The Greeley housing market kicked off the new year by making the National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB) list of improving housing markets. The list, called the First American Improving Markets Index, is released on the fourth business day of each month. It reflects those housing markets that have shown marked improvement in housing permits, employment and home prices for at least six months.
The Greeley/Evans median sales price for detached homes in 2011 came in at $130,000, making the area attractive for its affordable housing. The area also continues to benefit from the activity centered around the Niobrara oil play. Halliburton Co. just recently announced they are is moving into the nearby Windsor area and bringing approximately 500 jobs.
December 2011 Greeley real estate market statistics are in! Each month we track the following leading market indicators for Greeley, Colorado:
Under Contract = Number of properties under contract
Sold = Number of sold properties
Months Supply of Inventory = The MSI is an estimate of how long it will take for all the homes in a market area to be sold, or absorbed, based on the number of homes currently on the market and the rate that homes have sold in the past. A market is considered balanced when the MSI falls between 5-7 months. Under 5 months is considered a seller’s market and over 7 months is considered a buyer’s market.
The new year is kicking off with historically low mortgage rates and relatively low home values, putting housing affordability at an all-time high. If you are a first-time home buyer, it is important to begin your home search process by carefully assessing your values, wants, and needs—both for the short and long term. A recent study shows how important the following home-buying factors were to buyers:
11/12-1/15: Forever Plaid, UCDT
12/19-1/5: Vacation Station, Family FunPlex
1/6: First Friday: A Night of Art, Downtown
1/6: NASA Speaker, Greeley Museum
1/6-9: American Super Camp, Island Grove
1/7: King Aurther’s Quest, UCCC
1/7: Winter Farmers’ Market, Atlas Church
1/8: Ugly Christmas Sweater Spectacular, UCDT
1/18: Bring a Buddy Skate, Ice Haus
1/14: American Girl Doll Skate, Ice Haus
1/15: Wales: Land of Songs, UCCC
1/21: Skate School Bonanza, Ice Haus
1/21: Winter Farmers’ Market, Atlas Church
1/21: GPO Concert, UCCC
1/25-26: Colorado Farm Show, Island Grove
1/27: Father/Daughter Dance, Recreation Center
1/27: Pilobolus Dance Company, UCCC
1/28: Official Blues Brothers Revue, UCCC
Quality health care is vital to a thriving community. Greeley residents are ushering in the New Year with news of two major expansions in health care services for the area. First, Kaiser Permanente Colorado is laying groundwork to offer health care services for the first time in Northern Colorado. Over the next three years Kaiser Permanente offices will open in Greeley, Fort Collins and Loveland that offer primary care, pharmacy, laboratory and X-ray services. Hospital care will be provided at McKee Medical Center in Loveland and North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley via an exclusive hospital agreement with Banner Health hospitals and physicians. The expansion is projected to create 100 new jobs in Northern Colorado.
Also making recent headlines is Poudre Valley Health System (PVHS) announcement of plans to build a $14.5 million, 22,000-square-foot emergency room and same-day surgery center in Greeley’s North Gate Village. The facility will house 10 exam rooms, two pediatric exam rooms, a resuscitation room and lab as well as a diagnostic imaging area with X-ray, ultrasound, CT and MRI capabilities. Doors should be ready to open June 2012.
As if oil and gas headlines hadn’t already saturated headlines in Greeley, a new estimate released by Anadarko Petroleum of larger than anticipated amounts of oil in their Wattenberg field has economists crunching a new set of numbers for the region. According to the Denver Post article “Oil estimate in northern Colorado pumps up job, revenue prospects” by Steve Raabe, the projected increase in Northern Colorado’s front range oil could lead to $50 million or more a year in new severance taxes for state and local governments.
The 350,000-acre Wattenberg field, located in the Denver-Julesburg Basin in northeast Colorado, has a potential output of 55 million barrels a year – almost triple the amount of Colorado’s current oil production. Jobs will not only be created for drilling, but also in industry-related areas such as trucking and pipeline construction. The surge in projections has only strengthened preliminary talks about construction of a new energy business park in south Weld County – along I-85 or the “Energy Corridor.”
Sources: Denver Post, “Oil estimate in northern Colorado pumps up job, revenue prospects” by Steve Raabe, 11/16/11. Northern Colorado Business Report, “Energy park in works in south Weld” by Molly Armbrister, 11/18/11.
When the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, a line from Cheyenne to Denver was created; opening this part of the country for settlement. Where the railroad crossed at Platte and the Cache la Poudre rivers, the City of Greeley was created. Those settlers, with their irrigation systems, turned a desert into an agricultural haven.
This year the City of Greeley celebrates its 150th Anniversary and while it remains true to its agricultural roots, the city has cultivated a strong business environment over the years.
The City of Greeley recently reported that year-to-date (YTD) revenue is 12.5% higher than budgeted revenue, YTD sales tax revenue is 11.9% above budget expectations and YTD sales-tax collections on building permits are 41.5% above budgeted projections. A major force driving the local economy, Leprino Foods is now opening phase one of their new $270 million dollar cheese production facility. Approximately 500 employees will be hired during the three-phased rollout of the facility. In oil and gas news, Harrison Resource Corp. has partnered with CH2M HILL to develop specific project details for the Niobrara Energy Park; moving the park one step closer from concept to reality.
Education is also a valued commodity in Greeley and Weld County. Aims Community College provides a two year program tailored to suit the needs of our high-tech environment. The University of Northern Colorado has more than 100 undergraduate programs in five colleges which offer a liberal arts foundation; a nationally recognized business school; award-winning music and theater arts; health and human studies and teacher education courses. Many graduate degree studies are available throughout the campus.
With its excellent health care facilities, relative low cost of home prices and the varied lifestyle amenities, it is no wonder that Greeley has also been recognized by Where to Retire magazine as one of the Top 8 “Places to Retire.”
Builder Magazine recently released a list of the Healthiest Housing Markets in the United States and Greeley, Colorado came in at #20! The following metrics from Moody’s Economy.com were used for the rankings: jobs, price appreciation, population growth and income growth. Permits were not used as a metric, however, the magazine included them in each market profile to give readers a basis to compare market size.
Greeley, Co Profile
(pulled from Builder Online)
Health Index: 72
2010 Population Forecast: 252,825
2011 Total Building Permit Forecast: 1,532
2012 Total Building Permit Forecast: 2,510
The magazine notes that Greeley home prices never got completely out of control and reset early on in the recession. All projections for new home construction, home prices, jobs, population and income are positive for the area. Greeley continues to top the country for population growth and recent oil and gas activity continue to be a driving force for the local economy.