Denver’s news about foreclosures led the national media for some time. Now Denver ranks 10th on the national scale. Real estate values in the metro Denver area never had the fast run up that cities like Phoenix, or Las Vegas experienced. Sadly our large minority populations seemed to have been victims of predatory lending now creating massive foreclosures in the inter-city neighborhoods. The builders who qualified about any buyer who could fog a mirror sold overpriced homes with huge incentives to buyers who added tens of thousands of dollars worth of upgrades to their already inflated mortgage amount. The result created massive foreclosures in the ex-burbs.

Today, Denver is looking up! Construction cranes populate the city as premium developments pop-up all around town. High dollar to extravagant projects are selling fast. Four Seasons & Ritz Carlton condominium offerings begin at $800 a square foot with already sold penthouses going for $10 million. Denver is fast becoming a destination for well healed 2nd home purchasers.

Re-developments like Fitzsimons, formerly a huge military hospital is fast becoming the largest medical campus in the United States. The old University of Colorado med school and University hospital moved to Fitz leaving a plum in the middle of east Denver, a prime re-development location. Conoco/Phillips Oil just purchased the former campus of Storage Tech for $55 million. The property will be developed into the largest alternative energy research facility in the world. Estimated 10,000 new jobs in the next 10 years. Major malls like SouthGlenn and Buckingham Square have been leveled and contemporary “main street” style shopping will soon replace 60″ style of indoor mall.

FastTracks, Denver’s’  is spreading to the west from central Denver creating opportunities for more urban-centric development at the lightrail stops. The Democratic convention comes to town in August and will show off the City and the Rocky Mountains to world.

Economists, local and national agree, Denver will lead the country out of the housing doldrums. Yes, the mortgage lenders are making it hard to get a loan, but no time is a better time to buy real estate in the Denver Colorado 6 county real estate markets