And just what is the state of the Denver housing market right now? Bob Aspinwall, president-elect of the Denver Board of Realtors and a broker at Perry & Co., is “very bullish” on the market. “It’s much more balanced right now than it has been,” he says. “In the past, there was so much appreciation and demand, and because there was not a lot of inventory, buyers had to make really quick decisions. But now there is more on the market, which gives buyers a better chance of finding the right home. Coupled with better rates, there is really good activity in the market. Denver is still very hot. Period.”

Kathy McBane of Re/Max of Cherry Creek is not quite as enthusiastic, admitting that realtors in Denver may be having a little more difficulty than colleagues in other states. “Maybe the market needed to stabilize,” she says. “But this year it will turn around.” McBane does acknowledge that despite the more-bang-for-the-buck lure of the suburbs (see sidebar on page 82), many Denver neighborhoods are still in high demand.