Buyer's Guide: Northern Colorado Springs, Monument & Black Forest

Buying on the north end means choosing between some very different ways to live. In a 20-minute drive you can go from a golf community with a clubhouse, to a pine-covered lot in Monument, to five acres in Black Forest with its own well and a gravel driveway. Same market, completely different homework.

This guide is that homework, laid out the way I'd walk a friend through it. It covers how to pick an area, what the seasons do to this market, how new construction compares with resale, and what changes when you buy land. There's no sign-up form. Read as much as you want.

A quick note on who's writing: I grew up between Monument and Black Forest, about two miles east of the Air Force Academy, and my family has been buying, selling and living here since the 1980s. Most of what's here I learned the practical way, including exactly how long a gravel driveway takes to shovel.

For current prices, inventory and days on market, see my monthly Market Update. This guide sticks to the things that stay true from year to year.

— Brennan Wolff, Wolff Real Estate Group

Choosing your area

Most buyers I work with start with a feeling (more trees, more room, a shorter commute) and then have to figure out which part of the north end delivers it. Here's how the areas break down. Each one has its own page with the neighborhoods inside it.

Northgate (80921): The north end of Colorado Springs proper, between I-25 and Highway 83. It's where most of the newer master-planned neighborhoods are, like Flying Horse, The Farm and Trail Ridge, alongside older, more settled places like Gleneagle and acreage pockets like Sun Hills. You get newer construction, city conveniences and the Air Force Academy next door.

Tri-Lakes (80132 and 80133): Monument and Palmer Lake, where the elevation climbs past 7,000 feet and the pines take over. I-25 splits Monument in two: the historic downtown and Forest Lakes on the west side, and Jackson Creek, Sanctuary Pointe, Woodmoor and the acreage around Kings Deer and Bent Tree & Higby Road on the east. Palmer Lake is its own small town just up the road.

Black Forest (80908): About 100 square miles of ponderosa and meadow, where five-acre zoning has kept things rural for decades. You're buying land with a house on it, usually on a well and septic. Planned communities like Cathedral Pines, Walden, High Forest Ranch and Flying Horse North sit near Highway 83, and individual parcels spread out from there.

Briargate (80920 and 80924): Just south of Northgate, with established neighborhoods in Briargate proper and Pine Creek, and newer master-planned communities like Wolf Ranch and Cordera east of Powers. It's the closest part of the north end to everyday shopping and medical care.

The West Side (80919): Across I-25 against the foothills, south of the Air Force Academy. Homes mostly from the late 1970s through the 1990s, bigger views the higher you go, and trails like Ute Valley Park close to home.

How they compare

Northgate (80921)

• Lots: suburban lots in newer neighborhoods, larger lots in Gleneagle, acreage in Sun Hills
• Setting: rolling terrain, newer construction, pockets of pine
• Water and sewer: district water and sewer in most neighborhoods; wells and septic in Sun Hills
• Schools: Academy District 20
• Outdoors: New Santa Fe Regional Trail, Fox Run Regional Park, the Air Force Academy next door

Tri-Lakes (80132 and 80133)

• Lots: suburban lots near I-25, half-acre-plus in Woodmoor, acreage east toward Black Forest
• Setting: pine-covered hills, foothills to the west, two small downtowns
• Water and sewer: local districts or community systems in town; wells and septic on much of the acreage
• Schools: Lewis-Palmer District 38 for almost all of it
• Outdoors: Mount Herman and Pike National Forest, Palmer Lake, the New Santa Fe Trail

Black Forest (80908)

• Lots: mostly 2.5 to 40 acres, commonly five
• Setting: dense ponderosa in the center and north, opening to prairie at the edges
• Water and sewer: private wells and septic almost everywhere
• Schools: District 20, 38 or 49, depending on the parcel
• Outdoors: Black Forest Regional Park, horse-friendly land, room for your own trails

Briargate (80920 and 80924)

• Lots: suburban lots
• Setting: established neighborhoods west of Powers, newer master-planned communities east of it
• Water and sewer: city utilities
• Schools: Academy District 20
• Outdoors: John Venezia Community Park, Wolf Lake, Cottonwood Creek

The West Side (80919)

• Lots: suburban lots; half an acre or more higher up
• Setting: neighborhoods climbing into the foothills
• Water and sewer: city utilities
• Schools: District 20 or District 11, depending on the neighborhood
• Outdoors: Ute Valley Park, Blodgett Peak Open Space

Pick the line that matters most to you (usually water, lot size or schools) and the right area tends to get obvious fast. Then confirm school assignments and utilities for the specific address, because both can change from one side of a road to the other.

How the year plays out here

This market has a rhythm, and it's stronger up here than in most of the city because of the snow and the land. None of it is a rule. A great house in January still gets offers, and a tired one in May still sits. But knowing the pattern helps you decide when to push and when to wait.

Spring (February to May). The busiest stretch. Military moves from Peterson and Schriever Space Force Bases and Fort Carson pick up, and buyers working around the school calendar want to be under contract. More listings come on, and more buyers chase them. What it means for you: get fully pre-approved before you start, and be ready to move on a good house within days. Strong terms matter as much as price.

Summer (June to August). Peak season for land and acreage in Black Forest and around Monument. Long days make it easy to walk property, and buyers on a school-year timeline mostly wrap up by August. What it means for you: it's the best time to judge land, because drainage, tree health, outbuildings and the well site are all visible.

Fall (September to October). The pace slows after Labor Day, and the buyers left usually have a real reason to move. Builders often lean on incentives to close homes before year-end, and listings priced for July start to adjust. What it means for you: more room to negotiate, and your last good window to see acreage before snow covers the ground.

Winter (November to January). Fewer buyers and fewer listings, but the sellers who are listed usually need to sell. Snow on the Palmer Divide can hide a roof, and some systems can't be tested in the cold. What it means for you: less competition. Plan around what winter hides (see the inspection checklist below). One upside: you get to see how a driveway handles a storm.

For what the market is actually doing this month, the Market Update is the place to look. The seasons tell you the tendency. The current numbers tell you whether this year is following it.

Getting ready

Get pre-approved, not just pre-qualified. A pre-qualification is a lender's estimate. A pre-approval means they've actually looked at your income, assets and credit. Sellers here, and builders especially, take the second one far more seriously. If you're buying acreage or a home on a well and septic, tell your lender up front, since some loan programs have extra requirements for rural property.

Budget for the full monthly cost, not just the mortgage. Two homes at the same price can cost very different amounts to own here. Beyond principal, interest, taxes and insurance, ask about:

• HOA dues. These range from nothing in much of Black Forest to a meaningful monthly amount in some planned communities.
• Metropolitan districts. Many newer neighborhoods were built with metro districts that add a line to the property tax bill to pay for roads, parks and utilities. It's normal for Colorado new construction, but the amount varies a lot by neighborhood. Get the number before you write an offer.
• Club or recreation fees. Some communities have a golf club or recreation center with its own membership or dues, separate from the HOA.
• Rural costs. On acreage, budget for well and septic upkeep, wildfire mitigation and snow removal. Confirm how the home is heated, too, since fuel sources vary outside the city.
• Homeowner's insurance. In wooded areas, it can vary a lot from one property to the next. More on that in the land section.

Understand buydowns and seller credits. A rate buydown is money paid up front to lower your interest rate, either for the life of the loan (a permanent buydown) or for the first year or two (a temporary one). Sellers and builders sometimes offer credits that can go toward a buydown or your closing costs. Depending on the numbers, the same dollars can do more for your monthly payment as a credit than as a price reduction, or less. Ask your lender to run both versions side by side, and look at the total cost over the time you expect to own the home, not just the first-year payment.

New construction vs. resale

On the north end, you'll often be choosing between a new build and a resale on the same street. New construction is a big part of the market in Flying Horse, The Farm, Jackson Creek, Sanctuary Pointe, Wolf Ranch and Cordera, and custom homesites come up in places like Flying Horse North and New Breed Ranch. Here's how to compare them fairly.

Bring your own agent to the model home. The builder's sales team is friendly and knows the product, but they work for the builder. Many builders work with buyers' agents, but registration rules vary, and some require your agent to be with you on your very first visit. Talk with your agent before you walk in, including about how their compensation will be handled.

Compare the as-built price, not the base price. The advertised price rarely includes the lot premium, the structural options or the finishes most people end up choosing. Window coverings, fencing and backyard landscaping often aren't included either. Add it all up before you compare it with a resale.

Judge incentives by what they do to your payment. Builders often offer rate buydowns or closing-cost credits, especially later in the year. Have your lender show you the monthly payment and total cost with and without the incentive, and compare that with what a resale seller might offer.

Find out what's planned next door. In a neighborhood still under construction, the open field behind your lot may be the next phase. Ask the builder and check the county's plans for neighboring parcels.

Read the warranty and the build timeline. Know what the warranty covers and for how long, how service requests work, and what happens if the completion date slips.

Give resale its due. A resale often comes with mature trees, a finished basement, completed landscaping, window coverings and neighbors who are already moved in. On a newer home, it may also have some of its builder warranty left. Those things cost real money to add to a new build, and they're easy to overlook in a model home.

Making an offer

Your best leverage usually isn't a lower number. It's knowing what the seller needs and asking for the right things.

1. Read the listing history first. Days on market and past price changes tell you how motivated a seller is. A home that's been listed for months with one reduction is a different conversation than one that came on last weekend.
2. Price from the comps, not the asking price. Recent closed sales of similar homes in the same neighborhood are what an appraiser will use, so they're what your offer should be built on. On acreage, that takes more care, because two five-acre parcels can be worth very different amounts.
3. Ask for terms that change your payment. A seller credit toward a rate buydown or closing costs can sometimes do more for your monthly cost than the same dollars off the price. Have your lender run both.
4. Keep your inspection period. Unless you're in a true bidding war, you rarely need to shorten or waive inspections. On rural property, you'll want the time for well, septic and insurance checks.
5. Use timing as currency. A seller who needs a quick close, or a few extra weeks to move, may value that as much as money.
6. Don't overplay it. A lowball offer on a home that's already priced right usually ends the conversation. A fair offer backed by data gets more done, and it keeps the seller cooperative when the inspection report comes back.

Land and acreage basics

Buying acreage means taking on the systems a city normally handles for you: water, wastewater, fire defense and sometimes your own road. It's the part of buying here I spend the most time on, and it's where these purchases are won or lost. Here's what to check before you fall for the view.

Water: wells and water rights

Most Black Forest homes, and plenty of homes around Monument, run on private wells drawing from the deep Denver Basin aquifers.

• Read the well permit. Pull it through the Colorado Division of Water Resources. The permit type controls what the water can be used for. Some allow household use only, with no outdoor watering or livestock. If you want horses or a garden, this matters more than the size of the lot.
• Test quality and flow. Have the water tested and the well's flow rate checked during your inspection period.
• Ask about decrees and reporting. Some neighborhoods operate under court water decrees with rules about use and meter readings. Kings Deer is one example, where the HOA handles the reporting. Ask what applies and who handles it.
• Ask whether water rights convey. On some larger properties, water rights are separate from the land and may or may not come with the sale.

Wastewater: septic

Rural homes use an onsite wastewater (septic) system, permitted through El Paso County Public Health.

• Order your own inspection. Don't assume it's been inspected recently. Have the tank pumped so the inspector can actually see it, and ask for the pumping and repair history.
• Find the leach field. It limits where you can put a barn, a shop or an addition later.

Wildfire and insurance

Much of Black Forest and the wooded parts of Monument sit in the wildland-urban interface. The 2013 Black Forest Fire still shapes how buyers and insurance companies look at this area.

• Get insurance quotes early. Do it in the first days of your inspection period, not the week before closing. Availability and cost vary a lot from property to property.
• Look at defensible space. Check tree spacing near the house, ladder fuels, and roof and siding materials. Ask what mitigation work has been done and whether there's paperwork. The Colorado State Forest Service publishes mitigation guidelines, and El Paso County runs a slash and mulch site in Black Forest.

Zoning, covenants and what you can build

• County zoning sets the baseline. Most of Black Forest is zoned for five-acre minimum lots (RR-5), which governs lot splits, outbuildings and animals.
• Covenants add another layer. Many subdivisions have recorded covenants covering outbuilding size, livestock, RVs, fencing and home design. Being horse-friendly in spirit isn't the same as being permitted. Read them before you plan around a shop or horses.
• Know what you're buying into. Some areas have no HOA at all. Others have an HOA with design review, or just a road association. Ask which.

Usable land

Five acres isn't always five usable acres. Dense trees, slopes and drainage can eat into the ground you can actually build, ride or garden on. In Wildwood & Hodgen Road, for example, Wildwood's wooded parcels feel completely different from the open, level ground across Hodgen Road in Cherry Creek Springs. Walk the whole property, and picture where the barn, the arena or the garden would really go.

Building on vacant land

If you're buying a homesite to build on, plan for drilling a well, a percolation test and a septic design, county permits, and design review if the subdivision has one. Ask what utilities already reach the lot, such as power and gas, and what it will cost to bring them in.

Roads and winter access

• Ask who plows. Many acreage properties sit on gravel or private roads. Find out who maintains them and whether there's a road maintenance agreement.
• Walk the driveway with winter in mind. Length, grade and which way it faces all matter. A north-facing slope can hold ice for weeks.
• Expect more snow. The Palmer Divide catches noticeably more snow than central Colorado Springs. Plan your equipment accordingly.

Thinking about acreage? Wells, septic, mitigation and usable ground are hard to judge from photos. Greg and I walk land with buyers all the time, and we'd be glad to walk a property with you. Reach out here.

Inspection and due-diligence checklist

Once you're under contract, the clock starts. Here's what to line up, roughly in the order it matters.

Every home

• General home inspection
• Radon test. El Paso County sits in the EPA's highest radon zone, so this one isn't optional.
• Homeowner's insurance quote, in the first few days
• HOA documents, covenants and any metro district figures
• A drive of your commute at rush hour and after dark

City and suburban homes

• Sewer scope on the line from the house to the street, especially on older homes
• Roof age and any history of hail claims

Acreage and rural homes

• Well inspection, water quality test and flow test
• The well permit, and any water decree or reporting rules
• Septic inspection with the tank pumped
• Wildfire mitigation history and defensible space
• Road maintenance agreement, if the road is private
• Survey or flagged corners, so you know where the property ends

Buying in winter

Snow can cover a roof, and some systems, like air conditioning and sprinklers, can't be tested in the cold. If something can't be checked, ask for a repair credit, or a repair escrow if your lender allows it, to cover what can't be verified yet.

Buying from out of town

A lot of buyers here are relocating, often on military orders to Peterson or Schriever Space Force Base, Fort Carson or the Air Force Academy, and often with only a few days on the ground. A few things make that easier.

Narrow the area before you visit. Use the area comparison above and the area pages to get down to one or two areas before your trip. Touring all five in a weekend is a recipe for a blur.

Drive the commute, not just the house. Pick your likely route and drive it at rush hour. If you'll be heading north toward Denver, know that Monument Hill on I-25 is the stretch that closes in bad storms.

Respect the weather and the altitude. Monument and Black Forest sit well above 7,000 feet and get more snow than the rest of the city. Ask how the driveway faces, who plows the road and how the home is heated.

Use video, but not for land. A live video walkthrough works well for a house in a subdivision. For acreage, someone needs to walk the property in person, check the well site, the trees and the drainage, and tell you what the photos left out.

Tell your lender about the property type early. VA and other government loans have specific requirements for homes on wells and septic, like water testing, so build that into your timeline.

Plan the closing around your schedule. Ask the title company about signing documents remotely if you can't be here for closing.

From first look to closing

Most purchases here take 30 to 45 days from signed contract to closing. Colorado contracts set specific deadlines for each step, and your agent negotiates them with the seller, so these are typical ranges, not fixed rules.

1. Before you start looking: get pre-approved, settle on one or two areas, and decide which features are must-haves (water, lot size, schools, commute).
2. Touring: see homes in person, drive the neighborhoods at different times of day, and walk any land while the ground is visible.
3. Offer and contract: write an offer built on recent comps, with the terms and deadlines that fit your situation.
4. Inspection period, usually the first one to two weeks: inspections, radon, well and septic on rural property, insurance quotes, and a review of HOA documents and covenants.
5. Appraisal and loan approval, usually weeks two through four: the lender orders the appraisal and finalizes your loan, while title work and the survey (if any) get done.
6. Final walkthrough and closing: confirm agreed repairs, check that the heat, water and everything else works, and sign.

If you're aiming to close in late December, start early. Lenders, title companies and appraisers all slow down around the holidays.

Selling a home before you buy? The Seller's Guide covers how to line up both moves.