"Is Everything Better in Boulder?" (Men's Health article) (Colorado Springs: pros and cons, living)

[MN_Ski]

Originally Posted by Yakscsd

Where exactly would you like them to expand? Which Greenbelt are you willing to give up for housing? Which Prairie Dog colony are you willing to kill off?

I really wouldn't want the city to expand. I just personally don't get the city. They wanted to limit growth...OK, cool. But they also want to keep expanding their job market, and to bring in more and more high paying jobs. It just doesn't make sense to me.

[DelmarvaNative]

Originally Posted by nick4242

Well arent you worldly....

Can someone not be worldly if they don't enjoy a more tightly dense area of people?

[A1eutian]

I strive to be positive about any place I live but also I have to be on the lookout for trends. There seem to be a lot of people in Boulder who are busy bodies who cannot resist throwing out comments out of the sides of their mouths. And if you respond in kind, they don't know how to handle it, so usually I just leave them be.

The other day I cross a street while the light was red, in order to make a bus that was approaching. A couple and their kid were waiting at there and the lady said something like "that doesn't look like a bicyclist" or something, just loud enough so I could hear.

She was upset that I had "OH MY!" crossed in a crosswalk before the light had changed. Because there was a kid there I didn't say anything, because I am not one to censor my comments to people like this. She just couldn't resist ....

Boulder is full of these types of sheltered people who are shocked when anything in their little world is disturbed. They yell out car windows or when they don't think you're going to stop and say something back. This type of behavior is not seen in other areas where people have the common sense not to stick their nose in the business of strangers. That kind of stuff can get people shot if they were living in a "bad" area of other major cities.

[1insider]

I'm back in Florida after a week in Boulder. Loved everything about it. Walked all over and never had a bad experience. Homeless scattered along the creek and downtown but I was not asked for a handout once. Crossing the road in Florida is a life gamble for a pedestrian. Not so in Boulder. I'm guessing cops are tough on the yielding to pedestrians but for whatever reason, it works and makes walking pleasurable and safe. Flowers and trees were in full bloom in the neighborhoods and we walked many miles of sidewalks night and day. All kinds of trails very close to town and spectacular mountain roads right out of town. Restaurants aplenty. Neil Finn played the Boulder Theater and two days later the Dalai Lama was speaking from the same stage. Had tea at the Dushambe Teahouse a couple of times. Lots of people downtown but it was really easy to find wide open space just out of town. Hiked every day in various places; El Dorado Springs, up Flagstaff, drove the canyon road to Nederland and along the Peak to Peak Rd. to the Park. AND drank a different craft draught every time I sat down. The people I encountered were pleasant without exception. I'm sure there must be warts somewhere but for this one-time visitor, Boulder delivered in spectacular fashion. I'll be back.

[smihaila]

Originally Posted by theoaks

It is the Corporate Property Managers who have driven up rents faster than inflation, with Computer Programs that set rents, such as RLO Rainmaker, Yardi, and Yieldstar. These are the same companies that set rates for the hotel, airline, and gaming industries. While those are luxuries of life, housing is a necessity. Fortunately, most cities in the USA don't use them to set rents. Boulder - Ft. Collins - Denver do use them, but in my research places like Durango do not. Most of these companies are based in San Diego, LA, and Orange Counties, and there's another in El Dorado County, CA and also Equity Residential (now called Greystar).

Boulder? Denver? Ft. Collins? property managers who wish to keep everyone out except those with the brains. I calculated that 90% of apartment units in California are rented using these Computer Programs, called rent maximizing software.

[...]

I'm for [...] since he would Ban these computer programs and set rent controls nationwide.

theoaks - thank you for these interesting thoughts. You've really made my day - I was looking for a long time for the "missing link" - these greedy property management companies are not even capable of designing and developing their own backend software or web portals. Everything is outsourced through this handful number of big-name software brands. Noticed a similar trend with Banks and Credit Unions.

Thank you for naming those software products. I'll investigate deeper.

BOO to all these greedy bastards - raising the rents to unsustainable levels (7-10% increase year over year - ARE YOU CRAZY - what employer is giving us the pawns and serfs, so much salary increase ??). These properties have just become "investment vehicles" - more recently they have even started to pool the properties and allocate individual investors per apartment/house inside the same property. I hope your days are numbered!

[smihaila]

Originally Posted by theoaks

moderator? If it wasn't for the property managers, who increase rents above the market rate by up to 70%, then everyone could afford boulder, and there wouldn't be jealous trollers. Same problem in carlsbad, everyone wants to live there but it's the property managers. Both cities have a problem with properties sitting around empty, because they want so much for rent that nobody will rent them. And, then they ask for 12 month leases which nobody wants to do since the rents are so high. Temecula, ca has a problem like this, too.

The market rate is what rent was before these programs were developed, so in carlsbad, for example, the market rate is roughly $1000. Now, the average rent for a one bed is about $1800 in carlsbad. Vegas, whose local property managers don't use the computer programs, the average rent is just $800. Scottsdale, is about $950 with the expanded preserve now covering 33% of the city limits.

+1

[smihaila]

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

Theoaks,

Yes, they use software to maximize the rent. It might be better to say they use the software to see what they can get away with. But in reality the software helps them stay up to date or minute on what the market will pay. The software doesn't create the lopsided demand. It takes advantage of it.

...truly spoken from a realtor or property management company :-)

[Dinah Fire]

I've lived here for six years.. when I first got here, I loved it. I feel like I got here in time for the last gasp of everything great about the place. But as the article says:

How ever white and wealthy you think this town is, it's even whiter and wealthier. You're four times more likely to encounter an African-American in Lincoln, Nebraska, than you are in Boulder. The zoning laws that preserve the town's human scale and open space also prevent most housing development. The fit, outdoor-loving, creative class is migrating to Boulder and squeezing out the working class, the dirtbag climbers, the Zen philosophers, and the ancient hippies nursing cappuccinos at the Trident Café. The homes that were once group rentals for marathoners now get snapped up in all-cash bids by ad execs or tech geeks and their $5,000 Colnago road bikes... This town once welcomed weirdos. Now it welcomes winners.

It's 100000% true. It's because the secret got out. Longmont is going to be the new place for the working class, the dirtbag climbers, etc. etc. Everyone I knew when I moved to Boulder has migrated to Longmont now. (And that's a secret, don't pass it on.)

[A1eutian]

You can make it on less than $36k annually in Boulder. You just have to be REALLY, REALLY good at stretching a dollar!

[Good Red Road]

Originally Posted by Dinah Fire

Longmont is going to be the new place for the working class, the dirtbag climbers, etc. etc.

I would agree that Longmont is revitalizing quickly but not just for the working class. My daughter recently moved to Hygiene and most all her neighbors are professionals.

I think a lot of smart money is moving that direction.