Possible relocation to Golden area. Have some questions. (Denver, Lakewood: real estate, apartments)

[Bungalow Bill]

Hello all,

My wife and I are considering a job transfer from Maine to Colorado. The job itself is in Golden. As of right now I would be without a job when we moved. I am not familiar with the area so I need some assistance deciding if it would be a good fit for us.

We are mid 30s with one toddler and a baby on the way. Family activities, daycare, and schools would be important.

We would be renting initially, and ideally would like to pay $1,200-$1,300 for rent. I've briefly looked at rental options in Golden and $1,200 doesn't seem realistic. Is there another area that would be more affordable without a long commute? I'm not against commuting, we did it for years in Dallas, but would prefer not to.

Thanks for the help!

[cesium]

Golden real estate is desirable, due to the proximity of the town to Denver, the mountains providing some sense of separation from the city, and the college. This is reflected in prices, particularly for rental units.

Realistic options for nearby rental include western Lakewood (look along 6th Avenue, near Simms/Union and Wadsworth). There are also apartments to the East of Golden along Colfax. There is not too much in the way of apartment rental to the North and South, though there are some subdevelopments in these directions. Traffic along 6th Avenue mostly moves toward Denver in the mornings, so traffic should not be a major issue.

Congratulations on the new job, best wishes for the move.

[JrzDefector]

Originally Posted by Bungalow Bill

Hello all,

My wife and I are considering a job transfer from Maine to Colorado. The job itself is in Golden. As of right now I would be without a job when we moved. I am not familiar with the area so I need some assistance deciding if it would be a good fit for us.

We are mid 30s with one toddler and a baby on the way. Family activities, daycare, and schools would be important.

We would be renting initially, and ideally would like to pay $1,200-$1,300 for rent. I've briefly looked at rental options in Golden and $1,200 doesn't seem realistic. Is there another area that would be more affordable without a long commute? I'm not against commuting, we did it for years in Dallas, but would prefer not to.

Thanks for the help!

How close do you want to be to Denver? I'm thinking if you're willing to move further away from Denver, the costs will go down. $1,300 isn't going to get you much otherwise, I'm thinking.

A few considerations:

-What line of work are you in?
-What kind of room for advancement do you and your wife have in your careers?
-Will you be moving before or after the baby arrives and how will the baby affect your wife's earning power?
-Do you have any savings? (as in % of annual salary)

Just my off-the-bat impression, I would say things would be tight for a few years, but there is more opportunity here in the Denver area than in Maine. From what I hear about Maine (and have observed from my visit), the economy there is pretty stagnant unless you're involved in tourism somehow. The public schools are also better in general here than in Maine, I'm pretty sure.

Golden is a lovely area - I love the town.

[himain]

OP-You will not be able to find squat unless it's a tiny 1/1 for that type of money. It doesn't sound like you want a family of four living in a 700sq ft apt. You will need to way up your rental budget or sit tight in Maine until you have more money put away. I'm in a 1/1 at $1630.00

[davebarnes]

Greater Denver is a very tight rental market.
While there has been some loosening lately, what that really means is: rental increases slowing down and vacancy rates going up by a smidgeon.
More than 60,000 people are moving to greater Denver every year.

In order to rent, you need to:
1. Be prepared to act almost instantly.
2. Expect a large upfront fee.

Consider Arvada and Lakewood. Padmapper.com is a good place to start. Use the filters.

Daycare is very expensive. "With an average annual childcare cost of $12,736 per infant and $9,619 per preschooler, Colorado is one of the least affordable states for full-time, center-based childcare."

[Augie Daugie]

Look in Lakewood. If the wife's job is near light rail, you might be able to find something along the rails to make the commute easy, but most of Golden is about 10-15 minute drive from Lakewood. Plus, Lakewood is much more affordable. Also, being closer to Denver will give you more options in your job search if you want to keep commuting to a minimum.

[Bungalow Bill]

Thanks I'll look in the areas you suggested. Proximity to Denver isn't really a priority. I'm more concerned with finding a safe, family friendly area that is affordable and relatively close to Golden.

The cost of living seems to be more expensive where I currently live with the exception of housing. we could probably budget a little more for rent but not $700.

[JrzDefector]

Originally Posted by Bungalow Bill

Thanks I'll look in the areas you suggested. Proximity to Denver isn't really a priority. I'm more concerned with finding a safe, family friendly area that is affordable and relatively close to Golden.

The cost of living seems to be more expensive where I currently live with the exception of housing. we could probably budget a little more for rent but not $700.

I really don't think there's anything that's unsafe once you get out of certain neighborhoods directly in Denver. And we have an entire thread on here where us east coasters point out that there's no place in Denver that's remotely like Philly or Baltimore.

[philberf]

Originally Posted by JrzDefector

I really don't think there's anything that's unsafe once you get out of certain neighborhoods directly in Denver. And we have an entire thread on here where us east coasters point out that there's no place in Denver that's remotely like Philly or Baltimore.

or the bad parts of the SF bay area or LA. Denver and surrounding areas are just a pretty safe metro area. Don't be foolish of course, but the worst of Denver isn't even close to the worst of some of the larger coastal cities.

[Bungalow Bill]

I've found some places to rent that are relatively close to our price range. Any opinions on Thornton, Lakewood, or Evergreen?