Matt Kuchar

I was recently surfing the web for Denver real estate related news and I came across this forum thread where the initiator wanted the group's feedback on living in Highlands Ranch vs. living is Castle Rock. I found the responses fairly interesting so I though I would write a little piece based on this very topic, by both summarizing the commmetns and consensus of this particular forum group, as well as adding some of my own thoughts on the matter.

My Favorite Reponse:

"You should visit and evaluate both areas, including Parker. The best way to determine whether a community/city is right for you is personal...you buy for emotional reasons...Castle Rock is a city and the seat for Douglas county, Highlands Ranch is a subdivision in unincorporated Douglas County. Highlands Ranch is closer to Denver, DTC, and has a district suburban feel...Castle Rock is closer to Colorado Springs and is more "small town.hometown" vibe."

Besides offering come great objective information, this response also addressed the issue that I consider to be at the core of home-buying, the emotional feel that a certain community induces. I chose to invest in Real Estate in Highlands Ranch and while there are plenty of great objective reasons why I chose this community to call home for myself and my family, there are plenty of intangible elements that can only be explained by a gut feeling.

The General Consensus:

Reading through the comments, most of the responders were hesitant to commit to one place over the other, tending to offer the advise of "check both places out, and see which you like the feel of more". While this is certainly good advice for anyone who is searching for a place to call home for their family, I do think that there are some tangible reasons why each place may be better suited to a given home buyer.

My Thoughts:

Highlands Ranch, as the commentor above mentioned, is closer to the city and the DTC, which is a big deal if you work in Denver, as your commute time and costs will be reduced drastically. On the flip side, if you are looking to be out of town a bit further, in more traditional small town setting, and a longer commute is not an issue for your, Castle Rock may just fit your needs. The schools and safety of both places are top notch, making either place an ideal place to raise a family. I have to conclude that the only way for anyone considering these to places to make the right decision for them is to visit each, and see what their feelings tell them.

Gleneagles Village is a community with about 345 homes located in the Northeast corner of Highlands Ranch. Most of these homes have from 2 to 4 bedrooms. The pricing of these houses range from 210K to 400K, they include a Country Club, pool, snow removal, trash removal and a gated entrance. The community is an active retirement community where one resident must be 55 or older and no one under the age of 17 can live on a permanent basis. The clubhouse is the center of this community and features pool, indoor hot tub, dance floor, kitchen, and library.

This community's Homeowners Association cuts the grass, provides snow removal, building insurance and maintenance. This provides ease of living for Gleneagles residents.

Gleneagles Village Homes for Sale

Below you will find a video of Gleneagles Village

Settler's Village is a great little community in Highlands Ranch on the corner of Quebec and Lincoln across from The Highlands Ranch Post Office and Heritage Park. This community has townhouses from $240,000 to $300,000 and the homes were built from 1995 to 2001. Most of them have square footage between 1,700 and 2,000 square feet with attached garages.

Settler's Village Has a strong HOA that takes an active role in managing the community.

Settler's Village Homes for Sale

Would You like to know the property values in Settler's Village?

Highlands Ranch Real Estate

Video of the entrance to Settler's Village in Highlands Ranch

Highlands Ranch Map Search Made Easy

one of you is ways for people to find homes by using a map search solution. I recently invested in a map search solution where my clients are able to enter the criteria of their home search and find properties using a map. One of the cool things about this map search is that it has the ability to screen homes based on the user's criteria. Click here to see a map of Highlands Ranch using the service. Once you have her user account you're able to create a search and have it e-mail you properties that meet your criteria as they come available that meet your criteria.

Create Multiple Home Searches in Highlands Ranch

the ability to create multiple searches with various criteria especially helpful for my investors. Often busters are looking for bank owned and short sale properties in several areas at various price ranges. A normal MLS search does not allow for these different variations. The new map search from 1parkplace allows you to do this.