By Mark Samuelson

Montclair neighborhood just west of Lowry has lots going for it, including good access to Lowry’s Town Center, lower prices than much of the surrounding area, along with some of Denver’s most eclectic architecture…such as a contemporary house you can tour this afternoon that could as likely be a few blocks off Hollywood Boulevard as Denver.

Mable Sutton of Leonard-Leonard & Associates, who partners John Patterson, has the listing on 7070 Richthofen, with modern architecture in Montclair.

Realtors aren’t sure who designed 7070 Richthofen Parkway, built in 1978…but it might have been lifted from Dr. Seuss–modern, and more than a little offbeat, even some rococo twists and turns. “It’s a perfect single-family alternative for somebody who might want a loft, but doesn’t want an HOA,” says Realtor Mable Sutton of Leonard Leonard, who’s partnering on the listing with David Patterson. more »

By Mark Samuelson
In the news game, “if it bleeds, it leads” …even for real estate news. Year 2008 saw so much carnage around the country that even here, where much of the really bad news happened two and three years ago, headlines headed in the direction of doom and gloom.

…But not this year. Now most ink about the Mile High City is decidedly upbeat…starting with foreclosures: down 11.8% last year over 2007, the first clear drop in metro foreclosures since the 1990s. more »

By Mark Samuelson
The limos and busses have departed, the private jets are plowing the skies back to L.A. and Chicago, and commentators and bloggers are all over the map as to who came out well and by how much. But there’s little doubt about how Denver did this week. It won big.

Larimer Square, three blocks from the Pepsi Center

While 40,000-plus convention visitors were taking in the café scene and nice weather on the Mall, the Case-Shiller Home Price Index issued by Standard & Poor’s arrived showing the Mile-High City leading the entire nation in home appreciation–up 1.5% May to June–the only major market, save for Boston, headed upward.

“The reason we’re having success is that the downward trend in inventory is already affecting prices,” Jack O’Connor, managing broker at Prestige Real Estate Group, told me. O’Connor, who authors a widely read report, is predicting price increases for 2009, particularly in the under-$300,000 range where listings are disappearing fastest. more »