Which Boulder neighborhood has appreciated the most and which are lagging behind? This is a tough question to answer since there are so many variables. But hopefully some data will help to make some sense of that question.
Over the past five years the Boulder area has been on quite a run of price appreciation. Some quick research in the MLS tells me that we have seen 50% appreciation in median prices in Boulder County over the past five years. Breaking it down a bit more, here are the appreciation rates for the local communities over the past five years (from information gathered in IRES MLS):
- Boulder – 66%
- Louisville – 51%
- Lafayette – 60%
- Longmont – 61%
- Superior – 56%
- Erie – 50%
To break it down a bit further I have divided the City of Boulder into eleven distinct neighborhoods. To see more on these neighborhoods please see the Boulder Neighborhood Guide which I update each year. A map of how I have delineated the neighborhoods is below.
With the baseline of 66% appreciation over the past five years, here are the appreciation rates for Boulder neighborhoods.
- South Boulder – 65%
- Chautauqua – 52%
- Mapleton Hill – 44%
- Newlands – 36%
- Wonderland Lake/ Dakota Ridge – 34%
- North Boulder East – 76%
- Whittier – 46%
- North East Neighborhoods – 126% (Note- Mostly condos and townhomes in this area with the exception of the Four Mile Creek, Kalmia 38 and Northfield neighborhoods which have seen high priced new builds which have raised the median prices way above the average)
- East Boulder – 49%
- Retail/Industrial Core – 106% (Note – not many sales in this quadrant. New builds at Boulder Junction are bringing up the prices)
- Gunbarrel – 51%
Keep in mind that the sales and prices represented above include both single family and attached dwellings and that the underlying sales are not a constant. For example, some years there are more condos sold, some areas have had new construction, some areas have had many major remodels or scrape off and re-builds. Over time Boulder’s stock of homes are improving. To find evidence of this just drive through Boulder’s neighborhoods and see the number of contractors trucks at work.
