Homes near the Univ of Denver (Aurora, Boulder: HOA, countertops, condos) - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

sc5mu92 · 03-30-2008, 03:00 PM

My husband was accepted to the University of Denver law school. He will be attending part-time at night while working full-time during the day. He does not have a job lined up yet but he is a software developer somewhere. ???

By the time we move, we'll have a very young baby and will want to live somewhere safe but not too far away from his job and school. We'll live on his income alone (guessing he'll make somewhere around $85k and we'll purchase a home around $200k-$275k). We are hoping he won't have a long commute (30+ minutes) because he will really value his time at home, especially with the new baby - and we don't want him wasting 2 hours a day on the road.

We definitely prefer newer homes over older ones. We currently live in a master planned golf course community outside of Dallas and are sort of used to the 'moms with strollers' vibe. Where should we look? I'll give up square footage for granite countertops and newer appliances. We just really don't care for the 70s look --even if it means getting more space.

If we do get a condo/townhouse, we would prefer a fenced in area so our dog can go out there rather than walking him a bunch of times during the day - but he's a little dog so it wouldn't have to be huge yard.

Thanks in advance for your help!

sci-che · 03-30-2008, 05:37 PM

Highlands Ranch might not be a bad place for you to look. It's a master planned (not gated) community with a wide range of home prices and sizes. The oldest home was built in the mid-80's, and new homes are still going up. You definitely won't get much for $200k, but for around $250k you can get a 1800 sq ft house with a good sized back yard. Granite might be a little hard to find with that price although it's possible. If you want "moms with strollers," you'll get more of that in HR than you'd ever want. It's about a 30 minute drive to downtown, but the Light Rail from Lincoln goes right by DU and tons of people use it to commute to downtown.

Stapleton is another newer development going up on the east side of town, still not too close to DU, but it's also got a wide range of prices and lots of new moms. There are much fewer transportation options though and it's not quite as pretty (from my experiences anyway).

Otherwise, most houses in the city of Denver and in the immediate surrounding area are generally not new, and if they are they are almost guaranteed to be over $300k. There are newer condos going up, but they will be pretty pricey as well. I'm somewhat familiar with the Dallas area and I will tell you that you definitely get less here for the money than you did there. Basically, all the suburbs require some level of commute.

I hope that helps, good luck!

sc5mu92 · 03-30-2008, 06:32 PM

Thank you so much for the advice! I tend to have champagne taste on a beer budget. I like the sound of Highlands Ranch and it sounds like it's just barely within the 30 minute commute. I assume it's mostly commuters on the light rail in the mornings and evenings. Since he'll go to school after work, what type of people ride it around 10 p.m.? Do they run that late? Off topic, but does anyone know major IT employers in Denver? Obviously I'll Google some of this info too.

What is the overall feeling of Littleton or Englewood? Btw - I should add that I'm from Longmont but I'm not familiar with the Denver suburbs at all. I also left Longmont at age 17 so I don't remember much. I think I remember hearing that Cherry Creek is a nice area. Is there affordable housing there? I wouldn't mind living in a garden home/zero lot line since I don't enjoy yard work and my husband won't have time for it.

I seriously appreciate the replies to my questions!

Dorthy · 03-30-2008, 07:06 PM

I don't think you'd like Englewood, at least not Old Englewood. Cherry Creek is a very expensive area. You *might* be able to find a nice condo in that price range but I kind of doubt it. The areas of Stapleton and Highlands Ranch would be my suggestions as well. Also check out Lowry. It's closer to DU then Stapleton.

tfox · 03-30-2008, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sc5mu92

What is the overall feeling of Littleton or Englewood? Btw - I should add that I'm from Longmont but I'm not familiar with the Denver suburbs at all. I also left Longmont at age 17 so I don't remember much. I think I remember hearing that Cherry Creek is a nice area. Is there affordable housing there? I wouldn't mind living in a garden home/zero lot line since I don't enjoy yard work and my husband won't have time for it.

The neighborhood around DU dates back to the turn of the last century, so the only newer homes there are scrapes, which will start at nearly double your price range. That area is very nice, and so is very expensive. Cherry Creek is even more expensive -- homes are all in the million plus range. Englewood and Littleton are nearly as old as Denver itself, and are very unlikely to have anything new-ish. That said, prices there in general would be far less than those across the city limits in south Denver, and you could find what you want there as long as you're willing to give up your desire for something new. (You could probably get perhaps as new as the 1980s there).

Basically, if you want a newer home in your price range, look beyond C-470, probably in Douglas County, or perhaps Southeastern Aurora/Centennial (the newest parts of which are also largely beyond E-470). It will mean a long commute, but everything in Denver County, Jefferson County, and most of western Arapahoe County is either older than 1990 or not in your price range, or both. But, the news isn't all bad -- Douglas County is very popular with families and has consistently good schools.

2bindenver · 03-31-2008, 08:14 AM

My hubby went to grad school at CU-Denver - and when he decided to go to grad school (MBA & MSIS) I got a new house in HR.

You can put granite in any house. If he is an IT guy he could work anywhere from Boulder to Lone Tree.

A patio home might work, they could have zero lot lines, the HOA takes care of the front yard...

As far as who rides light tail at 10 pm? Students, teens, shoppers, diners, professionals...the type of people who live in Littleton, Parker, Lone Tree, Englewood.

stevegarbowski · 04-27-2008, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sc5mu92

I assume it's mostly commuters on the light rail in the mornings and evenings. Since he'll go to school after work, what type of people ride it around 10 p.m.? Do they run that late?

The lite rail is totally safe and runs well into the night (2am); there are some interesting people from time to time, but they are not scary but interesting like he'd come home and say, "It must be loser emo kids ride free tonight.."

The buses north of town might be a different story.. I think DU lawschool students get free pass for denver transport (i know Non-law students get it)

best