What you get for $2 million

Ken Radtke, a broker with Keller Williams Realty, stands in the eat-in kitchen at 1044 White Hawk Ranch Drive in Boulder. The 10,646-square-foot home lists for $2.1 million. Jonathan Castner

Elizabeth Gold
As the price goes up, so do the expectations.

Buyers in the $2 million range look for luxury and investment potential, according to Ken Radtke, broker with Keller Williams Realty.

"They want to feel the value," he said. That means aiming for alder wood trim over oak and imported marbles. It makes buyers feel like they've made a better investment and that the value will go up due to these features."

Houses in the $2 million category are often negotiable within an average range of 4 percent from list to sale amount, whereas homes in the $300,000 to $500,000 tend to sell more for the asking price.

Three years ago, Radtke said, negotiations for homes priced at $1.5 million and higher were bringing the asking prices down a lot more than 4 percent.

"It's a moving target, but generally the $2 million houses are now on the market for about a year or so," Radtke said. "Prices came down slightly last year, and they're coming back up to where they were now and holding."

The number of home sales in this range has also started to increase. "There were 50 sales in six months in White Hawk," he said, "whereas during the prior three-year period we only saw two sales."

The market for these $2 million-plus homes is split between people moving in-state for jobs and people looking for second homes in an area they frequent.

Features commonly sought include an excess of 10,000 square feet built with higher-end materials on an acre or more of land.

Radtke is listing a house at 1044 White Hawk Ranch Drive in Boulder. "Buyers are very, very discriminating. They know what they want," he said. "And they'll go somewhere else or build it themselves if they don't find the one they want."
1044 White Hawk Ranch Dr., Boulder | List price: $2.1 million
http://www.coloproperty.com/listing/details/998374


Unique features

This ranch house in the White Hawk Ranch Subdivision was built in 2006. The builder built it for himself.


Inside

The house includes an eat-in kitchen, a separate dining room, cathedral/vaulted ceilings, an open floor plan, a walk-in closet, fireplaces, a wet bar, granites, marbles, fire sprinklers and a kitchen island. It also has guest quarters over the garage.


Outside

Four- space garage, patio, oversized garage, mature landscaping, mountain views and a covered patio.
3002 75th St., Boulder | List price: $1.995 million
http://www.coloproperty.com/listing/details/1003631


Unique features

Built in 2002, this farmhouse is zoning-appropriate for three horses. The modern house is built around an original 40-by-60-foot barn structure that the owners found in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The property contains an apple orchard in a pastoral setting that's surrounded by organic farms and boasts attractive views.


Inside

The house has radiant heat, an eat-in kitchen, a separate dining room, cathedral/vaulted ceilings, an open floor plan, pantry, wood windows, a walk-in closet, a loft, fire sprinklers and fireplaces.


Outside

The building includes a three space garage, storage buildings, a balcony, patio, enclosed porch, a wooded lot with evergreen and deciduous trees, and native grass. It sits next to a pond, farmland, and a meadow.
8857 Portico Lane, Longmont | List price: $2.095 million
http://www.coloproperty.com/listing/details/1005625


Unique features

This home, built in 2006, sits on a landscaped acre of land in the Portico subdivision. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer natural light and views of the mountains.


Inside

In addition to fireplaces in the living room, family room, kitchen and great room, the house includes central air conditioning, Brazilian cherry wood, travertine marble floors, extra-thick wood trim, beams and baseboards. It has an eat-in kitchen, separate dining room, cathedral/vaulted ceilings, open floor plan, pantry, wood windows, walk-in closet, gardens, water features and a fire pit.


Outside

A four-space garage, lawn sprinkler system and patio on a landscaped one-acre lot.
1025 Sixth St., Boulder | List price: $1.995 million
http://www.coloproperty.com/listing/details/996578


Unique features

Built in 1906, this San Francisco classic style house in the Geneva Park Subdivision includes a separate 414-square-foot guest house.


Inside

In addition to central air conditioning and forced-air multi-zoned heat, the house includes formal living and dining areas, a kitchen island and wood floors. It also has a steam shower, rec room with wet bar, workout/yoga room, hot tub and fireplaces. Additional features include a separate dining room, open floor plan, walk-in closet and high-efficiency furnace.


Outside

The house has a balcony, patio, deck and carriage house.