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Old 08-22-2010, 12:29 PM
 
7 posts, read 16,964 times
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Hi eveyone- I am new at this forum stuff so bare with me. My husband and I are looking at moving to Highlands Ranch Colorado from GA. I have only visited Fort Collins and that was 6-7 yrs ago and my husband has never been to Colorado but we are in love with all that it has to offer!!! We are planing on making our first visit to the area in Feb 2011. What type of activities or advice do you have for us to do when we are out there? We will be traveling with our son who will be 23months at the time of travel. We have heard that this is the coldest part of the year and are looking forward to making several trips to experience each season.We are planning to spend a whole week Sat-Sat when we come in hopes that this will allow us plenty of time to see all we need to see. Neither one of us has left the city where we grew up so need suggestions on how to go about making this HUGE transition! What type of activites is there for us to enjoy in Feb? And for those that have made a big move any advice on how to pick the right place to live. So far we have liked the Highlands Ranch/Littleton especially because of the schools. More than likely my husband would work in Denver and I would stay home. Thanks everyone for reading this and look forward to the feedback
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Old 08-22-2010, 02:52 PM
 
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I recently went out to Denver on a bit of a scouting trip. We currently live in Raleigh, NC and have been considering a few different areas (both my family and my husband's family live in the western US). Though I cannot advise you on winter activities, I did just want to share what I learned from a housing perspective. While I was there I had the opportunity to spend the day with a family who live in Highlands Ranch, and they were kind enough to show me around. Highlands Ranch does have a lot to offer from a convenience perspective. You can zip around from one end to the other fairly quickly. I had the opportunity to tour the community-based exercise facilities (which are really a great part of Highlands Ranch). And there certainly seemed to be plenty of activities for families. You have to be careful when you are buying as some homes that are in Highlands Ranch do not have access to the community perks that make that area so nice.

I was a bit taken back by the difference in housing prices, however. I had spent time searching houses online before going and had a list of addresses that I wanted to visit. But seeing these houses in person, I quickly realized that we would have to up our maximum price by quite a bit (approx. $200,000) to have a newer home with features that we have in our current home. You may be surprised by the lot sizes in Highlands Ranch as well. Most of the homes are on very small lots with minimum back yards. I found that to be true regardless of the price tag on the home.

I wish you the best of luck with your research and hope that this information will be helpful to you.
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Old 08-22-2010, 02:55 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandia_0313 View Post
I was a bit taken back by the difference in housing prices, however. I had spent time searching houses online before going and had a list of addresses that I wanted to visit. But seeing these houses in person, I quickly realized that we would have to up our maximum price by quite a bit (approx. $200,000) to have a newer home with features that we have in our current home.
What was your original budget and what do you consider a nice home?
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Old 08-22-2010, 03:03 PM
 
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Thank you Sandia_0123! My husband and I have been looking online at houses and have already noticed the lack of yard and the higher price tag. We are thinking that we will prob have to spend a good $350,000 or something around that area. Im ok with the lack of yard cause it seems to be the norm there.I do want a mountain view:-) If I move all the way there from here I want to be able to look out my window and see a mountain!!!!lol.What areas are ya'll considering? What are some tips to really get to know the area and people while we are there? We are wanting to interact alot with the locals to get a true feel for the town.
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Old 08-22-2010, 03:21 PM
 
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Escape California- Are you in Colorado? any advice?
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Old 08-22-2010, 03:22 PM
 
11,715 posts, read 40,451,929 times
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Originally Posted by JMJGHowell View Post
Escape California- Are you in Colorado? any advice?
Not yet. Wish I was. Wife's applying for jobs there right now.
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Old 08-22-2010, 03:25 PM
 
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Escape-What part are you guys looking at? Any advice for us since this is our first big move. We are leaving GA headed out West with not knowing one single person-pretty exciting although its a bit off.
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Old 08-22-2010, 03:33 PM
 
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How does the crime compare to other cities around the HR area like Littleton or Aurora?
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Old 08-22-2010, 03:35 PM
 
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Originally Posted by JMJGHowell View Post
Escape-What part are you guys looking at? Any advice for us since this is our first big move. We are leaving GA headed out West with not knowing one single person-pretty exciting although its a bit off.
My wife and I both prefer suburbs over being right in the city. We've mostly concentrated on the southern suburbs like Littleton, Centennial, and Highlands Ranch but are open to other suburbs like Westminster and Broomfield on the northwest side. It mainly depends on where she can get a job. The nice thing about Denver is that there's nice places to live throughout the area and its relatively compact, at least compared to what I'm used to.

The best I can say is to make as many exploratory trips as possible before making any decisions. Your February trip is a good idea. I made mine two years ago and enjoyed it. That tends to be the coldest part of the year, but not the snowiest, so its less likely you'll get stuck at an airport than if you made the trip in March or April.

Rent first before buying. First, second, and even third impressions of an area can change after you've been there a while. Don't live 40 miles from work. You'll regret it come winter when a badly timed snow storm turns that into a much longer commute.
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Old 08-22-2010, 03:38 PM
 
11,715 posts, read 40,451,929 times
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Originally Posted by JMJGHowell View Post
How does the crime compare to other cities around the HR area like Littleton or Aurora?
Aurora is a mixed bag. A lot of people will hear Aurora and think crime but the southeastern parts are virtually indistinguishable from other suburbs like Littleton, Centennial, Parker, and Highlands Ranch. So if you find stats for Aurora that makes it look scary, keep in mind that the problems are concentrated in the northern parts. Even then, its not exactly Detroit.
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