A Description of Boulder Colorado Real Estate and the Surrounding Cities

A Description of Boulder Real Estate and Cities in the Surrounding Area

Boulder, located around 45 minutes Southwest of Fort Collins, and 30 minutes Northwest of Denver, is an ideal place to make a home. Cozied up against the Rockies, Boulder Colorado has got so much to offer families who live there. Real estate in Boulder CO frequently is the most pricey in the area, but with good reason. For one; it is just about impossible to build a new house in Boulder accredited to a moratorium on new home development. The supply restriction has only driven demand up (and has caused prices to go up right along with that demand.) Unlike areas surrounding (which we'll describe below), Boulder Colorado has a high employment rate, the most recreation facilities (4 city owned, and dozens of privately owned facilities), great schools, the largest trail system, and of course -- "The Flatirons" which are located in Chataqua Park. The Flatirons can be seen for several miles around, are used by several thousands of visitors and residents each year, and are recognized worldwide as a Colorado landmark.

Boulder Colorado's population is a little over 100,000, and average Boulder real estate prices start at approximately $125,000 for a starter one bedroom condominium. The going rate for single family houses start at about $250,000, which will possibly get you a 3 bedroom, 900 square foot house. When you get closer to downtown Boulder, the higher prices tend to be.

The second largest city in Boulder County, Longmont has a population of about 70,000. Longmont Colorado is just about 15 to 25 minutes Northwest of Boulder via highway 119 (sometimes called The Diagonal). Different from other Boulder County cities that are intertwined with Boulder, a lot of people living in Longmont think of themselves as a lot more independent from Boulder itself. Longmont has large-scale employers, shopping centers, a system of transportation, and has an old town and a new part of town. Longmont has turn of the century Victorian charmers, as well as stylish new home communities. Generally, Longmont Colorado real estate prices tend to be as much as 35% lower than prices in Boulder. Prices will depend largely on the part of town that houses are in.

If you are considering making a home in the city of Boulder, but do not like house prices in Boulder, Louisville Colorado is as little as ten to fifteen minutes East of Boulder. There are 4 very easy routes allowing access to Boulder from Louisville; Baseline Road, Arapahoe Road, South Boulder Road, and Highway 36. In addition to easy access via automobile, Boulder County has an effective system of transportation, with multiple city bus routes into town if you'd rather not drive from Louisville. Real estate in Louisville Colorado is on average 15 to 30 percent less expensive than home prices in Boulder. Although the starting price for a Louisville condo or town home is similar to Boulder's, people get more for their money. It's much the same with single family homes. A starter home in Louisville can be obtained for about $250,000, but rather than a 900 square foot house with no garage, you will likely get a 1000 to 1200 square foot home with a one or two car garage. Louisville is not simply a suburb of Boulder either. Indeed, many residents of Boulder often come to Louisville for the wonderful amenities the city offers, such as a movie theater, shopping at Target and Costco, or one of the delightful small town eateries.

Around 15 or 20 minutes from Boulder through Arapahoe Rd, South Boulder Rd, or Baseline Rd -- is Lafayette. Lafayette is one of the fastest growing Boulder County areas, with the neighborhood of Indian Peaks being the biggest part of that development. Lafayette home prices frequently are up to 35 percent lower than prices in Boulder. Along with getting a bigger house for the money, residents in Lafayette enjoy a smaller town ambiance with advantages including delightful antique shops, family operated businesses, easy access to I-25, and of course, the Indian Peaks Golf Course - one of the most magnificent public golf courses in the surrounding area.

Niwot Colorado is another city that is just Northwest of Boulder. While Niwot is expanding and seeing more semi-custom and custom home development, it is essentially a bedroom community to Boulder. Real estate Niwot Colorado is unusually limited, and average house prices will fluctuate widely. Average prices are so fluctuant essentially because at any time, there are probably only about 50 to 70 houses available for sale. With so few houses available, two to three sales on one side of the price scale can radically adjust the average house price for that month. (Most towns and cities will have several hundred, if not several thousand homes for sale, and average prices are much more reliable than when there's only a few dozen houses that are on the market - such as with Niwot Colorado.) Overall, Niwot is an extremely enamoring smaller town that is as near to Boulder as you can get without literally living in a Boulder zip code.

For more specific details or up-to-date market statistics on any of the communities and areas discussed in this article, or for details on other cities in the Boulder County area, call your Benchmark Realty agent or check out www.BenchmarkRealtyLLC.com.

J Mcdonald is a writer for http://www.benchmarkrealtyllc.com that discusses and writes about where to find the best real estate in Colorado. Find general information on Lafayette home prices along with information on the community and surrounding area in Boulder County.