Real Estate Broker · Salt Lake City & Oklahoma City · Member since 2018 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
My family is growing and as we grow in size we also grow tired of the mundane life of the plains. There is a lot to appreciate other than natural beauty, but as native Natural Staters we love us some outdoors. Particularly we are drawn to mountains and love skiing, hiking, camping, and the like.
What mountain town or town with easy access to mountains would you recommend for an outdoor-experiences-fueled lifestyle?
Potential for investments doesn't hurt, but it's not required :)
Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 119 posts · 114 votes
5y
An underrated gem could be Reno, NV! Sits right at the base of the Sierra's, close to Lake Tahoe, 0% state income tax and relatively cheap real estate with opportunities for CF and appreciation.
SLC is also pretty awesome and literally IN the mountains. To be honest, it's an even better set-up for access to the outdoors and skiing than Denver b/c of the proximity to multiple canyons instead of the I-70 traffic nightmare. Utah's traditionally conservative bent is slowly changing as more transplants move in. Last year, Utah got rid of the 3.2 beer law.
But, it depends, do you want a city & secondary market or smaller true mountain town & tertiary market? (and don't take the tertiary market label as a sign of anything less). Even in the Colorado tertiary mountain markets, we are seeing huge demand.
If you're looking at smaller markets where your dollar goes further, I'd look at Bozeman, MT; Boise City, ID; Logan, UT; Whitefish, MT. I love Jackson Hole, but I just simply can't afford it, yet. One day... Many Denver investors are looking to Colorado Springs (though you've missed the early boat, I think the appreciation wave will continue to ride).
Real Estate Agent · Highland, UT · Member since 2015 · 407 posts · 272 votes
5y
Park City Utah is amazing! Or if you want to be in a bigger city with great access to more ski resorts and camping Salt Lake County will get you access to all the ski resorts.
Real Estate Consultant · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2017 · 354 posts · 386 votes
5y
We can speak to all the local appreciation (14% for single family homes YoY). If you aren't committed to living in the city, I'd avoid Denver and maybe concentrate on Colorado Springs real estate (which is cheaper). I'd also keep an eye out for Woodland Park. It feels pretty rural still, but it's an easy 25 minute drive from Colorado Springs, has amazing views, and is starting to get bought up. It's a way to enjoy mountain living while being close to a metro and all the luxuries that affords.
Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 119 posts · 114 votes
5y
An underrated gem could be Reno, NV! Sits right at the base of the Sierra's, close to Lake Tahoe, 0% state income tax and relatively cheap real estate with opportunities for CF and appreciation.
Real Estate Agent · Kalispell, MT · Member since 2020 · 129 posts · 80 votes
5y
@Will Fraser You should look into Kalispell or Whitefish (Flathead County) We are surrounded by mountains and 30 minutes from Glacier National Park. It's a great place if you love the outdoors. Not bad for investing either. Let me know if you have more questions and I'd love to give you some insight :)
Investor · Durango, CO · Member since 2019 · 3 posts · 4 votes
5y
@Matt W. I grew up in Telluride and the STR market is absolutely insane!
@Will Fraser My growing family moved back to Durango, CO (about 2.5 hrs from Telluride) from Marina del Rey, CA about two years ago for the same reasons and Durango would offer you and your family everything you’re looking for. Check it out!
Real Estate Broker · Pueblo, CO · Member since 2013 · 366 posts · 303 votes
5y
What price point for housing and COLA?
Pueblo, CO is around an average price of $250,000 and you won't find cheaper for this size town in the state.
Close enough to Monarch mountain for ski day trip. Beulah, Rye, Westcliffe are all under an hour drive for quick mountain getaways. These places won't be as packed as anywhere up north either. Nothing like trying to escape to the mountains and bombarded with people everywhere.
Best of all light traffic (at worst) and best climate in the state if you ask me. I don't own a snow shovel my driveway faces south it's all melted by noon.
Real Estate Agent · Evergreen, CO · Member since 2015 · 126 posts · 73 votes
5y
Lot's of great suggestions here and I agree with most of them. Comes down to what you and your family are really looking for. Any additional context? e.g. I live in Evergreen, Colorado which is great because it's in the mountains and has a "smallish town" feel but close to everything down the hill in Denver and the front range area. Personally, I could be in a smaller town which is more remote in the mountains like Southern Colorado, Montana, Idaho or Western Wyoming but my wife prefers to be closer to what proximity of a large city like Denver offers. (Salt Lake is another good area that would balance this.) @Will Fraser Are you looking for something more remote or closer proximity to a city?
Real Estate Agent · Logan, UT · Member since 2017 · 24 posts · 5 votes
5y
@Will Fraser lots of places in Utah, especially Logan Utah. Lots of diverse outdoor activities. Yes there’s a culture that’s prominent here. But as a non member. It’s not that bad. I’m an agent and can speak to more about the entire state if your interested.
Realtor · Boulder, CO · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 5k+ votes
5y
So many mountain towns have gotten ridiculously expensive. I'd look for ones that haven't "popped" quite yet, and ride the market up. For example Boulder, Aspen, Bozeman, Jackson Hole, Vail, etc. are all basically for the 1% at this point, and even Bend, Flagstaff, Moab, etc. are prohibitively expensive. If those aren't in your budget, and you're looking for somewhere that you can get in on the ground level and position yourself for a potential gold rush, look for areas with geographical/demographic similarities to the aforementioned (reasonable job markets with great soft value/access) that haven't yet become completely unaffordable. Check out Leavenworth, Grand Junction, St. George, the Black Hills of South Dakota, Ogden, Boone, Leadville, Fayetteville, Reno, etc... places the have access, are still affordable, and are likely to become more popular. If money is no obstacle: Wanaka, New Zealand or Zermatt, Switzerland would be at the top of my list. If you're not really looking for a "mountain town" but rather a major metro within an hour of mountains, then Denver and Salt Lake City fit the bill.
Investor · Telluride, CO · Member since 2016 · 17 posts · 9 votes
5y
@Will Fraser @Matthew Wilson @m@Mike Bozich
I've lived in Telluride for 20 years. It has changed rapidly in the past 5 years and more so this year than ever with people fleeing cities. The locals are being pushed out by the super rich buying up all the affordable ($million+) housing and trying to charge $11,000 a month rent. Yes STR market is crazy here but its also destroying the community, which is what has made Telluride amazing. The working class are really struggling to make ends meet. Soon there won't be anyone to work in the restaurants and cafes. Already a handful of long term businesses have recently shut their doors because rent is too high and they can't find employees. Many local feel the beginning of the end.
How about Alaska? I have the same dream like you and thought that's a nice place for me.
How's 8 months of winter sound? 3 of those months it's too cold to spend more than 3 minutes outside. I did that for 3 years. Summers are beautiful, but Alaska isn't as glamorous as it sounds.
Lender · Asheville, NC · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
5y
Boise! You can't beat the outdoor recreation options, the cleanliness, the big city offerings with small city feel, exceptionally low crime rates, friendly people and constantly appreciating property values. Every time I go there I find something new to love about it.
My family is growing and as we grow in size we also grow tired of the mundane life of the plains. There is a lot to appreciate other than natural beauty, but as native Natural Staters we love us some outdoors. Particularly we are drawn to mountains and love skiing, hiking, camping, and the like.
What mountain town or town with easy access to mountains would you recommend for an outdoor-experiences-fueled lifestyle?
Potential for investments doesn't hurt, but it's not required :)
Being originally from Ohio, I definitely understand your drive to move to the mountains! I'm very partial to Colorado Springs and based on the hobbies you listed I would think anywhere along the Front Range would work for you & your family.
An important distinction that many people who don't live here neglect to consider is the difference between living in the mountains vs next to the mountains. For example, here in The Springs we're next to the mountains not in them so we don't really get winter (relative to Ohio). It's sunny and dry almost all of the time but when I want to go snowboarding I simply drive a bit west. Personally, I don't think I'd enjoy living in the mountain towns at high elevation as much being that the winter up there can be pretty brutal.
Along the Front Range we get the best of both worlds IMO. Most days in the winter I'm in a t-shirt and jeans yet the mountains are right next to me when I do want to see snow.
Lifestyle aside, the market here has been absolutely out of control for years and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. The pandemic has only sped up the trends that were already driving people here. So if you're looking to move your business here there's just endless opportunity.
Investor · Jacksonville Beach, FL · Member since 2017 · 12 posts · 13 votes
5y
We have a cabin in the north GA mountains that we are about to move to for winter! There's not skiing, but that's possible a little further north into NC.