Top Real Estate Agents in Denver Reveal the Secret to Selling Homes in the Mile-High City

Paint the exterior of your sun-damaged Denver house before listing.

Angela Fox at RE/MAX Urban Properties
Angela is a Certified Residential Specialist and a SFH expert, having sold 67% more properties than the average Denver agent.

“Curb appeal is definitely one of the most important things a seller should be thinking of when they decide to list their home. This is because the first thing buyers do is drive around to see what area of town they want to live in and what kind of amenities each neighborhood provides.

“And once that for-sale sign is in the front yard, people will drive by the home and create their very first impression. So to get the best first impression possible, curb appeal is at the top of our list. 

“One of the biggest things we tell sellers to do is to paint the exterior of the home. In our Colorado market, we’re so close to the sun that we end up having a lot of sun damage. We have 300 days of sunshine a year, so homes can get faded. Having a fresh coat of paint on the exterior as well as general landscaping really helps. Make sure you clean the yard, sweep the walkway, put some flowers out front, and install some new bark mulch to freshen up the home.”

Showcase your Denver home with staging.

Monica Graves at Your Castle Mountain Properties
Monica is a Resort and Second Home Property Specialist and ranks in the top 1% of agents in her area.

“We’ve gone through this 5-year trend since 2014 of not having enough inventory for our buyers, and now we have some more inventory. So I would tell sellers that since you’re going to have more competition, you really need to invest in staging to stand out. 

“Last year, one of my past clients tried working with a broker offering a discounted fee. The broker said they weren’t going to stage and just listed it the way it was. They didn’t stage and they also listed it as a two-bedroom, two-bath instead of a three-bedroom, two-bath. 

“The discount broker started at $425,000 and ended up at a price of $400,000 and still couldn’t sell it. So, I came in and said, ‘The first thing I’m going to do is stage and make this a three-bedroom because you have a walkout basement and you used the basement as your master anyway—it had a full bathroom, closet, and a walkout to a nice patio. This should be the master and the other two small bedrooms are going to be staged.’

“It had exposed brick walls; it was a house built in 1898. It was a really cool property. I staged it, put it on the market. I wanted to start it at $425,000 and the sellers said, ‘We couldn’t even sell it at $400,000, I can’t believe you think we should go for $425,000.’

“I said, ‘Just trust me.’ 

“And so, we got 9 offers within 2 days and it sold for $455,000.”

Sell in early summer to reach the most buyers.

Bob Hryniewich at RE/MAX Masters Millennium
Bob has over 15 years experience and sells homes 54% faster than the average Aurora agent.

“Over the past 2 to 4 years, the best time to sell has become earlier and earlier. I think this is happening because parents that have kids in schools want to get their kid in that new school district before the school year starts in August. They’re not waiting until the last minute to make that change. A lot of people, too, are trying to make the move earlier in the year so they don’t waste their summer indoors.

“During the weekends in the summer, a normal drive that should take you an hour and a half will take you 3 to 4 hours due to the number of people going up to the mountains to enjoy the outdoors. So we’re seeing buyer activity pick up around late January, meaning the best time to sell a house is between February and June. Then it really slows down in August and September.” 

Don’t underestimate classic marketing techniques like signs and balloons for your open house.

Doug James at Re/max Masters Millennium
Doug has over 40 years experience and is a SFH expert, having sold 76% more single-family homes than the average Castle Rock agent.

“I do open houses at least 2 to 3 times a month. I think the best bang for your buck is generally the weekend. Whether you start early or start late, I don’t think that matters as much. Some people say, ‘Oh, there’s a Bronco game on, you’re wasting your time.’ Well, that’s not true. Buyers are out looking regardless.

“I always believe in having some animation, like brightly colored balloons and a lot of signs so that when people drive by, if they’re even thinking of going to an open house, they can’t help but say ‘Oh my gosh, what is going on here?’ rather than a sign that looks very sterile, as if someone left it there 2 weeks ago from their last open house.

“We also advertise the open house on the MLS, Realtor, and the Homendo app, but in the past, I’ve tracked where the business came from on an open house and 9 out of 10 would tell me that they found out about the open house by just seeing the signs. So that tells you that the people that you meet at an open house might be flying under the radar.“

Buyers looking for houses for sale in Denver will drop a contract at the whisper of mold—take care of this issue immediately.

Brian Thomas at BTT Real Estate
Brian has over 15 years of experience and has 557 transactions to date under his belt.

“There’s one document that’s used more than any other form in Colorado and that’s called a mold disclosure, which basically says that mold is dangerous and you should get it checked. And if there’s any mold discovered, you need to take care of it. I know buyers that would drop the contract if the disclosure showed mold in a crawlspace.

“It’s easy to get rid of it, but they drop the contract because they don’t know anything about mold. And most agents in the Denver metro area don’t know anything about mold either because it’s so dry here. Down in Florida, the feeling is ‘there’s mold, let’s do something about it,’ not a big deal. Up here, if anyone sees anything even resembling mold, they’ll run away screaming. 

“My advice to home sellers with mold would be to remediate it. Get rid of the mold. Hire a professional company to take care of it. If you know of any mold or if you see any mold or if an inspector finds any mold, the one thing that I would suggest is to get rid of it.”

Use local, trusted contractors to complete your home project.

Derek Gilbert at Keller Williams DTC
Derek has sold over 83% more properties than the average Centennial agent and has facilitated 424 transactions to date.

“In a lot of the neighborhoods that we specialize in, there are contractors that live there, know those homes and have been remodeling those homes for years. They do a great job of keeping up on the trends of the neighborhood. They know how much money to put into those properties because they’ve been doing those projects. They know what the cap is and they know what the expectation of the potential client is. 

“I’m not a big fan of using online companies to find contractors. I tend to find that a lot of those contractors are really expensive, and unless you have a higher value home, you might overspend on a contractor and that’s going to eat a lot into your budget. 

“So, I think local Realtors that are in your area that are doing a higher volume of business always have great resources. And I think places like Nextdoor, posting to your neighbors, and being able to get your hands on and see properties that have been completed in the neighborhood can be a huge resource as well.” 

Market your mountain view accurately to draw in the right buyer.

Shawn Engel at RE/MAX Alliance
Shawn has over 32 years experience and sells homes 45% quicker than the average Aurora agent.

“You have to be careful marketing mountain views in the Denver metro area because there are different categories of views. You might see the top of Pikes Peak from one particular window, on the top story, on a clear day. That mountain view has no value and you shouldn’t mention it in the marketing materials. To me, that is almost a bait-and-switch because all people are going to read is ‘mountain view.’ That’s what the internet is going to pick up and then your credibility as a broker and seller is going to diminish.

“Then, you have the medium mountain view where you are somewhat elevated in your neighborhood, maybe on a ridge of some sort. There are rooftops behind and below, and you have a clearer view where you can somewhat see a range of mountains. And, depending on the price range of the home, there is marketing and monetary value to that.

“Lastly, you have the high-end mountain view. That’s where your home is elevated, but behind you have a natural open space, like a creek or golf course, with the mountain views behind. Now that is a substantial upgrade monetarily. It could go upwards of $100,000, depending on the price range of the home. 

“So to market these types of views, pictures are worth a thousand words, especially today being so readily available. You’ve got to have a ton. Rather than having a picture of the half bath, use that picture, for example, for the view of the golf course with unobstructed mountain views. 

“You also want to have professional elevated drone photos and drone videos of the views to emphasize that from beginning to end. It’s worth every penny to get that done.”

Consult your agent before you overhaul your kitchen to get the best ROI.

Zach Otten at Keller Williams Realty Downtown
Zach has over 11 years of experience and has sold 83% more properties than the average Denver agent.

“If you’re thinking about a kitchen remodel, you need to consider how many years you will still be in the home. If you’re going to be in the house for the next 10 years, you should follow your tastes because you will get 10 years of enjoyment out of it. If you plan to sell in the next year or two, then, to get the highest return on your house, you need to match the tastes of the biggest pool of buyers.

“Denver buyers still like Ikea design, modern and sleek. The Joanna Gaines contemporary farmhouse look is also popular in the Metro Denver area. But where I usually start when trying to incorporate what buyers are looking for is to look at the designs online. Go to the IKEA websites or Pinterest boards and just see what other people are liking. 

“If you decide not to redo your whole kitchen, there are some steps you can do to present the property in the best light. Simple things like painting neutral wall colors, painting old, brown cabinets white, and installing nice, relatively inexpensive hardware will get you a much higher return on your home.”

Use drone videos when they add, not detract, from your marketing plan.

Brendan Bartic at Keller Williams Realty
Brendan specializes in Farm Property and has 819 transactions under his belt.

“Drone videos are the new hot craze right now. The problem is we want to sell the features of the house that are most beneficial. If your house has a tight lot and has other homes backing up to it and doesn’t have this amazing view, then you don’t want a drone video. You’re going to be drawing attention to the negatives of your property. 

“The time where you want to use a drone video is where you have an unbelievable view or lot location, like an oversized lot where there’s green space on both sides with no neighbors. In that case, we really want to feature why our house is $40,000 more than the next one. You can’t really get that across from still photos until you see a drone or an aerial circle of the property. 

“We also use it for our horse properties. We’ve got barns, we’ve got stalls, we’ve got riding rings so the drone helps you get a feel for the acreage. If you’re selling a 35-acre horse farm, the drone is fantastic. 

“If you’re selling a $200,000-$300,000 dollar home in a very tight neighborhood it’s actually going to be a hindrance to your property because you’re showing how close you are to the neighbors. So it really just depends on whether the lot and the view is helping or hurting you. Just because everybody’s doing it doesn’t mean it’s the best way to market your property.”