According to Estin, it’s normal to see more activity in March than the first two months of the year. March closings reflect properties that start to go under contract after the holidays and into busier periods when people are in town. And there tend to be more properties put under contract because many people are here for spring break holidays.“March is the season,” said Estin, who added that April tends to be a big month for closings as well. Estin’s findings also reflect upward movement in March. There were 21 closings on free-market single-family homes and condos in Aspen, Snowmass Village and Woody Creek, compared to 11 each in February and March. (Pitkin County’s statistics reflect all sales activity in the whole county, which includes employee housing sales, fractionals, and areas like Redstone, Basalt and the Fryingpan Valley).
ASPEN REAL ESTATE – After January and February’s dismal real estate activity, the local market seemed to switch into higher gear in March, with more activity and more higher-end sales than the valley has seen in months. And with the end of the first quarter of 2010, real estate brokers are optimistic, though cautiously so, since three months of activity doesn’t necessarily establish a long-term trend. “In general it’s positive but it’s very tiny positive,” said Tim Estin, a broker at Mason and Morse who also authors The Estin Report, a frequent analysis of real estate sales and activity.
By Catherine Lutz, April 5, 2010 Aspen Daily News
