#629: Is Denver's Rental Market in Trouble? 16-Year High Vacancy Reveals All

Denver inventory dropped year over year for the second month straight, and the split between detached and attached is reshaping where the real deals are. This July 2026 Denver real estate market update breaks down 13,115 active listings compared to 13,995 last July, with detached homes still holding value while condos and small multifamily take the hit. For patient investors, that divide is creating some of the best entry points we’ve seen in years. Host Chris Lopez sits down with Troy Howell of Nova Home Loans, Jeff White of Envision Advisors, and Brandon Scholten of Keyrenter Denver to walk through the numbers. The panel covers a 32% value decline across 30 distressed Colorado multifamily properties, a Douglas County office building sold at a 53% discount, and a West Denver fourplex that just dropped $75,000 on ask. The group also digs into why detached properties are up nearly 5% year over year on average while attached median prices are down 2.5%. Condo financing is getting harder, HOA bankruptcies are killing deals, and Class C rents have fallen from $1,380 to the $900s in some pockets. On the rental side, metro apartment vacancy hit a 16-year high at the end of 2025, but Q2 absorption of 6,550 units against just 2,314 new deliveries is pointing to a slow recovery. In This Episode We Cover: Why Denver inventory is falling year over year again in 2026 The detached vs attached divergence and what it means for buyers How 30 Colorado multifamily properties ended up in distress Why banks are extending the pretend on bad commercial debt A West Denver fourplex with Section 8 tenants sitting well below market How to house hack past the 10 loan cap using primary financing Why fourplex house hacks still pencil in 2026 Whether you’re hunting your first house hack or looking to reposition capital into distressed multifamily, this Denver real estate market update gives you the ground-level data to make your next move in Colorado. Watch the Youtube Video https://youtu.be/IjdMdbnZBtw Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and July Market Update Intro 01:10 Denver Inventory Drops Year Over Year Again 04:35 Life Events Driving Today’s Transactions 06:03 Detached vs Attached Market Split 08:12 Condo Financing and HOA Bankruptcy Story 10:10 Condo Foreclosures Running 2 to 3x Average 13:22 30 Distressed Colorado Multifamily Properties 15:10 Banks Extending the Pretend on Bad Debt 18:26 Metro Apartment Vacancy Hits 16-Year High 20:05 Occupancy Climbs Back to 94.4% 24:20 Douglas County Buys Office at 53% Off 26:56 West Denver Fourplex Drops $75K 28:30 Section 8 Rents Sitting Below Market 34:20 House Hacking Past the 10 Loan Cap Links in Podcast Troy Howell: [email protected] LinkedIn: Troy Howell Website: https://www.novahomeloans.com/loan-officer/troy-howell/ Brandon Scholten: [email protected] Website: https://keyrenterdenver.com/ Jeff White: [email protected] Keyrenter Denver Mid-Year Rental Market Review 2026 Douglas County School District Buys Meridian One at 53% Discount (BusinessDen) Denver Apartments Sell at 36% Discount, 180 Flats Deal (BusinessDen) Apartment Conversions in the Denver Tech Center (CPR) Who is Keyrenter? Keyrenter Property Management Denver provides rental solutions for homeowners and real estate investors in the metro area who are interested in transforming their properties into passive income. It offers various services, from property marketing and thorough applicant screening to tenant placement and 24/7 maintenance services. Keyrenter Denver’s team of experts can take the clients’ burden of managing their rental off their hands so they can get back to what matters to them. Who is Nova Home Loans? For over 40 years, we’ve been focused on helping homeowners find the perfect loan to fit their financial needs and personal goals. Working with NOVA is a personalized experience from initial application to final loan closing and beyond. We will be with you every step of the way toward successful homeownership. Start working with NOVA & Troy Howell today! NOVA FINANCIAL & INVESTMENT CORPORATION, DBA NOVA HOME LOANS NMLS 3087/ EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY/8055 EAST TUFTS AVENUE, SUITE 101/DENVER, CO