Are planned communities, like Bradburn Village, as great as they say they are? (Denver: sales, HOA)

[VailEx]

We are planning to move to Denver and like the idea of Bradburn Village but we would like to get a realistic view from locals along the Hwy 36 Corridor.

[2bindenver]

A view of what, specifically?

[VailEx]

Is Bradburn considered a good community. Is it in a good location. Is the neighborhood on the upswing or the downswing? What is crime like? Is there a better alternative?

[2bindenver]

I like Bradburn, and Village at 5 parks, and Wildgrass in Broomfield

[elemental]

Wildgrass has some of the most spectacular views in the county. Taxes were a bit high, but one must pay for the rights to such a view!

[TughillTina]

Yuck to planned communities, in the springs area all that means is someone is telling you what color to paint your house, how many vehicles you are allowed to own, how many pets to have, if you can build a fence around your property- but I know it is the hot thing to be in a planned community. No thanks!!!!!!!!!!!! Good Luck on your search!

[Bradburn1]

I live in Bradburn Village. It is without a doubt, by far the best community I have ever lived in. We love it so much, we never plan on leaving. However, it's not for everyone. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Everyone knows each other, it's like a small village, everyone is super friendly and social. There are a million neighborhood activities to do all the time. If you have kids they will always have playmates right down the street, no one in your family will ever be lonely.

2. You can walk to everything, and it is a pleasant place to walk. Aside from number 1, this is the main difference between Bradburn and other, more traditional subdivisions. There are 3 bars within 5-10 minutes walking distance, which means not having a drive after drinking, a big plus. You can also get to 13 different places to eat ranging from fast food to sit down steakhouse, as well as a bunch of other services such as a bank, a car repair place, 2 coffee places (one is Starbucks), a day care center, a K-12 charter school (another elementary school will also open in Bradburn in 2010), a church if you are so inclined, and soon to be dentist--there are quite a few other places you can get to, and more to come once the retail core of Bradburn is developed (should be a few more years for that though).

3. There are 7 parks in Bradburn, and it abuts Dry Creek Open Space which has a bike/running path which extends forever.

4. Appreciation. The house next to me sold for 60 K more than it was purchased for a year later. Appreciation rates in Bradburn are far higher than they are in surrounding neighborhoods. Even with the crappy market right now, resale homes here are not sitting on the market very long. Five houses in my section sold within 2 weeks of listing-one sold the same day.

Cons:

1. Price. I consider Bradburn to be pretty darn expensive. We got in early so it wasn't too bad for us, but as far as single family homes, unless you can catch a resale (there are a few currently listed), you will be paying a minimum of 400-450 K for single family home, most are much higher than that in the third phase (most range from 500-900 K now ouch!). However, I think the townhouses are a pretty good deal and are very nice.

2. Small yards. I consider this a plus as it means I don't spend my weekends mowing and fertilizing a vast swatch of lawn we never use, but many people who come to look at houses in Bradburn are put off by the small yards. We have many, many great parks in the development and I think it's much more fun to go to one of those (and I don't have to maintain it), but I know that some people are turned off by this.

3. HOA controlled community. Depending on your bent, this is a plus or a minus. There are design requirements for homes in here-you cannot have a crappy looking beige box, which means the houses in here are all nice to look at and different, but that means more expensive. You will be required to maintain your property, and if you dog barks all day long while you are at work, you will be required to put a stop to it or get fined.

4. The houses are close together. Once again, this doesn't bother me as the way the homes are designed means none of your windows will be looking right in on your neighbor's windows, but this is off putting for some people. I've also never had a problem with privacy when I've wanted it, nor had any problems with hearing noises from the house right next to mine, but I know that when people first drive in here that freaks them out.

[Bradburn1]

Oops, I forgot to say:

Bradburn has been selected as one of the best places to live in Denver by our local magazine, 5280, in 2004, 2005, and 2006, I expect it to be on the list next year too unless they are finally sick of us

Taxes: They are high. 1% of home value

Schools: Excellent, and there will be 2 great schools that kids can walk to in Bradburn as of 2010 (one is already open).

Colors and Look of Neighborhood: Houses in here are frequently painted bright colors (although not always), all have front porches and very small setbacks (the distance from the sidewalk to the front of house), creating a very pleasing streetscape. There is only one other neighborhood in all of Colorado that I think is nicer looking than ours, which is Prospect New Town in Longmont. If you come visit, get out and walk around, then compare Bradburn to every other development you have ever been in (except the above mentioned one) and you will see what I mean.

Location: Can't be beat in my mind. 15 minutes to Boulder, 15 minutes to downtown Denver.

Crime: Very low, although we do have some petty theft and some vandalism--however because everyone knows each other in here, we can communicate right away via our internet board on what to watch out for if there is a problem, and if you are away your neighbors will watch your house (and feed your cats/dog, get your paper, water your plants etc...).

[VailEx]

Thanks for the info! We're putting money down on a dirt lot in Bradburn this weekend. We know we'll love it there!

[Dawn100]

I also live in Bradburn and am 95% percent happy with the neighborhood. The only thing missing here is access to light rail.

If you’re considering a move to the Denver area, please don’t hesitate to walk the neighborhood and ask the residents. We’ll give you the inside scoop on the builders, schools, and development team. Some realtors just don’t get the concept – they think it’s a “safer” buy to go to some big beige box with a 3-car garage and a big front yard.

Many of the houses here do have good-sized back or side yards (all fenced in for privacy by the builders). The HOA is not intrusive, and I’ve been surprised by how great the city of Westminster is (ranked 24th best place to live by Money magazine).

Bradburn’s website is not good, but it does have a map to the neighborhood: cut by moderator (broken link). Walking the neighborhood and talking to residents is the best way to learn about it. Let me know if you’d like more information (and no, I’m not in sales – just irritated by people who bash the neighborhood without visiting it)