Buying a House when you live far away - how did you do it? (Colorado Springs: wood floors, mover)

[Kathy884]

dr. frog -- Thanks for sharing your experience. I appreciate hearing that even back in the slower market, this wasn't easy and I'm really glad all worked out well for you. Web tools these days are pretty amazing and really help in a house hunt (to narrow things down before seeing them in person). I love google maps.

[DoodlemomCoS]

Kathy, we moved here Dec 2015. Before this we lived in New Mexico. I posted so many questions to these knowledgeable folks, I think they got sick of me! Lol. We made 2 trips at different times of the year and I did a lot of research on schools. We moved here for better schools and for medical in Denver for our special needs son. After researching, we determined we had to live in a specific location for a certain neighborhood school as I talked to the special needs resources who worked in the districts schools. So when houses came up in our budget in the targeted area, we had to spring fast. We missed one in October because we couldn't get here to see it before the weekend.

When our house came up, we had to put an offer on it, site unseen with the contingency that is something wasn't right we could walk. It wasn't the perfect house, our driveway slopes down toward are garage, we had no fence and we had to do a lot of upgrades (and are still doing them). But when your kid's future is on the line, you can sacrifice a lot.

I researched all the houses I looked at. We got a local realtor to basically just do the paperwork but I found our neighborhood. I found our house. I had a local friend that lived up here before we came, who would drive around to properties that would pop up and take video of the street and neighborhood for me.

It was crazy but we made the right decision. Our house needs a lot of work. Ok bones but it screams 1980. But we did what we had to for our kids. No regrets. Best of luck. The market is tight. 2 houses just sold on my street. The went on the market and had contracts on them in less that 3 days. It's been that way since I've seriously started looking which was summer 2015.

[Katarina Witt]

Disclaimer: I have not bought a house in 28 years, and at that time, housing was quite depressed here on the Front Range.

However, I don't think I'd ever buy a house totally sight-unseen. I understand and respect what DoodlemomCOS did, but if you're not in a situation like that, I think it's best to come out here and look at these places you'll be living throughout your retirement and spending a great deal of your retirement income on.

You do have the advantage of having lived here in CO before so the area won't be an entire surprise. (Some people are disappointed that Denver/COS isn't actually IN the mountains; it's not as green as they thought it would be; it's more suburban and less small-townish, etc.) However, unless you really know the area you're buying in, you won't know what the house looks like vis a vis the other nearby homes; you won't know if there's a smelter or whatever two blocks away, where the nearest parks and other facilities are in relation to the house, etc.

Some friends of ours just moved back here from New Hampshire after about a 30 year absence. They made a couple of house-hunting trips, long days just looking and looking at houses. They did find a home on their second trip out, a very nice one in Westminster.

[DoodlemomCoS]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

Disclaimer: I have not bought a house in 28 years, and at that time, housing was quite depressed here on the Front Range.

However, I don't think I'd ever buy a house totally sight-unseen. I understand and respect what DoodlemomCOS did, but if you're not in a situation like that, I think it's best to come out here and look at these places you'll be living throughout your retirement and spending a great deal of your retirement income on.

You do have the advantage of having lived here in CO before so the area won't be an entire surprise. (Some people are disappointed that Denver/COS isn't actually IN the mountains; it's not as green as they thought it would be; it's more suburban and less small-townish, etc.) However, unless you really know the area you're buying in, you won't know what the house looks like vis a vis the other nearby homes; you won't know if there's a smelter or whatever two blocks away, where the nearest parks and other facilities are in relation to the house, etc.

Some friends of ours just moved back here from New Hampshire after about a 30 year absence. They made a couple of house-hunting trips, long days just looking and looking at houses. They did find a home on their second trip out, a very nice one in Westminster.

Totally agree with this, KW. We were in a very unique position and most folks aren't. And there are so many different neighborhoods, it's important to really look around. And it's very arid. Coming from NM it was greener for us but I don't think that's true for most and people think we all live in these lush mountains...nope. Plus, you have to be able to handle the crazy weather here. Our first year as residents was a real eye opener!

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by DoodlemomCoS

Kathy, we moved here Dec 2015. Before this we lived in New Mexico. I posted so many questions to these knowledgeable folks, I think they got sick of me! Lol. We made 2 trips at different times of the year and I did a lot of research on schools. We moved here for better schools and for medical in Denver for our special needs son. After researching, we determined we had to live in a specific location for a certain neighborhood school as I talked to the special needs resources who worked in the districts schools. So when houses came up in our budget in the targeted area, we had to spring fast. We missed one in October because we couldn't get here to see it before the weekend.

When our house came up, we had to put an offer on it, site unseen with the contingency that is something wasn't right we could walk. It wasn't the perfect house, our driveway slopes down toward are garage, we had no fence and we had to do a lot of upgrades (and are still doing them). But when your kid's future is on the line, you can sacrifice a lot.

I researched all the houses I looked at. We got a local realtor to basically just do the paperwork but I found our neighborhood. I found our house. I had a local friend that lived up here before we came, who would drive around to properties that would pop up and take video of the street and neighborhood for me.

It was crazy but we made the right decision. Our house needs a lot of work. Ok bones but it screams 1980. But we did what we had to for our kids. No regrets. Best of luck. The market is tight. 2 houses just sold on my street. The went on the market and had contracts on them in less that 3 days. It's been that way since I've seriously started looking which was summer 2015.

We didn't get sick of your questions ... that's what we're all here for!

[dr.frog]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

.... However, unless you really know the area you're buying in, you won't know what the house looks like vis a vis the other nearby homes; you won't know if there's a smelter or whatever two blocks away, where the nearest parks and other facilities are in relation to the house, etc.

I mentioned this earlier in the thread: Google Maps. The "street view" is incredibly handy -- you can take a virtual walk down any street, to see if the homes are older or newer or well-maintained or have junk cars parked all over the yard. You can use the satellite view to see if there's a smelter two blocks away. You can use the search feature to find where the nearest supermarkets and other stores and services are. You can look for parks and trails, see what the bus service is like, or how long it takes to drive to other destinations across town.

[Rose T]

Be sure you and your husband have no breathing issues. Even previous smoking. The altitude can make some people very sick. I never expected I would be Be of them. Had to move after having a house built in N. Springs after 10 yrs. If you stop in the casinos in Cripple Creek, notice all the people on oxygen.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by dr.frog

I mentioned this earlier in the thread: Google Maps. The "street view" is incredibly handy -- you can take a virtual walk down any street, to see if the homes are older or newer or well-maintained or have junk cars parked all over the yard. You can use the satellite view to see if there's a smelter two blocks away. You can use the search feature to find where the nearest supermarkets and other stores and services are. You can look for parks and trails, see what the bus service is like, or how long it takes to drive to other destinations across town.

I suppose, but there's nothing like seeing with your own eyes. I mean, even in the Springs, you're probably going to be spending at least $1/4 million; shouldn't you see it before you buy it?

[dr.frog]

Of course you're going to want to check out homes carefully before you buy, but especially if you are searching long-distance and have only limited time for in-person searching, the internet tools let you narrow things down and do most of your research in advance.

[hikernut]

I'd wait until at least one of you can be local for a while. You say your husband is retiring soon, so just wait until he retires and then send him out for a week at a time, a month at a time... whatever works for the two of you. I'd never try to buy a house long distance unless I had no other alternative. We bought our current house with one of us being remote, and that was hard enough, even in a market that was far from hot.


What's the big rush? You say you really like it where you are at and don't have any time table pressing you.