Fort Collins housing for young professionals (Loveland, Wellington: condos, townhouses, job market)

[isukendall]

I'm looking at a PhD graduate assistantship at CSU, and am curious about the housing market. I'm familiar with Fort Collins, as I looked at CSU for my Master's and had a couple interviews in town in the past. I'm pretty active (biking, running, kayaking, disc golf, etc.) so I know I'd appreciate the outdoor opportunities in FC, and I really like the attitude of the town.

My girlfriend and I are talking about purchasing a house. We're mid-late 20's. We both grew up on farms in NE and IA, so we're used to having extra space (I should say we like having extra space....I lived in Wrigleyville Chicago for a year and loved it but TOO crowded). Problem is, her career isn't the most lucrative and I would be taking a big pay cut by going back to grad school, so we couldn't afford anything too extravagant. She's wanting to get a house and thinks the market in Loveland isn't as bad as FC. I'd rather live in FC because of closeness to CSU and outdoor amenities, but from initial research there aren't many houses on the market for less than $200K. Any thoughts on starter "houses" in FC as opposed to townhouses or similar? Would the commute from Loveland really be worth it for cheaper housing?

Also, I've heard that the job market in FC is oversaturated and low-paying. Is it tough to get jobs in non-profit orgs in town, and also in the restaurant biz?

Thanks!

[meetm]

I've been researching FC a bit as I'm thinking of moving there soon. I've found there are a number of Condos $80-$130K that look interesting to me. Condos aren't always the best investment, but, for someone possibly staying only through Phd studies you might not make much but probably not lose much... Just my thoughts

Good luck

[Tom Emmerling]

I do not think you would have any problem finding a house lower than 200,000 in the fort collins area. Loveland is only about 10,000 cheaper for the same house compared to Fort Collins. Not a big difference and the commute would be a little challenging. You might want to look north of Fort Collins in the Wellington area. This would give you the small town feeling that you are use to.

[sosobroke]

You could find a starter home or carriage home below 200K, but you are right about the job market. Jobs are hard to find and hundreds if not thousands compete for the good ones. There are lots of resturant jobs. Fort Collins has more resturants per capitia than anyone but San Fran. The problem is the pay is very low. I would stay out of Loveland at under 200K range. There are some ratty areas and the compute is bad. Fort Collins and Loveland are know for very heavy traffic.