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Shocking!

[0:00] Not since the 2008 crash have we seen numbers like this in Denver. Active listings are up 44% year-over-year. But here's the real shock. People aren't just selling, they're straight up getting out of the Denver metro area. And in this video, I'm going to show you the top seven Denver suburbs people are bailing on the fastest. Exactly how many people have left, what it actually costs to live there, and what's finally making folks say, "That's it. I'm out." Now, starting with number seven on the list, kicking it off is Lewisville. Now, this one honestly shocks a lot of people because it's Boulder County's poster child for smalltown charm. But here's the reality check. Since 2021, Lewisville has lost 2.8% of its population, dropping from about 21,000 down to about 20,000 in 2 years. Why?

#7

[0:51] What is going on? Well, first you've got the obvious, the Marshall fire. Now, that was absolutely devastating for a lot of people. Over a thousand homes were lost. Now, some folks have rebuilt here, but a lot just packed up and left for good, either because insurance didn't come close to covering the cost to rebuild or they figured it was time for a fresh start somewhere else. But here's what's really pushing people out now. The cost. Median home price in Lewisville is sitting at about 875,000.

[1:22] And most of these homes are built in the 80s and 90s. Nothing new, nothing too fancy, but you're dropping nearly a million bucks on a house that probably needs some updates, right? And to give you an idea of what you can actually buy right now in Lewisville, we can start with the most inexpensive in Lewisville, which is this two-bedroom, one bath, 900 ft² condo. Or on the upper end, for about 3.6 6 million. You have this beautiful new construction, 6,500 ft², 6 bedrooms, 7 baths. And if you are finding yourself interested in the Denver market or confused by it and want help making sense of it, just shoot me a text message. Here's my phone number. Or you can scan this QR code to get on my weekly email list to stay more up todate on the Denver market than anywhere else.

[2:09] Now, in Lewisville to boot, there's barely any new construction here, right? Land is limited. Builders aren't coming in to save the day building thousands of homes. So prices just keep climbing. Families, retirees looking at nextdoor places like Eerie or Superior where you are likely to get much more house at much better prices, more land, newer builds. Bottom line, Lewisville is still beautiful. I love the suburb, but for a lot of people, it's turned into a pay more get less type of deal. And that's a big reason why they're saying, "I'm done and I'm out." All right, number six on our list is Boulder. And this one raises some eyebrows because Boulder is basically Colorado royalty, right?

#6

[2:55] Killer views, tech money, Pearl Street, hiking right out your back door, all of it. But even with all of that, Boulder's lost over 3,200 people since 2017. That's about a 3% drop in population, taking it from roughly 109,000 people down to 106,000. So, what's driving people out of one of the most iconic cities in the country? Now, I can hear most of you saying politics, right? And you want me to rag on how liberal of a city it is, but to be fair, if you want to live in Boulder, the politics usually won't scare you away. But I can see it being a deterrent for newcomers wanting to move in. But the number one real reason, it's brutally expensive. I mean, this is Boulder, right? The median home price in Boulder right now is around a million bucks. And let's be real, that's not starter home territory. That's you already better be wealthy territory. And number two, Boulder's super strict on its growth, which exacerbates the pricing issue. They protect open space, which is awesome for views and hikings, but it also means hardly any new homes get built. Or if they do, they're $4 million plus. So unless you're already in, your chances of buying here are really, really slim. The prices just keep getting crazier because there's no new inventory. And I've seen it firsthand. Even people making solid six-figure incomes look at Boulder and go, "Why am I spending all this for a tiny place with builder grade finishes?" So, what can you actually buy in Boulder today? Well, on the low end, you can buy something like this condo for 210,000.

[4:32] Probably more affordable than you thought. Two-bedroom, one bath, 750 ft place. And on the upper end, a cool 30 million for what is a fantastically beautiful home that should be on Crips. Now, beyond price, a lot of old school locals are going to tell you that Boulders kind of lost that laidback, earthy vibe it had 30 plus years ago. It's way more highrung. It's way less middle class. And honestly, some just don't feel like they fit anymore into Boulder. So, yeah, Boulder's still gorgeous. It'll always be a status city here. I do still love Boulder, but for more and more people, the price tag and the change in culture has them packing up and just saying, "I'm going to take my million somewhere else." Right. And coming in at number five, North Glenn.

#5

[5:16] Now, this used to be the go-to if you wanted to stay close to Denver without paying an arm and a leg. But it's been quietly shrinking over the last few years, losing about 1,200 people or a 3.1% drop in population over the last few years. So, what is pushing people out of North Glenn? Well, first, you do have crime taken up here, right? you have older infrastructure and honestly some people just drive through certain parts of North Glenn and instantly decide nope this isn't for me. Then you have the median home price here which is about 475,000 which on paper sounds super reasonable for Denver metro and it is but when you look closer most of these homes were built in the '60s the '7s. They're smaller footprints dated curb appeal not what people want out of today's homes and they're often in need of serious updates. So, what does North Glenn have to offer housing-wise? Well, what you can buy in the 370 range is a great little townhouse like this, two bedrooms, two baths at 1,200 square ft.

[6:20] And on the upper end, you have something like this at 3,800 ft² for 650,000, which is a newer built home. Now, schools and reputation, it's kind of a mixed bag here, which matters a ton for young families. Meanwhile, just next door in places like Westminster or Reunion to the east, you're seeing newer homes, bigger lots, more of a community feel and newer infrastructure. So, spending a little bit more money get you a whole lot more. It's easy to see why people are kind of saying, "Why settle for North Clinton?" Bottom line, it's still affordable compared to most of Denver, but for a lot of buyers, it's just not worth the trade-offs anymore.

[6:59] And that's exactly why the population is sliding. All right, on to number four. Littleton. And I was surprised to see this on the list because honestly, Littleton is one of my favorite suburbs in the entire Denver metro area. It's charming. It's historic. You've got that walkable old town feeling vibe coffee shops. Plus, you have the foothills just minutes away. But here's the hard truth. Littleton's lost about 3.4% of its population since 2020. So, what in the world is going on in Littleton? Well, for starters, the population is aging fast. Roughly 20% of Littleton's residents are over the age of 65, and many aren't exactly rushing to sell, which means you've got widows or single homeowners staying put in place in these larger family homes. So, turnover to allow families of four or five to move in is really slow. Meanwhile, the homes themselves, well, mostly older ranchers or mid-century moderns, which a lot of them are really cool. That might look great, but a lot need a ton of updates to get to today's standards. You're paying a medium price of around 660,000, and that still might have to dump another 100,000 into it and renovations to bring it up to what you actually want. But I love the homes in Littleton.

#4

[8:20] And here's what you can buy today. On the lower end, for 175,000, you can buy what looks kind of like an investment property. Two bedrooms, one bath. That's 743 square ft. And on the upper end, h just incredible. $8 million for this house. But look at this. This is this is incredible. Look at those rock features you have in the backyard. Like there's very few places in the world that can compete with anything like this. Now, you also need to add in commuting to the equation here in Littleton. If you work downtown or in DTC, it can be a real hassle to get to. There's not a great straight shot to either of them except for up Santa Fe to get to downtown and that can be a real pain at most times.

[9:02] Now, suddenly places like Englewood or Southern Denver start to look a lot more practical when you put the commute into it. So, yeah, Littleton still feels like home. It's got that heart. It's got that feel, but for a growing number of people, it's just getting too expensive for what you get. A little too stuck and too hard to justify. And that's why the numbers keep sliding a little bit on top of the aging population. All right, coming in at number three, Centennial.

#3

[9:28] Now, on paper, this place looks like one of the safest bets in the entire Denver metro area. It's got nice neighborhoods. It's close to the tech center, lots of great shopping. But here's what most people don't see. Centennials quietly lost over 4,400 residents since 2018, which is a 4% decline, which is the biggest so far on this list. So, what's driving people to abandon Centennial? Well, if you're looking for a community feeling with a cutesy downtown area and your local coffee shop, Centennial just doesn't check the box. People look to Arvvada, Parker, and even Littleton for that. Centennial just doesn't have a central hub to it, and that deters a lot of people. Now, the median home price is about 650,000. And there's plenty of options here. And if you're looking in Centennial, you could buy today something like this condo at 185,000, onebedroom, one bath, 720 ft. And on the upper end at 3.4 million, you've got this 11,000 ft beautiful home on a spanuay. Then there's the traffic. As the outer suburbs grow around Centennial, squeezes all this traffic heavily through Centennial. So, what used to be a quick commute on large open roads is now traffic on large not so open roads. And just like Littleton, you've got a ton of longtime owners aging out, cashing in a bit on equity and moving somewhere cheaper or newer.

[10:55] Meanwhile, buyers start to compare Centennial to places more like Parker or Castle Pine where they get more house, newer layouts, better finishes, and sometimes for a lot less money. So yeah, Centennial is still solid, but for more and more folks, it's just not worth the premium anymore, and that's why people are quietly drifting out. And coming in at number two is Highlands Ranch, which it might be number one, but but stay tuned because we're getting to number one here. And this one really surprises a lot of people because for decades, Highlands Ranch has been the go-to for families, professionals, even retirees.

#2

[11:29] It's clean. It's safe. There's tons of parks and trails. But since 2020, Highlands Ranch has lost over 5,500 residents, which is a 5.2% decline. So, what's up with the mass exodus? Well, it's basically a maturity problem. Highlands Ranch boomed in the late 90s and early 2000s. So, now a lot of the original owners are aging. They're downsizing, moving closer to kids and grandkids, are heading to states like Arizona and Texas where their money stretches way, way further. Then there's the price. The median home price here is about 730,000, which sounds great until you realize most of these homes are 20 to 30 years old with builder grade finishes that haven't been touched since they were built. And if you're wondering what you can buy in Highlands Ranch today, well, on the lower end, for about 300,000, you can get this one-bedroom, one bath, 700 ft² condo. Looks like it's in great shape. And on the upper end for about 6 million, right near the foothills, you have this sprawling 8200 ft², five bedrooms, seven baths, brand new build. And yeah, Highlands Ranch does have that classic suburban sprawl feel to it. And people do joke that it feels more like California than Colorado with its master plan communities and new shopping centers everywhere, but it's just not a lot of the vibe most people that would be Coloradoatans are wanting.

[12:49] add in rising HOAs, insurance premiums that keep climbing and a 30 plus minute commute into downtown Denver on most days. And it's no wonder people are saying, "Hey, for this kind of money, I'd rather go to Castle Rock." Right? Highlands Ranch isn't declining because it's bad, right? It's just kind of aged out of its growth phase and now buyers are looking for something a bit fresher. Now, if you are debating in your own life, whether that's moving here to the Denver area or moving out of it and you want some clarity, just shoot me a text message. Here's my phone number or scan this QR code to get on my weekly email to stay more up to date on the Denver market than anywhere else. Now, on to number one, which Highlands Ranch might have been because you'll see why here.

#1

[13:34] Cherry Hills Village, which if you know Cherry Hills, it's so exclusive and not a huge population, but this is a totally different animal. We're talking one of the most exclusive luxury zip codes in the entire country. CEOs, Old Money, even Payton Manning lives here. So, you'd think people would be fighting to get in, right? But the reality is Cherry Hills Village has actually lost 6.7% of its population over the past 5 years.

[14:03] Why? Well, first, this place is just on another planet price-wise. Depending on the month, the median home price swings between 2.5 million and $5 million. And that is not starter home territory. That's private chef money, right? So, as Denver's luxury market shifts, a lot of these high- netw worth owners are heading to the mountains or relocating for tax reasons. Then there's the estate turnover problem. A lot of these properties are owned by older residents and when they pass or they downsize, the home sits on the market, but they're so custom, they're so enormous that they can sit for a year or more before getting torn down. That means fewer homes actually occupied in the short term. And to buy right now in Cherry Hills, H well, if you're on a budget, you can buy this for 1.75 million. 411 South Ivy Lane, which is a fourbedroom, three bath, 3,300 square foot home. And if money isn't an object, 18 million for 4603 South Denise Drive in Cherry Hills, which kind of looks like a castle. So yeah, Cherry Hills is still the cream of the crop. But even at the very, very top, you're seeing people quietly cash out, hedge against market changes, or just decide that they don't need 20,000 square ft anymore. It's a small slice of the market for sure, but it proves something bigger. Even the most prestigious neighborhoods in Denver are not bulletproof. But here's the twist most people don't expect, and that most people in the comments will probably have missed this part to be honest with you. But while these seven suburbs are losing residents, the Denver metro area as a whole is still growing. Between 2020 and 2024, Denver metro's population grew by roughly 82,000 people. That's a 2.8% 8% increase overall. What we're seeing is more of a rebalancing. As some longestablished suburbs slow down or age out, growth is picking up in places like Castle Rock, Erie, Windsor. You know, people are still moving to Colorado faster than some are leaving. They're just choosing different places than they used to. But if you're wondering what it's really like to live in Denver, and you've heard some things about our city or state that you want the real scoop on, you need to watch this video.

The Most Important Part!!!