Denver - What to expect? (Aurora, Highlands Ranch: rental homes, houses, transfer)

[MaybeDenver]

Hi All - I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through the posts in this forum and a lot of the information has been invaluable.

Our situation - Relocating to Denver (company transfer) in a few months from Toronto. We have been researching the recommended neighborhoods and have narrowed down our choices to Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock and the Centennial/Littleton area. We have decided that renting is definitely the best approach to figure out the best area for us. Will there be more rental "inventory" in the coming months? We would be prefer to rent a house as we have a small child and a dog.

My main issue is trying to find a comparison to the Cost of Living in Toronto with that of Denver. Has anyone recently moved from the Great White North to Denver? Can anyone ballpark average costs on a 2500 square foot home? (i.e. utilities, property tax (when we eventually purchase), cable, Internet and phone)

A little lost with costs...

[NU97]

Hello!

From what I've seen, there are plenty of houses for rent in the Denver area. The housing market is very slow at this time and many people are resorting to renting out their homes. You can look on Craigslist for rental homes -- the monthly rent will likely be around $1200-1600/mo. Add on utilities (electric, water, gas, cable) and you may be around $300 (depending on a few factors, such as the infrastructure of the house).

I do think renting is a great idea. We did that when we relocated here four years ago. Then we had time to really look around for the "perfect" neighborhood and home. We decided on SE Aurora (very near Centennial!) and have been very happy. We love being close to the Southlands and part of a friendly neighborhood w/ great schools!

[Reed9874]

beeyootiful women. lots and lots of them.

Denver is STILL best looking metro area in the nation

[jamh13]

Only problem with that is the male to female ratio is like 2:1 in CO.

[b.adams]

I'd go for a place in Highlands Ranch or Castle Rock.

If you prefer amenities -- HR. If you prefer a little more land, house, small town feel -- CR.

Either way, its Douglas County schools (great) and good demographics.

Littleton is older, more mature -- but I think paying for 30 year old places and would be more of a fixer upper situation in some cases.

[sumisu]

There are definitely good options and properties in all of those areas. It's wise to get a feel for commute times, shopping areas, hobbies you like, etc. then factor in to your decision. Good luck.