OLD houses, prices similar to Greeley... suggestions on other areas? (Denver: for sale, real estate)

[fierce_flawless]

I was browsing real estate sites tonight just out of curiosity, and every once in a while I'd just look at the map and pick another city in CO to explore. Well, I just picked Greeley and OMG!!! I am dying. Home prices for OLD homes (as in historic) are unbelievably reasonable.

I have been looking off and on for a while now just to keep an idea in my head about home prices here and there, and I always put "over 50 years old" in my search criteria, but rarely do I get much in my search results for homes in other CO cities that are older, affordable, and in good shape. If I do they are much smaller and more simple... not a lot of leaded glass, 2 stories, natural woodwork, etc. More like what I have in TX: a 1915ish "worker's cottage". Old, cute, simple. Which is fine but I long for something with a little more "house jewelry", so to speak. Lots of woodwork, french doors, fireplaces, etc.

So I was blown away by many of the homes I saw for sale in Greeley, in gorgeous shape, and at San Antonio, TX prices! (where I live now)...huge, gorgeous homes under/around 100k! I never thought I'd see that again! Even better, it seems, than what's available here. More like what was available here 10 years ago when it comes to older homes!

Having said all that, we aren't settled on a city and I'm not sure if Greeley is for us or not. It seems decent size-wise .. not TOO small... but I'm reading all this about the smell and I don't know. Also, we want to have mountain views, even if we aren't RIGHT there near the mountains. Would Greeley have mountain views? Finally, as I mentioned in other threads, I have plans for attending CU Boulder and it seems like a long drive..

Okay, so my point is, knowing what got me drooling about Greeley (the housing stock), can anyone else suggest other areas with similarly priced interesting OLD houses but maybe closer to Boulder, or closer to Denver even, and closer to the mountains maybe?

I'm an old house lover and by that I mean anything pre-1930. We won't be buying for a long while anyway but I figure I should still start thinking about all this now, so we can eventually figure out where in CO to settle, even if we end up just moving there and living near family at first.

[whirnot]

Greeley is about the cheapest place to live in the area. It was recently in the top 10 cheap places to live. Yes it has mountain views, although the older homes are in the older section of tow, DUH, and there are so many trees you may not get a mountain view. As you go towards Boulder, the prices will get drastically higher. The smell is over done. Come check it out. We have been here 13 years and like it.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by whirnot

Greeley is about the cheapest place to live in the area. It was recently in the top 10 cheap places to live. Yes it has mountain views, although the older homes are in the older section of tow, DUH, and there are so many trees you may not get a mountain view. As you go towards Boulder, the prices will get drastically higher. The smell is over done. Come check it out. We have been here 13 years and like it.

Thanks. I don't need a mountain view every time I go outside to get the paper. Just within reason, like when I'm out driving and such. And trees!! My dream house is any OLD house on a street with tons of trees. I live in the most bizarre neighborhood here in SA, one of the oldest, part of the original "downtown", and there are hardly any trees! It's freaky. Most of the housing stock is pre 1940 but no trees on the curbside. I planted 2 on my curb area and they are so lonely!

Just talked with my Aunt (she lives in Westminster) who says it's Commerce City that smells, not Greeley! LOL I find it all rather amusing. I grew up near refineries and never noticed that smell until I moved away then came back, but newbies were always complaining. Same with the fishy smell of the Texas coast. Never bothered me as a kid but now, eww! I imagine even if there is some odor you get used to it.

I am excited because I looked last night and UNC also has my degree program!

[Mike from back east]

Commerce City has an oil refinery, bound to have an aroma.

Greeley has a slaughterhouse, which may have some fumes, but the real stinker would be the feedlots out east of there. I've heard there are at least two of them, maybe three, each one having over 100,000 head of cattle, with a total manure output greater than the population of Denver, Atlanta, St Louis and one other good sized city. Most folks in Greeley will tell you it isn't a problem. There are quite a few smaller feedlots across those eastern plains.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Commerce City has an oil refinery, bound to have an aroma.

Greeley has a slaughterhouse, which may have some fumes, but the real stinker would be the feedlots out east of there. I've heard there are at least two of them, maybe three, each one having over 100,000 head of cattle, with a total manure output greater than the population of Denver, Atlanta, St Louis and one other good sized city. Most folks in Greeley will tell you it isn't a problem. There are quite a few smaller feedlots across those eastern plains.

That's a lot of poo!

I think that a cow manure smell would be more tolerable than a slaughterhouse smell. Having smelled both and all.

I still can't get over house prices. Makes me want to move TODAY! It looks like rentals aren't as cheap though and that's what we'll be doing at first so...

[tfox]

I doubt you'll find any place with cheaper real estate than Greeley in northern Colorado, or Metro Denver for that matter. Greeley has taken a huge hit from the foreclosure crisis. You could also look in other parts of Weld County if your goal is to get closer to Denver. The Southwestern corner of Weld was a growth boom-burg until the crash.

If you're willing to look south, you might consider Pueblo. I think prices there are fairly inexpensive (perhaps not as cheap as Greeley, however) and it should have an abundant selection of historic homes, actually probably more so than Greeley does, if anything.

Colorado Springs, also, is fairly inexpensive compared to Metro Denver or even Fort Collins. You might look there, though it's definitely pricier than Pueblo or Greeley.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by tfox

I doubt you'll find any place with cheaper real estate than Greeley in northern Colorado, or Metro Denver for that matter. Greeley has taken a huge hit from the foreclosure crisis. You could also look in other parts of Weld County if your goal is to get closer to Denver. The Southwestern corner of Weld was a growth boom-burg until the crash.

If you're willing to look south, you might consider Pueblo. I think prices there are fairly inexpensive (perhaps not as cheap as Greeley, however) and it should have an abundant selection of historic homes, actually probably more so than Greeley does, if anything.

Colorado Springs, also, is fairly inexpensive compared to Metro Denver or even Fort Collins. You might look there, though it's definitely pricier than Pueblo or Greeley.

Thanks!

I've been scared away by stories of CO Springs conservative atmosphere, but it is charming (I've visited briefly).

I am going to go look up Pueblo. I have no clue about Pueblo but this is the right place to find out!

[Bideshi]

Originally Posted by fierce_flawless

I've been scared away by stories of CO Springs conservative atmosphere, but it is charming (I've visited briefly).

I promise I won't overtly conservate around you! Don't be afraid of Colorado Springs.

[Julia Garbus]

Our cool 1924 bungalow in Greeley is soon to go on the market for 200,000 or so. My husband commutes to work at CU Boulder--an hour to an hour and a quarter each way-and after 2 years, we're ready to move closer! Prices are low here for a reason, though. This isn't the place if you're looking for a lot to do. But it's an ok bedroom community; our neighbors are friendly and our street pretty. In our area, Cranford, we've had some vandalism (a bike stolen from the porch, a broken car window) but nothing big. The university here, UNC, has good music and drama programs so that's a plus. The smell bothers some people and not others, and it's there some days, not others. You can see the mountains from hilly parts of town. Many senior citizens...Republican, though some of us are not...about a third Latino/a, with some Somalis.