Job Relocation to Denver Area... Need advice (Arvada, Westminster: real estate, how much)

[reeff]

I'm planning to accept a position that will be located in Westminster, CO. I'd like toget some feedback on areas to look at to live within the area. We are both 34 years old, both professionals with no kids but plan to start a family soon. We have done some limited reviews of the housing market so right now we have a big range of $300 - $500K. We want at least a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath that is no more than 10 years old. (Prefer newer house) Granite counters and more of a open floor plan style.

Right now we have been keeping an eye out for Broomfield, Arvada, Westminster, Thorton areas that are close to the job location. Are we hitting the mark here or should we be looking elsewhere? Of course, we want a newer subdivision that is safe and has good resale.

My wife will also be looking to get a job in the downtown area so we would want something no more than 35 minutes from downtown or from Westminster.

Any good websites to find houses in the denver area? I use frontdoor.com and relator.com. Any FSBO websites?

Also, has the housing market been impact greatly in the denver area? Is now the time to get some good prices and be able to negotiate with the seller? One other question.... How much are property taxes for a house that is estimated at $400K? Based off of my findings it seems to be much lower than a house in Chicago. THAT IS A GOOD THING!!!
Any input is appreciated!

[Nav]

reeff,
You're looking in the right area. (You might want to add louisville) to your search too. Brighton is one of the lowest cost areas north of the city. The closer you get to the mountains and Boulder, the higher the prices will climb.
Your price range will get you a nice house in that area, as there are a lot of new developments starting in the high 200's. If you are not wanting to live in a "planned community" and would like acreage, then the price goes up exponentially. If that is the case, you need to look east a bit.

The commute to Westminister shouldn't be all that bad, but heading into Denver from the north side can be pretty busy during the rush hour. Luckily, even heavy traffic here flows 10-30 mph, a fact that blew me away when I moved from Florida a few years back. There, you just sat at a standstill in traffic.

There are a lot of places to research housing prices but the one I like the most is COhomefinder | Cities in Colorado We Serve - Site Map
(I'm not supporting any real estate agency, but this site is really nice)

Good luck in you move.
Nav

[Bradburn1]

You might have a look at my neighborhood--Bradburn Village in Westminster. New homes, a walkable, pedestrian oriented neighborhood with many restaurants/services/bar/etc.. in walking distance with new homes in your price range. Great for kids as filled with families and great schools. Have smaller yards than your standard suburb but lots of pocket parks and direct access to the huge Big Dry Creek open space. Super, super social if you don't want to ever talk to your neighbors, this neighborhood is not for you.

The areas you mentioned are all nice and in good commuting distance for both of you. Many people in Bradburn work downtown (most take the bus from a close park and ride) and it's a 30-40 minute commute during rush hour.

Property taxes will vary by neighborhood, but in Bradburn it's around 1% of home value, so a 400K home would have a yearly property tax of around $4,000.

It's a buyers market here, but the effect of the housing downturn really depends on neighborhood here in Denver. Desirable neighborhoods closer to the city core have had some impact, but are still appreciating and other neighborhoods (usually neighborhoods in the exurbs or with average home prices below 200K) have been devastated. In Bradburn, we've had an average appreciation of 5 % from 2007 to 2008, but a next door neighborhood, The Ranch, has had a 4% decrease in average home price over the same time period, so it's really neighborhood dependant.

If you give more specifics about what characteristics in a neighborhood are important to you both we could make some more specific neighborhood recommendations.

[steveindenver]

I second Bradburn.