Fort Collins Housing Market Trends: Prices and Days on Market
Fort Collins prices are roughly flat over the past year, but the figures differ by source and date. This guide shows what each number measures and what it means for you.
You can follow Fort Collins housing market trends through two public estimates, and they do not tell exactly the same story. Zillow puts the average home value at $560,192, down 0.2% over the past year as of Aug 31, 2026 [1]. That small drop suggests prices have barely moved in the last year. For more detail, see Fort Collins Buyers or Sellers Market in 2026: What the Data Shows.
Redfin reports an average house price of $533K last month, up 1.5% [2]. The same source rates the market somewhat competitive, scoring it 58 out of 100 [2].
The two numbers measure different things, so the trend is clearer when you compare them. Zillow's figure is an average home value, while Redfin's is an average price for one month. Compare each source with its own earlier readings, not one against the other.
How much do homes cost in Fort Collins?
Realtor.com, Redfin and Zillow each report a different Fort Collins price, and they measure different things. You should not read the gap between them as a disagreement about what homes cost.
Three figures, three definitions
Realtor.com reports a median listing price of $541K [3]. A listing price is the asking price of homes currently for sale, so this number shows what sellers want, not what buyers have paid.
Redfin reports that the average Fort Collins house price was $533K last month [2]. This is an average of home prices for a single month, so one unusually large or small sale can move it.
Zillow reports an average home value of $560,192 [1]. This is an estimate of what homes are worth, not a price that a buyer paid or a seller asked.
How to use them
A listing price, a sale price and a home value estimate answer three different questions. Asking prices often differ from final sale prices, and a value estimate is a model, not a transaction.
For a fair comparison, pick one source and look at its figures over several months. Then you can see whether prices in that source are rising, falling or holding steady.
If you need a figure for a specific purchase, use recent sale prices for comparable homes in the neighborhood you want. The citywide averages above are useful for context, but they blend homes of different sizes and ages.
Are prices rising, falling or flat?
Prices in Fort Collins are roughly flat over the past year, but the two main sources point in slightly different directions. Zillow shows a small decline, and Redfin shows a small rise. Neither change is large enough to call a clear trend.
Zillow: slightly down
Zillow shows the average home value in Fort Collins down 0.2% over the past year, as of Aug 31, 2026 [1].
Redfin: slightly up
Redfin shows the average Fort Collins house price up 1.5% over the period it reports [2]. That is a slightly upward direction, so the two sources do not agree on the sign of the change. Because they use different methods, their numbers will not line up exactly, so read them as two views rather than one answer.
Why a small change is only a snapshot
A change of this size can reverse within a few months of new data. Treat these figures as a snapshot of where prices stand now, not a forecast of where they are going. If the next few reports move in the other direction, the flat reading would have been a short pause, not a turning point.
For a buyer, a flat market means prices are less likely to shift much while you search. It does not mean every home will sell for the same price, since individual homes still vary widely in size, condition and location.
How long do homes take to sell?
Homes listed for sale in Fort Collins typically sell in about 47 days, based on the median days on market Realtor.com reports [3]. That is a little under seven weeks from listing to sale, so use it as a planning window rather than a promise for any one home.
Redfin rates the Fort Collins market as somewhat competitive, scoring it 58 out of 100 [2]. On that scale, 58 is a middle score. Expect competition for well-priced homes, but not a rush on every listing.
Say you list a home on March 1. The median timeline points to a sale around mid-April [3]. That gives you a concrete date to plan around, not a guarantee.
If you find a home you like, you usually do not need to decide within a day or two.
For a seller, the same figure means pricing matters from the first day of listing. A home priced above recent nearby sales can sit longer than the median, and buyers start to wonder what is wrong with it. Compare your asking price with recent sales nearby before you list, not after several weeks without offers.
Has affordability changed over time?
A Common Sense Institute report dated Sep 19, 2023 found that home purchase affordability in Fort Collins was at its lowest point in more than 20 years. [4] The cause it named was high prices combined with rising interest rates. [4]
Prices and interest rates have changed since then, so use it to understand how affordability got squeezed, not to judge what a home costs now.
Why price alone does not tell the whole story
A home's price is only part of what you pay. Your monthly payment depends on the loan amount and the interest rate. A home that costs the same as it did before can still take a bigger share of your income if rates have gone up.
For example, suppose two homes are priced the same, but one loan carries a higher rate. That home has a higher monthly payment, and it may be out of reach even though its price is no different. Ask what you would pay each month, not just what the sticker price is.
How to use this
When you judge affordability, compare the home price, your household income, and the mortgage rate you can get. Price on its own can make a market look better or worse than it is for your budget. Income and rates show whether a given price fits your monthly payment.
It shows that affordability can fall even without a price spike, when borrowing costs rise.
Do trends differ between neighborhoods?
Yes, prices and days on market can differ from one Fort Collins neighborhood to another.
A citywide average blends very different homes. An older neighborhood of smaller houses and a newer area of large homes can both sit inside the same citywide number, and that average may describe neither one well. Looking at neighborhoods one at a time shows you how homes like the ones you want are actually doing.
Consider a buyer choosing between two areas. If one has mostly three-bedroom houses and the other has mostly condos, a single citywide price tells you little about either. Comparing the two areas directly gives you a fairer picture.
How to compare neighborhoods
Pick one measure and use it for every area on your list. Median sale price works well because a few unusually expensive sales will not pull it up much. Track days on market next to it, so you can see how quickly homes in each area sell.
Use the same data source and the same time period for each neighborhood. If one area is measured over three months and another over a full year, the difference may come from the timing rather than the place.
- Choose one measure, such as median sale price.
- Pull that same measure for each neighborhood on your list.
- Write the period and source beside each number.
Once the figures sit side by side, the gaps between neighborhoods are much easier to read.
What should you take from these trends?
The one thing to remember is that Fort Collins prices have been roughly flat over the past year, and demand is somewhat competitive [1][2].
When you compare figures over time, use the same source and the same date. Zillow's value is dated Aug 31, 2026, while Redfin's price covers last month, so a gap between the two does not show a real change [1][2].
Your next step is to read the median home price article in this cluster. It gives the latest reported price and explains how that figure is defined.