Highlands Ranch Real Estate Market Trends

The short answer is the real estate market in Highlands Ranch is not as bad as much of the country.  Even compared to the Denver Real Estate Market, areas of Douglas County, CO have fared better than the rest of the Denver Metro area and Highlands Ranch has helped sustain that.  Things are not all rosy still – there have been drops of course.  But folks in Highlands Ranch as a whole have not seen as significant changes as other areas.

By the numbers for residential single family statistics it looks like this:

So what does all this mean?

• Homes Sales volume in Highlands Ranch is down around 20%. Far fewer homes sold in 2008.
• Days on market are about the same. There was only a slight increase from 2007.
• Home values in Highlands Ranch, CO are down only about 3%. We would like to see them up, but not nearly as bad as 19-43% like some areas in the U.S.
• Sellers are getting closer to the original list price.  Sellers know it’s competitive
  and are pricing their homes for sale up front accordingly.

Are you looking to sell or buy in 2009?  Just give me a call, I would love to help you negotiate at the right price.  Feel free to start to search for your new Denver area home right now on my map based Denver Homes Search.

Source: Statistics gathered from Denver MetroList.

I have written a few times in the past about how great the trail system is throughout Highlands Ranch Colorado and how the trails in Highlands Ranch even connect to other areas such as through the Highline Canal the East West Trail and the Back Country Wilderness. 

On any given day throughout the entire year you can see a great number of people enjoying Highlands Ranch living on the trails – whether its a parent with a stroller, a jogger, a bike rider or a group of children taking their first nature walk.

But the trails in Highlands Ranch are for more than just recreation.  They are for transportation!  This has really come to light for me much more lately as my oldest child is getting a tad more freedom.  For example, our home is approximately .8 of a mile from one of my oldest children’s friends house.  And to get there on a bike or by foot by following the roads – he would have to travel among the busy road of Highlands Ranch Parkway, something his mom is not keen on.  He would also have to cross about 7 intersections.  She put her foot down to that. 

But Highlands Ranch is so well connected he can take the trail over that connects our neighborhood to his friends.  By popping on the trail, he crosses one residential street with minimal traffic and is there is a flash – we get the "call me when you get there call" within about 4 minutes. 

The fact of the matter is, Highlands Ranch is very well connected that way.  Numerous neighborhoods are connected together through the wonderful trail system – allowing easy access to neighborhoods, parks, rec centers and more.  In fact – the trails even make it possible for some to commute regularly by bike to jobs – allowing access to RTD stations, and even downtown and into the DTC. 

Now of course I am not saying all kids should start wandering to their friends on the trails – you have to make decisions on what’s best for your child – not only because of obvious concerns but remember that there is at times wildlife in Highlands Ranch including coyotes at times and even rattlesnakes here & there.   If your kids are goign to travel on the trails without a parent, you definitely need to decide on your own when your kdis are ready for that.  In the meantime, walk them there using the trails – you’ll enjoy it too – not only will it be closer, but you will generally enjoy a beautiful stroll!

Steve Scheer, RE/MAX Masters, Inc.
Real Estate in Denver & The Suburbs

Search all Denver & Denver Suburb Homes Here

Copyright © 2008 By Steve Scheer, All Rights Reserved. ~Highlands Ranch Living – Highlands Ranch Trails Are For More Than Just Recreation 9/27/2008~

 Steve Scheer is a REALTOR® in the Denver area – serving Denver Colorado and the south suburbs including Denver, Highlands Ranch, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, Littleton, Lone Tree, Centennial, Parker, Englewood, Aurora, Castle Pines North, Castle Pines Village, Castle Rock.  Steve is a Denver native and has been licensed in CO since 1994.

If you would like more information on the Denver area or more information on Denver real estate, contact Steve at 720-849-6101. 

I was a little surprised to read an article in the Highlands Ranch Herald this week that the HRCA is now taking memberships from those outside of the Highlands Ranch HOA boundaries for membership.  You can read that article here.

Its not the idea that surprised me, I have heard this idea kicked around in thought speculation for some time now.  But I was surprised that it has started so soon. 

HRCA has begun a program that they are offering up to 200 memberships for people to join.

Highlands Ranch is almost built out – that is no surprise.  So at some point in the non so distant future homeowners dues will come in from existing homes only and growth will no longer be an issue.  So increasing revenue without memberships would really only come from increasing dues – so this also seemed like a logically alternative.

How do I feel about it?

Actually I am ok with it.  I think 200 memberships is a good number to try out.  I know there are times of day where the Rec Centers in Highalnds Ranch can be crowded and I know that my wife always mentions that the outdoor pools in the summer are a bit crowded form time to time – but overall I feel that it is manageable to increase revenue in this fashion.

Here are just a few examples:  My daughters basketball league was canceled this summer due to not enough players.  There are times mid-morning when at least half of the exercise machines in the Westridge Rec Center are not being used when I am in. 

I do like the idea that they are thinking of alternatives instead of just raising dues.  It shows that many folks are really looking at alternatives instead of just blanket increases.  I hope innovative thinking continues.

By the way, I am not sure how many have purchased memberships yet.  It would be interesting to know how its going in a few months or so.

Firelight is a community in Highlands Ranch, CO.

Located in the Southridge area – Firelight is known for its higher location – some of the homes are actually on the highest lots in Highlands Ranch.  This of course provides really terrific views form many homes in Firelight of both the front range and downtown Denver.  Some folks even enjoy the sparser twinkling of the Denver Tech Center.

But one of the really nice parts of Firelight is its proximity to the Back Country Wildnerness Open Space.  The homes that back to The Back Country Wildneress truly are something to see. 

You look out back, and there it is.  Colorado. 

Its not your average open space – its really something else.  It has rugged hills and valleys that leave you to feel that you are light years away from the hustle and bustle of chaotic life.  Even those that may not back to the open space, its a mere hop, skip & jump to enjoy the trails and Colorado outdoors of the BackCountry Wilderness area from Firelight.

The photos in this post are all taken from the backyard of one of my current listings in Firelgiht – Highlands Ranch.  From your back door you are at the edge of the BackCountry Wilderness.  If you would like more information on this listing, click here: Highlands Ranch Real Estate For Sale – 2932 Newbury Court, Highlands Ranch Colorado

Highlands Ranch Home in Denver’s Suburbs For Sale

 2932 Newbury Court, Highlands Ranch, Colorado 80126

This is truly a home you need to see.  This Highlands Ranch home for sale has one of the best lots in Firelight backing to the open space on the edge of Highlands Ranch.  Bordering amazing open space with hills and valleys, its like having a private enclave behind you.  Add the cul-de-sac location & the house itself is truly fantastic as well.  It was raining when I was out there – but I will post more pictures of this gorgeous area as soon as the weather clears.

 Highlands Ranch Home For Sale in Firelight neighborhood

Click here to view entire flyer & tour for this Highlands Ranch Home

Located in Firelight Neighborhood in Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Click Here to Search Highlands Ranch Real Estate in the DENVER MLS

 

For more information on this Highlands Ranch home give me a call or email anytime.

720-849-6101

My family loves finding local events to attend together and this weekend will be no exception in Highlands Ranch.  A much anticipated annual event by my own daughter – the annual Colorado Scottish Festival and Rocky Mountain Highlands Games will take place in Highlands Ranch, CO this weekend.  

On August 9th and 10th, Heritage Park will become a Scottish lover’s delight as some of the best area Scottish and Irish dancer descend on Highlands Ranch along with the Highlands Games, music, ancestry tracing, food, vendors & much more.  The festival is open both days from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.  A schedule of all of the events can be found here and a list of  all the types of things you will see is found here. 

We have been attending the Scottish Festival for years – many of my daughter’s friends are accomplished Scottish and Irish dancers and she loves to be able to see them all perform at the same time and so close to home.  My children also really enjoy seeing the Scottish dogs agility & frisbee competitions. 

The Colorado Scottish Festival and Rocky Mountain Highlands Games takes place on August 9th and 10th at Highlands Heritage Park just south of Lincoln/University at Quebec.  There will be signs all over and even shuttle transportation nearby.  Directions can be found here. 

Make sure you bring your sunscreen – shade is somewhat limited. 

Highlands Ranch home listings are sometimes hard to find on-line – Why?

Occasionally I get calls and email inquiries, as to why people can not sometimes find a particular Highlands Ranch real estate listing online. I have even had fellow agents ask me why their customers are having problems with this. Within about 1 second, I can guess what the answer is and 99% of the time I am correct.

The call goes something like this – Steve, I just drove by this beautiful home in Highlands Ranch but when I search on-line for listings in Highlands Ranch, I can’t find it. I even put the street in, it still won’t come up. I really want to know more about this house – what gives?

Basically, it boils down to technology can be unforgiving. The problem stems back to the fact that Highlands Ranch according to the world of many computers and databases is Littleton. When a zip code is punched into many computer systems for Highlands Ranch (80126, 80129, 80130) it feeds back Littleton. Many listing agents either miss this or have someone else enter their own listings and don’t double check. So if 80129 is entered and the pull database says that default is Littleton, that is what is going in that field unless it is manually changed. It may seem to many that this is no big deal – but if someone enters "Highlands Ranch" into the City field – only the available homes that read "Highlands Ranch" come up. If someone leaves it as Littleton, their home listing will be left out of the query.

Again, not a big deal for some since many people around here are aware of this limitation. And agents of course will use the proper codes to search correctly. But, say someone from another state knows they want to buy a house in Highlands Ranch and does some preliminary looking on their own through any of the many sites available – it is reasonable to assume that they do not know to either:

• Only use zip codes and leave city blank
• Search city as both Highlands Ranch and Littleton
• Let their local Highlands Ranch expert agent email all proper & accurate searches for them – They will be able to use the proper codes and get it right for you. They should be able to even set you up for a new listing email alert so you get all the brand new listings as they are available.

To further illustrate the depth of the issue – as of right now – if I were a consumer at home doing my own searching to buy a home in Highlands Ranch – and I was just pulling up listings in city = Highlands Ranch – there are 497 of them. Now, to pull it without that city field limitation but to find out how many homes REALLY are in Highlands Ranch right now, the answer is 519. Now, that actually isn’t too big of a difference – that difference can varry – depending on how many people don’t change it. I have seen it at times with as many as half of the listings entered kept as Littleton when they should be Highlands Ranch. *Just a quick note, there are a few small pockets in the Highlands Ranch zip codes that are not Highlands Ranch – but for the consumers use of searching for homes – it is probably better to get a list with those few extra on it than a list that is missing so many, in today’s example – over half, of the available properties.

So, next time you are searching for that listing on-line in Highlands Ranch and can’t find it, leave the city blank (but enter the zip code) or maybe even enter Littleton.

Chances are you will find it. If you don’t, it is probably Sold. And by the way, my listings are always entered properly. This is important as a potential seller to know, that buyers searching on their own, without their agent, will find your listing. If you have other questions about the nitty gritty details of real estate in in Highlands Ranch or another area in South Metro Denver just let me know, I would love to help. This is the type of local expertise that you need to make sure your agent has to make sure your home is marketed properly and gets sold as quickly as possible.

While you have been driving around Highlands Ranch this spring or summer, you probably have seen the beginnings of a huge project, particularly if you have traveled Venneford Ranch Road west of University Blvd. The Highlands Ranch Metro District has started the Fence Replacement Project which will span into the years to come but frankly it is going to be well worth it. The fences in some of the areas were really needed repair and I have to say that I think what they have chosen looks great. The document that they have on-line at the Highlands Ranch Metro Districts web site has detailed information about what was chosen and the schedule of what will be done when. Just go to their site at www.highlandsranch.org and on the right column you will see an item to link to the Rence Replacement Program document. That report also shows a map of exactly what fences will be done – generally speaking its the fences that back to a road, and not another home that is already maintained by HRMD. But definitely take a peak at the report for clarification, it is packed full of information. It is going to be a long product spanning over several years with a little done at a time. The newer parts of Highlands Ranch are of course at the end of the schedule since their fences are the newest right now to begin with. We do have some friends that live along the area on Venneford that has already been done and they said overall they were pleased about how quick their section was done. I am sure it is a minor inconvenience to have your fence removed but all in all it looks like the crews are doing what they can to keep it timely and organized and it sure does look great so far. This first photo below shows the old fence down just before the new one goes up and you can see a little of the orange snow fence that has been put up as a temporary barrier. I would say that this is a welcomed addition face lift in Highlands Ranch. Read Also: Curb Appeal – Could This Be Why Your Denver Home Isn’t Selling Highlands Ranch Real Estate and Neighborhoods – Neighborhoods With A Pool Buyer’s Agent in Colorado – Do You Really Need One?

Yesterday I did head over to Highlands Ranch Town Center with my family for a while for the Highlands Ranch 4th of July Celebration. We went over after lunch, walked around a bit, the kids visited several booths and games. They were particularly fascinated with the magician, which was a kid that was fabulous. He couldn’t have been more than 16 or 17. We then walked over to Civic Green Park and splashed in the fountains for a while to cool off – good thing they were on, it was hot out – it must have been at least 95. After that we walked back to the main festivities at Town Center and stopped to see all of the animals that were visiting the event with hopes to be adopted. I think there were several different organizations there that work with shelters and there were some kittens in a mobile adoption trailer and plenty of puppies and dogs as well. They were all awfully cute and it did look like several were finding new homes, which is great. After puppy viewing we ended our journey with some ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. The kids loved that. We did head out at the point, we needed to head over to Lakewood to have dinner elsewhere – but we did make it back to Highlands Ranch in time to enjoy the fireworks. We didn’t actually watch them form Town Center, but rather from the east side of Redstone Park. So the 4th of July is past – however there are other events happening around the Denver Area this weekend to celebrate the whole weekend. One of the most popular being the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. There will be fireworks in that area tonight as well. One of the best parts of living in Highlands Ranch are all of the planned activities such as this 4th of July celebration. There are great events like this all of the thime, from concerts to races. One of the next events coming up is the Rodeo in the Ranch. So, if you are thinking of moving to Highlands Ranch and wondering what there is a ton and geared toward all ages!

Redstone Park has many great offerings for its residents and visitors Here’s one – Head to Redstone Park. Redstone Park is located on the west side of Highlands Ranch, often referred to as Westridge. It is one of the larger parks in Highlands Ranch and its offerings and activities are almost endless. It is located at the intersections of Town Center Drive and Foothills Canyon Blvd, just east of Santa Fe Drive. It is nestled between the neighborhoods of Westridge Pointe and Highlands Ranch Golf Club. A stocked fishing pond can begin your adventure, with a trickling stream running through it, but don’t forget to pack a picnic to enjoy for later at one of the shelters or of course you can always make your own picnic spot with a blanket upon one of the many fields. You can also bring Fido on a leash, or head over to the dog park on the east side of the park (cross Foothills Canyon Blvd) to let your doggie pals romp free. Is tennis your thing? Lighted tennis courts sit next to the Redstone tennis center where lessons will begin shortly for the spring and summer. Have little ones in tow? They will be worn out by the end of the day by the variety of activities on the playground – between a sand play area, 3 different play structures and swings their adventures will never end. The play area is also surrounded by good size boulders, which seem to be a popular spot for the pre-school set to hop from one to the next. Have older kiddos or feeling adventurous yourself? Bring your skateboard or trickster bike and head to the bike/skate park. This is a popular area and even if you aren’t daring to try and ride yourself, its fun to stop by and see what everyone is up to. Keep on heading to the west and you will run into the ball fields and batting cage. The ball fields are lit as well and are always hopping through the summer months. Some of the smaller fields become soccer fields in the spring and football fields in the fall – and then there are also 3 other soccer fields that run behind the homes of Westridge Pointe. All in all, this park is full of fun for everyone. Restrooms are located in three areas (playground, tennis courts & ball fields) and parking is plentiful throughout the park. Like most park shelters in Highlands Ranch, they can be reserved for a small fee for parties and gatherings. When the parking lots are empty you are sure to find families teaching little ones the art of two-wheel biking, it has become a favorite local spot to master bike-riding with its large flat lots. Ready to venture further, walk to the east side of the park, head toward the golf course (cross Town Center Drive) and you will see the header trail to the Highline Canal. This leader trail trickles through the golf course and the homes in the Golf Club before meeting the main trail. Bike or walk, both are great for this trail. Oh, and the mountain views from almost anywhere in the park are phenomenal. When you are ready to buy or sell real estate in Highlands Ranch or any other part of the Denver Area, be sure to check out my resources. If you need further information, feel free to call me anytime.