“How much does it cost?” is the first question most buyers ask me, and it deserves a straighter answer than “it depends.” So here are the real numbers from October 2026 DMAR data — and then the costs people forget to budget for.
Start with the price
The median is the middle of the market — half of homes sold for more, half for less. It’s a planning number, not an entry point and not a ceiling.
In October 2026, the median close price for a detached home in Denver was $645,000, down less than 1% from a year earlier. Prices are holding, not sliding. For a condo or townhome, the median was $375,000, with 7+ months of supply — a buyer’s segment, and the lowest rung on the Denver ownership ladder right now.
At the top end, luxury is its own world. In September 2026 data, homes over $1 million were up 1.99% in closed sales year to date (4,449 closings), with $7.30 billion in dollar volume. High-end buyers are not sitting out.
So your first budget question isn’t really “Denver or not.” It’s “which segment” — because $375,000 and $645,000 are both “the Denver market,” and they behave very differently. Overall inventory was 4.72 months in October; the leverage you have depends on which side of that average your segment sits.
The down payment
Your down payment is the biggest check most buyers write — and here’s a line I draw on purpose: the exact number is your lender’s table, not your agent’s. How much you need down depends on your loan, your lender, and your situation — your credit, your reserves, the property itself. Any tidy example an agent works off a median price is a guess made with your money.
What a good lender does is run your real numbers up front — before you tour a single home — so you know your down payment, your closing costs, and your monthly payment to the dollar. That’s the only math worth planning around, and if you don’t have a lender yet, I’m happy to connect you with lenders I trust who do exactly that.
The one piece of advice I will give every buyer: don’t drain yourself to zero to hit a down-payment number. Moving, furnishing, and the first year of ownership all cost money too. Your lender can show you the trade-offs between putting more down and keeping cash in reserve — ask before you’re committed, not after.
Closing costs — and the concession that can cover them
On top of the down payment, buyers pay closing costs — lender fees, title work, and prepaid taxes and insurance, among other items. Treat it as a real line item, not a rounding error. And same rule as the down payment: the exact total is lender math. It depends on your loan and your closing date, and your lender should itemize every bit of it for you in writing, up front — no percentages or rules of thumb from me.
Here’s the good news, and it’s specific to this market: in October 2026, 65% of Denver sales included a seller concession, averaging $12,557. That money can be applied to your closing costs or used to buy down your interest rate. In a slower market — October closings were 2,748, down 23.54% year over year — sellers are helping buyers get deals done. Asking for a concession is normal right now, not bold.
Your rate is part of the cost
The 30-year fixed rate was 7.18% on November 5, its third weekly drop in a row. The rate you lock — and whether a seller-funded buydown lowers it further — changes your true cost of buying as much as the price does. Two buyers paying the same price can have very different monthly payments. Get a real payment breakdown for your price range before you shop, not a generic online calculator number.
What about your agent?
One more line item people ask about: what does it cost to have a buyer’s agent? Straight answer — buyer-agent compensation is negotiable, and it’s agreed in writing before you tour homes. In many transactions the seller offers compensation to the buyer’s brokerage, but that is not automatic and not guaranteed. Before we start, I’ll walk you through exactly how it works in your situation so there are no surprises.
The honest total
Add it up and a Denver purchase is: price (median $645,000 detached, $375,000 condo/townhome), plus your down payment, plus closing costs — which a seller concession averaging $12,557 covered in part for two out of three October buyers — all shaped by the rate you lock.
Want the version of this with your numbers in it? Call or text me at 720-810-8887, or reach me at daxonre.com/contact/. I’m Daxon McInnis with Obsidian Real Estate Advisors, and I’ll break it down line by line.