You guys..we found a home – a studio in a high rise condominium in the Denver Tech Center. And we love it.

Before heading to Denver, Matthew had already done a good bit of research on our housing options. We were looking mainly for apartments,and honestly hoping to get one under $1,000. However, when we started our search on Tuesday, June 21, we soon realized that for a comfortable, safe, livable place, our budget would have to be raised just a tad.

Apparently, the housing market in Denver has skyrocketed over the past few years. Since so many people have been relocating here, people are taking advantage of the demand and housing prices are ridiculous. As an example: one of the ladies working at an apartment complex said that the worth of her house has gone from $200,000s to the $400,000s in just three years!
Frugal tip: don’t move to Denver (or at least don’t buy a house here)..until the housing market prices decline or unless you just have a lot of money.

So after we found that the “cheaper” apartment complexes we had found online weren’t the nicest nor the safest, we upped our budget and started looking at places with prices ranging from $1100 – $1300. From 9AM to 6PM, we probably looked at 20 different apartment complexes (with literally only one or two rooms available in our new price range in each complex – seriously, everyone is moving here). We were about to pull the trigger on one, but were really nervous about the reviews it had online.
Not-so-frugal, but smart tip: Check the reviews (Google Reviews, Apartment Ratings, anything) of the complex before choosing! We are so happy that we did not choose the one complex with the terrible reviews! 

After getting back to Rachel’s place in Boulder at about 7PM, we were tired, discouraged, and still homeless. So, we decided to jump on Craigslist (one of Matthew’s favorite sites) to see what some homeowners had to offer. We happened to find a few places that caught our interest, including a high-rise condominium listed for $1195, just down the road from Matthew’s work location in the Denver Tech Center,  and we decided we would check this one out first thing the next morning.

& I am so glad we did. Although it was listed as a one bed, one bath online, it was actually a 532-square foot studio that honestly doesn’t feel as small as it sounds. The $8,000 custom built-in murphy bed allows us to lower the bed at night and raise it back up during the day so that we have a whole living room when we need it. The murphy bed also includes a lot of storage and a built-in desk with a desk chair. The kitchen is a cozy size and has granite slab counter-tops, stainless steel GE profile appliances, and a washer-dryer. The bathroom is a good size, with a long counter, lots of storage, a large-sized bath/shower, and a walk-in closet. The unit also includes a BALCONY (one of our few musts), parking space in the gated garage beneath the building, a 24-hour business center, conference rooms, a newly renovated gym, a community and patio area with TVs and grills, and there is a concierge to greet and assist you once you walk in the door on the main side.

Honestly, all of this sounds way too fancy, right? Well, it did to me. At first, I was really put off by the fancy hotel-feel of the condominium. I mean, there’s a concierge AND I needed a key fob to get into the front door, the gym, and to go up the elevator. Although I was skeptical, thinking that this would definitely not feel like a home, Matthew was sold from the start. After convincing me of the safeness of the area and the niceness of the place, and after I realized that we didn’t have to stay here forever if we didn’t like it, Matthew and I talked to the studio owner and negotiated a lower price of $1,150/month.

And…we got it. Now we’re living in a high-rise condominium in the Denver Tech Center, loving the endless sidewalks, bike paths, restaurants within walking distance (with the best happy hours!), the convenient 10-minute walk to the Light Rail (Denver’s city transit), and all the friendly people. Seriously, everyone has been so nice and welcoming, which has been so reassuring since we see different people on the elevators every day.
Never would I have ever thought that we would be living here. A high-rise condo in the most beautiful place.
Now we’re really living the high life at a “low”(er) price.