Three words each, what do you most LOVE and HATE about Colorado? (Denver: vacation home, job market)

[PA2UK]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

You need lots of $$$ to have any sort of rural colorado homestead that everyone dreams of when they want to move to Colorado.

Not compared to what I'm used to.

15090 Herring Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80908 - Zillow

A beautiful 6 bedroom, 4 bathroom, 3,724 sqft house on 5 acres in rural Black Forest that just recently sold for... $235,000. That is jaw-dropping affordable compared to where I come from. A house like that where I'm from would easily cost at least $400,000, probably more like $500,000.

[6.7traveler]

^ Wow, I don't know if you could build that for that price, someone lost some money on that deal. I was mainly talking about vacant land in mountainous areas away from the sprawl of the front range and would personally never want a house that big, nor in that area. That does seem to be a good deal for people that want that area and that big of house though.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by PA2UK

Not compared to what I'm used to.

15090 Herring Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80908 - Zillow

A beautiful 6 bedroom, 4 bathroom, 3,724 sqft house on 5 acres in rural Black Forest that just recently sold for... $235,000. That is jaw-dropping affordable compared to where I come from. A house like that where I'm from would easily cost at least $400,000, probably more like $500,000.

I think there's some other stuff going on here. The county assessor database for that street number says the address is no longer valid and they had it listed as 20 acres. I'm going to assume that the land was subdivided and the $230k was the price of the 15 acres that were chopped off for other uses. The price of $230K is totally unrealistic for the property as it's listed, I'd expect that to be at least double that amount. Zillow and Trulia should always be taken with a grain of salt.

[StarrySkiesAbove]

Yes as Mike said Zillow does not show the whole picture. If you do some research with the Assessor you will find that what Zillow lists as a sale for $235,000 is actually an In House/Family Transfer and did not "sell" to an outside party.

There is a sale back in 2011 for $395,000 to the current owner and presumably a spouse. Then this "sale" you are referring to is a transfer from one spouse to the other. The wife is no longer an owner. Remaining owner is still the same man. My guess would be some kind of settlement/buy out from a divorce decree.

If you do a little more research you can see that the home was listed for sale last May for $550,000 (about right for that home in that area) they pulled the listing off the MLS in September 2014 and the Family Transfer for $235,000 occurred on 10/17/14. So Zillow is combing data from the original $550,000 listing with the amount the assessor disclosed for the in house transfer.

Echoing Mike's advice: take anything you see on Zillow and Trulia with a grain of salt and do your research because if it sounds too good to be true...

[RockyMtnXpress]

Love:

1.) The four seasons.
2.) The wildlife.
3.) The mountains and our Great Room/Master Bedroom view of Sawatch Range.

Hate:

1.) Posing ideas or actions that many outsiders - including federal government - believe Colorado should be in their mind's eye. i.e. "Back in my home state, we did things this way." <<< Hate it! It sends shivers down my backbone when I hear this!
2.) Radical politicians and their insane logic. Gun laws anyone? How about some fracking?
3.) Some infrastructure lacks in repair.

I know all of the above goes beyond "Three Words"...I tried, I really did.

[Rainbow Demon]

Love:

Mountains
My Creek
Solitude

Dislike:

Movers/Shakers
Short-sightedness
Sprawl

[PA2UK]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

I think there's some other stuff going on here. The county assessor database for that street number says the address is no longer valid and they had it listed as 20 acres. I'm going to assume that the land was subdivided and the $230k was the price of the 15 acres that were chopped off for other uses. The price of $230K is totally unrealistic for the property as it's listed, I'd expect that to be at least double that amount. Zillow and Trulia should always be taken with a grain of salt.

I don't think so - I've driven passed the house and saw the sold sign in front of it.

[StarrySkiesAbove]

PA2UK did you see a couple of posts up, number #34? I did some research just by checking public records. I am a real estate appraiser and was curious since similar homes in that area sell in the $500K plus range. The amount on Zillow is not a regular sale or an arms length transaction.

I also noticed that Realtor.com did a better job than Zillow. If you go to the property history tab they are not picking up and reporting the Family Transfer of $235K as a sale. http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...851?source=web

[bluescreen73]

Love:
Mountains
Climate
Fresh Air

Hate:
Crowds in the mountains.
People who believe pot is the biggest reason the state is growing.
Rotting infrastructure.

As far as sprawl goes, y'all need to get out more. Spend some time in Dallas-Fort Worth or Houston. Then come back and realize that Denver's nowhere near as bad as it could be.

In DFW it's 60 miles of solid city from Rockwall on the east to Benbrook on the west, and another 50-60 miles from Denton on the north to Waxahachie on the south.

DFW east-to-west would stretch from E-470 & I-70 all the way to the Bakerville exit near the Eisenhower Tunnel.

[cowboyxjon]

Love:
- natural beauty (both the mountains and the plains)
- off-road community
- the overall climate

Hate:
- smelling marijuana every day
- politicians who are trying to turn us into California
- ridiculous gun laws