What you get for $2 million

Leyla Steele, a real estate agent with Pedal to Properties, says demand is increasing for high-end properties.

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  Unique features The house sits on 35 acres with well-developed landscaping. The property includes 12 shares of Left Hand Ditch. Views take in open fields and unobstructed mountain views to the west and Haystack Mountain to the east. Lake Valley Golf Course is just down the road.  Zoning is appropriate for 4 or more horses. Inside The house includes a professional 400-square foot gym and recreation room. In addition to the open floor plan, it has a main-level master bedroom suite. Outside The deck includes an outdoor Jacuzzi and a large paved patio that encompasses a 44-by-14-foot in-ground saline pool.
  (www.coloproperty.com/v3/listing/details/953868)
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  5,155 total square feet, five bedrooms, four baths Unique features The house sits on a half-acre lot and comes with the potential to buy the abutting half-acre lot. Inside Tan open floor plan, radiant floor heat, Austrian wide-plank oak floors and gourmet kitchen. Outside Landscaping includes mature trees. The house is across the street from a nature park. Sweeping views of the Flatirons and foothills.
  (www.coloproperty.com/v3/listing/details/975717)
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  Unique features The house is adjacent to Chautauqua National Historic Landmark and the Flatirons trail system. Inside The house includes an eat-in kitchen, separate dining room, open floor plan, loft, skylights, wood floors and a kitchen island. Outside A balcony, patio, deck and tennis court.
  (www.coloproperty.com/v3/listing/details/978222)
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  Unique features The classic English country estate sits on 5.30 acres in an equestrian area and includes a carriage house and a six-car garage. Inside A main-floor master suite, gourmet kitchen, butler’s pantry, library, nanny’s quarters and a media room. Outside A deck, a pond and water rights.
  (www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/5701-Pro)
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  Unique features The ranch-style home is accessed by a gated private road and surrounded by hundreds of acres of conservation easements. Inside The house features an eat-in kitchen, a separate dining room, pantry, walk-in closet, fire sprinklers, fire alarm, wood floors and a kitchen island. Outside Features include a lawn sprinkler system and a patio.
  (www.coloproperty.com/v3/listing/details/961896)

Home buyers and home sellers are coming back to the bargaining table with more realistic viewpoints of how far a dollar will go as the economy inches out of recession.

“A year ago the upper-end market was a lot softer, and they weren’t getting showing activity and sales,” said Gary Calderon, broker-owner of Accent Properties in Boulder. “Since there is not an abundance of quality properties listing in this price range on the market now, they’re starting to get more activity.

He believes the increased activity is related to the fact that sellers are pricing their homes more in line with perceived value.

“So it seems like you’re getting more for $2 million today.”

Calderon is listing a home on 49th Street in Longmont which he considers to be in that more-for-your-money category.

Amenities such as a recreation room, a professional 400-square-foot gym, 35 acres with water rights and thriving hay and alfalfa crops make the $2.163 million home appealing, he said.

“Buyers realize that the exceptional properties don’t come on the market often, and when they do, people have to seize their opportunity before it’s gone,” Calderon added. “With interest rates being as low as they are, it’s really got them motivated to make those deals.”

Leyla Steele, Realtor at Boulder’s Pedal to Properties, sees the market demand for high-end houses on the rise.

“In 2009, a lot of buyers were sitting on the fence to get a sense of the economy and where it was going to go,” she said. “In 2009 we started to see prices start to come down – and those deals continued through 2011.”

The tides have shifted now, however.

Competitive bidding is becoming more common, Steele says, as are some properties selling for more than the asking price.

“Buyers are realizing that the deals of 2009 and 2010 don’t exist anymore and that they need to act quickly or prepare themselves for competitive-bidding situations.”

Attributes of properties which add value for buyers now include land and uniqueness, she added.

One home Steele is listing on Upland Avenue in Boulder offers that kind of value with attractions such as a half-acre lot and potential to buy an abutting half-acre.