Need your insight on Boulder PLEASE (Denver, Longmont: real estate, houses, buy)

[klysik]

Thanks so much for reading my post. We are contemplating a move out west. My husband can work anywhere so that's not an issue. We will be coming out to Denver in about a month to 'feel it out.' Obviously, Boulder is quite pricey. What I can't figure out is the vast difference in real estate prices from Boulder proper to homes
5-9 miles out. I seem to find 1,000 sq ft fixer uppers downtown for $750k but for $600k (9 miles outside of town) there are beautiful vast homes with lots of land. Why such a difference? PS yes we have children...one will be attending CU in the fall and the other is 10). Thank you!!

[Mike from back east]

IIRC Boulder has some zoning and construction laws that have made it hard to build new stuff within (and near?) the city which has driven up the price of existing homes in the city.

[brown_dog_us]

Location. Love it or hate it, but Boulder is a very desirable place to live and people pay a premium to live here. It's sort of like why would anyone pay to live on or near the beach when you can buy a house 15 mins away from the beach for less?

ETA: Also, there are a lot of high paying jobs in and around Boulder, plus a lot of wealthy people move here. This ability to pay coupled with a limited supply drives up prices.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by klysik

Thanks so much for reading my post. We are contemplating a move out west. My husband can work anywhere so that's not an issue. We will be coming out to Denver in about a month to 'feel it out.' Obviously, Boulder is quite pricey. What I can't figure out is the vast difference in real estate prices from Boulder proper to homes
5-9 miles out. I seem to find 1,000 sq ft fixer uppers downtown for $750k but for $600k (9 miles outside of town) there are beautiful vast homes with lots of land. Why such a difference? PS yes we have children...one will be attending CU in the fall and the other is 10). Thank you!!

I don't know where you're finding these houses with "lots of land". That is not the norm anywhere in the metro Denver area, including Boulder County. Before half the forum jumps on their keyboards, I'm aware there are some areas of large lot homes, just not very many.

[klysik]

I say lots of land in comparison to 'in-town'...The in-town homes have .17 acres vs the couple I have seen 9 miles out of town (but still in Boulder) are 1 acre of land (we live in Charleston with front-porch homes so anything outside of .25 acre is 'LOTS' to us.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by klysik

I say lots of land in comparison to 'in-town'...The in-town homes have .17 acres vs the couple I have seen 9 miles out of town (but still in Boulder) are 1 acre of land (we live in Charleston with front-porch homes so anything outside of .25 acre is 'LOTS' to us.

I still don't know where you're seeing houses on 1 acre except perhaps in the mountains. 10,000 sf (~1/4 acre) is considered a large lot here in the burbs of Boulder County.

[klysik]

Here is one example..and again, this may be so far out..I just don't know the difference. There are a handful of these:

215 Lakeshore Park Rd, Boulder, CO 80302 - realtor.com®

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by klysik

Here is one example..and again, this may be so far out..I just don't know the difference. There are a handful of these:

215 Lakeshore Park Rd, Boulder, CO 80302 - realtor.com®

That's up in the mountains on a dirt road. Don't get me wrong, I bet the views are gorgeous! It's just isolated and a rough drive down to the city when it snows.

The biggest shock for people coming from the South East is the price and quality of the housing here. I know it took us a while to get over it when we moved from Atlanta.

[brown_dog_us]

If the 10 year old will be attending public school, start with Superior, Louisville, Lafayette, and maybe Longmont if you don't see something you like in the City of Boulder.

Let me know if some specific Elementary schools would be helpful.

[klysik]

Great. Thank you everyone. Yes, that was my worry that it was some dirt road where '9 miles' was 30 minutes on a good day. Very good to know. Yes, the prices are a high but not too shocking as we've only been in Charleston (avg home price is typically in the $700's++ where we are) for 5 years and are from Boston originally. But Boulder is crazy high for what you get! Wow! Thank you for the town/school suggestions for our 10 year old..GREAT HELP!!!