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Colorado Property Taxes Are Due Soon - Here's What You Need to Know

 
 

Property tax revenue supports public schools, county governments, special districts, municipal governments, and junior colleges.

All of the revenue generated by property taxes stays within your county. Property taxes do not fund any state services.

The county assessor is responsible for discovering, listing, classifying, and valuing all property in the county in accordance with state laws. The assessor’s goal is to establish accurate values of all property located within the county, which in turn ensures that the tax burden is distributed fairly and equitably among all property owners.

Real property is revalued every odd-numbered year. Personal Property is revalued every year. Property tax calculations consist of several components:

  • property classification

  • actual value of the property

  • assessment rate

  • assessed value

  • tax rate

The property valuation notice alerts property owners of any changes to their property's valuation.  In Colorado, the property valuation is only one part of a three-part equation to determine property taxes. The other parts are the statewide assessment rate, determined by the state legislature and the local mill levy rate set by the various taxing authorities of school districts, fire districts and other local governments.

The Assessor’s role is to determine the market value of a property as of a certain date. The valuation is done is collected in arrears, per state statute, which means that the value of the property in a notice of valuation received in May of 2025, for example, is actually being taken from data gathered from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024.

Tax Notice and Payment

The property tax notice will be sent to the property owner on record, not the mortgage company for the property. When you receive your notice, it is recommended you check with your mortgage company to clarify whether you are responsible to make the payment or if they will make the payment on your behalf. 

If you pay your property taxes in two installments, the first half of your property tax is due by the last day of February and the second half is due by June 15 or the next business day. You can also choose to pay the full amount by April 30. If taxes aren’t paid by the due dates, interest starts to accrue at a rate of 1% per month. The Treasurer’s Office sends delinquent notices to remind taxpayers their account is unpaid. Learn more about paying your property taxes on the Treasurer's web page.

Understanding your Property Valuation

The property valuation document informs you of the actual value of your property and will also include an estimated tax amount for 2024. With the statewide increases of those valuations for 2023, you may have additional questions. This page is your one-stop-shop for all the information and resources you may need.

To learn more about how property taxes are calculated, visit the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.

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Featured at West + Main Highlands Square: Lynn Mandziuk

 
 

Join us for First Friday in Highlands Square, featuring Lynn Mandziuk

The Pause In Between

3442 W 32nd Avenue
5.2.2025, 6-9pm

Meet Lynn Mandziuk

Lynn Suyeko Mandziuk (Lynnzos) is a multi-disciplinary creative with a background and two degrees in illustration. Her fine art pieces explore abstraction in the form of printmaking and sculpture, deconstructing ideas and visual concepts into melodic sequences.

Lynn is an experimental artist and explores 2D art, animation, sound design, projection mapping, electrical design, and other creative and scientific processes in her work. She utilizes synectic thinking to compare and contrast two seemingly opposing subject matters. Her themes often delve into the plight of humanity, the unconscious, solitude versus the collective, and autonomy.

 
 

Learn more about Lynn in our Q+A!

How did your business come to exist?

I had an undergraduate degree in illustration and started pursuing fine art on the side.

What are you known for?

I am known for outdoor illustrations, abstract printmaking, sculptural light pieces, sound and frequency, and professor-ing.

 
 

What are you currently working on?

Right now, I am working on experimental pieces. I am trying to tie user experience, sound and animation, along with light sensors and projection mapping. 

What do you like to do outside of work?

Outside of work, I like to Rock Climb, play music, learn and study, and travel.

 
 

What are your thoughts about your city’s creative scene for artists, designers, crafters, makers and/or small businesses?

Denver is a big small town, which is why it’s amazing for its creative community. Other cities may have more international commerce or mainstream venues, but Denver has a very tight-knit and unique community. We have a wonderful music scene, an awesome art scene, and great opportunities for collaboration. It’s an amazing place to live, and I love the access to the mountains and desert.

What is your dream project?

My dream project would be creating a multimedia masterpiece combining everything I know.

 
 

Get in touch with Lynn Mandziuk

Email: lynnmandziuk@gmail.com
Website: https://lynnzos.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnzos

If you are a local artist/crafter/maker/indie business owner and would like to be featured on our blog, please fill out this form or contact Ashley at ashley@westandmainhomes.com with questions...we can't wait to learn all about you!

Greater Denver Area Real Estate Market Report from March 2025

 
 

March 2025 is notable, marking five years from the beginning impacts of COVID-19 in Colorado. It's a historical experience in which we know the "before", the "during" and the "after." according to the Denver Metro Association of Realtors Market Trend Committee.

A jumble of lessons in resilience, priorities and what is considered essential. Buried in all of this was a trigger activating a sudden need for change, whether it was a need for home offices and a place to school children or a yard for the kids and dogs who could no longer access school and park playgrounds, a place with a home gym or a detached home without public access points and elevators - this sudden urge was almost primal, a need to access a space that felt safe. This trigger, the combination of sudden demand and historically low interest rates, began a surge in the real estate industry that would last 24 months, culminating in a peak median sale price in the Denver Metro of $616,500 in April of 2022, a 38.5 percent increase from March 2020.

Five years later, we see the "after" - a market balancing out as normalcy returns, tempered by high interest rates. This March's median sale price in the Denver Metro was $599,000, down 3.9 percent from the peak. The balancing of the market has occurred with lower buyer demand, higher levels of inventory and stagnation in pricing. Primary residential homes are a longer-term investment; looking at the overall five-year performance of the market yields a 6.92 percent annual appreciation, which is in line with long-term averages.

Higher interest rates and affordability challenges have had the most significant impact on the market shift. In 2020, the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was around 3 percent and remained in that range until the spring of 2022, when rates surged to about seven percent by year-end —where they have largely remained. This sharp increase in borrowing costs has slowed buyer activity, even as inventory has grown.

The first quarter of 2020 is our pre-pandemic benchmark, reflecting market conditions before COVID - driven demand accelerated activity. In the first quarter of this year, 15,529 new listings have entered the market, compared to just 6,666 in the first quarter of 2020. The 2020 surge in buyer demand began amid already-low supply. As inventory has increased, prices have stagnated. In the first quarter of 2020, 12,065 properties were sold; in the first quarter of this year, only 8,697 properties were sold - a 27.9 percent decline -highlighting that the market remains less active than it was before the pandemic.

The good news for buyers in this current market is that the pricing rebalance has allowed the drastic value jump to even out. Mortgage rates remain impactful on affordability; however, the increase in supply has provided more options to choose from and increased negotiating options with sellers.

Sellers are in a different position than in 2020-2022; buyers are pickier and looking for homes that have been well-maintained, require minimal updating and, of course, are priced competitively for the current market conditions. Buyers don't have the same level of urgency as during the pandemic years; sellers need to create that urgency by presenting a beautiful home at an attractive price.

Learn more about the market from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors.

Thank you to our partners at the Denver Metro Association of Realtors for compiling this information.

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Featured at West + Main Louisville: Matty Miller

 
 

Please join us in Louisville for First Friday, featuring photographer Matty Miller

Resting Space

920 Main Street

04.04.2025, 6-9pm

Meet Matty

Matty Miller is an artist based in Denver, CO, creating paintings that invite reflection, spark wonder, and celebrate life’s quiet moments.

Growing up outside New York City and later in the vast landscapes of Taos, NM, she developed a deep appreciation for wide open skies and the power of stillness. Her studies at Naropa University explored the intersection of contemplative practice and art, shaping her approach to painting as both inquiry and refuge. Matty looks to adventures in the natural world— walking pilgrimages in Spain, paddling in Fiji, and riding wild horses in Turkey—to inspire her work.

 

Meadow Sentinel

 
 

Learn more about Matty in our Q+A!

How did you arrive where you are today?

I grew up in a very creative household. Much of my childhood was spent wandering around in a converted schoolhouse outside NYC where my mom and several other artists had workspaces. As a teenager, I became interested in mindfulness practices and ended up at Naropa University, influenced by the philosophies of Buddhism and the avant-garde spirit of the Beat generation. For the last 15 years, I've been a practicing artist and educator. 

Now, I am channeling my passion and experience into the role of entrepreneur running an art business, creating art that embodies beauty, authenticity, and connection. I love sharing my work with collectors because I believe being surrounded by art is a way of cultivating a commitment to the truths and values one wishes to live by. It's an act of self-care, and a visual reminder each day of the life you want to live and a mindset you want to keep.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration in the quiet beauty of nature. Remote wilderness areas, in particular, offer a sense of awe and wonder that fuels my creativity. I love feeling small in the grand scheme of things.

 

High Road to Abiquiu

 

What are your thoughts about your city’s creative scene?

I think Denver is a great place to be an artist. It's not a huge city but there's a robust community of creatives and more venues to enjoy art than I've had the chance to visit living here for 20 years!

What is the best piece of advice that you have ever gotten?

Dream big!

What do you like to do when you are not working?

I love spending time outdoors, whether it's biking, camping, or gardening. In my free time you can find me dancing Lindy Hop at the Mercury Cafe.

 
 

Innocent-Mischief-is-Good-for-the-Soul

 

Who/What are your biggest influences?

Nature. My art is deeply influenced by the expansiveness of southwestern landscapes and the transformative power of solitude. My creative process often starts with a bout into the wild. Spending time in the natural world, feeling small amidst towering peaks and pristine lakes, or witnessing wildlife, replenishes my creative bucket. These experiences, combined with purposeful daydreaming, help me develop the visual metaphors that appear in my paintings.

What is your dream project?

My dream is to create a large, dedicated art studio space. It would be a place for experimentation, collaboration, and teaching others in art workshops and camps.

 
 
 
 

Get in touch with Matty

Website: http://www.mattymiller.com

Instagram: https://instragram.com/mattymillerstudio

If you are a local artist/crafter/maker/indie business owner and would like to be featured on our blog, please fill out this form or contact Ashley at ashley@westandmainhomes.com with questions...we can't wait to learn all about you!

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7 Four-Leaf Clover Facts to Know for St. Patrick’s Day

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Today, looking for four-leaf clovers is a St. Patrick’s Day tradition, but have you ever wondered why they’re considered lucky—or how they came to be associated with the holiday? How rare are four leaf clovers?

It turns out, the story behind the clover dates back hundreds of years before we began drinking green beer and pinching friends who didn’t wear green on the holiday.

What Is a Four-Leaf Clover and Why Are They Lucky?

The four-leaf clover (officially known as Oxalis deppei) is a small plant with four distinct leaves. It’s a rare variation of the common three-leaf clover, and because your chances of finding one with four leaves is about 1 in 10,000, they’re considered lucky.

Four-leaf clovers have been around for ages, and their supposed lucky powers are talked about in centuries-old legends. In the early days of Ireland, Celtic priests known as Druids carried three-leaf clovers, or shamrocks, in the belief that with their help, they could see evil spirits approaching and be able to escape. Four-leaf clovers, then, were Celtic charms, offering magical protection and warding off bad luck. Children in the Middle Ages believed they might be able to see fairies if they carried a four-leaf clover.

The Difference Between Four-Leaf Clovers and Shamrocks

Both shamrocks and four-leaf clovers are associated with St. Patrick’s Day, and they’re commonly confused as the same thing. A shamrock is a clover with three leaves, but the four-leaf clover is considered lucky due to its rarity. Shamrocks are still an important part of the holiday, and there’s a deep religious significance that explains why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with shamrocks.

Fast Facts About Four-Leaf Clovers

  • There are approximately 10,000 three-leaf clovers for every “lucky” four-leaf clover.

  • There are no clover plants that naturally produce four leaves, which is why four-leaf clovers are so rare.

  • The leaves of four-leaf clovers are said to stand for faith, hope, love, and luck.

  • It’s often said that Ireland is home to more four-leaf clovers than any other place, giving meaning to the phrase “the luck of the Irish.”

  • If you’re lucky enough to find a four-leaf clover, look for more! If a clover plant produces a four-leaf clover, it’s more likely to produce another one than plants that only produce shamrocks.

  • The fourth leaf can be smaller, or a different shade of green, than the other three.

  • If you’re the superstitious type, give your four-leaf clover to someone else. It’s said that this will double your good luck.

Best Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

There are so many ways to honor St. Patrick's Day, like making festive crafts, playing fun games, making green drinks, or whipping up a hearty Irish stew. Get into the lucky holiday spirit with a green mint matcha milkshake or a super yummy shamrock cookie. Don't forget to put on a festive St. Patrick's Day playlist while you celebrate!

Read more at Better Homes & Gardens

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