The last thing anybody wants to hear, on a shopping day when Christmas is just two weeks away, is that you need to keep one eye focused on the real estate market. But opportunities are out there now that won’t be around after the tinsel is down and the tree is gone.
Thatap particularly true if you’re one of many buyers during the lingering pandemic who are feeling the urge to relocate to more space, more privacy, a better floor plan, and more scenic surroundings.
“Custom builders are seizing the opportunity to deliver homes like that, but the supply of home sites with the size and features to match those requirements is fast disappearing,” says Trent Getsch at Timbers at the Pinery in Parker.
Getsch has seen demand for his large sites wrapped in ponderosa pines increase rapidly this year—a rare situation where his seven participating builders have been hard pressed to launch and finish custom-spec homes before they’re absorbed by buyers.
“A year ago you could have found a handful of custom 4-bedroom walkout ranches on half-acre sites, ready or near-ready for move-in,” he adds.
“Today thatap totally unrealistic to expect. Buyers need to be looking at the few custom homes on track to deliver in 2022, or should be picking out a site to start a home from scratch.”
Real estate agents are saying the same thing. As the inventory of homes for sale in the 11-county Denver area drops to around 2,200, this week the Denver Metro Realtors Association put out a general warning to agents to expect an “extreme seller’s market” this spring. National economists are seeing a U.S. home-ownership vacancy rate thatap below 1%—not experienced since the mid-1950s.
At Timbers, two of the opportunities to be had right now are walkout ranches, each in mountain-contemporary elevations, that can deliver by spring/summer. Getsch can show you plans for one by Summerwood Homes, on track for spring delivery, four bedrooms plus a study, six baths, and a 4-car garage. Itap priced at $2.39 million, and a buyer that gets involved now can still order some custom features and special finishes.
Getsch can also show you a walkout ranch by Sterling Custom Homes, four bedrooms, five bath, headed for summer delivery, at $1.990 million.
Even if you have time to order a ranch from scratch, you need to be picking a site from a recent release of half-acre sites surrounded by pine forest. Sites, too, are getting in shorter supply, says Getsch—particularly in closer-in custom communities like Timbers, just 25 minutes from the Denver Tech Center.
Prices start from $1.5 million. Other builders are Ashbur Construction, Gladstone Custom Homes, JW Luxury Homes, Kopasz Custom Homes, and Stately Custom Homes. Getsch will tell you about Pinery Country Club, shopping within five minutes, the high-speed internet, natural gas lines, and city water and sewer services.
Head south on Parker Road past the country club to S. Pinery Parkway and turn east 2.5 miles.
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this postap preparation.