Relocating to Boulder -- Why can't I find a house?

[BigCheeze]

Why do you have to spend $800k? Why not just set conditions on what you want the house to have, look like, and what "class" of area with a Max price. Then go find the house.

Having to spend $800K seems like... well... petty.

[Bradburn1]

If you want some of the benefits of living in Boulder (walkability, access to open space, good architecture) but don't want to spend 800K for a falling down shack (a little exaggeration, you can find some deals but it takes a bit of looking) check out Bradburn Village in Westminster. Although it's in Westminster, it's on the border with Broomfield, and Boulder is a quick 20 minute drive away (should you be employed in Boulder). I live in Bradburn and drive to Boulder all the time to eat dinner, shop, do research at CU.

Bradburn has all the benefits of suburban living (excellent schools, low crime, parks, huge open spaces for biking/running) with the benefits of urban living (a downtown core with shops and restaurants, all within 5-10 minute walk). Also Bradburn is beyond excllent for kids--they are EVERYWHERE here running around playing outside all the time. Your child will never lack for playmates here, and if anyone in your family stays home with the kids (we have at home moms and dads both here) they won't get bored.

Pretty soon a new homebuilder here is going to be building homes with solar power standard which is pretty cool I think, those are going to be I think in the low-mid 500s for sq footage around 2600-3000. There are many other builders here as well, homes range from 200K to over 1 million, there is quite a selection of already built homes as well as potential new homes, kinda depends on what you are looking for.

If you liked Prospect, Bradburn is the same, a new urbanist community (although not as contemporary--it's more traditional architecture like crafstman, farmhouse, and prairie). I know quite a few people who live in Prospect and love it too, but the prices there are a lot higher than they are in Bradburn (anything in Boulder county is always 50-100K higher than surrounding areas). One of the reasons that house may have been on the market so long is-- especially with contemporary homes in that price range--the market is a bit limited.

I do however, also love Louisville--it's a great place to live but housing is high and a what's for sale is a bit limited. Next time you are there, make sure to eat breakfast at the Huckleberry!

[Janet1966]

Superior elementary is a great school. All the schools in Boulder, Superior and Louisville are exceptional. Take a look at the cohomefinder.com website. If you click through to a property detail page they have links to the State of Colorado School Reports for that property so you can see how good the schools are.

Did you look at this house in Louisville? I love that neighborhood and wish I could afford it!
http://www.cohomefinder.com/p/80027/344676.htm

See 800K and up homes in all the cities you are looking:
http://www.cohomefinder.com/browse-c...xury-homes.htm
http://www.cohomefinder.com/browse-c...xury-homes.htm
http://www.cohomefinder.com/browse-c...xury-homes.htm

You might look in Broomfield too, but stay in the area that attends Broomfield high school as it's in Boulder Valley school district. The other school districts in broomfield (there are three) are not as good as Boulder Valley:
http://www.cohomefinder.com/browse-c...xury-homes.htm

Good Luck!

[Katarina Witt]

Legacy High School in east Broomfield (Adams 12 District) is also a good school. I like Broomfield as well.

[Jessica92102]

There are wonderful areas east of Boulder that will fit your price range.
Longmont is a horrible commute- most people chose to live there because they don't have 800K to spend but want the "Boulder county" property.

Superior, Louisville, Lafayette, and Broomfield are all MUCH better commutes with prettier views and communities with half (or better) the crime rate of Longmont. I would even suggest Erie over Longmont!

I can't believe Westminster is being suggested- do your research. Taxes in Westminster are insanely different compared to other areas with comparable housing that is closer to Boulder. Also worth looking into is the home insurance rate in Westy compared to Louisville.

Louisville was voted one of the top 5 places to live in America- I think most people who live there love it.

Westminster (and half of Broomfield) are Adams County Schools.

There are beautiful homes in North Boulder for that price- I hope you find the perfect home in your searches.

[Bradburn1]

"I can't believe Westminster is being suggested- do your research. Taxes in Westminster are insanely different compared to other areas with comparable housing that is closer to Boulder"

That depends on where you live in Westminster. My taxes are similar, or lower, than taxes on comparable homes in many subdivisions in Broomfield. However, that being said, I do think they are very high (1% of home value approx) and it is for sure something anyone shopping for a home needs to consider!

I have friends who live in Longmont and like it, but I do also have friends who have moved away from Longmont because of crime issues.

[chilaili]

Originally Posted by Jessica92102

There are wonderful areas east of Boulder that will fit your price range.
Longmont is a horrible commute- most people chose to live there because they don't have 800K to spend but want the "Boulder county" property.

Superior, Louisville, Lafayette, and Broomfield are all MUCH better commutes with prettier views and communities with half (or better) the crime rate of Longmont. I would even suggest Erie over Longmont!

I feel I must take issue with your implication the Longmont is some kind of hotbed of criminal activity and it’s therefore impossible to live safely there. If you bother to check crime stats for the Boulder/Broomfield county area, you’ll see that Longmont’s crime rate has, in actuality, dropped over the past 4 years as the population has risen. In 2002 there was a total of 4106 offenses; in 2006 it was just over 3100 as the population climbed by nearly 10,000. Meanwhile, in Boulder, the total number of crimes in 2006 came to over 3300. Okay, our stats are higher than, say, Lafayette or Broomfield, but we’re not Washington DC either!

And commuting from Longmont to Boulder isn't that bad. It's only a 20-25 minute drive and there is a regular express bus service (The Bolt). Yes, traffic up Diagonal Highway from about 4-6:30pm is pretty awful but there are ways around that.

Now if location were the ONLY consideration, I know that if I had $800,000 to spend on a house I would go for Boulder too. If you have the money to spend then you might as well live where you want to. And there are some gorgeous properties in that price range. Just check out the local estate agents' websites or some of the newer developments in N Boulder (eg; Zamia Ave).

That's just my 10 cents' worth.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by Jessica92102

Longmont is a horrible commute- most people chose to live there because they don't have 800K to spend but want the "Boulder county" property.

Superior, Louisville, Lafayette, and Broomfield are all MUCH better commutes with prettier views and communities with half (or better) the crime rate of Longmont. I would even suggest Erie over Longmont!

You're assuming that someone would live in Longmont only to commute to Boulder proper. This is not the case, and hasn't been the case for many years. Longmont, like Boulder, currently has a net influx of commuters due to an abundance of jobs, despite the large number that do the diagonal commute. There are many very large employers in Longmont: Seagate, Maxtor, AMD, Xilinx, Displaytech, Amgen, Array Biopharma, Emulex, Fujitsu, and many others. Also, the huge IBM plant on the diagonal is technically in "Boulder" but in reality as close to Longmont. Ditto for the large amount of industry in Gunbarrel -- again this is halfway to Longmont.

Longmont is a nice town, and it's not a bedroom community, so it's really unfair to compare Erie, Lafayette, and Superior to Longmont as those towns are much smaller and are entirely residential in character. Although I agree that all these are nice towns in their own right.