Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Colorado > Fort Collins area
 [Register]
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.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 01-05-2012, 05:12 AM
 
7 posts, read 17,959 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

With a possible job opportunity on the horizon in the Fort Collins/Loveland/Windsor area, has anyone lived in Cedar Rapids, IA and then relocated to NoCo? I realize the weather will be better and the cost of living will be higher, but any more insight would be helpful for my family and I.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-05-2012, 10:44 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,783 posts, read 58,251,797 times
Reputation: 46278
Not from Cedar Rapids specific, but have lots of friends who came to NoCO from within 100mi radius of there.


Let us know your hobbies / family needs / desires and what you REALLY like about Cedar Rapids, and we will fill in the details.

Home prices may bring the biggest hurdle, but there are some significant bargains in NoCO, and a good time for a transplant. (You may not be able to afford to come to NoCO in a GOOD economy).

Weather / culture / schools / CoL I haven't seen as issues. (Unless you won't be able to sleep on cool summer nights in CO, no Box Fan required )
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-06-2012, 05:24 AM
 
7 posts, read 17,959 times
Reputation: 10
We don't have many hobbies.....raising 3 children (8,10, and 12). Unless you count that we are closet "Parrotheads". LOL Kids are very active in sports (basketball and football) both at their schools and in AAU programs. I think the biggest hurdle is the cost of living difference, specifically housing. (web sites say its 20-30% higher in NoCO. We currently live in a 5 bedroom, 2600 sqft ranch home.....probably sell for 160-170. Where to find the best bargains in NoCO? We would be looking to at least purchase the same size home, if not upgrade. Probably not possible, but a view of the mountain range would be great. Wife will want to live in the city and not in the "sticks", so that we are near everything.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-06-2012, 05:36 AM
 
127 posts, read 235,024 times
Reputation: 293
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iowa Boy View Post
We currently live in a 5 bedroom, 2600 sqft ranch home.....probably sell for 160-170. Where to find the best bargains in NoCO? We would be looking to at least purchase the same size home, if not upgrade. Probably not possible, but a view of the mountain range would be great. Wife will want to live in the city and not in the "sticks", so that we are near everything.
An easy way to start checking out pricing and availability would be to use an MLS search site, like: Colorado Real Estate Property, MLS Listings and Realtor Resource - ColoProperty.com

I fear ... you may be in for a bit of a shock
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-06-2012, 11:25 AM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,783 posts, read 58,251,797 times
Reputation: 46278
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iowa Boy View Post
...Where to find the best bargains in NoCO? We would be looking to at least purchase the same size home, if not upgrade. Probably not possible, but a view of the mountain range would be great.... In town... ...
Housing will be a challenge, and I suggest you prepare to 'downsize' SF (you are taxed more /SF, + more roof to repair (hail)), more to paint / clean. & Kids will be 'out-of-house' MUCH more in CO and in coming yrs (teenage > college)

Hopefully you can find something with an unfinished basement / or big garage / shop with apartment (and indoor Basketball ct). Mtn views IN TOWN are few. You might consider bordering a park. I have seen nice '~cheap' view homes near I-25 (Try to get ~ 1 mile west to avoid noise), BUT these are not IN TOWN. We had a home that was on the east border of a city park, thus a nice view of front range (as long as trees in park were sparse and short). If I would have stayed there, I'm sure there would have been a few late night 'beaver events' to trim trees.

For referrals, you need to find a very engaged RE agent who is an 'old-timer' and knows the areas that will be of most interest to DW. This educated agent will have GOOD connections to the ENTIRE market, including bank owned and distressed props. This agent will be able to mentor you through the process AND send you weekly links to HOT SHEET (new / promising) properties that fall within your SPECIFIC desires. You will likely NOT find this agent working for a major brokerage firm. They are often '1-3 person offices' that are not too prominent, but VERY good to work with and to find & secure bargains.

Write out specific MUSTS and high wants, re think it before sending to realtor. In CO, you need to really be ready to decide FAST when a bargain comes up. If you have to sell your current home first, this would be a significant barrier. I would examine for a plan to have enough free cash to grab a place IF the right one came up. Good stuff lasts only a few days / wks on market. (Much different than IA)

Last edited by StealthRabbit; 01-06-2012 at 11:34 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
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.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2022 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Colorado > Fort Collins area

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top