Colorado’s Wilder on the Taylor offers wide-open spaces, outdoor pursuits and easy living
Colorado has long been known for its Rocky Mountain splendor and outdoor lifestyle, ideal characteristics for people seeking space and respite from hot spots of COVID-19. Mountain properties like Wilder on the Taylor, located along the Taylor River between Crested Butte and Gunnison, Colorado, have seen a swelling of interest from buyers around the country as the pandemic’s impacts continue to unfold and people are reconnecting with nature at record levels.
“COVID-19 is definitely driving people to mountain towns, and with a large property like Wilder on the Taylor with more than 2,100 acres and numerous recreational activities and services available, you don’t even have to leave the ranch,” says Brad Willett, general sales manager for Wilder on the Taylor. However, art centers, museums, hundreds of miles of trails, and thriving downtown districts with locally owned shops and restaurants add to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Valley’s appeal.
Real Estate Trends in Crested Butte, Colorado
Channing Boucher, broker associate for LIV Sothebys International Realty – Crested Butte, confirms that “the 2020 real estate market in Crested Butte turned into our biggest year ever with total sales volume reaching $400 million.” He says, “The last time the market behaved like this it was 2005. The ski resort sold the year prior and a new wave of people came to our valley and bet big on the future of Crested Butte. Then the financial meltdown in 2008 stopped everything.”
Fast forward to 2020, with the first quarter began slowly with $20 million in sales through March 1, and then things changed in a big way. “The pandemic drove many people and their money out of America’s cities and into rural, resort and small town locations across our nation,” Boucher says. “Suddenly people realized they could work remotely, live in cool, amenity-rich places and seemingly avoid the virus that ravaged populated zones everywhere.”
The 2020 numbers for the area spanning Crested Butte South to Mt. Crested Butte include 154 single-family homes sold ($241 million in sales) compared to 87 in 2019 ($120 million), with the average price jumping from $1.33 million to $1.56 million. This represents an increase of more than 50 percent. Meanwhile, the sales volume of condominiums and townhomes increased 40 percent, with average prices jumping from $480,000 to $539,000.
However, what caught Boucher’s attention was the major increase in land sales. “While everyone has been talking about the sharp increases in our residential segment, I think the almost 40 percent jump in our vacant land segment is equally impressive and a strong indicator of how the market will play out in 2021. Extreme scarcity of homes for sale, along with reasonable prices on many of our land offerings, will keep this current buy-up of vacant parcels on track,” he says.
Mountain Land & Ranch Lifestyle – An Attractive Combination
Wilder on the Taylor is a historic hay and cattle ranch that features a limited number of 35-acre homesteads for sale with one-acre building envelopes, leaving plenty of space for privacy, beauty and native wildlife. A bulk of Wilder’s land is shared space for fly-fishing on a private two-mile stretch of the Taylor River, horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking and gathering at the Base Camp’s large lawn and safari-style Founder’s Porch.
In the winter, the property is a playground for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing and is only 30 minutes from downhill skiing and snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR), ranked #10 on “Ski” magazine’s Top-Ranked Ski Resorts in the West for 2021.
“What moves the buying needle for us is being amenity rich with a concierge, chef, master fishing guide and master guides for horseback riding and cattle roundups. Pretty much anything you want can happen here, it’s the full package,” Willett says. “Our clients aren’t looking for a bargain but instead full-service real estate. Everyone who bought this year looked at a variety of places in the valley and around the country.”
Most often people are looking to build their dream home at Wilder and to make the process easier, Wilder has four historic guest cabins along the Taylor Rive that have been fully renovated and are available for homestead owners to stay periodically and check on progress.
The ranch community concept has proven so successful at Wilder on the Taylor that all riverfront homesteads have sold, prompting the release of mountain homesteads on the south side. The mountain homesteads are surrounded by mountains, have out-the-back-door access to the Gunnison National Forest, and overlook the Taylor River, a picturesque hay meadow, and grazing cattle and horse herds.
To find out more about Wilder on the Taylor and Crested Butte land for sale, contact:
Brad Willet, General Sales Manager
Email: brad@wildercolorado.com
Direct: (970) 641-4545
Wilder on the Taylor is an angling paradise and a recreational and preservation-oriented ranch community located on more than 2,100 acres. The historic cattle and hay ranch dates back to 1893 and is conveniently situated on County Highway 742 between Gunnison and Crested Butte and surrounded by the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Each homestead is a minimum of 35 acres and has access to miles of private fishing water and trails, master guides, concierge services and a base camp for dining, relaxing and socializing. Wilder is dedicated to preserving, protecting and perpetuating the traditions of western Colorado. For additional information, follow @WilderColorado on Facebook and Instagram.
