Rick Janson
Methodology

How Rick reads a market.

Market pages on rickjanson.com identify their available source, period, and limitations. The Q2 market index is a historical 67-market comparison; separately sourced research releases are dated and described on their own pages.

Rick Janson, JD/MBA Realtor®
By Rick Janson, JD/MBA Realtor®
Compass · Denver Metro, Boulder County, and the Front Range Foothills
Reviewed · Methodology
Sources

How to read the sources.

  • Compass / REcolorado MLS
    Market context for the Denver Metro and surrounding counties. Page-specific research and market figures should be read with the source, period, and limitations stated on the relevant page.
  • Denver Metro Association of Realtors (DMAR)
    Regional market-trends reports. Check each report for its publication date, geographic coverage, property types, and measure definitions.
  • Colorado Division of Real Estate (CO DRE)
    Reference for Colorado real estate licensing and regulatory information.
  • U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS)
    Demographic context. Any numerical comparison needs a dated table and the matching geographic boundary.
  • Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA)
    State-level population, housing-stock, and economic data used for cross-checking municipal-level claims.
  • National Association of Realtors® (NAR)
    National benchmarking context for any time a Denver-area number is positioned against a U.S.-wide read.
Process

Five checks before using a market figure.

  1. 01

    Identify the page's evidence

    Read the cited source, period, geography, and stated limitations before relying on a published market figure.

  2. 02

    Use relevant comparables for a property

    A property-specific discussion considers recent closed comparables together with lot, vintage, condition, and architectural execution.

  3. 03

    Separate market context from a valuation

    Published market context can inform questions, but it is not a substitute for a property-specific valuation or appraisal.

  4. 04

    Read relative measures as comparisons

    The market-temperature and pressure measures are directional comparisons. Their inputs and formula are described on the relevant research or index page.

  5. 05

    Check dates before using a figure

    Publication and metadata dates are recorded for transparency; they do not alone prove that every underlying market value was refreshed on that date.

Limitations

What's not in the data.

Honest market reads require disclosure of what a published dataset cannot capture. Source coverage and update timing differ across the site's historical index, market estimates, and separately sourced research.

  • Off-market transactions
    A meaningful share of luxury Denver and Boulder activity moves privately, never touching the MLS. Those trades shift comparable sets and tier ceilings, but appear in published medians only after similar properties close on-market. Off-market context is sourced through the Compass network and applied directionally, never as a substitute for closed comparables.
  • Concession structure and seller credits
    Headline closing prices do not reflect rate buydowns, seller-paid closing costs, repair credits, or post-close work allowances. In a softer market these can represent 1 - 4% of effective price. Rick's working medians are weighted toward transactions where concession data is verifiable.
  • Lot character and execution quality
    Two homes with identical square footage on the same street can transact 25% apart on the basis of lot, view, exposure, finish level, and architectural provenance. Working price-per-square-foot figures are useful only when filtered to peer execution.
  • Distressed and intra-family transfers
    Non-arms-length transfers, estate sales, and distressed dispositions are filtered out of working medians. They appear in raw MLS pulls and can distort headline averages reported elsewhere.
  • Lag in public records
    County assessor and DOLA datasets typically run 60 - 120 days behind the MLS. Where the two disagree, the more recent MLS-confirmed transaction is treated as authoritative.
Versioning

Review cadence and changelog.

The Q2 market index and separately sourced research releases retain their stated publication dates and methods. Per-page dateModified values identify metadata publication or revision dates; they are not evidence that every underlying market value was refreshed on that date.

  • June 2026 luxury verification - Denver Luxury Market Guide
    Added a source-dated verified luxury-segment snapshot to the Denver Luxury Market Guide from the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing (ILHM) June 2026 report and REcolorado Market Watch: Denver single-family luxury median sale $1,395,000, 13-day median days on market, 33% sales ratio (Seller's Market), 99.17% of list. This verified metro figure is shown distinctly from the per-community aggregate estimates and is exposed as machine-readable variableMeasured on the guide's Dataset.
  • Q2 2026 market index - reviewed May 5, 2026; published August 13, 2026
    This historical 67-market comparison retains its stated period, formula, source links, and limitations. Its publication and metadata dates do not establish a universal refresh of all community estimates or other site content.
  • Q1 2026 review - reviewed February 2026
    Initial publication of the methodology page, "Sources & Methodology" sections added to all community pages, and the structured-data graph consolidated to a single canonical Person and RealEstateAgent entity referenced by @id across all pages.
  • Q4 2025 baseline
    Closed-comparable dataset rebuilt from REcolorado pulls covering 2023 - 2025, used as the foundation for working medians and the SoftwareApplication-style market temperature scoring rubric.
FAQ

Common questions on the methodology.

  • What data sources does Rick use to read a market?

    Pages identify their applicable source and date. Sources used across the site include Compass and REcolorado MLS for market context, the Denver Metro Association of Realtors (DMAR), U.S. Census ACS, Colorado DOLA, NAR, and separately documented research releases.

  • How does Rick choose comparables?

    For a property-specific advisory read, relevant recent closed comparables are considered alongside lot character, vintage, condition, and architectural execution. The community figures on this site are published estimates or research values with the applicable source and date stated on the relevant page.

  • How fresh are the numbers on this site?

    Dates and sources vary by page. The Q2 2026 market index identifies its own May 5, 2026 review date and August 13, 2026 publication date. A page's displayed publication or metadata date does not by itself establish a fresh market-data pull.

  • What does 'market temperature' mean on this site?

    Market temperature reduces three signals (months of supply, sale-to-list ratio band, and average days on market) into a single qualitative read: competitive (low supply, near-or-above list, fast DOM), balanced (typical supply, at-list, normal DOM), or favorable-to-buyers (extended supply, below-list, slower DOM). The label is directional - the underlying numbers are on the page.

  • Is this investment, legal, or tax advice?

    No. Everything on rickjanson.com is real estate market commentary and advisory work, not legal, tax, accounting, lending, appraisal, or securities advice. Material decisions should be reviewed with your attorney, CPA, lender, and other qualified professionals.

Request a private market read.

For a confidential, address-specific read on any Denver Metro, Boulder County, or Foothills market - including comparables, off-market context, and a candid take on timing - schedule a 30-minute consultation.

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