Colorado Springs Real Estate Facts & Fun

Loose yourself in this perfect combination of just enough land to give you privacy & seclusion yet borders thousands of acres of National Forest.  Add to that, a location offering less than 10 minutes to Woodland Park and you have found the beginning of what makes Windmill Ranch truly unique and prestine.  

The main house is a log home accessed by a private driveway taking you up past the guest house (can also be ideal caretakers home) up on to a mesa with a magnificent park like setting of ponderosa pine, aspen, doug fir and land to roam.  With National Forest out the back access is not only right here but gentle and useable.  Extremely rare and almost impossible to find.  45 acres of gorgeous & useable Colorado Mountain property bordering National Forest on two sides.  

Down the hill from the house and guest house is a barn trimmed out & sitting perfectly overlooking a lush meadow that is fenced and cross fenced with happy horses living their dream as well.  

The garage next to the house is a 4 bay oversized garage with workshop & unfinished game room/guest retreat upstairs.  Wrapped in a Colorado Postcard the setting is tranquil and beyond description.   

Sitting in a valley of only 7 total properties privacy with access is finally achieved.  Less than 1 hour to Colorado Springs and very well priced at $1,950,000.   Call Kelly for status and to set personal tour.

Living in Colorado Springs an important aspect of our community are our military personnel (active & retired).  For military personnel who have bought a home and are in need of assistance, there is a program provided by the Department of Defense designed & created just for you. HAP stands for Homeowners Assistance Program and is designed to help homeowners who face financial loss when selling their primary residences because of a base closure or realignment announcement.  Here is a link for information about the HAP program, how it works and determining eligibility.

Kids have wisdom and an open hearted approach to life that are the often just what we need to keep in mind that life can be inherently good.  Have you heard of or tried affirmations?  Watch the attached video ~ especially the end as it has houses involved.  Wishing all of you a Happy Spring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg&feature=player_embedded

This morning I was talking to a buyer about how many times I have seen someone(s) lose a deal because of emotion.  Over or under reacting to the other parties response.  It is a great reminder that those who are willing to be patient and not take things personally often come out with a better solution and outcome than they originally thought possible.  

I read an article about a fashion designer who took a quote by  Jonathan Winters, "I couldn't wait for success so I went ahead without it" as the inspiration that was time to launch her own dream.  I loved the quote until I read this sentence in the last paragraph: 

"Luly Yang has a different way of putting it. "

Dresses are like people," she says, her eyes focused on the lining of a frothy floral skirt trimmed with topaz sequins.

"They should be nice on the inside."

How are you being nice to yourself on the inside and believing in your dream?

A local, privately owned builder is celebrating their 10 year in business this year.  Challenger Homes, located in a new community on the Colorado Springs Westside called Gold Hill Mesa, is one of few affordable home builders who provides standard features that are rare in this price range.  An example is 2 x 6 construction on their exterior walls.  Why is this important?  Looking at a monthly utility bill the 2 x 6 construction can help with lower utility costs.  Colorado Springs Westside affordable new homes is only found at Gold Hill Mesa.

Driving into the community the infrastructure already in place shows the quality and attention to detail to be found.  This community, built on the mesa, has a huge environmental report completed showing the before, during and after of Gold Hill Mesa.  In addition to single family and town homes here there is also a Fitness Center / Community Center already built and actively being used.  Along with this there are plans for a commercial area for restaurants, movie theatre, grocery, etc.  

Homes here are available in a variety of styles, floor plans and price.   Two popular models incude Skyway 1327 square feet, 3 bedroom, 2 bath new home starts at $204,900.  The Rosemont is 2189 square feet and is 3 bedroom 2.5 bath and is $234,900.

For updates on Colorado Springs Westside affordable New Homes in an Old Neighborhood call or email Kelly.

I-25 runs through Colorado Springs.  In general, the "Westside" is considered West of I-25 and North of Hwy 24.  South of Hwy 24 is the Southwest area of Colorado Springs.  This area is popular for several reasons:  established neighborhoods, multiple parks, including Garden of the Gods and Ute Valley, easy terrain, wide variety of home styles & character and access to Old Colorado City with shopping, restaurants, coffeee/tea houses, etc.  You will also find townhomes, condos, some vacant land (not a lot) and single family residences .  In February 2010 there were 91 properties found.  Of those:

49 are active on the market  

3 are first right of refusal

6 are under contract 

9 are pending

8 are cancelled and 

7 are sold 

The list price ranges from $99,000 to $1,899,000.  The average listing is $442,138.  The average under contract is $361,116 and the average sold property was $169,198 with 92 days on the market.  

March in Colorado Springs can be deceiving. Our weather patterns are varied with beautiful sunny days full of warm weather bringing the itch to play in the dirt to life. However, the last frost date for Colorado Springs is May 15th. Depending on where you live and what you have available seeds can be started indoors and if not under a light lamp need a sunny window (preferably without a draft). Remember to turn the plants as they grow so that all sides get the sunshine coming in. Something that can be done all year is composting. Many homes in Colorado Springs have established gardens and others offer room to start your own. For homes for sale in Colorado Springs click OwnYourOwnMountain.com. For more information about composting and a great read click here.

In Colorado Springs tonight is the night to set your clocks ahead and spring forward one hour. Daylight Savings officially begins Sunday, March 14th at 2:00 am. With added daylight hours here are some things to consider for keeping a healthy & happy home:

• Replace Your Furnace Filter
• Check fire extinguishers you may have in your kitchen, garage and car
• Check/replace batteries on smoke/carbon monoxide detectors
• Check window screens (repair/replace as needed)
• Create Spring cleaning plan for your house (one room at a time)
• Spruce up wood surfaces/trim with Old English wood polish

The Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Region offers several settings ideal for log homes. Log homes in Colorado are beautiful and are in high demand. There are currently 53 log homes for sale in the area on an acre or large. They range in price from $162,500 to $2,399,000. West of Colorado Springs (up a pass called Ute Pass) there are several communities with log homes currently available. They include Cripple Creek, Divide, Florissant and Woodland Park. For homes that are not "in town" the county can be used. The counties include Douglas, Fremont and Teller. North of Colorado Springs there is one log home on an acre or more for sale in the Monument/Palmer Lake area. Peyton & Elbert are Northeast from here and there are two log homes for sale here. Colorado Springs Log homes differ in size, style, log structure, type and interior finish. If a specific drive time or location is important to you please call and I will send you a custom list for you to review.