Possibly moving to CO really soon. Need Advice and help (Denver: lease, movers)

[Marc Wishner]

Louisville might be an awesome choice. great schools and family feel and close to Boulder and mountains but not as hectic. Ryland has a neat new home subdivision close to your price range called Steel Ranch. Steel Ranch | Louisville, CO | Green Homes in Boulder County | Ryland Homes and Boulder Creek - Life and Home

I moved from Bethesda to the area in 1973 and have not regretted a moment raising a family here.

[SKemeza]

Thanks Marc. We will definitely look into the Louisville area. I checked out those Ryland homes and they are way up there in price now. They start at $450K. We practically want to pay cash for our house so this will be over budget. Usually when they "start" at a price you need to add about 100K on to that for lot premium and upgrades. At least that is what we saw when we were visiting. Homes that were advertised for 250K or 300K were easily 400K to 500K

[Marc Wishner]

I know that sometimes they upgrade you to death with things that should be inclusions from the start. Ryland is a little better than some but you will probably upgrade 30-60k. There are some OK re sales in the area but they sell very quickly in Louisville ( do able though) . Just remember that you get where you pay for and certain locations have a much stronger appreciation factor than most. They keep building more Erie, Longmont and Broomfield but the Boulder and Louisville area is built out and values have held in the downturn much better than Longmont, Erie and more outlying areas. I do like another area in Broomfield and there are fine resale homes there...Broadlands and also Aspen Creek have nice larger homes and Lots and I have moved families there who have been very happy.

[SKemeza]

Hey friendly folks...........anyone have any thoughts about Thornton? It appears that the Adams Co schools are pretty good also. How would that commute be to Boulder? I read that Longmont commute to Boulder is a nightmare, but then again, what Colorado folks call traffic didn't seem really like traffic given where I come from.

[Sobe Itsavized]

Originally Posted by SKemeza

Hey friendly folks...........anyone have any thoughts about Thornton? It appears that the Adams Co schools are pretty good also. How would that commute be to Boulder? I read that Longmont commute to Boulder is a nightmare, but then again, what Colorado folks call traffic didn't seem really like traffic given where I come from.

Ahahaha, have you seen what happens when there's 1 centimeter of snow on the roads in Colorado? Especially in the mountains?

[SKemeza]

actually I have not see what happens in the snow as I haven't lived there yet. All I know that where I live, they cancel school if snow is in the forecast and it takes 1+ hours to go 15 miles in the sunshine. We have the 2nd worst traffic in the nation, so when I was visiting Colorado this past May and I heard people complain about traffic, I didn't really see "traffic"

[SKemeza]

We can probably handle any sort of traffic that Colorado gives us.............I guess more the question is Thornton a nice place to live? I really wish we spent more time north of Denver when we visited. We spent so much time in the southern areas This makes things very hard so I'm looking for great advice from the locals

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by SKemeza

Hey friendly folks...........anyone have any thoughts about Thornton? It appears that the Adams Co schools are pretty good also. How would that commute be to Boulder? I read that Longmont commute to Boulder is a nightmare, but then again, what Colorado folks call traffic didn't seem really like traffic given where I come from.

I would do NW Westminster over Thornton -- closer to Boulder. Thornton is on the east side of 25 and traffic is heavy over there. And don't let the maps fool you -- rush hour traffic on 36 is not something to overlook. From northern Broomfield to just off Pearl Street it used to take me 30 minutes in the middle of rush, sometimes longer. That included occasionally splitting the difference and 36-ing it 'til McCaslin Blvd.and then taking South Boulder Rd in.

Using northern backroads the whole way from Northern Broomfield and Erie (using Arapahoe) will take that long as well but is a good option.

I would also add it depends on WHERE in Boulder you're commuting to and precisely where you're coming from as there are strange traffic patterns and hold ups in certain areas at rush hour.

Louisville, Superior, Erie, Broomfield and Lafayette are good bets with the first two being the closest/easiest. Westminster if it's NW Westminster near 36. (Niwot is plenty close, great schools but $)

[Idlewile]

I see you said new construction... Anthem in Northern Broomfield is nice. New Homes Broomfield CO | Broomfield New Home Builder | Pulte Homes

Vista Ridge in Erie is nice too. Vista Ridge: Like a five-star resort you call home

[Idlewile]

Also, this is completely subjective so please take this with a grain of salt but it sounds like what you're looking for so here goes:

Based on your price range, needing to commute to Boulder and everything considered when it comes to nearby school options, I would first choose Louisville but it will not be a new home (no new construction in that area.) IF schools and proximity to Boulder trumps all else, then Superior would be my next choice.

However, if NEW construction is important that I would look at the areas I mentioned above - Anthem and Vista Ridge - as well McKay, Aspen Creek, Red Leaf and the Broadlands for newer construction that Marc mentioned (we last lived in a community across the road from Mc Kay Landing).

If I could get my kids into Peak to Peak Charter, I would consider living in Indian Peaks in Lafayette which is newer construction depending on what section (or Louisville, but really, I'm partial to Louisville.)