Living Colorado Springs » Colorado Springs Living http://livingcoloradosprings.com Life is Good in Colorado Springs! All about life here, real estate, and more! Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:51:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Colorado Springs Rental Rates Make Buying a House a No Brainer http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-rental-rates-make-buying-a-house-a-no-brainer/ http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-rental-rates-make-buying-a-house-a-no-brainer/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:50:11 +0000 Rick Van Wieren http://livingcoloradosprings.com/?p=2738 When newcomers ask me about renting a house in Colorado Springs, it makes me smile a little inside, because once more begins the age old question of rent vs buy. Don’t get me wrong, renting is the best answer for some people based on factors that go way beyond just the financial issues. Some people [...]]]> When newcomers ask me about renting a house in Colorado Springs, it makes me smile a little inside, because once more begins the age old question of rent vs buy. Don’t get me wrong, renting is the best answer for some people based on factors that go way beyond just the financial issues. Some people CAN’T buy right now because of credit, debt or job factors, and some people SHOULDN’T buy because of their job situation, etc. But for those that can, here are some hard facts.

  1. A house that sells for $200,000 or so in our market will typically rent for $1200/month or so (depends on area etc)
  2. The principal and interest payment (PI) on a $200,000 loan (not purchase price, loan amount) is only $926 at the current VA rate of 3.75%. This is plus taxes, insurance and mortgage insurance if required, and you have to allow some maintenance costs on a house you own, but this is quite a spread. To put that in perspective, at the height of the market when rates were 6.5%, the same payment would have been $1264.
  3. A $200,000 house today might have been $230,000 or so in 2006, making the spread even wider.
  4. The selection of rental homes is shrinking, and while our current inventory of homes for sale is at a 10 year low, there are still over 3200 homes for sale, and this number will grow as the selling season arrives (typically there are closer to 5,000). You have more choices when you buy. Moreover, many rental homes have rules regarding pets etc that you don’t have to worry about when you buy. And you can ‘feather your nest’ any way you like, not worrying about nail holes in the walls, etc.
  5. Rental rates are likely to increase over time, but when you buy a home on a 30 year fixed mortgage, they can’t raise the rent on you, or decide to the sell the house to someone else and make you move. And at the end of 30 years, you own the property outright, eliminating your mortgage payment altogether.
There are lots more reasons for buying Colorado Springs real estate vs renting a home, but you can see  it’s good sound business.
]]> http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-rental-rates-make-buying-a-house-a-no-brainer/feed/ 0 Live It Up – Controversial New Brand for Colorado Springs http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/live-it-up-controversial-new-brand-for-colorado-springs/ http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/live-it-up-controversial-new-brand-for-colorado-springs/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:37:50 +0000 Rick Van Wieren http://livingcoloradosprings.com/?p=2693 I guess most towns have their own slogans, nicknames and logos. And once in a while, they change them. Colorado Springs just spent $111,000 to get re-branded, but not everyone here is sure we got our money’s worth. The new tag line – Live It Up has some cleverness to it, because at our elevation [...]]]> I guess most towns have their own slogans, nicknames and logos. And once in a while, they change them. Colorado Springs just spent $111,000 to get re-branded, but not everyone here is sure we got our money’s worth. The new tag line – Live It Up has some cleverness to it, because at our elevation and with the mountains towering in the background all the time, up is a physical thing as well as a state of mind. Live obviously reflects that one our great assets here is a great lifestyle. And even “It” covers about anything and everyone. But for me at least, Live It Up sounds too much like ‘party hardy’ and connotes a bar scene, that quite frankly is NOT one of our assets.
There is a group working to at least get a more interesting logo. We’ll see where it goes, but it is probably an uphill battle (no pun intended) to unseat the one that has already been bought and paid for. While there are many that don’t think the new brand (slogan and logo) really do Colorado Springs justice, that fact is, no one sentence phrase or postage stamp sized logo can do justice to a place that is so diverse, so beautiful, so rich in recreational opportunity, as Colorado Springs.
So come to Colorado Springs – and Live It Up!

Here is a video of the Mayor Steve Back introducing the new brand.

]]> http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/live-it-up-controversial-new-brand-for-colorado-springs/feed/ 2 Finding the Best Secure Storage Facilities http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/finding-the-best-secure-storage-facilities/ http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/finding-the-best-secure-storage-facilities/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:21:37 +0000 Rick Van Wieren http://livingcoloradosprings.com/?p=2688 Finding the Best Secure Storage Facilities – A guest blog by Matt Schexnayder

Going off to college? Moving to a new city? Need to store your ‘excess baggage’ while marketing your home? Maybe you’ve been relocated for your job. Whatever the reason, the question of what to do with your belongings will come up. One [...]]]> Finding the Best Secure Storage Facilities – A guest blog by Matt Schexnayder

Going off to college? Moving to a new city? Need to store your ‘excess baggage’ while marketing your home? Maybe you’ve been relocated for your job. Whatever the reason, the question of what to do with your belongings will come up. One option is, you could pawn off your belongings with your friends or instead, you could use a reputable online company like SpareFoot to help you find secure storage.

Instead of driving around or searching the yellow pages the “old fashioned” way, this website can guide you through the process of finding reasonably priced and convenient storage companies. It’s easy and it’s as simple as knowing your new zip code.

This service works especially well for smaller, less populated cities. For example, the move-in rate for towns like Colorado Springs are seeing a sudden increase, due to the fact that more and more people want to get away from the hectic lifestyle that comes with living in a big city. Even though it is less of an urbanized area, there are still numerous Colorado Springs self-storage facilities to choose from and using SpareFoot makes picking the right unit so much easier. It will save you hours of what would be wasted time checking each facility individually.

Using the SpareFoot website is like shopping online without any obligation to buy. You can easily click on one of the storage facilities on your screen to see a snapshot of what they have to offer. Easy-to-read bulleted lists will tell you the essentials including what amenities/services they offer. For example, some storage facilities offer 24-hour access, while others are only open for 40 total hours during the week. Certain facilities even offer specialty storage, which you can search for as well, allowing you to store those winter toys like skis or even snowmobiles in a safe and secure place.

Go online and check out SpareFoot for yourself. Just a few clicks online can save you hours of work and frustration and free up tons of space around the house you never even knew you had.

About Matt:
Matt Schexnayder is on the SpareFoot marketing team and writes for the SpareFoot blog. SpareFoot is the largest online marketplace for self-storage. With more than 5,000 self-storage facilities listed nationwide. SpareFoot offers consumers the most complete comparison shopping experience in the storage industry and has been a big part of the national moving and storage industry for over 3 years. Matt also writes for the self-storage facility operators at SelfStorage.com.

]]> http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/finding-the-best-secure-storage-facilities/feed/ 1 Colorado Springs Considers Every Day Veterans Day http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-considers-every-day-veterans-day/ http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-considers-every-day-veterans-day/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:46:20 +0000 Rick Van Wieren http://livingcoloradosprings.com/?p=2685 Veterans Day is here again. A time to remember the fallen, honor the living, and give thanks to those who have served or continue to serve in the military. Colorado Springs is a military town. With 5 bases here (the US Air Force Academy, Fort Carson, Norad, Peterson Air Force Base and Shriever Air Force [...]]]> Veterans Day is here again. A time to remember the fallen, honor the living, and give thanks to those who have served or continue to serve in the military.
Colorado Springs is a military town. With 5 bases here (the US Air Force Academy, Fort Carson, Norad, Peterson Air Force Base and Shriever Air Force Base), we have somewhere upwards of 50,000 active duty military personnel calling Colorado Springs home at any given time. Considering that a significant portion of the Air Force officer corps come through the academy, there is a large number of veterans that have lived in Colorado Springs at one time or another. A recent study by Livability.com rated Colorado Springs as the #2 place in the US for veterans.
The city is full of special privileges for active duty (with ID of course), but the bases in particular have some perks for veterans, including PX, BX, health care clinics, recreation facilities and more. Livability.com lists some of its own perspectives too. Statjump.com also tracks the cities with the highest percentage of veterans, and they show Colorado Springs at #14 with 20.2% of the population having served.
Colorado Springs also does a good job honoring our vets. The annual parades, participation in city activities by military units, even church services with military honor guards, give you the sense that the town really appreciates the sacrifices that military families face every day.
So happy Veterans Day, and many thanks to all of you who have served and continue to do, and to your families for all the sacrifices they make. This year Veterans Day is extra special to our own family, as we just found out that our son (who is a veteran and was stationed at Ft Carson at one point) is returning home from Afghanistan, where he has been working as a contractor for the last 18 months. We are very grateful for his safe return, and appreciate all the effort it takes for our military to keep he and his co-workers safe.

]]> http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-considers-every-day-veterans-day/feed/ 0 Snow Day! http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/snow-day-2/ http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/snow-day-2/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:00:02 +0000 Rick Van Wieren http://livingcoloradosprings.com/?p=2680 Our 3rd snow event of the 2011 Colorado Springs snow season finally closed some schools. Districts 20, 38 and 49 all closed, although Colorado Springs School District 11 was only on a 2 hour delay. Since my wife is a teacher, we kind of like these. Thankfully as a Realtor, I don’t have any urgent [...]]]> Our 3rd snow event of the 2011 Colorado Springs snow season finally closed some schools. Districts 20, 38 and 49 all closed, although Colorado Springs School District 11 was only on a 2 hour delay. Since my wife is a teacher, we kind of like these. Thankfully as a Realtor, I don’t have any urgent reason to leave home today. The 2 foot drift across my driveway really isn’t going to want me to leave anyway :-)
Snow days are great times to give the fireplace a workout, enjoy a little conversation we don’t always have time for, listen to some good music, and otherwise relax (until it is time to shovel anyway :-) . This particular storm looks like maybe 8″ of snow here in Monument, but the wind has definitely caused things to drift a bit, so there are bare spots mixed with some nasty looking piles. Each succeeding storm seems to be colder, so I’m thinking winter is really trying to get here. The Colorado ski industry really likes it when the Front Range gets snow, because it gets people fired up to go skiing again. I know it does for me!

]]> http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/snow-day-2/feed/ 1 Big Snow Storm Mostly Misses The Springs http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/big-snow-storm-mostly-misses-the-springs/ http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/big-snow-storm-mostly-misses-the-springs/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:09:44 +0000 Rick Van Wieren http://livingcoloradosprings.com/?p=2666 After dire forecasts of 8-12″ of snow for Monument and slightly less for the Springs, Winter Storm Warnings and the like, a lot of kids (and teachers!) were upset to be in school after all yesterday, when less than 1/2 the forecast amounts fell in most spots, and the warm roads refused to keep any [...]]]> After dire forecasts of 8-12″ of snow for Monument and slightly less for the Springs, Winter Storm Warnings and the like, a lot of kids (and teachers!) were upset to be in school after all yesterday, when less than 1/2 the forecast amounts fell in most spots, and the warm roads refused to keep any of it. It was still fun to see it snowing, and we know there is plenty more where that came from. Next time we won’t be so lucky with the roads melting it off, the nights are getting colder with each passing day! We were very lucky not to experience what Denver did, where 40,000 + customers were still without power this morning when snow heavy trees that still had their leaves, snapped and fell on power lines.
While today’s 40′s are unlikely to melt off all of the 4 inches or so we got in Monument, this weekend’s 60′s should do the trick :-)

]]> http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/big-snow-storm-mostly-misses-the-springs/feed/ 0 Colorado in the Fall – One of My Favorite Seasons http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-in-the-fall-one-of-my-favorite-seasons/ http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-in-the-fall-one-of-my-favorite-seasons/#comments Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:17:52 +0000 Rick Van Wieren http://livingcoloradosprings.com/?p=2614 Fall in Colorado Springs is a great time of year for lots of reasons. The cool nights and warm days make for very pleasant out door activities. The skies seem extra blue this time of year, and as the trees begin to turn, the golden aspens give such a nice highlight [...]]]> From Fall 2010

Fall in Colorado Springs is a great time of year for lots of reasons. The cool nights and warm days make for very pleasant out door activities. The skies seem extra blue this time of year, and as the trees begin to turn, the golden aspens give such a nice highlight to everything. There are lots of food festivals this time of year, and vendors are selling roasted chilis on some street corners. A new football season brings out great crowds (and flyovers!) to cheer on the Air Force Academy Falcons. Season pass and ski equipment sales are going on everywhere, a reminder that this beautiful time of year will soon give way to one of Colorado’s most popular, ski season.
I love the fall, I hope you get a chance to enjoy it as well!

]]> http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-in-the-fall-one-of-my-favorite-seasons/feed/ 0 Colorado Springs Police Do A Good Job http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-police-do-a-good-job/ http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-police-do-a-good-job/#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:52:02 +0000 Rick Van Wieren http://livingcoloradosprings.com/?p=2582 I know that some of you with lead feet out there might disagree with this, but overall, the Colorado Springs Police Department does an excellent job. Today there was an accident right in front of our office just as I was about to leave. I called 911 to let them know, and before I could [...]]]> I know that some of you with lead feet out there might disagree with this, but overall, the Colorado Springs Police Department does an excellent job. Today there was an accident right in front of our office just as I was about to leave. I called 911 to let them know, and before I could even get in my car to leave, a police officer was on the spot questioning those involved and a witness to the whole thing. Some people measure the safety of a city by crime rates, but almost as important is police and fire response times. I’d have to give them an A+ for being so quick on the call today. Colorado Springs is a very safe city overall, and to a major extent, we have the CSPD to thank for it.

]]> http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-police-do-a-good-job/feed/ 0 Colorado Springs Summer Starts Warm http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-summer-starts-warm/ http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-summer-starts-warm/#comments Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:08:48 +0000 Rick Van Wieren http://livingcoloradosprings.com/?p=2510 The summer season has started off a bit warm and dry this year in Colorado Springs. Usually by this time we are seeing clear sunny mornings and thunderstorms in the mid – afternoons, but there really has been very little rain, and we’ve hit a couple of record highs already (I think 92 is pretty [...]]]> The summer season has started off a bit warm and dry this year in Colorado Springs. Usually by this time we are seeing clear sunny mornings and thunderstorms in the mid – afternoons, but there really has been very little rain, and we’ve hit a couple of record highs already (I think 92 is pretty warm!) Today it will likely not hit 75, and actually 70′s are much more typical of June than 90′s. It is one of the reasons summer is one of my favorite seasons in Colorado Springs!

]]> http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/colorado-springs-summer-starts-warm/feed/ 0 Downtown Colorado Springs Is Great For Walking http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/downtown-colorado-springs-is-great-for-walking/ http://livingcoloradosprings.com/blog/downtown-colorado-springs-is-great-for-walking/#comments Thu, 12 May 2011 14:31:54 +0000 Rick Van Wieren http://livingcoloradosprings.com/?p=2468 Last week I attended the annual Leadership Prayer Breakfast at the Antlers Hilton hotel in downtown Colorado Springs. It was pretty cool to see such huge room full of people representing so many different perspectives, from real estate agents like myself to police, fire, active duty military, political leaders, presidents of local companies, etc. [...]]]> Last week I attended the annual Leadership Prayer Breakfast at the Antlers Hilton hotel in downtown Colorado Springs. It was pretty cool to see such huge room full of people representing so many different perspectives, from real estate agents like myself to police, fire, active duty military, political leaders, presidents of local companies, etc. The speaker was a retired general whose talk I thoroughly enjoyed.
After the event, I decided to update my photo collection with some fresh shots of downtown Colorado Springs. I walked a fairly complete circuit in just under an hour, and covered just the most central portion of the downtown, from roughly Colorado Ave in the south to Monument Ave in the north, Nevada on the east, and Cascade in the west. When you are taking pictures, you tend to slow down and notice things more, and I really enjoyed checking out some of the street sculptures along Pikes Peak Ave. While I didn’t take pictures of every restaurant I came across (there are lots!), I noticed quite a few I would like to come back and try. After 20 years in the city, I still haven’t come close to checking them all out!
I thought some of these came out pretty good, please tell me what you think!

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