Moving from NZ to the Colorado, hopefully! (Grand Junction, Durango: real estate, house)

[bradly78]

Hello,

My wife and I are looking to re-locate from Christchurch back to the US. We love it here, but our housing options are out of our stratosphere and the cost of living is going up up and further up.

We're looking at the Mountain West region of the US, and Colorado is our dream locale, or at least the western side of the state. We're looking for a small town with reasonable housing prices and options.

We have two young children, and I'm a primary school teacher. My wife is taking a course in primary teaching right now, and will finish in a year.

We're not looking to move back right this minute, but certainly within a couple of years. Any ideas would be much appreciated!


PS,
My wife and I are both Americans, so immigration isn't an issue for us.

[2bindenver]

define "reasonable"

"Options" for what?

Who knows where real estate price will be in a few years.
Who knows what the job market will be in a few years.


Anyone got a crystal ball for xmas?

[bradly78]

Ah, yes, the perils of posting on a forum. Thank you for the informative reply.

Seeing that we're both school teachers, we're looking for a house at 200,000 or less. We would like a home with ome character, not a cookie cutter. We'd love moutain views, but the key for us is to live in and aroudn the mountains. We don't mind snow.

Now, I'd love a crystal ball for Christmas as much as the next guy. But, there are historical tendecies with housing prices. For example, in one neighbourhood in Christchurch, housing will ALWAYS be expensive, whereas another will be less expensive in relation to the pricier one. I'm sure Breckinridge or Aspen or whatever is horrendously expensive.

We're particularly interested in Park County or Clear Creek County. We were very impressed with the way Bailey looked, but the teaching salaries in Clear Creek are excellent.

[hon614]

the colorado

[Josseppie]

If you are looking at the western slope I would suggest Grand Junction or Durango.

[CosmicWizard]

Since you're both teachers, Grand Junction ( population approx 48,000 ) on the western slope is probably your best bet. The school district is growing. I also know for a fact that they hire quite a few out-of-area teachers. In the smaller towns, teachers are among the highest paid jobs available so there tends to be alot of competition for the few openings available. In addition to the competition, the good-ole-boy network favoring locals over outsiders is still somewhat functional. It's not impossible, but be forewarned that it is a challenge to say the least. You'll have a much easier time finding teaching positions in Grand Junction than you will in the smaller towns.

I know you didn't like 2bindenvers comments, but I'm inclined to agree. Real estate values all over the USA are being re-calibrated at this time, and the recalibration is likely continue for some time. Attempting to guess what prices will be in a few years is a fools game at best. For what is worth, the recalibration is working in your favor as a buyer, so you can thank your lucky stars for that. The same thing goes for the job market. It too is being recalibrated at this time, and the job market recalibration is NOT working in your favor. During times of recession/depression, teaching becomes more popular even in the larger population centers because it pays so well in comparison to most other jobs.....and it offers more security.

If Grand Junction strikes a chord of interest for you, search the Colorado forum using the words Grand Junction. There's alot of information already posted. Good luck with your move!

[bradly78]

Thank you for your help. Grand Junction looks really nice, so we will certainly look around there for work and housing.