Jacob McCrackin
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If you have orders to Colorado Springs with a report date next summer, you have about seven months before the busiest stretch of the local housing year. Every family reporting to Fort Carson, the Air Force Academy, Peterson and Schriever between May and August is shopping in the same window. The ones who start in the winter get the first look at what is for sale.
Here is the plan, working backward from a June 2027 report date. Shift it a month either way if yours is earlier or later.
Start with the installation, not the house. Where you work decides which side of town makes sense, and Colorado Springs is spread out enough that the wrong side means an hour a day in the car.
Pick two or three neighborhoods and start watching listings and recent sales. Six months of watching teaches you what a fair price looks like better than any article can.
By now you should know your budget and your two or three target neighborhoods. Start talking with a military relocation realtor in Colorado Springs about what is coming on the market. Some of the best-priced listings in spring sell within days, and the families who see them first are the ones whose agent already knows what they want.
If you plan to buy before you arrive, this is when to set it up: video tours, a lender comfortable with remote closings, and an inspection plan that does not need you on site.
Ask your unit early about permissive TDY for house hunting, because approval and timing vary. A trip in April puts you ahead of the summer wave. Plan three or four days, see your short list in person, and drive each commute at the hour you will actually make it.
Families who cannot travel can still buy now. Remote purchases are common in a military town, and the steps are the same; you just see the house on camera first.
A purchase here usually closes 30 to 45 days after an accepted offer. Work backward from when you want the keys, which for most families is the week they arrive, so their household goods can go straight into the house.
Ask your lender how long a rate lock lasts and what a longer one costs. Locks cover a set number of days, and an offer written six weeks before closing needs one that reaches the closing date.
If you closed before you arrived, you sign in, pick up the keys and schedule delivery. If you did not, Temporary Lodging Expense currently covers up to 21 days on a stateside move, which is less than a typical closing takes. Our guide to buying in your first 30 days near Fort Carson covers how families bridge that gap.
Five to seven months before your report date. That leaves time to choose neighborhoods by installation, get pre-approved, watch prices, take a house-hunting trip in spring and be under contract before the summer rush.
Yes. Many service members buy remotely with video tours, electronic signing and a closing timed to their arrival. You need a lender used to remote closings and an agent who will show each house in detail on camera.
The PCS season, roughly May through August, when families reporting to all five installations are shopping at once. Buyers who are under contract by May face less competition for the same houses.
When your orders are in hand, start planning with a veteran agent and we will build the calendar around your report date.
TLE figure: Army finance guidance, January 2026. Last updated October 23, 2026.
Jacob McCrackin, an Army veteran and former Staff Sergeant, has made the PCS move into Colorado Springs himself. He helps service members plan purchases around their orders as an associate broker with Solid Oak Realty.