We are in the second half of October, and Colorado Springs is closing out its most colorful month of the year. The Cool Science Festival wraps up October 18, Arts Month runs through October 31, the Halloween calendar is in full swing with Boo at the Zoo and two film festivals this weekend, and the 2026 State of the City address lands Friday, October 16. This late-October update covers the events to plan around, the community news that just landed, and the freshest market picture I can give you now that September closing data has published.

If you have been following my weekly Colorado Springs updates, you know this market keeps settling into a balanced, buyer-friendly groove while the city around it keeps building. Here is everything current as of October 12.

Market Snapshot: September Data Is Now Publishing

September closing data is out, and it confirms the shape of the fall market. The Pikes Peak Association of Realtors' September snapshot shows 1,101 closed sales with a median sale price of $450,000, essentially flat from August's $449,000. On October 4, The Gazette characterized the market as shifting toward buyers, with rising inventory, declining sales, and higher interest rates keeping activity measured. The read across sources is consistent: prices have held essentially flat for about four years, and the market remains balanced and two-speed rather than in a boom or a crash.

Median home price: roughly $450,000 to $495,000 depending on the measure. The Pikes Peak Association of Realtors' September snapshot puts the median sale price at $450,000, MLS-based figures run near $494,950, and listing medians sit around $500,000. Redfin's trailing three-month median lands near $460,000, down about 3.2% year over year, and Zillow's average home value reading sits near $450,850, down about 2.0% from a year ago.
Closed sales: 1,101 in September, down from 1,189 in August and 1,359 in July. That is a seasonal and rate-driven slowdown, and it is the clearest signal yet that buyers hold the leverage this fall.
Average sale price: about $568,600, down roughly 1% year over year. The average continues to run well above the median, a reminder that the upper end of the market carries real weight in our stats.
Days on market: roughly 42 to 48 days, about nine days longer than a year ago. Some national measures run closer to the mid-50s. Either way, buyers have room to think and sellers need accurate pricing.
Inventory: about 4,300 homes for sale in the latest published count, up about 2% year over year, with supply around 3.8 months. The sharper climb of 25% plus seen earlier in 2026 flattened through the summer, which is typical seasonality on top of a normalizing market.
About 14% of homes still sell above asking, so demand remains real for the right property in the right neighborhood.

The through-line for sellers has not changed: pricing it right from day one is everything, because buyers are disciplined and roughly half of active listings carry a price adjustment at some point. For a neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown, visit my complete market report page.

Events: October 12 Through 31

This Week, October 12-18

2026 State of the City address. Friday, October 16, 8 to 10 a.m. at Broadmoor Hall. Mayor Yemi Mobolade's annual address is a useful window into where the city is headed on housing, infrastructure, and quality of life, and it comes right as county mail ballots for the November 3 election go out.
Jim Henson's Labyrinth in Concert. Tuesday, October 13 at the Pikes Peak Center, with the film projected on screen and a live orchestra. A great date-night excuse to explore the downtown dining scene before the show.
Cool Science Festival finale. Running through October 18, with 16 days of free STEAM events across the city. Perfect for families with school-age kids during fall break.
Air Force Falcons hockey vs. Lindenwood. Thursday, October 15 at Cadet Ice Arena, plus Colorado College home games through the month.
Breakfast of Champions. Thursday, October 15, the Chamber's annual celebration of the region's businesses and community leaders.
City Council regular meeting. Tuesday, October 13 at Council Chambers, 107 N. Nevada Ave., with the agenda covering the city's ongoing budget and development work.

Weekend of October 16-18

Boo at the Zoo begins. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's signature Halloween event runs October 16-17 and continues October 23-25 and 30-31, 4 to 8:30 p.m., with trick-or-treating at 20+ stations across the country's only mountain zoo. Tickets sell out, so book early.
Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival. October 16-18 in person at Colorado College, with a virtual encore October 22-25. The 39th annual edition is the longest-running women's film festival in North America, with films, makers, and community conversations.
Horror Film Festival at Ivywild School. October 16-18. A deliciously on-brand way to spend a fall weekend in the Springs.
Trick-or-Treat Mingle at The Citadel. Saturday, October 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., a family-friendly costume and candy event at 750 Citadel Drive East.
Pints & Pistons at Mash Mechanix. Saturday, October 17, 4 to 6 p.m. at 429 E. Pikes Peak Ave., a meetup for motorcycle and craft beer fans.
BARKS & BOOS Fall Fest. Sunday, October 18 at 11 a.m., a dog-friendly Halloween celebration for the whole pack.

Later in October

Venetucci Farm Pumpkin Fest. Fridays through Sundays through October 31, celebrating its 90th anniversary with the pumpkin patch, hayrides, a craft fair, and a beer garden. One of the Springs' most beloved fall traditions.
Pumpkins in the Park. Saturday, October 24 on West Colorado Ave., an Old Colorado City tradition with pumpkins, music, and community.
The Emma Crawford Coffin Races return October 24. Given the future of this quirky Manitou Springs tradition was questioned earlier this year, confirm plans before you travel. If it runs, it is one of Colorado's most delightfully strange traditions and a short drive from the Springs.
Randy Travis at The Whiskey Rose. Saturday, October 24, a country music night on the north side.
Lulu's Downtown Dog Party. Sunday, October 25, a downtown celebration for dogs and their people.
Pumpkin season is running full tilt. Long Neck Pumpkin Farm runs through October 26, and the Miners' Pumpkin Patch runs Saturdays at the Western Museum of Mining & Industry. The Old Colorado City Farmers Market continues through the month.
Halloween week. Boo at the Zoo wraps up October 30-31, and trunk-or-treats, neighborhood block events, and Halloweentown watch parties pop up across the city. Arts Month closes out October 31, so October goes out loud.

Community News: Openings, Decisions, and What Is Ahead

The new Colorado Springs Senior Center is open. The city and the YMCA of the Pikes Peak region celebrated a ribbon cutting and open house this month at the new senior center, a real new amenity for downsizers and empty nesters looking to stay active and connected.
Geocycle celebrated its grand reopening October 5. The recycling and green-energy facility relocated to Colorado Springs, adding jobs and industrial capacity on the city's south side.
October is Fire Prevention Month, themed "Charge into Fire Safety" this year, with the city council's proclamation focused on battery and charging safety as more Coloradans adopt EVs and home storage.
Utility rate and net-metering changes were approved in late September, including the Electric Cost Adjustment, with a battery storage program targeted for early 2027. Worth knowing if you are pricing a new home's energy costs.
The ONE VeLa tower is on track downtown. The 27-story mixed-use tower (404 apartments, ground-floor retail, and a rooftop bar) was approved in spring 2026 and remains targeted for a construction start by the end of the year, one of the biggest single projects in the urban core.
The Creek Plan keeps moving. Neighborhood meetings for the multi-year plan to reimagine Fountain and Monument creeks, with America the Beautiful Park as its catalyst, continue through October. This is the next major chapter of downtown and central-city investment after the Elevate Downtown plan.
Meadows Park Community Center is closing this month. As part of city budget measures following the approved $427.3 million 2026 General Fund budget and a roughly $31 million shortfall, the mayor's office is closing the southeast-side community center in October while future uses are weighed. This is a real change for the Southeast Strong neighborhoods, and worth knowing if you are house hunting in the area for your kids' after-school programs.
Issue 7A, the Colorado Connector, is on the November 3 ballot. County mail ballots go out in mid-October. The certified passenger-rail measure would raise about $295 million annually, with up to $580 million in debt, to build the southern stretch from Denver to Pueblo with a downtown Colorado Springs station planned next to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum within the 82-acre Park Union area. If you are buying near downtown, this is the single biggest long-term variable on the ballot.

What These Developments Mean for Your Neighborhood Search

Briargate and the north corridor. L.L. Bean at the Promenade Shops, more retail announcements, Academy District 20 schools, and easy access to Interstate 25 keep the north side a low-risk, convenience-first choice for families. October retail anchors rarely hurt long-term neighborhood demand.
Downtown and central Colorado Springs. The State of the City address on October 16, the Creek Plan neighborhood meetings through October, ONE VeLa's construction target, and Issue 7A on the November ballot all point the same direction: the urban core keeps earning a look for walkable, transit-oriented living with upside.
Southeast Colorado Springs. The new Senior Center opening is a genuine amenity win, while the Meadows Park Community Center closing is a reminder to weigh current amenities, not just future plans, when buying in the Southeast Strong neighborhoods. Ongoing Fort Carson growth continues to support demand in the south corridor, so the trade-offs cut both ways.
The far east side. Banning Lewis Ranch construction continues, planning moves farther east, and Flying Horse Land Company's 1,800-acre mixed-use plan near Schriever points to decades of growth toward Falcon and Peyton. Buyers who want new construction and long-term appreciation potential should be in conversations now to lock in phase pricing.

What This Means for You

If you are buying: September's 1,101 closed sales and the October 4 buyer's market read from The Gazette confirm what I have been saying all fall: you have real selection and genuine negotiating room. With inventory around 4,300 homes, supply near 3.8 months, and days on market stretching past the mid-40s, motivated sellers want to close before the holidays, and new-build builders want to move units before year end. Get pre-approved, know your must-haves, and let's find your best home.

If you are selling: Price it right from day one and present your home well. Roughly half of listings carry price reductions and about 14% still sell above asking, which is the clearest evidence that demand still exists for the right property. Fall buyers who are looking now are serious; they just need accurate pricing to move. If you want to sell in 2026, this is the month to start. Reach out and let's go through the data for your neighborhood together.

If you are relocating or investing: The long-term story keeps strengthening: a new senior center open, a 27-story tower on track downtown, the Creek Plan's next chapter, a passenger-rail measure on the November ballot, $2.6 billion invested downtown over the past decade, a 5,000-home expansion under construction at Banning Lewis Ranch, and 1,800 acres of planned mixed-use growth near Schriever. Neighborhoods that pair strong schools with infrastructure tend to reward patient owners over time. And this is the most beautiful month of the year to fly in for a visit: come pick a pumpkin, watch the aspens, and see why people move here.

Whether you are buying, selling, investing, or just curious about what is happening in Colorado Springs, I am here to help. Contact me today. Let's talk about your real estate goals. Thank you, talk to you soon!

Late October 2026: Colorado Springs Fall Events, Community News & Market Update