Colorado Springs Vintage Homes Blog
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Pleasant View, homes in the forest
My Colorado Springs neighborhood pick of the week — Pleasant View
Search for Homes in Northgate in Pleasant View
Related Articles:
- Homes in Crystal Hills, hidden gems
- Mountain Shadows homes in the foothills
- Colorado Springs Neighborhoods – Pleasant Valley
- Colorado Springs Neighborhood — Pinon Valley
- Homes in Holland Park in West Colorado Springs
- Pinecliff Homes, Northwest Colorado Springs
Pleasant View homes are in a community that is located in North Colorado Springs, east of I-25, just south of Monument. The neighborhood is North of I-25 to Baptist Road, East of Baptist Road, Right on Tari.
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Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com
How to buy a Fort Carson HAP home, or a Peterson AFB Hap Home
Don’t forget about HAP homes
For a Free Colorado Springs Relocation Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
If you are buying a home around Peterson AFB, Schriever AFB, Fort Carson, or the Air Force Academy, you may want to know 
about HAP properties.
Related Articles:
- 6 BIG advantages of VA loans
- What is allowable for VA Seller Concessions?
- What are my housing choices near Fort Carson?
- Peterson AFB housing, what are my choices?
- 6 Key things to know about the Homeowners Assistance Program for Military families
HAP stands for Homeowner Assistance Program, and it is designed to help military service members sell homes that are worth less than they paid for it.
For example, if you are looking at a Colorado Springs home where the military seller owes $350,000 on the mortgage, and the home is only worth $300,000, this may be qualified for a HAP approved sale. If the seller qualifies, HAP will cover most of the mortgage loss at the time of sale, and allow you to buy it at it’s current market value. It’s important to note that this is not a traditional short sale and is not subject to lender(s) approval; consequently it doesn’t take nearly as long as a short sale.
HAP, which is run by the Army Corps of Engineers, assists military personnel who are PCSing (permanent change of station) with orders to a new base more than 50 miles away. To qualify Read the rest of this entry »
Tax Credit for military personnel
Tax Credit for military personnel
Must Read Posts:
- Government and Military are #1 employers in El Paso County
- Relocate to an Award Winning City in the Colorado Rockies
- Relocating, it’s all about the schools
- High Altitude Tips
- Moving to Colorado Springs, check out Zip Skinny
Military families stationed at Fort Carson, Peterson AFA, Schriever AFA, and the U.S. Air Force Academy and other military installations in the Colorado Springs Since Colorado Springs will be glad to learn that 
the First Time Home Owner Tax Credit has some wonderful additional benefits for the military. Here’s some of the highlights:
- Members of the military and certain other federal employees serving outside the U.S. have an extra year to buy a principal residence in the U.S. and qualify for the credit. Thus, an eligible taxpayer must buy, or enter into a binding contract to buy, a principal residence on or before April 30, 2011. If a binding contract is entered into by that date, the taxpayer has until June 30, 2011, to close on the purchase. Members of the uniformed services, members of the Foreign Service and employees of the intelligence community are eligible for this special rule. Read the rest of this entry »
10 things to know about Colorado real estate
What makes Colorado real estate different?
For a free Buyers Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
I recently took some accreditation classes in another state. It was eye-opening for me to understand how much the laws vary from state to state. Since a major portion of my business is from Internet leads and from people moving to Colorado Springs from other parts of the country, these classes were very helpful.
Some other articles that could be of interest:
- News Flash – Colorado Springs ranked Fittest City
- Moving to Colorado Springs, check out Zip Skinny
- El Paso County taxes are some of the lowest in the nation!
- Colorado Springs in ratings for Best Places to Start Over
Did you know ?
- Colorado is an “actual knowledge” state, which means as Colorado Realtors we only need to disclose facts that we know and we must disclosure material facts. Some states are “imputed knowledge states”, which means Realtors are expected to know certain things.
- Most Realtors in Colorado list properties for sale in their local MLS and ask for 1% for Earnest Money. Some areas in the U.S. ask closer to 10% for Earnest Money.
- The majority of Colorado Springs homes get listed in some type of MLS database; and many homes get listed in multiple MLS’s. There are some major cities in the U.S. that don’t have an MLS.
- Colorado doesn’t have dual agency. Many states still have dual agency. In Colorado you can only be an agent for either the Buyer or the Seller, you can not be an agent for both. Read the rest of this entry »
Beware, it’s lightening time in Colorado Springs
Did you know that Colorado and Florida lead the way for the most lightening related deaths last year?
For a Free Colorado Springs Relocation Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
I work with many people who are looking at relocating to Colorado Springs, and tho
ught it would be a good idea to do a quick blog about lightening in Colorado. Colorado has an average of 16 lightening related injuries a year and 3 deaths a year, all due to lightening. For those statistics people out there, there is a entire web site devoted to lightening to Colorado.
When thunder roars, go indoors!
It’s such a serious problem in Colorado, Governor Ritter has proclaimed a week in June the Colorado Lightning Safety and Wildfire Awareness Week. Here’s some facts about lightening in Colorado:
-
Thunderstorms are most likely from April to September, peaking in July. Though mountain thunderstorms are most common during mid afternoon, the first lightning strikes can occur before noon.
- Fifty percent of all known Colorado lightning casualties happen in one of four places: on mountain summits, under a lone tree, in wide-open areas and on lakes.
Lighting safety suggestions:
- If you hear thunder, go inside a building or get inside a hard-topped vehicle.
- If you are outside, avoid open spaces. Don’t be the tallest object in an area.
- Stay away from isolated trees, towers, or utility poles.
- Stay away from metal conductors including fences and wires; lightening can travel a long distance through metal.
- Make yourself as small as possible. Never lie flat on the ground.
If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Subscribe to be notified of the next one?
Some other articles that could be of interest:
- News Flash – Colorado Springs ranked Fittest City
- Moving to Colorado Springs, check out Zip Skinny
- El Paso County taxes are some of the lowest in the nation!
- Colorado Springs in ratings for Best Places to Start Over
For more information on Colorado Springs, please feel free to call Kathy Torline at 719-287-1049 or email: KTorline@msn.com
6 BIG advantages of VA loans
VA Loans
For a free Buyers Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
Must Read Articles:
- NORAD is still alive and smaller under Cheyenne Mountain
- After fierce competition Colorado Springs finally lands the Air Force Academy
- An early history of Ft. Carson
- History of Ft. Carson part II
- Military relocation? 6 tips to read before you buy a home
- Relocating to The Air Force Academy? Here’s some great info to make your move easier.
I went to a training class last week on VA loans and came across all types of valuable information I wanted to share with our Colorado Springs home buyers. (I’m a strong believer that a Realtor needs to constantly increase and update their knowledge about all things real estate, never can learn too much.)
Since Colorado Springs is surrounded by military bases (Fort Carson, Peterson AFA, Schriever AFA, and the U.S. Air Force Academy 
) ; as well as there are many military retirees in the areas, VA loans are very popular. The stats show that 30% of all loans in the area are VA Loans.
Advantages of VA loans
When a Colorado Springs home buyer is trying to decide what type of loan they are going to use, it’s important for them to understand some of the advantages of VA loans:
- No down-payment requirements.
- There are not many loans left that don’t require a down-payment
- No monthly MIP
- MIP is the abbreviated term for the Mortgage Insurance Premium that many FHA loans and Conventional loans add to your monthly mortgage payment
- Assumable Mortgage
- This could be really important in the future if interest rates start to rise; it could make it much easier to sell a property and have a new buyer assume the existing loan
Read the rest of this entry »
- This could be really important in the future if interest rates start to rise; it could make it much easier to sell a property and have a new buyer assume the existing loan
NORAD is still alive and smaller under Cheyenne Mountain
NORAD
- After fierce competition Colorado Springs finally lands the Air Force Academy
- Military relocation? 6 tips to read before you buy a home
- An early history of Ft. Carson
- History of Ft. Carson part II
NORAD today, stills sits under the caverns of Cheyenne Mountain, even though its in a warm 
status. It may not be as large as it once was due to the consolidation of NORAD and Northcom now housed mainly at Peterson Air Force Base, but its still there protecting us from not just external but now internal threats with the help of the FAA.
In 1957, both Canada and the United States were reeling from the threats of the Soviet Union, especially after the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik. Everyone was scared and even schoolchildren were drilled on diving under their desks and covering their heads in case of a nuclear strike. Both countries realized the importance of a continental home alarm system. This lead to the creation of NORAD at Ent Air Force Base (now the Olympic Training Center). Read the rest of this entry »
Military relocation? 6 tips to read before you buy a home
Are you in the military?
Are you relocating to the Colorado Springs area? Do you want to purchase a home?
- Government and Military are #1 employers in El Paso County
- Relocate to an Award Winning City in the Colorado Rockies
- Relocating, it’s all about the schools
- High Altitude Tips
- Moving to Colorado Springs, check out Zip Skinny
Buying home is a complicated process which needs some investigation and education before making a decision. if you are in the military, you should ask yourself some questions before making the decision to purchase:
- Can you get financing? (It’s important to talk to a mortgage professional to get pre-qualified for a loan.)
- Is your tour of duty going to be longer than 2 years before the next PCS? If you know your current tour is less than two years, you have to weigh the risks of breaking even or even a loss when you go to sell.
- Will you have the opportunity to do another tour here or will you have an opportunity to come back? Read the rest of this entry »
Relocating to The Air Force Academy? Here’s some great info to make your move easier.
Moving to the Air Force Academy?
For a Free Colorado Springs Relocation Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
Are you preparing for a move to the Air Force Academy? If so, I hope you find these sites 
helpful. The Academy is celebrating its 50th graduation in May and it continues to educate young men and women for service with The United States Air Force. The Academy has approximately 4000 cadets and graduates about 1000 per year.
If you are moving here with your family, there are four housing areas located on the grounds of the Academy. You can also live off base where there is plenty of housing located in the northern part of Colorado Springs, Monument or Palmer Lake.
Anyone being transferred to the Academy is assigned a sponsor to make your transition easier, but here is some arrival information that will also help make your move go more smoothly.
If you have children of school age, they will be attending the award winning District 20 school system, Read the rest of this entry »
