The Reality of Living in the Mountain Resorts (Denver, Colorado Springs: ski resorts, apartments)

[COflower]

Both the Colorado Springs Gazette and The Denver Post reported:

(From The Denver Post - July 29, 2007)

The town manager of Dillon knows firsthand about the area's lack of affordable housing.

Devin Granbery is buying a home in nearby Dillon Valley after failing to find a single-family house he could afford in Dillon, where he said the prices generally run from $700,000 to $800,000.

The Dillon Town Council recently passed an ordinance authorizing Granbery to live outside the town limits.

"It really was a supply and an affordability issue," Mayor Barbara Davis said.

Granbery, who started as town manager in April, said there were about 10 housing units on the market when he began looking and most were condominiums. He said he and his wife wanted a single-family home...

You can find the rest of the article here:

The Denver Post - Housing prices force town manager out of town

Just a heads-up to those that desire to live in the ski resort communities, even the town staff have difficulty finding affordable housing even if they had a specific type of property in mind.

[Fuzz]

Dillon and Frisco are probably the hardest places to live in terms of affordable housing. They're both smaller in size, so there are not a lot of options.

There has been quite a push recently to create affordable housing. Breckenridge has the new deed-restricted Wellington neighborhood -- you can own a home there only if you work in Summit County + the appreciation is capped (I think 3% per year?). Not sure if there's an earnings cap. Althought, even then, houses aren't that cheap there. I mean, they're cheap for Breck, but Breck is the most expensive place in Summit, so it's still quite expensive.

Frisco has just set aside a parcel of land near Peak One for deed-restricted affordable housing.

I think Silverthorne is also doing the same.

All towns are also levying additional taxes on homes over a certain square footage -- those taxes will then go to create affordable housing. But even then, as Summit County reaches buildout, it's hard to see exactly where the affordable housing will be. Other than Silverthorne to the north, none of the towns have any room to expand.

The problem exists most acutely in the detached single-family home market -- they're not numerous and many are mansions. There are a lot of condos and townhomes, which, while expensive, are a bit cheaper. Problem is, raising a family in a condo/townhome is not ideal, especially when all your neighbors are vacationers/tourists.

Finding affordable housing in Summit County is also often, if not mostly, a matter of luck. We found a house that was not on the market -- our realtor knew the owner, who was thinking of maybe selling the house. So it never went on the market and we ended up paying under market price. All similar houses (3-bedroom) on the market were at least 50% higher.

Having said all that, I know many people who do manage to live up here. Some are married, some are single. Some are older, some are young. Some live in apartments, some in condos, some in houses. They're not from California, and they're not millionaires. They are ski instructors, actors at the local theater, PT instructors, IT guys, mining engineers, and more.

[COflower]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Having said all that, I know many people who do manage to live up here. Some are married, some are single. Some are older, some are young. Some live in apartments, some in condos, some in houses. They're not from California, and they're not millionaires. They are ski instructors, actors at the local theater, PT instructors, IT guys, mining engineers, and more.

I have a friend who is a realtor up there, married and has a child so I know it's possible to live up there. My brother does have a second home up in Breck and my father has owned property up in Breck and in Blue River. I guess my point by posting that article is based on some of the recent posts from those out-of-staters looking to live the "glamorous" life in the mountain towns and they need to be realistic.

[Katiana]

I think COFlower made a very good point; one that occurred to me, too. It's basically a second homes kind of area, with a little other stuff mixed in. There are several people on this forum right now who seem to think their lives will significantly improve when they move to the Colo Mtns. That is not usually the case.

[Fuzz]

Agreed with your points, COflower. Also, the stage in life that you are in, makes a difference. If you're young, and essentially starting out (say in your 20's), it's definitely possible/easier to do the CO mountain living for a few years -- it's the age where you can do it. But if you're in your 40's with a family, then it's a lot harder. I think your last word is key: realistic. It's not impossible, but the lifestyle may be different than what people envision -- you're not going to get an isolated cabin in the woods by a lake for $150K. $150K is going to get you a fixer-upper studio condo. If you're okay with that, then you could maybe make it work. As you said, it's a matter of being realistic as to what you're getting into.

pittnurse, yes there are a lot of second homes here. There are some neighborhood which have more year-round residents than second homes. For instance, in Dillon, only 15% are full-time residents, while in adjacent Silverthorne, 75% are full-time residents. Where we live, almost 80-90% are full-timers. Just a few blocks over and up the hill however (in another neighborhood), I'd say the ratio is the opposite.

The other part of the equation about living up here is employment. Surprisingly, there seem to be lots of jobs available. I'm looking at today's paper -- there are classifieds for everything: restaurant host, paralegal, bike mechanic, delivery driver, accountant, etc. Just glancing through them it seems that the majority are advertising for full-time positions. And these do not include the higher white-collar jobs such as in IT, medical, and other professional services. It seems the jobs are perhaps here, but housing isn't.

[breaksraver13]

Hey fuzz, what about jobs in the EMT/EMS field, my partner does work in this field and all that we have seen is volunteer?

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by breaksraver13

Hey fuzz, what about jobs in the EMT/EMS field, my partner does work in this field and all that we have seen is volunteer?

Yes, I think EMT may be mostly volunteer work. A buddy of mine is on the Dive Rescue team here, and he's a volunteer -- I'll see if he knows of any paid positions. If you're interested, you can check out the classifieds in the local Summit County paper online at Summit Daily News for Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper and Frisco Colorado.

[Katiana]

In regards to "medical", better termed "health care" IMO, but anyway, the resort towns mainly have ERs. A few mountain towns have hospitals: Leadville, Steamboat, Vail (I think), Gunnison, maybe a few others, but they are not places you would go if you were very sick. My ex lived in Leadville and developed a neurological condition, had to go to a Denver hospital, for example. Canon City, though not technically in the mtns, is a resort area and has a hospital. Also, I have heard from a few nurses that live in the mtns that jobs are very competitive. Point being, if you work in health care, your best bets are on the Front Range or the cities of western Colo (Grand Jctn, Durango).

[Fuzz]

^^^ FYI, there is a new full hospital in Frisco as well. Almost all the ski resorts have a small clinic/ER of their own. But you're right that for major medical complications, you'll have to go to Denver.

I guess I'm a bit surprised that nursing is so competitive in the mountains -- seems like there's always a shortage of RN's everywhere. Last week I saw two or three ads in the paper for RN's. Today there's one (offering a $7,500 relocation assistance). However, just because there's an ad doesn't mean it's not competitive -- maybe they'll get hundreds of applications for that one position.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

^^^ FYI, there is a new full hospital in Frisco as well. Almost all the ski resorts have a small clinic/ER of their own. But you're right that for major medical complications, you'll have to go to Denver.

I guess I'm a bit surprised that nursing is so competitive in the mountains -- seems like there's always a shortage of RN's everywhere. Last week I saw two or three ads in the paper for RN's. Today there's one (offering a $7,500 relocation assistance). However, just because there's an ad doesn't mean it's not competitive -- maybe they'll get hundreds of applications for that one position.

Yes, that is usually the case. And they may want scads of experience, various certifications, blah, blah. There are several posts on here about how hard it is to get nursing jobs in general in Colorado. My last job search took two years (OK, I was being picky, but still. . .). There is no real nursing shortage in Colorado. The $7500 relocation bonus may be payable after two years (that's how most of them work), and may make up for a lower salary even than in Denver. Glad to know Frisco has a hospital now.