What should you check before buying a home in Centennial?
Centennial is its own city in Arapahoe County, not a Denver neighborhood, so the rules behind your purchase come from the city, the county and, often, a homeowners association. Before you write an offer, confirm the HOA covenants, whether a metro district appears on the tax bill, what the zoning allows for an addition or an ADU, and the commute you will really drive. Then decide whether to sell first or buy first, since that shapes your offer.
Buying a home in Centennial looks simple from a listing photo. The details that decide whether the purchase works sit underneath, in covenants, tax districts and city code. This guide walks through those details in the order a move up buyer meets them, with current market figures and a checklist you can use before an offer. For a broader picture of the city and its homes, start with our Centennial neighborhood page.
Is Centennial Part of Denver?
No. Centennial is a separate city in Arapahoe County, south of Denver. According to the City of Centennial history page, voters approved forming the city on September 12, 2000, and it officially became a city on February 7, 2001, when its first City Council took the oath of office. The 2020 census counted about 108,000 residents, which places it among the larger cities in the state.
That matters in three ways. Zoning, permits and rules on additions come from the City of Centennial, not Denver. Your assessed value and tax bill come from the Arapahoe County Assessor and Treasurer. And because Centennial grew out of decades of subdivision building, many of its homes sit inside homeowners associations with their own recorded covenants, so two addresses a mile apart can live under different rules.
School district lines also follow history rather than city limits. Most of the city is served by Cherry Creek School District and the western portion by Littleton Public Schools, so confirm the district for the exact address rather than assuming it from a ZIP code.
What Does the Centennial Housing Market Look Like Right Now?
The Colorado Association of Realtors Local Market Update for Centennial, September 2026, published through the Denver Metro Association of Realtors, gives a city level view. These are figures for the whole city of Centennial, not for any one subdivision.
| Centennial, September 2026 | Single family | Townhouse and condo |
|---|---|---|
| Median sales price in September | $679,000 (down 2.3% from September 2025) | $410,000 (down 3.5%) |
| Median sales price, year to date | $710,000 (up 0.5%) | $439,000 (down 7.6%) |
| Average sales price in September | $732,389 | $399,243 |
| Days on market until sale in September | 47 (43 a year earlier) | 53 (60 a year earlier) |
| Active listings at month end | 185 (265 a year earlier) | 79 (93 a year earlier) |
| Sold listings in September | 47 (85 a year earlier) | 19 (21 a year earlier) |
| Percent of list price received in September | 97.9% | 97.3% |
Source: Colorado Association of Realtors, Local Market Update for Centennial, September 2026, published through the Denver Metro Association of Realtors. Figures cover all reported sales in the area, not necessarily sales by Sara Garza, Donna Ryan or LIV Sotheby’s International Realty.
One month in a single city is a small sample, and the report warns that monthly activity can look extreme for that reason. The year to date figures are steadier: the single family median was close to a year earlier. What stands out is that supply and sales fell at the same time.
The wider metro shows the same pattern. The DMAR Market Trends Report for September 2026 counted 2,849 closed sales across the metro, down 21.39% from September 2025, with a median of 32 days in the MLS and 4.76 months of inventory. Homes priced at $1 million and above moved faster than the market as a whole, at a median of 21 days in the MLS.
Source: Denver Metro Association of Realtors, September 2026 Market Trends Report. Figures cover all reported sales in the area, not necessarily sales by Sara Garza, Donna Ryan or LIV Sotheby’s International Realty.
Borrowing costs are part of the backdrop. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey for the week of October 22, 2026 put the average 30 year fixed rate at 7.32% and the 15 year fixed rate at 6.68%. Nobody can promise where prices or rates go from here, so plan around a range of outcomes rather than a single forecast.
Source: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week of October 22, 2026. Rates are national weekly averages, not a quote from any lender, and not figures from sales by Sara Garza, Donna Ryan or LIV Sotheby’s International Realty.
What Kinds of Homes and Commutes Will You Find?
Most of the single family housing in Centennial was built as planned subdivisions, much of it from the 1970s through the 1990s. Expect two story and ranch plans with attached garages, finished or unfinished basements, and floor plans that many owners have since opened up. Some older areas have larger lots, which is where you see room for a bigger addition, a detached garage or a garden. Newer construction appears as infill and in later subdivisions, built to more recent codes.
The age of a home shapes the inspection more than the price does. We suggest pricing likely replacements, such as a roof, furnace or original windows, into your offer rather than treating them as a later project.
Interstate 25 runs through the city, and most of its business and entertainment centers sit west of the highway. E 470, a toll road, connects the south side of the area toward the east and to Denver International Airport. RTD light rail stops at Dry Creek station, at 9450 East Dry Creek Road in Centennial, which is served by the E, R and T Lines, with Arapahoe at Village Center and County Line stations on either side of it. Centennial Airport sits next to the city in unincorporated Arapahoe County, so if aircraft noise matters to you, visit the house at different times of day.
For nearby choices, our pages on Greenwood Village and Castle Pines describe the homes and lots in each, and our guide to moving to Castle Pines covers the same planning questions for Douglas County.
How Do You Find Which HOA Rules and Metro Districts Apply?
Start with the city. Centennial publishes an HOA and Neighborhood Map where you can search an address and see whether it falls inside a homeowners or civic association. Treat it as a first look, then confirm with the documents.
The documents are what bind you. The standard Colorado purchase contract sets a deadline for the seller to deliver association documents and a later deadline for you to object. Use that window to read the declaration, bylaws, rules, the current budget and reserve study, recent meeting minutes and any notice of a special assessment. Look for rules on exterior paint, fences, solar panels, parking for trailers or boats, rentals and accessory dwelling units. You are bound by both the covenants and city code, so where the covenants are stricter, they are the practical limit.
Metro districts are separate from HOAs. A metropolitan district is a unit of local government that can levy property tax to pay for roads, water lines, parks or other infrastructure, often to repay bonds issued when a subdivision was built. The State of Colorado publishes a map of metro districts in Colorado, and any district that taxes the property also appears as a line on the tax bill. Check every address rather than relying on the age of the house.
What Will the Property Tax Bill Look Like?
In Colorado, the tax on a home is the county’s assessed value multiplied by the combined mill levy of every taxing district that covers the property: the county, the school district, the city, fire and water districts, library and park districts, and any metro district. Because those districts overlap differently from one subdivision to the next, two homes at the same price in Centennial can carry different tax bills.
Before an offer, look up the address in the Arapahoe County Assessor property search and the Arapahoe County Treasurer tax information search. Note the current actual value, the tax district and the most recent bill. Colorado property taxes are paid in arrears, so the bill you pay in the first year after closing covers the prior tax year, and if you escrow, your lender builds an estimate into your monthly payment. Ask your lender to estimate the next bill from the current value rather than last year’s payment.
Can You Add On or Build an ADU in Centennial?
Often yes, within limits. The City of Centennial ADU page lists the zoning districts where accessory dwelling units are allowed, including the main residential districts, with tighter rules in some commercial and mixed use districts. The key limits from that page:
- One ADU per single family detached home.
- The ADU can be no larger than half of the main home’s footprint, or it can be the full size of an existing attic or basement as long as construction does not expand that space.
- A detached ADU can be no taller than 17 feet.
- Short term rentals are not allowed in an ADU. If the owner does not live on the property, the ADU must be registered with the city as a rental.
- The process includes a pre submittal meeting, a separate address, a building permit and a will serve letter from each utility district.
The same page says the owner must follow any HOA rules on ADUs, which can differ from city rules, and that some HOAs prohibit them outright. If a guest suite over the garage or a finished basement apartment is part of your plan, read the covenants before the inspection deadline, and look up the parcel’s zoning with the city’s property search. The same order works for an addition: zoning first, then covenants.
Should You Sell First or Buy First, and What Should You Check Before an Offer?
Selling first gives you a known budget and a cleaner offer, but may mean a rent back or a short lease while you look. Buying first lets you move once, but may depend on a bridge loan, a sale contingency or two mortgages for a time, and a sale contingency usually weakens an offer. We usually advise talking with your lender about both paths before you tour seriously.
A practical order: get a value on your current home and loan approval for both paths, test your commute at rush hour, shortlist homes, check covenants, metro districts and zoning before you commit to one, then write an offer with deadlines long enough to read the association documents and inspect.
| Check before an offer | Where to look | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| HOA covenants and rules | City HOA map, then the association documents from the seller | Controls exterior changes, rentals, parking and ADUs |
| Special assessments and reserves | HOA budget, reserve study and minutes | Shows costs that may land on the next owner |
| Metro district | State metro district map and the tax bill | Adds to the mill levy for years |
| Property tax estimate | Arapahoe County Assessor and Treasurer | The prior owner’s bill may not match yours |
| Zoning for additions or an ADU | City of Centennial property search and ADU rules | Confirms what you can build |
| School district for the address | Cherry Creek or Littleton Public Schools boundary tools | District lines do not follow city limits |
| Age of roof, furnace, windows and sewer line | Inspection and a sewer scope | Big replacement costs in homes from the 1970s to 1990s |
| Airport and highway noise | Visits at different times of day | Varies street by street |
If you want a clear read on what your current home could sell for before you start, request a home value review from us and we will walk through the numbers with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the median home price in Centennial in September 2026?
According to the Colorado Association of Realtors Local Market Update for Centennial, published through DMAR, the single family median sales price was $679,000 in September 2026 and $710,000 for the year through September. The townhouse and condo median was $410,000 in September.
Do most homes in Centennial have an HOA?
Many do, but not every address has one. Search the address on the City of Centennial HOA and Neighborhood Map, then confirm with the association documents the seller provides under the contract.
Does Centennial allow short term rentals in an ADU?
No. The City of Centennial ADU rules prohibit short term rentals in accessory dwelling units, and an owner who does not live on the property must register the ADU as a rental. An HOA may also ban ADUs entirely, so read the covenants first.
Is there light rail in Centennial?
Yes. Dry Creek station, at 9450 East Dry Creek Road in Centennial, is served by the RTD E, R and T Lines on the Southeast Corridor, between Arapahoe at Village Center and County Line stations.