Can you help us find a place to live?! (Denver: for sale, real estate)

[crys5683]

Hi all. I posted a while ago about our young active family "possibly" moving to Denver from Texas. Well, its for sure now and my husband starts his job April 19th so we are in a time crunch!

We've narrowed it down to Congress Park/ Wash Park/ Capitol Hill / Highlands area. We really want to give urban type living a try and rent until we are familiar with the area and want to possibly buy (either in the city or head out to the burbs)

This is an enormous move for us, especially me. I've lived in the same small town my entire life and will be leaving family and friends as well as a successful photography business and studio BUT, I am excited for the adventure and think Denver could potentially be amazing for our small family of 3 (3 1/2 year old).

Anyway, we will be coming up hopefully in the next two weeks to hunt for a space, but I am having some trouble finding good leads on spaces other than apartment complexes.

Ideally, I think we'd like to live close to shops and restaurants and parks to really get a city living type feel. We do have one large dog, but it seems that Colorado is very pet friendly no matter where you are so that is nice. We want urban living but we are a young family (29 and 28), so I dont want to be surrounded only by young singles, or older corporate types, although I am not a soccer mom type, so a mixture of different types of folks is nice.
Having a nice space in a great location is really important as I'll go from working full time at my own studio which I loved to doing the stay at home mom thing until we settle in and find a pre-school for our daughter and I can network to build my business in Denver.
We are used to living in 1400 sq. ft. which is fine here in Texas, but I am also used to having a studio to work from (I'll still be running my business in Texas long distance), AND the importance of having a guest bedroom is up there now that we'll be away from family and friends.

It seems that the trendy type places to live are much smaller, so I am not sure which I should compromise or if I have to (location/ space).

Oh, and we are moving as this is a major upward move for my husbands career, so our budget is very flexible, BUT we by no means want to over extend ourselves or really live much differently than we do now on 1/4 the budget. We'd love to meet other young families or couples who enjoy the things we do. It would be nice, however, to be near higher end areas simply because that is my market as far as my business is concerned.

I'm a little confused as the what I can expect as far as rent. I mean, is 1500-2000 rent reasonable for what we're looking for? Also, most of what I'm finding are large apartment complexes (which we aren't entirely opposed to at all). I'm just thinking its tough to find an apartment with 3 bedrooms and enough space. We'd just like to see some other options like townhomes/ condos/ lofts / or even homes for rent. Any pointers on how to find these type of spaces would really be helpful? We are open that we may have to find some small place and buy quicker than we originally wanted to.

I'll also be in the market for a studio (commercial area that doesn't have to have walk in traffic, with lots of character (exposed brick, etc) and tons of natural light), unless we can find a live/work space that's perfect, but that will take a miracle I'm sure.

Thanks so much for hanging in there this far if you did !!

[heartndamountains]

2 + 1 bd, 1 + 1/2 ba Bungalow completely redone (http://denver.craigslist.org/apa/1649291389.html - broken link)

Fantastic Park Hill Bungalow (http://denver.craigslist.org/apa/1646095507.html - broken link)

Huge Denver Highlands Duplex Home (http://denver.craigslist.org/apa/1649673609.html - broken link)

[crys5683]

Thanks so much!!

[JenUlasewich]

Hey there, I also want to put a plug in for Platt Park, I think it's a fantastic up-and-coming area and great for kids. You might already be looking at it as a sub-area of Wash Park (some would call it that), it's bordered roughly by 25, Evans, Downing & Broadway. South Pearl runs through it, with great shops & restaurants.

I have some clients/friends who live there now and others who have lived there and they confirm it's fun and urban and also kid-friendly.

A couple of good neighborhood links:
Platt Park People's Association: 3PA: The Platt Park People's Association
Old South Pearl Merchants: Farmers Market: Fresh Produce & Local Merchants (http://www.oldsouthpearlstreet.com/farmers-market - broken link)

Here's a Craigslist ad for a 3 bedroom bungalow a few blocks away from S. Pearl: Washington Park/Platt Park Bungalow (http://denver.craigslist.org/apa/1657492782.html - broken link)

Here's one that is a 2 bedroom plus mother in law suite:
WASH PARK,PLATT PARK, DU (http://denver.craigslist.org/apa/1660925301.html - broken link)
but not as cute and not as good of a location

Didn't see any others that looked to be big enough for you, but they might pop up. Good luck and welcome!

[crys5683]

wow, thanks Jen. I so appreciate any and all knowledgeable advice. I've already been checking out these bungalows and think we may be excited to buy soon! We will definitely check out Platt park!

[shukertj]

You might want to check out Park Hill--it's full of progressive young families and is also very diverse, with residents ranging from upscale urban professionals to long-time residents who are now retired. Most of the homes are craftsman, Tudor, or 50s-style bungalows with lots of charm, but there are also many stately historic residences. Small, locally-owned shops and family restaurants (such as Oblio's Pizzeria) are nestled in amongst the neighborhoods.

It's very walkable and kid-friendly, with several preschools and City Park right nearby. The zoo and Museum of Nature and Science are within easy walking distance down elm-shaded streets. Downtown is a 10-15 minute jaunt down 17th Ave or Colfax. Price ranges can be as varied as the residents, depending on where in Park Hill you'd like to live. The South area is generally more expensive both to rent and to buy. I love this area, but I'm a little biased--we lived there for years and only moved because we eventually had 3 kids and needed a much bigger house! You can check out homes for rent in Park Hill on Craigslist or those for sale on recolorado.com--just type in Park Hill in the subdivision field. Lots of luck in your home search and welcome to Colorado!

[crys5683]

Great! We will check out Park Hill as well.

We are running into scams on craigslist, so thanks for the link!

[outside1]

I'm guessing the real estate agent has some properties listed in Platt Park because I can't think of any reason anyone would recommend it. It is a dirty area with dinky houses and close proximity to the old Gates Rubber plant. I've heard realtors call it "up and coming" for the past 15 years.

If you are going to look in Park Hill, limit your searches to South Park Hill. While it is a nice neighborhood it does not offer the walkability you are looking for, with the exception of a few areas here and there.

If you are looking in Washington Park you might as well add Belcaro to the list. Both areas lack much walkability in many locations though.

City Park West and North Capitol Hill can be thrown in if you center around 17th avenue where all of the restaurants are. You have good proximity to grocery stores and the ballpark from that location too, not too many families though until you go a bit further east.

You might be able to rent a new house in that price range in one of the infill developments, either Lowry or Stapleton. These two are a bit further east but still in Denver city and county and are designed to provide a more walkable lifestyle.

[Dorthy]

Originally Posted by outside1

I'm guessing the real estate agent has some properties listed in Platt Park because I can't think of any reason anyone would recommend it. It is a dirty area with dinky houses and close proximity to the old Gates Rubber plant. I've heard realtors call it "up and coming" for the past 15 years.

Dirty area? I think it's one of the nicest neighborhoods in Denver.

[JenUlasewich]

Thanks Dorthy, I agree. And no, I don't have a listing there. Outside, I'm really not sure where you're thinking, maybe on Broadway itself? Check out Pearl Street and the adjacent housing. Lots of nice places. I DID have a beautiful listing on S Pearl that was featued on House Hunters (and the production company oohed and aahed over it), but I sold that last August.

Platt Park is beautiful, convenient, liveable, and you get more for your $ than in other south/central neighborhoods. And very walkable.