While the number of homes sold each month continues to slip in some parts of Northern Colorado, home sales in the Loveland-Berthoud area  have been on an upward trajectory.

According to the most recent available data from Information and Real Estate Services, the Loveland-based multiple listing service, sales of detached homes in the Loveland-Berthoud area were up 3.3 percent in the first 11 months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, climbing from 1,250 to 1,291.

During the same period, home sales in Greeley-Evans fell 5.3 percent and declined 0.7 percent in Fort Collins.

Why?

Well, part of the reason is new-home construction in the Loveland area, according to Scott Beasley of The Group Inc.'s Fort Collins office.

"Loveland seems to be a bit more open to new construction," Beasley said. 

Indeed, 382 new homes were either built or were in the planning phase in Loveland during the period examined, compared to 313 in Fort Collins, according to IRES.
Factoring in the population difference between Loveland and Fort Collins further illustrates the significance of the gap.

In 2010, the population of Fort Collins was 140,600, more than double that of