Your Colorado Springs Life & Home

Your home can be a dream come true and still become the thing that drains your weekends, your budget, and your energy. We’re digging into one of the biggest turning points in homeownership: knowing when it’s time to downsize, and how to do it without regret. I’m joined by Colorado Springs REALTOR and RE/MAX top producer Lori Thompson , who’s helped military families and local homeowners buy and se...

PMI, solar contracts, kitchen upgrades, neighborhood choice: they can either grow your home equity or quietly drain it. We sit down with Lori Thompson, a RE/MAX Properties broker and longtime Colorado Springs realtor, to answer a question we hear nonstop: how do you build equity faster without making expensive mistakes? We start with the clearest lever most homeowners control today: paying down pr...

Those glossy listings and “estimated payments” can make buying your first home feel easier than it is, and that’s exactly where first-time homebuyers get blindsided. We sit down and get practical about what actually matters before you fall in love with a house in Colorado Springs: what you genuinely qualify for, what your full mortgage payment really includes, and why a strong lender and clean pre...

Hiring a realtor isn’t just picking a name from a recommendation list, it’s choosing the person who will guide the biggest purchase or sale of your life. We get practical about how to interview a real estate agent so you can separate real expertise from confident talk, especially in the Colorado Springs housing market where timing, pricing, and negotiation details matter. We start with the essenti...

When your mortgage payment starts to feel heavier every month, the scariest part is not knowing which “help” is real and which options quietly make things worse. I’m joined by longtime Colorado Springs realtor and broker Lori Thompson , a certified distressed property expert, to lay out a calm, step-by-step way to respond to financial hardship before it turns into foreclosure . We talk through the...

Master-planned communities sound like the dream: a polished neighborhood, a clubhouse, a pool, trails, parks, and events that make it easy to actually enjoy where you live. But there’s always a tradeoff, and we get specific about what you gain and what you give up when you buy into that lifestyle in Colorado Springs real estate . We’re joined by RE/MAX Properties licensed REALTOR and broker Lori T...

Most sellers think “top dollar” comes from one big renovation. We’ve learned it usually comes from a handful of high-impact decisions: what buyers see, what they smell, and what they assume they’ll have to fix. We walk through a real-world Colorado Springs home selling game plan that starts with the basics and ends with a listing that feels bright, clean, and easy to say yes to. We talk staging in...

A contingent offer can feel like a safety net until the seller gets a second offer and the clock starts ticking. We break down what contingencies really do in a Colorado Springs real estate contract , how they protect your earnest money, and where buyers accidentally leave themselves exposed. If you are trying to buy your next home while selling your current one, you will want to understand the sa...

Most buyers think closing is just paperwork and a signature. The truth is the home closing timeline in Colorado Springs is a chain of deadlines, third-party schedules, and financial guardrails and one wrong move can slow everything down or derail the deal. In this episode, I walk through what to expect from contract to keys, including why 30 to 45 days is a smart baseline for most Colorado Springs...

Colorado Springs can feel like the perfect assignment until the altitude hits, the air dries out your sinuses, and the “10 days of lodging” clock starts ticking. We sit down with Lori Thompson , a longtime Colorado Springs Realtor and broker who’s helped military families and civilians relocate for decades, to get brutally practical about what to do before you PCS to Fort Carson or Peterson Space...

What Closing Costs Should Buyers And Sellers Plan For? Ready to stop guessing what you’ll owe on closing day? We dig into the dollars that rarely make the listing sheet— earnest money , inspections, appraisals, title insurance, lender fees, prepaids, and escrow reserves—and show how to predict them with a simple 2 percent rule of thumb. With four decades of experience guiding military families and...

Can I Buy A Home Before I Arrive In Colorado Springs For My PCS? Orders in hand, clock ticking, market moving—buying a home before you arrive in Colorado Springs doesn’t have to feel risky. We walk through a proven remote‑buying playbook built for military families: fast pre‑approval, truth‑forward video tours, and contracts shaped to protect you while staying competitive. Along the way, we separa...

Is It Better To Buy A Newer Build Or An Older Home In This Market? If you’ve ever stood in a model home swooning over quartz and clean lines while dreaming about a big backyard for the dog, this conversation was made for you. We take a clear-eyed look at new construction versus older homes in Colorado Springs and map out the real costs, benefits, and lifestyle tradeoffs that matter long after clos...

What Local Events Or Attractions Should Newcomers Check Out? Looking for the fastest way to feel at home in Colorado Springs ? We walk you through the city’s heartbeat—signature festivals, neighborhood concerts, hidden overlooks, and trailheads where the views and conversations both run long. With stories from the field and practical, step-by-step guidance, we map out how to turn weekends into con...

How Do Rising Interest Rates Affect Home Affordability? The market finally exhaled, and that breath of calm changes everything for buyers and sellers. We sit down with Lori Thompson, a Colorado Springs real estate pro, to unpack how interest rates actually flow through your monthly budget, why a balanced market unlocks negotiation power, and which financing strategies stretch buying power without...

What Makes Colorado Springs A Great Place To Live? Thinking about a life framed by mountain views, easy trails, and a community that actually shows up for one another? We sit down with longtime local and top-producing realtor Lori Thompson to map out Colorado Springs in practical, human terms—where to live, how to live, and why it feels like home for so many. From Red Rock Canyon Open Space and Ga...

What Can You Tell Us About School Choice? The home you choose and the education your child receives don’t have to be the same decision. We unpack how Colorado Springs families use open enrollment, charter schools, and magnet programs to match learning styles, schedules, and budgets without being boxed in by a single attendance zone. With Lori Thompson—RE/MAX Properties veteran, top producer, and c...

How Do Short Sales And Foreclosures Work? Deals on distressed homes are real—but only if you know how to navigate the maze. We break down short sales and foreclosures in plain language, showing where timelines stretch, where lenders draw hard lines, and where smart preparation turns a risky bet into a confident purchase. First, we clarify the fundamental difference: a short sale is a home on the p...

What Should Retirees Consider Before Relocating? What happens when the retirement relocation dream meets reality? Spoiler alert: grandkids change everything! In this enlightening conversation, REMAX Properties broker Lori Thompson unpacks the essential considerations for retirees contemplating a move. Drawing from decades of experience helping both military families and civilians find their foreve...

What’s Lori’s Best Advice After 40 Years In Colorado Real Estate?   What separates successful real estate transactions from stressful ones? According to 40-year veteran Lori Thompson, it all comes down to preparation. Drawing from thousands of Colorado Springs home sales , Lori shares her golden rule that applies whether you're buying your first home or selling your fifth: "Be prepared.&...

  Should I Consider Buying A Distressed Property? Are you dreaming of buying a fixer-upper that could become your perfect home or a profitable investment? Before you start swinging that sledgehammer, veteran Colorado Springs realtor Lori Thompson has some crucial wisdom to share about the reality of distressed properties . The journey into distressed real estate starts with understanding what &quo...

 How Do Contingencies Work In A Real Estate Contract? The safety nets that protect your real estate transaction deserve more attention than they get. Those little clauses tucked into your contract— contingencies —can be the difference between a smooth closing and a financial disaster. Real estate veteran Lori Thompson breaks down the power of contingencies with practical wisdom and straight talk....

What Local Events Or Attractions Should Newcomers Check Out? Dreaming of mountain views with none of the humidity (or bugs)? Colorado Springs might just be your perfect match. This episode takes you on a virtual tour through one of America's most gorgeous mountain towns, guided by local legend Lori Thompson , who's been helping families find their dream homes here for over 40 years. The...

  How Much Money Do I Need To Buy A House In Colorado Springs? Ready to dive into Colorado Springs real estate but unsure about the financial commitment? You're not alone. The burning question on everyone's mind is exactly how much cash you'll need to make your Colorado Springs dream home a reality. Lori Thompson, with over four decades of Colorado Springs real estate expertise, pul...

How Do Rising Interest Rates Affect Home Affordability? Rising interest rates have dramatically transformed the Colorado Springs real estate landscape , but contrary to what many believe, this shift brings unexpected advantages for savvy homebuyers. After enduring a frenzied seller's market with multiple offers and prices soaring well above appraisals, we've now entered a more balanced e...