Big Decisions, Trusting Friends

I've been condo-hunting lately. As you know, I moved to Denver in September for a much-needed change of pace, scenery and lifestyle. I was living on 2.5 acres in a rural area, very isolated, and that just wasn't working for me. I was 5 minutes from the horses, and 45 minutes from town (and people)! So, I swapped--now I'm 45 minutes from the horses and 5 minutes from anything I could possibly want to do.

I like Denver well enough to buy a place and stay a while. I will say that I miss Seattle a lot. I miss water and trees and green and rain a lot. However, I don't miss the stress of the commute, and until the airlines recover, I don't want my schedule to revolve around fuller and fewer flights to work. So, Denver will do at this point in my life.

My Realtor and I have been looking for about 10 days, now. We've probably seen 40 or 50 condos. I've narrowed it down to 4. Each has pros and cons. The one I love, the one I can see myself happily living in, is $60K above my budget. However, it is new construction and has been on the market for over a year. Only 4 units have sold, so the builder is slashing prices and offering incentives. I'm about THIS close to making an offer...it's close (walking distance) to everything, safe neighborhood, wonderful floor plan, granite counters, balcony, and a south & east exposure. There are lots of little restaurants, bars, coffee shops, etc in the neighborhood. Everything about it is PERFECT, except the price.

Unit #2 is a foreclosure. It originally sold for around $375K and is now listed at $233K. It's a HUGE 2-bedroom loft with a south and west exposure, with mountain and downtown views. Two balconies, two parking spaces, storage, etc. It is also PERFECT, except the location. It's in an "up & coming" neighborhood. That means it's still a little scary. I've driven around a lot, and there is a lot of renovation in the area, but in this economy, it could be a while. There isn't anything within walking distance It's right on the light rail, only a mile from downtown, so it would be a wonderful investment. When the economy recovers, it's going to be an amazing place to live.

Unit #3 is much smaller--in a much older high-rise building. It's near Cherry Creek shopping center. This unit is $164K, well under my limits. Another unit in the building was renovated and is amazing, and this one could be brought up to speed without breaking the bank. Still, the upside is limited, although it has beautiful mountain views and a nice balcony, and is within walking distance of a lot of chain stores.

Unit #4 is a 1901 building. It's 2 blocks from Cheeseman Park. It's a wonderful, trendy neighborhood. The unit has beautiful old woodwork, hardwood floors, leaded glass windows, a butler's pantry...it's very charming. It has two darling sun porches--one is off of the master bedroom and would make a terrific office. It would need some updating, but for the most part, would be a neat place to live in the middle of everything. Like #3, it would not appreciate in value as much as #1 & #2 would, so it wouldn't be a good investment property, although it would be a wonderful rental at some point.

So, what do I do???? Right now, I'm leaning towards making a low-ball offer on #1, keeping the others as back-ups. What would you do?

I was at the barn yesterday. Cindy has a pair of kittens who are about 6 months old. Thor, the Siamese-mix male, loves the horses. He LOVES Ranger... particularly Ranger's tail. We watched and laughed while he chased and bit at strands. Ranger didn't mind at all when Thor wrapped his paws around Ranger's legs, and used them to climb higher into his tail. Ranger just stood there, leg cocked, relaxing...Thor even cleaned Ranger's fetlock... Now that's DEVOTION! And TRUST!
Super Bowl Sunday is tomorrow--for which team are you rooting? I'll be at James and Matt's with Jenny, Lindsi, Sarah and a bunch of other people. I'm making my soon-to-be famous chili, and toffee bars. Should be a lot of fun!