Renting in Colorado Springs (Fountain: sales, apartment complexes, renters)

[Mudd]

My wife and I are probably going to be relocating to CS or the immediate area in the next 6 months. I work for a major retailer with several locations in the area, so location isn't really all that big of a deal, although we seem to keep gravitating towards the south suburbs areas to find a place. I don't mind a little commute, i have a 45 minute drive each way now as it is.

What I'm looking for is a nicer place to rent (for the time being until we get established there, then we'll look to buy a house). Preferably a home or townhouse or the like, I'd prefer to stay away from apartments unless absolutely necessary (or I'm just blow away).

My question is this: We have a budget of around $900 a month at the most (we just had a child and my wife is going to stay at home with her for the time being, so we're a single income family for a while). I don't need much more than 1200 square feet or so, a garage is a definite plus, and needs to have at least 2 bedrooms. Is this feasible in a nicer community there? Somewhere where my wife could walk outside with the baby comfortably, parks nearby, etc. Thanks.

[MattDen]

With apartments you could almost live in almost any area of Colorado Springs even in a 2 bedroom modern apartment with that sort of budget. I would say the best bargain in Colorado Springs on apartments would be North-East Colorado Springs as in the apartment complexes North of Austin Bluffs to the Chapel Hills area. Those areas you could more then likely get a 2 bedroom apartment for less then 600 dollars a month.

Houses in Colorado Springs tend to be at least 3 bedrooms if its in a good area. Knob Hill and Hillside (just East of downtown Colorado Springs) have smaller 2 bedroom homes but these are not the best areas. West-side of Colorado Springs has 2 bedroom homes but since that are is more then 100 years old for the most part they wouldnt have a garage.

I would say for homes with garages you probubly have three areas of Colorado Springs are in with-in your budget: Village 7 is in North-East Colorado Springs which is very close to amenities and more of a quiet subdivision from the 1970s. Security/Widefield and Fountain which border Southern Colorado Springs would be another good choice where you could more then likely get a 3 bedroom home with-in the price range. Security/Widefield and Fountain are fairly quiet also because its got a fairly high concentration of seniors, but they have families down there also.

[bashep]

Hey there- I just did a search on the MLS and there is 47 home/townhome/condo in the North/NorthEast/Powers part of Colorado Springs that are in your price range. A few of them even have a 2 car garage (5 years old or newer) and are a few blocks away from a Park. I don't think you will have any trouble! Let me know if you have anymore questions. bashep

[Mudd]

That's kind of where my question comes in. I saw all kinds of stuff in my range online, but I don't know how good any of those areas are, and I guess that's my question: What are the nicer areas that aren't astronomical to live? I see all kinds of stuff all over, but I figure I'm going to be locked into at least a year lease and I don't want to get stuck in a crappy neighborhood, or even a borderline one. Thanks.

[vfrpilot]

I would stay away from the south side. The area has a lot of young renters from Ft Carson and in general is a bit 'crappy'. The north end has more shopping and newer rentals available. You can do well with a $900 budget. I would suggest visiting the area before moving. Good luck.

[MattDen]

Originally Posted by Mudd

That's kind of where my question comes in. I saw all kinds of stuff in my range online, but I don't know how good any of those areas are, and I guess that's my question: What are the nicer areas that aren't astronomical to live? I see all kinds of stuff all over, but I figure I'm going to be locked into at least a year lease and I don't want to get stuck in a crappy neighborhood, or even a borderline one. Thanks.

I would say zip codes 80917 and 80918 would have the neighborhoods your likely looking for, while 80915 which is SE Colorado Springs is the area which is the more borderline neighborhoods.

Colorado Springs has very few neighborhoods which arent nice, I agree with the last poster about South-East Colorado Springs though. South-East Colorado Springs is a borderline area.

I would recommend NE Colorado Springs (anything east of Academy and North of Constitution) is nice. Academy Blvd is 3800E and Constitution is
1900 Block North. Village 7 and the Powers corridor are nice areas, Village 7 is a 1970s area and the Powers corridor is more modern they both have apartments and townhomes in the budget you were talking about.


NE Colorado Springs has very few problems, all the amenities anyone needs, the traffic tends to heavier on this part of town and the crime rate in NE Colorado Springs is fairly low. The area is affordable for what the quality of life in this part of town offers also.

North-West Colorado Springs is the nicest area of town, but for some reason people pay very high premiums to live in the neighborhoods on the NW side.

Security/Widefield and Fountain though which borders Colorado Springs is where alot of the reasonably priced housing is. They are not borderline areas, they just happen to not be modern or as visually appealing as other parts of Colorado Springs.

[Mudd]

Originally Posted by MattDen

I would say zip codes 80917 and 80918 would have the neighborhoods your likely looking for, while 80915 which is SE Colorado Springs is the area which is the more borderline neighborhoods.

Colorado Springs has very few neighborhoods which arent nice, I agree with the last poster about South-East Colorado Springs though. South-East Colorado Springs is a borderline area.

I would recommend NE Colorado Springs (anything east of Academy and North of Constitution) is nice. Academy Blvd is 3800E and Constitution is
1900 Block North. Village 7 and the Powers corridor are nice areas, Village 7 is a 1970s area and the Powers corridor is more modern they both have apartments and townhomes in the budget you were talking about.


NE Colorado Springs has very few problems, all the amenities anyone needs, the traffic tends to heavier on this part of town and the crime rate in NE Colorado Springs is fairly low. The area is affordable for what the quality of life in this part of town offers also.

North-West Colorado Springs is the nicest area of town, but for some reason people pay very high premiums to live in the neighborhoods on the NW side.

Security/Widefield and Fountain though which borders Colorado Springs is where alot of the reasonably priced housing is. They are not borderline areas, they just happen to not be modern or as visually appealing as other parts of Colorado Springs.

Thank you, that's exactly what I was hoping for. I'll start checking into those areas. I guess we like newer, more modern areas for the homes, and older areas as they tend to have a little more of a yard and be a bit more livable.

By the way, what are the taxes like there? Property taxes, sales taxes, state income taxes, etc. I'm not finding a whole lot online about that.

[Mike from back east]

....MattDen told you right. N.E. side of town. Also look at zip 80920, the Briargate area. Great stuff.

Did you read 'why choose colorado springs' it is full of great background data.

[MattDen]

Originally Posted by Mudd

.
By the way, what are the taxes like there? Property taxes, sales taxes, state income taxes, etc. I'm not finding a whole lot online about that.

Property Taxes: anywhere from 370-500 dollars on a 100,000 dollar home value. Fountain has the lowest at 370 per 100,000 home value and Colorado Springs is around 500 dollars per 100,000 dollar home value. Property taxes are low because of an amendment that taxes commerical property at a fisked rate much higher then residential.

Sales Taxes: 2.9% state+ 4.5% local taxes= 7.4% Colorado Springs
*Food is mainly exempt from any taxes, there are a few exceptions to this depending on the food or how its prepared.

State Income Tax: flat rate of 4.63%

[javaj]

My preferences would be 80919, 80907, 80918, and 80920.