By Prerna Kapoor, CLHMS | REAL Brokerage | September 12, 2026
Everyone keeps telling me the luxury market is cooling off. After spending time with DMAR’s August numbers this week, I don’t think that’s the right way to describe what’s actually happening. Something more specific is going on, and it depends entirely on what you’re selling.
DMAR’s August Report Splits the $1 Million-Plus Market in Two
The Denver Metro Association of Realtors published its August 2026 Market Trends Report on the 11-county Denver metro, and the $1 million-plus tier had 668 new listings for the month, 94% of them detached homes. That imbalance alone tells you something. Condos and townhomes make up a small slice of new luxury inventory, but right now they’re carrying almost all of the slowdown people keep talking about.
Detached luxury homes averaged 47 days in MLS in August, down 7.84% from a year ago. Attached luxury properties, meaning condos and townhomes priced above $1 million, averaged 99 days in MLS, up 98% year over year. That’s not a market slowing down across the board. That’s two different markets moving in opposite directions under the same price tag.
Detached Homes Above $1 Million Are Actually Speeding Up
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The fastest sale in DMAR’s August data was 4030 E. Forbes Court in Littleton, which closed at $7,388,943 after a single day in MLS. That’s an outlier, but the direction it points isn’t. Well-positioned detached luxury homes, priced and presented correctly from day one, are moving faster than they were a year ago, not slower. If you’ve been holding off on listing a $1.5 million-plus detached home because you assumed buyers had disappeared, this month’s data doesn’t support that assumption.
Luxury Condos Are Telling a Completely Different Story
On the attached side, the picture flips hard. One example from DMAR’s report: a unit at the Four Seasons Residences on 14th Street sold for $3.8 million in cash after 326 days on the market, $1.195 million below its original asking price. That’s an extreme case, but the pattern underneath it is real. Buyers shopping above $1 million for a condo or townhome have more comparable inventory to weigh against each other and less pressure to act on any single unit, and sellers who priced based on last year’s comps are finding that out slowly and expensively.
What This Means If You’re Buying or Selling Above $1 Million in Parker, Castle Pines, or Cherry Creek
Nearly everything I list and sell above $1 million is detached, which puts most of my clients on the faster-moving side of this split. But I’ve had two separate conversations this summer with Denver clients weighing high-end condo purchases, and both times I pulled DMAR’s actual numbers instead of just saying “the market feels slower right now.” If you own a luxury attached property and you’re thinking about selling this fall, price it against what’s actually closing this month, not against a similar unit’s 2025 sale. If you’re a detached luxury seller, don’t assume you need to discount just because “luxury market” keeps showing up in slowdown headlines. Read the segment your home actually sits in before you decide anything, and for the citywide picture underneath all of this, my recap of REcolorado’s broader August numbers is worth a look too, alongside how the days-on-market-to-sale-price relationship plays out for sellers generally.
Quick answers
Does “the luxury market is slowing down” apply to every home over $1 million?
No. DMAR’s August 2026 data shows detached homes above $1 million actually improved year over year, averaging 47 days in MLS, down 7.84%. Attached luxury properties like condos and townhomes slowed sharply instead, averaging 99 days, up 98%.
Why are luxury condos taking so much longer to sell right now?
Mostly inventory and negotiating power shifting toward buyers. There’s more competing attached-luxury supply relative to demand at the moment, so buyers comparing several similar units have less reason to move quickly on any one of them.
Should I still list my detached luxury home this fall?
Based on August’s numbers, current conditions favor a well-priced detached luxury listing. The fastest sale in DMAR’s report closed in a single day, though most homes obviously take longer than that.
Prerna Kapoor | REALTOR® | Luxury Home Specialist
REAL Brokerage | 720-949-5450 | info@prernakapoor.com
CLHMS • RENE • PSA • ABR | International Sterling Society Award Winner
Prerna specializes in residential real estate across Parker, Aurora, Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Highlands Ranch, Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, and Centennial, with a focus on luxury new construction and buyer advocacy. She speaks English, Japanese, and Hindi. For more on this month’s broader Denver metro numbers, see the mid-year look at Denver’s luxury price bands.
