Boulder and Surrounding Towns (Louisville, Superior: real estate, rental, houses) - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

was3funk · 11-16-2007, 10:59 PM

Hi All,

I'm making a trip the week after Thanksgiving to look at Boulder and some surrounding towns like Louisville.

My wife, I and our two week old beautiful twin girls are planning on relocating in the spring/summer of 2008. We're originally from the NYC area and currently reside in Iowa City, IA. Long story short we've visted Boulder and fell in love with the town and quality of life. Although family would love to have us back in NY we just feel that Colorado has been calling us.

Can anyone recommend areas in Boulder that we might be able to get a single family home in? We would like it to have 3+ bedrooms in a nice location, conducive to raising a family. (good schools) We're looking in the price range of $450-650K, and would consider buying in the lower end and then moving up in a few years, perhaps even holding onto the first property.

Any suggestions, advice or tips would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks,

Bill & Liz

Ps - I'm also looking for a good real estate agent to work with.

Katarina Witt · 11-16-2007, 11:10 PM

First off, I would say have a job before you move out here, especially with a family to support. The job market is tight here, especially in certain fields.

Boulder is not large. The type of house you are looking for could be found in most parts of the city. The central area is largely businesses, CU and student rental housing. The newer housing is mostly in the northern and eastern parts of the city.

Don't worry about the schools. It may sound "Pollyannaish" to say this, but there really are no bad schools or districts in that area. Buy the house you like.

was3funk · 11-17-2007, 10:59 AM

Thanks.

Any suggestions about Louisville or other surrounding towns close to Boulder.

Katarina Witt · 11-17-2007, 11:21 AM

Well, I live in Louisville and am known on this forum as very "pro" Louisville. I would recommend it if you are looking for a family-oriented place that is more of a small town than a suburb. I mean, there are subdivisions here, especially in the newer parts of town, but there is also a downtown (where there is supposed to be a transit stop for the new light rail [I doubt I will live long enough to see this!]), a nice local library, a "pavilion" where concerts are held in the summer and is now the warming area for the community ice rink, restaurants, coffee shops and some boutique-y type stores. There is an old town with a nice community park with small performing arts center (an old school), and a swimming pool. There is also a nice new city park with a dog park area. There are "festivals" at the 4th of July and Labor Day, and a Parade of Lights in early December. There is enough shopping that it is seldom necessary to go to Boulder or to the mall (unless you want to). There are dr's offices and a hospital. The city leaders are very committed to keeping the town's mining heritage alive.

was3funk · 11-17-2007, 06:52 PM

Louisville sounds really nice. It may be better suited for us initially especially with the cost of housing vs. Boulder. Also, it seems family orientated which is important to us as well. I've checked on MLS and it appears that some of the homes back up to a golf course? Are there homes that would be affordable and have privacy along with mountain views? In addition if you know of a real estate agent/agency in Louisville, I would like to contact them.

Much thanks again.

Bill & Liz

Katarina Witt · 11-17-2007, 07:03 PM

Yes, there are homes that border the golf course. I think every home has a mtn. view. Some of the lots are pretty small re: privacy.

was3funk · 11-18-2007, 09:46 AM

Thanks again!

Any new developments or specific parts of Louisville that you would recommend looking into?

Also, could anyone recommend a real estate agent in Boulder and Louisville that they may have worked with in the past? I've found that usually recommendations are really helpful instead of going in cold.

Katarina Witt · 11-18-2007, 09:53 AM

I live in the north part of town. It is a somewhat older area (1980s and 1990s) homes. I live in one of the few neighborhoods where all the houses weren't built by the same builder, thus don't look so much alike, though there are several like mine in the 'hood. The newer homes are mainly in the south part of town. The oldest homes are near downtown. Try ReMax Boulder for realtors.

was3funk · 11-20-2007, 06:36 PM

Thanks again. What about Superior?

From what I've researched, Superior is the adjacent town to Louisville. They share the same high school and in some cases the elementary and middle school. The homes seem newer and you may get more house for the money.

Is this the case?

Katarina Witt · 11-20-2007, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by was3funk

Thanks again. What about Superior?

From what I've researched, Superior is the adjacent town to Louisville. They share the same high school and in some cases the elementary and middle school. The homes seem newer and you may get more house for the money.

Is this the case?

The homes are newer than many of the homes in Louisville. I think there are many homes in each community of comparable age. The yards in Superior are tiny, IMO. I'm not sure about more house for the money. There are more starter homes in Superior, as a percentage of housing, I think.