Did you know that at 10,350 feet, Alma is the highest incorporated town in North America? Or that Como was the historic terminus of the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad? Or that subdivisions around in and around Bailey account for 65% of Park County’s population?
To learn more about the many interesting and historical communities in Park County, feel free to visit the Park County Community Profiles page on the Park County website.
The Bailey area also boasts some of the country’s top schools. In 2016, Platte Canyon High School was ranked in the top 14% of all High Schools in the United States!
Where else in the United States of America could you live and be close to a major city and its cultural opportunities yet only a short drive to an amazing amount of national forest and state park land?
It is no wonder that this area is on a growth spurt – again. And now, with technology we can not only live in this beautiful area but we can telecommute and work from home. So what does this mean for those of us who live here now and maybe know someone thinking about coming our way? There are some trends in real estate in our part of Colorado that are significant and explain what is happening to the place called “home”.
Before looking at real estate trend specifics, let’s take a look at who lives here and some other important trends. In regard to population, the Conifer and Jefferson County part of Pine has a population of around 8924, according to the 2010 US census, the most recent census. This is a 48% increase over the 1990 census, the bureau reports. In the Park County part of Pine and Bailey the population is reported at 8859 which is about 102% increase over the 1990 census.
No wonder it seems like traffic on Highway 285 has increased! And it is interesting to note that according to Movoto.com 40% of Conifer residents earn between $75,000 and $150,000. In Pine, 37% of the population earn that much while in Bailey 39% are in that bracket. Good news for businesses in the area! And the residents of these towns are educated shoppers as well. Looking at the percentage of the population with either Associate or Bachelor’s degrees among Conifer residents, 62% have those degrees, among Pine residents it jumps to 63% and drops a little in Bailey to 59% of the residents.
And in terms of real estate, prices have weathered the recessionary years and have come back strong. In 2005 in the Conifer/JeffCo Pine area the average selling price was $385,998 and in the Bailey/Park County Pine area the average selling price was $245,200. Since the first of this year, 50 homes have sold in the Conifer/JeffCo Pine area. Average price was $420,359 and the homes were on the market an average of 70 days. In the Bailey/Park County Pine area since the first of the year 47 homes have sold with an average price of $387,967 and were on the market an average of 62 days. Yes, prices nose dived between 2007 and 2010 but they are headed upwards now. And selling in less than 90 days means demand is high.
Currently the Colorado median home value is $270,000 according to eppraisal.com. This same source puts Conifer’s median value at $395,000, Pine at $350,000 and Bailey at $265,625. As reported in the RealEstate Colorado MLS, the “for sale” market in Conifer/JeffCo Pine has 40 homes for sale currently with an average home price of $920,250 and the median at $800,000. In the Bailey/Park County Pine area there 38 homes for sale with an average price of $460,297 and a median price of $450,000. So yes, this is a great place to live and looks like other folks are agreeing with us. Welcome to the neighborhood!
Submitted by Denise Patrick, GRI, CMAS, Deer Creek Realty
Denise is a 22 year veteran of real estate sales along the 285 corridor.
She can be reached at 303-838-5377 or www.deercreekrealty.com
We are proud to live and work in Bailey and Park County!
