denver housing market sees rising inventory in 2026
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By ColoradoBiz Staff | Published on February 5, 2026
The Denver Metro housing market entered 2026 after nearly three years of flat performance, with buyers and sellers continuing to wait for clearer direction, according to a January report from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors.
Following a post-pandemic market reset in 2023, sales activity and pricing have remained largely unchanged. December reflected typical seasonal slowdowns as many sellers pulled listings and buyers paused their searches.
Only 1,919 homes sold in January, among the lowest monthly totals since 2008. The only months with fewer than 2,000 sales were January 2010 and January 2011, during the period following the financial crisis.
New listings rose 152.55% from December to January, driven in part by homes that were withdrawn late last year and relisted at the start of 2026. Pending sales also increased, rising 48.19% for detached homes and 43.79% for attached homes compared with December.
Pricing remained seasonally lower. The median sale price for detached homes fell 1.60% month over month and 3.61% year over year. Attached home prices rose 1.30% from December but declined 2.01% from January 2025. The average close-price-to-list-price ratio was 97.94%, down from 98.23% in December and 98.50% in January 2025, reflecting increased price negotiations.
Inventory expanded at a time when listings typically decline. At the end of January, 8,228 homes were actively listed, up 8.16% from December and 7.02% year over year.
“The Denver Metro typically has very predictable seasonality,” said Amanda Snitker, chair of the DMAR Market Trends Committee and a Metro Denver Realtor. “Even though the last three years have been essentially flat in both home sales and the median sale price, seasonality is still apparent.”
Snitker said warmer winter weather and increased inventory could create earlier buying opportunities, but affordability remains a challenge.
“With an unseasonably warm winter and more inventory in play, buyers may see more opportunity earlier than usual, but affordability remains a hurdle,” Snitker said. “Rather than waiting for dramatic shifts, the best advantage in 2026 will come from acting when personal timing and financial readiness align.”
The report also tracked luxury home activity. Homes priced at $1 million or more saw increased listing activity in January, earlier than typical seasonal trends. New detached luxury listings totaled 594 homes, a 256% increase from December and 13% higher than the same time last year. New attached luxury listings reached 41 homes, up 215% month over month.
Pending sales rose 57.77% for detached luxury homes, with 325 properties going under contract. The attached luxury segment declined, with 12 homes going under contract, down 25% from December and nearly 30% lower than the same period last year.
The average price per square foot for luxury homes was $561 in January, down 32.8% from December. Attached luxury homes continue to face stronger price pressure. Prices in that segment are down 18.58% from their 2022 peak. Median days on market for attached luxury homes increased to 100 days, up significantly from last year.
Inventory levels also varied by property type. Attached homes priced between $1 million and $1.99 million averaged 7.695 months of inventory, while attached homes priced above $2 million reached 26 months of inventory. Detached homes priced between $1 million and $1.49 million recorded 3.99 months of inventory, while detached homes above $1.49 million averaged 7.8 months of inventory.
“The warm, dry days and the active early real estate market may have felt unusual for our January – are they both becoming the norm?” said Colleen Covell, a DMAR Market Trends Committee member and Metro Denver Realtor. “Detached luxury is showing real early-year energy, but the attached segment is clearly more price-sensitive right now. For condo and townhome sellers especially, strategic pricing and standout presentation will matter more than ever in a market with this much inventory.”
Among January’s highest-priced transactions, the top attached sale was Unit PH-1 at 1500 Wynkoop St. in Denver, which sold for $8.25 million in cash after 106 days on the market. The highest-priced detached home was an off-market cash sale of a single-family property at 20 Viking Drive in Englewood for $9.3 million.
The DMAR Market Trends Committee releases monthly reports covering housing activity across Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson and Park counties. Data for the January report was sourced from REcolorado and analyzed by DMAR.