Why Homes Aren’t Selling in Denver (And Why the Best Ones Still Spark Bidding Wars)

Why Homes Aren’t Selling in Denver + Why the Best Still Spark Bidding Wars

If you’ve been watching the market since mid-2022 and thinking, “What is going on?” — you’re not crazy.

This is a quick, honest breakdown of what I’m seeing on the ground in Denver Metro (and Boulder County), why so many homes have failed to sell over the last few years, and why the best properties can still trigger multiple offers… even after sitting for 20–45 days.

And if you’re here because your home didn’t sell and you’re wondering what to do next, I’ll make this simple: it’s usually not a mystery. It’s usually a strategy mismatch.

The Big Shift: Since June 2022, the Market Hasn’t Stopped Changing

Since the first week of June 2022, the market has shifted dramatically. And for a lot of sellers, it feels like it keeps getting harder.

Here’s the part most people miss:

When a home doesn’t sell, one of two things happens:

• If the seller has to sell, they usually make a price or strategy change until it moves.
• If the seller doesn’t have to sell but still wants to sell, they often pull it off the market.

Then a lot of those “still-want-to-move” sellers come back the next year… and list again.

The Quiet Inventory Problem: Failed Listings Don’t Disappear

Every year, there’s a baseline number of people who either need to move or want to move.

But when you stack multiple years of homes that failed to sell (second half of 2022, 2023, 2024, and now this year), you get a compounding effect:

• More supply (the organic sellers of each year, combined with “repeat inventory” from prior years)
• Not enough buyer demand to absorb it evenly, driven by a continually volatile mortgage market and a noisy socio-political climate

And that imbalance shows up differently depending on where you are.

It’s Not “The Market.” It’s the Micro-Market (Denver + Boulder)

Here’s the truth (and it gets me fired up): most people chalk a failed listing up to “the market.”

But no one can control the market. All a seller (and their agent) can control is how they respond to it and engage with it.

And when you look at the listings that didn’t sell, the breakdown is usually one (or more) of these controllables:

• Positioning: the home wasn’t positioned correctly for its neighborhood micro-market
• Presentation: the condition/presentation didn’t match what buyers expect at that price point
• Pricing: the strategy was based on yesterday’s comps instead of today’s competition
• Marketing: the plan didn’t create enough clarity, urgency, or momentum

That’s exactly why one of my biggest target markets is expired listings—because most of the time, the home didn’t “lose” to the market. The strategy just didn’t match the market.

And the good news is: strategy is fixable.

The Paradox: Buyers Have Leverage… But the Best Homes Still Create Bidding Wars

Here’s the maddening part (especially for buyers):

Even in a market where buyers have more leverage overall, the best properties can still trigger multiple offers.

I’ve seen this repeatedly.

In fact, two of my buyers in the past month found homes that were a great fit, so we wrote offers… and both ended up in multiple-offer scenarios.

Here’s what’s wild: those homes had been on the market for 3–4 weeks. Yet as soon as we wrote, someone else did too.

Why?

Because most buyers are hesitant right now. They watch. They wait. They sit on the fence.

And then the moment there’s any perceived scarcity — boom — they act.

That’s how you get multiple offers on a home that’s been sitting for 20–45 days.

One Lever That Changes Buyer Demand Fast: Mortgage Rates

There’s one variable that consistently changes buyer behavior in a noticeable way: mortgage interest rates.

What I’ve seen (and what many agents see on the ground) is that buyer demand tends to pick up when rates drop to around ~6.25% or below — and it gets even more noticeable at or below ~6.0%.

Why this matters:
Lower rates don’t just change affordability — they change confidence.

When rates dip, more buyers re-enter the market at the same time.

And when more buyers show up at once, the “best” homes feel scarce again… which is exactly when you see faster decisions and more competing offers.

The implication moving forward:
If rates stay near (or below) that threshold, expect:

• More competition on the best homes
• More multiple-offer scenarios (even if overall inventory remains higher)
• A bigger gap between “shiny penny” homes and average homes

(Optional rate baseline if you want it: https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms)

What’s Driving Buyer Hesitation Right Now (Denver Metro + Boulder County)

A few forces are stacking up:

• Buyers don’t feel true scarcity because inventory has been continually increasing compared to the last few years
• The news cycle and broader economy have made people cautious about major financial decisions
• Locally, in more liberal areas like Denver and Boulder, political uncertainty can translate into “wait and see” behavior

So, buyers delay decisions… until they see a home that feels like a clear “yes.” And even then, they often wait longer… until they’re at risk of losing it to another buyer.

Luck vs. Strategy (This Is the Whole Point)

For most people — buyers, sellers, and even a lot of agents — getting a good outcome feels like luck.

For me and my clients, it isn’t.

It’s about:

• Knowing what actually matters in the current market
• Recognizing when a home is truly the best option among the active inventory
• Moving quickly and decisively without overpaying

A quick real-world example:
One of my buyers, “Zoe,” moved quickly and decisively on an incredible home we found this past Wednesday. And I’ll say it plainly: if she hadn’t, she would’ve lost it.

The listing agent told me there were two other buyers who had already gone back for second showings in the previous week. That’s the kind of thing most people ignore… right up until they’re suddenly in a multiple-offer situation wondering where the competition came from.

But based on our knowledge of the market—and having seen the other likely options—we knew this one was the very best fit. So we demonstrated commitment, moved fast, and she won the bidding war without overpaying or donating her future equity.

That’s not luck. That’s execution.

If Your Home Didn’t Sell, Here’s the Real Question

The question isn’t “What’s wrong with the market?”

The question is:
What needs to change about the strategy so your home wins in this market?

Because the market is always changing. The winners are the people who adapt.

Want a Clear Plan (Not a Guess)?

If your listing failed, you’re thinking about selling, or you’re trying to buy one of the “best” homes without getting beat in a bidding war, I can help.

Selling (or relisting) in the next 90 days?
Book a quick strategy call: https://calendly.com/stugalvis/20-minute-home-selling-strategy-consult-compli-clone
—or— text SELL to (720) 441-4815, and I’ll send you my simple plan to reposition a listing that didn’t work the first time.

Let’s build a smart plan for pricing + prep + launch (so you’re the shiny penny, not the average home getting ignored).

Buying and trying to win the “shiny penny”?
Book a buyer game-plan call: https://calendly.com/stugalvis/20-minute-home-buying-strategy-consult-complim-clone
—or— text BUY to (720) 441-4815 and I’ll send you my strategy to win the right home without getting emotional, overpaying, or donating your future equity.