Moving to Ft Collins area - where to live? (Loveland: relocating, real estate)

[raket]

We're relocating to Ft Collins from Austin TX, and we're looking for a house to purchase.

It's not easy by just looking at pictures on the real estate websites; can someone help in narrowing down the area that we would be interested in?

Our budget = up to $300,000

Our dreamhouse =
* starting around 1,200 sqft (the more the better)
* log cabin
* privacy
* views
* wildlife (elk!) in our backyard

I know I'm not supposed to look for this in the center of town, but were do I look then?
west side, north, south of Ft Collins?

I'll be working close to the interstate in Ft Collins, and am shooting for a commute of max 30 minutes.

Thanks!

[cheyenne1966]

You might want to look towards the horsetooth resevoir area. It's very nice, although you will find a mixture of housing types. It's a pretty large city. Do you have a specific geographical area you are looking at? For instance, I moved because of HP. There are also parts of Loveland that are outside of the city limits which are absolutely beautiful. The nice thing about the area is that you can be in the city, and in 5-10 minutes you can find a house on an acre or 2. Housing prices have really skyrocketed in just the past 2-3 years alone. I live north of wellington & live on 40 acres. I bought my house in 00 for inside your price range & it has doubled in value. If you can give me a better idea of what you need to be near for work & how far you are willing to commute, I could help you a bit more

[Tom Emmerling]

The Loveland area on the West side or the Bellvue area would also be a nice place for you. If you are looking for a large acreage you will have a smaller older house for that price. If you will settle for 1-2 acres you can find a larger nicer home.