Relocating to Denver - Need help please (Aurora, Highlands Ranch: renting, houses)

[krish24]

I am relocating to Denver. I have never lived in or visited Denver (or Colorado for that matter) for any length of time before. My employer is located in Greenwood Village. I would like to purchase a house. Budget is $300,000 to $350,000. I am a single male (no kids) executive professional. I prefer a 1/2+ acre property, yard to do gardening, decent neighbourhood, ability to walk to parks, shopping, movies, etc. Not cookie-cutter housing. Greenery. Easy access to travel to Denver downtown for entertainment/sports is a strong plus.

Please advise which areas I should look into to live in? Thank you in advance.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by krish24

I am relocating to Denver. I have never lived in or visited Denver (or Colorado for that matter) for any length of time before. My employer is located in Greenwood Village. I would like to purchase a house. Budget is $300,000 to $350,000. I am a single male (no kids) executive professional. I prefer a 1/2+ acre property, yard to do gardening, decent neighbourhood, ability to walk to parks, shopping, movies, etc. Not cookie-cutter housing. Greenery. Easy access to travel to Denver downtown for entertainment/sports is a strong plus.

Please advise which areas I should look into to live in? Thank you in advance.

Good thing about Greenwood Village is that it's in a fairly central location.

Bad thing is 1/2 acre lots are hard to come by around here (at least on your budget). Everything I found meeting your criteria was either in the mountains, or on the outskirts, (read: Plains) which means long commutes, both to work and downtown.

Along with your 1/2 acre lot parameter, another thing doesn't belong: Greenery. All greenery here in the flats is man-made, you've got to get up to the mountains to see a semblance of the real thing.

[Davros]

Is 1/2 acre really all that big ? Google tells me a half acre would be about 150 ft by 150 ft, which doesn't seem all that big to me. What's the size of a standard lot in say, the Washington Park neighborhood ?

For 300,000 - 350,000 you should be able to find a nice house in Centennial or in southern Denver that might fit your interests. Maybe not as big a property as you posted, but should be plenty big enough for gardening. The part of Denver I'm kind of thinking of in my mind is from Broadway eastward, and between Hampden and say, Mississippi(south-north). There are parks in that area, such as Washington Park and Harvard Gulch Park.

What part of Greenwood Village are you working in ? Is it the Denver Tech Center ? If so, the Light Rail transit goes there. The Light Rail transit runs along Interstate 25 towards downtown. There are northbound buses towards downtown on many roads --- Broadway, Downing, University, Colorado.


Also, perhaps you could consider renting during your first year, so you can get a better feel for the city, and make sure you want to stay.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Davros

Is 1/2 acre really all that big ? Google tells me a half acre would be about 150 ft by 150 ft, which doesn't seem all that big to me. What's the size of a standard lot in say, the Washington Park neighborhood ?

For 300,000 - 350,000 you should be able to find a nice house in Centennial or in southern Denver that might fit your interests. Maybe not as big a property as you posted, but should be plenty big enough for gardening. The part of Denver I'm kind of thinking of in my mind is from Broadway eastward, and between Hampden and say, Mississippi(south-north). There are parks in that area, such as Washington Park and Harvard Gulch Park.

What part of Greenwood Village are you working in ? Is it the Denver Tech Center ? If so, the Light Rail transit goes there. The Light Rail transit runs along Interstate 25 towards downtown. There are northbound buses towards downtown on many roads --- Broadway, Downing, University, Colorado.


Also, perhaps you could consider renting during your first year, so you can get a better feel for the city, and make sure you want to stay.

Yes, 1/2 acre is big, very big. The largest housed residential lot I found in Washington Park, available in that price range, was 0.10 acres. That's quite a difference.

IMO, the OP will find plenty he likes in that price range close to GV.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Davros

Is 1/2 acre really all that big ? Google tells me a half acre would be about 150 ft by 150 ft, which doesn't seem all that big to me. What's the size of a standard lot in say, the Washington Park neighborhood ?

Yes, it's big. In Lafayette, the minimum lot size is 5000 sq. ft, whereas 150 X 150 is 22,500 sq. ft. In that city, the minimum has become the maximum for the most part, especially in new housing. Our lot in Louisville is about 8000 sq. ft. and considered quite large, again, by new housing standards. Even a 1/4 acre lot, 10,000 sq. ft. is considered "big", especially in the close-in suburbs, and probably unheard of in the city (with a few exceptions).

[formercalifornian]

I think you can do most of it on that budget, but you'll definitely have to compromise on lot size. Half-acre lots are unheard of around these parts, but you might be able to find a lot bordering open space or a park that will give you a little breathing room. David's comment about native greenery is true; however, there are lots of older neighborhoods with very established landscaping. My yard has several 30'+ trees and is quite shady in high summer. There is also a wooded walking path along a creek just a block from my home.

My suggestion for a neighborhood to start looking is old Littleton. The area has an eclectic collection of houses and larger lots, relatively speaking.

[Jerry Bckr]

Well, I think everyone has pretty much made the point about lot sizes. In fact, even a 1/4 acre lot will be hard to find. An area that has lots of that size will also have larger homes on them, which will put them out of your price range. One area that I would recommend checking out is called South Suburban Central(SSC) by us Realtors. It runs from Quebec on the east to about Broadway on the West, and bordered by C-470 on the south. SSC is in Centennial as one Poster recommended, however, it also runs quite a ways to the east. Not that you shouldn't check out that part of Centennial, however, the homes are newer (this means smaller lots), and may night give you the east access to downtown. Now back to the reason I recommend checking out SSC, is because most of these homes are older an built in a time of larger lots. Also, the landscaping has had 30-40 years to mature and will contribute to the green feel you're looking for. Because these homes are older, you're going to find that many of these homes are dated, some have been partially up-dated, and some have been completely up-dated. If you end up close to the corner of University and Arapahoe Road, you'll have easy access to the redeveloped Streets of Southglenn.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

I did a little looking around, too, out of curiosity. I found one home in Algonquin Acres (on Arapahoe Road just west of Parker Road) with over a 1/2 acre for around $350,000. Older home built in the 70's. Also found one in Foxfield (I was surprised) for $350,000; Foxfield is south of Arapahoe Road just east of Parker Road and most of the homes there are well over $500,000. This one looked old and small. Those locations on Arapahoe Road would be close to Greenwood Village. I agree with another poster about looking in old Littleton and Centennial because you may find some larger lots there.

[formercalifornian]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

I did a little looking around, too, out of curiosity. I found one home in Algonquin Acres (on Arapahoe Road just west of Parker Road) with over a 1/2 acre for around $350,000. Older home built in the 70's. Also found one in Foxfield (I was surprised) for $350,000; Foxfield is south of Arapahoe Road just east of Parker Road and most of the homes there are well over $500,000. This one looked old and small. Those locations on Arapahoe Road would be close to Greenwood Village. I agree with another poster about looking in old Littleton and Centennial because you may find some larger lots there.

Good finds! Can't hurt to look, but I think the pickings will be slim.

[Lucky71123]

I've lived in the Denver area for over 20 years and currently work in Highlands Ranch. That would probably be a good area for you to start looking at. Castle Rock, Parker, and some area's of Aurora would be close also, and they're nice area's of the city. I would imagine that you're going to love it here...but I really wish so many people would quit moving to Colorado Let me know if you have any other questions about Denver. I'll answer the best I can.