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Visit Colorado Springs

55 ways to enjoy visiting Colorado Springs

For a Free Colorado Springs Relocation Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com

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Since I used to be in tourism and hospitality before I got into real estate, I always keep a pulse on what’s going on with different tourist attractions in the city and continue to be a member of the Colorado Springs Convention and Tourism Bureau. Since I’ve lived in the area for over 30 years, I still enjoy visiting some of the attractions and usually have family come visit 3 or 4 times year; hence the new attractions list they published was a good reminder for me of the many things to do in the area.

There were even some things on the list that I didn’t know about, like the Wind Walker Challenger Course at the Cave of the Winds and the Olive Tap store in Manitou Springs.

They’ve put together a fun promotion called 55 attractions in 5 days.  Sounds like an amazingly crazy schedule, but as I looked through options it did look like it was doable.

Here’s the link to 55 attractions in 55 days in Colorado Springs

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Kathy (719-287-1049)    KTorline@msn.com

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97% high school graduation rates are possible

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There are many different ways to evaluate Colorado Springs schools, but one measurement is the graduation rate.    The percentages are based on a federal formula that takes the number of students receiving a regular diploma  divided by the number of students who started 9th grade + students transferred in – students transferred out.  Graduation rates are one indicator of whether the local Colorado Springs public school system is doing what it is intended to do: enroll, engage, and educate youth.

The complete reports are on the Colorado Department of Education web site, and you can download the data into an Excel Spreadsheet.    For someone who loves statistics (which is me),  it’s full of amazing information including the graduation rates by gender and by race; and you can even pull data by each High School in the districts.   As an example, in District 11, Mitchell High School has a Read the rest of this entry »

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Neighborhood Profile — Historic Homes in the Old North End

Homes in North End are in the Central Area in Colorado Springs

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Zip Code 80903 & 80907

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Single Family Homes in Old North End were primarily built from 1901 to 1981, with an average age built in the 1920’s.  The majority of the houses are 2-stories and ranches, 2-3 baths, downtown turret 10 percentwith 0 – 2 car garages, both attached and detached.

The Old North End housing market continues to be a BUYERS Market, as there is currently a 16 month of supply of homes on the market.   A 6 month supply of houses on the market is considered a “NEUTRAL MARKET”.

Here’s a quick summary of the 2011 Real Estate Market for North End

  • Average Pricing decreased by 43% from 2011 to 2010
  • Number of homes sold decreased by 53% from 2011 to 2010
  • Days on Market decreased by 5% from 2011 to 2010
  • Price per FINISHED square feet decreased by 3% from 2011 to 2010

The area is located in Central Colorado Springs, between Fillmore and Uintah, East and West of Nevada.  There are several parks in the area, including Monument Valley Park The school District is District 11; and the majority of students to go Steele Grade School, North Junior High and Palmer High School.   The neighborhood is close to Downtown Colorado Springs, Patty Jewett Golf Course, and Penrose Hospital.

Year

Price

Total Sold

Average Price per FINISHED square foot

Average Days on Market

Average Sold Per Month

2011

310932

14

$143

132

1.20

2010

$546,098

30

$164

133

2.50

2009

$282,417

9

$151

83

.75

2008

$219,127

13

$146

147

1.08

2007

$230,058

23

$148

122

1.92

2006

$255,873

32

$160

108

2.67

2005

$283,208

30

$143

98

2.50

2004

$297,817

24

$147

46

2.00

This Colorado Springs Real Estate report contains information on Single Family Homes in The North End.

This information is taken from the Pikes Peak Realtor Services Corp and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com

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Cash continues to drive the REO Market

Cash is still King

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There was an interesting article in DS News about how cash investors are pushing down prices.  According to a quote in this article “In December 2011, data collected for the HousingPulse hill drive missing sinkSurvey shows that the overall proportion of cash buyers in the housing market surged to a record 33.2 percent, up from 29.6 percent a year earlier.”  There is also a Press Release put out by Campbell, that essentially was repeated by DS News.

I did a quick calculation of Colorado Springs home transactions for 2011 and came up with the following information on what type of financing was used for home purchases in the area;

Cash 19%

Conventional Financing  31%

FHA Financing  19%

VA Financing  31%

One of the reasons that the numbers are different from the national average  in the Colorado Springs Housing market, could be because of the strong military presence in the area which is shown by the 30% of home buyers that use VA financing.

This article has several key points on why Read the rest of this entry »

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Limited Service Listing

Can a Colorado Springs For Sale By Owner put their property in the MLS if they don’t have a Realtor?

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Home owners who have decided not to use a Realtor to sell their Colorado Springs Home used to be able to pay a small fee to some Limited Service real estate companies and list their home on the Pikes Peak MLS.    Due to some recent commission statements by the Colorado Springs Real Estate Commission, this is no longer an option.

The Colorado Real Estate Commission, periodically issues Commission Statements to clarify their positions on certain topics.

CP-36 is a Commission Statement on Minimum Service Requirements of a Realtor. My understanding is that the statement came as a result of complaints that had been received by the GetAttachmentReal Estate Commission about the minimum services a Realtor must provide

The statements details the minimum requirements which are exactly the same as the requirements a Realtor uses in the Exclusive Right to Buy document and the Exclusive Right to List document. The statements goes onto to say “A broker is not allowed to solely perform “additional” services which require a real estate broker’s license, i.e. offering the real property of another for sale through advertisements, without providing the minimum duties required by single agency or transaction brokerage.

Essentially a home seller can ask a Realtor to “just list their property in the MLS’ and the homeowner will take care of everything else, including negotiating the contract and receiving the Earnest Money.   If a Realtor does this, they are in direct violation of CP-36.

I’m not completely sure why this commission statement was instituted, but in my opinion every Colorado Realtor by terms of their license is held to  minimum duties required to be performed by a real estate broker; and if the only thing a Realtor is doing for a seller is putting the home in the MLS, the Realtor is not performing the minimum duties required.  Some of the duties required are:

  • Presenting all offers to and from the seller or landlord in a timely manner regardless of whether the property is subject to a contract for sale or a lease or letter of intent to lease;
  • Accounting in a timely manner for all money and property received
  • Counseling the seller or landlord as to any material benefits or risks of a transaction which are actually known by the broker;  Advising the seller or landlord to obtain expert advice
  • Seeking a price and terms which are acceptable to the buyer or tenant; except that the broker shall not be obligated to seek other properties while the buyer is a party to a contract to purchase property or while the tenant is a party to a lease or letter of intent to lease;

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Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com

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Don’t Assume anything in Real Estate Series, #1

I’ve decided to start a new Series, Don’t Assume Anything in Real Estate.

This series is really just a bunch of random articles about the many assumptions buyers and sellers make when selling, leasing, or purchasing a home.

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You aren’t under contract yet!

Some buyers are under the mistaken impressions that once they write an offer on their dream home, or their first investment property,  they are under contract to purchase the home.   This 3273162is definitely not correct.

After they put together their offer, their Buyer’s Agent submits the offer to a Listing Agent, and the offer is then presented to the seller.    The seller has many options on how they respond.

  1. They can reject the offer and not respond.
  2. They can counter the offer
  3. Or they can accept the offer.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING Read the rest of this entry »

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Neighborhood Profile — Downtown Colorado Springs

Homes in Downtown Colorado Springs are in the Central Area of the city

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Zip Code 80903

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Single Family Homes in Downtown Colorado Springs were primarily built from 1890 to 1924, with an average age built in the 1910’s.  The majority of the houses are ranches and 2 stories, 1-2 baths, with 2 – 4 bedrooms, 1-2 car detached garage.

The Downtown Colorado Springs housing market continues to be a BUYERS Market, as there is currently a 8 month of supply of homes on the market.   A 6 month supply of houses on the market is considered a “NEUTRAL MARKET”.

Here’s a quick summary of the 2011 Real Estate Market for Downtown Colorado Springs Read the rest of this entry »

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11 areas to find Colorado Springs Historic properites

Where are the Historic Homes in Colorado Springs?

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There are many neighborhoods in Colorado Springs with Historic homes, but these are some of the prime areas:

1. Old Colorado CityIMG_4272 light fixture

  • Location: Historic West side of Colorado Springs
  • Year Built: 1890 to 1920
  • Currently 10 properties for sale built before 1940
  • Price Range: $89,000 to $369,900
  • Average Price: $172,770

2. Colorado City

  • Location: South of Uintah, between 30th and 21st
  • Year Built: 1887 to 1923 to 1920
  • Currently 4 properties for sale built before 1940
  • Price Range: $74,900 to $279,000
  • Average Price: $158475

3.  Downtown Central

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Are Colorado Springs short sale disclosed?

Colorado Spring Short Sales are now disclosed

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Every MLS around the US, and in Colorado, has their own policy about short sale and how these are disclosed in the local Multiple Listing Service.   The MLS that serves the Colorado Springs area, (PPAR) recently made a change in their rules to reflect a change in their policy regarding short sales.   In the past, it was an optional disclosure in the Pikes Peak area.    As of January 1, PPAR now requires that Listing Agents disclose if a property is a short sale and if the seller has signed the Short Sale Addendum, which is required by Colorado Real Estate Law.

The following policy was adopted by the RSC Board of Directors on November 17, 2011: “The listing broker shall, on each listing filed with the PPMLS, disclose to other Participants whether a Colorado Real Estate Commission Short Sale Addendum has been signed by the seller. Such disclosure shall be made upon submission of the listing to the PPMLS. If a Short Sale Addendum is signed after the listing is submitted to the PPMLS then disclosure must be made within 72 hours of the time the seller has signed the Short Sale Addendum and for the purposes of enforcement this disclosure shall also be treated as a status change pursuant to Section 1.6 of the RSC Rules and Regulations.

Since this change has been made, there is now a new field that is required in the PPAR database when listings are being entered, “ShortSale Addendum Signed by Seller.   This is a sortable field, both by Realtors and the public.   As I’ve written before, short sales are not the right fit for every buyer, for many buyers and investors,  they may be the perfect option.

One important thing to note:   One of the many challenges about Listing Properties, is that if the property is priced at a certain price it is not a short sale.  But if an offer comes in on the property that is 10% less than the original Listing price, this could change the status of the property from a “Normal Listing” to a Short Sale.      Hence, in this case mentioned above, a property wouldn’t be listed as a Short Sale, since when it was listed at the current price, it was not a short sale.   Sound confusing?  It is!

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To find out more information about buying a home or Short Sale Home in Colorado Springs area, call ….

Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com

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Neighborhood Profile, Gleneagle near the Air Force Academy

Homes in Gleneagle are in the Northgate Area in Colorado Springs, near the Air Force Academy

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Zip Code 80921

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Here’s a quick summary of the 2011 Real Estate Market for GlenEagle

  • Pricing increased by 1% in 2011 to 2010.
  • Number of homes sold decreased by 13% from 2011 to 2010.
  • Days on Market increased by 28% in 2011 to 2010.
  • Price per FINISHED square foot decreased by 5% in 2001 to 2010.

Single family homes in Gleneagle in the Northgate area currently range in price from Read the rest of this entry »

5 things to consider when buying a Historic Home in Colorado Springs

 Purchase a piece of history in Colorado Springs

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 If buying a Historic home in Colorado Springs is in your dreams, then you’ve come to the right place… I love hiIMG_4274 bathtubstoric homes

Here’s a list of 5 things to consider when buying a historic home.

  1. Has the electric been updated?   New electric panel?  Updated wiring?

Power use today is very different from the early 1900’s. 

Older electrical panels typically that lack the number of circuits to operate the microwave, toaster oven, computer, garbage disposal, washer etc. without tripping the breakers or blowing fuses.   Most newer houses have 200 Amp service, 3-wire electric circuits, fully grounded receptacles, lots of outlets and ground fault interrupters in kitchens, baths and laundry areas.

2. How about the plumbing?   Is their copper plumbing in the house?

Galvanized piping consists of steel pipe, dipped in zinc to provide corrosion resistance.   This coating gradually coating wears off and the steel piping corrodes from the inside out. The corroded piping increases the risk for leakage and can result in low water flow to the plumbing fixtures.

Galvanized piping is often found in older homes; and it has a reputation for Read the rest of this entry »

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Build a good team

Colorado Springs Real Estate Investors need a good team

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Since I’m a real estate investor, as well as many of clients are also investors, I’ve continued to realized how important it is to have a team of people to help you when you are an investor.

Henry Ford was famous for saying he did not know all the answers, but knew where to find them. An investment team is no different. You don’t have to know all the real estate answers, just know where to find them.

Here’s a quick list of some of the professionals you may want to have on your team:IMG_0262

  1. Real Estate lawyer
    1. Tenant issues, leases, evictions, etc.  
    2. Ownership of the property.   LLC, Corporate, etc.
  2. Home Inspector
  3. CPA/Accountant
  4. Insurance Agent
    1. Make sure you know what your policy covers and does not cover.  Also, not all insurance policies will cover a property when it is going thru substantial renovation and is vacant
    2. Also, it’s good to have a name you can refer renters to; as you want any renters to have renter’s insurance
  5. Contractors
    1. Overall handyman/carpenter
    2. Painter
    3. Flooring installation and purchase
    4. Flooring refinishing for wood floors
    5. Cabinetry, including countertops
    6. Landscaping
    7. House Cleaner
    8. Plumber
    9. HVAC
    10. Roofer Pest Control

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To find out more information about buying a home or an investment property in Colorado Springs area, call ….

Kathy (719-287-1049)   KTorline@msn.com

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Are foreclosures down?

Have foreclosures decreased in Colorado? 

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Here’s some of the facts about Colorado Springs Foreclosures, according to a recent article by RealtyTrac:active 4 great smokey pic

  • One out of every 168 households in Colorado were in some stage of foreclosure  (The national average of one out of every 213 homes in some stage of foreclosures)
  • Boulder showed the lowest foreclosure rate of major cities in Colorado, with one out of every 342 households in some stage of foreclosure
  • In the Denver-Aurora metropolitan statistical areas, one out of every 156 households were in some stage of foreclosure
  • Nevada posted the nation’s highest state foreclosure rate — one in every 44 housing units with a foreclosure filing in the third quarter
  • Colorado Springs has one out of every 171 households in some stage of foreclosure, a decrease of 24% from last year

According to the reports on the El Paso Public Trustee’s Web Site; there are 334 NEW foreclosure starts in August 2011 (year-to-date) vs. 427 for the same month in 2010.  There have been a total of 2315 NEW foreclosures in 2011 vs. 3200 for the same period number last year.   The statistics show that the numbers are definitely down.

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Kathy (719-287-1049)   KTorline@msn.com

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Neighborhood Profile, Historic Homes in East End Addition in Colorado Springs

Homes in East End Addition are in the Central Area in Colorado Springs

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Zip Code 80909

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Single Family Homes in EAST END ADDITION were primarily built from 1928 to 1953, with an average age built in the 1940’s.  The majority of the houses are ranches, 1-2 baths, with 2 – 4 bedrooms, 1-2 car garages, both attached and detached.  

The East End Addition housing market continues to be a BUYERS Market, as there is currently a 7.5 month of supply of homes on the market.   A 6 month supply of houses on the market is considered a “NEUTRAL MARKET”.  

Here’s a quick summary of the 2010 and 2011 Real Estate Market for East End AdditionIMG_7621 EAST END ADDITION

  • Pricing decreased by 3% from 2010 to 2009.  Pricing has increased by 13% in 2011.
  • Number of homes sold decreased by 12% from 2010 to 2009
  • Days on Market decreased by 150% from 2010 to 2009.   Days on market has continued to decrease in 2011.
  • Price per FINISHED square feet decreased by 1% from 2010 to 2009, and it has continued to increase in 2011.

The area is located in Central Colorado Springs,  east of Hancock, west of Union, North of Pikes Peak Avenue, South of Unitah The school District is Read the rest of this entry »

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3 reasons to get building permits

3 reasons to get a Building Permit in Colorado Springs

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Some people complain about getting a building permit from the local code enforcement office for changing something in their house, erecting a deck, adding a garage or making any other improvement to their property.   I think it’s very important to get permits.  

Before you start your next home improvement project, here’s 3 reasons to get a building permit:

  1. It might be a law that if you make enhancements of a certain nature to your property you must get a building permit to begin the work.
  2. The permit keeps everyone honest.  There won’t be any shortcuts by the contractor that might affect your investment or safety.    If there have been shortcuts that affectlayer uid 1599038 safety, the code enforcement officer would typically find it.
  3. You get free inspections of the work the contractor does.   The code enforcement officer typically comes out to check the work and to ensure the work is up to code.   Wouldn’t you prefer to know about problems on your your remodeling project?   Especially before you make the final payment to your contractor.

As an example, we’re currently getting the electric panel upgraded on a Colorado Springs rental house that my husband and I own.  Even though we’ve done our homework on the contractor we’ve hired, we won’t know if the work is “up to code”, as we’re not trained electricians.   Pikes Peak Regional Building will come out and inspect the work to make sure it meets code requirements.  It certainly gives me peace of mind.

According to information on the Pikes Peak Regional Building web site, “The main goal of the Department is to safeguard life and limb, health, property and public welfare by regulating and controlling the design, construction, quality of materials, use and occupancy, location and maintenance of all buildings and structures within all zoned areas of El Paso County through the enforcement of minimum building code standards.”

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  • Kathy (719-287-1049)   KTorline@msn.com
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    District 11 continues to be the biggest

    School Districts Colorado Springs school districts vary from big to little

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    With school now officially back in season, I thought it’d be a good time to provide you with the some general information about the local Colorado Springs school districts.  Also, While driving, don’t forget to watch out for all our little citizens as they make their way back to their local school after their summer vacations.

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    Academy School District 20 

    • Schools:  31
    • Students:  22,229

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    Private schools in Colorado Springs provide options

    Private schools in Colorado Springs

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    One of the many factors involved in relocating to a new area are the schools and the quality of education.   There are many good schools districts in Colorado Springs, but I often have people ask me about the private schools; hence I thought I’d put together this info to share.   This is only a partial list, but it does include the larger Private Schools in Colorado Springs.  Also, as part of the research of putting together this article, I found a great web site on Private Schools, www.privateschoolreview.com.  The site includes info on the number of students, number of teachers, teacher-student ratio, tuition cost; and much more.

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    Colorado Springs School

    • Age 3 – grade 12
    • www.css.org
    • Location:  Southwest side of town

    Catholic Schools of Colorado springs

    Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind

    Evangelical Christian Academy

    Pikes Peak Christian School

    Fountain Valley School

    Colorado Springs Christian School

    • Pre-k thru 12
    • cscslions.org
    • Location:  North and Woodland Park

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    To find out more information about buying a home or an investment property in Colorado Springs area, call ….

    Kathy (719-287-1049)   KTorline@msn.com

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    Pricing is increasing the Monument Area

    Monument Colorado Housing, Single Family

    Neighborhoods Include:  Palmer Lake, Woodmoor, King’s Deer

    Zip code 80132

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    sales price 6 30 2011

    Here’s a quick summary of the Real Estate Market for Monument

    • Pricing increased by 1% from 2010 to 2009
    • Number of homes sold decreased by 2% from 2010 to 2009
    • Days on Market decreased by 10 % from 2010 to 2009
    • Sales units have decreased in 2011 but pricing has increased.

    Most Expensive Read the rest of this entry »

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    Rents keep rising

    Colorado Springs rents are on the rise

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    The Apartment Association of Southern Colorado put out a quarterly document about Apartment rents and vacancies on a quarterly basis.   It’s a great document, any for anyone interest in buying Investment Properties in Colorado Springs, it’s well worth reading.  Here’s some of the highlights of the report:

    • Median rent was $ 740.15 for the second quarter of 2011 compared to $714.14 for the first quarter of 2011. 
    • The Colorado Springs vacancy rate is the lowest in the Southwest and the highest in the Security/Widefield/Fountain area.
    • The highest average rent is in the Northwest and the lowest average rent is in Security/Widefield Fountain Area.
    • The average rent for an efficiency apartment is $568 vs. the average rent for a two bedroom/two bath apartment is $945.38
    • If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Subscribe to be notified of the next one? 

      To find out more information about buying a home or an investment property in Colorado Springs area, call ….

      Kathy (719-287-1049)   KTorline@msn.com

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    Old Colorado City sales remain strong

    Colorado Springs Housing Market Report for Old Colorado City Homes, Single Family

    Neighborhoods Include:  Crown Hill Mesa, Colorado City, and Old Colorado City

    Zip code 80904, 80905, 80903

    Search for homes in Old Colorado City Area Colorado Springs

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    Here’s a quick summary of the Real Estate Market for Old Colorado City Area Colorado Springs as of June 30, 2011

    Sales 6 30 2011

    • Pricing increased by 1% from 2010 to 2009
    • Number of homes sold decreased by 10% from 2010 to 2009
    • Days on Market increased by 10% from 2010 to 2009, and days on market has continued to increase in 2011.
    • Pricing has decreased 5% from 2011 to 2010

    Most Read the rest of this entry »

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