The latest news on the Baptist Road and Leather Chaps intersection is that it should be re-opened no later then August 10th.The main entrance to the Jackson Creek subdivision, Leather Chaps Drive was closed in November for an estimated four to six weeks. Nearly nine months later the entrance is still closed. This closure has had a significant effect on the Jackson Creek real estate market. Those Realtors that list and sell in the Jackson Creek market hope the opening isn't too little too late. There are some great listings in the subdivision...take a look  07/18/2007

For anyone who did not know, Derek and I originally met because of a skate park - Burnside Skate Park in Portland Oregon, specifically. So, there is always a soft spot in my heart for kids (and parents) looking to raise money for a better skate park. I have always found that when there is a good skate park nearby, kids WILL GO THERE. Not only is this great for parents (they always know where their kids are), but it is also great for kids (they have somewhere to go). Public sidewalks, curbs and railings can be saved from rail slides and "ollies" when there are decent skate park facilities nearby. Monument, Colorado is looking to improve their local skate park. From talking to the kids that are helping to raise money, they need just $50,000 to build a skate park that is fully functional, ... 07/16/2007

Monument - the area just North of Colorado Springs and part of the Tri-Lakes area is one of our favorite parts of El Paso County. Some of the most gorgeous real estate can be found in Monument. Monument real estate is also a great alternative for folks looking to commute to Denver Tech Center, in South Denver. Here is a look at the Monument residential housing market for June 2007: Newly listed homes on the market: 72 Average List Price: $456,699Pending Sales: 24 Sold Homes: 13 Average Sold Price: $652,076 List Price to Sale Price Ratio: 99.24% Average Days on Market (DOM): 116 Days Comment: In June, the Tri-Lakes area had the highest average SOLD price for all of El Paso County.Check out recent Monument market reports:Monument Real Estate Market Report - May 2007Monument Real Estate Ma... 07/07/2007

The numbers are out for June and once again it's a good news and bad news for Monument.Overall we are still seeing well priced, well staged home sell quickly. The market is extremely price and value sensitive.Let's take a look at some of the bad news for the Monument/Tri-Lakes Area: 29% more new listings then a year ago 41% fewer sold 40% longer to sell 18% Fewer sales year to date This compares June of 2006 to June of 2007:Now because I am Pollyanna, here's the good news! Under Contract Properties are up 26% vs. June of last year The Average Sales Price is up 43% over June of 2006. This is very misleading, the average receives a boost from a couple of high end sales but overall this is a bit of good news. In conclusion, the best advice I have for anyone selling a home in the Monument a... 07/02/2007

Tri-Lakes School District #38, Lewis Palmer estimates it will need an additional $3 million annually in order to avoid having to make any kind of deep cuts to educational services and programs.Lewis Palmer is already at the low end of our areas pay scale for its employees. Superintendent Raymond Blanch in an interview with the Colorado Springs Gazette, warned that teachers' wages would likely fall to uncompetitive levels without pay increases. Teachers, he said, enjoy working in Lewis-Palmer partly because of small class sizes, parental involvement and its reputation. Those non-financial perks make up for slightly lower wages, he said, but warned that Lewis-Palmer is within a few percentage points of being too far below its neighbors to effectively compete. The additional financial burd... 06/21/2007

There are two components to the Baptist road improvements. The I-25 overpass project, discussed in a previous blog post and the widening of Baptist Road. This part of the Baptist road puzzle belongs to the Pikes Peak Rural Transit Authority. PPRTA is responsible for widening Baptist road from two to four lanes from Jackson Creek Parkway east to Desiree Dr. This project also connects four lane Struthers road south to Northgate Road.This project has been plagued with winter weather delays and significant utility line relocations. Work on this project initially began in June of 2006. Officials say the project appears to be back on schedule and hope to be complete in the early fall. The main entrance to the Jackson Creek subdivision, Leather Chaps Drive was closed in November for an estimat... 06/15/2007

Anyone that lives in Monument or the North End of the Colorado Springs can attest to the fact the I-25 and Baptist Rd. Interchange is in serious need of help. Traffic backing up onto the highway, confusing, serpentine like traffic patterns combined with a pool of drivers that are for the most part new to the area...Yikes! The BRRTA (Baptist Road Rural Transportation Authority) is close to bidding a new eight lane overpass. The project is estimated to cost between $15 million to $20 million and should be completed early in 2008 to mid 2009. This project will be funded by a 1-cent sales tax charged at businesses within the BRRTA boundaries.At this point there are a few remaining parcels of land standing in the way. BRRTA is hoping the land owners will donate these properties. If the owner... 06/14/2007

Not much has happened in the Monument Real Estate market from April to May 2007. Here is a look at the Monument Real Estate Market, for May 2007: Newly Listed Homes on the Market: 150 (Up from 123 homes from April) Average List Price: $512,686 (Up from $496,406 in April) Pending Sales: 51 (Down from 54 in April) Sold Homes: 49 (Up from 42 in April) Average Sold Price: $429,213 (Down from $446,206 in April) List Price to Sale Price Ratio: 97.67% (Down from 97.94% in April) Average Days on Market (DOM): 80 (Down from 104 DOM in April) Comments: There hasn't been a lot of change in the Monument Real Estate market over the last month. We will have to see how summer treats us! Find the Value of YOUR Monument Home Posted by: Derek Wagner - Monument Real Estate - Colorado Springs Real Estate 06/01/2007

Monument is just North of Colorado Springs in the Tri-Lakes area. A lot has happened in the Monument Real Estate market with the warmer weather, as you can see below. Here is a look at the Monument Real Estate Market, for April 2007: Newly Listed Homes on the Market: 123 (Up 52 homes from March figures) Average List Price: $496,406 (Up from $435,390 in March) Pending Sales: 54 (Up from 9 in March!) Sold Homes: 42 (Up from 10 in March!) Average Sold Price: $446,206 (Up from $368,780 in March!) List Price to Sale Price Ratio: 97.94% (Down from 97.63% in March) Average Days on Market (DOM): 104 (Up from 77 DOM in March) Comments: We saw the new homes on the market almost double, but the pending homes and sold homes almost quadrupled! Spring has really helped make the Monument Real Estate m... 06/01/2007

With the new construction happening along Jackson Creek and Baptist Road areas the area is being prepared to become the next Castle Rock.  The new YMCA is finally underway and there is a sense of excitement in the area.  Home values are remaining flat due to the conservative nature that the production builders have been proceeding (no price increases).  The actual Town of Monument is ready for the influx of people for retail purpose, but as with any new growth there are those who are not looking for new neighbors or increased traffic.  It is my opinion that this quaint little town and the neighboring town of Palmer Lake are going to become some extremely sought after locations to either own a home or plant a business.  With the prime location between Denver and Colorado Springs and the ... 05/18/2007

Monument is located in the beautiful Tri-Lakes area, just North of Colorado Springs. March showed a bit of thawing to the Monument Real Estate market - thank goodness! This data was compiled from the Pikes Peak MLS and may not include all FSBO or new build transactions. Here is a look at the Monument Real Estate Market, for March 2007:Newly Listed Homes on the Market: 71 (Up 18 homes from February) Average List Price: $435,390 (Down $12,712 from February) Pending Sales: 9 (Down 4 from February) Sold Homes: 10 (Up 4 from February) Average Sold Price: $368,780 (Up $21,513 from February - Yay!) List Price to Sale Price Ratio: 97.63% (Down from 99.15% in February) Average Days on Market (DOM): 77 (Down another 17 days from February!!)Comments: Although we did see a raise in newly listed hom... 05/01/2007

Monument (just North of Colorado Springs) DID see some market changes, both up and down, since January. This data was compiled from the Pikes Peak MLS and may not include all FSBO or new build transactions. Here is a look at the Monument Real Estate Market, for February 2007:New Home on the Market: 53 (up 9 from January) Average List Price: $422,678 (Down $45,881 from January) Pending Sales: 13 (Up 1 from January) Sold Homes: 6 (Down 10 from January - Ouch!) Average Sold Price: $347,267 (Down $22,433 from January) List Price to Sale Price Ratio: 99.15% (up from 97.12% in January - Yay!) Average Days on Market (DOM): 94 (Down 17 days from January - Whew!)Comments: I think that the snow still made an impact on the Monument Real Estate home sales market this February. But the DOM is more t... 05/01/2007

Monument is the city/town just North of Colorado Springs, in the Tri-Lakes area. Many times, the Monument housing market is lumped together with the rest of Colorado Springs, as it is also a part of El Paso County. However, Monument is not really a part of the Colorado Springs Real Estate market, as it technically a different city. So, here is a look at the Monument Real Estate Market, for January 2007:New Home on the Market: 44 Average List Price: $468,559 Pending Sales: 14 Sold Homes: 10 Average Sold Price: $369,700 List Price to Sale Price Ratio: 97.12% Average Days on Market (DOM): 111 Comments: Monument really took a beating with all the snow that Southern Colorado got in December and January. Monument got more snow than many other places in El Paso County. This really impacted the... 05/01/2007