Possible relocation, looking for neighborhoods

[MehAboutDenver]

If you're comfortable living in a mediocre apartment complex, $1200 will get you a place in the DTC. People will tell you Boulder is very pricey and while it is the cost of living in Denver and surrounding areas is just absurd right now. You have to be fast on anything that looks good, too. Last year my husband and I would show up to open houses for places to rent only to be greeted by a bunch of other renters already writing out checks before the agent was even there. $1000 will get you a really ****ty apartment here, even in the far out suburbs.

As for pets, I'm seeing a whole lot more "NO PETS NO EXCEPTIONS" this year than I did last while looking for a place. Cats tend to be better accepted overall than dogs, though.

Transportation is very good here and I live without a car without issues. DTC has plenty of living opportunities so no reason to stray far from there if your job is there.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

You need to up your budget.
There is no PR community. Mexican, Guatemalan, Honduran, etc.

Shorter commutes are better for your health.

Every suburb of Denver is car-dependent.

There must be some Puerto Ricans in Denver because they have a big PR festival every June. It was held in Central Park up until this year when I heard it moved to Civic Center Park. Great food and music

[efrenb5]

OK, this is getting worrisome. I wasn't expecting the rental market to be so difficult. Now I'm not sure if I should move to Denver at all. I will be moving with limited resources and can't stay at a hotel/motel/hostel for long while I find an apartment. Are there some cheap and safe hotel/motel/hostel I can stay in while I'm searching for an apartment? Does it look like I will have to stay there for a full month to hopefully find something before I have to live in the street?

I checked PadMapper and Zillow and there seem to be some places around 1000-1200, but I don't know the area so I have no idea how good an area may be. Let's say I expand the search about one or two bus stops from the rail, does this help with the search?

Which rail stops are in a good area of Denver? I understand living close to those stops is close to impossible right now, but let's say I search about 1-2 bus stops from there. Is that possible?

I'll definitely enroll in a car share program as soon as I can. Maybe in a couple of months I may buy a car, although this is not desirable. But if it's necessary I may give up and get one. I do have a car right now, but it is in no condition to leave the island. I would have to invest too much money to get it ready for the Mainland. I'm better off selling it here and buy one over there.

[davidv]

Denver does not really have the rough edges that most cities in the east have. Most everywhere in Denver is pretty safe at all hours of the night.

If you work in the DTC, I would suggest living near the Nine Mile Station at I-225 and Parker Rd. There appear to be one bedroom apartments for around $850/month and there is a grocery store right across from the station. You could also try places near the Dayton St. Station.

[efrenb5]

Originally Posted by davidv

Denver does not really have the rough edges that most cities in the east have. Most everywhere in Denver is pretty safe at all hours of the night.

This is great to know. At the very least any first option I get will not be as bad as with other cities.

Thank you for your recommendations, I'll check them out.

[CHI-SF-DEN]

Hi Efren,

Don't let the posts get you down - while I expected Denver to be cheaper than it is housing-wise, its not insance. Having recently relocated here myself from Chicago, I was a bit worried about the rental market, but it turned out to be easier than we thought - we really just dedicated a 1 weekend visit to the process. We had a higher budget than you, at $1,900-2,100, but were looking for a 2BD 2BA. We really wanted to live in an updated (read hardwood floors, granite counter tops, stainless steel, etc..) and also limited our choices to Cap Hill, LoHi, and LoDo, because unlike you we did want to be right in the heart of things. We were told there was no way that would, happen, but low and behold, here were are in LoHi in a new building on the top floor with everything we were looking for and a full view of the skyline as bonus, all within our budget (candidly we negotiated down from $2,400 a month by signing an 18 month lease, but preferred that anyway). We found that like most bigger city markets, you can get a MUCH better deal from a private owner. I have a friend who was able to score a decent 1 Bedroom in the heart of Congress Park for $650 a month, while that is the exception more than the rule, it does happen.

As Davidv said, there really aren't any really bad neighborhoods here compared to most major cities I have lived in or spent a lot of time. It's nothing like Chicago or San Francisco in that regard. We couldn't be happier with our move, and hope the best for you and the family.

[stricklandia]

Originally Posted by MissTerri

The problem with cats is that if they urinate on the floor then the odor is nearly impossible to remove. I love cats but I understand why a landlord would refuse to rent to tenants with cats when they can be choosy due to the crazy market.

Are you saying dogs don't urinate on the floor? Or that cat urine is somehow far worse than dog urine? That's like saying smallpox is worse than anthrax: the difference is subjective, and either one is bad. Bottom line, if you're a landlord concerned about pets urinating, then it makes no sense to allow dogs but not cats. Even if you believe cat urine is worse, dogs are far more likely than cats to pee in the house.

Originally Posted by MehAboutDenver

Cats tend to be better accepted overall than dogs, though.

That is 180 degrees of difference from our experience these past two months. Of all the listings that allow pets, I would estimate (ballpark/generalizing) half of them say "Dog OK/Cat OK" and half say "Dog OK." I don't recall seeing a single one that says only "Cat OK" (not dog).

Originally Posted by efrenb5

OK, this is getting worrisome. I wasn't expecting the rental market to be so difficult. Now I'm not sure if I should move to Denver at all. I will be moving with limited resources and can't stay at a hotel/motel/hostel for long while I find an apartment.

I know how you feel. We managed to find (settle on) a place—and I found a job within a month—but had I believed the rental market was truly as dire as City-Data peeps said (it is), I wouldn't have come. Even with our high income and budget, and trying not to be too picky, we had a very hard time finding something we could even settle on (and not in our desired neighborhoods). It's not really even a problem of price; it's sheer lack (record lack) of inventory. I wish you all the luck!

[MissTerri]

Originally Posted by stricklandia

Are you saying dogs don't urinate on the floor? Or that cat urine is somehow far worse than dog urine? That's like saying smallpox is worse than anthrax: the difference is subjective, and either one is bad. Bottom line, if you're a landlord concerned about pets urinating, then it makes no sense to allow dogs but not cats. Even if you believe cat urine is worse, dogs are far more likely than cats to pee in the house.

I've had cats and I've had dogs. Cat urine does not come out and can cause permanent damage to floors. Dog urine does not cause permanent damage. I have no idea if what you say is true about landlords allowing dogs but not cats as someone else stated the exact opposite but landlords do have the right to decide the terms in regards to pets and protect their investment. Maybe the ones who don't allow cats had a bad experience with renting to people with cats in the past? Who knows, but it is true that cat urine is more potent then dog urine and can potentially cause damage to a property while dog urine can be cleaned up and leave no trace of an odor.

[MehAboutDenver]

Originally Posted by efrenb5

OK, this is getting worrisome. I wasn't expecting the rental market to be so difficult. Now I'm not sure if I should move to Denver at all. I will be moving with limited resources and can't stay at a hotel/motel/hostel for long while I find an apartment. Are there some cheap and safe hotel/motel/hostel I can stay in while I'm searching for an apartment? Does it look like I will have to stay there for a full month to hopefully find something before I have to live in the street?

I checked PadMapper and Zillow and there seem to be some places around 1000-1200, but I don't know the area so I have no idea how good an area may be. Let's say I expand the search about one or two bus stops from the rail, does this help with the search?

Which rail stops are in a good area of Denver? I understand living close to those stops is close to impossible right now, but let's say I search about 1-2 bus stops from there. Is that possible?

I'll definitely enroll in a car share program as soon as I can. Maybe in a couple of months I may buy a car, although this is not desirable. But if it's necessary I may give up and get one. I do have a car right now, but it is in no condition to leave the island. I would have to invest too much money to get it ready for the Mainland. I'm better off selling it here and buy one over there.

It really depends on how tolerant you are of certain things. If you don't mind smelling pot and cig smoke in your place, hearing your neighbors (who could possibly be crazy), and have low standards as to how your apartment looks, then yeah, you can find a place for $1000 a month. It could be in Cap Hill even. Just understand that while the apartment might be ok, the people that live around might not. My best advice is try to find somewhere with short term rentals so you can leave if it bites.

And there are rough areas of Denver. Some spots in Five Points and Uptown are a bit iffy (near Curtis Park) as well as Lincoln Park are not areas I'd want to live in. I've heard people having their cars broken into and being harassed. Generally, get at least two blocks away from Colfax and Federal.

[efrenb5]

According to Padmapper and Zillow there are several options in my range close to the DTC. How is that area? Anything that should be of concern?

Spreading a little from there I see some options close to Eastmoor and Southmoorparks. What about these two areas?