Looking into Moving to Denver Area... From CA (Colorado Springs, Aurora: real estate, lease)
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Good evening everyone, I have posted a thread in the Main Colorado forum and I received a lot of great advice, after researching the area a bit and receiving advice from other residents, I was referred by another member to post in the Denver forum since I have decided that it might be the place for us; just unsure where: Castle Rock, Denver Metro, Aurora, etc.
Here is a bit about me and my situtation:
1) I am in 27 years old, practicing Real Estate and currently reside in Southern California in the Santa Clarita Valley which is a suburb about 35 miles North of Los Angeles. I like the suburban lifestyle and would like to continue it.
2) My girlfriend and her 12 year old daughter will be coming with me, my girlfriend is a Registered Dental Assistant / Front Office Management here in California.
3) We are looking to escape the rediculous cost of living, taxation, traffic, congestion everywhere, etc.
4) Things that are holding us back are that our entire family is located in CA; we will both be leaving secure jobs for the unknown (I would like to see if anyone has any help tips as for jobs in CO. for my girlfriend in the Dental Field and where I might find the best success as a Real Estate Agent once I become licensed in CO. I know that competition is a factor; however currently in California, we have about 500,000 real estate licensees with approx. 250,000 of them actually practicing - So I come from a very competitive state.
5) We will be renting once we get there, and we want to keep our expense fairly reasonable, as we need to keep our reserves (about a years worth of living expenses) to live on last us until we get everything situated and employment set up (Hopefully, my girlfriend will be able to line-up something before we leave, as for me it will be a little more difficult).
We are currently paying $1,700 for a 2 bedroom apt. in CA and it seems that prices for the most part in CO. are very fair. I hope that this sums up everything and give everyone a good understanding of what we are looking for. I want to get an idea of areas, cities to consider as once I have these lined up, we are going to make a trip out to CO. to research areas visually and decide on where to go.
Thank you in advance and I appreciate everyone's cooperation.
Realistically, you may have to find another career other than real estate. Probably not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. There's little money to be made in that field right now and the only ones making any money right now are those who have been well established in the Denver metro community for years and have already built up a long standing local reputation.
Your criteria-- basically you want a suburban lifestyle and costs of living lower than CA-- is extremely vague. Pretty much anywhere in the Denver metro area including much of the city of Denver itself would work. Pretty much anywhere in the USA would meet those criteria. Need more of your wants, needs, and desires: child/family friendly? How new/old of an area do you want? How close access to mountains do you want/need? Centrally located to major business centers, or pure bedroom community? Do you prefer more "bland" areas or more "edgy" places? Ethnic diversity-- important or no? Political persuasions-- does it matter to you one way or another? Are you okay with living in the flatlands, or do you want to live in a scenic/rugged/hilly area?
I'll give you one hint-- if what you're looking for is the Front Range version of SoCal's Santa Clarita valley, then Castle Rock is just about the closest place that meets that description.
I see that you are also looking at Las Vegas, having posted on that forum. I'm curious, what is it about Las Vegas and Denver that you find similarly attractive to consider both of them? What is it in particular about Denver/ Colorado in general that gets your interest?
Everyone RAGS on Real Estate, and I know that it is tough, I have been doing it since the market went south, and the econemy to crap. I have sufferred through the roughest market in my opinion; I do not know a good market in this business. Which is why I am planning on joining an experienced agent that has established business in hopes of helping me with the transition.
I have grown up in California my entire life, I have been to the east coast but do not like the humidity, I think it is a good place to visit but not live from what I have seen. Primarily, I am tired of the hustle and bustle of LA, the air quality, the heat, fires, earthquakes, the traffic, cost of living as stated before. I personally am not a beach goer so not being near the beach does not matter to me as it does most people.
I do want a suburban lifestyle; I want to live in the scenic area of Colorado; I want to be able to take advantage of the snow, skiing, etc.; I do not necessarily want to be a mountainman, I want to be near businesses, shops and a city lifestyle. I do not need to be right smack in the center of town but within a few minutes; I want to stay away from any gang activity; I am open to a diverse culture, but what I am used to is predominantly caucasion if that helps. Are you familiar with the Santa Clarita Valley? A family environment where I can walk in the evening / night, weekends to shopping, and entertainment is a big plus for me, I want to be around excellent schools for my gf's daughter; The newer the area the better for me as I do like new construction; Political persuasions are not that important, I am open to that; I would like to stay away from the flatlands as I hear tornadoes happen there, and I am the type of person that likes scenery.
I have been reading posts on Aurora; and other areas and have not been hearing many good things about those area in regards to gang activity; vandalism; etc.
I have been looking into Vegas as well because it is a newer city, the heat does not bother me too much, but primarily because I have a cousin and friends there. Also, it is a hop, skip, and a jump away from California so if anything were to happen where it did not work out for me on the relo. I would be able to move back much easier, although I do not anticipate that happening.
As for Colorado, my mother has been there as well as a few other people I know and they say it is gorgeous; I would like to have 4 seasons and not just hot and cold. My conclusion on Denver is not solid, I was just speaking to people in the general Colorado forum and I was getting random responses so I figured after researching some areas it might be the place to go especially if I wanted to pursue Real Estate (But I am definitely open to other areas if something else fits my needs/wants.
Your input is greatly appreciated and if you feel that other places might suit my style and needs please let me know. I am planning to move by July of this year as my lease ends here in CA, so I would like to have a few places in mind for Colorado so I can come check them out and decide on where to go along with working to secure employment for my girlfriend and myself.
Based on your discription, it sounds more and more like Castle Rock area just South of Denver would be a good fit. Not sure why you are thinking about Las Vegas - I was under the impression that they are one of the hardest hit areas from the recession and housing downturn.
You may also want to do research on what cities are expected to come out of the housing downturn first. Smartmoney magazine did a list and Denver and Colorado Springs were in the top 10 but there are others that you may want to consider as well.
If you're simply looking for cheap real estate, low taxes, etc, then I'm not sure I can wholeheartedly recommend Denver at this point in time. Our housing prices in any decent area, despite the recent bust, have remained relatively high. In contrast, much of inland California and the desert southwest is in the throes of a housing meltdown of epic proportions -- I've been reading up on this and I'm amazed at the sudden, virtually overnight drop in housing values. Las Vegas, for example, used to have a median housing value MUCH higher than Metro Denver, but today, there are homes literally selling for pennies on the dollar there.
Californians may not even have to go that far as far as Las Vegas to find cheap housing. Much of interior California (aka the Inland Empire) is now cheaper than Denver, as incredible as it may seem.
Of course, Denver's economy is probably better off than those "boomburgs" as well, as we never have really had a a huge segment of our economy tied up in real estate and development, at least not by the standards of the southwest.
You might also consider Texas. It is known for having cheap housing and a robust economy that tends to partially defy national trends -- like Denver but probably much more so, it escaped the housing boom and seems to be weathering the bust as well. It has a disadvantage of frightfully high property taxes and property insurance (possibly the highest in America on both counts), but given its lack of state income tax, the tax situation in Texas is not too bad, certainly comparable to Colorado and better than California in any case.
On the other hand, I'd argue that Denver is a more livable city than most southwestern cities or most places in Texas. And we have the Rockies. My point is that we have a lot to offer, but if the criteria is MERELY cheap housing we're no longer in the sweet spot for that given the current situation.
First off, does anybody else notice the slight Aurora "jabs" in every newbie post?
Shock,
-Denver Metro has some hustle/bustle, just not as much as LA
-Air Quality can be bad in the summer time. We even can get a brown cloud.
-Summers are hot, as hot as upper 90's/low 100's.
-Fires can and do occur in the mountains.
-When was the last BIG earthquake in So. CA? 1994? How could you possibly be tired of them?
-Traffic here can suck, especially during a snowstorm.
-COL is better here than in CA. I'll give you that.
-We have lake beaches.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shock976
I do want a suburban lifestyle; I want to live in the scenic area of Colorado; I want to be able to take advantage of the snow, skiing, etc.; I do not necessarily want to be a mountainman, I want to be near businesses, shops and a city lifestyle. I do not need to be right smack in the center of town but within a few minutes; I want to stay away from any gang activity; I am open to a diverse culture, but what I am used to is predominantly caucasion if that helps. Are you familiar with the Santa Clarita Valley? A family environment where I can walk in the evening / night, weekends to shopping, and entertainment is a big plus for me, I want to be around excellent schools for my gf's daughter; The newer the area the better for me as I do like new construction; Political persuasions are not that important, I am open to that; I would like to stay away from the flatlands as I hear tornadoes happen there, and I am the type of person that likes scenery.
You almost described Colorado Springs to a T.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shock976
so if anything were to happen where it did not work out for me on the relo. I would be able to move back much easier, although I do not anticipate that happening.
This type of thinking needs to be out of mind if you really want to make it in a new place.
My reason for moving is not so much headed toward cheap housing, I do want a more reasonable cost of living that is for sure, but I just want to get out of CA in general and start over on a clean slate. I want to enjoy the seasons, and escape the 115+ summer heat, just a lot of things about CA that I think other places might offer more benefit. My main concerns are making a living in Real Estate but I am sure I can make it there if I survived the housing bust for the past 2 years.
I do not want to be in an area of Tornadoes if that is at all possible, I was looking at Ft. Collins; Denver is too much like Los Angeles and I want to avoid that lifestyle. Colorado Springs seems nice, Boulder seems nice, Is aurora really as bad as people make it out to be? As for the
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shock976 so if anything were to happen where it did not work out for me on the relo. I would be able to move back much easier, although I do not anticipate that happening.
This type of thinking needs to be out of mind if you really want to make it in a new place.
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I do not think like this, I am very strong willed and have been able to make many things work for me, it just takes dedication and perceverence.
Are there any other areas beside the front range that might suit my needs?
if by besides the front range, you mean other states and such: Salt Lake City, parts of Idaho, eastern Washington to name a few
I was referring to other areas of CO. That might fit the lifestye I am looking for. If I do not need to be near a "HUGE" city but maybe a decent size town... Of coarse schools are a plus, safety, etc.
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