Exhibit 99.1

                                CERTIFICATION

         Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the
undersigned Chief Executive Officer of M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (the "Company")
hereby certifies that the Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarterly
period ended September 30, 2002, accompanying this certification, fully complies
with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 and that information contained in the periodic report fairly presents,
in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of
the Company.

Date: November  7, 2002.                      /s/ Larry A. Mizel
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                                                  Larry A. Mizel
                                                  Chief Executive Officer