Need info. on Willowbrook Sub near Summit County ??? (Denver, Lakewood: real estate, renting)

[tkdmom]

My realtor just found a cute little ranch in a subdivision called "Willowbrook", for $485K. Anyone know if this is a good area ? What do you think about that price, and is it worth the price. Im coming from SoCal and I can't believe that prices are so darn high in CO. I think Im gonna have to move to PA now.

[COflower]

I don't know anything about the specific subdivision but keep in mind that resort areas like Summit County, Eagle County, Pitkin County and Routt County (Steamboat Springs) are going to be very competitive in pricing to southern Calif.

Since they are resort areas, many of the homes there are second and sometimes third homes for the wealthy. It is difficult for people who work in those areas (think service industry workers) to actually live in them and often end up commuting sometimes an hour and a half each way to get to work.

Depending on the size, location and ammenities, it's very possible a small rancher can be close to a half mill.

My best friend from childhood is a realtor based in Silverthorne has a three bedroom, 1 full and 1 1/2 bath home listed at $549,900. Silverthorne in itself had not considered "prime" real estate up until about the mid to late 90s.

She also has one smaller condo listed for under $200k, 1 bed and 1 bath...584 sq ft. in "Dillon Valley East".

More affordable housing is going to be in much smaller mountain communities, on the Front Range or on the far west part of the Western Slope.

[tfox]

Summit is crazy expensive.

Dillon Valley East is the cheapest place to live in Summit County -- in fact you can still get a condo there for around 100k, but it's not very nice I'm sorry to say and HOAs are higher than you'd think looking at the complex. The town of Dillon also tends to be cheaper, and there are some less expensive places in Wildernest too. At Keystone there's a complex called Gateway that's not too bad in price, also around 100k, but they don't have full kitchens. There are some studios in Frisco in the mid-100s, my friend owns a place in Cedar Lodge that I stay in a lot, but that's it in Frisco. Forget about Breckenridge, that's even worse than Frisco. Renting is a better deal in Summit than buying, especially in the off-season.

If you like Summit County and still want to own there, here's my suggestion. Live in Denver metro area (maybe on the West side in Lakewood), and buy yourself an inexpensive condo in Dillon or Wildernest. The two cost together would still be much, much less than a single house in Summit. Plus, in Denver you can find a job that will actually allow you to afford your house payment; that's not possible in Summit.

Good Luck!

[Fuzz]

We just moved to the subdivision right next to Willowbrook. It's a great general location. Great views of the mountains all around, hiking, biking, skiing, fishing practically outside your door. How many bedrooms for $485K? 3-bedrooms seem to be going for that amount. I haven't seen any "ranches" in Willowbrook -- do you mean it's ranch-style (of which there are many)? There's a park right nearby (Trent Park). A large lake (stocked with fishes) right across the main street. Eagles Nest Wilderness borders the subdivision to the west. You're about 1 mile from Target (will end up being your main shopping destination), and about 2 to 5 miles from all kinds of restaurants and other stores (full grocery store, bookstore, etc.). About 15 minutes from ski areas like A-Basin, Keystone, Loveland, Breck, Copper.

PM me if you'd like more info.