Season of gratitude
to the National Association of Realtors® latest existing-home sales data.
Despite strong headwinds, Boulder County sales prices continued an upward momentum through October. Median sales prices grew yearover-year through October 2022 from a high of 48.4% for Niwot to a low 2.4% for the Mountains area, according to statistics from the Boulderlongmont Realtors trade association (BOLO Realtors). Following Niwot’s near 50% median sales price rise, the top areas for price gains are Lafayette, Louisville, Erie, Longmont and Boulder with percentage increases of 22.7, 15.7, 15.4, 14.1 and 12.9 respectively.
There’s also positive news for homebuyers. Since home sales have slowed across Boulder County, inventory is rising with 874 homes available at the end of October 2022. That’s compared to 206 homes for sale in December 2021.
Despite the growing challenges of becoming a homeowner in recent years, owning a home is still the American dream. Seventy-four percent of respondents in a survey conducted by Yougov Plc for Bankrate.com said owning a home is the top achievement of success. Others marked the following as pinnacle achievements: 66% being able to retire, 60% having a successful career, 50% owning a car, truck, or other automobile, 40% having children, and 35% getting a college degree, reported Bankrate.com in March, 2022. But younger adults are less likely to value homeownership as highly, with 59% of Gen Z and 65% of millennials selecting homeownership as the highest accomplishment, compared to 78% of Gen X and 85% of baby boomers.
Even with the recent added costs of buying a home, 72% of those who own their home are glad they made the choice. They say they would still buy their current home if they had to do it all over again, while just 18% would not, and 10% don’t know.
The pandemic had a lasting psychological effect when the necessity of staying home from work and social engagements created a renewed sense of gratitude toward homeownership. “In fact, 64% of American homeowners say living through a pandemic has made their home more important to them than ever. That makes sense, especially because 83% of homeowners say their home has kept them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” reports Narrealtor. com.
In this holiday season, Boulder County homeowners and those seeking to buy a home can take comfort and feel gratitude for the beauty that surrounds us, a rich community spirit, and a strong real estate market that has maintained its value over the years.
Read more about the impact of the economy on the housing market at www.nar.realtor/ magazine/real-estate-news/ economy/stabilizing-economyholds-key-to-reviving-homesales.
See the full Bankrate.com report at www.bankrate.com/ pdfs/pr/20220330-march-fsp.pdf
My youngest son Nick called me in a huff after he and his girlfriend moved into an older so-called “remodeled” apartment in CA. They had only seen pictures online; it wasn’t until they moved in that they saw their actual unit.
“I mean, it looks good on the surface if you don’t look too closely,” he huffed. “But everything is just done, well, kind of crappy in terms of quality.”
What he was really calling to kvetch about was the laminate counter in the kitchen. He was ticked that the end by the stove was not parallel, but instead it was cut at a crooked angle that left a large gap in front.
“Who would do this?” he asked in a snit. “Because of this ‘professional’ not doing a decent job, everyone who rents here has to live with this eye sore.”
“Hmmm. Do you think most renters would even notice this?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but of course I do because of you,” he replied. “You and your squinty, judgy little eyes. I’ve inherited them.”
That may sound like a harsh assessment from an offspring, but I took no offense. He is spot on about my small eyeballs, their squinty nature upon entering a room, and the resulting judgment that I may find about some deficiency. Despite not being able to remember the name of a person I just met 30 seconds ago, I can spot quality issues in home construction almost immediately. I have an uncanny ability to know when something is a few degrees off level or not plum. I cannot not see inconsistent grout lines, crooked tiles or bad paint lines. And let me tell you, this is not a blessing; this is a curse.
You can imagine how this skill has “endeared” me to my family members and all the construction folks I’ve worked with over the years. God forbid my husband should hang a picture on his own without a level. He knows it may be only two degrees off, but I will see it and it will bug me like a horrible itch that needs to be scratched until it is hung correctly – meaning perfectly level.
When I was younger, an older man with a window coverings firm came to hang several privacy half curtains in our home. When he was done, I told him unfortunately I thought they were all a wee bit crooked. This comment elicited a huff and an eye roll from him. Then he explained to me (like I was an annoying child which, granted, I perhaps used to be), that he measured from the floor, and he was 100 percent sure all the curtains were level.
“Perhaps the floors are not even,” I suggested. “Let’s just see what a level says.”
Of course, the level tool indicated that every curtain was a bit caddy wonk. As one would expect, this man did not greet this news with enthusiasm nor relish redoing the work. Matter of fact, he had the same look on his face that my husband used to have in the early years of our marriage when I pointed out that something he constructed was off. “Gratitude” is definitely not the word to describe it.
But perhaps now I can pass this mantle onto my son. Maybe now I’m old and wise enough to accept living in a slightly crooked world with less stress for those around me. Hmmm. I wish I could be this way but I doubt it. I’ll just have to wait for my squinty little eyeballs to stop working so darn well.