considering moving to colorado....advice plz (Denver, Colorado Springs: to rent, mortgage, buying a house)

[cmcmillan]

Hey all! My name is Christine. My husband and I, and our 3 year old son are considering moving to denver/colorado springs/boulder in the next year. I am a respiratory therapist and my husband will be getting out of the Army. When he gets out he is wanting to go to school to be an electrician or something else that might catch his interest that pays just as well. We are looking for something within the $150,000-200,000 for a 3 bedroom.2 bath, 1600+ sq ft. Is it possible? We both need the conveniences of a big city for jobs, but don't mind living outside the city (especially if it means more house for the money). I don't know how bad traffic is there as far as coming into the city from the outside, we prefer something that will only take us an hour or so tops to get to work. And if anyone has any other options for jobs for my husband that he should explore, please let me know. He needs to make at least $18/hour. His job in the military is infantry, and his work experience prior to the military was construction (drywall, building houses, etc.) Thanks in advance for your help!

[tfox]

Given your husband's military background, you might prefer Colorado Springs. It's a military town, the setting is far more beautiful than Denver, and the cost of housing is well within your range. The only problem with the Springs is that jobs may be tougher to come by and wages are generally lower than the Denver area.

In the Denver area, you CAN find what you want for the price you want in some of the older suburbs. Aurora is much maligned on this forum, but parts of it are nice (generally further south) and certainly you can find something in your price range. That will probably give you the most options, but you'll have to put up with an inconvenient location. Another direction to look might be in Westminster or thereabouts, which is much more centrally located.

[COflower]

I agree with C Springs. Pretty family friendly for as big a city as this is.

While the job market down here is pretty darn tight, positions in the health care arena are not as tight - Memorial Hospital just opened up a new hospital and Penrose is opening up a new one (both on the north end of C Springs) pretty soon...I am thinking along the lines of your husband getting out of the Army for tight job market. Perhaps he can talk to the (pardon my lack of knowledge for the correct terminology even though I have lived in this military town for 34 of my almost 39 years) career counselors via the Army at Ft. Carson to see what might be available.

Housing just east of C Springs proper might get you into bigger homes but getting a home under $200K is *possible* in the city for a three bedroom. I would caution anyone that is relocating to a place they have never lived though, to rent a home first so you can get an idea of what areas of a city are best. You'd hate to be saddled with a mortgage and realize a neighborhood is not for you.

If you do consider C Springs, the southeast quadrant is not a favorable place to live IMO.

Good luck and be sure to make several visits before you settle on a city.

[Katarina Witt]

Health care jobs here in Metro Denver are available, but you may not find them as plentiful as wherever you have lived before. There is not much of a "nursing shortage" here. (I realize you are a resp. therapist; I don't know anything, actually, about that job market, but I sort of figure it must correlate with nursing a bit.) My joke is that there is a shortage of decent nursing jobs! There are some new hospitals going in here; Children's is relocating to Aurora, which could be good for you if you buy a house there. I don't know if it will actually have any more beds than before, but some people may find the new location inconvenient, opening up some possibilities. The U of Colo hospital is also moving to Aurora, but I'm not sure when. You can investigate Boulder, but housing there is pricy. Lafayette might be a good bet if you want Boulder Co. There is a hospital in Lafayette, Exempla Good Samaritan, also Avista Hospital in nearby Louisville. There are two hospitals in Boulder as well, both branches of Boulder Community.

Don't know anything about construction jobs, can't help you there. I second the advice to take advantage of any sort of job counseling help available.

[cmcmillan]

You all had some great answers...thanks so much. I do plan on renting for awhile before buying a house. I didn't even think about military counselors. again, thanks so much!

[templete]

What about Loveland?

[Sheridan1962]

I'm new to Colorado myself, but I wanted to say Welcome, and to give a big THANK YOU to your husband for his service to our country.