Houston to Denver relocation - young couple (Littleton, Englewood: rentals, homes)

[ee03491]

My boyfriend and I, mid-20's, are looking to relocate to Denver later this year or early next year. We are still looking for jobs which I know will dictate to a large degree where we choose to live. He has a potential job near I-25 and S Colorado Blvd.
Right now I am just trying to get a feeling for the different neighborhoods to determine where we should focus our house/apt search.

Some details:
25(M) & 24(F)
No kids - and none in the near future
1 dog - small black lab (near a dog park would be a plus)
enjoy biking, camping, tennis, golf
looking for a neighborhood that is "walkable" or "bikeable" to restaurants, shops, coffee/tea, parks - young and hip, but not a college area...
Budget - up to $2,000/month max - we currently own a home with a $1100 mortgage, but I know things are a little more expensive in Denver than Houston, so we are expecting to have to bump that up.

Housing type - I love older homes with character, but he likes new and modern, so we are willing to compromise if one of us truly loves a place.
2 bedrooms min.
Must have a garage - I don't know how common or uncommon garages are for rentals there, but it is a requirement.


Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide into Denver and its neighborhoods.

[davebarnes]

1. Budget is good.
2. Wishes are reasonable.
3. Garages are common. So are basements.

4. Surf to Denver Maps - Downloadable Maps (City-wide) and download http://www.denvergov.org/denvermaps/...ghborhoods.pdf
there are many other maps

5. Padmapper.com
use the filters, beds, dogs

6. Platte Park
West Highland
Berkeley (maybe a tad too far north)
all have older homes and good walk scores
Englewood (the old city and not the ZIP code)

[mic111]

There is great housing right at I-25 and Colorado. Lots of restaurants along Colorado in that area. If he gets the job there just pick something as close as you can afford.

[SkyDog77]

Platt Park, Baker, and West Wash Park (budget may be a tad too low) are the areas I would target.

[Mike from back east]

Great first posting, lots of detail, no wordiness; allows our regulars to give good advice and quickly.

[knail]

The whole area around 1-25 and CO Blvd has a lot of options that meet your criteria including Platt Park and Glendale. Also great restaurants and small, local shopping areas such as Pearl Street and Old South Gaylord Street that have a lot of charm.

[ee03491]

You all are awesome! The link to the map helped a lot for us to understand where all the different neighborhoods are...especially when we see listings that name a neighborhood, but that meant nothing to us before. Now we can tell where that is in relation to other areas.
The recommendations for the various neighborhoods are helpful, we looked last night and found quite a few options in those areas.

I am sure I will have more questions as our search progresses.

THANKS!

[petedoty]

I have a connection in the property management (rental) market who states rents in Denver are increasing at about 4% per month. As far as "when" the jobs will be the key, but the first 6 months are the most active so if you can make it here before 1/15 it really is the best price wise.

As to the "age" of the home there are some older homes in Littleton, Englewood, and even in Sedalia and Louviers...but those are not as walk friendly as other neighborhoods...nice small towns though.

If you want send me your resumes off list and I will get them out through my network.