Relocating and buying our first house (Loveland, Severance: fit in, HOA fees, houses)

[emdash16]

Here's the quick background: My family (2 kids +1 on the way) and I are moving from Ft. Worth, TX, to Ft. Collins at the end of July. My husband will be commuting to Cheyenne for work for at least the next year. (If he continues on with that employer, we may consider a move to Cheyenne [my husband's family is also there] but if he decides to start up his own office after this year, he's set on Loveland or Ft. Collins). ANYWAY, we have rented for the past 7 years and would like to buy a home. Financially (although maybe not mentally?!?) we are in a position to do so.

We spent the past week looking at houses and have just returned to TX to try to make a decision. I'd like to think we are thoughtful, thorough people and have done enough research but this is seems like an impossible decision! Essentially, we have 4 options (although we haven't made an offer so one or more may not be available by the time we do): 2 homes are in the Richard's Lake neighborhood, 1 is in Observatory Village, and 1 is in Clydesdale Park.

My first impression is that the Observatory Village home would be the cheapest option with the best chance of reselling quickly if we decide to move to Cheyenne within the next few years. Our kids are 4 and 2 so the neighborhood, although tightly packed, seems like a great atmosphere for our family. But I've heard the Harmony Rd traffic is rough and it may add too much time to hub's commute??

My second choice would be the Clydesdale Park home, as it has the quickest access to the 25 and would cut a few minutes off my hub's commute every day. But I worry that the neighborhood is mostly retirees or that the home itself may not resell quickly in the next few years if we decide to move.

The Richard's Lake homes are both on huge lots that we love, the neighborhood seems full of enough kids that we'll fit in, but again, I'm concerned that they may not sell quickly if we decide to move.

Any advice? School are definitely a consideration but I've been reassured that you almost can't go wrong with the Poudre school system. And either way, we're kind of tied to the I-25 corridor area because of my hub's commute. If I'm not happy with my kids' school experience, I'm not against trying to get them in somewhere else or pull them out and homeschool.

Any comments or info about any of these neighborhoods for our situation might be helpful! Thanks in advance.

OH, ALSO, I am due with baby #3 in December; are there any recommendations on OBs or hospitals? Thanks!! (But maybe I should put that in a separate thread??)

[gmm_24]

I guess I do not understand, the job is in Cheyenne, so is family, you plan on moving there in the next couple of years.... why not just move there to begin with?
Me personally I would not want to do that communte daily in the Winter, have my kids make friends and start school in one state only to be moved to another one in a couple of years.

Houses pretty much anywhere are not selling quickly, some have been on the market months to a year or more. So you might get stuck in it until the market turns around.

Also you will get more for your money up there housewise, less taxes and etc. You can always do day trips here if you want to do some shopping, hiking and etc.

[Mike Weber]

Here is some info in case you end up in FC:

All 3 subdivisions you are considering have new construction in them. Keep the subdivision build out schedule in mind as you are considering your exit strategy. When the time comes to sell, you may be selling against new construction.

I just helped buyers purchase a home in Observatory Village. Most of the traffic on Harmony is west of Lady Moon (the road leading from Harmony into Observatory Village), therefore, access to I-25 is not too difficult. You can also leave Observatory Village and get to Harmony via Rock Creek Parkway and Strauss Cabin Road (CR7). Either way, the commute to Cheyenne will be about 10 minutes longer from there than from Clydesdale. I lived in Clydesdale for a few years, and the drive to Cheyenne from there on a good day is about 40-50 minutes. Richard's Lake will have a similar length commute.

Observatory Village has the pool, which may be a draw for you, but check into HOA fees to see how they compare for the neighborhoods and decide for yourself if the difference in fees is justified by the value to you.

Ultimately, you will probably make friends wherever you end up and you will probably not make money re-selling in a short amount of time, so maybe the house you like best is the right one for you.

Good Luck!
Mike Weber

[emdash16]

The short answer, gmm_24, is that my hub grew up in Cheyenne and has always liked the Ft. Collins area better. The guy he's working with also commutes from Severance, CO, and my hub is used to lengthy commutes (although usually bc of traffic, not necessarily mileage). I'm just looking for info in the event we decide the commute's not worth it...just an exit strategy so we're (hopefully) not sitting on a house for years trying to sell.

Thanks for the info, Mike. We'll do a little more digging and hopefully reach a decision soon!