40-somethings, looking for safe, upscale/luxury apartment/townhome DTC (Denver: apartment complex, lease)

[MountainRelo]

My husband and I are in our mid-to-late forties, professionals, grown children (only one will be moving with us, until college and he's 17); my husband works in the heart of DTC and is currently living in a one bedroom apartment a short walk away. Me and my son will be moving there in July/August to get him set-up in school as a senior. We need a large apartment, prefer a townhome, in the DTC area or in the close surrounding areas (Centennial/Highlands Ranch) but Littleton/Englewood may be getting a little too far out; would consider Cherry Creek area but prefer not too far into Aurora.

The complex my husband is at right now isn't too bad, but they only go up to a 2-bedroom. I'm finding this a lot -- I find a place online and everything is great and then when I check out the floorplans, the largest they have is maybe a 2-bedroom with a tiny, no-door den area. Also, I did do a search on this forum and most people are looking for only a two bedroom or smaller place OR they are much younger or with families/young children.

What would be great?

1. we need at least 3 bedrooms but would jump through hoops for 4 bedrooms or 3 beds and a den.

2. our price range is upwards of $2500/mo (more for just the right place)

3. we have 2 cats and a mix-breed dog (50lbs) so pet-friendly is a must

4. we are mid-life professionals and would like to find a place with likewise individuals - would like to avoid college hangouts and party-centrals. (Found the perfect place and found out it was a 55-and-over community! That was so disappointing.)

5. we love to walk to everything! We are total foodies, love the arts, organic grocers, etc. so living in the middle of it all is a big plus (right now in Centennial my husband walks to almost everything, including work; it's great!)

Why not rent a house/condo? or, buy?

We have had our house here in Kentucky on the market for going on 1.5 years - there are several houses in our suburb that have been listed for about 2 years and nothing is moving, so with the help of our mortgage company we are doing a strategic died-in-lieu so our credit will take a hit to say the least and not-so-great stuff will show up on our CR which private owners and their management companies will frown upon (most say good credit is necessary) - we already know it will be much easier (I have already talked to several) to hook up with an apartment complex (they have plans available for people like us) albeit we will pay a bit more on the deposit but nothing like the amounts we would pay for on a house (some deposits on a $3000/mo house are close to $5000).

Also, we need to rent for about 2 years to correct the CR and contribute to our investments so we can eventually buy something closer to where we really want to live which is in the mountains (probably a condo in the Breckenridge area), so buying is really out of the question for the first 2-3 years.

Anyone know of people with good experiences in upscale apartment communities? I would love some suggestions! I have inquired about a few: The Palamino Resort Apartments, The Savoy at Dayton, Alara, Fairways at Racoon Creek and The Promenade (which I just found out only accepts dogs up to 30lbs).

Thanks everyone!

[davebarnes]

Try Padmapper.com
use the filters

For example
Size really DOES matter....HUGE 3 Bedroom!!

[SkyDog77]

I disagree with your assessment that houses are going to be a bigger deposit than apartments. Houses are often leased by their owners who can often be more flexible than the management companies that operate apartment complexes.

[ELCO5280]

My wife and I really liked living at Promenade Place off of Belleview and Ulster. The C1 floorplan is over 2k sqft and 3bd/2ba. I know the original tower is the older more established residents with the other buildings the younger crowd.

Luxury Apartments for Lease Rent Floor Plans | Promenade Place Denver Tech Center

[headingtoDenver]

Originally Posted by ELCO5280

My wife and I really liked living at Promenade Place off of Belleview and Ulster. The C1 floorplan is over 2k sqft and 3bd/2ba. I know the original tower is the older more established residents with the other buildings the younger crowd.

Luxury Apartments for Lease Rent Floor Plans | Promenade Place Denver Tech Center

I second the Promenade Place. We just moved out of there a few months ago (bought a house) and we enjoyed being there. The staff working there are really great and the apartments themselves are really nice.

[MountainRelo]

Thanks everyone for the helpful tips! I will check out Promenade for sure.