Homes for Sale Near Fort Carson, CO

Start With the Gate, Then Pick the Neighborhood

Fort Carson has eight gates on its official list, and only three of them, Gates 1, 3 and 20, are open around the clock. Gates 4 and 19 open on weekdays only, inbound until 1 p.m. and outbound only after that until 9 p.m. Gates 5 and 6 run 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Gate 2, on Highway 115 at O'Connell Boulevard, is closed.

That is why two houses the same distance from post can make for very different mornings. A home ten minutes from Gate 19 is a short drive on a weekday and a detour to Gate 20 on a Saturday duty day. Before we look at houses with you, we ask which gate your unit area is closest to and what hours you will actually keep.

Colorado Springs homes under a snow-covered Pikes Peak on a winter evening

What Your BAH Buys Near Post

In 2026 an E-5 with dependents in the Colorado Springs housing area draws $2,358 a month in BAH, and an O-3 with dependents draws $2,595.

Using example numbers (a 7% rate, the 2.15% funding fee rolled in, taxes at about 0.45% of the price and $250 a month for insurance), an E-5's BAH covers the full payment on a zero-down VA loan for a house of about $294,000. An O-3's covers about $327,000.

Most homes near post cost more, so most buyers add base pay: a $400,000 house runs near $3,120 a month. A lower rate or a funding fee exemption changes the answer, which is why we run it with your pay grade and a real quote.

See What Your BAH Buys

The neighborhoods soldiers actually buy in

Drive times below are off-peak, from the neighborhood to the gate, calculated with OpenStreetMap routing. Add time at PT and shift change, and add the drive from the gate to your unit area, which on a post this size can be most of the commute.

Fountain

The closest town to the south gates. From downtown Fountain it is about 7 minutes to Gate 20 on Magrath Avenue and 8 minutes to Gate 19, which reopened on October 13 at the end of Charter Oak Ranch Road. Gate 19 keeps weekday hours only, so plan on Gate 20 at night and on weekends. Prices generally sit below the El Paso County median, and the newer subdivisions east of I-25 carry most of the inventory. Schools are Fountain-Fort Carson District 8. Our Fountain area page covers the town itself.

Security-Widefield

The unincorporated communities just north of Fountain, east of I-25. Widefield is about 6 minutes from Gate 20; Security is closer to Gates 4 and 20 at 8 to 9 minutes. Mostly established neighborhoods, generally priced near or below the county median. Schools are Widefield District 3.

Lorson Ranch

A large newer community east of Security-Widefield, about 13 minutes from Gate 20. It sits in Widefield District 3 and inside the Lorson Ranch metropolitan districts, which add a levy to the property tax bill. Ask for the parcel's total levy before you compare it with an older house that has none.

Stratmoor

The closest neighborhood to the north side of post: about 5 minutes to Gate 4 and 6 minutes to Gate 3. Older, smaller homes, generally among the lower-priced options near post. Most of Stratmoor is in Harrison District 2.

Broadmoor Bluffs and Cheyenne Mountain

West of Highway 115, with Gate 3 about 4 minutes from Broadmoor Bluffs and Gate 1 about 6. Farther up toward Cheyenne Mountain High School, the gates are 13 to 15 minutes away. These neighborhoods are priced well above the county median, and much of what buyers pay for is Cheyenne Mountain District 12.

The southwest foothills

The Skyway area and the neighborhoods around it, about 14 to 15 minutes from Gates 1 and 3. Larger lots, mountain views and prices at the top of this list. Most of the area is in District 12, with some streets in Colorado Springs District 11, so check the address.

Buying with a VA loan for the first time? Our page on working with a VA loan realtor in Colorado Springs covers offers and appraisals. Still deciding between installations? See our guide to military relocation in Colorado Springs.

Sources: Fort Carson visitor access page (gate hours, updated October 13, 2026); The Gazette, October 7, 2026 (Gate 19); 2026 BAH, MHA CO046, DTMO rates; drive times from OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data, off-peak. Last updated October 23, 2026.

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On Post or Off Post: How the Choice Usually Goes

There is no right answer for every family. These are the questions that settle it, roughly in the order soldiers work through them.

Living on post

Family housing on Fort Carson is run by a private partner, and your BAH goes to it as rent. You get the shortest commute there is and on-post District 8 schools, with no down payment, closing costs or sale to manage when you PCS. You also build no equity, and the wait for a home depends on your rank and family size when you arrive.

Renting off post

You keep the BAH and pay a landlord. It is the simplest choice for a tour of two years or less, or when you need a lease while you learn the area. A year of renting is also a fair way to test a commute before you buy on it.

Buying off post

You put the BAH toward a mortgage instead. With full entitlement, a VA loan needs no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance. The trade is the cash and time it takes to buy and later to sell or rent the house out, which is easier to absorb over three or more years here.

Keeping it when you PCS

Plenty of soldiers buy near Fort Carson and keep the house as a rental after their next PCS. That decision is easier when you buy with it in mind: a layout that rents well, a neighborhood with steady demand from incoming soldiers, and a payment the rent can cover. Keeping it also leaves part of your VA entitlement tied up, which matters for the next purchase.

Timing it around your report date

A purchase here usually closes 30 to 45 days after an accepted offer. Many families start the search remotely, tour in person over a short window, and close soon after they sign in. If you are arriving in summer, start looking in spring, before the PCS-season competition picks up.

Schools near Fort Carson

School districts by neighborhood

Fountain and on post: Fountain-Fort Carson District 8, which runs five schools on Fort Carson.

Security, Widefield and Lorson Ranch: Widefield District 3.

Stratmoor: mostly Harrison District 2.

Broadmoor Bluffs, Cheyenne Mountain and most of the southwest foothills: Cheyenne Mountain District 12. Some southwest streets fall in Colorado Springs District 11.

Boundaries change and some run down the middle of a street, so confirm the assigned school with the district for any address before you write an offer.

Sources: district boundaries per each district and public listing data. Last updated October 23, 2026.

Jacob McCrackin, veteran real estate agent in Colorado Springs

Why Jacob

Jacob McCrackin, an Army veteran and former Staff Sergeant, made his first PCS to Fort Carson. He grew up in Colorado and now helps military families buy across Colorado Springs as an associate broker with Solid Oak Realty.

Many of the buyers he meets near post are making the same move he did: arriving on orders, learning the gates and the school districts at the same time, and trying to buy a house that will still make sense when the next set of orders comes.

More About Jacob

Frequently Asked Questions About Buying Near Fort Carson

Gates 1, 3 and 20. Gate 1 is on Nelson Boulevard, Gate 3 is on Chiles Avenue and Gate 20 is on Magrath Avenue west of I-25. Gates 4 and 19 are weekday gates with inbound traffic only until 1 p.m., and Gates 5 and 6 run 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Hours change, so check the Fort Carson visitor access page before you plan around one.

From downtown Fountain, about 7 minutes to Gate 20 and 8 minutes to Gate 19 off-peak. Add time at PT hours and the drive from the gate to your unit area. Newer subdivisions on the east side of Fountain add a few minutes more.

It depends on your pay grade and the house. On our illustration, with a 7% rate, taxes and insurance, an E-5's 2026 BAH of $2,358 covers the full payment on a house of about $294,000 and an O-3's $2,595 covers about $327,000. Most buyers near post add some base pay. A lower rate or a funding fee exemption changes the math.

Fort Carson is in Fountain-Fort Carson District 8, which runs five schools on post and also serves Fountain. Off post, Security-Widefield and Lorson Ranch are in Widefield District 3, Stratmoor is mostly in Harrison District 2, and Broadmoor Bluffs and Cheyenne Mountain are in District 12.

For a tour of two years or less, living on post or renting usually wins, because buying and selling costs more than you would build in equity. With three years or more ahead of you, or a plan to keep the house as a rental, buying off post with a VA loan is often the better use of your BAH.

No. Stratmoor, Broadmoor Bluffs and the Cheyenne Mountain area sit along the north and west sides of post, several of them under 10 minutes from Gate 1, 3 or 4. Stratmoor is among the lower-priced options near post. Broadmoor Bluffs and Cheyenne Mountain cost more than Fountain and Security-Widefield, mostly for the District 12 schools.

Homes for Sale Near Fort Carson