Yards - The hardest thing to find in Denver (Highlands Ranch: rental, new house)

[Katarina Witt]

I do not think you are naive. I have heard the environmental sentiment expressed by friends of mine. I don't blame the developers, either. They are trying to make a living like all the rest of us. I have heard complaints that some of the highly-touted open space lands in Louisville could not have been developed in the first place, e.g. land near drainage ditches, etc.

[MaddieClaire]

Originally Posted by san diego mover

Does anyone have a opinion on the new master planned developments in Aurora such as Southshore, Tallyns Reach, Beacon Point and Saddleback Ranch? I'm desperatly seeking information on that area. Seems everyone has something to say about HR and nothing about that new development. Any info would be appreciated. I'm looking to relocate from San Diego to Denver

I checked those areas out this week - beautiful mountain views and beautiful homes in many of the areas. Nice new neighborhoods with beautiful upscale houses (and larger lawns).
Beautiful indeed!
And the prices are nice
Best of luck to you.

[san diego mover]

MaddieClaire, Is the area around it nice and do you know what the reputation out there is? I live in a nice part of San Diego right know but the city itself has gotten a bad reputation so the housing prices have suffered I certainly don't want that to happen again any other thoughts would be apprecitated. Thanks

[xxman777]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

I'm not sure I buy the above. I have a feeling it's more money-making on the part of the developers: samller lots = more homes per acre = more money.

You are right that developers want to maximize their profits but they are going to do that one way or another. If people demanded larger lots developers would give them larger lots, but you can be sure they will charge them for it too. There are places in the Denver area where you can get larger lots but usually they cost more and people aren't willing to pay the premium so they seem to blame the developers. Cities also push for smaller lots because the cost of infrastructure and services is lower. More roads, more miles of sewer lines, more miles of power lines, more fire trucks, etc are needed for larger lots.

Developers provide a product that people want, they are smart enough to know what they have to provide to get people to buy it at a certain price. If people demanded more for their money developers would either provide it or stop building if the profit margins got too low.

[Noahma]

most cities also have a size limit on the houses built. bassicaly you have your typcial 2:1 side yard sebtacks, (for every 2' in building height, you have 1 ' of setbacks, this limits the height of the building, as well as the size of its footprint. you also have building coverage limits say 30% of your land can have the building footprint which include covered decks, porches, and the building itself.

We try to maximize the amount of house on the lot, due to demand. people want larger houses and would not buy a small house no matter what size the yard is.

[livecontent]

With the advent of commuter lines in Denver, Zoning has been changed to allow for more denser housing around the stations to form Transit Oriented Developments.(TOD). The TOD can only be a success with denser housing intermixed with commercial development. You now see these developments forming along all the current stations that have been built. The future hold even more Transit Oriented Developments that will infill the metro area around new transit stations and livable communities.

I have attended numerous planning meetings and this is the agenda of all the metro cities. It will make this area a greater place to live where one can drive less and enjoy local development within a walkable area. This is the way of great cities in this country and Europe.

If you do not desire this type of living then you have a choice to purchase in outlying areas or in previously developed areas of the cities. However, people of my persuasion now have a choice of sensible development that are built around people and not cars and highways.

[MaddieClaire]

Originally Posted by san diego mover

MaddieClaire, Is the area around it nice and do you know what the reputation out there is? I live in a nice part of San Diego right know but the city itself has gotten a bad reputation so the housing prices have suffered I certainly don't want that to happen again any other thoughts would be apprecitated. Thanks

I honestly don't know the area, other than what I saw...
But I thought it beautiful and new.
I used a zip code map and drove through the new areas, toured some of the houses (I was amazed at the layouts and features) and talked with numerous real estate professionals.
The views from some of the areas were incedible - and I was particularly taken with a new house that has a rock waterfall in the front yard.
Anyway, spend the day and tour all the new areas - see everything available.
I noticed on Saturday and Sunday there were open houses everywhere.
Seems house prices are dropping, and beautiful new empty houses are everywhere.
Have fun and good luck.
P.S. I have friends in San Diego - San Diego is beautiful!

[MaddieClaire]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

A "nice large lawn"? Welcome to the West, dude. I don't know what on earth you were thinking. It's dry and barren out here. If South Carolina is such a paradise, with all the lawns and trees you can dream of with houses with character, why don't you stay there? What business do you have moving to Denver when it obviously isn't your style?

I guess the truth hurts...dude.

[MaddieClaire]

Originally Posted by MorningGlory

Maddie I know exactly how you feel. We have looked in Castle Rock too and its as you described above. You stand in the back yard and look up/around and say Do I want my neighbors watching my kids play in the pool? Watching me sunbathe? Watching our barbecues? NO! The place I have found with what you describe as ideal is the Green Mtn area of Lakewood, nice big yards, mature trees, ranches, and privacy. They are mostly built in the sixties so you dont get the 5 piece bath, but frankly I think that little toilet in a closet is kind of weird anyway.

Thanks Morning Glory - I'll check the area out this weekend.
P.S. Love your screen name.
I have several morning glorys planted in window boxes.

[roseba]

Originally Posted by MaddieClaire

If you're lucky you'll get a small 10 ft. grassy spot in front, and maybe a little larger grassy spot in the back that is referred to as a yard. No privacy at all!
The backyards are right next to the neighbors and you can see and hear everything that is said. You can actually see right into the neighbors windows!
[..]
Paying 350,000 to 400,000 for a house cramped between 2 other houses, with virtually no yard and no privacy is simply stupid. What ever happened to having a nice large lawn with space between you and your neighbor?
Why are people buying these cramped up properties? Have people gone mad?

You'd really love NYC.... only the cost would be One Million dollars plus.