Housing numbers getting better, quietly

Lately there’s been a lot of negative sentiment about the economy. Talk of a double-dip recession and possible tax increases are spooking the public, which can filter to the real estate market.

But quietly, the local residential real estate market is improving. Sure, some of July’s figures were bad – monthly home sales in the Fort Collins/Loveland/Greeley metro areas fell 43 percent from June, and 41 percent from July 2009 – but that was to be expected as the federal homebuyer’s tax credit expired.

The bigger picture, according to Loveland-based Information and Real Estate Services LLC, shows that year-to-date,…