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January 2016 Denver Metro Market Housing Report

Download our report.

January ended the month with a total of 4,221 active listings (single family and condos). Looking back at the last three decades (1985-2015), January has averaged 14,426 available listings witha record-high in January 2006 of 24,387 - nearly six times more than today.

"As the city finds itself buried in a foot of snow, my fellow REALTORS find ourselves wondering when the avalanche of new listings will make their way intoour marketplace, said Anthony Rael, Chairman of the DMAR Market Trends Committee and Denver real estate agent. œWhile it sounds redundant for me to talk about the ongoing lack of inventory and rapidly increasing home prices each month, it is what it is. Simplyput, we have to keep finding ways to do more with less.

The 11-County Denver-areareal estate market continues to thrive and 2016 is shaping up to repeat last year's record-breaking totals.

Thanks to Live Urban agent Ryan Belinak for reporting this month's housing stats from Riverfront!

Digging into January MLS housing stats: Month over month, for the entire residential market (single family and condos), 3,853new listings came on the market (up 69 percent), 3,603 homes were placed under contract (up 30 percent) and 2,705 homes sold and closed (down 40 percent). For year-over-year perspective, active, sold, average/median prices and sales volume in January 2016 were all well ahead of January 2015. Sales volume was just over $1 billion last month.

For the month-over-month detached single-family home market, new listings spiked 68 percent over the previous month and three percent year over year. Average and median sold prices remained relatively flat from the previous month with a slight increase of 0.26 percent to $413,995 anda decrease of 0.57 percent to $346,000 respectively. The condo market showed the supply of new listings skyrocketed 72 percent over theprevious month and two percent year over year, while the average and median sold prices dropped two percent to $270,963 and dropped four percent to $215,000 respectively.

Our monthly report also includes statistics and analyses in its supplementalœLuxury Market Report(properties sold for $1 million or greater),œSignature Market Report(properties sold between $750,000 and $999,999) andœPremier Market Report(properties sold between $500,000 and $749,999). In January 68 homes sold and closed for $1 million or greater down 44 percent from the previous month and up 84 percent year over year. The closed dollar volume last month in the luxury segment was approximately $110 million, down 40 percent from the previous month and up 117 percent year over year.

œAlong with the rest of the city, the higher end real estate market went into a deep freeze at the beginning of this year, said Brooke Livingston, DMAR Market Trends Committee member and Denver real estate agent. œKeeping in mind the seasonal impact, it's stillan unexpected and unsettling occurrence for those who were sure the heat of last summer's market had no end in sight.

Download DMAR's complete report here

The number of sold properties in January in theLuxury, Signature and the Premiere markets dropped from nearly 39 percent to 50 percent from December to January. Luxury condostatistics are starting to trail as Cherry Creek North's 250 Columbine's impact peters out with 53 units closed in the last few months of 2015, and only three that closed inJanuary. The difference in high-end condo inventory from December to January is stark, with a 69 percent increase along with a 13 percent price increase.

œMove-up buyers are waiting for the city and prices to thaw out before they strike, and while the inventory on paper looks adequate, from actual market experience we cansurmise that homes staying on the market tend to be over-priced and under-updated," adds Livingston. œHomebuyers areuncertain that a jump in price range will garner them more amenities, exemplified by the fact that of the 240 listings sold in the $500,000 to $749,000 range, more than half were remodeled, but 73 percent of those still on the market do not list updated or remodeling. That means those that are updated or remodeled areselling first and the others are languishing.

"For sellers to get the most out of this still predominantly hot market, they'll need to price their properties at or slightly below truemarket value to capitalize on multiple buyer interest, states Jill Schafer, DMAR Market Trends Committee member and Denver real estate agent. œBuyers in this mid- to upper-price range may want to open their options to homes that need updating, as well as look at loansthat allow them to make improvements.

The highest priced single family home sold in January was $6,530,000 representing seven bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and 14,275 above ground square feet in Cherry Hills Village (Buell Mansion neighborhood). Both the listing and selling agents are DMAR members. The highest priced condo sold in January was $4,325,000 representing four bedrooms, eight bathrooms and 6,078 above ground square feet in Cherry Creek North. The listing agent is a DMAR member.


The DMAR Market Trends Committee releases reports monthly, highlighting important trends and market activity emerging across the Denver metropolitan area. Reports include data for Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson and Park counties. Data for the report was sourced from REcoloradoand interpreted by DMAR.

Here are the complete quotes from Live Urban agents, straight from the streets!

-I have sellers holding out for after school is out because they have seniors. They are wanting to look now just to be educated on the market. I have 2 empty nesters that are also luxury - one at over a million and the other around $500K wanting a slick modern downtown place. For spring,I predict almost as frenzied as last year.

-Buyers are treading lightly and worried about over-paying. Sellers are thinking about selling. It feels slower than usual for January but feels like it will be a robust if not record-breaking year.
-I feel like the market is slow. I have had 3 potential clients tell me they are "waiting" this week.My sector is first time buyers and Relo for sure. First time buyers are nervous, unsure what they will qualify for with their loans. Relo clients are trying to each get a job. Seems like one will get a job to move then the spouse needs to land a gig before they can qualify.I am hopeful that Spring will have additional inventory so all the nervous folks can get shopping!
-My take is that there is so little decent inventory on the market that (a) clients are getting frustrated and (b) good homes that come on are UC in days.My clients are all over the board; currently working with two out of state buyers, one first time and another not, one first time home buyer who loves the Spire & Glass House and can't find a decent 1/1 for under $400k, two investors, or should I say one as one has market fatigue.I am praying that our current inventory issue is being exasperated by people who feel they should wait until spring to put their homes up. I am hopeful that the Spring will be super active and we will have fresh inventory.
-I was busy in December I put a house on the market the Friday before Christmas and had 3 offers, was able to get a slight price reduction on her new house, and was also able to get another house at a slight discount. Still think it's a sellers market, and we just got lucky right around the Holiday.
-It's been a little slow recently with most buyers saying they want to make a move in spring so I bet spring will be busy. I'm working with first time home buyers & upgrade clients.
-I've been showing to a few sets of buyers in the $400-500 range and I feel like updated homes in that range have been really competitive. Just got buyers in backup position for a home that was on the market for less than 24hrs mid-week and had 3 offers. I'm working with some first time buyers who aren't yet ready to do things like guarantee offer over appraisal which is what listing agents are asking us to do. My lender thinks that the cash investors and hedge funds will move on to a new market since the price point is Denver has gone up so much.
-I have several listings in great neighborhoods on the horizon and I have had more conversations about real estate with some people close in my sphere and some on the outside of my sphere than I have had in a while. Although I am seeing price drops, they are primarily in houses that appear to be very over priced inventory still seems to be low, even at high price points. I have not written any offers yet this year, so I am interested to hear what buyer's agents are seeing in various price points.

As always, if you have questions about any of this information, or if you are wondering how it might impact any type of move or investment that you are thinking of making, don't hesitate to contact us.

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