A few days ago, the livability.com website named Pueblo among its seven top cities for first-time home buyers. Which raises the question of just how much value those types of lists have when it comes to attracting new residents and the businesses that hire them to the highly ranked cities.

The answer is a little complicated.

The website gave Pueblo high marks for its low housing costs, cultural amenities and geography. Pueblo was one of only two cities west of the Mississippi River to make the list.

Jeff Shaw, president and chief executive officer of the Pueblo Economic Development Corp., said his group will try to use the ranking as a selling point when talking to business prospects.

Shaw said he’s familiar with the website and its print cousin, Livability magazine, which are respected media outlets within the circles he travels.

“We will utilize it,” Shaw said. “We’ve used Livability in the past. Livability is a pretty well-known publication to chambers of commerce and economic recruiters around the country.”

Livability does many different types of lists and surveys. Shaw said the methodology Livability uses to compile its lists carries more credibility than lists produced by some other media outlets.

“Livability has spent a lot of time in our community,” Shaw said. “This wasn’t just two guys in a basement, pulling statistics.”

Linda Lutz, community outreach manager for the Visit Pueblo Convention & Visitors Bureau, said her organization will use social media to promote Pueblo’s ranking.

“The positive ranking from Livability is definitely a helpful component for attracting businesses in Pueblo as a great place to live, work and play,” Lutz said.

There is a catch, though.

Dave Anderson, current chair of the Pueblo Association of Realtors, said that while livability.com’s ranking may make Pueblo seem more attractive to first-time home buyers, there may not be enough places to put them if they decide to relocate here.

“The problem we still have is inventory,” Anderson said. “We don’t have a lot of inventory for first-time home buyers.”

Anderson said not enough homeowners in Pueblo are selling smaller homes to move into more expensive properties. As a result, it’s tough for new buyers to break into the market.

Anderson said that there were 395 homes listed for sale in Pueblo County at the end of May. In the past, the number of homes for sale has been around 1,200.

Having a small inventory of homes means potential buyers may feel rushed into submitting offers before they’re really ready in order to avoid having their dream houses sold out from under them. Also, a tight market favors sellers in negotiating home prices.

Part of the problem is not having enough skilled trade people living in the community who could build new homes at a faster rate. Training like the kind Pueblo Community College is offering for those who wish to enter the construction trades is helping, but Anderson said it will take time to make a real dent in the housing shortfall.

“It’s going to take a while to get this turned around,” Anderson said.

bfontenay@chieftain.com