Northern El Paso County/Tri-Lakes Market Heat Index: February 2026 Rankings

The Tri-Lakes corridor — Monument, Palmer Lake, and the communities stretching north toward the Douglas County line — operates by different rules than the rest of Colorado Springs. Luxury price points, larger lots, and a more selective buyer pool mean slower velocity is expected. What our Market Heat Index reveals here isn't just who's hot and who's not — it's which neighborhoods are threading the needle between price, demand, and realistic expectations.

Here's how the five most active Tri-Lakes neighborhoods ranked in February 2026, and what the numbers actually mean.

Heat Score Guide: 🟢 Strong | 🟡 Balanced | 🔴 Slow

#1 — Jackson Creek: The Inverted Market (Heat Score: 12.47 🟢)

Jackson Creek is the only Tri-Lakes neighborhood to post a positive Heat Index score this month, and one number explains why: 17 homes under contract against just 14 active listings — a contract ratio of 121%. More homes are in the pipeline than are currently available. That's not a typo.

With 8 closed sales, a median sale price of $617,500, and just 60 days on market — the fastest in our group — Jackson Creek is clearly where Tri-Lakes buyers are focused right now. The one caveat: homes are selling at an 11% discount from list price ($694,950 median list), which tells you sellers are still reaching on initial pricing. The market corrects them, but buyers step in once the price lands in range.

At $198/sq ft and a strong 0.57 absorption rate, this neighborhood has genuine momentum.

For sellers: You'll get activity — but price realistically from day one. The pending pipeline proves buyers are here and ready.

For buyers: Move with some urgency. With more homes under contract than available, your options are narrowing.

#2 — Forest Lakes: Quiet Strength (Heat Score: 2.77 🟢)

Forest Lakes posts the second positive score in our group, driven by solid sales velocity (4 closed, 54 days on market — second fastest) and homes that actually sold above list price at a 2.74% premium. Median sale of $919,500 against a $895,000 list price is a meaningful signal in a market where most neighborhoods are seeing discounts.

The complexity here is the contract ratio: only 3 homes under contract against 12 active (25%). The current pipeline is thin relative to inventory, which keeps the score from climbing higher. At $277/sq ft — the highest in our group — Forest Lakes commands a premium, and the February data suggests the market is willing to pay it, at least for well-positioned properties.

For sellers: The above-list sales are encouraging, but don't read too much into 4 transactions. Price with precision and the market will respond.

For buyers: Less competition than Jackson Creek right now. That may not last if the pipeline builds.

#3 — Woodmoor: The Consistent Community  (Heat Score: -11.42 🔴)

Woodmoor presents the most nuanced picture in our rankings. With 15 homes under contract against 18 active — an 83% contract ratio — buyer interest is clearly strong. And with 6 closed sales, it has the second highest transaction volume in Tri-Lakes this month.

What pulls the score down is time: 96 days on market is the slowest among our top five. Homes are getting there, but the journey takes about three months on average. The median sale of $730,000 came in 2.67% below the $750,000 list price — a modest discount that suggests most sellers are close on pricing but not quite landing it on the first try.

This is a neighborhood with real buyer demand that's being slowed by initial overpricing rather than a lack of interest.

For sellers: The 15 pending contracts tell you buyers want Woodmoor — but they're price-sensitive. Shave your list price closer to market value and you'll reduce that DOM significantly.

For buyers: You'll have more time to evaluate than in Jackson Creek, but the strong contract ratio means you're not alone.

#4 — Kings Deer: Luxury with a Reality Check (Heat Score: -82.73 🔴)

Kings Deer recorded just one closed sale in February — not unusual for a smaller, higher-end subdivision with a $1M+ price point. But that single transaction reveals something worth noting: the home sold for $1,065,000 against a $1,275,000 list price, a 14% discount. On a million-dollar property, that's $210,000 left on the table from where the seller started.

The 122-day time on market supports the same story: the home sat, the price got right, the sale happened. One under contract against 7 active (14% contract ratio) shows limited pipeline activity, and the 0.14 absorption rate means current inventory would take roughly 7 months to clear at this pace.

This is a beautiful, well-regarded community — but the February data reinforces that luxury buyers in the Tri-Lakes area are deliberate, patient, and unwilling to overpay.

For sellers: The gap between list and sale in Kings Deer is too wide to ignore. Aggressive pricing strategy will cost you more in time and carrying costs than pricing correctly upfront.

For buyers: There's negotiating room here. Use it.

#5 — Promontory Pointe: Early Signals (Heat Score: N/A — No Closed Sales ⚪)

With no closed sales in February but 2 homes under contract against just 2 active listings — a 100% contract ratio — Promontory Pointe merits attention even without a calculable Heat Index score. Every available home has a buyer working toward it.

The median list price of $765,000 and a 35-day average time on market suggest these aren't sitting — they're moving through the process. We'll have real data to analyze once those transactions close.

Watch this one in March.

The Broader Tri-Lakes Picture

Three other neighborhoods — Sanctuary Pointe, Walden Preserve, and High Forest Ranch — recorded no closed sales in February. At median list prices of $1,050,000, $1,367,500, and $1,950,000 respectively, this reflects the reality of ultra-luxury inventory in a smaller market: transactions happen infrequently, and a single month of data tells you very little. Walden Preserve's 4 pending contracts against 10 active listings (40% ratio) suggests activity building beneath the surface.

The overarching Tri-Lakes story for February 2026 is this: the $600K–$950K range is moving. Jackson Creek and Forest Lakes are where buyer activity is concentrating. As you push past $1M, the market becomes more selective, more patient, and more price-sensitive — which means seller expectations need to align accordingly.

If you're exploring homes throughout this corridor, our Northern El Paso County communities page covers the full range of neighborhoods, price points, and lifestyle considerations across the Tri-Lakes area.

Market Heat Index Formula: (50 × Absorption Rate) + (30 × Contract Ratio) − (Days on Market × 0.5) + (List-to-Sale Difference % × 2)