May be Moving to Denver area from Dallas Suburbs (Arvada: custom home, neighborhoods)

[DBF]

We are contemplating a move to Denver area (Broomfield as workplace) from a nice Dallas suburb. What suburbs would be good to look in for nicely built homes and good schools? We have a 15 year old that is active in ice hockey, golf and loves to snowboard. We too enjoy winter sports. Our housing budget would be around $475,000. We currently have a 4600 SF custom home with a pool/hot tub. We know we will not need the pool and could go a bit smaller but I am worried that the finish-out on homes is not like we have.

Any thoughts?

[Bradburn1]

Hi,

As I'm sure you are aware, your money goes a lot further in Dallas homewise than it will in Denver. I don't think you will find a custom home for $475 in the northern Denver suburbs (but, I could be wrong especially in this housing market!), and outdoor pools are pretty rare here. It also depends what you mean by custom. When I say custom it means a high end home that has no replication in the same neighborhood with high end finishes (versus say a nice builder tract home with high end finishes).

I would start your search in Broomfield, which is a great place to live. When I look at current listings between $450 and 500K the homes are ranging in sq footage from 2700-4700 (only one is 4700, most are around 2900-3500), but they are all tract homes--nice ones though. There is an ice hocky rink (a very good one) in Westminster (right next to Broomfield), which has areas you might check for housing as well. Also lots of golf courses (at least 3 excellent ones I can think of) in this area as well.

Specific neighborhoods I would check would be:

Broomfield: Mckay Landing, Aspen Creek, Broadlands. Now these are all your standard cookie cutter tract home neighborhoods, seperated from everything (you can't walk to anything from them, but living in Dallas I imagine this is probably your current situation also), but they are nice areas, all with good schools.

Westminster: Legacy Ridge, The Ranch, Bradburn Village (my neighborhood, although is very different, is a new urbanist, mixed-use neighborhood where you can walk to shops, restaurants etc.. but homes are not cookie cutter and the yards are smaller).

However, as compensation for your soon to be higher cost of housing, the summers average around 75-85 degrees with low humidty--i.e. paradise (in my opinion), and you will be a 1 1/2 hour drive from the great ski areas!

[bbandy]

Yes, Broomfield has some nice areas, as does Westminster. You may also want to consider Wheatridge, Arvada, Superior, and Louisville. [ mod cut ]

[Katarina Witt]

I agree with the suggestions above. There is an ice rink in Superior, and anything in Louisville would be close to that, as well as anything in Superior. Lafayette has an ice rink at the YMCA. Again, anything in Louisville, Lafayette, even Erie would be close to the Y. Both these rinks have active hockey programs. There are golf courses in Louisville and Lafayette.

The average high in June is 82, July 87, and August 85. Lots of 90 - 100 degree days, especially from late June to mid-August. Low humidity though, and it does cool off at night.

www.accuweather.com