Front Range Rental Market — Q1 2026 Outlook
Every January we publish what we're seeing across the 312 properties Pinecrest manages — actual rents collected, actual days-on-market, actual renewal rates. Here's the early-2026 read.
Boulder
Boulder rents are flat year-over-year. The 2024 rent cycle saw 3-4% rent growth across our Boulder portfolio; 2025 saw essentially zero (1.1% across our 168 Boulder homes). The driver: increased multifamily completion in North Boulder and East Boulder pulling some pressure off the single-family rental market. We expect 1-2% rent growth in 2026.
Days on market for Boulder SFH at market rent: 14 days median (vs. 11 days in 2024). Mountain homes (Sunshine Canyon): 28 days median (vs. 19). University Hill walk-ups: 9 days median in August, otherwise 21 days.
Longmont
Longmont continues to outperform. 2025 rent growth across our 28 Longmont properties: 4.7%. Days on market median: 9 days. Tenant tenure median: 4.8 years.
Longmont remains the most underrated rental market in Boulder County for owners. Per-unit acquisition costs are 30-40% below Boulder, lease tenure is nearly double, and the St. Vrain Valley School District attracts long-term family tenants.
Louisville
Louisville is recovering from the Marshall Fire rebuild cycle. New-build rentals (the rebuilt Coal Creek Ranch homes) are commanding a 12% premium over comparable pre-fire stock. Old Town Louisville historic cottages: rents flat, days on market 11 median.
Mountain markets
Nederland, Estes Park, and Lyons all saw 2-3% rent growth in 2025. Mountain rentals continue to under-supply: most listings get multiple qualified applicants.
What we're advising owners
For Boulder owners: hold rent flat at renewal. The market won't support significant increases this year and pushing rent on a 5-year tenant is short-sighted.
For Longmont owners: small increases (3-4%) are appropriate. Tenant tenure is so strong here that small annual increases compound nicely without pushing tenants toward churn.
For mountain owners: let supply do the work. You don't need to push rent — there are more applicants than units.
Questions about your own property? Get a free written rent analysis. We respond within one business day.
