2-4-26 Back Home, Full Weeks, and Watching It All Unfold

This week felt like a real return to rhythm. I’m finally back from Sweden and I was genuinely happy to get home to sunshine. We had exactly one half day of sun the entire trip, so Colorado light felt like a gift. Jet lag wasn’t bad at all this time, going west is always easier for me than going east. It was a quick trip, but every single day was full. No wasted time. I love travel like that.

Being home has my future planning wheels spinning again. One idea I keep coming back to is taking a solo trip with Bridger to Europe to look at universities. I would love for him to go to school there. Not because I want him far away, but because I want him expanded as a human. Exposed to different cultures, ideas, and ways of thinking. Colorado is incredible, especially living in the foothills, but it can be fairly homogenous. I know how much I benefited from going to boarding school and being pushed outside of what was familiar. I want that same kind of growth for him.

Bridger is also finally feeling much better after a week of the flu. It seems like everyone at the high school has it right now. He was back on the basketball court Monday night and I got to watch. Two very tight games. They lost the first one 35 to 34 and then won the second 36 to 38. It was loud, intense, and genuinely fun to watch.

We also had our weekly ladies walk, and this week twelve women showed up, which made my heart very happy. In full transparency, I did accidentally lose three of them on the trail. I felt terrible. Thankfully they were good sports, survived just fine, and have already promised to come back next week. All is well, no one was harmed, and friendships remain intact.

On the fun side of adult life, Tag and I actually had our date and it was so, so, so fun. We did a VR experience called Horizons of Khufu, which somehow managed to feel both wildly impressive and slightly surreal. From there we went to dinner at Point Easy Denver, which was incredible. I had the scallops, Tag had the duck, and both were next level. They also had great mocktails, which of course meant I had to ask how they made them. I came home inspired and immediately started attempting a fruit peel syrup experiment in my own kitchen. Jury’s still out on how that turns out, but I’ll report back.

Offers, Curveballs, and What the Market Is Actually Doing

Work came back fast this week. I had a closing on Friday, which always feels grounding. There is something reassuring about getting a deal across the finish line after weeks or months of moving parts.

I also spent an entire day showing homes to a client who ultimately decided not to move. That’s disappointing on one level, but it’s also okay. My goal is always to help people make the best next decision for themselves, even when that decision doesn’t directly benefit me. Especially here in the Colorado foothills, selling a home or leaving a mountain property is rarely just about numbers.

I also received an offer on one of my listings, which was super exciting, and then the buyer kind of went dark. If you’ve ever sold a home, you know how stressful and frustrating that can be. It’s a special kind of limbo. I’ll update next week once I know how that one shakes out.

On top of that, I negotiated a tricky septic issue this week, which is very much part of selling Colorado mountain homes in places like Evergreen, Conifer, Pine, and Bailey. We worked through it and now we’re set to close just one week later than planned, which I consider a win.
Showings have also increased on my Wamblee listing, with four showings on Saturday alone. That tells me buyers are paying attention again, and I’m hopeful we’ll get this one under contract soon so my sellers can move on and breathe again.

Now let’s talk about what the market is actually doing, because the data tells a clear story. Across the 7 county metro area, active listings are up slightly, while pending listings are down a bit. What stands out is that closed sales jumped 28%, with 488 homes sold. Inventory is sitting at 3.7 months, which is down significantly, and median days on market is 52 days. In short, buyers are active and deals are closing, but pricing and strategy matter more than ever.

What That Spike Means for Buyers and for Sellers

That spike in closings is largely New Year buyers crossing the finish line. Buyers came out strong in January and those contracts are closing now. One of the most consistent data points I watch is showings. Across all counties, the median number of showings before a home goes under contract is 10. In Weld County it’s closer to 8, while Jeffco and Arapahoe average around 11.

For sellers, this is where a reality check comes in. In the first week on the market, you should see about three showings. In the second week, about two. After that, roughly one showing per week. If you’re not hitting those numbers early, or if your home is sitting longer than the current 52 day median, the market is likely telling you the price is off.

There’s also a layer of the market most people don’t see. Sixty seven percent of homes sold last week included a seller concession, with a median concession of $5,000. This means public sales data often hides the real story. The list price isn’t always the true price. Whether you’re buying or selling in the Colorado foothills, understanding the net numbers is what actually protects you.

This week was a reminder that both life and real estate are unpredictable, emotional, and very human. Sometimes things move fast. Sometimes they stall. The key is staying grounded, paying attention to the data, and being willing to adjust when the market or your gut tells you to.