geenamercile
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Post by geenamercile on Aug 23, 2015 15:09:19 GMT -5
Aurora is a big city, and that's the part of Aurora I wouldn't live in. Not sure where Dark's brother lives in the city, but I'd recommend more southeast. Ah ha.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Aug 23, 2015 16:53:16 GMT -5
What if it just "accidentally" burned down?
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Aug 23, 2015 17:19:31 GMT -5
You better delete that entire post, lol
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2015 17:51:29 GMT -5
We did the cross country move thing last year. Good Luck. One thing that we messed up pretty royally, was DD and schools. Like good parents, we researched schools before the move and rented an apartment in one of the best districts. DD made friends quickly and liked the school so much, that we couldn't make her change schools twice. So we bought a home in that district for painful $$$.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 23, 2015 18:55:51 GMT -5
I'd watch what I did. People always want to do their own thing. They won't like your granite or your new carpets or some such thing. I'd paint, landscape, and finish the wood floors. If you feel you must carpet, suck it up and put in wood. That's the one thing everybody wants. I'm assuming you have SS appliances. I don't see the appeal but it's still the rage.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 23, 2015 19:02:31 GMT -5
But give it curb appeal. Fresh mulch. Nice lawn. Pretty flowers. Trim shrubs. Paint door? Pressure wash walkway and driveway. The funniest thing was when I had the interior painted I also had the inside of the garage painted. It made it look huge, clean, and awesome.
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moneymaven
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Post by moneymaven on Aug 23, 2015 19:03:31 GMT -5
My brother lives in the Eaglecrest High School district, to give you guys an idea of the area we're looking at. We're in the same district. Good area. There's a lot of new builds happening as well. You'll get more house for the money in this area than in Denver proper.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Aug 23, 2015 19:32:41 GMT -5
My brother lives in the Eaglecrest High School district, to give you guys an idea of the area we're looking at. Much better area than the house in the Hinkley district. No way would I buy a house there. Having left Colorado 6 years ago for Iowa, it is not a LCOL area. It may be lower than California, but it is not LCOL. All of my friends there are complaining about their property taxes going up because their assessments went up in the $100,000's of thousands of dollars, not $10,000s of thousands of dollars.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Aug 23, 2015 19:39:40 GMT -5
tagging Iggy aka IG as I know she's in CO. no idea where she is in relation to the area you're looking at, but maybe she can help. and I wish you good luck along the way. this is a huge shakeup of your world, here's to smooth sailing!
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Aug 23, 2015 21:20:31 GMT -5
I'm not that familiar with aurora though I grew up in what is now centennial. But comparing Denver to springs you have large city vs smaller city. Springs has lower taxes, cheaper homes, a lot less traffic, and more of a smaller city feel. Although much of that is relative because I think aurora is going to be lower cost than where you are now.
Springs is also hella conservative compared to anywhere else in the state. Aurora has you closer to the airport, professional sports, large concerts, and the mountains if you ski.
Just the big differces I've noticed having grown up in Denver suburbs, then lived the last 9 years in the springs.
Right now in my life I'm choosing to stay in the springs (company has an office in Denver I could transfer to if I wanted) because I hate traffic and couldn't afford a house + daycare in the Denver area.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 24, 2015 7:54:20 GMT -5
It sounds like a good plan. Don't know the size of your kitchen but try for a remnant in granite . I actually did remnants in the two bathrooms of one of the houses that I flipped! $100 for a granite bathroom countertop! All I had to do was measure the opening for the sink, they even cut it for me! My one mistake was not paying them to deliver them both. Btw, they didn't match but that didn't matter either bcuz two different bathrooms. Even a granite remnant is one heavy sob and I damaged my car plus had to make two trips.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Aug 24, 2015 8:15:52 GMT -5
I'd watch what I did. People always want to do their own thing. They won't like your granite or your new carpets or some such thing. I'd paint, landscape, and finish the wood floors. If you feel you must carpet, suck it up and put in wood. That's the one thing everybody wants. I'm assuming you have SS appliances. I don't see the appeal but it's still the rage. The house is mostly parquet wood floor now. They put carpet in the living room instead of doing wood throughout. That carpet and the bedroom carpet needs to be replaced. Or replace the bedroom carpet, and put wood in the living room, which is what they should have done when they built it. The kitchen cabinets are oak, raised panel doors, and pretty nice. The countertops are white porcelain tile with brown grout and are hideous. Our dishwasher and fridge are SS, the double ovens are black and around 20 years old. The gas cooktop counter insert is white. It all functions, but the mismatched thing and tile counters are pretty dated looking. I'm thinking new countertops and some clearance SS stoves will freshen the whole thing up. The wood floors need to be refinished. Could have used it before we bought the house honestly. I'm thinking they haven't been refinished in 10 years or more. Only other thing would be possibly new vinyl flooring in the main bathroom. It's an old lady pattern with little pink flowers and getting pretty rough looking. Vanities in all bathrooms are the same oak cabinets as the kitchen and built ins. They have the same white porcelain tile countertops but with white grout and I think it's fine in the bathrooms. Yes to the counter tops. Anyone who thinks tile counters in the kitchen is a good idea should be shot.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Aug 24, 2015 8:32:30 GMT -5
Wow. this is what I get for not being around on weekends!
Good luck with it all Dark.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2015 8:59:50 GMT -5
So, without hijacking too badly, can anyone tell me how Boulder rates compared to the other places you are discussing?
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 24, 2015 9:17:27 GMT -5
The house is mostly parquet wood floor now. They put carpet in the living room instead of doing wood throughout. That carpet and the bedroom carpet needs to be replaced. Or replace the bedroom carpet, and put wood in the living room, which is what they should have done when they built it. The kitchen cabinets are oak, raised panel doors, and pretty nice. The countertops are white porcelain tile with brown grout and are hideous. Our dishwasher and fridge are SS, the double ovens are black and around 20 years old. The gas cooktop counter insert is white. It all functions, but the mismatched thing and tile counters are pretty dated looking. I'm thinking new countertops and some clearance SS stoves will freshen the whole thing up. The wood floors need to be refinished. Could have used it before we bought the house honestly. I'm thinking they haven't been refinished in 10 years or more. Only other thing would be possibly new vinyl flooring in the main bathroom. It's an old lady pattern with little pink flowers and getting pretty rough looking. Vanities in all bathrooms are the same oak cabinets as the kitchen and built ins. They have the same white porcelain tile countertops but with white grout and I think it's fine in the bathrooms. Yes to the counter tops. Anyone who thinks tile counters in the kitchen is a good idea should be shot. Well, it has more appeal than laminate
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Plain Old Petunia
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Post by Plain Old Petunia on Aug 24, 2015 9:18:51 GMT -5
Or we spend September getting our house fixed up and listed then we all move to Colorado in October. Nobody has to be here to show the house, which means trying to live in it at the same time you're keeping it show ready and spotless. We wouldn't have to worry about putting some of our stuff in storage and all that crap. I'm going to miss the fall deadline to take classes in Colorado, so I can find some work up there, Loop can work up there. We can look for a cheap rental and wait for our house to sell, or stay with my brother, which he's offered, but he's got two kids, and adding the four of us to their household will be stressful for everybody. Grrr.... too many options. I like that plan. You don't want to be in the position of just picking a house to buy NOW because we are moving NOW. Get a rental and take your time. It's a pretty big change for everyone. Congrats. I hope it works out wonderfully and you are all very happy in Colorado.
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ponomo
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Post by ponomo on Aug 24, 2015 9:29:40 GMT -5
Small world, I have kids at Eaglecrest, let me know if you want the inside scoop . I also have a rental next to the school.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 24, 2015 9:31:05 GMT -5
Awesome networking here.
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steph08
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Post by steph08 on Aug 24, 2015 9:34:39 GMT -5
So, without hijacking too badly, can anyone tell me how Boulder rates compared to the other places you are discussing? My brother just bought outside of Boulder. I think his house was $280k, 4 bed/3 bath split level on decent lot with 1 car garage.
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emma1420
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Post by emma1420 on Aug 24, 2015 9:43:39 GMT -5
I'd watch what I did. People always want to do their own thing. They won't like your granite or your new carpets or some such thing. I'd paint, landscape, and finish the wood floors. If you feel you must carpet, suck it up and put in wood. That's the one thing everybody wants. I'm assuming you have SS appliances. I don't see the appeal but it's still the rage. The house is mostly parquet wood floor now. They put carpet in the living room instead of doing wood throughout. That carpet and the bedroom carpet needs to be replaced. Or replace the bedroom carpet, and put wood in the living room, which is what they should have done when they built it. The kitchen cabinets are oak, raised panel doors, and pretty nice. The countertops are white porcelain tile with brown grout and are hideous. Our dishwasher and fridge are SS, the double ovens are black and around 20 years old. The gas cooktop counter insert is white. It all functions, but the mismatched thing and tile counters are pretty dated looking. I'm thinking new countertops and some clearance SS stoves will freshen the whole thing up. The wood floors need to be refinished. Could have used it before we bought the house honestly. I'm thinking they haven't been refinished in 10 years or more. Only other thing would be possibly new vinyl flooring in the main bathroom. It's an old lady pattern with little pink flowers and getting pretty rough looking. Vanities in all bathrooms are the same oak cabinets as the kitchen and built ins. They have the same white porcelain tile countertops but with white grout and I think it's fine in the bathrooms. The improvements that you plan on making sound like a good use of money. If nothing else it will make your house sell faster, so that when all of you get out to Colorado that you aren't worrying about unloading your home in California.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Aug 24, 2015 9:58:29 GMT -5
Dark, this sounds like it could be a welcome change. I know it's abrupt, but having read all three of these pages at once, it really does sound like it could be a fresh new start.
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swamp
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THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS!!!!!!!
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Post by swamp on Aug 24, 2015 10:00:05 GMT -5
CA sounds like a nightmare to me. Long commutes, ridiculous housing prices, and earthquakes.
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milee
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Post by milee on Aug 24, 2015 10:05:27 GMT -5
CA sounds like a nightmare to me. Long commutes, ridiculous housing prices, and earthquakes. I used to do a lot of business travel to California and southern California is not something I enjoy. Expensive, hellacious traffic and other than a fairly constant temperature, not a lot of upside for the stuff I like to do. Plus, I don't find it very pretty. They have water, but it's really cold and there are big, toothy fish in it. I like water that's a little warmer and with slightly smaller toothy fish in it.
But northern California was gorgeous and I'd definitely consider living there. From about an hour north of Santa Barbara and on up - just loved it. There is still traffic and it's expensive, but totally different vibe and I think much, much prettier. For San Francisco area, I'd even learn to deal with the cold water and big toothy swimmers.
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swamp
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THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS!!!!!!!
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Post by swamp on Aug 24, 2015 10:13:36 GMT -5
I've got lots of cold water. I'm OK with it. The earthquakes though, that's a deal breaker for me.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Aug 24, 2015 10:14:26 GMT -5
Yes to the counter tops. Anyone who thinks tile counters in the kitchen is a good idea should be shot. Well, it has more appeal than laminate Not if you cook and bake. I have always had laminate. It cleaned up quite nicely. Tile with grout. Ick. Try rolling out dough on tile. Yeah, I don't think so.
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Plain Old Petunia
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bloom where you are planted
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Post by Plain Old Petunia on Aug 24, 2015 11:28:31 GMT -5
Well, it has more appeal than laminate Not if you cook and bake. I have always had laminate. It cleaned up quite nicely. Tile with grout. Ick. Try rolling out dough on tile. Yeah, I don't think so.
Just pull out the cutting board and use it to roll out dough. That is what I have always done. Works just fine.
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Iggy aka IG
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Post by Iggy aka IG on Aug 24, 2015 11:32:54 GMT -5
tagging Iggy aka IG as I know she's in CO. no idea where she is in relation to the area you're looking at, but maybe she can help. and I wish you good luck along the way. this is a huge shakeup of your world, here's to smooth sailing! Thanks, Chive. I'm going to generalize here: Boulder: Liberal university town. Awesome bookstores and cafes. Colorado Springs: Military town. Relatively good (read: affordable) home prices. Fort Collins: Also another university town, but more on the ag side. Cherry Creek is beautiful with hoity toity home prices to support such. Highlands Ranch: Also a beautiful area. Parker: Once a sparse hobby farm area, it has grown immensely over the past 20 years. Black Hills: A lovely area, with many trees. The area from Denver north to Fort Collins and Loveland has been booming over the past several years, mostly due to the natural gas industry. Several of my customers moved there for that very reason. It has slowed down, however, the past 1.5 years with the decline in barrel oil prices. The eastern plains still feature many farms and ranches. Mountain ski towns along I-70 (Avon, Vail, etc): More expensive as one might imagine. Western Colorado (Grand Junction, Meeker, Rangley, Montrose, Delta): Generally speaking much more conservative than the eastern side. The latter apparently has a 75% retirement rate, though I have not looked at actual numbers to support such. Glenwood Springs was just named one of the top 10 areas to live. One note: Stay the f*ck away from Aurora. Colfax and other major streets are known for gang and shooting activity. That plus the dense population. You'll see how much it's changed if you visit. Luck, Dark. PM me if you have any specific questions.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 24, 2015 12:21:19 GMT -5
Tile on its own wouldn't be horrible, but white tile with brown grout is pretty fugly. Yes, it is. I didn't have the money for granite and the laminate was yech so I tiled with white tiles but used a white grout. Then I sealed it. I never roll out on a countertop anyway so it'd be a non issue for me. I have a large plastic thingy which cleans easier and I can move stuff if I start running out of room. I remember my Grandma rolling out on her countertops and putting flour on them!
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ponomo
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Post by ponomo on Aug 24, 2015 13:10:50 GMT -5
Small world, I have kids at Eaglecrest, let me know if you want the inside scoop . I also have a rental next to the school. Yes please! We've looked at the school website, and their ranking/review on great schools. The kids liked their list of clubs and the fact that you can do swimming as your PE credit. You can also get PE credits from your after school sports. It's a big school, very diverse, my kids have friends from all walks of life. AP classes are top notch, my daughter graduated last year with almost a full year of college credits. My son is a 10th grader and has learning disabilities and he is doing great, he's not taking on quite as much as my daughter but still some AP and Honors courses. Teachers are happy, a few have even been there since it opened 20+ years ago, a few are former students who've come back to teach. My daughter's dream is to teach English there. What activities are your kids into? My DD also commutes from here to UCDenver, it's about an hour via car/lightrail. She drives there one day a week for her internship, about 35/40 minutes.
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moon/Laura
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Post by moon/Laura on Aug 24, 2015 13:20:28 GMT -5
Broomfield is decent, but growing fast. Westminster has good and bad (run down) parts.
Boulder = $$$$$
I think Lafayette is a nice area too, but I think it may be on the higher end as it's near all the businesses in the Flatiron area off highway 36, as well as near Boulder.
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