Sell Your Lot in Forbes Park

Selling Land in Forbes Park: What to Know

Forbes Park is a gated mountain subdivision off Highway 160 near Fort Garland, with tall trees, creeks and real winters. Many owners bought a lot for a future cabin and never built. Annual association dues keep coming either way.

EasyLotBuyer buys Forbes Park lots for cash. We make an offer within 24 hours, charge no fees or commissions, pay the closing costs, and can close in as few as 7 days. We also buy lots with back taxes, liens or title issues.

What Forbes Park is

Forbes Park is in Costilla County, west of La Veta Pass, with a Fort Garland mailing address (ZIP 81133). The association says the park covers about 13,046 acres and has 3,346 lots of 1 to 14 acres. Owned lots make up about 8,000 acres, and the rest is common land.

Elevation runs from about 8,500 feet at the main gate to about 10,500 feet inside the park. The association reports snowfall of around 200 inches a year. Forbes Park is separate from Sangre de Cristo Ranches, even though the same developer built both.

Gate, roads and winter access

Access to the park is restricted under the covenants, and owners get gate codes through the association's member portal. The roads were first cut for lot sales, and the association's own FAQ says many were poorly built and some have never been improved.

In winter, the association plows a set route that covers roads with full-time residents. If your lot is not on that route, you must ask for plowing at least five days before your visit, and clearing your own driveway is your job. The association advises a four-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicle in winter.

Water, wells and septic

The covenants say water from wells permitted under a water court decree (Case No. W-3312) may be used for domestic in-house use only. The association's FAQ says the state will issue an in-house-use-only well permit on any lot in the park. You still need a permit from the Colorado Division of Water Resources before you drill.

A home needs a septic system. Costilla County charges $500 for a new septic (OWTS) permit and does not allow septic systems in subdivisions or on platted lots smaller than one acre. The covenants also require septic systems to return water to the ground in the same drainage.

Owners' association, dues and covenants

Every lot belongs to the Forbes Park Land Owners Association (FPLOA). The covenants let the association charge annual and special assessments, and unpaid assessments become a lien on the lot. The annual assessment is due October 1, and payments more than 60 days late carry 10 percent interest. Ask the office at 719-379-3000 for the current amount.

The association's Environmental Control Committee (ECC) must approve plans before you build. Homes must be at least 600 square feet on the main floor, and only one home is allowed per lot. Work must be finished within 12 months after materials arrive or foundation work starts. Cutting a live tree 4 inches or more across needs a permit.

Camping and RV rules

Two sets of rules apply. Under the covenants, a camper, RV or tent may stay on a lot for no more than three nights in a row, once a month, unless the ECC gives a permit. The ECC can allow camping for up to three weeks at a time, and the FAQ says you must then leave the park for 24 hours. The association asks winter campers to get an ECC permit for any stay longer than three days.

Costilla County also requires a Long-term Camping Permit for more than 14 days total in any three months on the same parcel.

Taxes and what lots sell for

Property tax goes to the Costilla County Treasurer, and association dues go to FPLOA. They are separate bills, and either one can become a lien. You can look up and pay county taxes at costillacounty.gov.

We did not find a public source that reports a median sale price for Forbes Park alone, so these are ZIP and county figures. Recent market data for ZIP 81133 (Fort Garland) shows a median land sale of $15,000 over 191 sales. Across Costilla County, the median land sale was $11,000 and the median asking price was $13,500. Forbes Park lots are smaller than many lots in the area, and trees, views, road access and nearby power all move the price.

How selling to us works

Send us your lot number or parcel number. We research the lot and make a cash offer within 24 hours. If you accept, we open escrow with a title company, pay the closing costs, and can close in as few as 7 days. There are no fees or commissions. Unpaid county taxes are paid from the sale at closing.