After more than two decades in Northwest Colorado real estate, realtor Yvonne Gustin, of Country Living Realty, says the rental market in Craig has remained “steady and strong” even as prices, demand and the makeup of renters have changed.

Gustin began in the business 21 years ago under broker MaryLou Wisdom. Her husband is also a full-time realtor with a different brokerage. Their older son recently graduated and moved away for work while their younger son is a senior at Moffat County High SChool.

“There’s no truly off time in real estate,” she said as she described evenings of contract work, weekend showings and the push to carve out family time outdoors when the phone stops ringing.

She attributes some of the biggest shifts of the past five to 10 years to spillover from Routt County.

“Steamboat moving this way has definitely created shifts in the market as far as values,” she said.

As more retirees are selling in Steamboat, many turn to Craig to buy where they can afford a larger home and travel after retirement. Employers in Steamboat have also purchased homes in Craig and rented them to workers at affordable rates, she said, because they cannot hire without housing.

Growth in Hayden has pushed families west too.

“If they have a couple of kids, they can’t necessarily afford to upgrade there,” Gustin said. “They upgrade to Craig because they can get a nice four-bedroom, two-bath house here for what they could get a two-bedroom, one-bath house there.”

Country Living Realty, which is owned by fellow broker Dorina Fredrickson, runs what Gustin calls a “full-service office” that handles both sales and rentals. She said the team includes four full-time realtors and three staff members.

“Real estate is a full time thing,” she said. “You have to be available at 10 o’clock at night if that’s when you’re negotiating a deal.”

According to Gustin, the rental market in Craig rarely sits idle.

“I’ve really never worried ‘Gosh, am I going to be able to get this rented for the owner?'” she said. “If it’s priced accordingly and the owner is taking care of the property, it will rent.”

She said that rents have climbed since COVID, driven mostly by supply and demand and higher costs for landlords.

“It’s hard for renters to see the other part of it,” she said. “They don’t see where the property taxes went up, the insurance went up or they had to replace the roof.”

When asked what typical rents look like now, Gustin said a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment averages $900 to $1,000 a month and a two-bedroom, one-bath house runs $1,100 to $1,200. As a rule of thumb, she said roughly $500 per bedroom for an apartment and about $600 per bedroom for a house.

“In order to keep up with inflation, I do think those rents will continue to rise,” she said.

She said that the buyer side has cooled from the frenzied days of multiple offers and bidding wars.

“The market has steadied a bit,” Gustin said.

That shift gives buyers more negotiating power and time to decide. Sellers can still find ready buyers if the home shows well and is priced right, she said, though they may need to negotiate more or offer incentives like help with closing costs or including appliances.

“Sometimes sellers want to start high,” she said. “When we’ve comped it out and can show those variables, when a seller gets to that point, it tends to move.”

Gustin said migration into Moffat County is not only from Routt County. She works with people from Florida who want out of hurricanes and with Texans tired of heat. Many spot Craig on a map and see the outdoor recreational opportunities, the hour drive to world-class skiing and the relative affordability, then fly in to look for several days.

“Many of them decide that they are going to end up moving here,” she said.

Gustin has been watching new local projects closely, including the Meadows Apartments and the 8th Street Townhomes, and how they might affect supply.

“I do not have the answer for that,” she said when asked about the impact. “I’m waiting to see if they fit in or if it’s going to potentially hurt current homeowners.”

Regional transportation proposals like an RTA or mountain rail raise mixed feelings for Gustin as well. While she sees the economic upside, she also sees the value in Craig’s quiet pace.

“I think there’s a balance,” she said. “Some people live in Craig because it’s kind of a sleepy town. I get both sides.”

Despite questions about growth and prices in an inflationary economy, she expects Moffat County’s real estate to remain stable. She also believes properties will continue to appreciate in value. The draw, she said, is steady life and easy access to the outdoors.

“There’s so much here,” Gustin said. “You can go to the lake, you can go to the river or you can go to the mountains in half an hour.”

As for whether newcomers will change the county’s character, Gustin said most people move here for the slower pace and community ties, then fit in while bringing fresh ideas.

“Sometimes having some new blood in Moffat County is good,” she said. “So far, it all kind of meshes, and I think it’s been a good thing.