NYC to Boulder area for 2-3 year stay - rent vs buy?

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by formercalifornian

You should be able to find a very nice property for $2k/month in this part of the country. A couple of years ago, I rented a brand-new 4 bed/3 bath house in Castle Rock for well under that amount.

I live on the south side, so I don't have any suggestions for neighborhoods. Maybe one our north Denver folks can give you a hand?

I do live up north, in Louisville. I somewhat disagree that the commute would be impossibly long from Louisville to Lakewood, though Lakewood is huge and it depends on where this job is. My spouse drove from Louisville to the Lakewood area (6th and Indidana, address was actually Golden) for many years and it wasn't bad, 35-45 min, depending on traffic. There were a few days in the 15 years or so he did that drive that he had difficulty getting home b/c of the weather. If there's a really bad storm, work is usually closed anyway. I also know people who drove to the Fed Center in Lakewood from east Boulder, so that's doable. We really need to know where in Lakewood this job is.

In addition to Louisville, I'd suggest Arvada.

Originally Posted by soscrewed

You really, really, really need to visit before you decide. Just from your description of your interests it sounds like you have the city thing going on. I concur with the comment about moving from the Upper West Side to Niwot or Nederland. You *really* need to visit first.

Your best bet would probably be to live as close to downtown Denver as possible. Commuting from Denver to Lakewood would be a breeze, because the traffic flows the other way, and the light rail is almost complete so he might even be able to take the train.

But please, take a look first. There are not a lot of adult "football" leagues, and interior design is not a big sport here either.

Rent in Denver.

I agree that Niwot and Nederland are a huge change from NYC, and that a prior visit would be extremely helpful.

There is Major League Soccer in Commerce City for spectator sport. I'm not a big soccer afficianado, so I don't know about adult leagues, however, my guess is there are some in the north as well.

[2bindenver]

If you tell us what you like, what's important, and what you don't...I bet we could come up with suggestions.

Unless you wish to buy a fixer upper, I would also recommend renting.

Golden, Lakewood, Littleton, Arvada and west Denver would be my first suggestions.

[Scott5280]

Not sure where your husband is commuting to in Lakewood, but there are express buses that go from Boulder to Golden to the Federal Center...I believe it's called the G line..Anyway I would look at renting first..Look at Bear Mountain or South Table Mesa area if you are considering Boulder. Arvada,Lakewood,Golden should be a consideration. I used to travel from Boulder to Littleton alot..that highway 93 is about as windy and and blinding as it gets when there are storms blowing through, but I know plenty of people who have done it for years. 2k will get you something ok in Boulder but will actually get you something nice in the Denver metro. It's really kind of a crap shoot as far as buying, but Boulder has always been the better real estate investment..no question about that. Prices are pretty low in Boulder down from 700k 2007 to around 515-550k average now.

[ambc]

Boulder is always a good investment for real estate, you won't lose money but you may not make any. It is also the most expensive place, but for good reasons. However, you may want to look at Golden. Very nice town and much closer to Lakewood.

[docwatson]

A good place to commute to Lakewood from would be ... Lakewood. Otherwise, figure out where the job(s) are are figure out your commute from that. Littleton might be a good bet ... if you live in it's quaint downtown, you'd be close to Lakewood (I think) and could hop on the light rail to go to downtown Denver, not to mention you'd be close to good cycling, the Platte River, the mountains ... I agree Golden might be good too, more expensive but if you are used to NYC and are a two-income family, should be no problem. Near the mountains, but not much nightlife or so I hear. Obviously west Denver neighborhoods, Arvada, etc. could all be somewhat convenient.

The problem with owning for 2-3 years is that closing costs are around $5,000 and if you sell with a realtor, you're looking at paying 6% commission. Since most of your earlier mortgage payments are interest, not equity, you'd need to see 6% appreciation + $5,000 just to break even, which is a big gamble sonsidering the market we're in. While you might get a bit of equity out of each mortgage payment, you'll also be paying more than if you rented ...

[Scott5280]

Fourth-quarter Boulder- and Broomfield-area home sales drop 11 percent - Boulder Daily Camera