Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My wife, 9 year old daughter and I are moving to either Colorado Springs or Denver. We currently live in Tampa, FL. We have been to Denver several times but it has been a while and when we are there we have not been focused on areas to live so I need some advice.
I will be opening an office for the company I work for so location can be anywhere.
In Tampa we live in a fairly affluent area, but very mixed with old and new homes. Our home was an old 1922 Bungalow so we like this style of home. We are in what is condsidered the best school district in the area and this is very important to us. We also are located in the most convient place to live in Tampa near all the best places to eat and things to do.
Our budget to buy a home is around $400k. Could go higher for a nicer neighborhood, but in the research I have done so far it doesn't look like that is neccessary.
I tried to be specific so please let me know what advise you might have.
We are planning a house hunting trip in 2 months and I would like to be able to focus our search
Time to find a Realtor. For $400k, you're going to be in a buyers market (or at least that's what my Realtor told me 6 months ago). The one thing I discovered was that the areas I targeted online turned out to be the places I wanted Nothing to do with once I saw them in person. Where as the places my Realtor showed me (that I never knew anything about) ended up being the right fit. Since you're not bound to location, hiring someone who can find you the neighborhood You like, regardless of anyones opinion here (they run deep, no idea if it's deserved). That was, by far, the best decision we made... letting our Realtor have a WIDE area to search. We had a substantially smaller budget though.
All the time I spent looking online was a 99% waste. That was at least 4 months of daily looking, and well over a year of casual browsing. The 1% of help was in giving our Realtor a list of homes we liked so he had a head-start on what our preferences were. I'd suggest spending your time interviewing Realtors over the phone first.
You were not really specific instead you simply listed attributes of your current place of residence and made the age old mistake of assuming a good school district is more important than a good school.
400k limit with a mix of older homes and good schools is not a lot to go on, especially when you are comparing Denver and Colorado Springs but have not listed why the two are in the running.
Time to find a Realtor. For $400k, you're going to be in a buyers market (or at least that's what my Realtor told me 6 months ago). The one thing I discovered was that the areas I targeted online turned out to be the places I wanted Nothing to do with once I saw them in person. Where as the places my Realtor showed me (that I never knew anything about) ended up being the right fit. Since you're not bound to location, hiring someone who can find you the neighborhood You like, regardless of anyones opinion here (they run deep, no idea if it's deserved). That was, by far, the best decision we made... letting our Realtor have a WIDE area to search. We had a substantially smaller budget though.
Brian, I see you on here all the time pushing your realtor, are they giving you a referal fee? They should.
Not MY Realtor... I've given out that persons name Exactly 1 time, and with the caveat that he's good only for people who really need their hand held/coddled. I wouldn't use him again.
Suggesting that someone go to a professional is hardly a bad idea. I have zero vested interest in what someone does, or does not, do. I post on here because I received some help and want to pay it forward.
For the OP, this post helped immensely when I was trying to find a Realtor in Denver from Juneau, AK last summer:
Around here, some of the most expensive areas are not in the greatest public school districts. Most of the suburb areas have good schools so you really can't go wrong with that. If you judge a school by test scores, than you can try looking at specific schools through Colorado School Performance Maps.
Brian, thanks for the link above to Ben's article about selecting a Realtor. It's excellent and I might have to link to it, he states his argument very well.
LG, I'm sorry to tell you that real estate agents (whether Realtors or not) can't pay referral fees to unlicensed individuals, unless they feel like spending some time in the federal pokey. It's a violation of federal RESPA laws.
Cheatham, I think you will love Denver. Tampa is a great place (my inlaws are in Westchase, sounds like you might live around Hyde Park), and while Denver is totally different in many ways, I would say the key similarity is that there are tons of transplants who are friendly and open.
I agree with PP that ask for more info. What other attributes are important to you? If metro Denver, do you want to be north, south or central? Your money does go pretty far here, but you may need to adjust your expectations about lot size et al., depending on what neighborhoods you're considering.
First, let me give you a generalized over view of Denver's market. Homes in Denver are generally more expensive in Denver than in the suburbs, when comparing apples to apples. Property taxes are lower in Denver but not enough to off set the pricing differential. I don't agree with Brian M's comment that you are in a buyer's market. In the City of Denver, things start to change to a buyer's market once you start to go over $400K. In the suburbs, that line is about $300K. I continually attend marketing up-dating classes and the information I get there, also supports this statement. This fact is also neighborhood specific. That means that pricing line could move either way depending on how desirable the neighborhood is.
Colorado Springs has always been cheaper than homes in the Denver metro area. Sometimes the spread has been more and sometimes less. One thing that the Springs has is more homes with better views of the mountains than Denver.
Now as far as schools go, it's very subjective. The biggest supporters of school districts tend to be people who live in those districts. Twenty five years ago I tried to be an expert on school districts until I had witnessed a heated disagreement among couples about which one was better than the other. Both were defending where their kids went to school. Bottom line is that it's up to the parents to figure out what they want. I've said this before and I'll say it again, it's not the school that makes the student and developes the character, but the parenting skills. I feel it's 90% on you and 10% on the school. One other thing, generally good neighborhoods have good schools.
As far as what you have in Tampa, Denver is loaded with bungalows and neighborhoods with mixed housing styles. Some of these neighborhoods can also be found in the suburbs. You didn't mention metro Denver but just Denver in your post, so I'm not going to spend time on these areas.
One place people frequently push here on these forums is the Highlands area on west 32nd. It was a place that shot up in values over the last 10 years as people discovered it. It has an eclectic feel, in the sense it has a couple of streets filled with coffee shops, restaurants, and off beat stores, however, it's fun to walk the first time, but after that you realize you'll never be in 95% of those stores again. You'll just frequent a coffee shop and restaurant or two. One thing that won't change is its closeness to downtown.
You would like Washington Park but it's getting pretty expensive. Some of the spill over is going to Platte Park and other surrounding areas.
That's it for, now, as I have to go to an appointment. If I think of anything more, I'll do a follow up.
Good luck.
My wife, 9 year old daughter and I are moving to either Colorado Springs or Denver. We currently live in Tampa, FL. We have been to Denver several times but it has been a while and when we are there we have not been focused on areas to live so I need some advice.
In Tampa we live in a fairly affluent area, but very mixed with old and new homes. Our home was an old 1922 Bungalow so we like this style of home. We are in what is condsidered the best school district in the area and this is very important to us. We also are located in the most convient place to live in Tampa near all the best places to eat and things to do.
Our budget to buy a home is around $400k. Could go higher for a nicer neighborhood, but in the research I have done so far it doesn't look like that is neccessary.
I tried to be specific so please let me know what advise you might have.
We are planning a house hunting trip in 2 months and I would like to be able to focus our search
We moved from Tampa almost 3 years ago (time flies) and can probably help you with your search since we know first-hand the differences and similarities between the two cities.
I won't even get into the climate differences or the fact that we're landlocked, since you probably already know that.
So...here's what you will find when it comes to the housing market, school districts, and general Denver lifestyle.
I can speak for Cherry Creek School District and Douglas County School District since they're on the side of the city I live in (SE Aurora/Centennial). In Denver, the good school districts are in the suburbs. There are a few reasons for this but mostly it's because the parents who specifically target a school district usually make sure it continues to be a good place to send their kids to school...this means they're active on the PTO, their kids are doing their homework, they take the time to see what's going on in their neighborhoods, they do the "Hi" wave to the neighbors, they schedule play dates and actually get out of their cars to chat with fellow parents when picking up their kids. Their kids aren't necessarily smarter and may not all be wild success stories, but most of them have parents that CARE about what they're doing and when you've got that, you've got good schools. I wave the flag for Cherry Creek because I see for myself that my daughter, who's in elementary school, has a fantastic learning environment...great library, computer lab, art classes, gym, music, multicultural clubs, science clubs, after school activities, a marching band (yes, in elementary school), a spirit squad, a guitar club, a choir...the list goes on. The district sets the learning goals (which I can vouch for first-hand are above the average for their grade) and so not only are your kids going to be expected to know more than many of their peers, but they are going to have a great environment to learn in. Can I say with 100% certainty that every school in Cherry Creek is awesome? Nope, but trust me that your chances are much higher of finding a great fit for your child in a great school district than having to pinpoint exactly which streets to live on for a good school in a not-so-great district.
So...you know all of the big homes (2000 sq ft or more) that were one-level all over Florida? Those days are gone. Those great big yards (even though that evil St Augustine grass would cut the heck out of your feet)? Those days are gone. The neighborhoods that were a great combination of different styled (and ages) homes...even in the suburbs? Yep, they're gone too. I've lived all over this country and have never seen so many absurdly small lots. Big lots cost big money in Denver. I also miss our large home with no stairs. Our poor dog had to learn to use the stairs at age 7! And when you move out to the suburbs, all of the homes are lined up like little soldiers and all look alike. The developer came in and gave those buying their lots about 5 different floor plans that they could pick between. If you're living in the suburbs, especially anything built after 1991, plan on having a home with stairs, a small lot and having to describe your house as "the 4th one on the left". I find it kind of annoying but it's the price I'm willing to pay to get my kids a good education. Everything requires a compromise so that's the one we're making.
Now for the good news...the suburbs of Denver are similar to the suburbs of Tampa. Strip malls, shopping centers, chain restaurants. Every once in a while, you'll find a great local place and you'll go there enough that you'll know people by name. There are some great places to eat in Denver but just like in Tampa, you'll have to drive. There is only one toll road in Denver and unlike Tampa, you can get to where you need to be by avoiding it. We live where the toll road is located and we rarely take it. Compare that with the SunPass and all of the express tollways that you HAVE to take because the side streets are such a cluster, you will enjoy driving in Denver. People here don't drive hell-for-leather. There are always some who are aggressive, but in Denver, 55 mph means if you're driving 60-65, you're in the fast lane. In Tampa, you'd be getting tailgated and honked at in the right lane for ONLY going 10 mph over the speed limit. It's also why you'll save $$ on car insurance. BTW, what you save in insurance, you more than make up for in registration. Take a good look at your "Save the Manatee" plates that cost you $100 ($25 extra for the manatees). In Denver, we registered our 2007 Honda Pilot and 2002 Honda Accord and we walked out nearly $700 poorer. I'll let you take a minute to digest...it's absurd.
Now, for home prices. After living in Tampa, our thinking was that a decent house SHOULD cost $400K. We were qualified for $480K when we started our househunt which would have bought a mediocre home in a nice area of Tampa. Denver isn't Tampa and I will bet you'll be surprised at how much house you can get in Denver for what a so-so house in Tampa will cost you. For us, we took the opportunity to find a house that fit our needs (4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2000 sq feet) in a good school district. We didn't go crazy with buying a huge home or getting all of the upgrades that we could have afforded. It's cheaper to live here so we found our house for $265K and now have the opportunity to put lots of money away for a rainy day fund, college fund, pay off all of our bills, pay extra on our mortgage, etc etc. You CAN buy a house for $400K in Denver, but you don't NEED to. Unlike in Tampa, a good school district like Cherry Creek isn't only for the rich or those in way over their heads on their mortgage. I can't tell you how great it is to live in Denver and know that my kids are getting a top-notch education and I get to sleep at night without worrying about being one disaster away from the street. I don't begrudge the rich...I know that lately it seems like it's politically popular to do so...but if you can afford a $400K house and have money left over to enjoy your life, you go for it! But, just don't move from Florida where things are overpriced and be giddy at the huge house you can buy for the same price. It's overpriced in Florida, so that shouldn't be your reference point.
Now...the attitudes. Florida is an interesting mix of total rednecks, sophisticated East Coasters, rude East Coasters, retirees, Cubans/Haitians/Dom Repubs/Puerto Ricans, and African Americans. It's crowded...you can't drive for more than 40 minutes without reaching another high-density area. They've got a terrible school system but great colleges. There are huge rivalries between the universities and football is big...bigger than big. In Colorado, you've got similar movement...lots of people who move here from out-of-state. Many of the newcomers are well educated...Colorado ranks high in the most educated work forces in the country. There is SOME diversity, but compared to Florida, it's pretty "white." What I like about Colorado is that while there are areas that have higher populations of minority groups, there are a lot of minorities in the suburbs. I didn't find this to be the case in Florida where the affluent areas are white, white, white. Denver is not the East Coast. There is a "live and let live" attitude in Denver which I think is a result of a higher education and the general attitude of those who "move West."
I could go on and on for hours. I miss Florida a lot but am enjoying living in Denver and have found so many people who say they love living in Denver because the schools are so good and it's a great place to raise kids. Of course, I'm also talking to parents in my school district, but it's one of those things I hear over and over again, and mostly from people who have moved from a different state and understand the differences and the advantages of calling Denver "home".
If I could advise you on a location to begin a home search, I would recommend Centennial. SE Aurora is a good place too and was nowhere near my "radar" when we started our househunt, but Centennial is more affluent (since you said you liked your area of Tampa that was similar) and it's in the Cherry Creek School District. Depending on where you are in Centennial, it's convenient to the major roads and freeways which can get you anywhere. If you are looking at a map, you can find my favorite areas of Centennial by getting off the "dreaded" 470 toll road at Smoky Hill and traveling down Smoky Hill towards the cross streets of Liverpool or Orchard. Those areas seem very nice, they're full of families, good schools and low crime. Many of those communities also offer facilities like pools and tennis courts for their residents and you'll be able to take full advantage of the Trails, which is a great Rec Center to work out in or just to enroll your kids in various activities. BTW, one thing I really like about the suburbs in Denver is that they are full of bike trails, parks, play areas, fields, open space, etc. You will find those things in nearly every community out here.
The best advice I can give you, however, is just to look around. Pinpoint a few areas and then drive through at different times of day. Go to a local establishment and see what your neighbors are like. Let your kids play at the park and see if people are snobby. Every neighborhood is different and what one person may think of as "heaven" may be another's definition of "hell".
Last edited by Mike from back east; 04-17-2010 at 08:25 PM..
I will keep it basic. I am a Denver Native and i think i can help! I from Greenwood Village. Its a suburb in the South part of the City. It is a great location for many reasons. The Denver Tech Center is located right off I25 and I225. This is a great location for business and living. The area is clean and well off. The houses are beautiful and the schools are excellent! A 5 Minute drive down I25 you have Park Meadows Mall. This area has endless shopping, dining, and entertainment! The city of Greenwood Village is safe and is well known around Denver for being a affluent area. I would check this area out and also the neighboring cities of Centennial, Lone Tree, and Highlands Ranch. All are pretty similar! I would avoid Northeast Denver, West Denver, and Far East Denver mainly because shopping and dining are not as accessible and the areas are not as affluent. Good luck on your move and Welcome to Denver!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
