My Trip to Denver (Aurora, Parker: rent, mover, hotel)

[san diego mover]

Just back from visting and saw for myself that SE Aurora is awesome the new neighborhood each have a different feel to them some neighborhoods have lots of space between houses and the schools are beautiful. My biggest problem is what house to choose and what community. Aurora may have a bad rap but SE Aurora is really nice and the location is great for DIA, DTC and to get to the local shopping. Southlands outdoor mall is beautiful and I drove to Park Meadows mall during rush hour not taking the toll road and it took 15 min. I had to laugh because most people that lived there complained about the distance to get places but for a person living in So. Cal the distances for all the amentities you get it is a dream come true. I also used the freeways during rush hour all week long and stayed downtown so had to commute back to downtown each day. Traffic was a breeze compared to San Diego. Rush hour gets busy but at least you still move and it doesn't last long in San Diego rush hour is from 2pm-8pm. I even drove the day a Rockies and Broncos game where playing at the same time and traffic was nothing to complain about. Overall I was so impressed with traffic and SE Aurora and the surrounding areas. I also was so impressed by how clean everything was. I stayed at a hotel next to the 16th street mall and was a little worried by the reveiws and was very surprised how clean downtown was and yes there are bums but very few compared to San Diego and the police keep a good handle on it. It was one of the cleanest downtowns I have ever been to and I have been to many including international downtowns. MY biggest surprise was I thought I would love HR because of being what I was most used to and I didn't like it at all. To many houses close together. For all the residents that live there in Denver you are very lucky and have beautiful place to live.

[ColoWeb]

I am glad to hear that you had a good visit and had the time to see things for yourself. I am glad that you see Aurora for what it is. While there are few bad areas in Aurora, just like there are bad areas in Denver (80205, Montebello etc), I never figured why some people bring down aurora all together.

Most of the people that said bad things about Aurora have heard it from someone and keep repeating it without any knowledge or basis. There are almost 300,000 people in Aurora.

As for traffic there are days when it will be worse, but by no means it is as horrible as SoCal or LA Area. Every few months, some idiot tries to cross I-25 by foot, gets hit and killed and the highway has to be shut down. Other than that, the occasional traffics will happen from time to time.

When I visited LA I had an eye opener that the rush hour there is almost 24/7 and most of it was a standstill. I was heading to Santa Monica beach a different times of the day - never had a clean drive.

When are you thinking of moving?

[san diego mover]

I completely agree with the bad rap Aurora gets I did drive the bad area and even that part is not nearly as bad as people say. They should drive downtown LA through Watts and they will get a taste of what a bad area is like. I do believe the rep Aurora is getting is what people say because SE Aurora is nicer then some of the upscale areas near HR like Lone Tree Hertiage Hills. I'm in the process of getting a handle on what my house is valued at and San Diego has taken a beating everyone in my area is in financial hardship and I can still afford to live here so I will ride it out until my house values at what I want for it then I will sell until then I plan to visit Denver often until we can relocate. But I love it there and feel it would be a great place to raise my 3 kids.

[LisaCACO]

cool, I wondered how your trip went . yeah, HR and the small lots freak me out too, lol. it's a bit disturbing. some of the older lots here are larger, I'm told if you're interested.

also, imagine the commute you'll make twice as long. I suspect the traffic time will double over the years as more folks move here.

isn't this place clean? my sis (from san diego) and I totally freak out when we see a stray piece of trash-it stands out because it's so rare. love this place . glad you liked what you saw too.

good luck on housing prices in San diego. I know it's hard to sell these days in CA.

[san diego mover]

LisaCACO, Thanks, I agree I kept telling my husband look how clean everything is. The downtown was so clean and the freeways not one piece of trash. Here in San Diego there is trash everywhere that is why the have the prisoners do community service picking up trash on the freeways. I did look at older homes in HR I just really want a new home again and HR felt like I was in Ca. the streets where busier to. One place I want to visit again before we settle is Parker I like the location I also really liked Heritage Hills in Lone Tree but some houses were like Ca. prices. I can't wait to here how your 1st winter goes. PM me and I will give you my e-mail so you can keep me posted. Thanks

[ColoWeb]

san diego mover,
Unfortunately the housing prices are bad almost anywhere in the country. Sometimes it is best to wait it out so you can sell it at a better price. However, keep in mind that once things to start to get better, the prices here may go up just as the prices will go up for you.

By no means I am suggesting that you change your plans. Just keep this in mind. Just see that the net value gain is higher in SD by waiting it out than the prices that may go up here.

[LisaCACO]

some of the houses in parker and castle rock look just lovely. massive floor plans and huge acreage. if it weren't for the fact that we can't do the commute, we'd snap one up in a second.

i'll send you a pm and let you know about our first winter. today was a bit brisk, our first taste of fall. must buy more warm clothing...

[san diego mover]

LisaCACO, I'm Jealous same old San Diego weather. I can't wait till I will be able to pull out those sweaters that I never get to wear LOL Can't wait to see how your first winter is. I will have to take a closer look at Parker and Castle Rock my husband just needs to get to DIA couple times a month.

[OutOfSoCal]

We are heading out this weekend for a week in Denver. looking for the "right" area.
What we are thinking of doing with our houses in So Cal is renting them out for a few years until the market turns around. Leveraging the equity to buy in Colorado. The rent will cover the payments and we get out of Cali BUT still own two houses here just in case we want to come back at some point. Because they cost us nothing to own, its a great situation IF all goes as planned.

[san diego mover]

OutofSocal, We actually are thinking the same thing. Let me know what area you liked and check out SE Aurora has a bit of OC feel without the congestion. Have a safe trip