Denver Home Buyer FAQ - Part 1

How much does a single family home cost in Denver?

Of course this varies quite a bit, based on location, lot size, square footage of the home, basement type and finish, age, condition and other amenities of the home and in the community.

Most of the time, it helps to put this in perspective. The Denver area real estate market is generally more affordable than many large metro areas on either coast of the US, but also more expensive than many metro areas in the South and Midwest.

A basic, older, 3/2 starter home in average condition generally starts in the $150k range. Newer 3/2 starter homes in some of the more desirable communities start at $200k and up.

Median single family home prices are about $300k. What you can get at this price point depends a lot on location. In general, homes closer in to downtown Denver command higher prices for less square footage, and are typically older, just because the downtown area and close in communities have been totally built out for many decades. In the suburbs, $300k gets you a larger and newer home, but longer drive times into downtown. Fortunately, many jobs are in the suburbs, so this may not be an issue for most buyers.

A high end executive home on a larger lot that would be priced at over $2.5 Million in Southern California or in the DC Metro area can be had for about $750-$900k in the Denver suburbs. Prices for comparable homes close in are considerably higher, but still very affordable, compared to many east coast and west coast markets.

What is the Denver weather like?

Again, it varies widely. The Denver area is considered to be a "semi-arid" environment.

In 2007, we had a very unusual winter, with much of the heavy snowfall that would normally fall in the mountains, coming to the Denver metro area. In normal winters, the Denver metro area would receive occasional moderate snowfalls and a few very cold periods during the winter season, but would be relatively comfortable, cool and dry most of the time. Of course, the skiiers, both residents and visitors, love to see as much snow as possible, especially in the mountain resort areas just west of Denver.

Denver area summers are typically warm, but not oppressively hot, and generally dry, with low humidity. Summer is an ideal time for camping, golf, bicycling, hiking, or any of the other outdoor activities that have gained the Denver area its well deserved reputation as an outdoor sports paradise.

Spring and Fall are very unpredictable, with a late season heavy snow event from time to time, and also the possibility of a first snowfall as early as late September. Otherwise, Fall and Spring are considered ideal times to take advantage of favorable weather conditions to explore the many state and national parks that abound in the area.

What are the Denver area roads and highways like?

I-70 crosses north of the downtown Denver area, coming east from Kansas, and west into the Rocky Mountains and to many of the nearby mountain resort areas. While it is in generally good condition, heavy usage, especially by interstate trucking traffic and weekend skiier traffic up and down the mountains, means it is almost always heavily congested in the metro area.

I-25 runs north and south through the center of the city, including the downtown area. It is the main commuter corridor from the northern and southern suburbs. As a result, until recent completion of a major widening and parallel light rail project known as "T-Rex", it was highly congested, especially during rush hours. Now, commute times, especially from the south, have been greatly improved.

I-225  runs around the eastern and southeastern boundaries of the City of Denver, branching off of I-70 in the northeast, and joining I-25 in the south. It generally separates the core city from the suburbs in that area.

E470 is the toll road portion of an "outside loop", and runs around the metro area from just south of Longmont at I-25 in the north, around the northeast suburban areas, including through the DIA airport area, then east of the city of Aurora, and through the city of Centennial in the southeast. It then runs just north of the city of Parker, west to I-25. Total tolls for the entire route are about $6.50, with  several intermediate toll booths at key intersections along the route.

At I-25, the E470 toll section terminates, and the free highway becomes C470. This section then runs westward through the northern parts of the city of Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, and into southern Jefferson County, also known as Littleton.  From there, it turns north, and goes through Ken-Caryl, Morrison and Lakewood, and ends at the intersection of I-70 near Golden.

The other major roads in the metro area are generally well maintained, and for the most part, run generally parallel to each other, and north/south or east/west, a least in the central areas. In the more recent and outlying suburbs, the east/west and north/south orientation is not as prevalent.

Poor winter driving conditions affect all roads, especially local neighborhoods side streets, which may not be plowed and cleared as quickly or frequently as the major roads and interstates. Extreme caution is required for any driving in winter conditions. Denver also has lots of hills, even in the metro area. This may be why there is a very high proportion of 4-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles in the metro area, especially SUVs.

See more FAQs in Part 2 of this Blog thread.

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