Air Conditioning Not Prevalent in Colorado Springs Homes

I've written about this one before, but in honor of the hottest day of the year so (yesterday) and the warm forecast this week (high 80's), I thought I'd talk about it again.

Many of our residents come from other places. In particular, those coming from Texas, Arizona, Florida, Virginia and California (to name a few) tend to ask that air conditioning be a 'must have' on their lists of homes for sale that they look at. The problem is, in Colorado Springs, it doesn't get used that often, and so many people who have homes built don't tend to have it installed. To double check on the current percentage with central, I ran a quick search, and as of today, only 30.5% of the single family homes for sale in Colorado Springs have central air conditioning.

Why doesn't central air get used that often? To start with, the warm weather season is a little short. As of today (June 23), we have not had a single day above 90, only 1 above 85. Secondly, our nights are very cool. Even this morning it was 58 degrees at 6:30, and the projected high is 88. Thirdly, our afternoon thunderstorms tend to cool things off in the afternoon and evening, and while they don't always do the job, more often than not, they take the temperature down 20 degrees as they roll through. Lastly, our humidity is low, so even a pretty warm day is a lot more bearable. After visiting Michigan last week when it was very humid, even though it wasn't hot by Michigan summer standards, it had me sweating pretty good!

Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784! Visit me on Facebook to see even more photos!

Colorado Springs Parks Are Pretty Special

I had breakfast with a client and old friend this morning, and when we were done, I thought I'd stop by one of the many city parks we have to take some wildflower photos. I am around the High Chaparral Open Space a lot (I do a fair amount of work in the Old Farm and Northeast areas of town), but I very seldom have a chance to just get out and enjoy it, so today it happened.
This park was funded with a special tax we have had for acquiring open space and keeping it from getting turned into subdivisions, parking lots or storage units, and I am SO glad it was! Part of General Palmer's philosophy when he founded the city of Colorado Springs was that we would have lots of park land, and it is true to this day. While a complete list and photo tour of them is not practical here, once in a while I think it is good to remember the great park heritage we have here! Click here for some more photos of the High Chaparral Open Space with it's views and wildflowers on my Facebook site.

The cool wet weather of the last few days has been replaced with the normal summer pattern of sunny cool mornings, and afternoon thunderstorms. Perfect for keeping things green and still enjoying the outdoors!

Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784!

Colorado Springs Real Estate Market Improved in May

Preliminary sales figures for the month of May show that Colorado Springs home sales improved, almost matching last years sales, down less than 1%. Prices firmed up as well, with the average (mean) jumping over 5% since April, and down only 12.2% from last May. The 'sale price to list price ratio' also jumped to 97.4%, closer to it's long term average. These are welcome statistics to those of us in the business, it has been a long time coming. We've still got a long way to go, but this is a real step in the right direction.

Today's photo of wildflowers was taken Saturday morning, a block from our house in Briargate. Perhaps not the best example, it still gives you a little idea of what I mean when I talk about the wildflowers blooming.

Got questions about living in Colorado Springs? Call me at 719-590-4768 or 888-568-6784!