Looking 4 Safe, Trendy neighborhood, homes under $150k (Denver, Aurora: 2013, appliances)

[Brian_M]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

$150K won't get the OP what she is describing, but she could look in Ruby Hill (trendy might be in its future)....

One can only hope..... because that's where I bought in November. Currently it is no where NEAR trendy. But it's safe (if you stay off Federal, Evans and Mississippi, which are the boundary streets IIRC). Still, it'll be a challenge to find a property that costs under $150k to be livable. Some are Selling cheaper than that, but need 20~30k in repairs due to tenant damage (holes in drywall, no appliances, floors needing replaced, etc...) or a solid months worth of work as a DIY for 1/3rd the cost.

At least the park makeover starts next week (or is claimed to start).

[chilicheesefries]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Actually, Bear Valley is in Denver, north of Hampden, west of Sheridan. It borders Lakewood on the west. Mostly (fairly large) brick ranches, and a few tri-levels IIRC. Here is the listing I believe shukertj is talking about:

REcolorado.com - brought to you by Metrolist Inc. (http://www.recolorado.com/Search/propertyDetail.asp?mls_number=836739 - broken link)

A fixer for sure.

$150K won't get the OP what she is describing, but she could look in Ruby Hill (trendy might be in its future), or places like Athmar Park, Valverde, etc.

But yeah, that price point needs to be inflated a bit to get safe and trendy.

Yep - Bear Valley is in Denver, not Englewood.

I'm a little skeptical that all of these areas become trendy. At some point some areas have to be on the decline as others are on the up-and-up (not saying these are on the decline just that you shouldn't be too optimistic!). Just because it's in the 'City limits' doesn't mean it has a bright future - again not saying it doesn't either just that bad areas are inside and outside of Denver!

[choosing78]

I agree with the above post. We weren't looking for trendy, just a nice and safe area with some bike paths and open space. We saw lots of houses in the $150k range in good areas but were constantly competing with the cash offers from investors. The houses are there but stay away from foreclosures/bank owned where they collect a bunch of offers. Stay on top of the listings, move fast and allow very little time for an offer acceptance. When we finally got our house, we looked at it the morning it went on the market, made an immediate offer that expired at 5pm. oh yeah and we upped our price range (slightly).

[Brian_M]

Originally Posted by choosing78

When we finally got our house, we looked at it the morning it went on the market, made an immediate offer that expired at 5pm. oh yeah and we upped our price range (slightly).

That sounds familiar. Ours had a $10k price reduction on a Friday sometime, we saw it 9am on Saturday, called the listing agent directly to make sure it was still available and no other contracts had been submitted, offer in (over asking) by 11am with a 5pm Sunday deadline.

We also ran into multiple offers, cash offers, etc... that tied up other contracts or took homes out from under us. We learned not to wait, even an afternoon (we saw a house at 2pm, by 5pm it was wrapped up with multiple contracts).

[Katarina Witt]

I think we need to be honest with the OP and say that there are very few houses that meet their total criteria. Either up the price or drop the "trendy neighborhood" criterion at the least. I think you can find a place in a safe neighborhood.

[Dorthy]

Does it need to be a single family home? Would a duplex or row home with a yard work? How many bedrooms do you need?

[livecontent]

There is an issue on this thread that I think it not correct. It appears that many people believe that it is a new "trend" to have bike paths, trails and walkable neighborhoods. That is not true for Denver, as the area has always been "trendy". For Metro Denver has extensive parks, trails and bike paths that have existed for many decades that go through nice safe walkable neighborhoods with much older homes and developments. So, you do not necessarily have to live in the new "trendy" neighborhoods but you can find the same in the older areas.

Part of the reason is that waterways is scarce in the area. So, along the creeks, reservoirs and irrigation canals, there has been the establishment of trails to make good recreational use of what is available. You will see that many of the open space and parks go back more than a hundred years. In addition, trees are very scarce and where they were found, they were honored and expanded into parks. The history of Denver will tell you how fast Coloradans planted trees and established parks. Denver has always been "trendy" and took a big part in the "City Beautiful" movement in the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th Century.

I can easily point an example of the Wheat Ridge Green Belt. Which sits between the main streets of West 38th to the South and West 44th to the North. If you go off these streets, you will find many older homes that border this open space. If you old photographs of Denver, you will see people enjoying Sloan's Lake, Berkeley Lake and Rocky Mountain Lake.

To know the Denver area, you need to get off the highway. What you will see is an extensive park system with open space that is somewhat hidden and not readily apparent. I have been here for 31 years and I am still discovering areas that I did not know existed. I have been surprised more recently by Google Map and I keep seeing these hidden parks and trails; and then I am on my way to explore the Great Colorado outdoors.

Livecontent

[outside1]

No.

[CassandraK]

Everyone, thank you so much for the advice. Nothing compares to getting advice from people who live in the area. I was looking in Aurora, and there seems to be quite a bit for around $150k. Is this a nice area, and is the commute ok? My husband will be working around Union Station.

The advice is much appreciated.

[CassandraK]

Originally Posted by shukertj

I think there are neighborhoods in Denver proper where you'll be able to buy a house with a yard for that price--you'll have to investigate a little more to decide if they're "safe enough" for you. And like Sunspirit says, you may have to put in a little elbow grease. You might want to forget about being right in the downtown core, or else consider a condo. I have a family member who lives in Bear Valley, a nice, fairly well-kept neighborhood near Hampden and Santa Fe. The schools there are good, if that will be a consideration. I just looked it up and there is a house on the market in there for $175k.

Thanks for this recommendation. We've no problem with the elbow grease. We have both worked in construction, but we just don't want to end up in a neighborhood that locally is known for crime. At least in our experience this is something that realtors are reluctant to say.