Colorado Springs is filled with all sorts of neighborhoods, many developers have come into areas with the idea to divide property as tight as possible to build as many homes as possible. Profit, obviously their goal. There is the benefit of having neighbors nearby, and smaller lots to maintain and water in this dry climate!! I have many a story! Here’s a funny about one such cookie cutter neighborhood.
A friend had moved from the Colorado Springs area to the south for job relocation. They asked another mutual friend to meet their vehicle delivery service at their home on a Saturday following their departure. Said friend called me that morning, unable to get in. It went something like this:
Me: Hey Matt, how’s it going?
Matt: Brooke, I’m at the house to meet the vehicle delivery crew, and I can’t get the garage code to work.
Me: Okay, I’ll come over and open the house with our electronic lockbox, be there in about 15-20 minutes.
Matt: thanks.
… some 20 minutes later…
Me at house, no Matt in sight… calls Matt…
Me: Matt, I’m at the house to open up for you.
Matt: I’m here too, parked in front.
Me: I’m in front of the house, I don’t see you…. uh… what street are you on?
Matt: (says name of street, not the right street), oops…
We meet up at the right house and have a good laugh. In this instance the house that we were meeting at was at one end of the street just to the south, faced the same way, were the same floor plan (at least visibly from exterior) and were the same exterior color. Welcome to the cookie cutter neighborhood.
Thankfully our friend, Matt, didn’t awake the owner where he was mistakenly trying to open the garage.. ha!!
Again, there are some great benefits to buying or selling a home in a cookie cutter neighborhood. If a buyer likes a floor plan but not the decor or finishes of the one I showed them, I might be able to peruse the MLS quickly for that same style. In the case of the story above, John Laing was the builder, one of my favorites, who unfortunately left Colorado Springs during the economic decline a few years ago. Even though one of the things I loved about them was their bold color choices, many in that specific neighborhood were still very similar!
Similar homes nearby also make for easier market analysis research… for both buyers and sellers. We can find similar or exact square footage in most cases, making upgrade adjustments minimal, and providing strong comparable sales for making offers.
If you’ve been in the business as long as many of us as Springs Homes, then you often know who the builder is walking into a neighborhood or even a specific home… by the decal above the entry, the decorative quoins along the garage, the floor plan, the porch rails… we just have a base of knowledge that helps us help our clients all the more! We have watched this beautiful city grow for years!
Is there a moral to the story?! Pay attention to the details maybe… and also just to remind us to laugh along the way! If you are looking to buy or sell your home, feel free to give me a call.
