From California To Colorado. Why??? (Fort Collins: rental, high crime, lenders)

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by kswen

Hi! I was just reading this post and I wanted to correct some of the misinformation that I saw. We lived in Colorado for a year and a half. During that time my daughter and I developed breathing problems. Prior to this we lived in Florida and had no breathing problems. We were in perfect health before we moved there. We went to the best allergy and asthma specialist in Denver. He said that Denver has as many polluted air days as Los Angeles and that 1 out of 15 people in Denver has allergies and asthma. The air is NOT cleaner in Denver. Many days you cannot see the mountains and the smog hangs over the city. We ended up moving back to Florida and my daughter and I are breathing perfectly and do not need any of the medications that we needed in Colorado. I just wanted to make this clear to anyone that is considering moving here.

I work in a pediatrician's office. We tell parents whose kids are having difficulty breathing to run a humidifier in the child's room. The reason you can breathe better in Florida is the humidity. It used to be thought the dry air was good for people with lung disease; that's why there were all those TB hospitals in Denver at one time. We know differently now.

[dnb21]

the weather in colorado is pretty much the same as california? youve got to be kidding me. it was very cold here in the springs for several good monthes. how can people say things like the winters in colorado are mild when we had like 3 or 4 blizzards here in the springs. why do people lie about colorado weather and the supposedly "nice" people we have here. they are rude to pedestrians and noone ever looks at you or smiles. people are snotty here. it is sad.and lots of people are very close minded. and for people who say things like i cant even hold a descent conversation with someone because they probably dont know english anyway? yes thats how most of these coloradans think, very adverse to change and prejudice, never seen more than i have here which is sad because the nicest people ive met in my life have been minorities. i do not want my children to grow up here in colorado and that is just some of the reason why.

[treedonkey]

I'm in the process of moving from Sunnyvale CA to Palmer lake CA right now. Reasons for moving:
1) I have family there and they love it. My Dad's side is multi-gen Pueblan.
2) CA is overpriced and a lousy investment. I could (maybe get into the market at $700K. That's too much to risk in a sluggish market. Those prices just won't be 1mil + in 10 years.
3) I'll miss the oceans, yes, but not the traffic I have to fight to get there. The mountains and lake outside my front and back doors will make up for it many times over.
4) Because I can.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

I could (maybe get into the market at $700K. That's too much to risk in a sluggish market. Those prices just won't be 1mil + in 10 years.

They might be one $1M. It would only take annual appreciation of a little over 3.6 percent. $700K*(1.0363)^10 = $1M

But like you, I don't think California is worth it. Too many negatives versus the good weather.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by dnb21

the weather in colorado is pretty much the same as california? youve got to be kidding me. it was very cold here in the springs for several good monthes. how can people say things like the winters in colorado are mild when we had like 3 or 4 blizzards here in the springs. why do people lie about colorado weather and the supposedly "nice" people we have here. they are rude to pedestrians and noone ever looks at you or smiles. people are snotty here. it is sad.and lots of people are very close minded. and for people who say things like i cant even hold a descent conversation with someone because they probably dont know english anyway? yes thats how most of these coloradans think, very adverse to change and prejudice, never seen more than i have here which is sad because the nicest people ive met in my life have been minorities. i do not want my children to grow up here in colorado and that is just some of the reason why.

i'd agree that people in colorado - at least along much of the front range - can seem either not very engaging or otherwise reserved, even self-absorbed. as for the weather, that too can be a rather relative thing. considering the altitude (and, so, intensity of sunshine with relatively little atmosphere to filter the sunshine) and the fact that the sun shines for most of daylight hours (other than typical summer afternoon thunderstorms) of at least 300 days per year in much of colorado including the front range and springs, it really is relatively mild in here. even 25F can feel much warmer than that when in the direct sunshine, and it can usually be much warmer than 25F along the front range, e.g.. thus the usually short-lived snow cover when there is any. of course, this past winter and spring were unusually snowy or rainy, but...

[Katiana]

how can people say things like the winters in colorado are mild when we had like 3 or 4 blizzards here in the springs.

They are mild, on average, compared to winters in the midwest and the northeast.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by hello-world

even 25F can feel much warmer than that when in the direct sunshine, and it can usually be much warmer than 25F along the front range, e.g.. thus the usually short-lived snow cover when there is any. of course, this past winter and spring were unusually snowy or rainy, but...

I distinctly remember sitting on my deck last winter, 53 degrees F on my digital thermometer, shorts and no shirt (please don't vomit). I was sweating like crazy. Felt like 75. As long as it isn't too windy and the sun is shining it really doesn't feel that cold.

[treedonkey]

Charles said: "They might be one $1M. It would only take annual appreciation of a little over 3.6 percent. $700K*(1.0363)^10 = $1M"

Who knows, only the market will tell. But they are way overvalued now and barely selling at all. I know that's part of the nation-wide glut, but CA (at least the SF Bay area) is just a bad place to get into the housing market due to the extremely high entry point and limited growth potential.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

They are mild, on average, compared to winters in the midwest and the northeast.

btw - your little "Credo" under your username, "Altitude brain cell loss"...do you think there's anything to that? i've honestly never looked into it, but, i sometimes wonder about it around these parts. i have seen that the average IQ (for whatever that's worth) in CO is actually probably in the top 15 or so of the states (something like 99 iq, but, iq...and those maps may not be much to go by...), so, i've doubted it (the altitude/intelligence quotient ), but, then sometimes we have to wonder, eh?

serious question... as a health professional, any info on this?

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

Charles said: "They might be one $1M. It would only take annual appreciation of a little over 3.6 percent. $700K*(1.0363)^10 = $1M"

Who knows, only the market will tell. But they are way overvalued now and barely selling at all. I know that's part of the nation-wide glut, but CA (at least the SF Bay area) is just a bad place to get into the housing market due to the extremely high entry point and limited growth potential.

One thing I've learned to do is to stop applying common sense and basic economics to California house prices. Back when the median house was 4x the median income, most people would have called it overpriced. But look what its done since then. I can't live my life waiting for houses to become affordable in California. I just have to make the best decision I can based on current conditions and that will most likely require me leave the state of my birth in order to truly afford a home of my own. I'm sure if I stay in California and sacrifice everything to be house poor, I could be paper rich in a decade or so. But what kind of life is that?