In a month when agents are reporting that Denver area home prices may be starting to rise, Christine Gulley with Compass Real Estate has a ranch to show in the far west end of Centennial that has something practically all buyers insist on now: A makeover.

She and other agents all point up a trait they see among homebuyers across the market this year: Nobody is looking for a project to do.

Close to downtown Littleton

That’s a recommendation for the 4-bedroom, 3-bath design she’s holding open April 10 at 323 E. Briarwood Drive, Centennial, where the entire interior shows a recent, bright remodel.

The home’s location reads a little more like Littleton than Centennial — just south of Arapahoe Road at a crest where the High Line Canal crosses over to the east side of S. Broadway. That puts the popular, 71-mile-long trail within a few blocks of this address. (The canal loops past closer still, but the trail is on the canal’s other side, linked by a bridge trailhead at Briarwood and E. Costilla.)

Gulley said the High Line is one of many advantages of this setting.

“It’s super close to Littleton’s downtown shopping district, as well as to the Denver Tech Center and the Streets at SouthGlenn,” she said.

Littleton Schools include Mark Hopkins Elementary, a half-mile walk south, and Heritage High, a little over a mile west.

The price was reduced last week to $735,000.

There are a few listings in this ranch-dominated area, but comparable listings won’t match up to the home’s features, Gulley said. The lot is 13,000 square feet, larger than a quarter acre, with a landscaped backyard that shows retaining walls, seating areas, a covered patio and a sauna that’s included along with the purchase. The garage is two-car, something not all ranches of this vintage have.

Rendered wide-open

The redesigned interior shows family and kitchen areas that likely were compartmented at its 1961 origins but are now wide-open to a bright-n-white kitchen with faux-marble tops, stainless appliances and pendant lighting over wood floors. There’s a brick-surround fireplace, a primary suite with an updated ¾ bath, and a second, full bath serving two more bedrooms.

A fourth bedroom and full bath are in a finished basement level, adjacent to a wide-open rec-room area. Along with the makeover, the home received a new roof, new fencing, and a new, energy-efficient heat pump system, for both heating and cooling.

“This market is an opportunity to make an offer either asking for a concession on the price, or to negotiate a rate buydown or closing costs,” Gulley added.

That said, she noted that things may be shifting now, with some listings sitting for 60 days, while others disappear in a single day.

“It’s area driven,” she noted.

Last week, she had represented buyers in a successful purchase that had run up against three competitors and required extra dollars to bring it over the finish line.

OPEN FRIDAY, 1-4 p.m.

WHERE:  323 E. Briarwood Drive, Centennial; from S. Broadway, take Arapahoe Road east one long block to E. Sterne Blvd., turn south on Sterne, south one block and continue left onto Briarwood, second house on the left.

SIZE: 4 bedroom/3 bath, 2,256 sq. ft.  PRICE: $735,000  WEB: ChristineGulleySellsDenver.com OPEN:  Friday, April 10, 1 to 4 p.m.  AGENT: Christine Gulley, 303-748-0985