Colorado Springs Real Estate Facts & Fun

Colorado Springs Philharmonic

Ring in the new year with the best music found in town! The Colorado Springs Philharmonic performs at the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts. The show starts at 8pm on December 31st, with tickets at $19 or $12 if you are a student. Classic and Broadway hits will get you in a party spirit. Make a date of it and hit up a great restaurant nearby. Try Shuga’s, the Melting Pot, Phantom Canyon, or the Blue Star (make reservations as soon as possible!)

New Years At the Broadmoor

Every year the Broadmoor goes all out for a New Year’s Eve celebration not to be missed. An entire package is available starting at $263 per person based on double-occupancy (no getting behind the wheel at the end of the night!) The package includes: Accommodations for one night, incidental service fee, Gala dinner and entertainment tickets for each person on the package (Ken Miller and the dazzling 25-piece BRO^ADMOOR Pops Orchestra, along with special guests and surprises galore) and 30% discount off of published Suite rates.

There is an exciting new business in Colorado Springs, 409 N. Tejon, Suite 106, to be exact. Epicentral Coworking has finished their build out and is open for business with members already signed up. 

Just what is Epicentral?  It is a coworking facility designed for anyone who is looking for a place to work (temporary or long term) that is also community oriented.  Coworking might be a great fit for your contacts who are freelancers, consultants, contract workings, telecommuters, entrepreneurs, independent professionals, creatives, people who work from home, people who need to leave work in order to get work done, and insomniacs because members can use it anytime.

Specificallly this facility was designed to be a low-cost downtown office space for people to use when needed and be able to connect with, network or just be around other people. For more information check Epicentrals website and Facebook page.

Colorado living, like many places, is great for outdoor recreation and having a dog.  With trails, National Forest, BLM, city & state parks there is a plethora of options for taking your dog along. But what do you do to get yourself and your dog ready for being the best dog and dog owner possible?

For me, Hope at Waggin Tails Doggy Day Camp and the obedience classes she teaches continue to be invaluable.  I learned just how much I did not know about being a good dog owner and the responsibility I had for my dog in her training, lifestyle, social interactions and perhaps most importantly her safety.

Waggin Talis offers day care for dogs and starting Nyah as a puppy was perfect.  Most of her buddies who were with her in puppy kindergarden continue to be with her every day in day care.  My Texas customers laugh on a regular basis about Nyah being in day care.  Yet most of them have been with me in either dropping her off of picking her up and have met Hope.  

After two years and consistent classwork Nyah has graduated from kindergarden, Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog International.  We have started hospital visits and will expand in 2012 to nursing homes, schools and hospice.  The gift of love from a dog goes a long way for patients, families and staff.

December 9th is the beginning of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Electric Safari! Come to the Zoo to visit with all of your favorite fuzzy, furry or scaley friends and ride the lift to the top of the mountain where hot cocoa and Santa Claus await your arrival! Over one million sparkling lights illuminate crisp winter nights, including over 40 animated light sculptures. Warming fires throughout the Zoo offer a reprieve from the chill, as do select indoor animal exhibits that remain open during the event. And if you haven’t seen the city’s lights from the Zoo at night, you’re in for a real treat! Say, is that Kansas out there?

Open 5:30-8:30 pm December 9-11 and December 16-January 1st. (Closed Christmas Eve)

Adults $8.25 Zoo only, $11.25 with sky ride

Children $5.25 Zoo only, $8.25 with sky ride, all kids 2 and under free, all members free.

Who are these people of means who are considering or currently doing these real estate deals? It’s not just the mega-wealthy (which by the way is how they likely became mega-wealthy), but it could be your next door neighbor, or even a college student. A college student?! Is your face burning red? How can a college student be a savvy real estate investor? Don’t they have crazy student loans to pay off?

College student housing is for the most part, below most adult standards. Drafty, inefficent windows, worn carpet, worn wood floors, crackling ceilings, and tiny rooms are common in off campus housing. A tiny kitchen with dated appliances and a what-is-growing-in-there bathroom may come with the deal. What’s the kicker here? The landlords charge a stiff price on a property that is likely paid off 20 + years ago when they bought it, and have no interest in making updates. So what are savvy real estate investors doing? They’re heading to the top 100 college towns and buying up these crummy houses to rent out to college students. The truly savvy investors are cleaning up the properties to lure better tennants, and thereby protect their investments. The college students who grew up with money savvy parents recognize a bargain and a real opportunity when they see one and can find money to get into off-campus housing with specific loans geared towards students. All they need is parental consent, good credit (them or the parents), be a student, and a much smaller down payment than the average home mortgage. Call your local mortgage broker for more information on this program and to talk details. They can best guide you through this process and make sure all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed.

Off campus housing 10 years ago at a small school cost about $400 a month plus utilities. Sounds like a screaming deal now doesn’t it? Off campus housing at a top 100 college town cost about $900-1500 a month plus utilities. It makes sense for parents or students to want to own property near campus. For one, the student can rent it out to roommates and the mates will pay his share of the mortgage/total rent. Secondly, the student understands it is part of an investment for them, so respecting the property, keeping it clean, and taking care of any issues in a timely manner will make them even more invested in the property. The pride that comes with home ownership lacks a good word, you simply feel it. Parents can also take a chance and get a second property (again, going back to Part 2 about rental properties), and rent out the house to their child(ren) and roommates, saving the expense of room rates if the student were living on campus and the parents paying the way. At the end of the student’s tenure, as owners may decide to sell the property, or hold on to it for future students continuing to grow their wealth through the property.

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Ahh, the fall weather is starting to come in, so what better time than to load up the kayak and hit the water?  If you don’t have a kayak, there are several outfits along the Front Range which rent the boats by the day. 

Eleven Mile is off of Hwy 24, west of Woodland Park. A short drive away from the bustle of Colorado Springs, and you find yourself not only staring at mountain views, but water too. Eleven Mile allows boats, but there are plenty of areas to paddle without much wake. This time of year is especially great as most boaters are done for the season and the tourists have left for now until the Aspens completely turn their golden colors and lose their leaves.

In working on this blog post I was searching for a good photo and came across Brent Daniel's photo (see above) and immediately fell in love with the photo and what it seemed to communicate about the day with the colors captured, kayaking in Colorado and especially with the dog.  For more details and incredible photography Brent's website is:  www.wbrentdaniel.com

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