Sell a house as an empty nester in Colorado Springs, CO: when the family home no longer fits, the cost of keeping four bedrooms for two people, the capital gains exclusion, and how an as-is cash sale lets you skip updates and showings. Written offer within 24 hours of our visit.
Empty nesters in Colorado Springs often stay in the family home for years after the last child leaves for college or the Army, because moving feels like a project. The four-bedroom in Briargate near the District 20 schools, the two-story in Stetson Hills with the big yard for the dog, the Rockrimmon tri-level with the basement the kids took over. Now the upstairs is closed off, the yard is a weekend, the roof is due, and the agent who came by mentioned the kitchen. The question is whether to spend the summer updating a house for strangers, or to sell it as it is and move on to the smaller place, the condo downtown or the house near the grandchildren.
Colorado Springs Cash Buyers buys houses from empty nesters across Colorado Springs and El Paso County. We buy as-is, which means the kids' murals, the dated kitchen and the roof all stay for us, and we close on the date that fits your next move. This page covers the real cost of staying in a too-large house, the tax exclusion that favors selling now, the sell-first-or-buy-first question, and an honest comparison of a cash offer with a listing for a well-kept family home.
What a too-large house costs
Property tax on the full value, insurance that has risen with hail claims across the region, utilities for rooms no one uses, a roof and systems sized for the whole house, yard work or the service that does it, and the equity tied up in square footage you do not need. Add the deferred maintenance that accumulates when the house no longer feels like a priority, and the carrying cost of staying often exceeds the cost of the smaller home you would prefer.
The capital gains exclusion
Federal law excludes up to $500,000 of gain for a married couple, $250,000 for a single owner, on a primary residence you have lived in for two of the last five years. Empty nesters who bought in Colorado Springs in the 1990s or early 2000s have seen large appreciation, and some are approaching the limit. Selling while the exclusion covers the gain, rather than after further appreciation or after converting the house to a rental, can save a meaningful tax bill; a tax professional can run the numbers.
Sell first or buy first
A cash sale lets you do both in the right order. Sign a contract with a known price, shop for the next home as a cash or non-contingent buyer, and set the closing on the old house for after you move. If the next home takes longer, the contract can set a later date or include a short post-closing stay. You avoid bridge loans, contingent offers that sellers reject in a slow market, and the risk of carrying two homes.
Cash offer versus listing for a well-kept family home
A family home in good condition with a newer roof will likely net more through a listing, even after a commission of roughly $29,000 on a median-priced Colorado Springs sale, and we will say so. The cash offer makes sense when the house needs the roof, the kitchen and the systems that twenty-five years of family life wear out, when you do not want months of showings and inspection negotiations in a market with over four months of supply, or when the certainty of a date is worth more than the difference. We show the comparison in writing within 24 hours of our visit.
Leaving the house as it is
The trophies in the basement, the furniture that will not fit the condo, the garage of sports equipment and camping gear: take what you want and leave the rest. There is no decluttering for photographs, no staging and no weekend open houses. One visit, a written offer, a closing date you choose.
Next step
Tell us the address and roughly when you would like to move. We visit within a day or two, give you a written offer and an honest comparison with listing, and set the closing around your next home. 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.