Moving to CO. Love new developments and "strip malls" any advice on where to live? (Denver: apartments, lease)

[mspiggygreen]

Hi all!
I am a newlywed and my husband and I are originally from San Diego. We moved to Albany, NY for 2 years or so and have decided to move to Colorado. Call me crazy, but I love new developments, new stores and chains, new houses, and just being a short drive if you wanna run to Target for something. I don't want to drive in the snow 30 minutes if I need T.P.
Where would you wonderful Coloradians suggest we move? We are of modest income, mid 20's and don't have any children.

Any help would be grand!! Thanks all!

[Shuffler]

I wasn't sure if your post is supposed to be funny, or if you're serious. Pick any town along the Front Range and you'll find just what you're after. Strip malls, big boxes, and new rooftops abound, so it should feel just like home. However, good luck finding a job unless you already have something lined up...that could be a wakeup call.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by mspiggygreen

Hi all!
I am a newlywed and my husband and I are originally from San Diego. We moved to Albany, NY for 2 years or so and have decided to move to Colorado. Call me crazy, but I love new developments, new stores and chains, new houses, and just being a short drive if you wanna run to Target for something. I don't want to drive in the snow 30 minutes if I need T.P.
Where would you wonderful Coloradians suggest we move? We are of modest income, mid 20's and don't have any children.

Any help would be grand!! Thanks all!

Where are you going to work?
What line of work are you in?
Renting or buying? Budget or price range?

[mspiggygreen]

Originally Posted by Charles

Where are you going to work?
What line of work are you in?
Renting or buying? Budget or price range?

My husband is in Electrical billing and I am in admin.
We are looking to rent while we find a placy to buy. Most likely a townhome for no more than $150K

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by mspiggygreen

Hi all!
I am a newlywed and my husband and I are originally from San Diego. We moved to Albany, NY for 2 years or so and have decided to move to Colorado. Call me crazy, but I love new developments, new stores and chains, new houses, and just being a short drive if you wanna run to Target for something. I don't want to drive in the snow 30 minutes if I need T.P.
Where would you wonderful Coloradians suggest we move? We are of modest income, mid 20's and don't have any children.

Any help would be grand!! Thanks all!

Well, enjoy that lifestyle while you can, I guess. It ain't gonna last. In fact, it's not a lifestyle--it's a national cancer.

[chilaili]

Originally Posted by mspiggygreen

My husband is in Electrical billing and I am in admin.
We are looking to rent while we find a placy to buy. Most likely a townhome for no more than $150K

Run a search on coloproperty.com and you'll find 100s of townhomes all over the state in that price range. It really depends on what kind of city you want. Loveland, Fort Collins, Broomfield, Thornton, Westminster, Colorado Springs, etc, etc all have the environment you're looking for.

[TropicanaRose]

Why Colorado? You could find the lifestyle you desire in Texas (for instance) for much less.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Well, enjoy that lifestyle while you can, I guess. It ain't gonna last. In fact, it's not a lifestyle--it's a national cancer.

Not sure what is meant by "not going to last". However, the budget of $150K does sound a little low for a new SFH, near shopping and amenities as described by the original poster. Maybe a very small condo? And probably not too new either.

No one really wants to live right next door to a strip mall but if consumers hated them they wouldn't use them and if no one used them retailers wouldn't lease space in them.

Things may get even more convenient. For instance, who would have ever thought you could order your groceries online and have them delivered for next to nothing? (I don't do it, I do a lot of mental price/ounce calculations/comparisons in my head while grocery shopping.)

Also, the further people live away from community retail, the more likely they are to use the internet to buy stuff. I love online shopping for things that don't weigh much (memory chips, small electronics, etc.) You can compare and analyze. I even buy tires online from Tirerack. Beats dealing with a tire dealer and "his specials".

I wonder how many people would rather not have convenient, cost effective, time efficient, big box, departmentalized shopping which take advantage of economy of scale and would prefer to revert to multiple independent shops. What do consumers demand and what have retailers done to respond? Which proprietor is more likely to take back a return and issue a full refund?

[tfox]

I did a search and found 10 new construction townhomes in the Denver area under 150k. That's not very many given that we're in a strong buyer's market. The bulk were in Commerce City/Brighton/Thornton area, which is generally about the only place you'll find new and cheap in Denver housing, though values there are dropping. A couple in Green Valley Ranch, which is not recommended at any price, and believe it or not a couple on the east end of Stapleton near Havana, which might be the best picks out of that, though that seems way too low for Stapleton.

Despite what you may read here, the Denver area has relatively little new construction except on the outer fringes (infill like Stapleton and Lowry being exceptions). Much of the core cities was completely built out 100 years ago, and the last big suburban building boom was in the early-to-mid 1990s and ended around 2000. I'd certainly recommend that you consider stuff at least 10-15 years old, if not older. It will open up a lot of better locations for you than what you'll get if you insist on new.

Other Front Range cities like Fort Collins/Loveland, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo are likely to have more newer construction at lower prices, so you might want to consider those areas as well instead of the Denver area.

[Tom Emmerling]

Loveland has a new strip mall on one side of I25 and an outlet mall on the other side of I25. There are brand new townhomes that would be affordable for you just west of the strip malls, and a target around the corner too. There are also some nice apartments to rent in that area for when you first get here.