Denver metro hits a new all time high in median home prices (Colorado Springs: real estate, 2015)

[DougStark]

The National Association of Realtors released its 2015 2nd qtr median home prices on 8/11. Denver hit an all time high of 363k. Unbelievable!! This makes Denver more expensive than MANY cities, including crime-ridden Chicago and other bigger towns.

Good news for you home-owners. I'm not sure what's causing this wild inflation of home prices in Denver, but it makes nearby cities like Colo. Spgs. seem more attractive for people like me who want to move to Colo.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by DougStark

people like me who want to move to Colo.

See above for answer.

[brown_dog_us]

The OP brings up an interesting point when he mentions crime ridden Chicago. There are parts of Chicago that are very nice, but there are also parts that are incredibly bad. Of course there are neighborhoods that fall somewhere in between. In Denver there aren't the highs or the lows and therefore it's really tough for middle class families because it's their neighborhoods that prices are skyrocketing.

[anja7]

we are in the process if moving back to "crime ridden chicago". heh. at least there we can afford to buy a nice single family home for under 250k in the western suburbs and not have to fight off 50 other potential buyers or write nauseating love letters to sellers begging them to pick us. i just don't have the stomach for that.

we stuck it out for 2 years here and had a good time, but the skyrocketing housing costs and lack of housing options are not worth it (coupled with insane drive times on 70 to get to/from the mtns). my husband and i make decent livings (we are not broke or starving by any stretch of the imagination) we just don't want to blow $2200+ per month on rent for a single family home nor do we want to live in the NE boonies. and if we stay in CO we have no choice but to rent. sooo, back to the midwest we go.

btw, chicago on the whole is not the cesspool the media hype would like everyone to believe. the increased crime is primarily contained to pockets of the south and west sides of the city (where there have been issues for years). i certainly don't fear for my life when walking around the city, but i know the areas to avoid. not a big deal. the burbs are largely unaffected. sure there are some shady/run down pockets of the suburbs
but that's true where ever you go.

[Willy702]

Originally Posted by anja7

we are in the process if moving back to "crime ridden chicago". heh. at least there we can afford to buy a nice single family home for under 250k in the western suburbs and not have to fight off 50 other potential buyers or write nauseating love letters to sellers begging them to pick us. i just don't have the stomach for that.

we stuck it out for 2 years here and had a good time, but the skyrocketing housing costs and lack of housing options are not worth it (coupled with insane drive times on 70 to get to/from the mtns). my husband and i make decent livings (we are not broke or starving by any stretch of the imagination) we just don't want to blow $2200+ per month on rent for a single family home nor do we want to live in the NE boonies. and if we stay in CO we have no choice but to rent. sooo, back to the midwest we go.

btw, chicago on the whole is not the cesspool the media hype would like everyone to believe. the increased crime is primarily contained to pockets of the south and west sides of the city (where there have been issues for years). i certainly don't fear for my life when walking around the city, but i know the areas to avoid. not a big deal. the burbs are largely unaffected. sure there are some shady/run down pockets of the suburbs
but that's true where ever you go.

If you are willing to drive as far out from downtown Chicago to get to the western suburbs where its cheaper, couldn't you do the same in Denver and find cheaper housing along the price points you are looking for?
Sounds like you are applying quite a few double standards here. I mean really complaining about congested freeways in Denver when the alternative is Chicago has got to be a joke.

[Timmyy]

I smell smugness in this thread.

[JD401]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

I smell smugness in this thread.

You win the internets today.

[pvande55]

Originally Posted by Willy702

If you are willing to drive as far out from downtown Chicago to get to the western suburbs where its cheaper, couldn't you do the same in Denver and find cheaper housing along the price points you are looking for?
Sounds like you are applying quite a few double standards here. I mean really complaining about congested freeways in Denver when the alternative is Chicago has got to be a joke.

Chicago is blessed with good commuter train service. You don't necessarily have to deal with traffic and trade in your car every three years. Oh, Denver is getting it soon? Take advantage when it comes.

[anja7]

Originally Posted by Willy702

If you are willing to drive as far out from downtown Chicago to get to the western suburbs where its cheaper, couldn't you do the same in Denver and find cheaper housing along the price points you are looking for?
Sounds like you are applying quite a few double standards here. I mean really complaining about congested freeways in Denver when the alternative is Chicago has got to be a joke.

no, because we are not moving back to chicago for the amenities of the city.

we previously lived in the far NW and far western suburbs of chicago and it suited our lifestyle. i work from home, my husband will be working in the western burbs, and most of our families and friends are in the immediate area. no need to go downtown except for the occasional concert. on the weekends we are either on our motorcycles or bicycles, so we wind up heading north and west towards WI and IA.

yes, traffic overall in chicago is crazy compared to denver, but where we plan to live and play, it's not an issue. i speak from experience when i say that you will very rarely see a 3-5 hour traffic jam heading into WI from where we will be living (unless it's a holiday or something completely disastrous happens). i just checked traffic here and I70 east is solid red from the eisenhower tunnel to idaho springs - as it has been all day and as it is every weekend. :\

believe me, we looked for options out here to buy, but there is nothing that meets our requirements in the denver metro area (3BR, basement, 2 car garage, SFH, no dog breed restrictions) for under 250k that isn't a tear down, a serious fixer upper, or half way to kansas/nebraska/wyoming.

when we first moved out to CO, we lived in brighton for a year. don't care to repeat that experience again. we joke that brighton's motto should be: "brighton...that's far!" because those were pretty much the first words out of everyone's mouth when we told them where we lived. lol.

i'm not bitter or complaining...i'm pretty realistic about the situation: we can't afford it, so we are leaving. the market is what it is and we simply got here too late.

[Mike from back east]

anja, if it's not too late, why not look at COLO SPGS.

I just checked our local MLS (Colorado Springs Real Estate - Official MLS Listings - PPAR.com) and there are many hundreds of 3/2/2 homes under $250 including many in excellent school districts. These are not scrapes in any way.

Here's a 4/3/2 with full basement in a nice area.

Here's another one that might work for you, looks like the basement is finished.

Traffic here is nothing like Denver or Chicago.

Some of these homes are in far northern El Paso County, putting you no more than 40 minutes from the big mall in Lone Tree, an hour to downtown Denver, 30 minutes to downtown COLO SPGS for shows, etc.

I'm not a realtor.