Hottest topics in metro-Denver real estate
Updated as of 2-3-2026 with personalized real estate opinions and market information

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The Big Hope for metro-Denver Home Sales in 2026

Where did the 2025 metro Denver housing market end up? Short answer: Where 2024 and 2023 ended up – lackluster, down slightly, but no recession. Whew, it was a close call.

Our local inflation rate is below national levels (2.2% vs. 2.7% nationally), and our unemployment is holding at 3.9% (nationally it’s 4.4%). Hiring is slow if not stagnant across the nation. Incomes are up but so are prices. The malaise of affordability appears to be lessening, so is there hope on the economic horizon for 2026?

Economic stability seems to be where 2026 is heading. If prices and costs stabilize more, will more home buyers come out to play? Will more owners list their homes leaving their low interest mortgages for new ones? For 2026 to be a good year, it doesn’t have to be a great one - just a stable one.

Let’s look at the numbers for 2025:

Home sales: This is about quantity – 42,268 resale homes (single-family and condo) closed in metro Denver for 2025 - about the same as 2024 and 2023; about a third less than post-Covid year 2022, but only 25% below 2019 - a normal real estate year by all standards. Closed home sale numbers are at mid-1990s levels both locally and nationally because owners are holding onto their low-interest mortgages. It’s time to let go.

Home prices: There are three, maybe four housing markets out there now: (1) detached traditional single family re-sale homes that are selling reasonably well; (2) attached re-sale condo-townhomes that are struggling for buyers right now; (3) sitting new construction homes shouting –“Please buy me!” (4) Lastly, the apartment rental market which is very tenant friendly now due to over-built supply of apartments.

Metro Denver’s detached median closed price for 2025 was $650,000, up only 0.39% from 2024 and 2022 ($647,500). December’s median price was $625,000.

Attached median closed price for 2025 was down 2.85% from 2024 at $391,900. December’s median price was $385,000. During 2025, condo monthly YTD prices fluctuated greatly, dropping as much as 6% annually. Ending the year down only 2.85% is a huge relief.

Total sales volume for 2025 was almost $30 billion, down from 2023’s high-water mark of $39.3 billion. 2024 and 2023 were like 2025 at $30 billion.

Lastly, prices for standing new homes are very flexible. Builders are throwing concessions at buyers to move their inventory, but that won’t last long. Unlike re-sale owners, builders can’t “de-list” or rent their properties for a better market tomorrow. New homes must be sold. Builder marketing strategy is all about tomorrow, not today -- get it sold and tomorrow will take care of itself.

Number of homes for sale: Inventory for sale in 2025 fluctuated greatly from about 7400 to 14,000 homes, so ending 2025 at just 7,607 listings was a surprise. That was 10.4% greater than ending 2024 (6,888 listings). New listings for 2025 were 59,671, up 6.8% from 2024 (compare that number to 42,268 closed sales leaves 17,403 homes unaccounted for in 2025 – large numbers were “de-listed” or rented hoping for better future markets).

Mortgage rates: For the past year, mortgage rates have fluctuated between 6-7%. Settled in at 6.06% to start 2026, almost all economists and financial institutions predict mortgage rates will bounce around in the low-6s or perhaps hit 5.8% on a good day. Rates are stabilizing for now, but why aren’t they falling more? The answer is about Treasury bonds and mortgage investors.

Remember, the Fed doesn’t insert or set long-term mortgage rates. It has influence, but mortgage rates are largely determined by the yield of 10-year Treasury bonds. And yield is controlled by the attitude of bond investors about the economy. Investors care the most about inflation and future dollars earnings. The 10-year Treasury bond matches 30-year mortgage because home mortgages “turnover” about seven years after origination - they are paid off. Today, it’s closer to ten years due to the Covid low-rate mortgage market.

The big news today is to celebrate the stability of mortgages. Buyers love stability, so if things remain reasonably level for 2026, then home buyers will act. And sellers will need to re-act by putting more inventory up for sale. It’s time for many low-interest home owners to grab life by the horns and move on. Life is meant to be lived, so within reason don’t let mortgage rates control you.

Back to the Future – 2019: Now, five years after Covid and its market distortions, the future lies in the past…2019. It’s true! 2019 was the last normal real estate market before Covid. When you look at home prices then as well as interest rates, the economy, and inflation, those indicators were all good ones. So that’s where we want to be today…in 2019 getting ready for 2026 and beyond. Stability is the watch-word, but patience will get you there.​

Remember, “Please,    don’t    leave    home    without    us!” 

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