NYC to Boulder area for 2-3 year stay - rent vs buy? (Denver: fit in, rentals)

[US-UK-NYC]

Hello! My boyfriend has been offered a job in Lakewood and we are considering a move from UWS of NYC to the Boulder area. We are in our early 30s, have no children but we do have a large dog. We would love to use this opportunity to get on the property ladder, but first need to determine what area(s) to consider and whether buying for only a 2-3 year (possibly longer) stay is worthwhile. We will likely return to the NYC area. We need the location to be a good commute to Lakewood. I will need to find a job as well, which is a big deal b/c I would be leaving a great job in NYC to follow him - not an easy decision!

Based on my research, it looks like Boulder, Nederland, Niwot and Louisville are the best fit, although Nederland seems a bit too far away. As we have no children, schools aren't as important personally, but would affect how the house performs on the market in the years to come.

In terms of interests, we are both active, love good food and good wine. He is from the UK - so football leagues a must; I prefer gym and pilates, hiking with dog and love design - floral and interior.

Given the above, I would like your thoughts on rent vs buy and where we would likely fit in best. (One note: after too many years living in 600 sq ft or less, a condo or townhouse is really not an option, rent or buy. I want to be in a house.)

[Bradburn1]

First, a Boulder to Lakewood commute would be fairly awful. In good weather with little traffic it's a good 40 minutes to one hour (depending in where in Boulder you start and where in Lakewood you end). Add snow and that commute is easily 1 1/2 hours. Louisville is a bit closer but not by much.

Since the talk in economic circles is that housing appears to be going into a double dip drop, I personally would not buy unless I was planning on living in a house for five years or more.

If you want a more tolerable commute to Lakewood, I would look in Arvada or Lakewood itself.

[JohnHAdams]

I would rent until the housing market makes up its mind. Appears to generally be heading down for the most part.

[formercalifornian]

Rent.

The transaction costs, taxes, and maintenance will eat any appreciation on the property, and the house may be difficult to sell.

[US-UK-NYC]

So a pretty clear picture from the first three comments - rent! I suppose the follow up would be - what are the best areas for house rentals? I haven't seen much online (and from others posting on this site, finding house rentals has been an issue as well). Lakewood or Arvada, as per Bradburn1's recommendation? Or are there any other good areas, given the description in my original post, for NTE $2000/month or so?

Or, if any others have a different take on the rent vs buy question, I'm happy to hear it!

Thanks to all for the quick responses!

[formercalifornian]

You should be able to find a very nice property for $2k/month in this part of the country. A couple of years ago, I rented a brand-new 4 bed/3 bath house in Castle Rock for well under that amount.

I live on the south side, so I don't have any suggestions for neighborhoods. Maybe one our north Denver folks can give you a hand?

[movedoften]

Originally Posted by US-UK-NYC

Hello! My boyfriend has been offered a job in Lakewood and we are considering a move from UWS of NYC to the Boulder area. We are in our early 30s, have no children but we do have a large dog. We would love to use this opportunity to get on the property ladder, but first need to determine what area(s) to consider and whether buying for only a 2-3 year (possibly longer) stay is worthwhile. We will likely return to the NYC area. We need the location to be a good commute to Lakewood. I will need to find a job as well, which is a big deal b/c I would be leaving a great job in NYC to follow him - not an easy decision!

Based on my research, it looks like Boulder, Nederland, Niwot and Louisville are the best fit, although Nederland seems a bit too far away. As we have no children, schools aren't as important personally, but would affect how the house performs on the market in the years to come.

In terms of interests, we are both active, love good food and good wine. He is from the UK - so football leagues a must; I prefer gym and pilates, hiking with dog and love design - floral and interior.

Given the above, I would like your thoughts on rent vs buy and where we would likely fit in best. (One note: after too many years living in 600 sq ft or less, a condo or townhouse is really not an option, rent or buy. I want to be in a house.)

Rent, the property ladder you referred to is missing its ascending rungs these days. It's more like a property step stool precariously perched on a sheet of ice.

If you were staying for 8-10 years I would say look at trying to get a steal in the market but for a 2-3 year time horizon you could get burned.

This is a good tool to use to examine the rent vs buy question.

Is It Better to Buy or Rent? - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com

[DressageRider]

Any of those towns would be an awful commute. I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for because those towns are all pretty different. The thought of moving from the upper west side to a place like Niwot or Nederland is kind of hilarious to me -- those towns are so teeny! But obviously you are looking for a big change.

If it were me, I'd look for a place in Highland Square (Denver). For a smaller town, I'd check out Arvada.

Oh, and I'd rent.

[soscrewed]

You really, really, really need to visit before you decide. Just from your description of your interests it sounds like you have the city thing going on. I concur with the comment about moving from the Upper West Side to Niwot or Nederland. You *really* need to visit first.

Your best bet would probably be to live as close to downtown Denver as possible. Commuting from Denver to Lakewood would be a breeze, because the traffic flows the other way, and the light rail is almost complete so he might even be able to take the train.

But please, take a look first. There are not a lot of adult "football" leagues, and interior design is not a big sport here either.

Rent in Denver.

[formercalifornian]

I can't speak for the northern 'burbs, but there are lots of soccer (i.e., football) leagues south of the city, ranging from casual pick-up players to much more serious teams. Just ask around once you get here.