Sell Your Colorado House

Are you looking for the perfect place to reside? If so, Colorado Springs may be the place for you! Colorado Springs, located in the South Central part of the U.S. State of Colorado, is absolutely perfect for singles and families alike. On top of having hundreds of beautiful homes to choose from, Colorado Springs, U.S.A. also offers beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery, and many fun and exciting outdoor activities for you and your family. Voted one of the best places to live in America by CNN money, Colorado Springs is one place that you will definitely want to check out for potential homes.

When it comes to weather, Colorado Springs offers beautiful weather year round. With an average of 249 days of sunshine, it is hard to make any weather based complaints! Here in Colorado Springs, the summers are beautiful, the winters are cool, and the precipitation is rare. In summer, temperatures generally range between 80 and 90 degrees, making it hot, but not unbearably so. Winters are cool, but once again the weather is mild, rarely seeing temperatures below 28 degrees. As for precipitation, Colorado Springs receives an average of 16.2 inches each year, making it highly unlikely that you will ever get stuck inside due to bad weather!

If the weather in Colorado Springs isn’t enough to make you search for homes here, perhaps the scenery will be. Here in Colorado Springs you will find over a dozen different parks, hiking trails, and biking trails. Whether you want to hike through the mountains, explore the beautiful and unique rock formations, or just enjoy a picnic in the park with your family, you can do so here in Colorado Springs. The Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, Palmer Park, and Seven Falls are just a few of the many nature based parks that you will be able to explore if you decide to purchase a home in Colorado Springs.

On top of gorgeous scenery and beautiful weather, if you decide to live here in Colorado Springs, you and your family will never go bored. When searching homes for sale in Colorado Springs, do not hesitate to check out all of the surrounding activities. If you decide to live here, you will have easy access to plenty of fun and exciting attractions and activities including Royal Gorge Bridge, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Cave of the Winds, and Miramont Castle.

Regardless of what you are looking for in a real estate property, Colorado Springs has it all. Gorgeous year round weather, beautiful scenery, and a variety of fun and recreational activities are just a few of the many things that make Colorado Springs one of the best places to live in America. On top of all these things, Colorado Springs has a wide variety of beautiful homes to choose from. Whether you are looking for an apartment, a one story home, or a mansion, you will find what you are looking for in this wonderful city. Contact a Colorado Springs real estate agent today and check out all of the beautiful homes for sale colorado springs here.

Buying a home is one of the biggest and most important investments you will ever make. This is why choosing a home should never be a snap decision and should only be based on the best and most reliable information there is. When searching for Colorado Springs homes, your first step is to hire a realtor. A Colorado Springs home realtor will able to guide you through the process of finding the perfect home, ensuring that you get the most for your money. Let’s take a look at some of the many ways a realtor can help you to find Colorado Springs homes.

Upon meeting with a realtor for the first time, one of the first things that you will discuss is your personal preferences. Because Colorado Springs real estate agents are familiar with the homes in the area, they will be able to match your needs with the perfect home. Be sure to tell the realtor what your budget is, what size you are looking for, what features you are looking for, and how close you wish to be to schools, hospitals, or other amenities. Once your realtor has this information, they can search through their MLS system, narrowing down houses in Colorado Springs to ones that match your needs.

If you are unsure of how to go about getting a loan or are unsure of how much you can afford, a realtor can help you with this as well. Purchasing a home involves a lot of financial investments, some that we may not think of right away (utilities, land taxes, etc). Realtors can help you assess your financial alternatives, as well as help you determine how much you can actually afford after all costs are taken into consideration.

When searching for Colorado Springs homes, it is important to hire a Colorado Springs realtor. Colorado Springs realtors are extremely familiar with the different neighborhoods and will therefore be able to provide you with accurate information about your potential living area. Whether you want to know about zoning laws, property taxes, utility costs, or community services, your Colorado Springs realtor will be able to answer all of your questions.

Once you have found your ideal Colorado Springs home, your realtor will be able to help you negotiate the terms of your purchase. Your realtor will communicate to the seller for you, negotiating deals until both parties are happy with the purchasing terms. Once the negotiations are final, your Colorado Springs realtor will help you to handle all of the legal processes involved in purchasing a home. This will involve things such as purchasing home insurance, registering your mortgage, and your legal fees.

If you are looking at Colorado Springs homes, be sure that you hire a realtor to help you in your journey. A Colorado Springs agent will be able to guide you through the process of finding a home, negotiating with the seller, and completing all legal paperwork. Search for Colorado Springs home realtor today and be one step closer to finding your dream home.

Looking for a new location to reside? If you are, Colorado Springs may just be the perfect place for you. Located in the South Central area of Colorado, U.S.A, Colorado Springs has real estate that is both affordable and beautiful. Not only does Colorado Springs have a large selection of beautiful homes to choose from, but it also offers beautiful year round weather, a comforting and safe community, and fun recreational activities that you and your family can enjoy all year. After reading this article and learning about all that the real estate in Colorado Springs has to offer, this city will definitely become one of your top choices in moving locations.

Buying real estate property in the Colorado Springs area will ensure that you experience what year round beautiful weather really feels like! With an average of 249 days of full sunshine, the weather in Colorado is sure to brighten your mood. Colorado Springs offers residents nearly perfect summers, mild winters, and extremely low amounts of precipitation. In the summers, temperatures in Colorado Springs generally range between 80 and 90 degrees. While you may find the odd day of extreme heat, temperatures rarely rise above 100 degrees. Winters are just as nice.

Although the days and nights can get cool, the average winter temperatures in are in the 30 degree range, making it much more bearable than below freezing temperatures!

Not only does Colorado Springs offer gorgeous weather conditions, it also offers a community environment that is great for raising a family. A great city for raising children, Colorado Springs is a community in which children can excel, learn, and receive a top of the line education. With over a dozen elementary schools, half a dozen middle schools, and half a dozen high schools, Colorado Springs has plenty of educational opportunities that will allow your children to flourish. On top of these schools, Colorado Springs also offers alternative schools and charter schools to accommodate the needs of any family type.

While not in school, you can enjoy some quality family time exploring some of Colorado Springs many popular attractions. One of the most popular things to do in Colorado Springs is explore their beautiful, nature filled parks. Whether you are interested in hiking through the mountains, picnicking and playing sports, or exploring the natural rock formations, Colorado Springs has a park for you. Not only does Colorado Springs have a variety of outdoor activities to choose from, but it also offers top of the line dining, beautiful shopping malls, and plenty of other family friendly activities.

If you are looking for a great place to set up home, Colorado Springs has it all. From beautiful weather, to flourishing educational opportunities, to fun filled parks and attractions, Colorado Springs has something for everyone. Not only is it the perfect place for singles, but it is also the perfect place to raise a family. Contact a Colorado Springs Real Estate agent today and start exploring your options in this wonderful city!

With Colorado Springs houses County, Colorado being home to Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain, the Colorado Springs Air Force Academy, and countless military contractors who heavily recruit retired military personnel, VA Mortgage Loans are not only a common loan type, but local market driver.   Because of the demand for these types of mortgages in Colorado Springs, we at Pink Realty want to answer the Top 10 questions that military and retired military home buyers have about VA mortgages.

Question 1:  What is the VA Mortgage Lending Limit?

According to our in-house lending specialist, Tammy, the VA mortgage lending limit is $417,000 in Colorado Springs.  While this limit is set for most areas of the country, the VA lending limit can be as high as $1M for other parts of the country that have higher average home prices, such as Washington DC, California and Hawaii.  Additionally, while the VA sets their limit, this does NOT limit the veteran to a house priced at $417K or less.  For example, let’s say you want to purchase a home priced at $500K.  That’s $83K higher than the VA guarantee limit of $417K.  If your VA eligibility is $417K and you qualify for the higher loan amount from your lender, you can purchase the $500K home with a down payment of 25% of the $83K difference ($20,750) and your lender will lend you the other 75% of the difference or $62,250.  Therefore, your loan amount would be $417K, plus $62,250 or $479,250.00.  As long as you qualify for the higher loan amount and have the cash for the down payment, you can buy that $500K house.

Question 2:  What is the VA Funding Fee?

The VA charges a VA Funding fee of 2.15% of the mortgage amount to first-time users who do not put pay a down payment on the home.  This fee covers the cost to operate the VA loan program.  After the first VA loan, the funding fee is increased to 3.3% of the mortgage amount if the veteran does not pay a down payment.  This fee does not have to be paid by the veteran out of pocket.  It can be financed into the loan along with other closing costs, so there is no down payment required and no out of pocket expenses to the veteran.

Question 3:  Can the VA Funding Fee be waived?

Did you know if you are discharged from service with at least a 10% disabled status you can get the VA funding fee waived?  That’s right!  Nearly 70% of the veterans today are discharged with at least a 10% disabled status.  This not only gets the veteran a tax free check every month, but also allows them to purchase a home without having to pay the standard VA funding fee!

Question 4:  Is my eligibility lost if I file Bankruptcy?

Filing Bankruptcy does affect your VA eligibility, but depending on what type of Bankruptcy you file, your VA eligibility is affected differently.  If the veteran files Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, which is a total liquidation of their debts, the veteran must wait 2 years before they can qualify for another VA loan.  If, however, the applicant files Chapter 13, which is a re-organization of their debts, the VA will consider lending to the applicant for another home purchase in as little as 12 months into the bankruptcy if the applicant receives permission from the bankruptcy court and can show they have paid 12 months of payments on the bankruptcy in a timely manner.

Question 5:  Is my eligibility lost if I lose my house in foreclosure or sell my home as a short sale?

There have been a lot of foreclosures in Colorado Springs in the past couple so Pink Realty agents get this question quite a bit.  Whether a veteran looses their home in a foreclosure or sells their home as a short sale, if the VA suffers a loss, they do not forgive or forget the loss.  However, this does not mean the veteran loses their eligibility.  The amount the VA loses on your home, whether via a foreclosure or short sale, gets subtracted from your total eligibility.  What this means is if you were elegible for a VA guarantee of $200K and the VA lost $100K on your loan, your VA eligibility is reduced by the amount of the loss and is now $100K.  If the deficiency is repaid to the VA, the veteran’s eligibility is fully restored.

Question 6:  Can I use my VA eligibility more than once?

Yes!  Veterans can use their VA eligibility as many times as they want but only on one house at a time.  To use the eligibility again, the veteran must pay off the previous loan and provide proof to the VA, and your Pink Realty agent can help you with this.  When a veteran has a VA loan on their home and they sell it, they must notify the VA that the home has sold and the mortgage has been paid in full.  This restores the veteran’s VA eligibility so that it can be used again to buy their next home.   If the veteran allows his VA mortgage to be assumed by another eligible veteran (and this is never a good idea) and the assuming veteran is not willing to substitute his own VA eligibility to the original veteran, the original veteran’s eligibility is reduced by the amount of the loan that was assumed.  Once the assuming veteran pays the loan in full, the original veteran’s VA eligibility is restored.

Question 7:  What kind of properties can I buy?

The VA does not lend on any property that is not intended to be used as the applicant’s primary residence.  Should an applicant want to purchase a duplex, tri-plex or any 2 - 4 unit building as an investment, the VA will grant a VA mortgage loan as long as the applicant intends to occupy one of the units as their primary residence.  The VA also requires that the home be in move-in and livable condition at the time the loan is made.  The VA does not lend on uninhabitable properties, raw land, commercial property or any other property that will not be considered the applicants primary residence.

Question 8:  Can I buy more than one property at a time?

The VA only issues mortgages on the veteran’s primary residence.  This does not keep the veteran from being able to purchase other properties, though.  If the veteran wants to purchase another property, such as an investment property, and they qualify for both mortgages, the veteran can secure other, non-VA financing to purchase other property.  If you would like to discuss the other loan types that may be available to you, our in-house Pink Realty lender would be happy to help you.  Just call our office at 719-393-7465 (Pink) and ask to speak to the lender.

Question 9:  Who can apply for a VA loan?

VA loans are for military personnel and veterans.  If a military applicant wants to include another person on their VA mortgage, the only acceptable co-applicants are the applicant’s spouse or another VA eligible applicant.  Family members, friends, relatives and/or ’significant others’ can’t be on a VA Loan with the applicant.   If there are
credit issues with an applicant’s spouse, the applicant does not have to include the spouse on the application.
However, the debts of the spouse must be included so the VA has knowledge of the total liability at stake.  Sometimes, the spouse’s total debt causes the debt to asset ratio to be too high to qualify for the loan.  In this case, if the spouse works and has been at their job at least 2 years, the spouse’s income, up to the total monthly debt liability, can be included on the application to offset the spouse’s debt.  This generally allows the debt to asset ratio to fall back in line for approval of the loan.

Question 10:  What does my Credit Score have to be?

At time this article was written, the VA looks for scores of 620 or higher.  (Please feel free to call Pink Realty at any to check to see if loan guidelines have changed.  We are always here to help.)  If the applicant’s score is a little lower than this, Pink Realty lender will work closely with the applicant to see what can be done to raise their score, and many times we can help a borderline applicant buy a new Colorado Springs home.  The first item addressed is whether or not the credit report is accurate.  More than 80% of the credit reports run today contain errors.  Just removing the errors alone may raise the applicants score.  Improving their credit score may also mean paying down a credit card balance so the outstanding balance is 50% less than the credit limit on the account or it may be as simple as paying a few low balance accounts off.  Sometimes this is all that’s needed to bring the credit score up to the approval score limit.  Remember that your credit score is very specific to you, and we would be happy to evaluate your situation for free any time.  Just call our office at 719-393-7465 (Pink).

We hope this article answered some of your questions about VA mortgage loans so when you are in the market for a VA loan, you are ready.  For more information on VA home loans, you can call a Pink Realty agent or lender at any time.Please stay tuned for more informative articles.  Stop by the website regularly for new and updated information.

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While the economy has created a ‘buyers’ real estate market with home values plummeting and Colorado Springs foreclosures soaring, who’s buying up the properties that are for sale?  While first time home buyers are on the decline and previous buyers are being turned down because of tight credit conditions, Pink Realty agents are seeing that those with cash are the ones bringing the deals to the table.  And today, it’s typically the investors that have the cash!  Per Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Associate of Realtors (NAR), “Increases in all-cash transactions, the investor market share and distressed home sales all go hand-in-hand.  With tight credit standards, it’s not surprising to see so much activity where cash is king and investors are taking advantage of conditions to purchase undervalued homes.”

On February 23, 2011, Jon Prior of the NAR summarized the housing sales for January 2011.  All-cash sales increased to 32% of all sales in January, which was up from 29% in December 2010.  Additionally, it was investors that grabbed more of the market share by accounting for 23% of all buyers in January, up from 20% in December 2010 and up 17% from one year ago.

While many investor home purchases will result in a traditional fix and flip sale, the current rental market and trends are also providing a great profit opportunity for investors.  The demand for rentals in Colorado Springs is on the rise because more people are being turned down for home loans and more people are being displaced because of foreclosure or selling their home on a short sale.  Colorado Springs has become a hot rental area because of the number of military personnel in the city, but also because the economy and housing market has caused so many homeowners to lose their homes to foreclosure or because they had to sell their home as a short sale.  All these people are in need of housing and looking for rentals.  This demand has resulted in less than 1% vacancy in Colorado Springs.  Traditionally in Colorado Springs, the 3 bedroom home was always the highest in demand and considered the ’sweet spot’ in the rental market.  The 3 bedroom homes were always rented, never vacant and there were never enough of them to meet the demand for them.  The larger homes that were for rent were not in demand and stayed vacant.
However, today the demand for 4 and 5 bedrooms homes is increasing.  As more and more middle class families are displaced, the need for the larger rentals increases.  These larger rentals also bring a nice price point to the balance sheet.  The current rental rate for a 3 bedroom single family home is $1140 per month and the 4 and 5 bedrooms are $1374 and $1789 respectively.

Call Pink Realty today at 719-393-7465 (Pink) to talk to an agent and see what great deal is out there waiting for you!

There is no doubt the opportunity for investors to ’snag the keepers’ is now.

While wholesaling and fix and flips bring fast and big profits, more investors are adding the right ‘keepers’ to their portfolio mix as rentals for additional long-term passive income.  With the market trend shifting toward larger rentals, investors should also note that the larger homes with higher mortgages tend to get discounted more by the lenders when working a short sale.  Many of these higher end homes are simply in need of paint and carpet.  We have seen nice homes in the Stetson Hills area that needed as little as paint, carpet and linoleum flooring, but the homeowners couldn’t sell to a retail buyer because the buyers wanted a completely fixed home.  Investors can buy homes for sale Colorado Springs for around $125K and get them turned into great rentals for about $10K.  Cash flow on these short sales or bank owned properties would be very high.

If you call a Pink Realty agent, we would be happy to scour the market for you and find you a great property that will meet your needs.

Are you an investor who wants the upside of an investment property and today’s really cheap prices and huge cash flows but don’t want to at it alone?

The owners of Pink Realty are active, experienced investors and are always looking for partners on deals.  Just give is a call at 719-393-7465 (Pink) and ask to talk to Russ or Monica about partnering on deals.  We would be happy to talk to you.  Just tell us what you want to bring to the table and we will see how we can work together.

•    Do you qualify for the loan to buy the house?  A common strategy investors are using now is to buy houses with cash, remodel the houses and then refinance the property with zero money out of pocket.  We have investor friendly lenders ready to do these types of loans.

•    Maybe you have a small amount of cash available and we can short a 2nd loan and bring the 1st mortgage current on a good property.

•    Maybe you have a larger amount of cash available making 1% at the bank or in an IRA and you want to do something more productive with it but don’t know exactly how.  We can find a really cheap house that we can buy, fix up, and rent.