Family of 6 moving from SLC to Denver (Aurora, Boulder: real estate, insurance)

[ryandream]

Hi,

My husband just received a job offer in Denver. We are trying to decide if we should accept it. We were hoping to learn more about the Denver area. We currently own a home and we do not want to move unless we will be able to get something similar in Denver. We are very interested in the school system. In the fall our children will be in 9th, 5th, 4th and 1st grades. We would like to know which areas have the best school district. We would be looking for a home in the 175,000 - 215,000 price range. What areas should we focus on? The commute wouldn't be an issue for my hubby. He usually works about 3:00am - noon. What are some of the best things about the Denver area? What things should we be concerned about? Any information we can get would be wonderful! I am sure the schools in Denver will be better than those here in Utah. We are just hoping to find a family friendly place to raise our kids. Also, we have a German Shepherd that is my husband's baby and there is no chance of giving her up!

Thanks,

Andrea

[Augie Daugie]

Hi there,

Best school district and your budget are in conflict with each other. You may have some decent options in SE Aurora in the Cherry Creek school district, Parker and even Littleton. Cherry Creek and Boulder Valley schools seem to have the best reputation around here, but there are good options within most of the school districts around here.

[mic111]

Hi Andrea,

Congratulations on the job offer. Here is my first take at answering your questions based on the information posted.

You can buy a home for that much but whether it is similar to what you have depends on what you have. There is alot of competition in that price range and most of the homes are either below average, in below average areas, in not top rated school districts or far out on the fringes of the metro area. But that being said the areas are very acceptable. Denver has lots of nice neighborhoods at all price levels so I'm sure you can find what you want.

In terms of schools you might be able to get into the best schools but not likely as I'm assuming with that many kids you don't want a complete fixer upper. However, if I'm wrong then there is a chance. But whether the schools you can get into are better than what you have is the question to ask. Since we can't know what you have then you will have to determine that based on research into the schools for the areas you can afford that contain homes that are acceptable to you.

Since your husband is dedicated to the dog I think you will fit right in. Dogs are big here, especially big ones.

If you give your job location and type of home desired (size, age, bedrooms, nearby amenities, type of neighborhood etc.) then more guidance can be given. What type of place do you want to live in? What things are important to you and what isn't? How far is your husband willing to commute?

[davebarnes]

Compare

Denver average and median listing prices - Trulia.com
and
Salt Lake City average and median listing prices - Trulia.com

Click on 4 bedrooms.
Huge difference between the metro areas.
I know it is medians, but it does give you a rough idea that Denver is about $100K more expensive.

[ca-ut-??]

we moved from Logan to co about an year ago, we love CO! everything will seem more expensive here compared to SLC, so be ready for that. We live in Castle Rock (The Meadows), great family community, great schools, not sure about price in terms of all of castle rock, it all depends on what you want to get I suppose.... honestly, we love CO way more than UT!

[slim_grizzy]

We're looking to move from Texas and there isn't a whole lot on the market in that price range right now. HOWEVER, the property taxes and insurance rates were a lot lower than Texas so we were able to look a little higher in the price range without too much change in monthly payments. I don't know what the comparison would be like to UT. Still, finding homes under 250k is difficult, especially big enough for a family of 6. You're probably going to be looking around 300k for that kind of space. Something to keep in mind from a fellow searcher.

[davebarnes]

Semi-random property tax data:
2336 Lawndale Dr, Dallas, TX 75211 $209K $7,120
1974 W 400 N, Salt Lake City, UT 84116 $205K $1,316
4905 Hale Pkwy, Denver, CO 80220 $215K $1,578

Income tax data:
Texas 0.00%
Utah 5.00%
Colorado 4.63%

Sales tax data (varies by city/county/etc):
Texas 8.25%
Utah 6.85%
Colorado 7.62%

[brown_dog_us]

My wife almost took a job in SLC, so I did a ton of research about the area. SLC is cheap. Crazy value there.

I think if you can handle the increased real estate cost you should be fine.