If you’ve been watching from the sidelines, now’s the time to lean in. It’s officially the best time to buy this year. According to Realtor.com, this October will have the most buyer-friendly conditions of any month in 2025:
“By mid-October, buyers across much of the country may finally find the combination of inventory, pricing, and negotiating power they’ve been waiting for—a rare opportunity in a market that has been tight for most of the past decade.”
So, if you’re ready and able to buy right now, shooting for this month means you should see:
Just remember, every market is different. For most of the top 50 largest metros, that sweet spot falls in October. But the peak time to buy may be slightly earlier or later, depending on where you live. As Realtor.com explains:
“While Oct. 12–18 is the national “Best Week,” timing can shift depending on the local markets. . .”
And Realtor.com isn’t the only one saying you’ve got an opportunity if you move now. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), explains:
“Homebuyers are in the best position in more than five years to find the right home and negotiate for a better price. Current inventory is at its highest since May 2020, during the COVID lockdown.”
Daryl Fairweather, Chief Economist at Redfin, puts it like this:
“Nationally, now is a good time to buy, if you can afford it . . . with falling mortgage rates and significantly more inventory, buyers have an upper hand in negotiations.”
And NerdWallet says:
“This fall just might be the best window for home buyers in the past five years.”
To make sure you’re ready to jump in whenever your market’s best time to buy arrives, talk to a local agent now. They’ll be able to give you more information on your market’s peak time, why it’s good for you, and the steps you’ll need to take to get ready.
If you’re serious about buying, getting prepped for this October window is a smart play.
Want help lining up your strategy? Have a quick conversation with a local agent so you’ve got the information you need to be ready for this prime buying time.
Seth McConnell | Denver Business Journal
The Denver Broncos will stay true to the team’s name, announcing plans to build a new, privately funded stadium in the heart of the Mile High City.
In a joint letter with the city of Denver and state of Colorado, the Broncos confirmed the team’s preferred site for a new stadium is Burnham Yard, a 58-acre former railyard in Denver’s La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood.
In mid-2024, several LLCs connected to law firms believed to be representing the Broncos began purchasing real estate near Burnham Yard, but the team had never confirmed that the railyard was a possible stadium site until Tuesday.
“With a storied history that predates Colorado statehood, Burnham Yard stands poised to be revitalized into a thriving development where sports & entertainment, housing, business and community blend to create a one-of-a-kind year-round destination,” the letter said. “Denver has been the proud home of the Broncos since Day 1. This community-inspired vision will allow our city and team to continue to grow and thrive together at Burnham Yard.”
The target date for the new stadium to open is 2031. The Broncos’ lease on Empower Field at Mile High, on city-owned land where the team currently plays, ends in 2030.
In a video posted on social media, Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner described the plan for the site as building both a new stadium and a “year-round destination,” indicating there will be aspects to the development other than a stadium.
“It’s not something that will just have a large parking lot all around it, but really creating some place that’s special that people leave and talk about and say, ‘Oh my gosh, when you come to Denver, you’ve got to be here at Burnham Yard,'” Carrie Walton Penner, one of the team’s owners, added in the video.
The team said in the letter that community discussions can now take place. The city added in an announcement that it will work to generate a Small Area Plan for Burnham Yard, which can include preferences for housing options, public infrastructure, parks and other amenities. Additionally, the team has committed to creating a Community Benefits Agreement with nearby neighborhoods.
“La Alma Lincoln Park looks forward to working with the Broncos towards a community benefits agreement that supports the goals of ours and surrounding neighborhoods,” Nolan Hahn, president of the La Alma Lincoln Park Registered Neighborhood Organization, said. Hahn added that Walton Penner reached out to him personally to let the RNO know about the plan, saying he was excited to work together on an agreement.
Denver City Councilwoman Jamie Torres, who represents the area, said in an announcement that she was optimistic about the potential the development could bring to the area.
“These neighborhoods are home to 13,000 residents, an incredible Art District, Business Improvement District, cultural and historic districts of homes and buildings that tell the story of Denver,” she said. “The news that the Broncos will name Burnham as their preferred site says they see the opportunity to contribute and integrate into already amazing communities in partnership with residents, community-based organizations, advocates in housing, mobility, culture, history, and more, and I look forward to this deep engagement.”
In the letter, the Walton-Penner ownership group confirmed it will privately fund the new stadium without any new taxes. When Empower Field was built, Colorado residents covered 75% of the cost through a 0.1% sales tax from 2001 to 2011. When the Broncos move out, Empower Field and the 80 acres of parking lots around the stadium will revert back to city ownership. The city said a planning process to determine the future of that site will begin in 2026.
“Today is a remarkable win-win-win for Denver,” Mayor Mike Johnston said in the city announcement. “The Broncos are staying in Denver, we will finally open up the historic Burnham Yard neighborhood for development, and we get to reimagine the Mile High Stadium site as a thriving community in West Denver.”
The joint letter indicated the stadium will have a retractable roof, an element required by the NFL in cities with cold weather that want to host the Super Bowl. Empower Field at Mile High does not have a roof.
The Colorado Department of Transportation currently owns Burnham Yard, having purchased the land from Union Pacific in 2021 for $50 million. Earlier this year, CDOT moved ahead with the removal of several historic buildings on the site in preparation for a sale. At the time, Historic Denver, a nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation in Denver, criticized the action. However, Historic Denver aims to work with the Broncos moving forward.
“Historic Denver is thrilled that one of Denver’s most recognizable organizations plans to relocate to one of the city’s most historic sites,” CEO John Deffenbaugh said. “Other sports facilities across the country show that the old and the new can go hand-in-hand and we are excited to see how designers rise to the challenge of integrating the existing historic Locomotive Shop into a state-of-the-art new facility.”
There are still a few remaining properties in the area that are not owned by CDOT and haven’t been purchased by a Broncos-connected LLC, including Denver Water’s campus. The agency’s new operations complex was completed in 2019.
In a statement, Denver Water said that for the stadium site to work, the agency will need to relocate some facilities to the south end of the complex. The administration building, where approximately 600 employees work, will stay put.
According to the statement, the Broncos and Denver Water have been in discussions about how to make things work for months. Public records have indicated that officials with Denver Water, the city of Denver and the Broncos officials met regularly for weeks earlier this year.
“We have committed to helping make Burnham Yard home of the new stadium, with the understanding that any impacted Denver Water facilities need to be fully replaced to the same high-quality standards, and at no expense to Denver Water’s ratepayers or adverse impacts to our operations,” Denver Water Board President Stephanie Donner said in the announcement.
Toast the 2025 autumn season at an Oktoberfest festival in Colorado! There are a variety of single-day and multi-day events held from August to October.
With nearly a million Coloradoans claiming German heritage, we have our fair share of Oktoberfests. Most events feature Bavarian food, dance, music, and beer.
A proud German tradition since 1810, Munich’s Oktoberfest is now one of the world’s largest fairs, gathering more than six million people over seventeen days. It’s held from late September to early October.
Those are among the top Oktoberfest festivals happening in Colorado for 2025. If you know others and we have done anything wrong, please contact us and let us know. Prost!
Colorado Springs leads the state with an impressive projected appreciation rate of 12.7% in 2025, according to Realtor.com. Strong job growth, affordability, and booming demand make it a top choice for wealth-building.
Denver’s robust economy supports a steady appreciation rate—experts forecast a 2–4% annual increase for 2025, keeping this metro a prime investment location for moderate, stable growth.
Fort Collins is expected to see 1–1.7% appreciation, rewarding investors with reliable gains in a college-driven market marked by enduring rental demand.
Longmont benefits from strong, healthy market activity, with local trends and regional reports indicating appreciation near 2% for 2025.
Competitive suburban Arvada is forecasted to see appreciation in the 2% range, reflecting stable local demand and proximity to Denver’s job market.
Affordable Grand Junction balances steady appreciation, predicted between 2–3% for 2025, with strong population and job momentum driving real estate growth.
Pueblo’s affordable housing market earns investors 2–3% annual appreciation, fueled by increased demand and steady inflow of new buyers.
Boulder’s high-value market remains attractive, with estimated appreciation of 3–4% thanks to tech growth and university-driven stability.
As a growing market, Greeley offers forecasts of around 2% annual appreciation, driven by its affordability and close proximity to major employment centers.
Wheat Ridge is positioned for 1–2% appreciation, boosted by increasing demand for short-term rentals and families seeking suburban living near Denver.
Colorado’s top real estate markets offer a spectrum of growth opportunities, from rapid appreciation in Colorado Springs to steady, reliable gains in cities like Denver and Fort Collins. Pairing these rates with local demand and economic trends enables investors to build resilient, wealth-generating property portfolios for 2025.
Candelas, a master-planned community in Arvada, is getting a new kind of housing option.
RangeWater Real Estate will soon start building a 324-unit apartment project to Candelas, representing the community’s only large multifamily development. In addition to the multifamily building, RangeWater plans to construct 56 townhomes on a 16-acre plot off West 91st Drive.
The project has been in the works for nearly five years and is finally taking shape, according to Jordan Orr, managing director for development at RangeWater.
“The city of Arvada has grown exponentially over the last decade or two and had to work through some infrastructure upgrades, addressing water and sewer upgrades through their municipal system,” Orr said. “We were a little bit on pause waiting for that to happen before we could get really started in earnest.”
With those upgrades in place, RangeWater is ready to break ground in September. According to public records filed in Jefferson County, RangeWater officially purchased the land for the project Aug. 13 for $8.25 million.
Georgia-based RangeWater is a fully integrated real estate firm that develops and manages properties.
The Candela’s development will be RangeWater’s fourth project in Colorado, bringing the total units it has developed in the state to over 1,100 once complete. The other three projects are Lupine Longmont, The Armory in Boulder and Ironworks on Fox, in Denver.
Public records from the Candela’s project show RangeWater has entered a contract with JHP Architecture/Urban Design PC and a construction agreement with CSI Construction Co. The LLC RangeWater used to purchase the land also took on a construction mortgage from PNC Bank of nearly $84 million.
Orr says a name for the development is likely to come in the next three to six months. After breaking ground in September, RangeWater plans to deliver the first units in spring 2027, Orr said.
RangeWater views metro Denver as a place with good fundamentals and lifestyle appeal despite population and job growth slowing over the last decade, Orr said.
“This is a place where people want to live,” he said. “We have a lot of high-income jobs. Development has become a lot more difficult, but there’s still opportunity here.”
RangeWater is partnering with TMGRI, a subsidiary of The Meridian Group. The Meridian Group is a Dallas-based company focused on development and investment in the Southeast, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado.
According to Orr, RangeWater wanted to invest in a multifamily project in Candelas because northwest Arvada lacks a multifamily housing supply.
The Apartment Association of Metro Denver found Jefferson County, where Candelas is located, has one of the lowest vacancy rates in metro Denver at 5.2% compared to the overall metro rate of 6.4%.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to build a multifamily product in a location that doesn’t have multifamily product today,” Orr said.
Candelas first started selling homes in 2012. According to the community website, only townhomes are left for sale. Earlier this year the Candelas Innovation Park secured an aerospace tenant as part of the community’s commercial offerings.
Orr says the community has been built very thoughtfully and RangeWater sees the location as a perk due to the access to Denver, Boulder and Broomfield as well as its mountain views.
The apartments in the new development will be one- and two-bedroom units ranging from 688 to 1,1196 square feet while townhomes will have two- and three- bedroom options from 1,246 to 1,823 square feet. According to RangeWater, features will include open floor plans, nine-foot ceilings and large balconies. The townhomes will have back patios and garages.
The development will also include a fitness club, pool and spa, dog park, community garden and a clubhouse with a co-working space and private offices inside.
Correction:
An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled JHP Architecture.
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Federal legislation that’s set to become law is expected to provide relief to prospective homebuyers from what’s become a major procedural headache.
The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act, which has passed both the House and Senate and is awaiting President Trump’s signature, would curb the use of so-called “trigger leads,” thereby cutting back on what is often a flood of phone calls and texts buyers experience when they apply for a mortgage.
When a buyer applies for a mortgage, a professional runs a check on that person’s credit. Credit agencies — and often third-party marketing firms — then alert other mortgage lenders and intermediaries that the person is looking for a mortgage, essentially selling them the opportunity to reach out to the buyer.
The trigger-lead practice has become a bigger problem in recent years. Buyers have become inundated with unsolicited calls and offers of mortgages, leaving them to contend with much more than decade-high mortgage rates that have only recently begun to fall when they apply for a mortgage.
“Over the past several years, the abusive use of trigger leads has flooded consumers applying for a home loan with unwanted, often deceptive calls and texts that confuse and frustrate borrowers,” said Peter Idziak, a senior associate at Polunsky Beitel Green, a law firm for residential mortgage lenders. “Unfortunately, any hypothetical benefit a consumer might obtain from an unsolicited offer of credit has been drowned out by the volume and nature of these unwanted solicitations.”
Idziak said some consumers have reported more than 100 messages within a day of applying for a mortgage. Others have reported receiving calls from individuals who implied they were calling on behalf of the prospective buyer’s targeted lender. Still others have said they’ve been offered rates and fees for which they would not actually qualify.
“The fact that the act passed the Senate unanimously and without objection in the House underscores how pervasive and problematic this issue has become,” Idziak said.
The legislation does provide for some exceptions, Idziak said.
For example, it allows third parties to contact a consumer to provide a firm offer of credit, but only under certain circumstances — like if the consumer already had a bank account or current mortgage with that party, Idziak said.
The legislation is set to take effect 180 days after being signed by President Trump. The Government Accountability Office has one year to provide a report on the value of trigger leads received by text message.
The Mortgage Bankers Association also applauded the passage of the legislation, which it called “a long-overdue measure” that would put an end to what it said were abusive trigger leads.
“This new law will help protect consumers from the barrage of unwanted calls, texts and emails they too often receive immediately after applying for a mortgage. It marks a major victory for borrowers and will create a more efficient, responsible and respectful home buying process,” said MBA CEO Bob Broeksmit in a statement.
The new legislation is expected to cut down on millions of unwanted calls and texts going to consumers. There are millions of new mortgages every year, according to real estate data firm Attom, which found 1.28 million mortgages were secured on residential property in the first quarter of 2025. That’s down about 70% since the red-hot real estate market of 2021.
Still, the mortgage process — and the trigger leads that have come with it — is just one aspect of what’s been a shifting housing market in the first half of 2025 that’s featured increasing inventory and price cuts in a number of once-hot markets. A generational divide also has developed, with about 43% of baby boomers saying they will never sell their home, the highest of any generational group, according to a survey of U.S. residents ages 18 to 65 by real estate firm Redfin Corp. (Nasdaq: RDFN). The biggest single reason cited for staying in place is that their home is almost or completely paid off, while others say they like where they live.
An earlier recent Redfin analysis showed that just 25 out of every 1,000 U.S. homes changed hands in the first eight months of 2024, the lowest mark in decades. With home prices up about 40% since the start of the pandemic, and current mortgage rates far higher than they were in 2019, moving isn’t as attractive to people who don’t have to relocate.
While it’s typical for older Americans to occupy a larger share of homeownership, the share of homes owned by Americans older than 55 years grew from 44.3% in 2008 to 54% in 2023, according to a study by Construction Coverage. Meanwhile, Americans ages 35 to 54 saw a decline in homeownership, with their share dropping from 42.3% in 2008 to 34% in 2023.
Baby boomers specifically, who were between the ages of 60 and 78 in 2024, account for 20% of the population but make up more than 37% of homeowners nationwide.








