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A luxury home in Colorado sells when the price comes from closed sales above $1 million in the same market, the listing carries drone, twilight and interior photography plus a measured floor plan and a walkthrough video, and showings are private, by appointment, with proof of funds in hand. Every one of those items is standard on a Kenna Real Estate Group luxury listing, and this guide explains what each does and what it costs.
Buyers above $1 million in the Denver metro see the listing on a phone first, from another state in many cases. The marketing has to answer their questions before they book a flight.
Where the Colorado luxury market is
Above $1 million the market clusters in a short list of places: Cherry Hills Village and Greenwood Village in Arapahoe County; The Village at Castle Pines and Castle Pines in Douglas County; Cherry Creek, Washington Park, Hilltop and Observatory Park in Denver; Boulder and the foothills west of it; the BackCountry and Golf Club areas of Highlands Ranch; RidgeGate in Lone Tree; and the mountain estates of Evergreen, Genesee and Morrison in Jefferson County. Each market has its own comps and its own buyer.
The Kenna Real Estate Group markets these homes through Kenna Luxury Real Estate, its luxury site, with searches for Cherry Hills Village, Greenwood Village, Boulder and Castle Pines, and a Colorado luxury homes by area page.
Pricing above $1 million
Comps get scarce above $1 million. A Cherry Hills Village street has 3 to 6 closed sales a year, and two homes on the same block differ by $1 million in finish level and lot. Pricing a luxury home means pulling every closed sale in the market from the last 12 months, adjusting for lot size, view, finish and age, and then checking the number against active competition and what has expired unsold.
Overpricing costs more on a luxury home than anywhere else. The first 14 days on the MLS are when every buyer with a saved search sees the listing. A home that sits 90 days above $1.5 million gets shown as the comparison that makes the next listing look good. The Smart Pricing Report puts closed luxury sales, the adjustments and the recommended range on paper before the listing agreement is signed.
Photography: drone, twilight and interiors
Three photo sets go on every luxury listing.
- Drone. Aerial photos show the lot, the setback from neighbors, the mountain view and the approach. The pilot holds an FAA Part 107 certificate, and near Centennial Airport or Denver International the pilot files for airspace authorization before the flight.
- Twilight. Colorado's 300 days of sun and west-facing views do their best work in the 30 minutes after sunset: interior lights on, sky still blue, the Front Range in silhouette. Twilight shots are the cover photo on most luxury listings for that reason.
- Interiors. 40 to 60 edited photos shot with a tripod and flash, not a phone. Every primary room, the primary bedroom and bath, the kitchen from three angles, and the outdoor living space.
Shoot exteriors in the season that flatters the property. A Genesee home listed in January uses summer exterior photos taken in August, with the current snow photos added as a second set.
Floor plans, video and 3D tours
A measured floor plan with room dimensions and total square footage answers the first question an out-of-state buyer asks: how does the house flow. Draw it from a laser measurement, not the county record; county square footage on a custom home is off by hundreds of feet in both directions. The why floor plans sell Colorado homes post covers the format.
The listing video runs 2 to 3 minutes: the aerial approach, the front door, a steady walk through the main level, the primary suite, the outdoor space and the view. A 30 to 60 second vertical cut goes to social feeds. A 3D tour lets a buyer in Dallas walk the house at midnight; it is the tool that gets a private showing booked for the day they land.
Staging a large home
A vacant 5,000 square foot home reads as cold in photos and colder in person. Partial staging (the great room, kitchen, dining, primary bedroom and one office) costs $5,000 to $15,000 for 60 to 90 days and gives the photos scale. An occupied home gets edited instead: furniture thinned to 60% of what is there, art and personal photos packed, every closet at half capacity.
Private showings, not open houses
Luxury listings show by appointment, with the listing agent or a licensed member of the Kenna Real Estate Group present. There is no open house and no unaccompanied lockbox access. Before a showing is confirmed the buyer's agent sends proof of funds or a jumbo pre-approval letter dated within 30 days. That step is standard above $1 million, and buyers expect it. A broker open for luxury agents in the first week gets the home in front of the people who represent the buyers. The showing your Colorado home page covers the showing rules.
Inspections before listing
A luxury buyer inspects everything, and a surprise on page 12 of the inspection report costs more than the fix. Get these done before the photos:
- Roof: after a Front Range hail season, a roofer's written condition report. Insurers now ask for the roof age on a $1 million policy.
- Radon: a 48-hour test. Front Range basements test high; mitigation is $1,000 to $2,000.
- Sewer scope on any home over 20 years old, and on Denver homes with clay lines.
- Well and septic on Evergreen, Genesee and Boulder County estates. Jefferson and Boulder counties require a septic use permit at transfer of title.
- Wildfire mitigation in the foothills: defensible space, ember-resistant vents and a Class A roof. Buyers' insurers check it before they bind.
- Structural: on expansive bentonite clay lots, a foundation engineer's letter if there is any cracking.
Have the HOA documents, the metro district mill levy, the survey or ILC and the water rights (on mountain property) in a folder the day the listing goes live.
Reaching the out-of-state buyer
A large share of buyers above $1.5 million in the Denver metro come from California, Texas, Illinois and the East Coast. The listing reaches them through the MLS feed to every national portal, a single-property website with the full photo set and video, email to the Kenna Real Estate Group's buyer and agent database, Keller Williams' national and international referral network, and paid digital placement targeted to the metro areas the buyers come from. Print in the Denver luxury publications adds credibility with local agents; the phone in Los Angeles is where the buyer first sees the house.
Jumbo loans and cash
Any loan above the conforming limit for the county is a jumbo loan, and most financed luxury purchases in Colorado use one. Jumbo lenders ask for larger reserves, two appraisals above certain amounts, and 30 to 45 days to close. Cash buyers close in 10 to 14 days and skip the appraisal, which is why a cash offer at 97% of a financed offer is the stronger contract on a home the seller needs closed. Mike Oswald, VP of Mortgage Lending at Rate, NMLS 261003, Equal Housing Lender, pre-approves jumbo buyers for Colorado purchases and reviews a buyer's pre-approval letter before you accept it. You are free to use any lender. See the Colorado home financing page and the Denver jumbo loan guide.
When to list
Luxury listings in the Denver metro get the most showings from March through June, and again in September after the summer travel season. Mountain estates show best from June through early October, when the access road is clear and the view is not hidden by weather. Listing a foothills home in February means January showings on a snow-packed drive; listing it the first week of June means the first showing sees the property at its best.
What the marketing costs
| Asset | What it does | Cost on the Front Range |
|---|---|---|
| Interior and exterior photography | 40 to 60 images, the listing's first impression | $500 to $1,200 |
| Drone photos and video | Lot, setting, view, approach | $300 to $600 |
| Twilight session | Cover photo | $250 to $500 |
| Measured floor plan | Flow and true square footage | $150 to $400 |
| Walkthrough video | 2 to 3 minutes, plus social cuts | $800 to $2,500 |
| 3D tour | Remote walk-through for out-of-state buyers | $300 to $700 |
| Partial staging | Scale and warmth in a vacant home | $5,000 to $15,000 |
| Single-property website and digital ads | Reach outside Colorado | $500 to $3,000 |
The Kenna Real Estate Group covers the photography, drone, floor plan, video, 3D tour and digital placement on its luxury listings. Staging is the seller's cost and is the one line item on this table that changes the sale price by more than it costs. The marketing your Colorado home page lists the full plan.
Where to go next
- Kenna Luxury Real Estate: Colorado luxury homes for sale
- Top 5 luxury neighborhoods in the Denver metro area
- Interior upgrades that help luxury homes stand out in Colorado
- Luxury real estate in Colorado
- The Colorado Home Seller's Guide
- Kenna Real Estate Group agents
Talk to the Kenna Real Estate Group
The Kenna Real Estate Group at Keller Williams DTC prices luxury homes from closed sales above $1 million, produces the drone, twilight, floor plan, video and 3D assets, screens every showing for proof of funds, and puts the listing in front of buyers in Colorado and the states they relocate from. Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. Buyers can search every home for sale in Colorado.
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Guides
Questions about any home in Colorado? Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers.