Planning a move to Denver (Westminster, Loveland: for sale, real estate, apartment complexes)

[ldybug1752]

My husband and I considering moving to Denver in about 6 months, from upstate NY. I was looking on craigslist last night and today to get a general idea about prices of rental properties and what we may be able to expect to find when we're ready to move. I understand that it's going to be different than where we're from now, but I have such a hard time believing what I'm seeing..

For instance, this ad: denver.craigslist.org/apa/2086224207.html
3 bedroom, 2 bath, finished basement, single family home in what appears to be great condition..for $700/mo?!

Or this ad: denver.craigslist.org/apa/2084551101.html ....what?! There's got to be some kind of catch.

I'm not sure how to word my question, but I'm basically wondering if, for some reason, Denver's craigslist is notorious for portraying properties that aren't really how they are? Or have fake listings? I don't know, it just seems unreal to me. Here in Binghamton, something like this would be at least twice that price, if you could even find a place like that to rent.

If craigslist is unreliable in apartment searches (we've had great luck in the past when looking for apartments in our area) then it will prove to be very difficult to find a place to live.. I hope that's not the case.

[vegaspilgrim]

If it seems too good to be true, it is.

[Mike from back east]

Yep. Craigslist is FULL of scams .... if it sounds too good to be true .... run.

The scammers give you some story about being out of the country while doing missionary or government work overseas, then ask you to wire a deposit to them, etc. They don't own the house and you never see your money again.

Check websites that are MUCH more reliable, like rent.com or rentals.com, etc, just google "rentals boulder, co"

[ldybug1752]

Thanks for the replies. Mike, I understand craigslist is full of scams, I've been using it for years, mostly for apartments we've lived in (here in Binghamton, NY). We've never had a problem finding a place suitable for us. I guess I just figured craigslist out of Denver would be similar. I would never fall for a scam like that .

The problem I have with rent.com is that every place on there is in a big complex, with fitness centers and pools and owned by a big company, etc.

Surely not every place listed on craigslist is a scam but the places appear to be nicer than where I'm from, so I guess I was surprised when I saw that. If every place I've seen on there is a scam (which I think is unlikely), then what can I expect to pay for a nice 2 or 3 bdrm in Denver or nearby surrounding areas?

Thanks for trying to answer my question..I guess I was just looking for someone to tell me they've thought the same thing but ended up with a nice place they had found on craigslist.

[SusVelo]

I think the question is, what are the neighborhoods like where those houses are for those familiar, does it look too good to be true?

[SusVelo]

For example, the 2nd home is up for sale it appears, so it might be sold out from under you?

10841 Zephyr Ct, Westminster CO 80021 Home for Sale - Yahoo! Real Estate (http://realestate.yahoo.com/Colorado/Westminster/10841-zephyr-ct:aa12e55ec08b681d816df9ddc96bec86 - broken link)

$900 certainly wouldn't cover the mortgage they must be paying. Also a chance the pictures were swiped.

[ldybug1752]

Thanks, simply1. That seems like it might be the case. People can't afford their mortgage so they pawn it off on craigslist as a rental until the bank sells it or something?

Is it more common to live in a place like one offered on rent.com, a big complex with amenities like fitness centers and pools and business centers and this, that and the other thing, owned by a big company, rather than finding a duplex or single family for rent, or even a smaller complex? I've never even been to Colorado, so this is all new to me. The only other place I've lived besides Binghamton, NY is a place near Pittsburgh, PA, which seemed pretty similar to where I'm from as well. Years ago we thought about moving to Charlotte, NC, and that was similar to what I think Denver might be, apartment-wise, with tons of big complexes with all kinds of amenities and cookie-cutter units, etc.

Sorry for rambling..I just need to get an idea of what to expect when I start my search for real. Being so far from CO I can't just up and fly there on a whim to check some things out. This may be more difficult than I thought. We also have a 2 year old and a black lab, so we're limited in places that may work for us, although it seems like a lot of places allow pets to a degree, so that's good. We're not happy about having to re-home our pit bull before we go though

[SusVelo]

tbh, I'd probably plan on renting an apartment for 6 months or so, that way you can see the houses and meet the local owners. Not all are scams for sure, and a lot have been rentals longer than the housing crunch which probably means they'll stay that way. We're in the same boat sort of, but I have relatives in Loveland who have been in CO for 40 years, so getting some help from them. Otherwise we'd do the 6 month thing to find the right place.

[ldybug1752]

We're actually not planning on buying a home (not really in the position to, with our credit being the way it is), so we'd be renting for a few years at least.

[vegaspilgrim]

There are a ton of legitimate housing ads on Craigslist as well. I recently spent a lot of time apartment hunting and toured a lot of potential places to live as well as met potential roommates that I found off Craigslist. But no legitimate private landlord in their right mind is going to rent their property to someone they've never met in person, living in another state, sight unseen. And that's not just Denver, that goes for anywhere. It's only the large corporate apartment complexes where you can lease a place right online without ever meeting anyone face to face. If you can't stay in a motel for a few days when you first come out, then you may have to go that route.