Cooler headlines, warmer market

Every summer, the national headlines arrive like clockwork: the housing market is “cooling,” buyers are “pulling back,” the spring rush is “over.” And every summer, Northern Colorado quietly writes a different story. This June was no exception. Across our region’s four primary markets, closings didn’t fade as the calendar turned. They surged. Fort Collins recorded its strongest sales month of the year. So did Greeley. What looks like a slowdown from 30,000 feet is, on the ground, a healthy market doing exactly what it should: clearing its spring inventory, holding its prices, and settling into a sustainable summer rhythm.

Here is what actually happened between May and June, straight from the IRES MLS.

Fort Collins. Closings jumped nearly 18%, from 197 homes in May to 232 in June, the busiest month of 2026 so far. The median sale price held firm at $649,950, essentially unchanged from May. New listings eased slightly, and the number of homes going under contract cooled from its spring peak. The read: The backlog of spring buyers closed their deals, and the market is catching its breath, not losing it.

Greeley. Weld County’s affordability leader kept its momentum. Closings rose more than 20% (104 to 125), while the median sale price barely moved at $436,670, still the most attainable of our primary markets. Greeley continues to convert demand into closed sales faster than almost anywhere in the region, a reminder that when a home is priced within reach, buyers are ready to act.

Windsor. The quiet standout. Closings ticked up, and the median sale price rose 6.6% month over month to $650,000, the strongest price movement in the region. Windsor was also the only primary market where the number of homes going under contract increased heading into July, a sign its pipeline is refilling even as others take a seasonal pause.

Loveland. Closings edged higher and the median settled at $515,000. Loveland is also where sellers should pay closest attention: the number of listings that expired or were withdrawn without selling jumped nearly 50% from May. That is not a price collapse. Median values barely moved. It is a pricing message. Homes that meet the market are selling; homes that reach beyond it are sitting.

What sellers should know

The June numbers carry genuinely good news for sellers: prices are holding, buyers are active, and well-presented homes are still closing quickly. But the rise in expired and withdrawn listings, most visible in Loveland, is the summer’s clearest signal. In this market, your greatest expense is the money you leave on the table by chasing a price the market won’t meet. Overpricing in July doesn’t just cost you time; it costs you the momentum of those critical first two weeks, when your home is newest and most compelling to the buyers already watching. Price it right, and the market will reward you. Chase the market down week by week, and you’ll trail it all summer.

What buyers should know

For buyers, the back half of summer may be the best window of the year. Prices have stabilized rather than spiked, new inventory continues to come online, and with fewer competing offers than the spring frenzy, there is room to negotiate: on price, on closing timelines, and on the concessions and rate buy-downs that sellers are increasingly willing to offer. The urgency of April is gone. The opportunity of a balanced market has taken its place.

The bottom line

Don’t let the national “summer slowdown” narrative fool you. Northern Colorado just posted its strongest month of closings this year, with prices steady across the board. This isn’t a market running out of steam. It’s a market finding its footing. For sellers who price with discipline and buyers who move with intention, the summer of 2026 is shaping up to be one of the healthiest, most workable markets we’ve seen in years.

Brandon Wells is president of The Group Inc. He can be reached at [email protected].

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