The Civil War named streets (Lincoln and Grant) are one of my favorite parts of Boulder. Sure, Boulderites in Wonderland Lake and Newlands like to talk about their open space, but this house is only a few short blocks from Chautauqua. With a packed calendar of musical events (and other programming), Dining Hall, excellent trail system, and iconic views – it’s superior. The interesting thing about this house in particular is that it’s a legally licensed triplex. The new owner will likely join the two front units but the detached unit in the back could provide a nice supplemental income or mother-in-law apartment. 

With that nasty overgrown pine in the front, this house at first doesn’t quite grab the eye but look closer. Plenty of charming details from the 1920’s are still there. No doubt, the new owner will likely want to modernize the kitchen and many of the other rooms, but I recommend keeping your plans to the interior. The lot size is larger than average but a portion is in the right of way, which will likely constrain any future expansion to the existing footprint. 

Although the listing description crows about the expansion potential, I’m going to push back on that a little. Newlands is ground zero for angry residents protesting to limit their neighbors expansion projects, which resulted in a set of ordinances called Compatible Development. 6,200 SQFT (the lot size) is not very large and the home was built just after the end of WWII. By age alone, it’s historic and subject to additional layers of review before permits will be granted.   


Now for the good news: It’s got a great 2 car detached garage with a studio apartment above it. For an enterprising buyer seeking a way to make Newlands more affordable, the extra income could serve to subsidize a mortgage payment. 

Expect a bidding war. This lovely little gem is also zoned RMX-1 which allows for a detached garage with rentable secondary dwellings. The one big downside is that it’s adjacent to Folsom but since the politically contentious “right sizing,” traffic noise has been considerably reduced. If I were a betting man, I’d expect traffic noise to drop even further in coming years as self driving electric cars take over the streets.  


The right buyer should be willing to invest another $300K to $400K to maximize the property value by building the detached garage and studio. Due diligence: Once under contract, your Realtor should take you to the planning department for a one on one discussion of what’s possible with a City of Boulder project specialist. If your Realtor “doesn’t do that sort of thing,” find one who will.  

2900 Marine | Asking: $800K | More Details 

A mildly updated ranch with a full basement, stumbling distance from Southern Sun and SoBo Lucky’s. South Boulder remains a value play for intelligent buyers. It has the best schools, the easiest access to commuting to southern job centers, and a rapidly improving retail mix. This one would make my short list of livable investments. It has the right layout to attract a diversity of tenants and the walkable factor is hard to beat. It will likely go for more than asking. The key is knowing how much it’s worth. Before you write that offer, ask your agent for a detailed analysis of negotiations for recent comparable sales, including property yet to close but under contract. If they can’t provide it, find one who will. Due diligence: Traffic noise from Broadway.