Sell a house when downsizing in Colorado Springs, CO: moving from a large family home to a patio home, condo or apartment, the senior homestead exemption and capital gains, why selling the old house first simplifies everything, and how a cash sale avoids repairs and showings. Written offer within 24 hours of our visit.
Downsizing in Colorado Springs usually starts with a staircase. A four-bedroom two-story in Briargate or a tri-level in Rockrimmon made sense with children at home; it makes less sense with knees that notice the stairs, a yard that takes a weekend, and a hail-dented roof the insurer keeps asking about. The next place is a patio home near the Powers corridor, a condo downtown, a smaller house closer to grandchildren, or a senior community. The old house stands between here and there, full of thirty years of belongings and a list of updates an agent says buyers will expect.
Colorado Springs Cash Buyers buys houses from downsizing owners across Colorado Springs and El Paso County. We buy as-is, so the kitchen stays as it is and the garage stays full, and we close on a date that fits the move into the next home. This page covers the order of operations, the tax points that matter in Colorado, what to leave behind, and how to compare a cash offer with a listing when the house is in good but dated condition.
Sell first, or buy first?
Buying first means carrying two homes, bridge financing or a contingent offer that sellers in a slow market may still reject. Selling first with a listing means moving out with nowhere certain to go. A cash sale with a chosen closing date solves both: you sign now, know the number, shop for the next home with cash in hand, and set the closing on the old house for the week after you move. If the next home is not ready, a short post-closing occupancy can be written into the contract.
Colorado tax points for downsizers
Federal law excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a primary residence from capital gains tax, $500,000 for a married couple, if you lived there two of the last five years; owners who bought in the 1990s may exceed that and should talk to a tax professional before closing. Colorado's senior homestead exemption, half of the first $200,000 of value for owners 65 and older with ten years in the home, does not move with you to the new house until you have lived there ten years, which affects the tax bill on the next place. Colorado property taxes are low overall, so the difference is modest, but it is worth knowing.
What to leave behind
Everything that does not fit the next home. The dining set for twelve, the workbench, the boxes in the crawlspace, the second refrigerator in the garage. Take what you want and leave the rest; we handle donation, recycling and disposal after closing. There is no staging, no decluttering for photographs and no showings, which for many downsizers is the deciding factor.
Cash offer versus listing for a well-kept but dated house
Many downsizers own houses in good condition that are simply dated: original kitchens, oak trim, carpet. A listing will bring a higher headline price, but in the current market it takes roughly two months to a contract, buyers negotiate on the dated finishes and the roof, and the commission on a median-priced Colorado Springs sale is roughly $29,000. Our offer is lower than the retail price and higher than many owners expect once commission, repairs, concessions and months of carrying costs are subtracted from the listing's number. We will show the comparison and say which we think is better for your house.
Timing the move
We visit once, deliver a written offer within 24 hours, and close in about a week after a clean title search or on the date that fits your move. If you are moving to a senior community with a waitlist, the contract can set a closing months out. If the next home closes first, we align the dates. The price does not change with the schedule.
Next step
Tell us the address and roughly when you would like to move. We visit within a day or two and give you a written offer with a closing date range you can plan the rest of the move around. We pay the customary closing costs and there is no commission.
Selling to us vs. a traditional listing in Colorado Springs, CO
| Comparison | Traditional agent | For sale by owner | Colorado Springs Cash Buyers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash offer | Rarely | Rarely | Yes |
| Sell as-is | Repairs expected | Repairs expected | Yes |
| Time to a contract | roughly two months in Colorado Springs now | Often longer | 24 hours after the visit |
| Agent commission | About 6% | Buyer's agent usually paid | None |
| Closing costs | Paid by seller | Paid by seller | Customary costs paid by us |
| Showings | Yes | Yes | One visit |
| Financing fall-through | Possible | Possible | None, we fund it |
| Price cut after inspection | Common | Common | No inspection period |
| Closing date | Lender's schedule | Buyer's schedule | Yours |
We buy houses in Colorado Springs for any reason, any condition, or any challenge
Every link below is a page written for that situation in Colorado Springs and El Paso County.