Denver Metro - Denver Foothills Real Estate Market Report ReColorado Data

Denver Metro Real Estate Market Report
Feb 2026: A Complete Analysis of the Greater Denver Housing Market
Data Source: REcolorado MLS | Greater Denver Metro Counties
The Denver Metro real estate market opened 2026 with a complex and nuanced set of signals that every buyer, seller, investor, and real estate professional needs to understand. According to the latest REcolorado Market Watch report for January 2026, the Greater Denver Metro Area — encompassing Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson, and Park counties — is navigating a market defined by rising inventory, softening sales volume, and price stability that defies easy categorization.
Whether you are a first-time homebuyer searching for affordability, a seasoned investor analyzing market cycles, a move-up buyer eyeing the luxury segment, or a real estate agent counseling clients through one of the most pivotal decisions of their lives, understanding the January 2026 Denver housing market data is essential to making well-informed decisions. This comprehensive analysis breaks down every critical metric from the REcolorado report — closed sales, pricing trends, days on market, inventory levels, new listings, pending contracts, activity by price range, and the rental market — to give you the clearest possible picture of where Denver real estate stands today and where it may be heading.

January 2026 Denver Metro Market: Key Headlines at a Glance

Before diving deep into each metric, here is a snapshot of the top-line numbers from the January 2026 REcolorado Market Watch that set the tone for everything that follows:
Market Metric
January 2026 Result
Median Closed Price
$569,000 (-1% year over year)
Homes Closed
1,937 (-16% year over year)
Pending Listings
3,065 (+9% year over year)
New Listings
4,455 (+3% year over year)
Active Listings
8,203 (+10% year over year)
Median Days in MLS
56 days (+9 days year over year)
Weeks of Inventory
18 weeks (4 weeks per month)
Gross Sales Volume
$1,287,941,845 (-17% year over year)
 
These numbers paint a picture of a buyer-leaning market — one where inventory is expanding, homes are sitting longer, and total transaction volume is down significantly. Yet the presence of growing pending contracts and stable pricing indicates that serious buyers remain active and engaged. Let's explore each dimension in detail.
 

Closed Listings: Understanding the 16% Year-Over-Year Decline

The most immediately striking figure in the January 2026 REcolorado report is the 16% year-over-year decline in closed listings. In January 2026, a total of 1,937 homes closed across the greater Denver Metro — down from 2,294 in January 2025 and representing the lowest January closing figure since 2022, when 2,998 homes changed hands during the peak of the pandemic-driven frenzy.
Breaking Down Closed Listings by Property Type
The breakdown between detached (single-family) and attached (condo/townhome) homes reveals important nuance:
- Detached homes closed: 1,423 units — down from 1,630 in January 2025, a decline of roughly 13%
- Attached homes closed: 514 units — down from 664 in January 2025, a decline of approximately 23%
The attached housing segment — condominiums, townhomes, and other connected properties — is experiencing steeper headwinds than detached single-family homes. This divergence is important for both Denver condo buyers and sellers to understand. The condo market in Greater Denver faces additional pressure from rising HOA costs, condo insurance challenges that have driven up expenses, and shifting buyer preferences toward detached homes with more space post-pandemic.
Month-Over-Month Context: Seasonal Patterns in Denver Real Estate
On a month-over-month basis, closed listings fell 38% from December 2025's 3,122 closings to January 2026's 1,937. While this sounds alarming in isolation, it is important to understand that January is historically the slowest month for closings in the Denver market. The seasonal pattern clearly emerged in the trailing 14-month data, where closings peaked at 4,118 in May 2025 before gradually declining through the fall and winter. The 38% month-over-month dip is consistent with typical seasonal slowdowns, not a sudden market crisis.
Five-Year Closed Listing Trend
Looking at the five-year January comparison provides essential context for the current reading:
 
Year
Total Closed Listings (January)
2022
2,998
2023
2,123
2024
2,139
2025
2,294
2026
1,937
 
The 2026 figure represents the lowest January total in this five-year window, driven primarily by the confluence of elevated mortgage rates, expanded inventory, and buyer hesitancy. However, the market showed progressively improving closings from 2023 through 2025 before this year's pullback, suggesting this may be a cyclical correction rather than a structural collapse.
 

Denver Home Prices in January 2026: Resilient Despite Pressure

Despite a significant drop in transaction volume, Denver Metro home prices have remained remarkably stable. The median closed price in January 2026 was $569,000 — down just 1% from January 2025's $575,000. This near-flat price movement, even in the face of rising inventory and declining sales, is one of the most significant stories in the January 2026 REcolorado data.
What's Keeping Denver Home Prices Stable?
Several interconnected factors explain why Denver real estate prices have not corrected sharply despite the softer sales environment:
- Seller Reluctance to Discount: Many Denver homeowners purchased or refinanced at mortgage rates between 2.5% and 4% during 2020-2022. Selling at today's rates means trading a historically low payment for a much higher one on a new purchase, creating a powerful "lock-in effect" that suppresses motivated selling and limits true distressed inventory.
- Cost-Constrained New Construction: Land costs, labor expenses, and materials pricing continue to keep new construction costs elevated across the Denver Metro, providing a price floor for existing homes.
- Sustained Population Growth: The Denver Metro continues to attract net in-migration from higher-cost coastal markets, providing a consistent base of demand even when local market conditions soften.
- Limited Distressed Sales: Foreclosure activity remains far below historic norms, meaning the market is not being flooded with below-market distressed properties that would drag down comps.
- Employment Stability: Denver's diversified economy — spanning technology, aerospace, healthcare, energy, and government sectors — continues to provide the income foundation necessary to sustain home values.
Price Trends by Property Type
The detached vs. attached price comparison reveals additional insights into the Denver Metro housing market in January 2026:
 
Property Type
Median Closed Price (Jan 2026)
Detached (Single-Family)
$615,000
Attached (Condo/Townhome)
$420,000
Combined Market Median
$569,000
 
The $195,000 gap between detached and attached homes underscores the premium Denver buyers pay for single-family properties with private yards and garages — a premium that has remained consistent even as overall market conditions shift. Attached homes at a $420,000 median represent a critical entry point for first-time buyers and investors seeking more affordable access to Denver Metro real estate appreciation.
Five-Year Median Price Comparison
 
Year
January Median Closed Price
2022
$545,000
2023
$536,000
2024
$565,000
2025
$575,000
2026
$569,000
 
The five-year data shows that Denver home prices are 4.4% higher today than they were in January 2022 despite significant interest rate increases. The 2023 dip to $536,000 represented the market's most significant price correction and proved to be relatively short-lived. The current 2026 reading reflects a modest retreat from the 2025 peak, not a trend reversal.
 

Days on Market: Homes Are Taking Longer to Sell — Here's Why It Matters

The median days in the MLS climbed to 56 days in January 2026 — an increase of 9 days (19%) compared to January 2025's 47 days and a sharp contrast to the frenzied pandemic-era market of January 2022, when homes sold in a median of just 5 days. This metric, more than almost any other, signals the fundamental shift in power from sellers to buyers that has been unfolding over the past two to three years in the Denver Metro.
What 56 Days on Market Means for Denver Buyers and Sellers
For Denver home sellers, 56 median days on market means:
- Pricing precision is paramount: Overpriced listings sit, accumulate days, and often require price reductions that signal weakness to buyers. Accurate initial pricing based on recent comparable sales is more important than ever.
- Staging and preparation matter more: When buyers have more options and more time to deliberate, the homes that show best — clean, well-maintained, thoughtfully staged — stand out from the competition.
- Offers may include contingencies: The days of sellers routinely demanding offers with no inspection or financing contingencies are largely over in most price ranges. Sellers should be prepared to negotiate.
- Market timing expectations need resetting: Sellers accustomed to 2021 or 2022 market conditions need to understand that 2026 requires more patience and more aggressive marketing from the outset.
For Denver home buyers, 56 median days on market means:
- More negotiating leverage: Buyers can more often negotiate price, closing costs, repairs, and other concessions — particularly on homes that have been on the market for several weeks.
- Time for due diligence: Buyers can conduct thorough inspections, shop lenders for the best mortgage rate, and make informed decisions without the extreme pressure of 24-hour offer deadlines.
- Opportunity to find value: Homes that have been on the market longest sometimes represent the best opportunities, either because sellers have become more motivated or because the properties offer unique value that hasn't been fully recognized by the market.
Days on Market by Property Type — January 2026
 
Property Type
Median Days in MLS (Jan 2026)
Detached (Single-Family)
53 days
Attached (Condo/Townhome)
64 days
Combined Market Median
56 days
 
The attached housing market is taking notably longer to sell at 64 median days versus 53 for detached homes. This 11-day gap reflects the challenges facing Denver condos and townhomes — greater competition from new inventory, HOA-related buyer concerns, and the preference shift toward detached homes among many buyers. Sellers of attached properties in the Denver Metro should plan for an extended marketing period and price accordingly from day one.
 

New Listings: A Growing Supply Pipeline Reshaping the Denver Market

January 2026 saw 4,455 new listings enter the Greater Denver Metro market — a 3% increase year over year and a dramatic 153% jump from December 2025's 1,763 new listings. While the month-over-month surge simply reflects the typical January seasonal restart as sellers re-list properties and begin their spring marketing preparation, the year-over-year increase is meaningful.
New Listings Breakdown
 
Property Type
New Listings (January 2026)
Detached (Single-Family)
2,929
Attached (Condo/Townhome)
1,526
Total New Listings
4,455
 
The five-year January new listings trend reveals a significant and sustained expansion in available Denver Metro inventory
 
Year
Total New Listings (January)
2022
3,485
2023
2,857
2024
3,285
2025
4,346
2026
4,455
 
The 2025-2026 back-to-back January new listing totals above 4,300 represent a significant departure from the supply-constrained era of 2022-2024. More new listings entering the market creates greater buyer choice, which reduces urgency and gives buyers the ability to be more selective — a dynamic that contributes to longer days on market and more measured price growth.
Why Are More Denver Homeowners Listing Their Properties?
Several factors are contributing to the expansion in new Denver listings:
- Life events cannot be indefinitely deferred: Divorces, job relocations, estate sales, downsizing needs, and growing families all eventually compel homeowners to sell regardless of market conditions or rate environments.
- Some sellers accepting the "rate reality": After two years of waiting for rates to drop dramatically, some homeowners are accepting the current rate environment and proceeding with life plans that require a home sale.
- Investment property reassessment: Some real estate investors are evaluating their Denver portfolios in light of rising property taxes, insurance costs, and the evolving rental market, leading to increased for-sale inventory in the investment segment.
- New construction adds to supply: Builder activity continues to add to the overall supply picture, even if many new homes are being sold directly by builders rather than through the MLS.
 

Pending Listings: The 9% Year-Over-Year Increase Signals Future Activity

Pending listings — properties under contract but not yet closed — are often the most forward-looking indicator in any real estate market. In January 2026, 3,065 properties went under contract across the Denver Metro, representing a 9% increase year over year from January 2025's 2,820 pending listings. This is one of the most encouraging data points in the entire January 2026 REcolorado report.
The positive pending listing trend suggests that despite the challenging affordability environment created by elevated mortgage rates, qualified buyers are actively engaging with the market. These are not window shoppers — these are buyers who have found properties they want, negotiated terms, and moved forward with the commitment of a signed contract. These January pendings will largely become February and March 2026 closings, suggesting the closed transaction count may begin recovering in the early spring.
Pending Listings by Property Type
 
Property Type
Pending Listings (January 2026)
Detached (Single-Family)
2,296
Attached (Condo/Townhome)
769
Total Pending
3,065
 
Five-Year January Pending Comparison
 
Year
Total Pending Listings (January)
2022
3,645
2023
3,088
2024
3,057
2025
2,820
2026
3,065
 
The rebound from 2025's 2,820 pending listings to 2026's 3,065 — a recovery of 245 contracts — represents meaningful improvement in buyer engagement. While still below the 2022 peak of 3,645, the trajectory is moving in a more positive direction after the 2024-2025 trough, offering cautious optimism for the broader Denver Metro real estate market outlook in 2026.
 

Active Listings and Inventory: Denver Transitions to a More Balanced Market

One of the most consequential shifts in the Denver Metro housing market is the dramatic expansion of active inventory. January 2026 recorded 8,203 active listings — a 10% increase year over year from January 2025's 7,469 active listings. To appreciate the magnitude of this shift, consider that in January 2022, at the height of the seller's market, there were only 1,593 active listings across the entire 11-county Greater Denver Metro.
Five-Year Active Listing Comparison
 
Year
Active Listings (January)
2022
1,593
2023
4,250
2024
4,846
2025
7,469
2026
8,203
 
The 415% increase in active listings from January 2022 to January 2026 represents one of the most rapid inventory expansions in Denver real estate history. This shift fundamentally changes the competitive dynamics of the market. Buyers who entered the Denver market in 2021 and 2022 competed for desperately scarce homes in an environment where multiple offers, waived contingencies, and offers well above list price were common. Today's buyers have a completely different experience — with genuine choice, time to evaluate options, and the negotiating power that comes from a more balanced supply-demand equation.
Weeks of Inventory — A Critical Market Measure
The REcolorado January 2026 report highlights 18 weeks of inventory (4 weeks per month) as the current reading for the Denver Metro. This metric is calculated by dividing active listings by the monthly rate of closed sales. Here is how to interpret it:
- Under 10 weeks: Strong seller's market — high competition, rapid price appreciation, limited buyer leverage
- 10-16 weeks: Balanced-to-slightly-seller-favored market — moderate competition, stable prices
- 16-24 weeks: Balanced-to-buyer-leaning market — buyers have options and negotiating power
- Over 24 weeks: Buyer's market — prices under pressure, seller concessions common, extended marketing periods
At 18 weeks of inventory, Denver is firmly in the balanced-to-buyer-leaning zone — a far cry from the extreme seller's market conditions of 2022, but not yet at the levels that would suggest significant price capitulation. The data suggests a market where well-priced, well-presented homes still sell, but overpriced or poorly prepared listings struggle significantly.
 

Denver Real Estate Activity by Price Range: Where Are Buyers and Sellers Focused?

The price range breakdown in the January 2026 REcolorado Market Watch reveals fascinating differentiation across the Denver Metro market. Understanding where transactions are concentrating — and where supply exceeds demand — is essential for both buyers targeting specific price points and sellers positioning their properties for success.
Closed Listings by Price Range — January 2026
 
Price Range
Homes Closed (January 2026)
$100K - $199K
40
$200K - $299K
100
$300K - $399K
188
$400K - $499K
369
$500K - $599K
386
$600K - $699K
274
$700K - $799K
175
$800K - $899K
116
$900K - $999K
52
$1M - $2M
191
Over $2M
40
 
The data clearly shows that the $400,000 to $599,999 price band is the engine of the Denver Metro market, accounting for 755 of the 1,937 total closings — approximately 39% of all January 2026 transactions. This is the range where the greatest concentration of detached starter homes, move-up properties, and premium attached homes intersects with buyer purchasing power in the current rate environment.
Key Price Range Insights
- The $500K-$599K range led all segments with 386 closings: This sweet spot captures single-family homes in established Denver suburbs like Aurora, Lakewood, Thornton, and Westminster — markets where working families find genuine value relative to urban core pricing.
- The $400K-$499K range was a close second with 369 closings: This range represents the critical entry point for detached home ownership in many outer-ring Denver suburbs and represents the largest attached home inventory segment.
- The luxury market ($1M+) closed 231 transactions: This represents approximately 12% of all January closings, a meaningful contribution from high-net-worth buyers who are less rate-sensitive and continue to be attracted by Denver's lifestyle and appreciation potential.
- The entry-level market (under $300K) remains thin: Only 140 closings below $300,000 reflects the reality that affordable price points in the Denver Metro are increasingly limited to certain attached properties and geographic outlier markets. https://agentsgather.com/denver-metro-denver-foothills-real-estate-market-report-recolorado-data/