Visit to Castle Rock (Denver, Colorado Springs: houses, neighborhoods, depreciation)

[petersoj]

My husband and I are planning a trip out to Castle Rock later this month. We have been there twice previously, in an attempt to narrow down cities/communities we liked. Is there anything in particular we should see that might make/break our decision? I know that this is purely subjective and we've driven around a bit but is there anything that we should know that isn't in the visitor's information that the Chamber of Commerce hands out? Also, can anyone make any recommendations for specific neighborhoods that we should look at? We are in our late 20's, no kids yet but hoping to start a family in the next couple of years, budget is $300-400,000, would like a single-family home with a yard. And yes, I have searched/read the boards!

[steveindenver]

Why Castlerock?

[petersoj]

It reminds us the most of where we are living currently, suburbs with amenities nearby. It looks and feels like a great place to raise a family. We love where we live but it's getting way too expensive to live here and we're looking for a change of scenery. We also have family up that way.

[steveindenver]

It sounds like you are from CA.

I don't understand people who decide to live in sprawl but ... don't limit yourself to Castlerock. You can find the same experience all over the metro area. Broomfield comes to mind (north) as do quite a few areas.

If you choose to live in these areas expect to drive everywhere; tack on an hour for any ski trip and lose value on any property for at least the next 5 years.

Understand that the exurbs of Denver are experiencing incredible property devaluations right now -- much like in CA and this won't stop anytime soon. Schools in these areas have already started to experience issues of funding so that might factor in as well.

[petersoj]

While I don't want to make this about defending where we want to live, we actually have looked elsewhere, including Broomfield, and have decided that out of the 20+ cities in Colorado we've visited, we could see ourselves living in Castle Rock. Anyone want to tackle my questions???

[EscapeCalifornia]

So who's right?

Originally Posted by Skypilot4808

Multi-million Dollar homes are primarily in Castle Pines Village (where I live). I live in one of the cheaper homes in the village ($900K) and recognize the reality that I am probably on the low end of the income scale here. It doesn't bother me. Most important, CPV has not suffered the depreciation in home value like other parts of Denver. I had a recent appraisal on my home and it has actually appreciated $120K since I purchased it in Oct 05.

Originally Posted by steveindenver

Understand that the exurbs of Denver are experiencing incredible property devaluations right now -- much like in CA and this won't stop anytime soon.

[reginhild]

Originally Posted by petersoj

My husband and I are planning a trip out to Castle Rock later this month. We have been there twice previously, in an attempt to narrow down cities/communities we liked. Is there anything in particular we should see that might make/break our decision? I know that this is purely subjective and we've driven around a bit but is there anything that we should know that isn't in the visitor's information that the Chamber of Commerce hands out? Also, can anyone make any recommendations for specific neighborhoods that we should look at? We are in our late 20's, no kids yet but hoping to start a family in the next couple of years, budget is $300-400,000, would like a single-family home with a yard. And yes, I have searched/read the boards!

My recommendation is to take bikes with you and go riding on the Santa Fe trail to see the scenery and sights you may miss from a car. There is a small local bikeshop in the old downtown area of Castle Rock - they should be able to steer you in the right direction for interesting rides.

The schools are supposed to be good there - you probably already know that since you are talking about starting a family.

Since you are looking at starting a family check out the parks available in Castle Rock. Castle Rock Local Park Info: Town of Castle Rock - Parks
Make sure you also check out Castlewood Canyon State Park which is very close to Castle Rock.

[RedSoxFanGoingWest]

Hi petersoj,

My wife and I move to Castle Rock almost 2 years ago. We are in our early 30s and do not have any children - not sure if we will have them or not. In your price range, there are several neighborhoods that will fit. We looked at most of them when house hunting.

We decided on Sapphire Pointe. It is east of I-25. The home prices have dropped significantly - as they have pretty much everywhere. You can get good value for your money here. Sapphire Pointe is not far from the shopping off of Founders and close enough to downtown to enjoy the restaurants. The neighborhood is very family friendly much like the Meadows and Founders which are more popular. We felt that Sapphire Pointe was a little more spread out than the Meadows and Founders and it is surrounded by high-end homes in Diamond Ridge and Puma Ridge.

If you have a chance drive through when you visit. It's very easy to find. Just use "Sapphire Pointe Blvd" as your ending point.

As far as what else to see, I'd also recommend checking out Castlewood Canyon State Park. We enjoy walking around old downtown on a nice afternoon. Try one of the local restaurants - Union and Old Stone Church are 2 of our favorites.

Castle Rock is nice as it is about half way between Denver and the Springs. It is commutable to southern Denver and the Northern part of Colorado Springs without too much hassle. The commute to the mountains isn't terrible. My wife and I are there every weekend and a typical drive is about 2 hours on a Friday late afternoon/evening.

Good luck. Please let me know if I can help in any other way!

[formercalifornian]

I doubt anything I could add would make or break your decision, but here are a few passing thoughts:

* Downtown is cute, and the historic houses are very appealing, but the grade crossings require that the train sound its way through town at all hours, and it's extremely loud!.

* The views of the front range from the ridge neighborhoods east of I-25 are extraordinary, but watch out for the wind. It can be very severe and makes gardening difficult.

* Castle Rock offers a free shuttle, but it doesn't serve all neighborhoods equally.

* Castlewood Ranch (a newer subdivision) offers larger yards than the Meadows (another newer subdivision), and comensurately larger water bills.

* Great Mexican food can be found at Yolanda's on Wilcox St.

* Residents of Castle Pines and Castle Pines North, which some people consider a part of Castle Rock, do not have resident access to the Rec Center.

[Jerry Bckr]

The last two post had some great advice for you. Have you considered Ken-Caryl Ranch? It has that Colorado feel and you can see pictures of it in one of my albums. Right now you will have some great choices in your price range.