If you need to sell your current home before buying a bigger one in Anthem Highlands, can a contingency offer actually work in today’s market, or will it cost you the deal?
Yes, contingency offers are viable in Anthem Highlands right now. With average days on market at 41 days, no active bidding wars, and homes selling at asking price, sellers in this community are more open to contingent offers than at any point in recent years.
Why Anthem Highlands Move-Up Buyers in Broomfield Have a Window Right Now
I talk to families every week who are sitting in a home in The Broadlands or Wildgrass, watching their kids grow, knowing they need more space, but frozen by one question: “How do I buy a million-dollar home in Anthem Highlands when I haven’t sold my current place yet?”
Here is the honest answer. The 2025 market in Anthem Highlands is giving move-up buyers something they haven’t had in years: leverage.
Inventory across Broomfield is up 33.1% compared to last year. Inside Anthem Highlands specifically, average days on market sit at 41 days, and there are no bidding wars happening. Homes are selling close to asking price. That is a fundamentally different negotiating environment than 2021 or 2022, when sellers could ignore any offer with conditions attached.
With 10 years in this market and over 125 closed transactions across Broomfield, I can tell you that timing and strategy matter more than market temperature. The window is open. The question is whether you know how to walk through it.
How Home Sale Contingencies Work in Broomfield, CO
A home sale contingency means your purchase contract includes a condition: you close on your current home before (or simultaneously with) your purchase of the new one. If your home does not sell, you have a defined exit from the contract.
In Colorado, contingency clauses are standard practice and recognized by the Colorado Division of Real Estate. The key details that matter for you:
- All contingencies must be clearly stated in the purchase contract. Both you and the seller need to understand what conditions must be met.
- Colorado uses a due diligence framework that is broader than a typical inspection-only contingency. You negotiate the length and fee at contract acceptance.
- Time is of the essence. Colorado contracts treat all dates and deadlines as strict and absolute. Missing a deadline can mean losing your earnest money deposit.
- Changes to the contract require written agreement from both parties. No verbal handshakes.
What I tell my clients is this: a contingency is not a weakness. It is a negotiation tool. The difference between a contingency offer that gets accepted and one that gets tossed is how it is structured.
Five Strategies to Strengthen Your Contingency Offer in Anthem Highlands
If you are making an offer on a home along Rams Horn Run or eyeing that mountain-view lot on Gray Wolf Loop, here is how to make your contingent offer competitive.
1. List Your Current Home First (or Simultaneously)
A contingency offer attached to a home that is already under contract carries far more weight than one tied to a home that has not even been listed. I recently worked with a family who listed their current home first, generated strong buyer interest within days, and then submitted their contingent offer on their move-up home with momentum already behind them. The seller accepted.
2. Offer a Larger Earnest Money Deposit
Colorado has no state-mandated minimum or maximum for earnest money. Most buyers offer 1% to 3% of the purchase price. On a $1,050,000 home (the current Anthem Highlands median), that is $10,500 to $31,500. Bumping to the higher end signals serious commitment.
3. Provide a Strong Pre-Approval Letter
Not a generic pre-qualification. A pre-approval that identifies loan type, terms, and the lender’s confidence level. In a neighborhood where the median price is over a million dollars and 98.2% of adults hold a high-school diploma or higher, sellers and listing agents scrutinize financial readiness closely.
4. Set a Tight Timeline on Your Contingency
A 30-day contingency is dramatically different from a 90-day contingency. The tighter and more defined your timeline, the more comfortable the seller feels accepting your terms.
5. Be Flexible on Other Terms
Closing date, possession timing, inspection scope. If the contingency is the one condition you need, make every other term as clean as possible.
What Anthem Highlands Sellers Are Thinking Right Now
Understanding the other side of the table is critical. Here is the reality for sellers in Anthem Highlands in 2026:
- Inventory is down 54% from a year ago within Anthem Highlands itself, which sounds like it favors sellers, but the broader Broomfield inventory increase (474 homes, up 33.1%) gives buyers alternatives in nearby communities like Wildgrass or Silverleaf.
- 23.93% of Broomfield listings have taken price reductions. Sellers who have been on the market 30+ days are increasingly motivated.
- The median sale-to-list ratio is 98-100%. Homes are not commanding premiums above asking. Sellers who reject a qualified contingent offer may wait weeks for a comparable non-contingent one.
For example, imagine a seller holding out for a clean offer. After several weeks without one, a well-structured contingent offer comes in from a buyer who is already under contract on their current home. That kind of offer often gets accepted—and both transactions can close within weeks of each other.
As a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist and Real Estate Negotiation Expert, I approach these conversations with data, not pressure. Sellers respond to evidence.
The Financial Bridge: How Broomfield Move-Up Sellers Cover the Gap
The price gap between your current home and Anthem Highlands is real. If you are in The Broadlands (median $798,000) and targeting Anthem Highlands (median $1,050,000), you are looking at a $252,000 jump. Here is how the math typically works:
- Equity position: Homeowners who purchased in Broomfield 5 to 7 years ago likely have $150,000 to $250,000 or more in equity based on historical appreciation.
- Anthem Highlands price range: Recent closed sales range from $695,000 for a smaller 2-bed floorplan up to $1,140,000 for a 5-bed with nearly 4,900 square feet.
- Net proceeds from your sale often cover 20% or more of the down payment on the new home, depending on your remaining mortgage balance.
What surprises most of my clients is that the equity they have built makes the jump more manageable than they expected. A family selling a $800,000 Broadlands home with $200,000 in equity and buying a $960,000 home is not stretching as far as it looks on paper.
Why Thunder Vista P-8 Drives Anthem Highlands Demand Year After Year
I cannot write about buying in Anthem Highlands without addressing the school factor. Thunder Vista P-8, located right on Preble Creek Parkway within the community, ranks better than 94.3% of elementary schools in Colorado. In the 2024-2025 school year, 69.6% of students scored proficient or better in ELA (compared to 42.2% district average) and 60.2% in math (compared to 34.2% district average).
For families with school-age children, this school assignment alone creates a pricing floor under Anthem Highlands homes. It is a major reason the neighborhood appreciated 13% over the last 12 months. And it is why contingent offers from qualified families are taken seriously here; sellers know their buyer pool is school-driven and earnest.
The Bottom Line
You can absolutely use a contingency offer to buy a bigger home in Anthem Highlands in 2025. The market conditions, from 41-day average days on market to zero bidding wars, are working in your favor.
The difference between success and frustration comes down to strategy: listing your current home first, offering competitive earnest money, setting a tight contingency timeline, and working with an agent who knows this neighborhood at the street level.
As a 5-star rated agent with over 125 closed transactions, and deep familiarity with every enclave in Anthem Highlands, I built the North Star Team to guide families through exactly this kind of move. If you are ready to talk through your numbers and your timeline, call me at 720.351.8488. I will give you an honest read on where you stand.
*John Grandt, REALTOR®, Real Estate Negotiation Expert, Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist. North Star Team powered by Real Broker. Licensed in Colorado (FA100074635). Market data referenced from MLS records, Adams 12 Five Star Schools, and local transaction history. School boundary assignments should be independently verified before purchase.*
