Vail Launches Good Deeds Vail to Bring Locals Home

What happens when you can buy a house in Vail, but you’re not allowed to own any other property in Colorado?

That’s the trade-off at the core of a new partnership between Eagle County and the town of Vail called Good Deeds Vail. The goal is simple: bring more locals back into the town at the base of the mountain by making homeownership actually possible for them.

The program launches alongside a familiar face in local housing policy. It’s modeled after the successful Good Deeds Avon partnership and the county’s own existing initiatives. But the rules are tighter, and the financial help is deeper.

Jason Dietz, the town’s Housing Director, says the difference comes down to what kind of buyer you are. If you’re an out-of-towner who wants to buy a home in Vail and rent it out to local workers, you’ve got an option. That’s the Vail Indeed program. It’s lighter. You keep your other properties. You just have to work 30 hours a week in the county and make 75% of the area median income.

But if you want to live in the house you bought, and you’re willing to lock up your equity, there’s the new initiative.

“It’s a much lighter deed restriction,” Dietz said of Vail Indeed compared to Good Deeds Vail. “There’s more flexibility. You can own other property elsewhere and rent your unit to local workers. (Good Deeds Vail) prohibits owning other property in Colorado, and it’s price-appreciation capped, but it gives you more money for that heavier restriction.”

The figures support that claim. Under the new program, the town and the Eagle County Housing and Development Authority (ECHDA) will each chip in up to 15% of the purchase price. That’s a combined buy-down of up to 30%. The cap sits at $375,000 in assistance for homes priced no higher than $1.25 million.

In exchange, the house stays affordable for the long haul. Appreciation is capped at 3% annually. You can’t own other real estate in Eagle County. And you have to be the primary resident.

“So the house maintains affordability over time, with a lower level of portability,” Dietz said. “It’s not going to follow the market given that it can only go up to 3%, similar to other appreciation-capped restrictions here in Vail like (town-developed housing at) Chamonix or Vail Commons. And you can’t own other real estate here in Eagle County.”

This isn’t just a pilot project waiting for data. The Community Partner Program, launched in 2025, is already showing traction. Good Deeds Avon has been running successfully, and this new iteration is following in those footsteps. Interest is already pouring in before the press releases even hit the wires.

Dietz notes that the program is designed to fit different needs. Some buyers will want the flexibility of Vail Indeed. Others will take the heavier restriction and the deeper discount of Good Deeds Vail. The question is whether the 3% cap on appreciation will be enough to attract buyers who are used to Vail’s skyrocketing market, or if the "local-only" rule will limit the pool too much.

“The Good Deeds program has made a true difference for local housing,” Dietz said.

It’s a bold bet on stability over speculation. By tying the price to a fixed 3% increase and locking out second-home owners, Vail is trying to ensure that the people who work here can actually live here. The outcome depends on whether the financial incentive is strong enough to make locals give up their other properties to make it happen.