PCS Orders to Colorado Springs? Why Military Families Choose Monument — and How to Make It Work

From the Desk of Stephanie Lee

Every PCS season I get the same call. Orders just dropped to Peterson, Schriever, USAFA, Fort Carson, or NORAD. The question comes fast: 'We want Monument. Our friends said it was worth the commute. Is it actually right for our family?'

My answer is always the same: it depends and that's exactly what I'm here to help you figure out. I've lived and worked in this community for 20 years, and together Andrew and I have 27 combined years in Colorado real estate. Here's the straight version.

Why Military Families Keep Choosing Monument

Monument sits just north of Colorado Springs along I-25 — quiet streets, mountain views, ponderosa pines, and a small-town rhythm that a lot of military families find genuinely grounding after years of high-tempo assignments. But the real reasons families choose it come down to three things:

•        Lewis-Palmer District 38 — consistently ranked among the top school districts in the Colorado Springs area (Niche 2026). For families with kids, this is often the deciding factor.

•        Neighborhoods with character — Woodmoor, Kings Deer, Sanctuary Pointe, Jackson Creek. These are real communities where families know their neighbors and put down roots, not just subdivisions off a commercial strip.

•        Price-to-quality ratio — coming from San Diego, DC, or Hawaii? Monument will surprise you. You get significantly more home here than at comparable duty station markets around the country.

Commute Times from Monument — Every Base, Answered Honestly

I'm not going to tell you what you want to hear. Here's an honest breakdown of what to expect from Monument to each installation:

U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) — 10 to 20 minutes

Monument is the closest quality residential area to the Academy's north gate. If USAFA is your assignment, Monument is an easy yes.

Peterson Space Force Base — 30 to 45 minutes

Doable, and most Peterson families who choose Monument say it's worth it for D38 and the neighborhood quality. Drive it yourself during your permissive TDY at 7:30 AM on a weekday before you commit.

Fort Carson — 35 to 50 minutes

A real commute, and it depends heavily on your duty schedule and gate assignment. Fort Carson families who choose Monument typically have school-age kids and have made a deliberate tradeoff. We'll talk through whether that math works for your specific family.

NORAD / Cheyenne Mountain Complex — 35 to 45 minutes

NORAD assignments tend to skew senior, and Monument is a natural fit — the home sizes, neighborhood quality, and lifestyle align well with what most NORAD families are looking for. The commute heads southwest, away from the heaviest I-25 morning congestion.

Schriever Space Force Base — 45 to 60 minutes

This is where we have a real conversation. Monument can work depending on your schedule, but for Schriever assignments we'll also walk you through Northgate and Gleneagle as alternatives that cut the commute while keeping you close to good schools and established neighborhoods.

Bottom line: Monument is a natural fit for USAFA, Peterson, and NORAD families. For Fort Carson and Schriever, we'll look at your full picture before making a recommendation — and I'll always tell you the truth, even if it means pointing you somewhere else.

A Note for Military Spouses

In my experience, it's often the spouse who does most of the heavy lifting on a PCS home search — especially when the service member is still wrapping up their current assignment. I want to speak to you directly.

Monument is a genuinely good place to land. The D38 school community is welcoming to military kids who've changed schools more times than they should have to. The neighborhoods here — Woodmoor, Kings Deer, Jackson Creek — have the kind of community culture where people show up for each other. And if you work remotely, Monument homes tend to have the square footage for a real dedicated home office, which matters more than people realize until they're sharing a dining room table with a kindergartner on a school day.

Andrew and I have worked with enough military families to understand what a PCS move actually costs a spouse — professionally, socially, logistically. We're not going to rush you into a decision. We're going to make sure the home you choose works for your whole family, not just the commute math.

The Monument Single Family Market — Spring 2026

Here's what the D38 single family market actually looks like right now, based on current MLS data:

•        Active inventory: 288 homes currently on market which is up 20.5% from March 2025 (239 homes). More choices than we've had in years. (Source: MLS, March 2026)

•        Median list price: $925,000 in March 2026, up 8.8% from March 2025 ($849,925). Prices are rising even as inventory grows. (Source: MLS, March 2026)

•        Days on market: 41 days median in March 2026, compared to 29 days in March 2025. Homes are taking longer to sell, which is good news for buyers who need time to make a thoughtful decision. (Source: MLS, March 2026)

•        Trend: Q1 2026 averaged 60 days on market vs. 34 days in Q1 2025. A meaningful shift toward buyer-favorable conditions. (Source: MLS, Q1 2026)

What this means for a PCS buyer: you have more inventory, more time, and more negotiating room than buyers had in 2024 or 2025. That said, well-located, move-in-ready homes in D38, especially in Woodmoor and Jackson Creek are still the first to go. Being pre-approved and ready to move quickly on the right home is still important.

A note on price: the $925,000 median reflects list prices across all D38 single family homes. Depending on your BAH, your target range, and the neighborhoods on your list, we'll find homes that fit your budget. Monument has a wide range, from $500s to $1.5M+. We'll work within your number.

Your VA Loan Is a Competitive Advantage Here

I have a mortgage underwriting background, and I want to say this plainly: your VA benefit is not a weakness in this market. It is a genuine advantage, and I will fight to make sure sellers understand that.

•        Zero down preserves your cash for transition costs.

•        No PMI means a meaningfully lower monthly payment compared to a low-down conventional loan.

•        With more inventory and longer days on market, sellers in Monument are increasingly motivated — and increasingly open to VA offers. The reflexive preference for conventional is largely behind us in this market.

•        The key is a VA-experienced lender and an agent who knows how to structure your offer. That's a core part of what we do.

Ready to Start Your Monument Home Search?

If you have PCS orders to the Colorado Springs area, let's talk before you start clicking through listings from your current duty station. I'll give you a straight read on whether Monument makes sense for your assignment, your family, and your timeline — and if it does, we'll find you the right home.

We do thorough video tours for families who can't visit in person and have helped families close sight-unseen, done right and it works. We will always tell you the truth, even when that means steering you somewhere other than where you thought you wanted to be.

Call Stephanie Lee: (719) 466-0241

Or get your

at homelinkcolorado.com