The dimming of The Mile High City’s festive lights and packing of the evergreen boughs signal the end of the winter holiday season. (But we all know the holiday cookies and mint mochas will grace your plate - and cup - for at least another month.)

When it comes to home, chimneys feel quintessential… a fixed part of home architecture that signals charm without explanation. But the earliest homes had no such crowning accouterment. Before the stack became a mainstay, fire lived at the center of the room while smoke drifted upward in search of an exit that rarely amounted to more than a hole in the roof. Warmth was uneven, and breathing was compromised. 

If you want to know where the Denver Metro Area real estate market is headed, don’t look at prices. Look at behavior. November’s data shows buyers slowing down, sellers conceding more, and a widening gap between how homes are listed and how they actually close. That shift, more than any rate headline, is what defines this December market and the new year to come.

Colorado’s holiday season has a habit of sneaking up in plain sight. One week the grocery store is still rearranging squash, and the next, you’re driving past a cul-de-sac where someone has committed to a lighting display that could power an entire mountain town. Invitations multiply. Events return from hibernation. Local shops try to outdo themselves with cheerful efficiency, which is honestly much appreciated.