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Hi, everyone! I'm getting close to retirement and looking to move to a much quieter (and hopefully lower cost) area than the one I currently live in. I've read a good many of the posts on this forum and the Cheyenne area seems to be the best fit for the next stage of my life. Considering the forum horror stories about various bad buyer experiences/hazards, can anyone recommend a real estate agent in Cheyenne who would treat me fairly as a buyer as opposed to a seller? I would also appreciate recommendations of good people to do the various inspections needed before move-in.
As far as specifics, I am looking to buy (or maybe rent) a SFH or possibly a TH within Cheyenne city limits if possible or in LC close to Cheyenne. Ideally, this would be 2,000 - 3,000 SF, but would need to have full HVAC and wired HSI regardless (wired for HSI and cable strongly preferred). This would also need to be in a relatively quiet area (I work full time from home; also need to improve the amount of sleep I get at night).
BTW, two questions I had that I haven't found on the forum:
1) Is there any market in Cheyenne/LC for renting with an option to buy?
2) For properties hooked up to city/county water supply, is the water sufficiently filtered/softened by the utility company or would an additional filter/softener be needed inside the home?
Any help you all can give with this is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
keep in mind that Wyoming real estate law provides that the primary fiduciary responsibility of an agent is to the seller.
while Wyoming law does now allow "buyer agent" agency, my experience has been that this is counter to the established practice and custom of agents in the area. While some agents will have a "buyer agency" agreement, don't count on receiving the level of service and priority that you might expect in other real estate markets around the country.
personally ... I don't have any agents that I'd recommend in the area. The one and only that I knew who was going to set the Cheyenne standard for ethics/honesty/performance lasted less than 2 years here before he moved on, apparently not able to make a living here. From my experience, I wouldn't recommend the big name agencies here. If I was seeking an agent in Cheyenne at this time, I'd contact several of the smaller agencies and let them know what I was seeking, then see what their response was ... then go with the agent that I got the best impression of.
absent having an idea of your budget, it's difficult to give you meaningful advice re in town or county area locations to look at.
RE:
1) not from what I've seen, especially in the larger houses and amenities you seek. It's a pretty active marketplace for such houses here right now, many on newer 5 acre HOA subdivision properties.
2) "hard" water is the norm here. If you want "softened" domestic water, you'll need your own treatment system.
keep in mind that Wyoming real estate law provides that the primary fiduciary responsibility of an agent is to the seller.
while Wyoming law does now allow "buyer agent" agency, my experience has been that this is counter to the established practice and custom of agents in the area. While some agents will have a "buyer agency" agreement, don't count on receiving the level of service and priority that you might expect in other real estate markets around the country.
personally ... I don't have any agents that I'd recommend in the area. The one and only that I knew who was going to set the Cheyenne standard for ethics/honesty/performance lasted less than 2 years here before he moved on, apparently not able to make a living here. From my experience, I wouldn't recommend the big name agencies here. If I was seeking an agent in Cheyenne at this time, I'd contact several of the smaller agencies and let them know what I was seeking, then see what their response was ... then go with the agent that I got the best impression of.
absent having an idea of your budget, it's difficult to give you meaningful advice re in town or county area locations to look at.
RE:
1) not from what I've seen, especially in the larger houses and amenities you seek. It's a pretty active marketplace for such houses here right now, many on newer 5 acre HOA subdivision properties.
2) "hard" water is the norm here. If you want "softened" domestic water, you'll need your own treatment system.
Good to know about Wyoming as I have heard about this before. Let the buyer beware
I am in the same position and will be on the side lines looking also but am more interested in Sheridan or primarily being just outside 10 miles plus from a large city like Cheyenne or Laramie. Looking for rural area with places with little to no traffic and no neighbors for peace n quiet. Don't want to live in a subdivision anymore unless neighbors are one mile plus apart.
Thanks, sunsprit. As far as budget goes, I'm not quite sure how that will work out. I've rented for the last 14 years here, so my monthly payment knowledge as far as potential PITI goes is consequently somewhat rusty. I'm looking to move because the rental market here has been heating up for the last few years and my rent has reflected this (currently paying $2500/mo for a 2BR, 2BA 1135SF regular apartment and am definitely feeling the pinch). Buying a property here of the type I described in my first post is out of the question (I'm looking to upgrade because I've basically outgrown this place; I've moved some stuff to a storage locker but am still pretty cramped), as prices for such properties are completely crazy. To give you an idea, I did a search earlier today and the cheapest I could find was a 1BR, 1BA, 708SF apartment condo listed for $100,000+. SFHs and THs of the type I'm looking for sell for anywhere from about $600,000 to $6,000,000. Many of the lower-priced homes do not have garages, so you either have to park on the street or in an assigned space in a common community parking lot.
As for amenities, I realize I'm asking for stuff that's relatively high-end in Wyoming. Reliable HSI is a must-have because my employer requires it; I'm a support technician for a software development company and have to be able to review customer output and emails to diagnose product-related problems and/or help with product usage questions in a timely manner (dial-up internet services cannot possibly do this as they have nowhere near the necessary bandwidth). Full HVAC is needed because my current home has only a heat pump. For the most part, this works fine. However, every so often we get a spell of colder or hotter weather than normal (<20 degrees in the winter and/or >90 degrees in summer) and, put it this way, you can definitely tell the difference. FYI, I normally keep the windows closed all the time anyway due to allergies, so having to keep them closed in Cheyenne/LC due to airborne dust and dirt won't be a big deal.
I've had a look online at some of the homes currently offered for sale in Cheyenne/LC and suspect I'll be ending up in the Ranchettes or someplace nearby, unless there's a suitable location in Cheyenne itself (i. e, a quiet, stable neighborhood with an older population with homes in good condition). Wherever I go, I'd really like to have a home with a garage (call me crazy, but I don't want to walk out the door after a hailstorm and find out my car has become a chunk of scrap metal). nowhereman427, I definitely know where you're coming from. My first home was an apartment condo in a low-income neighborhood. Lot of people on welfare, a lot of Section 8s. Many were good people, but many were not. The result of this was small children being allowed to roam through the condo complex yelling and screaming all day long. When they were finally called in to dinner, it didn't really matter because the adults in the community were cranking their stereos all over. I had to put up with this for 25 years before finally escaping to a better neighborhood. Yep, definitely need a neighborhood now where things like that don't happen!
BTW sunsprit, in your experience, are HOAs usually worth the fees they charge? I. e, do they maintain their communities well or are they only good for nitpicking about your supposed failure to maintain your home according to their rules and charging you a fee for giving their criticism?
BTW sunsprit, in your experience, are HOAs usually worth the fees they charge? I. e, do they maintain their communities well or are they only good for nitpicking about your supposed failure to maintain your home according to their rules and charging you a fee for giving their criticism?
HOA's run the gamut from reasonable management and protection of the guidelines of the community to all the worst of the horror stories that you've heard ... and then some.
After my own less than good experiences with the fun destroyers & nit-pickers, and the unrealistic parking requirements, and "can't have your garage door open unless you're moving a vehicle in/out of the structure", or your paint color/condition isn't in conformity with our architectural guidelines" even though it matched the head of the architectural review committee's house ... or your 12' sailboat stored on the side of your house is unacceptable (but your neighbor's Class C RV is just dandy by us) ... and so forth ...
I wouldn't ever choose to live in an HOA controlled subdivision again.
But your requirements and budget may be different than mine.
Do your due diligence with any prospective purchase to get a handle on their HOA.
BTW sunsprit, in your experience, are HOAs usually worth the fees they charge? I. e, do they maintain their communities well or are they only good for nitpicking about your supposed failure to maintain your home according to their rules and charging you a fee for giving their criticism?
I don't currently live in an HOA community but I have, and thanks to the HOA it's still a very nice area 30 years later. The area I now live in is slightly upscale from the one with the HOA and built at the same time, but it's just not as nice now. Most homes here are very nice, but then you have one with car parts piled next to the garage, cars parked on the street that extend to the front of neighbors' homes, weeds growing out the fence lines, fading paint, etc.
Some HOAs don't do much, others do. The cheapest ones, of course, don't do much -- maybe maintain roads only, maybe water and sewer and a park. The one I lived in maintained a small recreation center with a pool, bb & tennis courts, also all streets, walking paths, trees and lawns, home sidings, roofing, driveways, etc. It also enforced the bylaws and did all the other stuff that many HOAs do. Some like it, others don't. Personally, I like them because they help keep property values up and keep the junk out of the yards the the grass watered and mowed short, and I don't care what color the siding is on my house as long as it's not something too weird. Others don't like giving up their "rights" as property owners. Whatever. It's your choice.
If you're considering something in an HOA, get a copy of the bylaws and read them over carefully. If you don't like some of it, look elsewhere.
Hi again, everyone. I've been checking out various properties online for the past two weeks and now have a better idea of what I can afford. Looks like I'll be working with a budget of around $250,000 - $400,000, though I could maybe go higher if a really good fit became available. Given this constraint, are there any neighborhoods I should pay particular attention to?
Also, I've identified a number of prospective homes, including several of new construction in the Granite Hills/Thomas Heights area (Sunset Hills Dr/Edison Ave/Sahler St/Thomas Rd). For new-construction homes, do the developers involved generally stand behind their work or should I treat this situation the same as older homes (i. e, have a full inspection done regardless)?
BTW, which cable company would you all suggest I contract with for TV and HSI service? I couldn't find many posts about this on the forum and the latest is several years old.
Hi again, everyone. I've been checking out various properties online for the past two weeks and now have a better idea of what I can afford. Looks like I'll be working with a budget of around $250,000 - $400,000, though I could maybe go higher if a really good fit became available. Given this constraint, are there any neighborhoods I should pay particular attention to?
Also, I've identified a number of prospective homes, including several of new construction in the Granite Hills/Thomas Heights area (Sunset Hills Dr/Edison Ave/Sahler St/Thomas Rd). For new-construction homes, do the developers involved generally stand behind their work or should I treat this situation the same as older homes (i. e, have a full inspection done regardless)?
BTW, which cable company would you all suggest I contract with for TV and HSI service? I couldn't find many posts about this on the forum and the latest is several years old.
BTW, which cable company would you all suggest I contract with for TV and HSI service? I couldn't find many posts about this on the forum and the latest is several years old.
Thanks for your continued help with this!
Easy answer for TV/Internet is Charter Spectrum (or Spectrum, whatever they call themselves now). The only other option is Phone co. DSL which is much slower.
I will leave your other questions to others here that are more knowledgeable about neighborhoods & builders.
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