Latest Articles
Winter PCS Orders: Buying or Selling Over the Holidays
Got orders with a winter report date? The holiday housing market is quieter but full of motivated buyers and sellers. Here’s how to buy or sell over the holidays and plan around closures and moving dates.
Heating Season Safety: Carbon Monoxide Checks for Your Home
Heating season is here, and carbon monoxide is the hidden risk in many homes. Learn where CO comes from, where alarms belong, and the three checks to make this week, especially after a PCS.
Labor Day: The ROI of Annual Maintenance
Honor Labor Day with Smart Sweat Equity Labor Day originated in the late 19th century […]
Nicole Strom
REALTOR, Associate Broker, MRP, ABR #100085955
The Platinum Group, REALTORS®
6760 Corporate Drive, Ste 300
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80919
(719) 922-0102
About
Nicole is an approachable and experienced full-time REALTOR® who is dedicated to providing exceptional service to her clients. As a retired Army military spouse, she understands the unique needs and challenges that relocating families may face when it comes to buying or selling a home. With her extensive knowledge and personal experience, Nicole is able to offer valuable insights and support throughout the entire real estate process.
Nicole holds a Bachelor Degree in Marketing, which gives her a solid foundation in effective strategies to market properties and reach potential buyers. She leverages her expertise to create compelling listings that highlight the unique features and selling points of her clients' homes. By utilizing the latest marketing techniques, Nicole ensures maximum exposure for her clients' properties, thus attracting the right buyers and achieving the best possible outcomes for her clients.
One of Nicole's passions is educating her clients. She firmly believes that well-informed clients make the best decisions. Nicole takes the time to patiently explain each step of the transaction process, empowering her clients to make confident and informed choices.
Nicole is committed to staying at the forefront of technological advancements in the real estate industry. She actively seeks out and embraces the latest technologies to benefit her clients. From virtual reality tours to drone photography, Nicole harnesses the power of technology to provide her clients with a competitive edge. By utilizing advanced data analysis and other innovative resources, she ensures that her clients have access to the most cutting-edge solutions available in the real estate industry.
When she is not helping her clients achieve their real estate goals, Nicole enjoys staying active and exploring the great outdoors. She also believes in giving back to her community and dedicates her time to volunteering with local organizations that support military families and veterans.
If you are looking for a REALTOR® who is both approachable and professional, committed to excellence, armed with marketing expertise, passionate about educating clients and dedicated to utilizing the latest technologies, Nicole is the ideal choice.
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Buy now, or keep renting? That is the question buyer clients brought to their financial advisor this week. Their dream is to own several rental properties someday to create retirement income and leave something meaningful to their children. Here is something many people do not realize: most millionaires do own real estate. In one Morgan Stanley survey, 77% of millionaire investors owned real estate, and about a third owned REITs. A REIT is a company that owns a whole portfolio of income-producing properties, like apartments, warehouses, and shopping centers, and you can buy shares of it like a stock. REITs spread your risk across many properties at once, which is why financial advisors often include them in portfolios. Overall, real estate makes up about 19% of high-net-worth portfolios, according to Capgemini’s 2026 World Wealth Report. Owning a home directly works differently. You can buy with owner-occupied financing, live in it first, and build equity with every payment. Here is a path I have watched work over and over: Buy a home you will live in. Live there for at least a year. Turn it into a rental. Then do it again. Your lender can walk you through loan options and occupancy requirements, and a tax professional can explain how converting a home affects capital gains later. Want a lender recommendation? I got you. In the last four-plus years, I have helped 26 sellers keep their home and turn it into an investment property instead of selling. Many were military families with PCS orders who realized the home they were leaving could keep working for them. Renting is sometimes the right call, and every situation is different. But if building wealth through real estate is your goal, it is worth understanding all of your options before deciding to wait.
Credit Scoring Is Changing: 3 Things Homebuyers Should Know Think you need a 700 credit score to buy a home? You might be surprised by how wrong that number is. And if you've been putting off buying because of your credit, this could change everything. According to a recent Veterans United survey, 57% of prospective buyers think they need a credit score of at least 660 to qualify for a mortgage. And 34% believe they need 700 or higher. But here's what many people don't realize. The traditional benchmark for many conventional loans has been 620. And with recent changes to mortgage credit scoring, even that isn't a hard-and-fast requirement for every loan. Plus, lenders are beginning to adopt newer credit scoring models that could help millions more Americans get evaluated for a mortgage. So, the number you see on your credit monitoring app may not tell the whole story about your ability to buy a home. Does that mean everyone can qualify? Of course not. But it does mean you shouldn't count yourself out before talking to a professional. Curious where you actually stand? Send me a message, and let's connect you with a lender who can help you find out.
Are sellers still paying closing costs in El Paso County? The Q3 2026 numbers say yes, in most cases. Chicago Title of Colorado looked at every home sale in the county from July through September. Here’s what I found most interesting: About 65% of sales included a seller concession, and the median was $10,000 every single month. Homes between $300,000 and $400,000 had the highest rate, reaching nearly 80% in September. Homes over $1 million had concessions less often, but when they happened, they were often larger. Your ZIP code makes a big difference. In September, more than 80% of sales in 80916 and 80925 included a concession, while fewer than half did in 80132 and 80905. Something many people don’t realize: seller concessions are negotiated up front, as part of the offer, not at the end of the transaction. If you’re thinking about selling, it helps to plan for a concession before you list so it’s part of your pricing strategy from the start. If you’re buying, decide what to request before you write your offer. Your lender can walk you through how those funds could work for your situation. Inspection items are a separate conversation, and I have a strategy for resolving them that benefits both buyers and sellers. It’s a true win/win. Reach out and I’m happy to share how it works.
