Mariana Wagner

Colorado Springs Real Estate Issues: Mold – Part One (The Story)

There are many issues to consider when buying or selling a home in Colorado Springs, and one of those “issues” is mold.

Many people think that since the humidity level in Colorado Springs is so low, mold would not be an issue. Not true. Mold is a growing concern among Colorado Springs home owners, and MUST be considered when looking to buy or sell a home in Colorado Springs. Here is a situation that Derek and I were in, not too longs ago.

Read Also: Colorado Springs Real Estate Issues: Mold – Part Two (The Facts)

A few years ago, when I was pregnant with our youngest son, Derek and I were going to buy a duplex. It was very reasonably priced and the income potential was amazing. Not to mention, it was located in one of the most sought after downtown Colorado Springs neighborhood.

After our offer got accepted, we had our inspector come “take a look” at the property. Yes, the wood paneled walls and the shag carpet had to go, and the kitchen on one side needed a face lift, but this was all well worth the “passive income” that this property would give us. We even considered living in one side while we “fixed” it up, as the schools were great in that area, and there were a lot of kids around for our older son to play with.

Our inspector spent 3 hours going through everything on the main levels. It all looked pretty good. We then headed to the basement. When we had originally made the offer on the house, the tenants were still living there, and the basement was PACKED so full of their “stuff” that we did not get to explore much. Now that the “stuff” was gone, we noticed that it was quite possible to make a tri-plex out of this duplex, as there was a “rough-in” kitchen area! Wow!

Then we saw it … or should I say “smelled” it. Around the whole perimeter of the bathroom ceiling and “kitchen” ceiling there was A-Fungus Among Us. Our inspector immediately told us that she was licensed to inspect for certain things, but MOLD was not one of those things. She shined her flashlight around to get a look at (without moving, touching or disturbing) the mold. From our untrained eyes, we were able to see 3 different types of growths covering at least 15 square feet of ceiling and wall space. Where the drywall was missing, we could see it on the structural beams. She told us to have a biological mold lab test it. We did, and had the results back before inspection deadline.

There were, in fact, 5 different growths. One was mildew. Four of these “growths” in this Colorado Springs home were mold. We received the report and spoke with one of the lab technicians.

Our first question was, “Are any of them dangerous?”
His answer was, “You could probably live there about a year before someone died or became mentally ill. I would not recommend infants, or those with allergies (my older son) living in those conditions at all. In fact, maam, if I were you, I would never go back to that property. We are dealing with extreme amounts of toxic mold, here.” …Woah.

We looked into remediation and was told that although we should really tear down the entire place, should we only remediate it, the cost would be upwards of $30,000. This price would not include the rebuilding of the structure that would be removed. Our total bill would run us almost $60,000!

Needless to say, we provided the listing agent with all of this information, which she passed onto the seller and got out of the contract. Furthermore, we notified the other tenant of the situation. She moved out the next week.

This really scared us. I grew up in the humidity of New York and Portland, Oregon. I had seen mold take over a lonely piece of bread, plenty of times. I have seen cheese change color. Nothing scary. I had heard of toxic mold, but never expected to find mold in Colorado Springs! This is a place where I carry lotion with me 24/7 -one in my car, one at work, one in my husbands car, one in each purse, one in each room of our house … you get it. How does MOLD grow in a high desert like Colorado Springs? It got me thinking … and researching. Had our inspector not advised us to get the mold tested, we would have gone forward with the contract, in our ignorance … and I cant even imagine what would have happened. This was a near miss for us, and has taught me to take MOLD very seriously.

From there, I started doing my homework on toxic mold and its presence in homes in Colorado Springs, and educating the people around us, our clients and co-workers … and have really been pushing for a state-approved disclosure form, regarding mold, for our real estate contracts.

If you are concerned about mold in your Colorado Springs home, please act quickly and get it tested by a professional lab and remediated by a professional. Delaying the process or trying to take care of toxic mold on your own could have devastating effects.

August 31st, 2007 by Mariana Wagner | 1 Comment »

Common Colorado Springs and El Paso County Residential Real Estate Zoning Codes and Definitions

Here is a snapshot of the common real estate (residential) zoning codes and definitions for Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Manitou Springs, Fountain, Monument and Palmer Lake:

August 30th, 2007 by Mariana Wagner | Leave A Comment

Woodmen Vistas – Update on New Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity Neighborhood in N/E Colorado Springs, CO

This is an update to my previous post: New Habitat for Humanity Neighborhood at N. Powers Blvd. and E. Woodmen Rd. (Colorado Springs, CO).

• Woodmen Vistas will consist of about 10 acres and 67 home sites. This land will be combination effort of two organizations: Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity and Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust.
• Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust will have the other 5 acres and have various plans for that land that include:
  • 11 Low Income Houses for families living at or below 80% of the City’s mean income. These homes will be mortgaged for the amount of the home only – not the land that it sits on.
  • Moving in 5 pre-existing homes to Woodmen Vistas
  • Possible sale of several lots to other home builders
• Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity will have about 5 of those acres dedicated to homes for families living at or below 50% of the city’s mean income.
  • These homes will be developed, built and mortgaged by PPHFH.
  • Families that qualify for a PPHFH Home will help build the home and will get a zero-interest mortgage for the appraised value of the home, but only be held to the actual COST of the home. This means that if the home COST $100,000 to build and it appraised at $200,000, the purchase price would be $200,000 but the homeowner would only make payments on a $100,000 zero-interest loan. Once the $100,000 was paid off the remaining difference between the appraised value and COST would be forgiven.
    This ensures that the homeowner would remain a homeowner and for neighboring appraisal purposes, market value would be retained.
  • A family that owns a PPHFH home would not be able to sell the home for a profit at any point. If, for some reason, the homeowner HAD to sell the home, PPHFH would have 1st Right of Refusal. The mission of PPHFH is for low income families to reap the benefits of home ownership – not to exploit the purpose of PPHFH for monetary gain. In fact, over 98% of all Habitat for Humanity Homeowners remain in their home and never sell.
• Woodmen Vistas WILL have an HOA. Plans are in place that would have the HOA maintain the front yards, take care of the trash removal. These plans are still being drafted.
• All the streets in Woodmen Vistas will be city streets and maintained by the City of Colorado Springs.
• Children living in Woodmen Vistas would attend Academy School District 20 Schools.
• PPHFH plans to “break ground” in Spring 2008. (Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust may begin earlier than that.)
• If all goes as planned, the new Woodmen Vistas neighborhood will be complete by 2011.
• This neighborhood will be the largest PPHFH development to this date.

• If you are interested in donating, they are always in need of QUALITY BUILDING SUPPLIES.
• If you are interested in sponsoring a Habitat for Humanity home, the sponsor fee is about $55,000 per house. Local real estate companies, churches and other coalitions have co-sponsored several homes in Colorado Springs already, but there is always need for more sponsors.
• If you are interested in volunteering, PPHFH is in great need of a Licensed Labor force: Electricians, Plumbers, Cement and Curb pourers, and laborers for ditching among others are in high demand.

August 28th, 2007 by Mariana Wagner | 2 Comments »

Colorado Springs Real Estate: Single Family Floor Plans

Colorado Springs Homes – Floor Plans

Not everywhere defines different floor plans the same way. So, to ease a bit of confusion, especially for those looking to move into a Colorado Springs home, here is a little breakdown of the residential, single family floor plans that you will find in Colorado Springs and surrounding areas.

Ranch:

This does not mean 100 acres with a barn. This means “one-level living” with the living areas and bedrooms all on the level that you walk-into from the front door. Now, since many homes in Colorado Springs offer basements, you could also find additional bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas if the basement is finished.

Another type of ranch floor plan is the Raised Ranch, where there are multiple stairs on the outside leading up to the front door. In many cases, the basement windows are at garden level – thus the reason to walk up stairs to reach the front door. Also known as: Ranchers, Ramblers, One-Levels, Ranch Plans

2-Story:

This is a home that has a main level (accessible from the front door) and an upper level. The main level usually has the living areas and kitchen and the upper level has the bedrooms. More homes are being built with main-level master bedrooms. Basements in these homes also can offer more living areas, bathrooms and bedrooms. However, basements in 2-story homes are generally smaller than ranch-style floor plans, as a 2-story home has a smaller footprint/foundation than ranch floor plans do.

Another type of 2-Story is the 1.5 Story and is basically a 2-Story where the 2nd story is less than half the square footage of the main level.

Bi-Level:

A bi-level home has 2 stories and is one of 2 “split-level” types of homes that were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s, here in Colorado Springs. I describe these homes to home-buyers as this, When you walk into the home, you need to immediately make a decision: Up or Down? These floorplans offer no living area on the entry level. Sometimes there is a small foyer with the stairs to the side, but many homes have just a small entryway (maybe with a coat closet) and stairs immediately in front of you as you enter. The upper levels often have a living and dining area and a kitchen to one side and bedrooms and bathrooms to the other. The lower level is usually 1/2 taken up with a garage and the other half is living space. A bi-level is a lot like a raised ranch with the front door in the middle of the house instead of at the upper level.

3-Story:

There are very few TRUE 3-stories, as many confuse 3-stories with tri-levels (below). A TRUE 3-Level home has 3 stories of living area above the foundation or basement.

Tri-Level:

A tri-level home has 3 levels (as the name so ironically implies…). This is another form of the traditional “split-level” home that was built like crazy in the 1960s – 70s, here in Colorado Springs. A tri-level home usually has a living area, dining area and kitchen on the level that you walk into. Off to one side (or to the rear in a front to back tri-level) are 2 small sets of stairs. In many cases, there is an additional living area in the lower level and the bedrooms on the upper level. Some tri-levels just have the 3 levels, where the lower level is part of the foundation. In the case where a tri-level has a basement, it is called a …

4-Level:

A TRUE 4-Level home is a tri-level home with a basement. This basement is located directly under the main level and accessible off the lower level.

A note on basements in the Colorado Springs Area …

• Basements are very common in most areas of Colorado Springs and Monument.
• We consider finished basements as viable living space and include it in our finished square footage. (Unfinished basements would be included in the total square footage, but not the finished square footage.)
• Most homes were/are built with an unfinished full or partial basement. However, the older the home, the more likely you are to find the basements finished out by one of the previous homeowners.
• The newer neighborhoods are built such that many homes have basements that “walk-out” to the rear yard – offering a great opportunity for nice main level decks and lower level patios.

There you have it!

Posted By: Mariana Wagner – Wagner iTeam – Colorado Springs Real Estate
719.434.8346

August 28th, 2007 by Mariana Wagner | Leave A Comment

Top 5 Benefits of Having a Buyer’s Agent Represent You

Having a professional Buyers Agent represent you in your next home purchase is always a sound decision. Here, we will take a look at how Colorado views a Buyers Agent, and then we will discuss the Top 5 Benefits of having a Buyers Agent.

August 26th, 2007 by Mariana Wagner | Leave A Comment