Moving to Denver - Platte/Wash/West Highlands (2015, houses)

[Thadez]

Hi all,

We are moving to Denver for work this spring season and could use some advice on neighborhoods on best place to live. We don’t have much time to explore in person.
A few background details...

- mid to late 30s
- New born baby(schools not important in decision right now)
-wife not planning to return to work in short/mid term
- house budget of about $1.4-1.65M
-don’t want old home, needs to be atleast remodelled or newer
- Resale value would be bonus
- originally from city living, now to suburbs but miss the city restaurants, local shops, (not nightclubs/malls).
- want to be around 20 minutes walking or less within a small set of shops/coffee etc.
-balanced interests across city life, outdoors,
- want to live somewhere surrounded by similar age/lifestyle (not young 20s or retirement group).

We are super excited to move to Denver and have been, based on our research drawn to the following neighbourhoods:

- Wash Park East (thinking out of price range for what we want).
- Corey Merrill: west side better than east, but good family neighborhood?
- Wash Park West: younger crowd, not as nice as west side obviously but still a good area
-Platte Park: prime neighborhood
- West Highland: I like the area, but unsure of dynamics
- Berkeley : looks good, but many people have said definitely part of the younger crowd

Any advice or assumption clarification insight would be very helpful and appreciated by our family!
Thank you in advance.

[davebarnes]

Berkeley does not skew young.

Not when new build duplex sides are going for $950K.
This house is underpriced https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...09687333_zpid/

The minimum price for new builds in Berkeley is $600K. This is for a unit in a 6-plex.

Single family houses are $1.3M+
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...13294575_zpid/

[MissTerri]

Platt Park has a popular farmer’s market in the summer on Pearl along with other events. The park is small but busy with a lot of parents with little kids playing on the playground. The library next to the park is small but beautiful.

Corey Merrill has two of the top elementary schools in Denver so has a lot of kids as a result. Not as walkable to shops as some of the other neighborhoods on your list, but not isolated either.

[Thadez]

Thank you! So is our perception of Berkeley wrong. And thanks for the other feedback. I am really looking to understand the “vibes” of the neighborhoods.

[Denverpro]

There is like zero vibe in wash park. People here do nothing but walk their dogs or baby strollers or run. Wash park is probably the most suburban feeling neighborhood in Denver.

But at least with wash park its consistent, you know what you are getting.

A lot of Denver is inconsistent.

[davebarnes]

Thadex,

I hope you understand how fast moving the housing market is here.
https://www.dmarealtors.com/sites/de...arch2021_0.pdf

"median days in the MLS at 5, close-price-to-list-price ratio 102%, and months of inventory at 0.55"

"Gone are the days of one-hour showing windows. Showings are mostly limited to 30 minutes if not 15, for those particularly popular homes...
Some listings are seeing over 100 showings in one weekend and have upwards of 20 plus offers."

[Thadez]

Thanks Dave, we’re originally from downtown Toronto (not where we reside now), but much more inline with the 2015-2020.

I personally like platt park,west highland, Berkeley, but my wife and others often dissuade from the latter and I don’t know why.

Wash park is definitely a different vibe but amenities none the less.

[MissTerri]

Originally Posted by Denverpro

There is like zero vibe in wash park. People here do nothing but walk their dogs or baby strollers or run. Wash park is probably the most suburban feeling neighborhood in Denver.

But at least with wash park its consistent, you know what you are getting.

A lot of Denver is inconsistent.

I think Washington Park has a snooty vibe. It doesn’t give me a suburban vibe.

[Thadez]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Thadex,

I hope you understand how fast moving the housing market is here.
https://www.dmarealtors.com/sites/de...arch2021_0.pdf

"median days in the MLS at 5, close-price-to-list-price ratio 102%, and months of inventory at 0.55"

"Gone are the days of one-hour showing windows. Showings are mostly limited to 30 minutes if not 15, for those particularly popular homes...
Some listings are seeing over 100 showings in one weekend and have upwards of 20 plus offers."

Thanks for this document!!

[Denverpro]

Originally Posted by MissTerri

I think Washington Park has a snooty vibe. It doesn’t give me a suburban vibe.

Its not suburban like highlands ranch, eww, but its too far to walk anywhere, dog walkers and runners make up 99% of foot traffic. Thats in contrast to cheeseman park area where there are a lot of people who are walking around to from the store or eatery. We do have 1-2 quite popular coffeeshops and that is the only place people will walk to.

The OP is making good judgement with Platte Park, because pretty much that entire area is a 5-10 min. walk to a decent section of broadway. Wash park is surrounded by i-25, Alameda (dead), and the dead area of broadway, and the dead residential area of university.