Denver and Boulder housing market: October 2026 update

Figures checked October 21, 2026.

This is the first of a monthly update on the Denver and Boulder markets. Each one covers the month before, using the same sources each time so the numbers line up from one month to the next.

The numbers for September

These are the Denver Metro Association of Realtors figures for September 2026, compared with September 2025.

	September 2026	Compared with a year earlier
Homes sold	2,849	Down 21.39%, the fewest in any September since 2008
Pending sales	2,908	Down 13.43%
Homes for sale at month’s end	13,567
Months of inventory, all homes	4.76
Months of inventory, condos and townhomes	7.21
Median price, detached homes	$635,000	About even
Median price, condos and townhomes	$365,500	Down 6.28%
Median days in the MLS	32	35 a year earlier
Sale price as a share of list price	98.45%	98.32% a year earlier

Monthly medians move with the seasons and with the mix of homes that sell, so each update compares a month with the same month a year earlier. Over the longer run, the overall metro median has stayed within about 3% since 2023, and the detached median for 2026 so far is $650,000, the same as in each of the past two years.

Boulder is listed mostly in IRES, the northern Colorado MLS. Its September figures weren’t public yet when this was published, so Boulder numbers start with next month’s update.

What it means if you’re buying

Fewer sales means fewer buyers competing with you. Amanda Snitker, who chairs DMAR’s Market Trends Committee, said in the September report that buyers still in the market “will face less competition than at any other time of year.”

With 13,567 homes for sale across the metro and the typical one selling a little under its asking price, you have room to negotiate on more than price. Closing costs, a rate buydown, repairs from the inspection, and a later closing date are all fair to ask about. Condos and townhomes, at 7.21 months of inventory, give buyers the most room.

What it means if you’re selling

Detached homes are holding their value, and the typical one sold in about a month at 98.45% of list. That holds for homes priced in line with recent sales. With more homes on the market and fewer buyers, a home priced above its comparable sales tends to sit while buyers look at the others.

Condo and townhome sellers have more competition. The median there is down 6.28% from a year earlier, so pricing against current sales, and the ones that closed in the past few months, matters more than what a neighbor got in 2024.

Rates and rents

The 30-year fixed rate was 7.40% in Freddie Mac’s survey for the week of October 15, up from 6.27% a year earlier. Fannie Mae’s October 12 forecast has rates averaging 7.4% for the rest of 2026 and about 7.5% through 2027. Forecasts miss, and the buy now or wait article walks through what different rates do to a monthly payment.

Rents are easing. Apartment List’s October report puts the Denver median rent at $1,613, down 3.1% from a year earlier, and Boulder’s at $1,896, down 1.1%.