We are into the heart of October, and Colorado Springs is at its most colorful. Arts Month rolls on citywide, the Cool Science Festival is past its halfway point, pumpkin patches are running full weekends, and the Halloween calendar starts in earnest with Boo at the Zoo and two film festivals the weekend of October 16 to 18. This mid-October update covers the events to plan around, the community decisions and budget news that just landed, and the freshest market picture I can give you as September closing data starts to publish.

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 5.

Market Snapshot: The Most Current Published Data

September closing data typically starts to report in early October, so the freshest published figures still span the late-summer snapshots with the first September signals mixed in. 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' August snapshot puts the median sale price around $449,000, 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.
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 5 Through 18

This Week, October 5-11

Arts Month continues through October 31. The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region's citywide celebration, themed around arts in the unexpected, runs the whole month with 250+ events. First Friday on October 2 kicked it off at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, and gallery openings and studio events continue every week.
Music of the Knights with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. Friday, October 9 at the Pikes Peak Center. A great date-night excuse to explore the downtown dining scene before the show.
Cool Science Festival. Running October 3 to 18, with 16 days of free STEAM events across the city. Perfect for families with school-age kids during fall break.
Capriotti's Sandwich Shop reopens at Creekwalk. The second Colorado Springs location, at 140 E. Cheyenne Rd., is scheduled to reopen this month. The Barnes Road location already reopened September 15.
Pumpkin season is running full tilt. Long Neck Pumpkin Farm runs through October 26, the Miners' Pumpkin Patch opens Saturdays at the Western Museum of Mining & Industry, and Venetucci Farm's patch is open Fridays through Sundays in October.

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.
Colorado Springs Card Show. Saturday, October 17 at the Colorado Springs Event Center, for sports card and collectibles fans.

Later in October

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.
Howl-O-Ween at the Colorado Wolf & Wildlife Center. Sunday, October 25 near Divide, with a bonfire and meat-filled pumpkins for the wolves. A unique family outing with mountain views.
Halloween week. Boo at the Zoo wraps up October 30-31, and Halloweentown watch parties, trunk-or-treats, and neighborhood block events pop up across the city. Arts Month closes out the same week, so October goes out loud.

Community News: Decisions, Budgets, and Developments

The Creek Plan hits a key moment. The multi-year plan to reimagine Fountain and Monument creeks, with America the Beautiful Park as its catalyst, moves into neighborhood meetings scheduled through October 2026. This is the next major chapter of downtown and central-city investment after the Elevate Downtown plan, and it will shape parks, trails, and flood resilience for decades.
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.
L.L. Bean is open at Briargate. The outdoor retailer opened its first Colorado Springs store (and second in Colorado) this fall at the Promenade Shops at Briargate in the former Container Store space. The Promenade also announced in early September that new stores and a restaurant are on the way, keeping the north corridor's retail anchored.
Flying Horse Land Company is progressing a big east-side plan. After initial county approval, plans continue for a mixed-use development on roughly 1,800 acres near Schriever Air Force Base. Paired with the Banning Lewis Ranch build-out and planning for additional phases farther east, the corridor between Colorado Springs and Falcon has the region's clearest long-term growth runway.

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 Creek Plan neighborhood meetings through October signal where parks and open space investment is headed next, Issue 7A is on the November ballot, and Elevate Downtown's $2.5 billion investment plan guides the decade ahead. If you want walkable, transit-oriented living with upside, the urban core keeps earning a look.
Southeast Colorado Springs. 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: With inventory around 4,300 homes, supply near 3.8 months, and days on market stretching past the mid-40s, you have real selection and genuine negotiating room this fall. October is a slow-burn month: 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: 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!

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