Powers, Colorado Springs Market ReportThe Powers area in Colorado Springs covers almost 22 square miles and includes Peterson Air Force Base and the Colorado Springs Airport. The northern and southern boundries are Woodman and Drennan respectively. The east and west boundries are Marksheffel and Powers Blvd. The neighborhoods in the Powers area include Stetson Hills, Ridgeview at Steston Hills, Springs Ranch, Cimarron Hills, Constitution Hills, Rustic Hills, Eastborough, and Northcrest. School districts are serviced by Colorado School District 11 and Falcon School District 49. There are 812 active properties in the Powers area. Prices range from $59,900 to $632,019. Sizes range from 896 sqft townhomes to 4990 sqft homes.New Homes on the Market: 121  (Average List Price:$218,201)Under Co... 09/13/2007

Colorado Springs is home to the USAFA: United States Air Force Academy. Located in the northern part of Colorado Springs, the USAFA can be accessed by the Northern gates just west of Gleneagle and Northgate or from the Southern gates at the end of North Academy Blvd. (It is important to note that Academy Blvd. has access to TWO military gates in Colorado Springs: South Academy Blvd offers accesst the the North gates of Fort Carson Army Base and North Academy Blvd. offers access to the South gates of the USAFA. Try not to get confused!) The USAFA is a landmark in northern Colorado Springs with the Rocky Mountains as a stunning backdrop. Taken from the USAFA site: "The U.S. Air Force Academy is recognized as one of the nation's finest four-year institutions of higher learning.  Accredited... 09/12/2007

                                                        Relocate-America recently released their list of the top 25 cities to go to school for 2007. It does not surprise me that Colorado Springs made it under the top 25. There are many wonderful schools throughout all of the districts here. Their poll took into account the quality of the schools and choices in educational offerings for children. Relocate-America stated that their list was determined as follows; "Our list recognizes communities with strong support and spirit for their local schools, high parental involvement, strong academic achievement and performance, caring faculty and staff and successful extracurricular programs with opportunities for children to explore and excel in many areas of interest. We recognize a variety of... 09/11/2007

It seems like that house across the street has had a "For Sale" sign in the yard for months.  It may be!  The average Days on Market for single family El Paso County homes was 79 days according to August statistics. Some other single family homes statistics from Pikes Peak Association of Realtors (which inlcludes data from several other areas outside the Colorado Springs metro area):  August 2007:  There were 7,052 active listings, and 945 properties sold.  The average sales price was $259,095. In August of 2005, there were 4,472 listings, and 1,374 sales; average price was 253,032.July 2007:  There were 7,065 active listings, and 1,031 sales, with an average sales price of 274,308.  In July 2005, there were 4,436 active listings and 1,324 sales; average price was 250,504.While there is... 09/10/2007

  Wyck Estate, Manchester by the Sea, Massachusetts The Colorado Springs Housing and Building Association's 2007 Parade of Homes recently ended.  The most expensive home was priced at 2.5 million, and that bought you a lovely, spacious home on acreage filled with upscale amenities and a really cool garage.   It was one of 16 homes priced at 1 million dollars or more.  If you think that one million is a lot to spend on a home, the article below may add some fun perspective to the Colorado Springs real estate market.  Five Houses Vie to Become Most Expensive Home Sale             Ken and Sandy Wickham, the authors of this article, are Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.  They welcome your real estate inquiries; to contact them, please visit their website. 09/10/2007

It is amazing how many good real estate brokers ask me how to check for the list of foreclosures in El Paso County Colorado. Well here is the link for those of you who don't know: http://put2.elpasoco.com/foreclosure/ One of the cool things about foreclosures here in El Paso County is that you don't have to subscribe to a list or pay for a list to find out the information. It is available for free on a very easy to use website. Happy searching to you. 09/10/2007

                                                                      Cathedral Pines is an elegant community nestled in the beautiful ponderosa pines that Black Forest is known for. Enjoy the seclusion from the hustle and bustle, but enjoy being close to the necessities. Located just 2 miles east of highway 83, Cathedral Pines is a skip away from I-25 and many other conveniences. This part of Black Forest is truly breathtaking.Cathedral Pines covers 810 acres with a limited number of lots totaling 158. Each lot ranges from 2.5 - 5 acres providing a nice cushion between properties. Cathedral Pines is a covenant protected community with beautiful custom homes that compliment the surroundings. Each property has an unparalleled view with access to 210 acres of parks and open space within C... 09/09/2007

Colorado Springs is finally cooling down after a pretty hot summer. In fact, the higher elevations (Teller and Park Counties) are expecting some SNOW tonight (9/9/07)! This would be a great time to get your home ready for the colder weather, and save some money while you are at it!Some weatherizing tips include: Weatherize your drafty windows and doors. Weather stripping, caulking and using spray foam are excellent ways to keep drafts to a minimum. Also check on the drafts from attics, basements and crawl spaces, too. Invest in a programmable thermostat. "Programming your thermostat to 65 degrees for at least 8 hours a day - when away or sleeping - can lower your heating bill about 10 percent." To keep your furnace running more efficiently, make sure that your replace (or clean) your fu... 09/09/2007

The movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, made a profound impression on me. One of the things that impressed me was the fact that Chris Gardner depended on public transportation to get wherever he had to go.Because of the nature of my work, there is no way that I could do it using public transportation. Nevertheless I wanted to experience what it would be like to ride the bus in Colorado Springs: the Mountain Metropolitan Transit.This is the bus stop near where I live on Verde Drive. There is a bench so that passengers can sit while waiting for the bus.  In the foreground you can see a pole that has the bus route and schedule information.There is a lot of information posted here. Even if a person has never rode the bus before, it's easy to figure out. The last time I saw something like this ... 09/09/2007

My in laws have purchased one house in their entire lifetime and that was 30 some odd years ago. Nothing really unusual about that. She also has not a clue how the whole listing, get an offer, closing process work. A couple of months ago I got an offer on a listed property while she was in town. She hoorayed me but was taken aback because she didn't think I showed the level of excitement that she anticipated. She asked my wife why I didn't seem excited and my wife explained to her that this is just the beginning. She thought getting an offer meant the house was sold (bless her heart). I started to explain to her the process of appraisals, inspections and closings and she was dumbfounded. She innocently asked "Well isn't that stuff done already?" I asked her what stuff was she talking ab... 09/08/2007

Here is a snapshot of the Colorado Springs Real Estate Market for August, 2007.For the FULL, detailed report, please visit: Colorado Springs Real Estate ConnectionAverage Days on Market (DOM): 83Average Sale Price (SP): $281,274List Price to Sale Price Ratio (LP/SP): 96.88%In August 2007:883 homes went on the market301 homes went under contract252 homes soldFor more information on the Colorado Springs Real Estate Market, please check out our recent reports:Colorado Springs Real Estate: Market Report - July 2007Colorado Springs Real Estate Market Report - June 2007Colorado Springs Real Estate Market Report - May 2007Colorado Springs Real Estate Market Report - April 2007<< Search For Homes For Sale In Colorado Springs >>Posted By: Mariana Wagner - Colorado Springs Real Estate 09/08/2007

This is the second section of the Colorado Springs MLS sheet. This section deals with the different rooms and their sizes, as well as the square footage of the home and how it is laid out... The columns on the left are the different rooms, their dimensions and what level they are on. Room Sizes: These are the sizes of the living areas and the bedrooms. M= Main Level (the level with the main entrance) U= Upper Level (the level above the main level) L= Lower Level (the level below the main level, but not the basement- Usually the lower level in a tri-level or bi-level home) B= Basement Read More on Different Floor Plans in Colorado Springs...Room Dimensions are estimates and are usually measured by the listing agent. If you need a specific room dimension, it may be best to have it measure... 09/07/2007

Somtimes CREDIT is not what stands in the way of buying a home. Sometimes the most credit-worthy folks just cannot AFFORD to buy a home in Colorado Springs. Many times I get a GREAT client - perfect credit, excellent motivation for owning a home ... But they are only qualified for a home that really doesn't exist, here in Colorado Springs. They fall just under or at the $100k mark, in an area where homes average much higher. If only they could afford just a few thousand dollars more, a whole new market of homes would be available to them.Now there is an option for these home buyers - these hard working folks who are sick of renting and are more than ready for all the responsibilities of home ownership. This option is: Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust (RMCLT).Rocky Mountain Community ... 09/06/2007

You are looking to buy a home in Colorado Springs. You have a bunch of MLS sheets to look at, but how do you read them? The Pikes Peak Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is where most homes for sale in Colorado Springs, Monument, Fountain, Woodland Park, Manitou Springs, Peyton and other outlaying areas can be found. This is where local real estate agents post all of their listings (homes for sale). When you are looking for a home in Colorado Springs - or any nearby areas, your real estate agent will run a search for you on the MLS and will probably email you a selection of different homes that may fit your needs. These homes will be displayed in a format called the MLS sheet. If you have bought a home in Colorado Springs before, then you probably are familiar with how these look and know w... 09/02/2007

This Real Estate Market Report is for the Briargate area in Colorado Springs Colorado for the month of August. Only 14 homes sold down from 33 in July. 55 homes were put on the market and 28 are currently under contract. The average listing price for a home in Briargate is 319,075 and the average selling price is 300,458, this means sellers in this area get on average 94% of their asking price. The average time a home stays on the market in Briargate is 60 days.  Helpful Links:More info on Briargate Real EstateLook at July's reportSearch for a Home in BriargatePosted by Briargate Real Estate.  Please Visit HomesOnlineCoSprings.com 09/01/2007

I'm a native of Colorado Springs, CO and one of my best memories growing up was going to see the balloons every year on Labor Day weekend. Of course, we always hated waking up early (when it was still dark) but my parents made it up to us by stopping for doughnuts on the way.  That was the tradition - Dunkin' Doughnuts every year while we sat and watched the balloons take off.If you've never been, it's definitely worth going even if you have to travel a bit to get here. Events will take place on September 1st, 2nd and 3rd You'll want to be there around 6:00am (I know, it's painful for those of us who are not morning people) and pack as many people possible into your car since there's plenty of traffic. Once you get there (to Memorial Park) there's plenty to see and do, including a varie... 08/31/2007

Here is a handy reference guide to the different MLS areas of Colorado Springs (and surrounding areas) and the general boundaries that define each of them. The first column is the code that the MLS uses to define the area. The second column explains what each code means and what the approximate boundaries are, as what school districts can be found in some of the more residential areas.BLABlack Forest - Northeast of Colorado Springs, Northeast of Woodmen Rd and Powers Blvd. (D-20 Schools)BRIBriargate- North Colorado Springs. North of Woodmen, with Powers as a rough eastern boundary, 1-25 as the Western Boundary and Old Ranch Rd as the Northern Boundary. (D-20 Schools)C/RCalhan/Ramah - East of PeytonCCVCripple Creek & Victor - Way up in the MountainsCENCentral - Downtown and slightly east... 08/31/2007

What IS that giant looming to the North of Greenhaven?It is the new Falcon, School District 49 High School. We have been watching it grow and grow over the past few months. How big IS it going to get?? I do not know ... yet.I have heard that the proposed set up will have the parking lot to the North of the building and the football stadium will be North of that, so the residents of Greenhaven will be far removed from the "Friday Night Lights". The soccer fields and baseball diamonds and tennis courts will be to the West of the school.Templeton Gap is proposed to be built all the way through to the school (before the new High School opens in 2008) - acting as the main thoroughfare to and from the school. This will leave Black Forest Road a bit quieter, at least for now.I have heard that ... 08/29/2007

Most of my clients have heard me say it many times...real estate is a local phenomena and what may be true in one market is usually not true in another. Despite all the gloom and doom from some of those in the media and elsewhere, more than halfway through 2007 the current real estate market correction has not brought the slash & burn market devastation to the Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Region that many had predicted. In fact, 2007 looks to be on its way to being among the top years in the Pikes Peak Region. Many of you will remember one of my newsletters from last year when I spoke about the national housing market study that evaluated how much markets across the United States were over or undervalued. In that newsletter I addressed the "bubble theory" and the fact that unlike are... 08/27/2007

There's a new kid on the block. Or should I say, new kids on the block.There is a new school in Colorado Springs, the 21st Century Charter School  (grades K - 10), located at 525 East Costilla. The 21st Century Charter Schools are sponsored by the GEO (Greater Educational Opportunities) Foundation.  The principal is Kurt Walker, a former Classical Academy teacher and Teacher of the Year. You can learn more about the school by visiting the 21st Century Charter School website.Additional information about the GEO Foundation can be obtained by visiting the U.S. Department of Education website.21st Century Charter School of Colorado Springs525 East Costilla StreetColorado Springs, CO 80903(719) 570-7575 08/26/2007