Maybe we can't afford city living... (Denver, Lakewood: houses, neighborhoods, buying)

[abcdefg567]

Originally Posted by drmoneytails

Centennial was on the list because of cherry creek school district and the homes there that we have seen online are affordable and “move in ready”.
I do t know much about Lakewood but my online searches have not been successful in finding what we want in addition to good public schools.. isn’t there an area in Lakewood that is better than others?
My wife is discarding golden for now because it’s further away from downtown..
we currently live in LoHi and we love it. We searched for homes in highlands and also Berkeley but encountered similar problems - expensive homes that need work done, no good public schools..

There isn't really a, "better," area, and the, "better," areas will lean more conservative...but it does have everything on your list and probably more or better outdoor activities than Centennial because it's close to Red Rocks and Bear Creek Lake Park. Parts of, "Golden," that I believe are unincorporated near Colorado Mills are just as close to the highway and would be a shorter commute downtown than places closer to Florida and Wadsworth or parts of Littleton.

Green Mountain & Solterra are nice, however probably more like Highlands Ranch and Littleton in terms of politics.

It's not that far of a drive....have you guys driven around and looked at all these places and timed commutes? Sat at the Starbucks or wherever, visited some parks....looked at houses in your price range?

I'd hope people wherever would be accepting when you have kids, but I know that those few who aren't can be rough. I will say, that as a, "younger," parent, I had the most negative comments and experiences in the area of Littleton near Clements Park and Columbine. I've never been asked if I was the nanny so l many times, told how young I looked, asked how much money my husband made and heard so much gossiping about strangers in my life. We've pretty much lived all over but the above was part of why we moved to the springs, where I haven't been asked about my age or life status once thank goodness.

Now, I'm not sure how that translates to gay parenting - maybe people are more careful to keep their comments quiet? But that was a bit disheartening to me.

[abcdefg567]

Also, it sounds like you really love the area where you are now, if you could find a home you liked nearby or near Sloan's Lake, even Wheat Ridge...the schools may be better in 7 years.

Those ratings don't reflect inherent problems with the schools, but rather demographics.

Plus, once kids are here and ready, those schools may be rated higher with all the gentrification completing its course.

Idk...I'm not getting an, "excited to move to the burbs," tone from your post.... everyone should live where they are happy imo. Within reason of course.

[MissTerri]

Have you checked out the Applewood area of Lakewood/Golden? It has homes on larger lots. A lot of people who live in Highlands, Tennyson, Berkeley area pre-kids end up moving to this area post kids when they want a bigger home, more space and better schools. Definitely worth checking out. It's also close enough to those hipper areas where you can enjoy city amenities not too far from home.

There are a lot of hidden gem neighborhoods in Lakewood. The Glenn's comes to mind as does the Eiber neighborhood near Lakewood High.

Also worth checking out the Green Mountain neighborhood. Good schools. Larger homes on larger lots.

Sixth Ave. Estates is on the Lakewood Golden line. Another nice neighborhood.

Southwest Lakewood off of Morrison road is pretty nice.

I would consider Golden as well.

[abcdefg567]

Originally Posted by NorthDenverGirl

Hi There!

If you want to be accessible to some type of downtown area without paying silly prices I would go with some of the suggestions above. Centennial might leave you feeling a little lost.

The old downtown area of Arvada would be close to your job at Lakewood and there are 3-4 good breweries within that area. I am a brewery geek so I get wanting to be close to that. If you go and drive around the area stop in at Denver Beer Co and New Image.

Edgewater is another community moving right along, you may not get as much for your money there but once again lots of good stuff within walking distance for the most part including a good brewery, Joyride Brewing. Coda Coffee is also right across from Joyride brewing and a good coffee shop. Once kids come along there are events and family centered thing around Sloans Lake during the year.

Golden is very family-centered. They have good parades and plenty to do for the family. It is also a college town too though so you get a good mix of people. Once again Golden has good breweries throughout, they are not really clustered though. Golden City Brewery and Barrels and Bottles are worth checking out. Most of the breweries are kid-friendly too, especially during the day.

The Green Mountain area of Lakewood offers good outdoor opportunities, decent schools, not sure about the brewery culture out there or how conservative that little pocket is but it might be worth checking out.

This ^ to add, Arvada has the Apex center and a few awesome preschools and kid activities....

We were doing swimming lessons for kids and stuff at the Golden Rec Center - it has a play area, dance, preschool...it's nice and pretty affordable.

I think Edgewater would be a nice compromise for OP. Maybe worth a second look and a compromise on house wants.

[emm74]

Yeah, I think your desire for a large lot is not compatible with your price range for a newer/updated home within Denver. There are some ok schools in Highland but probably not houses in your price range that are already redone (but don't just go by Great Schools to rate the schools, those are so weighted in terms of counting test scores and there's so much more to it than that). I think Lakewood is JeffCo schools, which are generally considered pretty good I believe. And of course it makes sense for your commute, which is going to be important once you do start a family.

But I don't see your wife liking Littleton or Centennial any more than Stapleton frankly. Lots are bigger but it's definitely more suburban than it sounds like she wants.

[MissTerri]

Originally Posted by abcdefg567

Also, it sounds like you really love the area where you are now, if you could find a home you liked nearby or near Sloan's Lake, even Wheat Ridge...the schools may be better in 7 years.

Those ratings don't reflect inherent problems with the schools, but rather demographics.

Plus, once kids are here and ready, those schools may be rated higher with all the gentrification completing its course.

Idk...I'm not getting an, "excited to move to the burbs," tone from your post.... everyone should live where they are happy imo. Within reason of course.

This is very true. Schools and their ratings can change dramatically over time.

[JrzDefector]

Originally Posted by abcdefg567

This ^ to add, Arvada has the Apex center and a few awesome preschools and kid activities....

We were doing swimming lessons for kids and stuff at the Golden Rec Center - it has a play area, dance, preschool...it's nice and pretty affordable.

I think Edgewater would be a nice compromise for OP. Maybe worth a second look and a compromise on house wants.

I'm in Edgewater and I was thinking the same thing. Lots of nearby stuff in terms of restaurants (with more great businesses coming in) and a pretty laid-back attitude. Everyone has been very friendly and mostly tilt liberal when you're not dealing with the older residents, who are very "live and let live."

Also, I can be in downtown in 10 minutes.

And you could get something super nice with $800K.

FWIW, my former roommate and I were pretty sure the entire neighborhood thought we were a happily devoted lesbian couple based on common stereotypes since we weren't dating any guys at the time and spent most of our time together - went out on weekends for dinner together, walked our dogs together, did the grocery shopping together. Everybody seemed cool with it.

[Gorges]

OP, I love the Centennial area and think it has a lot to offer, but I wouldn't want to drive to Lakewood every day from there. If possible, I would take the advice of others and rent closer to the job, then judge for yourself.

[84rabbit]

With that budget, I would definitely look in Golden proper, or v close to Golden. The Tablerock neighborhood is nice. We were priced out of Golden and looked in a lot of the areas mentioned (green mountain, sixth ave estates, applewood). I would guess that sixth ave estates and applewood will not be updated enough for your preferences. The schools can also be hit or miss. Green Mountain definitely had more of a conservative vibe to me. We didn’t consider Arvada because of Rocky Flats concerns, and concerns about the very rapid growth there (re traffic, shopping etc). Many people aren’t worried at all about Rocky Flats, so you’d have to do your own research there and decide for yourself. Golden/Arvada area is nice.

I think Solterra could work for you, although your wife may not like it since it has a Stapleton feel. Oodles of kids, and I would guess it’s less conservative than the green mtn neighborhoods near it.

We ended up in Ken Caryl area. With a bigger budget we would have bought in KC Valley. You could afford it, and it’s lovely if you like hiking / mtn biking. A distinct lack of good restaurants, though.

We found it very hard to balance everything (house size / lot size / safety / schools / commute / price / good restaurants / etc). I kept feeling like $850k or so was where options started to open up. Unfortunately, our budget was much smaller. We also found issues along the way we hadn’t anticipated - older homes w asbestos, expansive soil issues (foundation damage).

[randomparent]

Originally Posted by Gorges

OP, I love the Centennial area and think it has a lot to offer, but I wouldn't want to drive to Lakewood every day from there. If possible, I would take the advice of others and rent closer to the job, then judge for yourself.

This.