At a moment when few agents have much good to say about the real estate market, the city of Denver marked its most expensive sale in the past two years last month: $8.35 million for a new custom-build just south of Denver Country Club.

That home at 1860 E. Cedar Avenue is in a small neighborhood poised above Cherry Creek and the country club golf course. Numbers of higher-end sales have happened there, but it has an identity problem:

“We call it South Country Club, but some call it North Wash Park,” said Colleen Covell, a partner in Peter Blank Collective, who handled the sale of the property for developer Michael Horton.

A unicorn

“The house is a unicorn; there is nothing like it,” said Covell.

“It’s very private,” she added about the setting.

East Alameda marks the border from Wash Park to the south, and Cedar, Race and Vine Streets all wind through before dead-ending. A few homes have views over the course, but for this one, a rooftop deck can spy the downtown skyline three miles northwest.

Her agent-partner Peter Blank famously launched the Mile Hi Modern brand in 2004 — putting a spotlight on Denver’s mid-century neighborhoods. Blank’s and Covell’s new agency, which came under Compass Real Estate’s umbrella earlier this year, has a broader focus than just mid-mod, but the Cedar home is a classic modern.

It’s also set apart from newer contemporaries popping up in Hilltop and other areas that copy a mid-century style. This one has a Seattle look created by a cedar-clad exterior to match the street name, and variations that carry on inside.

Wire-brushed cedar

Entertaining areas show wire-brushed cedar, along with a stone wall with larger specimens that were lifted into place with a crane.

“It is an earthy, northwest house with a masculine vibe,” Covell said.

Nevertheless, the design-build team was all-female — builder Chris Regis of Domani Development, architect Katrina Eckelhoff of StudioHoff Architecture, and interior designer Bree Halax of Halax Interiors.

“The house envelops you with natural materials like wood, stone and leather,” Covell said.

The dining room opens to a kitchen area with a big island that seats six, carrying on to a prominent fireplace flanked by a built-in leather sofa. Stacked sliders allow the area to be thrown open to the private outdoor spaces with a pool, hot tub, and firepit.

There’s a very private primary suite on the main, plus four bedrooms up, and an ensuite guest bedroom in the basement, all served by an elevator. There’s a large gym with sauna, and a four-car garage with heated driveway.

Sold in five days

“Most newer moderns are glass boxes,” Covell said. “They feel cold. I see them and I think, ‘I’ve been in this house before.’”

After the Cedar house sold in just five days, Covell invited agents in for a broker open house.

“They were all filming it for their Instagram posts,” she said.

Few others will get a chance to see it, but Covell says the rapid sale has much to say about what is selling now.

“If you have a house in move-in condition and priced right it’s going to sell,” Covell said. “Buyers are really taking their time, and they know it’s a buyer’s market. They get a feel for what looks good and what is overpriced.”

ABOUT THIS HOME:

WHERE: 1860 East Cedar Avenue, Denver. Home has already sold

SIZE: 6 bedrooms 7-1/2 baths, 5,964 sq. ft.  

PRICE: $8.35 million   

AGENT: Colleen Covell, 720.940.0046