Area of the metro where town homes and condos are in demand by buyers? (Denver: real estate, apartments)

[murof]

I am thinking a house would not be a good purchase for me. Being a singleguy in my 40s, whenever I look at a house in the suburbs, I get strangelydepressed. I think it's because I am single and alone and do not feelthe typical SFH environment would suit me. I am looking for areas in whichtown homes (or condos) will have a strong demand. For example, if I livedin city with a large lake, a condo along the lake would be a desirable location.I don't want to be one of these condo owners who can't unload theirproperty. An area, for example, like Buckley and Iliff, while not a bad areain general, would not be a good place for a town home demand and/orappreciation. It's kind of blah. Ski towns would be an obvious choice for location, butI need to live in the metro area. So please help me narrow down theareas in which town homes might be sought after, and not fade intoblahsville. I have three areas in mind, please commentif you can: Stapleton, Louisville, and Boulder. Louisville is often mentionedas one of the best little towns in the U.S. so I thought it might be a desirable placeto own a town home. I am certain there are neighborhoods in Denverproper which are desirable, but my impression of desirable Denver neighborhoods (wherever they may be) are very pricey. I only have 150K to spend on a home. Thanks for your help.

[cowboyxjon]

You might want to look for a foreclosure/fixer-upper in Capitol Hill, Cheeseman Park, or Congress Park. It's probably hard to find something at $150K but it's possible that it could be done. Those areas seem to always been in demand because of the proximity to downtown and also offer things to do (generally) within walking distance. It also wouldn't be far for your commute to work --- I-70 and Havana, right?

Look on Zillow.com -- I saw a few condos/apartments in your price range in those areas.

[2bindenver]

Stapleton is a popular neighborhood in Denver. Boulder and Louisville are cities.

What about Englewood, Higlands, or a small house along the light rail (heavy rail) in Windsor, Barnum.

There are lots of places with townhomes under $150,000...

[steveindenver]

Uptown. Ignore the rest and avoid anything built in the past 10 years.

Edit, just read the price requirement.

North of uptown, 5 points is a good bet. None of the other areas mentioned will fall into that price category. You *might* try west of I-25 in the highlands area but there are a lot of tradeoffs with that decision; the biggest being that damn highway between you and Denver.

[murof]

Originally Posted by cowboyxjon

You might want to look for a foreclosure/fixer-upper in Capitol Hill, Cheeseman Park, or Congress Park. It's probably hard to find something at $150K but it's possible that it could be done. Those areas seem to always been in demand because of the proximity to downtown and also offer things to do (generally) within walking distance. It also wouldn't be far for your commute to work --- I-70 and Havana, right?

Look on Zillow.com -- I saw a few condos/apartments in your price range in those areas.

Alright I will look into these Denver neighborhoods, although I am notcrazy about the idea of living close to downtown. I do liketo have a little bit of breathing room. I am hoping to findan area close to Denver that people immediately are drawn to when they search for town houses. I'll use the analogy of Hondaor Toyota, when most people are looking for a used car, theyimmediately scroll through the alphabet to these two car makers,well, at least they did back in the days of newspaper classifieds. That's the kind of area I want to live in in regard to town homes.Stapleton seems to be such an area.

[murof]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

Stapleton is a popular neighborhood in Denver. Boulder and Louisville are cities.

What about Englewood, Higlands, or a small house along the light rail (heavy rail) in Windsor, Barnum.

There are lots of places with townhomes under $150,000...

I know Boulder and Louisville are cities. Did I give the impression that I didn't know this? Along the light rail is a good idea, that's exactly the kind of idea I'm looking for. What's desirable about Englewood? I assume the Highlands is a neighborhood in Denver. Yeah there are a lot of places with town homes under 150K, but that's beside the point.

[murof]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

Uptown. Ignore the rest and avoid anything built in the past 10 years.

Edit, just read the price requirement.

North of uptown, 5 points is a good bet. None of the other areas mentioned will fall into that price category. You *might* try west of I-25 in the highlands area but there are a lot of tradeoffs with that decision; the biggest being that damn highway between you and Denver.

Ignore everything except for uptown? Maybe I will take a ride toFive Points, I have seen it mentioned in posts particularlyin regards to crime debates, but I have no idea what the environment is like. I am also envisioning a condo with a view of the South Platte Rivereither North of Denver, or South of Denver. Are there any such places?I really doubt I will like living close to the city proper. But it dependson the environment of the area or neighborhood, something vibrant, for example.

[steveindenver]

I really doubt I will like living close to the city proper

I am looking for areas in whichtown homes (or condos) will have a strong demand.

I only have 150K to spend on a home.

None of these things go together. Two of these things are almost impossible; and of the three strong demand is non-existent outside of the urban core.

[murof]

Is this particular to Denver, or as a general real estate rule of thumb?

[tfox]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

None of these things go together. Two of these things are almost impossible; and of the three strong demand is non-existent outside of the urban core.

Well the OP did specifically mention Boulder. Most of Boulder is going to continue to have strong demand, if for no other reason than it's a magnet for attracting out of state relocatees. 150k is doable for a condo in Boulder, at least it was last time I checked.