1. Homeless: Agree, hardly an issue in Colorado Springs (COS), though some parts of town do have it (and transients) like the downtown area along I-25 (Bijou, Tejon, Nevada)...but then most cities have the same issue in their downtowns so if you live near there, of course you'd might not like it. But if someone wants to move to CO and see/interact with homeless/transients on a regular/daily basis, Denver is more your city, not so much the Springs. Or, consider moving to Monument -- REAL close to COS just to the north...kind of like a suburb of COS in a way. ;-) 2. Also agree: Huge military presence in Colorado Springs (COS) with 5 military bases and lots of active-duty & military retirees/veterans there. And I like the Air Force Academy Base's Commissary! Have not been to the Commissaries on Ft Carson or Peterson AFB though. 3. Don't know about job/career opportunities as I've been out of the job-market loop for quite a while -- I'm retired so I bring my money with me! Which is kind of good, as retirees usually don't "take jobs from locals" as retirees aren't looking for jobs: They're retired (!) and it all that's OVER for them! But they still put lots of (their own) money into the local economy, which is good, yes? 4. Scenery: Definitely a major draw, VERY scenic in COS and the mountains are right next door if you want a full Rocky Mountain Experience. For one, take the Broadmoor Hotel's Cog Railway trip up to "14er" Pikes Peak (elevation = 14,114 feet) -- see it all from up there! 5. Housing: Agree -- Boulder and Denver are clearly higher-priced than COS. Pueblo I'm guessing less than COS. I've seen COS house prices in my COS Zip Codes of interest showing price reductions for some time now, not huge ones, but still notable ones and fairly frequently (even looking today). Also, Developers/Builders seem to be catching-up to help with Supply, even if only slowly. That should help reduce home prices, too...until current home-owners put theirs up for sale (when interest rates drop to their satisfaction I guess) and increase Supply in addition to new-builds coming onto the market. However, as in ANY market in any state/city, the mortgage interest rate is the main obstacle to most potential buyers...well, it's an obstacle for those who wouldn't be paying cash up-front for their homes and would need to carry a mortgage. And as well, for First Time Buyers who have trouble coming up with a 20% down payment...unless they're veterans and use a VA loan to get aroudn that...or use one of the other programs that offer reduced down payments. Or maybe incentives Builders are offering for new-builds. Still, given the higher interest rate, the P&I (Principle & Interest) is WAY higher due to that so the total house pay't each month is much higher also. It's amazing what a P&I pay't is for the same house price at 3% vs. what it is at 7%! Oh...and Buyers now (due to the NAR agreement) needing to pay their Buyer's Agent (if they choose to have one -- I will!) and coming up with the cash out of their own pockets to do that on top of the other house-buying costs. Not so easy? Yes, I'd say it's VERY challenging for a 'Babe in the Woods' Buyer nowadays. Proceed with caution! ;-) -- BR
I have traveled all over the US, and I've yet to meet anyone that has said anything bad/negative about Colorado Springs or even Colorado. Well except it's expensive.
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Well said appreciate your video Iris thank you so much 😊
You're welcome 😊
Iris, your videos always make sense and you are way more consistent than the other guys. cheers dude!
Thank you! I appreciate you!
Thanks for telling us this, good points!
You’re welcome!
1. Homeless: Agree, hardly an issue in Colorado Springs (COS), though some parts of town do have it (and transients) like the downtown area along I-25 (Bijou, Tejon, Nevada)...but then most cities have the same issue in their downtowns so if you live near there, of course you'd might not like it. But if someone wants to move to CO and see/interact with homeless/transients on a regular/daily basis, Denver is more your city, not so much the Springs. Or, consider moving to Monument -- REAL close to COS just to the north...kind of like a suburb of COS in a way. ;-)
2. Also agree: Huge military presence in Colorado Springs (COS) with 5 military bases and lots of active-duty & military retirees/veterans there. And I like the Air Force Academy Base's Commissary! Have not been to the Commissaries on Ft Carson or Peterson AFB though.
3. Don't know about job/career opportunities as I've been out of the job-market loop for quite a while -- I'm retired so I bring my money with me! Which is kind of good, as retirees usually don't "take jobs from locals" as retirees aren't looking for jobs: They're retired (!) and it all that's OVER for them! But they still put lots of (their own) money into the local economy, which is good, yes?
4. Scenery: Definitely a major draw, VERY scenic in COS and the mountains are right next door if you want a full Rocky Mountain Experience. For one, take the Broadmoor Hotel's Cog Railway trip up to "14er" Pikes Peak (elevation = 14,114 feet) -- see it all from up there!
5. Housing: Agree -- Boulder and Denver are clearly higher-priced than COS. Pueblo I'm guessing less than COS. I've seen COS house prices in my COS Zip Codes of interest showing price reductions for some time now, not huge ones, but still notable ones and fairly frequently (even looking today). Also, Developers/Builders seem to be catching-up to help with Supply, even if only slowly. That should help reduce home prices, too...until current home-owners put theirs up for sale (when interest rates drop to their satisfaction I guess) and increase Supply in addition to new-builds coming onto the market.
However, as in ANY market in any state/city, the mortgage interest rate is the main obstacle to most potential buyers...well, it's an obstacle for those who wouldn't be paying cash up-front for their homes and would need to carry a mortgage. And as well, for First Time Buyers who have trouble coming up with a 20% down payment...unless they're veterans and use a VA loan to get aroudn that...or use one of the other programs that offer reduced down payments. Or maybe incentives Builders are offering for new-builds. Still, given the higher interest rate, the P&I (Principle & Interest) is WAY higher due to that so the total house pay't each month is much higher also.
It's amazing what a P&I pay't is for the same house price at 3% vs. what it is at 7%!
Oh...and Buyers now (due to the NAR agreement) needing to pay their Buyer's Agent (if they choose to have one -- I will!) and coming up with the cash out of their own pockets to do that on top of the other house-buying costs. Not so easy?
Yes, I'd say it's VERY challenging for a 'Babe in the Woods' Buyer nowadays. Proceed with caution! ;-)
-- BR
Great insight! Thank you for sharing. This is very helpful for those weighing their options.
I have traveled all over the US, and I've yet to meet anyone that has said anything bad/negative about Colorado Springs or even Colorado. Well except it's expensive.
We're moving to COS in two weeks and would like to know if you know of Neighborhoods WITHOUT HOAs on the westside of i25 ?
Sure! Here's a list. livingthesprings.homes/properties/shared_search/cf6b9db890