Why is the best town Boulder? What makes a town the greatest place to live?
In their Sept 2014 issue (out in August) Outdoor Magazine assigned each of the 16 towns that received the most votes a score from 1-100 (100 being paradise). They weighed in miles of biking and hiking trails, the number of bike shops, green space and open space, healthy eating options, the opportunity for adventure, median income, unemployment rates and this thing they are calling the “Editors choice variable”.
Boulder was #10 on the list if you look at just the number of votes it received. But… It scored the highest (91/100) when the editors took into consideration all of the above. IMHO making the best town Boulder.
One of the questions I have is, would Boulder have scored so highly or maybe even higher, if the median home price (citywide) was reported more accurately. I take exception to the part that tells the reader that the median home price in Boulder is $489,000 and you can buy a home in north Boulder for $330,000. It’s probably a little misleading.
Without more information it’s difficult to say what this median includes and doesn’t. Are we counting all condos, townhouses and detached homes in this median? What does citywide really mean? Mountain homes, unincorporated Boulder, permanently affordable properties, foreclosures?
For folks thinking that a relocation to Boulder is in order I say, you will not be disappointed. Boulder delivers all that Outdoor Magazine says we have, and much, much more. But, as far as home prices go… Be prepared to pay more than you might expect.
If you are looking to purchase a home in Boulder you should know:
- The median sale price in July 2014 for DETACHED homes was just over $700,000 and has not fallen below $615,000 any month this year. The average days on market (from listing to closing) is about 71 in 2014. It normally takes about 28-45 days to close a deal once under contract, so fair it’s fair to conclude appropriately priced homes are not sitting around too long before receiving an acceptable offer.
- The median sale price in July 2014 for ATTACHED homes was about $289,000 and has not fallen below $234,000 any month this year. The average days on market in 2014 for detached homes is almost equal to detached homes, at 75.
Unless you are looking to purchase a condo, you will be paying significantly more than $330,000!
You might be wondering how people can afford to purchase a home in the Boulder if the median household income is only$56,000. So am I. While I don’t have the actual median income stats for Boulder (city) in 2013 I can tell you that the median household income for Boulder County from 2008-2012 was $67,400 and at that time more than 63% of people in the county owned their homes. In fact the median household income in Colorado as a whole was >$58,000 during the 2008-2012 period… And that was a time when the economy was at it’s worst!
Boulder (city) is the most affluent area of Boulder County, which leads me to believe the median household income in Boulder is well above $67,000.
As a Realtor, I’m driven by real estate data. I agree it’s just one of the factors that influence people’s choice to relocate to Boulder, to buy in Boulder and to seek employment in this area, but it’s an important one and I wonder if our rank would have changed somewhat if Outdoor Magazine had access to the data that I do. Hmmm…
Finally thought:
Thinking of relocating to best town Boulder or the Front Range of Colorado?
Let’s discuss your options for buying, renting, working and playing in our fabulous area.
- I can help with real estate data, demographics, information about public transportation, school ranking and reputation info and more.
- We can meet on the phone, video chat or in person to discuss your needs and timeline.
- I’d be happy to recommend other local professionals (lender, financial planner, tax accountant) to assist in your big decisions too.
- Perhaps just as importantly, maybe introduce you to some like-minded people to give you a head start in making new friends. (It takes the average person 14 months to feel like they have settled into a community. I specialize in reducing that time and stress for my clients.)