Ryan Bass, principal agent at Boulder Residential, has seen plenty of fluctuation in the national real estate market over the past eight years. But one fact has remained true: Boulder real estate just goes up.
“Boulder has always attracted people from all over the world,” says Bass. “Good schools, the outdoors, the tech [industry], the university.” With the Sundance Film Festival relocating to Boulder in 2027, the city continues to grow in visibility.
Bass says Boulder real estate consistently climbs because the city is small and already built out. “New development is extremely limited here.”
While the memory of ultra-low interest rates during the pandemic still lingers in the nation’s collective consciousness, stalling many would-be buyers and sellers, Bass believes the Boulder market is in a healthy place. “A balanced market returned [to Boulder] in the summer of 2023, when rates started to creep up,” she says. “This year is probably the most balanced I’ve seen it in terms of buyer negotiating power. Sellers still want the most they can get because they know Boulder is a desirable location, but buyers aren’t motivated enough to compete.”
Bass says sales of homes between $2 million and $3 million are stalled, while homes over $3 million are less dependent on rates because they’re often cash transactions. “People are nervous right now about the economy,” she says. But for those who can stomach the rates—or negotiate a buydown and avoid competing—now is a great time to buy.
Bass believes the market will be slow into the fall and stay quiet until rates drop or people give up on waiting. Homeowners have removed listings and are renting instead, she says. But in Boulder, there’s always opportunity lurking for homes that are staged and priced right. Bass recently sold one in three days.
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