Looking in Denver, trying to find the right neighborhood

[Starwind0]

Originally Posted by MissTerri

I wasn't talking about the heart of RINO or really any truly hip or trendy areas. I meant in general it is going to be very hard to find a single family house that is 1500Sq ft + in a semi happening, low crime area for low $300K that is also a reasonable commute to downtown. If you can afford closer to $350K, you may have more luck. You may need to prioritize and adjust your expectations if you'd like to get something you could be happy with. I just don't see anyway for you to meet everything on your wish list in your budget. I'm just being realistic.

Hmm, I see there is some confusion. There is a difference from the wish list, even if I'm going to be hard press on some things, but everything except looking at condos (350k boxes..) is flexible.. That said 250-350k is my budget, I'm just looking for recommendations for areas that might **as close as possible** fit my needs in that price point. That said you never know what will pop up on the market, I've been looking at housing prices for almost 3 months, only the highlands and down town seem out of my price range. Not looking for a stone mansion. Not looking for barred windows and big chain-link fences either.

So I might take an adjoined wall ( really rather not) But will not accept an area like Rino where there are more homeless than not at 8 pm on a sunday.


I hope that clears up my expectations..

Think Fort Collins, a 7 minute drive down the road and your at the alley cat, or old town. Rest of the time your in a neighborhood. I don't want out my door, walk half a block and be in the middle of nightclubs.

[ayoitzrimz]

Originally Posted by Starwind0

Hmm, I see there is some confusion. There is a difference from the wish list, even if I'm going to be hard press on some things, but everything except looking at condos (350k boxes..) is flexible.. That said 250-350k is my budget, I'm just looking for recommendations for areas that might **as close as possible** fit my needs in that price point. That said you never know what will pop up on the market, I've been looking at housing prices for almost 3 months, only the highlands and down town seem out of my price range. Not looking for a stone mansion. Not looking for barred windows and big chain-link fences either.

So I might take an adjoined wall ( really rather not) But will not accept an area like Rino where there are more homeless than not at 8 pm on a sunday.


I hope that clears up my expectations..

And it is a valid concern in Denver. There are a lot of homeless people around Downtown and the surrounding areas. I also refused to do the shared walls business after living in apartments for 29 years so I feel your pain...

[Starwind0]

Originally Posted by ayoitzrimz

And it is a valid concern in Denver. There are a lot of homeless people around Downtown and the surrounding areas. I also refused to do the shared walls business after living in apartments for 29 years so I feel your pain...

Moreso after my old neighbor.. I had a town house, was in college, wansn't sleeping much, doing about 50 hours of homework a week then going to class (yeah, engineering school is something..). We had a shared front yard. Any time I missed any doggy stuff he would open my screen door and pile it up there. Tried talking to him, eventually decided he was a man child and just felt bad that he had kids that had to put up with his sh$$.

The closeness is more about my experiences the last few years in apartments. Every kind of smoke wafting through while you are trying to get a cross-breeze in the summer..

[emm74]

Originally Posted by Starwind0

Haha well speaking from an inventory yeah. But actually there are 3 style homes in Stapleton in the 300s-350ks. Though there are like 8 styles, so they are the minority for sure, so I can see why you think that. Lots of empty land and they are building building. If the houses had Plots, not slits they would all be over 600k. At the moment there is 1 for sale for like 320k but it has a shared yard. Options are to buy directly, or fund the building of one I'm told. Though I can see someone thinking their home they just bought is worth 100k more.. seen it in some reall &&&&& neighborhoods. Oh it's off colfax, but we remodeled. Ignoring its by a halfway house 400k please!


I have free housing, so those are options. As long as I don't mind the hour each way drive :-)

Are you referring to new construction? And if yes, I think you must be talking about the KB homes? Those are the only ones in that price point. Some of those are paired homes - a side by side duplex, not a single family. That's what I bought and I'm very happy with it, but it may not suit you if you want a single family. It's a shared wall between the two sides of the house, but a (very small) private side yard.

The KB single families start at about $340K but that is for a stripped down base version with the very, very bottom of the line appliances and finishes and the smallest floor plans with no basement. Once you start with options and upgrades, it's going to be a lot closer to $400K, if not more depending on how crazy you want to get.

[Starwind0]

Originally Posted by emm74

Are you referring to new construction? And if yes, I think you must be talking about the KB homes? Those are the only ones in that price point. Some of those are paired homes - a side by side duplex, not a single family. That's what I bought and I'm very happy with it, but it may not suit you if you want a single family. It's a shared wall between the two sides of the house, but a (very small) private side yard.

The KB single families start at about $340K but that is for a stripped down base version with the very, very bottom of the line appliances and finishes and the smallest floor plans with no basement. Once you start with options and upgrades, it's going to be a lot closer to $400K, if not more depending on how crazy you want to get.

"starting at" is the most frustrating term in the marketers arsenal.

I'm just going off the stapleton site. Here's whats listed as from low or mid 300s.
Tallgrass Collection at Stapleton - Stapleton Denver
Heritage Collection at Stapleton - Stapleton Denver
Expressions at Stapleton - Stapleton Denver
The Edge II at Stapleton - Stapleton Denver
Villa Collection of Paired Homes - Stapleton Denver
Paired Homes at Stapleton - Stapleton Denver
Though they have that annoying key phrase ;-)

[MissTerri]

Originally Posted by Starwind0

Hmm, I see there is some confusion. There is a difference from the wish list, even if I'm going to be hard press on some things, but everything except looking at condos (350k boxes..) is flexible.. That said 250-350k is my budget, I'm just looking for recommendations for areas that might **as close as possible** fit my needs in that price point. That said you never know what will pop up on the market, I've been looking at housing prices for almost 3 months, only the highlands and down town seem out of my price range. Not looking for a stone mansion. Not looking for barred windows and big chain-link fences either.

So I might take an adjoined wall ( really rather not) But will not accept an area like Rino where there are more homeless than not at 8 pm on a sunday.


I hope that clears up my expectations..

Think Fort Collins, a 7 minute drive down the road and your at the alley cat, or old town. Rest of the time your in a neighborhood. I don't want out my door, walk half a block and be in the middle of nightclubs.

Fair enough. I'm just going off of what you have posted here. You stated quite clearly that 1500 sq ft is your absolute minimum. I see that as being very constrictive considering the fact that there are a lot of smaller homes in central Denver and near Denver that would otherwise meet much of your desired criteria. For example you might be able to find an attached home in Baker that is closer to 1,000 sq ft or a single family home in N. Park Hill or in Englewood or Edgewater in your price range but since you added in that caveat of a minimum sq ft. then it really limits your options. If that is actually just a want and not an absolute like you said then maybe that opens things up.

You could also check out areas like Harvey Park and Virginia Vale for areas in Denver that are quieter but not too far from downtown or other things to do.

[emm74]

That's the reality of new construction. And KB in particular is known for giving a really stripped down house. You get more square footage for the money but then you pay separately for upgrades. For my house, with construction options of a basement, double island in the kitchen, taking down one wall to change the first floor den into a dining room and extended upstairs so I have 3 bedrooms plus a small loft, and then all the upgrades I did, I ended up paying 20% above the base price. It was very worth it to me and I have a home that I love. And I chose to spend the money on extras like hardwood floors and custom tilework in the bathrooms. But I recognized going in what the real price would be for what I wanted.

[emm74]

Originally Posted by emm74

But with a budget in the low 300K, you are in fact right in the thick of competition for Denver house hunting. Sub-400K houses have the biggest demand and the shortest supply. That's particularly true in Stapleton, where anything in the mid-300s seems to be under contract within just a few days. Right now there are brand new listings at 399,900 and 350,000, and then it drops down to a $269,000 condo, also a new listing. I would be surprised to see any of them still listed by next Monday.

I posted this Wednesday. Today is Friday. The 399K house is still listed today. The ones for 350K and 269K are already under contract.