Nice Homes Close to DIA (Denver, Commerce City: foreclosures, house, established neighborhood)

[Croce]

Hi All:

Really appreciate this forum, as we currently live in Spain and it is very difficult to call back to the US and get detailed info - so this forum is great. My wife has a job opportunity at the new Denver Airport. Any info you might provide on good neighborhoods close by would be appreciated.

I have noticed that certain areas around Brighton seem relatively close to DIA and offer some nice homes. Price is not as important as the ability to sell again in the future. Would like to keep her commute to under thirty minutes, if at all feasible. Are there any gated communities nearby? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Croce
Madrid, Spain

[2bindenver]

Del Web will be building a brand new community near there. And there is already Reunion which has a gated part. But gated communities are not as popular here.

You always need to buy right. I call it "Win Goin' In."

Describe 'nice' please.

[TinajaCo]

There are a lot of new developments around DIA that are nice-- the first that comes to my mind is Reunion. The entire area is new, and it's about 10 minutes from the airport. If you want an established neighborhood, though, that'd be more difficult, since the airport is a good distance from much of the city. But you could consider areas around City Park, Crestmoor, or even Hilltop and south, although many of these areas would be pushing the 30-minute commute.
But I do think it would be helpful if you could give us a bit more insight as to what you want in a neighborhood-- age, amenities, etc.

[tfox]

I'd look at Stapleton. While it's not particularly close to DIA (little really is), it occupies an outstanding location and a really great walkable community. One advantage of Stapleton is the outstanding connectivity to DIA via RTD bus. Many DIA workers use RTD as most of them get EcoPasses anyway, and parking is always such a headache at the airport. Stapleton has busses leave to DIA about every 15 minutes around the clock.

Plus, many of the other areas in the northeast quadrant there's been a lot of struggles with foreclosures and falling home prices. While this may enable you to get a great deal on a house if you plan to keep it for a long time, it does mean short term risk. With Stapleton being one of the most popular (if not THE most popular) neighborhoods in the metro area, you'd not have to worry about that.

[Croce]

Thanks for some valuable insight! I hadn't even considered Stapleton, but the idea of commuting on a bus sounds pretty good. We are used to that presently. As far as our definition of "nice" - We're pretty flexible. The couple of places we've seen on the web that have caught our eye, have been priced between 400-600k, have three car garages, nice kitchens and at least 1/3 acre lots. They are in some of the subdivisions around Brighton - which I understand is pretty depressed now. So thanks again and I'll look into the areas you mentioned.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by tfox

...advantage of Stapleton is outstanding connectivity to DIA via RTD bus... Stapleton buses leave to DIA about every 15 minutes around the clock.

Would love to know if luggage is allowed on the buses. Luggage as in a full size 45-pounder w/casters on bottom.

s/Mike

[tfox]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Would love to know if luggage is allowed on the buses. Luggage as in a full size 45-pounder w/casters on bottom.

s/Mike

Mike,

Yes, they do allow luggage and stow it the compartments under the bus. The driver comes out and loads and unloads it for you. One time we traveled on the bus with an obnoxiously large amount of luggage; I ended up tipping the driver a few bucks for going above and beyond the call of duty by loading and unloading our massive suitcases. You may have to be able to lug or wheel the suitcases across the park and ride to the buses, though, but we've never had any issues with that. (Occasionally we unload all the suitcases by where the bus will arrive, then go park).

The RTD buses to the park & rides at Stapleton and 40th and Airport Rd are good deals. The buses come very frequently (usually about every 15 minutes) even at really odd hours. It's $6 per person each way from the park 'n' ride to the airport, so unless you have a whole bunch of kids with you, you're going to save money as compared to using the airport shuttle lots for sure, particularly if you're gone for more than a few days. Currently the park'n'rides are free to anyone for an unlimited amount of time, but there is some talk about changing this in the future.

The routes are the AS buses from Stapleton to the airport, and a whole bunch of routes go to 40th and Airport Rd (AT, AF, and at least one more I believe).

[2bindenver]

There are 42 in Brighton & Commerce City between $397,000 and $600,000 all on a third of an acre or more with a three car garage one but in 1986 the rest since 1996.