Denver is one of the hottest markets in the country right now, and it has been for the last couple of years. One look at the Denver skyline shows more cranes than a Florida marsh.
While the market is tight, there’s still opportunity if you know where to look. Before you get started, here’s 101 things you need to know about real estate investing in Denver. While most of it is investment related, we included some fun facts for you as well, because who doesn’t like to have a little fun.
Top Investment Brokerages
If you’re new to the market, or new to investing, finding a broker experienced in Denver real estate investing is essential to your success. These are a couple of our favorite investor-friendly real estate brokerages in Denver.
Real estate clubs
Spending time with other investors in your local market is one of the best ways to find business partners, wholesalers, education, and even deals. Here are the top real estate clubs in Denver.
Top Meetups
Meetup.Com has some great investor-focused gatherings where you can network and mastermind with like-minded investors in Denver.
- Meetup.com Real Estate Investment Hour
- Denver Real Estate Investment Strategies
- Denver Real Estate Investors Workshop
Investor-Friendly Title Companies
Anyone who is doing a lot of deals needs a great investor-friendly closing agent on their side. Here are our favorite investor friendly title companies in Denver.
Hard money lenders
Ready to close a deal, but don’t know where to get the funds? Any of these Denver based hard money lenders is a good place to start.
Traditional lenders
If you’re ready to put a 15 or 30 year mortgage on your rental property, put a renter in place, and reap the benefits of cashflow, one of these traditional lenders may be the next person to talk to on your list.
Top Wholesalers
A reliable wholesaler is an essential contact in every real estate investors rolodex. Denver has no shortage of real estate investment wholesalers. Here’s a list of our favorite wholesalers for Denver real estate investing.
- http://www.thebacongroup.com/#!wholesale/cee5
- http://denverrehabdeals.com/wholesalerealestatedenver-deals/
- http://rehabdealscolorado.com/deals/
- http://www.thehouseninjas.com/
- http://redheadproperties.com/
- http://www.cheaphousesdenver.com/
- http://www.thedenverwholesaledeals.com/
- http://invest-success.com/
- http://cowboyinvestmentsllc.com/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi
- http://www.infinityredeals.com/
- ttp://denverinvestorwholesale.com/about/
- http://www.theprivatemarket.com/
- http://www.terradomainvestmentgroup.com/
- http://denverwholesaleproperties.net/
- http://www.wootinvestments.com/
Rehab supplies
Once you’ve locked down your next flip, you need to figure out how to keep costs under control. Denver has some great resources for cheap or discounted rehab supplies.
Denver-based real estate technology companies
Denver is home to a number of prominent real estate tech companies.
Licensing and Education
Ready to up your game, or get your real estate license? These real estate schools can help you get started with Denver real estate investing.
- Colorado Real Estate School
- Colorado Free University
- Arapahoe Community College
- http://creschool.com/
- https://www.kapre.com/real-estate-courses/colorado
- http://armbrust-rei.com/
- http://www.aplusrealestateschool.com/
- https://www.realestateexpress.com/prelicense/co/prelicense_info.asp
- http://www.macrealestate.com/
- http://www.vaned.com/index.cfm/fa/PRE/fa2/intro/state/CO
January 2016 Market stats - Denver Metro Area
- Source: DMAR Market Trends Report
- http://www.metrodenver.org/research-reports/monthly-economic-indicators/
- Inventory levels – January ended the month with a total of 4,221 active listings (single family and condos)
- Total transactions – 2,705 homes sold and closed (down 40 percent)
- Sales Volume – Sales volume was just over $1 billion last month.
- Average DOM – 44
- Median Sold Price – $317,000
- Active agents in Denver – 16,952 of the active, licensed brokers are in the Denver area. Source
- Apartment vacancy rates – 6.8%
2015 Flip stats
- Estimated number of Flips: 2,435
- Average time between acquisition and sale: 392
- Average DOM for a flip: 59
- Average gross profit: $108,047
- Average Gross Profit Percentage: 43%
City Information
- Year Denver was founded – November 22, 1858
- Origin of the name – In November 1858, General William Larimer, a land speculator from eastern Kansas, placed logs to stake a square-mile claim on the site of the St. Charles claim, across the creek from the existing mining settlement of Auraria. The majority of the settlers in St. Charles had returned to Kansas for the winter and left only a small number of people behind to guard their claim. Larimer and his followers gave the representatives whiskey, promises, and threats and the St. Charles claim was surrendered. [2][5]
- The name of the site was changed to “Denver City” after Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver, in an attempt to ensure that the city would become the county seat of then Arapahoe County, Kansas. Ironically, when Larimer named the city after Denver to curry favor with him, Denver had already resigned as governor and no longer had say in naming the capitol. Source
- City population 2014 estimated population of 663,862 Source
- Metro population – 3,011,536 Source
- Crime rate: Denver has a crime index of 12. Which means it’s safer than 12% of other US cities. Source
- Population growth – Denver grew by 2.8% from 648,401 in 2013 to 663,862 in 2014. Source
Economic stats
- Average weekly wages $1,089
- Unemployment rate 3.1% (down from 4% a year ago)
- Average annual housing expenditure
- Average hourly wage $25.51
- Percent of companies hiring 23%
Neighborhood Facts
- # Of Zip Codes – Est. 66
- # of neighborhoods – The City and County of Denver has 78 official neighborhoods as of January 2013. Source
- HIghest priced neighborhood: City Park source: Trulia
- Lowest price neighborhood: Elryia Swansea Trulia
Top school districts
School data provided by National Center for Education Statistics, Maponics, and GreatSchools.org. Intended for reference only. GreatSchools Ratings compare a school’s test performance to statewide results. To verify enrollment eligibility, contact the school or district directly.
- Littleton School District No. 6 In The County Of Arapahoe District
15571 students
17 student/teacher - Jefferson County School District No. R-1 District
85793 students
17 student/teacher - Boulder Valley School District No. Re2 District
29780 students
17 student/teacher - Cherry Creek School District No. 5 In The County Of Arapahoe District
52655 students
17 student/teacher - Denver Public Schools District
80890 students
17 student/teacher
Top Denver real estate publications
Top 10 Real estate agents
Source: US News
- Jennifer Apel
Nostaligic Homes
annual sales 124 - Susie Best
Live Urban Real Estate
annual sales 78 - Lake Bishop
MB Cavallaro Realty LLC
annual sales 55 - Ilona Botton
Redfin
annual sales 47 - Shelley Bridge
Re/Max Cherry Creek
annual sales 50 - B2brokers Buss-Bauman
Coldwell Banker Residential
annual sales 44 - Jorge Chavez
Re/Max Southeast
annual sales 38 - Dee Chirafisi
Kentwood City Properties
annual sales 34 - Laurie Erb
Re/Max Cherry Creek
annual sales 37 - Vivi Gloriod
Cherry Creek Properties LLC
annual sales 37
Historical or famous/notable homes in Denver
Source: CBS Denver
- Byers-Evans House Museum
1310 Bannock St.
Denver, CO 80204
(303) 620-4933
www.historycolorado.org - Molly Brown House Museum
1340 Pennsylvania St.
Denver, CO 80203
(303) 832-4092
www.mollybrown.org - The Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion
400 E. 8th Ave.
Denver, CO 80203
(303) 866-3861
www.colorado.gov - Four Mile Historic Park
715 S. Forest St.
Denver, CO 80246
(720) 856-0800
www.fourmilepark.org - Historic Fort Logan
3742 W. Princeton Circle
Denver, CO 80236
(303) 789-3568
www.friendsofhistoricfortlogan.org
Fun Facts about Denver
- Denver’s nicknamed the Mile High City because it sits at an elevation of exactly one mile, or 5280 feet.
- Denver is one of the sunniest cities in the US, with 300 annual days with some sunshine each year.
- Denver currently has more marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks stores.
- Denver brews more beer than any other city in the nation, with over 200 different beers brewed daily.
- Denver has the largest city park system in the nation, with 14,000 acres of mountain parks and 2,500 acres of natural areas.
- At just over 26 miles long, Colfax Avenue is the longest continuous street in America.
- Denver was home to the very first Chipotle Mexican Grill, down the street from Denver University
- Denver’s NFL team, the Denver Broncos, won their 3rd super bowl this year
- Birthplace of BiggerPockets.com
- The Colorado state capitol building’s interior has large amounts of Colorado Rose Onyx. The world’s entire known supply of the material was used on the building.
- The Denver mint is the single largest producer of coins in the world. You can tell if a coin is made in Denver by a D mark.
- 101. Denver is the birthplace of Privy Real Estate software
DID YOU KNOW?
Privy automates the tedious task of searching the MLS for deals, analyzing properties and running comps. Get the after repair value (ARV) of a property in seconds with our LiveCMA. You'll find deals in in unexpected places, and save hours in the process.
