Moving to the Casper, Wyoming area... (Glenrock, Casper Mountain: real estate, crime rate, mortgages)

[MelanieKay]

It is really looking like we will be moving our family from Oklahoma to the Casper area. My husbands is transferring with the company he works for. I have been on the internet non stop since we found out, but the info on the Casper is limited. I have found that the crime rate is extremly low and the housing is extremly HIGH! I have looked at tons of real estate. We live outside of the city now on a small acrage and would like to do the same in Casper, but cant seem to find any property under $250,000 thats not a mobile home or a very small house. I would love any feedback I can get on Casper and the surrounding areas - schools, communities, real estate, crime, just anything would be great!!

[Wyomiles]

Have you thought of buying land and putting a nice modular on it or building ?
There are 45 acre parcels just north of Casper for about $65,000.
This may not be allowed but there is a website called wyodex that has all sorts of info and lots of realty links.

[_redbird_]

We just returned from a trip to Casper. You will love the weather. Low humidity and beautiful mountains.

I have never lived there, but have made trips up there almost yearly. Not all houses are $250K and up. But even those that ARE 250K would be worth $900K and up anywhere else. Our friends had their house built from the ground up, and since he is a contractor, he put up a million dollar plus house for 250K. The newer homes up near Casper Mountain are dream homes.

My advice would be to take a trip there yourself. We saw two houses in close proximity to our friends that were empty, both in nice neighborhoods. There is a LOT of variety in the houses. And the area is really growing.

[logicskier]

Originally Posted by MelanieKay

It is really looking like we will be moving our family from Oklahoma to the Casper area. My husbands is transferring with the company he works for. I have been on the internet non stop since we found out, but the info on the Casper is limited. I have found that the crime rate is extremly low and the housing is extremly HIGH! I have looked at tons of real estate. We live outside of the city now on a small acrage and would like to do the same in Casper, but cant seem to find any property under $250,000 thats not a mobile home or a very small house. I would love any feedback I can get on Casper and the surrounding areas - schools, communities, real estate, crime, just anything would be great!!

You may want to read the following comments before your move. The link is to a ongoing series of questions posed by the Casper Star Tribune Newspaper.

The question today is “Former Casperites — why did you leave? If you’ve returned, what brought you back?”

Here is the link Casper NEXT » Former Casperites — why did you leave? If you’ve returned, what brought you back?

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

Originally Posted by logicskier

You may want to read the following comments before your move. The link is to a ongoing series of questions posed by the Casper Star Tribune Newspaper.

The question today is “Former Casperites — why did you leave? If you’ve returned, what brought you back?”

Here is the link Casper NEXT » Former Casperites — why did you leave? If you’ve returned, what brought you back?

Lots of negative comments...sounds like my kinda place LOL. Since I am a blue collar worker, and don't like crowds, it sounds appealing. Don't like the "cliquish" part though, so Casper would be out for me.

[Meg Lesher]

Casper, like a lot of the State of Wyoming, is being influenced by the boom in the methane fields. It's close enough to them that that is driving up prices on housing. Casper itself is a pleasant enough town; certainly quite liveable. I doubt that anyplace around there would be more affordable; but you might consider Glenrock, which is sleepier and may have more bargains. I wouldn't rule out modular housing either; if it's built for the climate. You might have to.

[MelanieKay]

Wow! I read the article posted above ( Casper NEXT » Former Casperites — why did you leave? If you’ve returned, what brought you back? ) The main thing that concerns me is all of the posts about Casper being cliquish. We live in a very small town have we have the same problem here, I was hoping that was something we would be leaving behind! I have 2 children both girls, one is not in school yet, but the other is almost 14 so that really scares the hell out of me. Its hard enough for a teenager to move to another school and start over, but when there are already problems with cliques makes things even worse. I would like more info on that from some of you that still live and work and maybe have kids in school in Casper!!!!
I knew Casper had some econmic problems, but my husband has a good job and we will be able to afford housing, we will probably buy land with a mobile home and build, although I am still shocked that the average household income is 35k / year and the average housing is 200k. That doesnt make since to me. I dont understand how people get by on that.
I am hoping that my husband will be able to get away from work next week so that we can go to Casper and look at some real estate. We have found an agent that seems very nice to work with and some properties in mind to look at.

[Earniefan]

From what I've heard a lot of people in the "boom" areas are getting mortgages with up to 50 year terms which means they are only paying interest on their houses for many, many years. I guess if you know you're only going to be there for a few years and can sell your house before the prices start to drop you would still make money but that's quite a gamble, and not one I would advise taking. ))

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by MelanieKay

, I am still shocked that the average household income is 35k / year and the average housing is 200k. That doesnt make since to me. I dont understand how people get by on that.

Welcome to today's Rocky Mountain West. Truth is, Casper is more reasonable (better paying jobs) than many areas in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana, or Utah in that regard. Go to some of the more popular resort areas and a good job MIGHT pay $35K and houses will be $500K+, sometimes way plus. The only way to afford those places is to bring a ton of cash with you. That is the scourge of most of the rural/resort Rocky Mountain West today. Lots of rich retirees and trust-funders, an underclass of "worker bees" (often illegal aliens), and a shrinking working middle class. Casper's role as a trade center and the drilling boom have not put it into that class, thank heavens, but there are plenty of other places in the region that are.

[MelanieKay]

Originally Posted by Earniefan

From what I've heard a lot of people in the "boom" areas are getting mortgages with up to 50 year terms which means they are only paying interest on their houses for many, many years. I guess if you know you're only going to be there for a few years and can sell your house before the prices start to drop you would still make money but that's quite a gamble, and not one I would advise taking. ))

Wow, there is no way in hell I would finance a home with a 50 yr term . It was like pulling teeth to get my husband to do 30 yrs on the home were in now. He wanted to do 15. I am really looking at buying rural land w/ a average mobile home to live in temp and building a home. I think that is the only way to get into to anything reasonable.