relocating (Denver, Lakewood, Arvada: real estate, foreclosures, broker)

[coolmomsam]

We are thinking of moving to the Broomfield area from Southwest Wyoming. What do people think of the cost of living there? Has the housing gone up or stayed pretty stable? What about foreclosures? Any info helps.

[RuqiaRaqs]

I can't talk specifically about Broomfield, but my husband and I are in the process of trying to buy a house in the Lakewood/Arvada area. According to our real estate broker [mod cut] the average cost of a home in the Denver metro area is roughly 288,000. My guess is that is significantly higher than SW Wyoming. My impression from my experience of house-hunting around Denver in the low end of the price range is that there are A LOT of forclosures and bank-owned properties on the market, especially if you are looking at homes that are listed at less than 200K. I've heard that some counties in/around Denver are still appreciating (like Jefferson and Boulder), some are depreciating, some are generally stable.

Cost of living is o.k. -- certainly much lower in Arvada than in Estes Park, where I used to live. I got gas earlier this week for 3.18/gallon, and you never have to drive far to get to a Safeway or department store to stock up on stuff.

Depending on your occupation, it may be hard to find employment if you don't already have it. I finished my Master's degree last summer and still haven't been able to find a job in my field.

Hope this rather general information is helpful.