan | “Peel, who has four grown children she said can’t afford to live in Fort Collins, said a good way forward would be to improve the city’s development review process, protect property rights, allow zoning flexibility for a variety of housing types, incentivize private sector building and promote home ownership as a path to stability.” Watch the full forum event here: link.
  • Judge’s Ruling Keeps Thornton Water Pipeline Project Moving Forward
    • Coloradoan | “The city of Thornton is the true winner in a recent court ruling focused on the pipeline it’s planning to build in Larimer County to bring more water to its residents. The lawsuit was filed a year ago by Save The Poudre, an environmental advocacy group. Its target was the Larimer County commissioners, who had approved a permit for construction of the pipeline. On July 3, Larimer County District Court Judge Michelle Brinegar ruled that commissioners were justified in their decision to approve the application for 10 miles of pipeline through the county. Gary Wockner, director of Save The Poudre, said the nonprofit believes the ruling contains errors and it is considering an appeal.”
  • A Conceptual Breakthrough has Emerged for the Colorado River’s Future. Here’s What it Looks Like.
    • The Denver Post | “Negotiators from the seven river basin states said in a series of meetings in recent weeks that they were discussing a plan rooted in a concept that breaks from decades of management practice. Rather than basing water releases on reservoir levels, it would base the amount released from the system’s two major reservoirs on the amount of water flowing in the river. The new concept would be more responsive as river flows become more variable. The comments signal a break in months of stalemate between the Upper Basin states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming — and the three Lower Basin states: California, Nevada and Arizona. The states’ representatives are wrestling with a seemingly simple question: How should the river’s water be allocated as long-term drought and higher temperatures fueled by climate change decimate the amount of water available? The Upper Basin states have argued that they have already borne the brunt of lower river flows. That’s because they rely on snowmelt and precipitation, since they are upstream of the system’s two major reservoirs, Lakes Powell and Mead. The Lower Basin states — which sit below the reservoirs and rely on releases from them for their water supplies — have said they have already made major reductions in water use and that the Upper Basin states must also agree to cuts.”
  • Why You’re Seeing News About Fort Collins Being the Most Peaceful Place to Live in the US
    • Coloradoan | “Whether it’s because of its access to parks, outdoor space or serene settings like Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins is the most peaceful place to live in the U.S., according to Insider Monkey. The finance website picked the Choice City to top its list of the five most peaceful places to live in the U.S. back in 2023. Travel + Leisure magazine republished its findings July 9, highlighting Fort Collins’ low noise level; access to park space; and proximity to the Poudre River, Horsetooth Reservoir and Lory State Park; as well as its many breweries and charming downtown area.”
  • Retail Sales Snap Back After Trade Wars Die Down. Shoppers Keep the Economy Growing.
    • MarketWatch | “Receipts at retail cash registers rose 0.6% last month, the government said Thursday, based on seasonally adjusted numbers. That was three times the Wall Street estimate. Sales had tumbled in May at the height of the trade wars….Vehicle sales showed the biggest increase among retailers. Americans are trying to time their purchases to avoid tariff-related price increases. Gasoline sales were flat, reflecting lower prices at the pump. If cars and gasoline are excluded, U.S. retail sales still rose a solid 0.6% last month. Those two categories often mask the underlying sales trends among retailers more generally. One of the key categories to watch, restaurant sales, rose a healthy 0.6% and also recovered from a swoon in May.”

COMMUNITY & OTHER INDUSTRY NEWS

FEATURED LISTING

NAI Affinity is pleased to present this outstanding interchange development site at the NWC of I-25 and Welker Avenue in Mead, CO. The site is approximately 138± gross acres with approximately 25 developable acres zoned for commercial and approximately 68 developable acres zoned for residential. The adjacency to, and visibility from, I-25 makes this site an appealing location for residential and commercial developers alike. Ideal commercial uses for site include: big box retail, gas station, quick service restaurants, medical, hotel/lodging, farm equipment sales and more.

This rare opportunity features prime real estate in a thriving, fast-growing residential area with convenient proximity to both Northern Colorado and Denver/Boulder. Located just 20 minutes north of Denver in an affluent and expanding community, these sites provide outstanding visibility and access to the heavily traveled Interstate 25 corridor.

Click here to learn more about this prime interchange opportunity!

See previous newsletters here.

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