Securing decent rental in Colorado quickly and remotely (Denver, Westminster: extended stay, apartment complexes)

[m1001]

Hello all,

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

I recently landed a great job in Boulder and now need to relocate myself, fiance and 2 dogs to Colorado by April 1st! (No fools here, unfortunately!). We are elated to become a Colorado residents! We think this state is gorgeous beyond measure.

We're looking for a decent rental, but are overwhelmed and were looking for advice to help us narrow down our search. Without further delay...

- What are the "safe" areas in Denver to live in? Something closer to suburban feel, if possible. If possible, can you recommend apartment complexes / townhomes / places to rent in these areas?

- Beyond Denver, considering that my commute is going to be to Boulder (we'd prefer not to live *inside* Boulder), can you guys recommend good areas to live/rent in?

- Given our short time frame, realistically what can we do to expedite getting into a rental? Do we need to look to apartment complexes?

- What areas should we be avoiding at all costs?

- Any other advice/suggestions for making this move are welcome.

What we're ideally looking for --

A quiet place that will allow our dogs (they are trained/friendly/responsibly kept)
Low key neighbors
Low crime is major preference

Thanks again in advance for any suggestions!

[Snikt]

That's a pretty short time frame to find something. Why not look into an extended stay hotel or something for a couple weeks? You really need to look in person in order get a good idea and not make a mistake over the internet.

[m1001]

Originally Posted by Snikt

That's a pretty short time frame to find something. Why not look into an extended stay hotel or something for a couple weeks? You really need to look in person in order get a good idea and not make a mistake over the internet.

Yeah, we're realizing right now that we need to be in the state in person to make this happen. We're probably going to drive up Sunday and spend the week hunting something down. We'll also check out extended stay hotels, that's a good point!

[ayoitzrimz]

We had 3 weeks to move from NYC to Denver. We flew in 2 weeks before the move for a weekend, spent the entire saturday looking at complexes near my job, and signed a lease that very day.

Fly in for a weekend, set your limit at 5 complexes near your job, and agree to pick one by the end of the day. Most complexes offer shorter term leases as well so even if you hate when you move in, it will only be for a short term

[reed303]

Have you tried using padmapper ?? Apartments for Rent - PadMapper Apartment Search for Oodle, Apartments.com, Rent.com, Kijiji, and Craigslist Apartments
search on Broomfield, CO and turn on filter for "dogs".

Several apt complexes in Broomfield, Westminster, etc accept pets. Commutewise you want to be as close as possible to Boulder as possible, not in Denver itself. All of the NW suburbs of Denver are OK places to live.

[headingtoDenver]

Originally Posted by ayoitzrimz

We had 3 weeks to move from NYC to Denver. We flew in 2 weeks before the move for a weekend, spent the entire saturday looking at complexes near my job, and signed a lease that very day.

Fly in for a weekend, set your limit at 5 complexes near your job, and agree to pick one by the end of the day. Most complexes offer shorter term leases as well so even if you hate when you move in, it will only be for a short term

This is what I would do and actually it is what we did. We came out here for a 4 day weekend to look at the area, officially accept the job offer, and apartment hunt. We ended up looking at 5 complexes and put a deposit down that same day on the place we liked the best. After a year, we have since moved out and purchased a house. The process worked great for us. Of course we don't have any kids to worry about, so that made it a bit easier.

Good luck on your hunt and I hope you love what Denver and Colorado has to offer.

[hollim33]

Following because we are in a very similar situation with about 3 weeks to secure a rental remotely. Good luck! Can I ask what company your job is with?

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

I would look into communities right outside of Boulder. Longmont should be a consideration. Louisville as well. I personally would avoid anything that would have me using 36 to commute.

[m1001]

Hey guys! Thanks for all the help so far.

We're leaving today for Colorado, and hopefully not returning until we've secured our lease! I'll post logs on where we go and what we find for future reference.

We're eager for any advice/tips. Hopefully we'll make good time today. I'll be checking here often!

[hollim33]

Originally Posted by jkcoop

I would look into communities right outside of Boulder. Longmont should be a consideration. Louisville as well. I personally would avoid anything that would have me using 36 to commute.

Can you elaborate on this? We are considering a rental in Broomfield very close to 36 for commuting to Boulder. How horrible would that be?