Home sales in metro Denver decreased by 7 percent from July to August, accompanied by a dip in prices, but the cooling of the market is the result of an annual end-of-summer slowdown in home-buying. "As kids head back to school, we tend to see a slowing of the housing market; this year is no exception," said Kirby Slunaker , president and CEO of Metrolist , which released its monthly real estate data this week.