I have another silly question, this time about an area near Denver
 

One of our trainees has accepted a position near Boulder rather than stay with us, not surprising to us. They do excellent work and will move up easily if they stay out of the politics of the industry.

They are at a lower salary level and have been looking at housing prices in the Boulder/Denver area. One of the parts of town they are looking at is Westminster. This brings to their minds a question as to water quality after doing internet searches.

What does the Braintrust think about Standley Lake and Rocky Flats in general? They are worried about water quality and any negative effects on little ones.

If you were working out of Boulder and had a modest income what areas would you be reviewing? From my readings it appears as though this is a HUGE seller's market with bidding wars and limited rental properties available.

I have not played around in Colorado in a few decades, I always preferred Loveland/Fort Collins to Boulder/Denver. I missed some really GREAT concerts at Red Rocks, really missed some great concerts that I should have gone to.

Thanks!

Define modest income. Boulder or anywhere down 93 is not modest income territory.

Water ski id on Standley for years but I wouldn't live west of it because of the Flats. Westminster is vast- goes clear east to I25 and from 64th to 160th north. I can't imagine the tap water is an issue thanks to regulation. I think the older south and eastern parts get Denver water.
Prices? All over the place but nothing is cheap anymore.

In at least one of the new housing developments in the Rocky Flats area, buyers are required to sign some sort of release regarding water quality. No thanks!

It sounds as if affordability is an issue (of course each of us has our own definition of what constitutes affordable). In any case, a dollar buys a lot more home in towns like Westminster, Thornton or Littleton than it does in places like Lafayette, Louisville or Golden. As for Boulder: the average home price there surpassed $1M about ten years ago.

Generally speaking, the closer one gets to the foothills, the higher the price (unless you actually get a dozen or so miles into the foothills, at which point prices tend to drop for all but the most custom of homes).

Best of luck!

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I would look north of Boulder, not east or south.

There are modest homes between Boulder and Loveland.

I am near the area if I can help anyway let me know.

If considering a move on a budget I suggest Kansas or iowa. “Water quality” is certainly not a consideration as a percentage of the total.

The new housing popping up north of Arvada towards superior is IMO absolutely soul-crushing miserable at any price. Cookie cutter; windy; no trees. Plenty of Starbucks.

As mentioned real estate listings last about 24-48 hours and almost always sell over ask.

If you must and are interested in a home that isn’t brand new then.... maybe Lafayette or Broomfield, Arvada or yes Westminster. Maybe Longmont. There is actually a toll road from i25 towards Boulder that may provide a reasonable commute from farther east.

But yeah The words “Denver” and “affordable” never appear in a sentence together right now, unless accompanied by an “un.”

Guys,

Thank you very much!!!

Modest would be sub $100K initially.

I'm in Westminster and agree with what has already been said. Westminster is large and quite varied in housing that is available. New construction is cookie cutter, but all new construction is cookie cutter, that is independent of location.

I have friends in Arvada that looked at buying near the Flats and balked at the stack of paperwork they had to sign to purchase a home in the neighborhood that is mentioned.
If the person is truly worried about the Flats then a little research brings up plenty of information regarding their safety concerns.

The closer to the foothills the more expensive the square footage, hard and true fact of life. Sub $100k will put the person somewhere they don't want to live. The Boulder prices have pushed and continue to push people further and further away from Boulder, which pushes those prices higher.

I have coworkers that commute an hour each way into Westminster because that puts them in a house that meets their needs ie schools, land, population density, etc.

I'm willing to share additional information. I'd say be ready to buy because homes do not stay on the market long.

If you end up looking in the Golden, Lakewood, Arvada area I highly recommend getting in touch with Norm K! He helped me out when I relocated from Arizona.

Boulder was INSANE when I lived there in 1988 for grad school.

Can't imagine it improved.

I dreamed of a shack in Nederland (sp) or similar.

Sub $100k is going to be extremely tough for that area. Home ownership is not in their future unless they go east...Greeley perhaps��....seriously, Erie or Longmont will make it easier to afford housing but the commute will be about 30-45 min

Depends on their needs and expectations. In older parts of western Arvada (but a mile or more fron Ole Town) there are still small homes to be had in the 400's (although they're quickly disappearing).

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Nederland is ringing a bell in my memory. I think one girls grandmother (only surviving family other than siblings) lived there. But I could just be dreaming the town name. Too many years...


Actually I think their commute is going to be closer to an hour to get where they need to be. This goes back to the reasons why I did not take a job in Central Colorado, the money did not make sense to me versus the cost of housing/living. Living in the foothills always made sense to me!


Thanks Everyone!!!

There is a frozen dead guy in Nederland.

^^^ Who has his own day.

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Nothing in the west is affordable anymore.

I remember when driving north to Loveland 120th was the line of dark demarcation. Pitch black all the way up. Haven't been there for years though even as my company has an office in downtown Boulder. Funny thing is, No one that works there lives in Boulder, it's Westminster, Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville...

I lived in all the "L" towns for a while and Boulder...
Louiseville, Lafayette, Longmont, Loveland...

Things have changed for the worst in the Denver metropolitan area...
$100K won't even get you a trailer....

Not that Moab is any better....

Rocky Flats can be a very hot area.