Commute to Downtown - Relocating (Denver, Aurora: 2015, apartments, rental market)

[Kmaragni]

Hi all,

My husband just got a new job in downtown Denver and we will be relocating quite quickly (Start date March 4th!) from Miami. We have to decide on a home to rent soon and without a lot of time to research. We are in our early 30's, have a 1.5 year old, and are sick of apartment living.. we are ready for a home! So ideally my husband would like to take the Light Rail to work to avoid a heavy car commute, we hear its the best bet. But that means living close to the rail line, (he can drive his car to the station if need be) and I'm wondering if we can find the type of home we want in our $ range. First question, can we find a 3 or 4 bdrm, 2 bath home, with a 2 car garage for $2K a month or less with a somewhat close proximity to an RTD station? If so, what is the commute like on the rail from say Littleton or Centennial?

If we cant find that type of home along the rail line, and we have to live in another suburb, he will have to drive into downtown. Its important to us to be happy in our home and have some space for our toddler to run around, but also for my husband to not have a killer commute. What are the commutes like from say Stapleton or Aurora? Arvada if out west? We just need to determine how far of a circumference we can go out from Downtown for him to have 30 min door to door commute. Is that possible?

Any advice on suburbs that would work for us would be so helpful since we have to make a decision quickly.
Thanks!
Kelly

[ELCO5280]

There is some availability of homes around $2k in neighborhoods in and around Denver so you don't necessarily have to be out of town.

I can't speak for Arvada or Stapleton, however availability down south along the light rail is tough if you're not looking at apartments, but you can check out Littleton and Englewood for homes. I know from the Lincoln light rail station it takes roughly 45min to get downtown + if you add a 5-10min drive to the station you're looking at almost an hour commute time.

[davebarnes]

Use Padmapper.com (and Zillow) Learn how to use the filters.
and
RTD

1. The new West rail line opens April 26th.
2. Consider express bus. My daughter lives in Arvada and drives 2 miles to the parking lot and takes the express bus with all the other commuters.

The rental market is super tight.
The single family vacancy rate is 2.5%

Find a possibility and come back here and ask us what we think.

Personally, I like 4258 Tennyson St UNIT 104, Denver, CO 80212 - Zillow with a park across the street. easy bus ride to downtown. But, I am biased towards my own neighborhood.
I also like 4589 W 37th Pl, Denver, CO 80212 - Zillow

[livingthedream2013]

There will be light rail opening Stapleton, Downtown to the Airport, in a couple of years. My wife's commute from Stapleton to Lakewood is just over 30 minutes. It is probably less than 20 downtown.

Here a commute map from Stapleton's website.

http://www.stapletondenver.com/sites...p%20Update.pdf

[ChrisFromChicago]

I live in the Denver Tech Center, about walking distance to the Arapahoe RTD line.

I live there though, because its a great area AND I can almost walk to work. I can't even stomach taking my kid to the Children's musuem on Wednesday (when they are open late). Its like a 40min to 1hr drive from down here.

My Sister in Law lives in Stapelton. It is awesome. . not sure of the prices exactly. No light rail right this second (they are building it). It is far closer to downtown, and if you have a 1.5 year old.. .you will love it. Try it. I think the commute from there is smaller. . .

Good luck

[dude_reino]

Originally Posted by Kmaragni

Hi all,

My husband just got a new job in downtown Denver and we will be relocating quite quickly (Start date March 4th!) from Miami. We have to decide on a home to rent soon and without a lot of time to research. We are in our early 30's, have a 1.5 year old, and are sick of apartment living.. we are ready for a home! So ideally my husband would like to take the Light Rail to work to avoid a heavy car commute, we hear its the best bet. But that means living close to the rail line, (he can drive his car to the station if need be) and I'm wondering if we can find the type of home we want in our $ range. First question, can we find a 3 or 4 bdrm, 2 bath home, with a 2 car garage for $2K a month or less with a somewhat close proximity to an RTD station? If so, what is the commute like on the rail from say Littleton or Centennial?

If we cant find that type of home along the rail line, and we have to live in another suburb, he will have to drive into downtown. Its important to us to be happy in our home and have some space for our toddler to run around, but also for my husband to not have a killer commute. What are the commutes like from say Stapleton or Aurora? Arvada if out west? We just need to determine how far of a circumference we can go out from Downtown for him to have 30 min door to door commute. Is that possible?

Any advice on suburbs that would work for us would be so helpful since we have to make a decision quickly.
Thanks!
Kelly

Yes you can find that price in Littleton. The commute during rush hour is crowded and long, and he may end up standing many times. But is no worse than Chicago, etc.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

We used to live near the Arapahoe Station and it would take me about 45 minutes to get to my job downtown on the light rail. Of course you need to factor in the time to get to the station from your house. There will be seats available, but they fill up fast.

There are nice homes for rent in your price range in the area. But I've heard the rental market is tight right now.

Good luck with your move!

[unbeliever]

We moved to Broomfield 6 months ago, and it takes me 45 minutes to commute to downtown Denver. I drive to a local Park N Ride lot and take an express bus, which my employer pays for. Parking is free as well. We looked in Denver, but I wasn't impressed, coming from the east coast. There were some very nice neighborhoods that were way beyond our means, but the rest of Denver is pretty ugly and/or suburban. I have coworkers who live in Denver, and it takes them longer to drive to work than it takes me to commute, The schools are pretty awful too, so it would have meant private school all the way.

Good luck.

jb

[Claire S.]

A 3 bedroom home in Stapleton can be had for around $2K a month. No light rail until 2015-16, but the drive is an easy 20 minutes, with very little traffic and no freeway driving needed. Small yards, but lots of public space.

[whoisjongalt]

Check out the Green Mountain neighborhood in Lakewood (near 6th Avenue and Union) and the southern side of Golden near 6th Avenue. The new light rail to downtown opens in about 2 months. There are stops at the Jeffco Courthouse, Red Rocks College and the Federal Center (maybe others). And if you do have to drive, it's only 15 minutes to downtown (maybe a little more at rush hour) or 15 minutes to the mountains. I'm pretty sure you could find a house for $2000/mo.