Starting over in CO...What's up w/ the home prices ??? (Denver: real estate market, rent)

[tkdmom]

Hi All,
Im so glad I joined this site ! It has been enlightening to say the least. I've lived in CA my entire life and now Im recently divorced, looking to start fresh, with a new life, in a small town in CO. Well, I started out thinking I would like to live in the Silverthorne area, until I caught a glimpse of home prices,(which burst my little bubble) in the high $500k, that's higher then here (socal). So, I decided to look elsewhere but I can't seem to find a small, woodsy, cheap home prices w/ acreage, low crime, town. The realtor that was helping me told me to look in Leadville, does anyone know what it's like there, isn't it a really high elevation ? Someone told me Greeley is a nice place, but after reading some of your posts I'd have to disagree. Im just so tired of Cali, I want the four seasons and all the snow ( however, I may not feel this way after a couple winters but I'll deal with it) and lakes and beauty of CO. If anyone has any input I would really appreciate it. At this point, I don't think I'll ever get out of here. Oops, originally I posted this in the wrong place. So Im trying it again. Yes, I am a blonde...he..he

[ColoradoHomefinder]

If you're looking for "woodsy", Greeley won't do it as it's East of the Rocky Mountains (as are Fort Collins, Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and most other areas in what is known as the "Front Range".) All of these areas (and the cities surrounding them) have great views OF the mountains, and see much milder winters than anywhere in the mountains, but they aren't actually IN the mountains.

If home prices are a concern, but you still want to be IN the mountains, there are a few areas that will have less sticker shock than Silverthorne (or anything in Summit County for that matter.) My wife & I gave up on Summit county when looking for a vacation home because of prices & the rediculous I-70 traffic on weekends.

Some more affordable areas I know of that are IN the mountains are:
*Nederland/Rollinsville: about 20/30 minutes West of Boulder.
*Coal Creek Canyon (This is actually Golden, but more specifically the canyon on Hwy 72 West of Golden)
*Red Feather Lakes (This is actually a very small area West of Fort Collins)
*Evergreen/Conifer/Bailey/Pine (Evergreen is probably still in the "expensive category, but the further South you move (Pine being the furthest South), the better prices get.

As I'm sure you already know just within Summit County, each mountain town has its own "feel". Hopefully this helped give a brief idea of other more affordable options.

I don't know about areas West of C. Springs, but I'm sure someone will chime in on mountain areas near there.

[jazzlover]

Home prices are high in much of Colorado because there are so many people moving here from other areas with money burning a hole in their pocket. They are trying to escape whatever evil (traffic, crime, sprawl, illegal immigrants, drugs, overcrowding, etc., etc.) that they dislike in their current home place.

The problem is that they are bringing all of those same things to Colorado. Traffic? Colorado has plenty and it's getting worse every day. Sprawl? Out of control. Drugs? Yep. Illegal immigrants? Yes. So, the people who have been in Colorado a long time get to "enjoy" all the problems that out-of-control growth brings, along with an escalating real estate market that, if it continues (which I personally think it won't, but that's another story), will probably price their own children out of the ability to stay in Colorado.

Of course, anyone (like me) who points this out on this forum usually gets bashed for being "negative," "anti-growth," "prejudiced against outsiders," "selfish," or "bitter." Well, you tend to get to be some of those things when you see the state of your birth, the place where you spent most of your life, and one of the most unique and beautiful places on the planet getting trashed by people who either don't know or don't care about what they are doing to the place. As the Joni Mitchell song says, "Let's pave over paradise and put in a parking lot."

[Katarina Witt]

I think the best course would be to come out for a visit and look at several areas. You cannot get a feel for a place on city-data.

[vfrpilot]

tkd-
You should rent for a while. Some of those mountain towns look very inviting and are great to visit, but living there can be quite different. Anything along I-70 that is close to the resorts will usually cost more than it's worth. I would suggest looking at Woodland Park and the surrounding area. You can live on acreage and still have access to a nice small town or drive a little down to Colorado Springs for large town amenities. Palmer Lake and Larkspur are also very nice and more affordable. There are so many beautiful areas to live in CO, and you will find in most cases your real estate dollar will go much farther than CA.
Good Luck
Leadville is high. The airport at Leadville is the highest airport in North America at 9927'. They give you a certificate when you fly up there.

[thepizzaguy]

The South Park area has cheap real estate, but you'll have a commute to work. I found two 35 acre parcels up on a bluff on the MLS for 15K each. They even have a view of the highway, or a paved road with double yellow lines.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by vfrpilot

Leadville is high. The airport at Leadville is the highest airport in North America at 9927'. They give you a certificate when you fly up there.

How long is the runway?

[vfrpilot]

How long is the runway?

6400 feet.
Leadville is a bit out of the way for me.

[Nadine]

I think that renting is a very good idea until you find just the right place. Leadville is high. Winters can be rough and long. But summers are wonderful. in the 80's at most. I lived there 8 yrs. I really liked it but it was booming at that time with the Climax mine. Now jobs are few and far between. Mostly tourism or ski industry. I am told that it is less expensive for land. But heating is used a great deal of the yr and everything is trucked in so cheap living is not the norm. When I lived there. Leadville looked better under 6 ft of snow. Since it has been cleaned up, painted up and is still very old interesting town with loads of history you can actually see. Wonderful views of the Collegiates. But if you do not like the outdoors for entertainment and your idea of fun is shopping malls then don't go there. As I have suggested many times. Try looking into the central or southern part of the state along the Rockies or in them. We do exsist down here. Also west Colo. is beautiful. Less people in and along the mts. Don't know about prices over there. Lots of ranches etc. If you are looking for a good job, then I would find that job first. The move in.

[5stones]

Loveland and Golden are nice and on the "edge of the front range".

for the money seriously forget Summit county/Eagle county.

Look also out to the Western slope...lots of nice towns...Rifle, Carbondale. cedaredge,Montrose, Ouray, Gunnison, Durango