Colorado Springs Home Sales Jump Again!

Preliminary data indicates Colorado Springs home sales jumped 19.1% over 2008 for the month of October. While prices did not keep up (Average was down 7.2%, median down 1.1%), it does reflect the continuing improvement in our market. Factors contributing to the uptick are the continued impact of troops arriving at Ft Carson, the $8,000 First Time Home Buyers Credit (currently scheduled to expire 11/30/09), and terrific interest rates, still in 5% territory.

Today's photo was taken last week from our office, just after one of the snows we had. We've got a warm (60's) and dry forecast for the week, a welcome change from the cool and snowy October we had.

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 People Are Special

One of my clients who just moved here to Colorado Springs from another state made an interesting comment to me yesterday. He said something to the effect 'we are more settled here in 4 weeks than we were in our old house in 4 years'. He went on to say how well the place just seemed to 'fit'. I hear similar stories a lot, and I believe one of the big factors are the people. It was a big draw for us in moving here 18 years ago, and I believe it is still one of the big strengths today. They already had met all of their neighbors, not by going to door to door, but by simply being there when people came over to introduce themselves. We had lunch with some other clients earlier in the week, and she had just had a hip replacement. Their neighbors had all banded together to bring them meals, and they actually had to ask for a break because there was so much food brought. I know that people help each other in many places, but the fact is that in many places they don't. Here in the Springs, it's one of those places where people really do help each other, and to me, that makes the people special.

The monsoon is back up and running after a short break, the afternoon cool downs and rain are such a treat, I'll miss this summer when it is over!

Today's photo was taken in April, but I always love the view of Pikes Peak with some aspect of Garden of the Gods in it. That is the famous Kissing Camels in the foreground.

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!

Living Like a Tourist in Colorado Springs

I don't know where the expression 'live like a tourist' really comes from, but I like it. It has the connotation to me that every day we should take a little vacation, experience some of the joys that we all tend to get a lot more of while we are not at work, and that are unique to our locale. Yesterday morning I had a couple of extra minutes while I was out running some errands, and stopped by the Garden of the Gods and took a couple of pictures. Our summer visitors don't tend to get to see Pikes Peak with a fresh mantle of white, and in a month or 2 neither will we until next fall, so I thought I'd try to catch it after our slushy snow on Easter Sunday. This shot was taken at the Garden of the Gods Visitors Center, and is probably one of the most commonly taken photos of Pikes Peak. This free city park is a great place to come for a short (or long) walk, bring a sandwich for lunch (or coffee for breakfast, you name it). In short, it' really a great place to live like a tourist!

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

Hospitals shouldn't be thought of as resorts or hotels or anything, but with a view like this, you can see why someone might get them confused. Today's photo is of the view of Pikes Peak from Colorado Springs city owned Memorial Hospital Central. Some of the rooms in the upper stories can even see the Garden of the Gods. We've spent some extra time there this week for my mother in law. After a very successful shoulder replacement, she developed some other issues that have resulted in her needing to be readmitted for a while.
She started out at the Emergency Room at Memorial North (at Union and Briargate Parkway), which was so close to our house in Briargate that I actually walked home while my wife stayed with her longer. Unfortunately, due to her need for kidney dialysis, they have had to move her to Central (there is no renal unit at North), so we are back to the extra 20+ minutes of driving each way to visit her. This commute is about to improve, as the overpass of Austin Bluffs over Union is done, and the "cone zone" almost ready to completely disappear. That has been a long time coming, but should really speed up both the north-south and east-west flow of traffic. Memorial Central is right next to the Olympic Training Center (at Boulder and Union), and is a landmark building here.

The forecast snow never did show up, but the cold did! It is a brisk 28 degrees or so out this morning, and even colder forecast overnight tonight.

Apparently Colorado Springs is not the only place where sales actually increased on a year to year basis last month. The National Association of Realtors, in figures just released today, is now saying that sale of existing homes increased last month over the prior year across the whole country, and especially the West. Seasonally adjusted data shows a 1.4% increase, with a whopping 34.4% in the Western region. When seasonal adjustments are ignored, the West was up 42.9%. The corresponding number for our local market was 9.6% (ignoring new construction and seasonal adjustments), but still, these are very good numbers.

In the story behind the numbers, what seems to be happening is an increased recognition by investors and home buyers alike, that people still need homes. In addition, it has become obvious that the stock market is not any safer than real estate as an investment vehicle (and maybe a whole lot less so), and there is an increasing conviction that prices and interest rates will not stay this low forever, or for that matter, even much longer.

Today's photo was taken last Sunday 10/19 at Parliament Park in Briargate. The leaves really got blown down a lot in the days immediately after this was taken.

My mother-in-law had another surgery this week. The health care system in Colorado Springs is really quite good, we have been very pleased with the care she has received for her many maladies. We are starting to call her the Bionic Grandma, as this was her 3rd joint replacement (hip, knee and now shoulder)! We now have 4 regular hospitals (Penrose Main, Memorial Central, Penrose - St Francis North, and Memorial North), in addition to military hospitals and some specialized care facilities. Memorial North is only 1 1/2 years old, and Penrose - St Francis North is only a couple of months old.
After this week's wild ride in the stock market, interest rates settled back down to 6.5%, and gas prices dropped to $2.85. While that is small consolation to anyone selling stock at the bottom, it is a pleasant side effect for everyone else, even "Joe the Plumber" :-)
Today's photo is of Pikes Peak last Sunday morning, taken from the Shops at Briargate. I love the 1st snows on the Peak.

Normally when I think of fall colors, I think aspen trees. But lately, fields of purple wild flowers have been blooming all over the Colorado Springs area, so I thought I had better get a picture or 2 before they fade. The above shots were taken yesterday at the corner of Union and Briargate Parkway, kitty corner from the new Memorial Hospital north campus. There is a large (100+ acres) open space that eventually is supposed to be a park. For now, it is used primarily by joggers, and in the winter the kids love to sled down the hill if there is enough snow. The building in the center is Academy International Elementary, the designated elementary school for school district 20 's International Baccalaureate (IB) program. It is very popular, one of the more difficult ones to "choice" into, as it is also the neighborhood school for the Summerfield area, an established neighborhood where prices range from the low 300's to the low 400's.

Even at a place as beautiful as the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak dominates the scenery in Colorado Springs. We've had a big chunk of our cloudy day budget for the year in the last week, and this shot was one of those weird days when the south side of town was sunny, and the north was foggy / cloudy. I got this shot of the peak right at the break point. I don't remember snow showing up in August (and of course it is gone now), so this was also some evidence it really happened.
The news is talking about dates and schedules for our withdrawal from Iraq, but at Fort Carson, we still have more deployments happening, including the 2nd BCT of the 4th ID (approximately 3800 troops?) beginning to ship out as early as next week. I know it is selfish of me, but I'd really like to see this thing wind down. Yesterday I wrote an offer for a client whose son is being deployed. He is so close in age to that of my own kids, and I'm sure it will all be fine, but I know he'll be missed by his new wife and extended family while he is gone.

The rain has stopped here in Colorado Springs, but you still can't see the Peak, so I thought I'd throw in another sunrise shot from earlier this past week.
I watched the Olympics women's Marathon yesterday, and it reminded me that the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon was supposed to be this weekend. I say supposed to be, because they had to call the Ascent off half way through it, after a combination of lightening and snow made it too unsafe. To run 26 miles on a pancake flat course is amazing. To run it up and down a 14,110 ft mountain is almost incomprehensible, especially in bad weather!

Not every day is gorgeous here in Colorado Springs, but almost every day is. Today's photo is of Pikes Peak, taken again from Palmer Park a couple of mornings ago. The forecast is for cooler, wet weather, and maybe even snow above 10,000 feet (Pikes Peak is 14,110). It will be nice to have that coat of white on the top again. Generally it is gone from June 1 to September 1, but it varies year by year, and some years we have had snow visible in July. With changing weather and lighting, it is easy to see why most of us like to soak in this view more than once a day, it is captivating!

It has been really dry in Colorado Springs this spring. The little bit of moisture we got on Wednesday was the first in a while, it wasn't much, and by late afternoon it was sunny and nice. The saying is that we have 300 days of sun. The other 65 are when your friends, family or other important visitors or outdoor plans are scheduled. The forecast is warming up, we should see mid 80's over the next several days. You can see from today's photo (taken yesterday at the Shops at Briargate), the snowpack on Pikes Peak is starting to fade. With some really warm weather on tap, it could be gone within the week, which is pretty normal. It comes back in September, when we usually get the first dusting again. This morning's Gazette rainfall statistics reported month to date rain as only .4", compared to a normal May of 2.23". Year to date, we are at less than 50% of normal. It only takes one "frog choking rain" to catch that up sometimes, but these are some low numbers. Good thing most of our water actually comes from the mountains further west. We had a good winter for snow, so we won't be short on water, at least this year.

When you live in Colorado Springs, you don't have to use up a LOT of gas to get out and have some fun in the outdoors. Yesterday we took part of our holiday weekend to do a hike up at the Florissant Fossil beds National Monument, and then stopped in Cripple Creek for a little while before heading back. Both are around a 1 hour drive from here.

The weather was great. While it was in the low 80's in the Springs, it was in the low 60's in Cripple Creek. We got plenty of sun and exercice, and even managed to catch a shot of some deer on one one the trails.

How much cheaper is it to live in Colorado Springs than other towns? This mornings Gazette covered a story from the Council for Community and Economic Research showing Colorado Springs as 7.9% below the national average for cost of living. While we have always been a little below the national average, it is usually less than 5% below, so I was a little curious what they attributed it to. Turns out our gas prices did not jump quite as fast as some other areas of the country during the 1st quarter, and that was a big item. I went to Bankrate.com to see their cost of living calculator, and did a quick compare with San Bernardino California (we get a lot of Californians who come here to get away from the crowds. It was fascinating to see that, at least in this analysis, they indicate a family making $80,000 a year there, can live just as well for less than $60,000 here. The cost of housing seems to make a big difference. While I am not convinced the differences are quite THAT much, I know that many who come here find they can live better, for less.

Today's photo is from the green belt above the Old Farm area, where I just listed a 1900 sf 4bed 3 bath home for $219,900 .

Views are kind of important in Colorado Springs. For one thing, you get kind of spoiled when you see what great views are available. It is also sort of mesmerizing to see how the weather, light and angles all come into play into making a great view. View can add value to a home, it for sure adds a lot of pleasure when you have it from your back deck, or through a large picture window
This shot of Pikes Peak was taken from the back deck of one of my new listings in the very north part of Briargate. This is a particularly interesting little section, actually called Kittyhawk, that really predates the rest of Briargate. The lots are a bit bigger, and the trees more mature. It is also affordable. The home this one was taken at is only $325,000, and was pretty heavily updated, while the newer homes surrounding this neighborhood are typically in the upper 300's to low 400's for the same finished square footage. Check out more information here:
http://www.ricksellscolorado.com/Listings/antietam_2621/antietam_2621.htm.
For a virtual tour, try this link:
http://www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?T=1415025

It was a little sad to see the official announcement of the closure of Penrose Community Hospital this coming August. I suppose it was inevitable, with the St Francis Medical north campus opening at Woodmen and Powers, there are only so many beds really needed. We have made good use of that old building in the 16 plus years we've been here. Our 2nd grandchild was born there, and we've spent many a sleepless night in the ER with various family members. Our first visit to the ER there was almost 17 years ago, during our first week in Colorado Springs!

The new hospitals are good too though. The new Memorial Hospital which will celebrate it's first anniversary this year is a really quite something, and so convenient for our family here in Briargate. Our 3rd grandchild will be born there in February. The new St Francis Medical Center is gorgeous as well, and I know everyone will love it when it opens in August of '08.

Todays photo of Pike Peak was taken Sunday from the new Chili's at Powers and Union, and shows the new Memorial Hospital in the foreground.

Typical winter weather these last couple of days, sunny with 30's and 40's, and great scenery. Someone asked "How will we really know when the market has turned the corner?". The only way to really know is when sales and prices reflect a turnaround by increasing. The problem with that is, it will have already happened at that point. There are some secondary indicators. Inventory, as an example, after seasonally dipping to 5,385 units at the end of December, has only increased by 50 units or so since then, a very good sign. Pending and Under Contract (show for backup) sales already exceed last months closings, and while this figure is not closely tracked, shows some strength in the market. Showings, at least at our firm, are on a very healthy upward trend. Interest rates were at 5 5/8% this morning, a very good sign of good things to come.

Today's Pikes Peak photo was taken New Year's Day.

Fort Carson just keeps getting bigger. The latest announcement (yesterday) is that a new brigade (just under 5,000 troops) will be posted here, bringing the planned headcount up to 30,000 within the next 5 years. Now keep in mind that we have been waiting for a couple of years already for the last contingent that was announced to arrive (they aren't really here yet), so this is great news, but for later. When they do arrive, it will be mostly through the Colorado Springs Airport and/or Peterson Air Force Base (they share the runways), and todays photo is the view from the airport that they will likely be seeing, taken last Saturday morning as we waited for a flight.

Pikes Peak must have gotten at least a little snow off this last storm, it looked mighty fine yesterday from the parking lot at New Life Church, so I snapped this one before going in. It is hard to believe we are expected to be in the upper 50's and low 60's again for much of the week, this is December after all.

Yesterday was the unofficial end of the season for the Broncos. While not mathematically out of it, they are for all intents and purposes, out of playoff contention. 4 turnovers? Yikes!

I now have a serious urge to play hooky and go skiing. I like a minimum of 25 inches of base, and Breckenridge finally has it. It might have to wait a few more days because, after all, there is work to do, but it won't be long now.

Yesterday's paper showed that we are now at 3.9% unemployment in the Springs. That is a great number, and will hopefully fuel the housing market again.

Into the 5's finally! Interest rates are finally starting to reflect the rate cuts at the Fed and Wall Street's maladies. While it may not last long, today's quote of 5 7/8% with minimal fees is the first foray we've had in this territory in quite a while. They say you can't time the market, and while that may be true to a point, the timing is right to take advantage of these great rates!!
I got a little excited about the storm that is on its way here - until I heard the 30 inches of snow that is forecast is primarily in the southwestern mountains (the San Juans) and we along the Front Range may only get some freezing rain, or worse, some freezing rain followed by a little snow to make it really slick. For now we'll enjoy the sunshine.

Todays Pikes Peak photo is from one of my listings on the west side from several years ago.