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While the housing market for average Denver buyers continues to cool, the luxury sector is playing by its own rules. The two most expensive homes sold in August offer a snapshot of buyers’ behavior in the million-dollar market.
A detached house at 4030 E. Forbes Court in Littleton closed at $7.3 million after a single day on the market. Meanwhile, a condo at the Four Seasons Residences closed at $3.8 million—more than $1 million below asking—after nearly a year on the market. In other words, detached luxury homes are hot right now, spending an average of 47 days on the market in August, compared to 99 days for attached residences.
“Overall, luxury buyers are still buying, and significant money is still moving, but they’re discerning, and every property has its own set of circumstances,” says Christina Ray, a Denver real estate agent and member of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors.
From a genteel 1921 house in Belcaro to a Coal Creek Canyon retreat backing up to Roosevelt National Forest, these four properties capture the range of what’s tempting luxury buyers this September.
843 Indian Peak Road, Golden
- Asking price: $1.75 million
- City: Golden
- Listing agent: Jonathan Danton of LIV Sotheby’s International Realty
No need to splurge on pricey artwork inside this 4,182-square-foot mountain retreat; the unobstructed views of the Indian Peaks—from James Peak all the way to Longs Peak—via the wall of Sierra Pacific windows on the second floor are enough to appease any aesthete. Soak in the mountain skyline from beside the stone fireplace in the open-concept living room, while you’re prepping dinner at the kitchen’s leathered granite countertops, or as you enjoy a nightcap on the wraparound deck. Four bedrooms and three bathrooms give you plenty of room for hosting, while the oversize two-car garage leaves ample storage space for all your Colorado gear. Your mountain mansion sits on 1.34 acres, and the wilderness is literally your backyard (the property borders Roosevelt National Forest).
2415 E. Cedar Ave., Denver
- Asking price: $3.75 million
- Neighborhood: Belcaro
- Listing agents: John Jaster and Adam Jaster of Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate
If you prefer an air of elegance to your abode over rustic mountain chic, you’ll appreciate that this 1921 estate has a flair for the dramatic. The entry floor is laid in diamond parquet, custom millwork adorns the interior, and the primary suite even boasts an antechamber (a vestibule where, historically, homeowners had their guests wait before entering the main parlor). Four bedrooms and six bathrooms stretch out across 5,408 square feet, but the real opulence is found outside, where two private gardens await. Beyond the ivy-covered brick patio, an English-style landscape is punctuated by lush perennials, romantic archways, and a tiered water fountain. Continue down the gravel path to enter the Japanese-inspired garden with a putting green. You can put the swing skills you hone to the test half a mile west at the Denver Country Club or visit the shops of Cherry Creek, just two minutes away.
23534 Waynes Way, Golden
- Asking price: $4.795 million
- City: Golden
- Listing agent: Brandi Wolff of The Aster Lane Group, Guide Real Estate
This home’s claim to fame is that you can throw out all your clocks. Instead, live by the rhythm of the sun’s shifting rays, thanks to the fact that this 7,493-square-foot contemporary home with 30-foot glass accordion doors perches on the spine of a south-facing mountain. That means in the morning, soft sunlight pours into your primary suite, which features a fireplace, canopy bed, and deep soaking tub beneath a massive picture window. At lunchtime, enjoy a meal on the sprawling stone patio with the sun overhead or break a sweat in the home gym (which converts into a movie theater). When it’s time for dinner, a perfectly positioned island in the cherry wood kitchen crowned with quartzite countertops means you never have to turn your back on the views.
The five-bed, five-bath property also contains a few surprises, including a secret guest room hidden behind walnut shelving in the west wing, a tiered waterfall running into a stone pond, and a treehouse in the pines. On chilly nights, the sunken fire pit provides a cozy place to entertain guests outdoors. The Genesee Park bison herd is two miles north, and the Genesee Mountain trailhead is under two miles away.
2120 E. Grand Ave., Cherry Hills Village
- Asking price: $4.85 million
- City: Cherry Hills Village
- Listing agent: Bridget Marx of Kentwood Real Estate
Former Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth and his wife, Keisha, renovated this 1993 Cherry Hills Village house, and now it’s ready for game time. Keisha took up landscape design during the pandemic, and she has nearly an acre of manicured gardens on this property to show for it. The gardens surround a resort-style pool, two fire pits, and an outdoor kitchen with gas and charcoal grills. A motorized, louvered pergola can provide shade or sun and the garden studio works as a painting room or yoga space. Inside are five bedrooms and six bathrooms, but the star is undoubtedly the primary suite, where heated floors and a Japanese soaking tub invite you to unwind. The lot provides private access to Little Dry Creek and the High Line Canal Trail, less than a mile from Glenmoor Country Club.
