Local Business Spotlight: The Niwot Group knows Niwot real estate

There's no place in Colorado quite like Niwot, and, with its high quality schools, close-knit community, and bucolic setting, no better place to live, local resident Pat Murphy contends. That was true in 1976 when she was an up-and-coming realtor selling residential lots in Morton Heights, and remains true 46 years later, even as her beloved town has more than doubled in size. Through it all, the now-seasoned real estate professional has been a tireless advocate for the little enclave outside of Boulder, and a big part of the reason why so many people are clamoring to call Niwot home.

"I grew up in a small town, and I enjoy being part of the community," Murphy said of her long tenure in Niwot. "I've been so blessed to work here. I just enjoy the people I get to meet and serve."

Murphy and her husband Larry, an engineer with Ball Aerospace, moved to Colorado from Dallas in the mid-1970s, intent on settling in Boulder. But even then Niwot had an appeal that was hard to find in its larger neighbor, she said.

"I could find a nicer house on a big lot that was close to the school. I thought we were moving to Boulder, but I am so glad we chose Niwot."

Murphy would go on to tout those qualities to prospective clients at Morton and Morton, where she worked with Howard Morton until he retired 12 years later. She admitted that for many of those years, Niwot could be a difficult sell, especially when lending rates reached nearly 20% in the early 1980s. By the middle of the decade, however, an influx of high-budget home buyers from out of state started transforming the local real estate market.

"In the early years, people just didn't want to come in, because they thought we were miles from Boulder," Murphy recalled. "In 1985, Niwot was zoned rural residential, one house per acre, so people from California came and built big houses. It changed the flavor, sort of, but it still got the quaint charm."

In 1988, Murphy teamed up with partner Jane Harrison to open Niwot Real Estate at 7915 Niwot Rd., and, as the town grew over the next three decades, so did the agency and its share of local sales. Today, Murphy's firm is a fixture in Niwot and Boulder County, with a team of deeply experienced agents in Ann Mills, Todd Goad, and Tara Littell, plus a strong network of local lenders and other support staff. In 2021, the firm changed its name to The Niwot Group when Murphy joined Compass, a nationwide real estate technology company that will help the team manage the less glamorous aspects of the business.

"It gives us the benefit of being the small town realtor in our cute office, but with access to cutting-edge technology and information," she said of the change. "It's a really good blend of both, and I think that's what we need right now."

Indeed, that small-town touch is important to Murphy, who has long valued the strong sense of community she finds in Niwot, even as the population has shifted. Of course, Murphy is responsible for much of it, as a tireless volunteer for the Niwot Community Association, and chief sponsors of events such as the annual Easter Egg Hunt, the Great Pumpkin Party, and the late lamented Nostalgia Days. She is also one of the founders of the new Niwot Community Connection 50-plus group, which has grown to more than 100 members after just a few months.

"Coming out of COVID, community is more special than ever," she said.

As for the next 45 years in Niwot real estate, Murphy acknowledged that a growing population in Boulder County could pose challenges for semi-rural Niwot, which doesn't have much room to grow along with it. During the 1990s, she and other locals worked with Boulder County to protect the open space around Niwot, and unless there are drastic changes, those should remain undeveloped.

"I like being in the county," she said. "The county's been good to us, even if maybe all of the rules haven't been great. But we are surrounded by open space, and we get to retain our small town, and I love that."

She also loves being surrounded by friends, neighbors, colleagues and clients who all find Niwot as special as she does.

"I'm so blessed because people in Niwot step up, all of my helpers, mentors, and volunteers," she said. "It's a team effort, and we're all so blessed to work here."