Moving from Broomfield to Denver (loans, relocate, houses)

[jjohnston]

Hi all! My husband and I are looking to relocate from Broomfield to the North Denver area - Berkeley, Tennyson, Highlands, Sloans Lake, et. al. We love our current house, but we've come to realize the suburban lifestyle isn't our "thing." We'd rather be someplace with a more close-knit community, lots of shopping and activities within walking or biking distance, etc. We've been househunting in Sloans Lake and Highlands, but it seems we can get much more for a money in Tennyson and Berkeley. My husband's issue is that he wants to be closer to downtown; my issue is that the farther north we go, the "sketchier" the neighborhood seems to be in places.

Anyone have good info about Tennyson and Berkeley? You might save us $100-200K!

Thanks!

[tfox]

Originally Posted by jjohnston

Anyone have good info about Tennyson and Berkeley? You might save us $100-200K!

Actually Tennyson/Berkeley doesn't strike me as at all sketchy, at least not on the south side of I-70. Now, Sunnyside (East of Federal, north of 38th) -- that does strike me as a little sketchy in spots, but even Sunnyside is getting better. Anywhere north of Colfax and south of I-70 in North Denver is getting less sketchy by the day, so at least you can be assured that you're getting in an improving area.

I think that Berkeley is a great alternative to West Highland, which is getting really expensive these days. If you can really save 100-200k, I say go for it! 32nd/Lowell is still probably a little more trendy than Tennyson, but the latter is catching up. As far as proximity to downtown is concerned, you can't really walk from either place, so as far as proximity in your car and on your bike is concerned, it's not all that different.

That being said, you really can walk to downtown from East Highland and Jefferson Park areas, so if your husband wants to get closer to downtown you can look in those areas. The prices in East Highland are being run up pretty quickly, however -- that area is undergoing gentrification on steroids, but you can get a deal esp if you don't mind doing some fix-up. Jefferson Park is a cheaper alternative to East Highland but the houses there tend to be smaller and in poorer condition (for now, anyway).

To a certain extent, you have to go where the market directs -- West Highland was a great deal 10 years ago, but it's expensive now. Berkeley is a much better deal today, so if you like the area you might consider that.