The May 2026 snapshot
Across the 11-county Denver Metro footprint:
- Median closed price: $615,000 (up 3 percent year over year)
- Homes closed: 4,054 (down 2 percent)
- Pending listings: 4,232 (up 5 percent)
- New listings: 6,002 (down 18 percent)
- Median days in MLS: 16 (up 2 days)
- Active inventory: down 8 percent, about 13 weeks of supply
Source: REcolorado May 2026 Housing Market Report. Counties covered: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson, and Park.
What I am seeing on the ground
May is normally the busiest month of the year here, and this time the headline was supply, not price. New listings across the metro came in at 6,002, down 18 percent from a year ago. Fewer owners put their homes up for sale, and that pullback shaped the whole month. Even with less to choose from, the median closed price rose to $615,000, up 3 percent from last May, and homes still went under contract quickly.
The number I kept coming back to was new listings. When fewer homes hit the market but buyers keep signing contracts, the people out shopping are competing over a smaller group of choices. Pending sales reached 4,232, up 5 percent year over year, and median days in MLS held at 16. Two weeks to a contract is not a slow market, even with prices where they are.
Around Littleton, Ken Caryl, and 80127, the same split I saw all spring held through May. A home priced to the last 90 days of closed sales and shown in good shape still drew real interest in the first week or two. A home priced to a number from last summer sat, came down, and sat again. That held across 80123, 80127, and 80128, and May did not change it.
Closer to home: Jefferson and Douglas County
Littleton does not sit inside one county. The Ken Caryl side, 80127 and 80128, plus most of 80123, is Jefferson County, while the homes I work on the south and east edge run into Douglas County and its Highlands Ranch and Castle Rock markets. So I watch both.
One note on timing. REcolorado posts the full county-level numbers a few weeks behind the metro figure above, so the most recent county data I can stand behind today is April 2026. Here is where the two counties closest to my work stood:
- Jefferson County: median closed price $650,000, up 0.3 percent year over year. Closed sales 846, up 11 percent. New listings 1,242, down 2.6 percent. Median days in MLS 30.
- Douglas County: median closed price $715,000, down 1.4 percent year over year. Closed sales 638, down 4.8 percent. New listings 1,053, down 3.7 percent. Median days in MLS 40.
The contrast is worth seeing. Jefferson County, where most of my Littleton and Ken Caryl work happens, kept prices firm and actually closed more homes than a year earlier. Douglas County, at a higher price point, saw sales ease and the median give back a little ground. If you are weighing Littleton against Highlands Ranch or Castle Rock, that gap is exactly the kind of thing I can walk through for your price range. I will refresh these numbers the moment REcolorado posts the May county data.
Source: REcolorado Local Market Update, Jefferson County and Douglas County (April 2026).
For buyers
With fewer new listings this spring, the job is being ready when the right home shows up, because the well-priced ones are not sitting around. You still have more room to be deliberate than you would have had two years ago, just not on the best homes in the best zip codes.
Three things to know:
- Your mortgage rate moves your monthly payment more than the list price does. Sit down with a lender and look at a real payment at three or four price points before you fall for one address.
- Supply is tight, so when the right home comes up in 80127, be ready to act. Just do not overpay out of fear. The metro median is firm at $615,000, not spiking, and a good agent will keep you anchored to the comps.
- The homes that move fastest are the ones where the seller already handled the deferred maintenance. If a listing has been sitting, ask what the seller will not fix and price that into your offer.
For sellers
Fewer owners listed in May, which means less direct competition for a home that shows well. That is an opening. It only works if the price is right from the first day, because a 16-day median means buyers move fast on fair value and skip right past wishful pricing.
Three things to know:
- Recent closed comps in your own zip code drive your offer, not the highest list price you remember seeing. Buyers and their agents are reading the last 90 days of sales, not last year’s peak.
- Your first two weeks on market decide whether you get a fair-market offer or become the listing that chases the price down. Price for the market you are in, not the one you wish you had.
- Presentation earns the offer. Clean photos, light staging, and a walk-through with nothing to apologize for separate week-one interest from a week-three reduction.
Frequently asked questions
Are home prices dropping in Denver?
No. The median closed price in May 2026 was $615,000, up 3 percent from a year ago. Prices are firm, not falling. The bigger shift this spring was on the supply side, with new listings down 18 percent, not on price.
Is now a good time to buy a home in Littleton?
For buyers with steady income and a reasonable down payment, yes. Well-priced homes still come up in 80123, 80127, and 80128, and sellers are willing to talk. Your specific mortgage rate at the time of purchase is the biggest variable, so talk to a lender before you start touring.
What is the median home price in Denver Metro in May 2026?
$615,000 across the 11-county Denver Metro footprint per REcolorado. That covers Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson, and Park counties.
How long are homes taking to sell in Denver right now?
Median days in MLS for May 2026 was 16. Well-priced homes in neighborhoods like Ken Caryl often go faster than that, while overpriced homes or homes that need work sit longer than the median.
Where are the best deals in Denver Metro right now?
With new listings down across the metro, deals are tighter than they were a year ago. The higher price points tend to give buyers more room, which showed up in Douglas County’s April figures. In Littleton specifically, 80123 and 80128 usually give a buyer a bit more breathing room than 80127, where Ken Caryl and TrailMark hold steady demand.
If you want my read on what these numbers mean for your specific zip code, your specific neighborhood, or your specific situation, call me at 303-210-6156 or reach me at karinjacoby.com.
A Littleton Colorado broker since 1999.