The Platinum Group, REALTORS®Weldon HobbsColorado Springs | REALTOR®
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Relocation & Living

Can I successfully buy a Colorado Springs home from out of state?

ByWeldon HobbsTeam Hobbs RealtyPublished Last reviewed

Short answer: Yes. People buy Colorado Springs homes from out of state all the time, and Colorado allows remote notarization, so in many cases you can close without flying in. What makes it work is thoroughness: touring enough homes on video to know what you like (about 10 is a good target), seeing the whole neighborhood and not just the listing photos, having an inspector lined up before you're under contract, and verifying every wiring instruction by phone. The biggest risk usually isn't the paperwork. It's arriving to find the home isn't what you pictured.

What makes a remote purchase work

Buying from a distance comes down to one thing: closing the gap between what you see on a screen and what you'll experience when you pull into the driveway.

Things never translate on screen as well as you want them to, so a remote purchase takes a lot of trust. My process still starts with life, wealth, and real estate: what you're trying to accomplish, whether the plan makes financial sense, and then the right home. When we get to the real estate, a remote buyer needs extra due diligence on the home and the entire neighborhood around it.

The last thing I want is for you to arrive at your new house and be disappointed because you had a vision of one thing and it turned out to be something else. So we overshare. Everybody has different standards, and I would rather tell you too much about a home than too little.

We've done fully remote purchases and fully remote sales. It works, but it works because of how thorough the conversations are before you ever sign anything.

See about 10 homes before you choose

This applies to every buyer, not just remote ones. In a perfect world, you see at least 10 homes, whether in person or on video.

By the sixth or seventh home, you walk in knowing what you're looking for. You've figured out what you like and what you don't, so you can make confident, informed decisions. Seeing that many homes also shows you different parts of the city. You start to understand the commute trade-offs, how property taxes, HOA dues, metro district taxes, and insurance change from one home to the next, and how different neighborhoods feel.

For a remote buyer, those first several video tours are how you calibrate. A home that looks spacious in photos may feel tight on video, and one that photographs poorly may be exactly what you want.

What a good video tour should show you

Listing photos are chosen to make a home look its best. A live or recorded video tour should show you what the photos leave out.

Here's how I run one:

  • Start in the street. I take a scan of the neighborhood first: the homes on either side, across the street, what the property backs to, and how the street is laid out. Then I walk up to the house the way you would.
  • Keep you oriented. I pause often and rescan each room so you can build a mental map of how the home flows, instead of seeing a series of disconnected rooms.
  • Measure things. I carry a tape measure so we can check the size, height, and scale of rooms, doorways, and spaces where your furniture needs to fit.
  • Talk through what you can't see. That includes the air conditioning, radon, the inspection process, HOA rules, and contract deadlines, including insurance.
  • Be honest about sound. Remote buyers often ask whether they'll hear road noise. You'll hear road noise in nearly every home. What changes is the volume and frequency. Depending on the neighborhood, you might also hear an Air Force football game or a concert at the Ford Amphitheater. Some people love that, and some don't.

Inspections, deadlines, and insurance don't wait for travel

The standard Colorado purchase contract sets specific deadlines for inspections, inspection objections, the appraisal, property insurance, and other items. Those deadlines run whether or not you can be in Colorado Springs.

That's why a remote buyer benefits from having an inspector and other professionals lined up before going under contract. You can review the inspection report and talk through it with the inspector by phone or video, but only if the inspection happens early enough to leave time for decisions.

A few Colorado-specific items deserve attention on any purchase and are easy to overlook from far away:

  • Radon. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says about half of Colorado homes have radon levels above the EPA's action level of 4.0 pCi/L. A radon test is a common part of an inspection here.
  • Insurance. Premiums can vary a lot between homes, especially with roof age and hail history. Getting a quote early, before your insurance deadline, avoids surprises. See why homeowners insurance varies so much between Colorado Springs houses.
  • The full monthly cost. Property taxes, HOA dues, and metro district taxes can make two similarly priced homes cost very different amounts each month.

Closing without flying in

Colorado has allowed remote notarization since 2020. A Colorado notary can notarize documents for a signer who isn't physically present, using an approved system with live audio and video. The Colorado Secretary of State confirms this can include deeds and other real estate documents, though notaries aren't required to offer it.

Whether you can close remotely depends on your title company and your lender, so confirm how your closing will work early in the process. Some buyers close fully online, and others sign with a notary where they live. Either way, you don't necessarily need to be in Colorado Springs on closing day.

Protect yourself from wire fraud

When most of a transaction happens by email and phone, wire fraud is the risk that deserves the most attention. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received 12,368 real estate fraud complaints in 2025, with about $275 million in reported losses. The FBI also notes that criminals are using AI to make fake emails look more official.

Before you wire any money, call your title company at a phone number you've verified independently, not one from the email with the instructions, and confirm the wiring details. Treat any last-minute change to wiring instructions as a red flag until it's confirmed by phone.

How to decide if a remote purchase makes sense for you

  • If you can visit at least once, use the trip to narrow down areas, and let video tours handle the individual homes.
  • If you can't visit at all, plan on more video tours, more conversations about the neighborhood, and clear expectations about what you can and can't judge on screen.
  • If your move date is fixed, work backward from it, and line up your lender, inspector, and insurance agent before you start writing offers. See how far in advance to start looking.
  • If you're not sure which part of town fits your life, start with your commute, your budget, and the full monthly cost of ownership rather than a specific neighborhood name. See what to prioritize when choosing where to live in Colorado Springs.

What could change the answer

Some situations make a fully remote purchase harder: a home with known condition issues, an unusual property, a very competitive market where homes go under contract quickly, or a lender or title company that requires an in-person signing. If you're moving on military orders, VA financing and PCS timelines add their own considerations, which are covered in the related questions below.

When to talk with a professional

A lender can confirm your pre-approval and whether your loan can close remotely. A title company can explain the closing options and how it verifies wiring instructions. An inspector can walk you through findings by phone or video. And an insurance agent can quote the specific home before your insurance deadline.

If you're thinking about buying in Colorado Springs from somewhere else, let's talk through how a remote purchase would work for you, from the first video tour to the day you get your keys.

Related questions

About the author

Weldon Hobbs is a Colorado Springs real estate professional and co-founder of Team Hobbs Realty, affiliated with The Platinum Group, REALTORS®. He is a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and retired Air Force officer who bought homes from a distance during more than 10 military moves. He holds an MBA and the PMP, Certified Financial Coach, SRES®, and MRP (Military Relocation Professional) credentials.

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Weldon Hobbs

Colorado Springs | REALTOR®
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