Old Town Fort Collins 2022 Buyers Guide
All images pulled from MLS feed
I’ve found that many potential buyers are interested in seeing how far their budget can take them in Old Town Fort Collins, only to be disappointed that they can’t exactly get what they had hoped for. Others will quickly decide that their budget is better spent looking for more of a home in a different part of town, but if you are a buyer looking to purchase a historic home, or even a newer home that has the historic and vibrant vibe that Old Town Fort Collins has, keep reading, this might be for you! I’ll be breaking down budget requirements and what you can expect to purchase with different budgets, as well as giving you tips along the way to make your budget stretch as far as you can for your needs. If you are an Old Town seller, stay tuned as the sellers guide will be out soon as well! (Quick Note: I am only including single family homes in this breakdown, so if you are looking at condo’s townhomes, let me know and I can put something together on those as well)
Budget: $300-$400K
This is about the lowest budget that still has a small semblance of single family inventory in Old Town Fort Collins. In 2021, we saw a total of 7 homes sell in the market below $400K.
Neighborhood:
The map of the 7 homes sold between $300K-$400K in Old Town Fort Collins
Common Characteristics:
These homes don’t necessarily share very many common characteristics, but what I did notice is that a majority of these homes fall in the quadrant the the West of Shields and North of Laporte Ave, which will be a trend in the price categories leading up to around $500-$600K. Also, I wouldn’t expect that many of these homes have lots of killer updates, and you may have to put up with some road noise (Shields and to a lesser extent Laporte Ave). Expect that you will be limited to a 2 bed, 1 bath, or possibly a 3 bed 1 bath and not a ton of sqft. Ultimately, I would expect that this price point will be eradicated by the end of 2022 except for just a few outliers that need lots of work (or the occasional 1 bedroom home that exists). PRO TIP: If you are constrained to this budget, keep your eye out for the neighborhoods of Hanna Farms, Tennyson Heights, and Mountain View as they are the most likely ones to have a home that fits your budget. Here is a gallery of the homes in this category. Clicking on a photo will give you a few details of each sale. For photos of all homes click the button below the gallery.
Tim’s Pick: $300-$400K Sale of the Year
While there are not a lot of homes to pick from in this list, I think that the sale on 832 Sycamore is the best of the bunch, but I wouldn’t expect to see another opportunity like that one in that price this year. This home had the nicest updates of the bunch, and for my tastes, the best neighborhood location as well. it did have a bit of a funky layout, but I think it will hold its value well into the future.
832 Sycamore was listed and sold by Kyle Basnar, the Group Inc.
Budget: $400-$500K
126 Mack is a classic style cottage which sold in the $600K range
With a total of 30 single family homes listed and sold this year, it is a pretty big step up in opportunity from the $300-$400K range. However, if you are looking for a classic, front gabled classic cottage like this one, you may have be prepared to increase your budget and start your search in the $500-$600 range. In the $400-$500K range, you are most likely going to find a ranch style home with 3 beds, 1 bath (not a bad thing) which are most commonly found in the Hanna Farm/Tennyson Heights neighborhoods to the North of Laporte and West of Shields. Pro Tip: Columbine Ct and Juniper Ct seem to hold their property values with a bit more strength than other neighboring streets.
Neighborhood:
Location of Homes Sold Between $400-$500K in Old Town Fort Collins
Common Characteristics:
As mentioned above, a majority of the homes sold in this price range tend to be located North of Laporte and West of Shields. These neighborhoods are mostly 40’-60’s ranch homes, although the further west you go towards Mountain View, the more likely it is you find bi-level, tri-level homes built in the 70’s. In a few pockets such as Hanna, and Pearl, you might find the occasional 80’s built home as well. Once you venture to the east side of Shields, you will find that many of the available homes in this price range are either smaller or are a bit more beat up rentals. While there are a handful of older, victorian style homes that start in this price, they may quickly get bid up above $500K, even for small sqft homes. Here is the full gallery of homes that sold in the $400-$500K range in Old Town Fort Collins this year.
Clicking on a photo will give you some details on the home and sale. To view all of the photos and information on these homes, click on the button below the gallery:
Tim’s Pick: $400-$500K Sale of the Year
I really like 1134 Laporte as the top sale in this category. From the perspective of what it offered for the money, I think it has about as much as you can expect out of an Old Town home at this price. It offered a good amount of old world charm in its style, original wood floors, and classic layout, but also has some good updates in the kitchen, newer roof, etc. It also has a larger lot, and a full 2 car garage, which is tougher to find in Old Town for this price. While the layout probably favors this home as a 2 bed room/ 1 bath with an extra office/flex space, it still is a good value relative to other 2 bedroom/1 bath homes that sold this year. While it is on a slightly busy street, it will still hold its value well as an investment, as it is just as well suited for a small family or as a future rental.
1134 Laporte was sold for $468K in April 2021 by Todd Sledge of the Group Inc.
Budget: $500-$600K
In my mind, this really is the starting budget that a buyer should have if they really want to live in the heart of Old Town. We start to see more and more homes in the Capitol Hill/Martinez park neighborhoods as opposed to the 50’s/60’s ranches that are more available in the lower price ranges. Most of the homes in the Capitol Hill/Martinez Park neighborhood are smaller sqft homes originally built for the sugar beet farming community, and there are many that still have their original footprint. The smaller SQFT and classic style means more affordability and generally larger lots provide potential for future expansion or garage additions.
Neighborhood:
Homes in the $500-$600K range start to diversify across a larger area of Old Town Fort Collins
Common Characteristics:
This is the price range where we really start to see some homes that I think the buying pool really associates with an “old town” home. When I say that, I am talking about the turn of century homes with gabled roof, painted wood siding, front porches, etc. I hesitate to say a specific style, because the Old Town Fort Collins architecture is really an amalgamation of different styles, but in general, you are more likely to find an architecturally interesting home in this price range (and higher) than in the lower prices. However, your money won’t stretch super far if you are looking for lots of space as most of the homes in this price range are either 2 bed/1 bath, or 3 bed/1 bath homes with sqft right around 1000. You can find a few outliers to these, but you are more likely to be back over in the neighborhoods to the West of Shields and North of Laporte Ave. Alternatively, there are occasional larger homes on Shields or Mulberry (4 lane traffic roads) that may be priced lower due to road noise. PRO TIP: Keep an eye out for homes on Laporte Ave as there are quite a few for sale in this price that have that “old town charm” but won’t completely break the budget. While Laporte does have some road noise, it is not nearly as bad as Shields or Mulberry. Clicking on a photo will give you some details on the home and sale.
Clicking on a photo will give you some details on the home and sale. To view all of the photos and information on these homes, click on the button below the gallery:
Tim’s Pick: $500-$600K Sale of the Year
As much as I’d love to vote for my own listing in this category (610 Laporte Ave) I actually like the sale at 1212 Laporte Ave as the best one in this category. I feel like 1212 Laporte Ave is a great example of the style and size of home that you might be able to purchase in this price range. This home has a nice mixture of size, classic style, great lot size with potential for an addition or large garage. The interior has been updated in the right places, and the property will hold its overall value well as it has 3 beds, 2 baths which is the most desirable starting point for most families and investors.
1212 Laporte Ave was listed by Emily Heinz of Downtown Real Estate Partners and sold for $540,000 in July 2021
Budget: $600-700K
Bedroom and bathroom count starts to open up in this price range, but it is still difficult to find something bigger than 1500-1800 SQFT with more than 4 bedrooms in this price range. Most of the homes are also still on the North Side of Mountain/Laporte Ave, which will put you in the Putnam School District vs the Dunn School District.
Neighborhood:
Most of the homes in this price range ($600-$700K) are West of Shields and North of Mountain Ave
Common Characteristics:
Once you are able to bring $600-700K to the table for a home, the options start to open up a little bit more. However, it is still unlikely that a large sqft home will be available at this price, but you are more likely to be able to find 3 bedrooms at this price in the neighborhoods to the east of Shields. many of the homes are still clustered in that Capitol Hill/Martinez Park neighborhoods, and some of that might just be because that is where these sized homes are situated. If you are dead-set on finding a home in the Dunn School District (which is on the south side of Mountain Ave) you may need to bring a bit more funds to the table, or be prepared to jump on something immediately when it comes on the market. Pro Tip: Some of these homes have larger lots, and if the layout of the house is situated on the lot in the right manner, they could be good candidates for future home additions.
Clicking on a photo will give you some details on the home and sale. To view all of the photos and information on these homes, click on the button below the gallery:
Tim’s Pick: $600-$700K Sale of the Year
Call me crazy, but I actually like 220 N Shields as the sale of the year in this category. This section of Shields St. narrows down to 1 lane in each direction, so the traffic noise is greatly reduced. Also, this property has tons of character, sqft, and a huge lot with a 2 car alley access garage off of the back. I actually considered purchasing this property myself many years ago when it was on the market as I loved the unique character that it provided inside and out. Click the photo for all of the details of the sale.
220 N Shields was listed and sold by Patrick Rowe of Hub real estate for $678,500 in July of 2021
Budget: $700-800K
Probably the most missing section of the market in Old Town, I suspect that we will see a few more homes hit the market in 2022 in this range, but they may look much more like the homes in the previous category. Only 7 single family homes sold this year in this range, and the most attractive homes in this category were selling around $30-$50K above the listed price. I’d expect that same type of market activity through the spring season this year as well.
Neighborhood:
Not very many homes were listed this year between $700-800K. This may shift as the year progresses, but it was quiet for 2021
Common Characteristics:
As I mentioned above, this price range was very under-represented this year, but certainly has a buyer pool waiting for the right homes to hit the market. At this price, we finally see homes with more than 3 beds, so these homes start to attract more family buyers looking for space and bedroom/bathroom count. It seems that there is a very fine line in this price where a home basically skips through this range and goes up into the next category.
Clicking on a photo will give you some details on the home and sale. To view all of the photos and information on these homes, click on the button below the gallery:
Tim’s Pick: $700-$800K Sale of the Year
My top pick in this category was the sale of 137 N Roosevelt. These neighborhoods on the streets of Lyons, Roosevelt, McKinley, all have a great, small town neighborhood feel. This particular home has been tastefully updated with a spacious addition in the past decade. Along with a large lot and a 2 car garage, it is perfectly suited for family life while still being in the middle of Old Town at the heart of it all. Click the photo for all of the details of the sale.
137 N Roosevelt was listed and sold by Danny Crisafulli with Roots Real Estate for $760K in June 2021
Budget: $800K- $1.0 Million
At this point in the budget, there are grey lines on whether a home goes for $850K or $950K. Those lines can sometimes be something as ambiguous as style, remodel, or even neighborhood, and as such, I’ve found that most of these homes in this range are pretty similar in comparison.
Neighborhood:
There weren’t a huge amount of homes sold this year in this price range
Common Characteristics:
Ultimately, once you are in this price range, you can finally start expecting to see at least 4 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms and a decent amount of SQFT. Some of these homes are of newer construction but slightly smaller SQFT which drive their price, while others are a bit larger, but still need some work to meet their full potential. Geographically, they are spread across Old Town, although I wouldn’t expect to find something in this price range in the Hanna Farms, Tennyson Heights, Mountain view neighborhoods in the far Northwest part of Old Town.
Clicking on a photo will give you some details on the home and sale. To view all of the photos and information on these homes, click on the button below the gallery:
Tim’s Pick: $800-$1.0 Million Sale of the Year
I was quite impressed with the sale at 209 S Loomis Ave. This property is situated on a large lot, contained 4 beds, 3 baths, had a decent addition, and the home was in great condition relative to its age (built in 1898). It had a nice mixture of old world charm, while still being updated enough to feel comfortable and contemporary. This is the type of home that could easily have slipped into the million dollar range with just a few more modern updates to it.
209 S Loomis was listed and sold by Emily Heinz, Downtown Real Estate Partners for $950K in July 2021
Budget: $1.0 Million and Above
This price range is becoming more and more prevalent over the past couple of years as our annual appreciation in Fort Collins continues to rise. If a larger, or newer home is what you are looking for, you may need to have a budget in this range.
Neighborhood:
Million dollar plus sales transactions were up this 50% in 2021 with a total of 15 single family homes sold in this price
Common Characteristics:
Almost by definition, million dollar homes are pretty unique. As we continue to appreciate in home values, I’d expect that we start to see some more similarities in this price range. Overall, it seems that there are a few factors that will allow a home to be listed in this price range. Larger sqft homes that have been completely remodeled are likely to fall in this range, but so to are homes that still need some updating, but have really large lots or large additions. Frequently, the larger homes on Mountain Ave tend to fall into this category as that particular street seems to be the most desirable one in Old Town. PRO TIP: Many of these homes are in this price range because of total sqft. Look for homes with a bit smaller sqft, but better use of space as sometimes the basement space is included, and is not easily usable as livable SQFT.
Tim’s Pick: $1.0 Million + Sale of the Year
I love historic homes, but this home located at 227 West St edges out the competition for the price in my mind. I live just around the corner from this home, and was able to watch the transformation over time. The interior finishes might not be for everyone, but the location is amazing, the finishes are on point for the style, and there is still a good sized back yard and garage associated without worries of an older home (like peeling paint, sewer lines, electric, etc!). I’ve seen quite a few more additions happening in Old Town recently as well, so it seems that the market for these slightly larger homes is there, it just depends on the particulars of the home and whether or not an addition could make sense, or if it makes more sense to cash in on a current home and purchase a larger one in the area.
227 West St was listed and sold by Greg Roeder of Waypoint RE for $1,310,000 in July 2021
Final Thoughts:
Navigating the Old Town market can be a tough thing to do, and to find the right property, you may need to have a bit of patience, or be willing to give on some criteria. You will most definitely pay a premium for SQFT, so spending the time up front to determine what is important to you in an Old Town purchase will be very important so that you can maintain focus on the important factors, and act fast when the right home comes along. I’m happy to consult you through this process, and if you found this post interesting, or would like to chat, feel free to contact me at any time!
