Affordable Homes in Aurora: Where the Cheap Condos and Small Houses Are, What They Cost a Month, and How to Buy One for About $1,000

The short answer

Where are the cheapest homes in Aurora?

Aurora's affordable homes run in a band along Parker Road and the R Line, from Colfax south to Hampden, almost all of it 1970s to 1980s condo and townhome complexes. The exceptions are original Aurora north of Colfax (small brick houses, no HOA) and the newest townhomes out east with a metro district.

• 80014, Heather Gardens and Meadow Hills: 180 homes under $400,000 this week, median $255,000, from $150,000; nearly all condos and townhomes (100 percent carry an HOA), 20 percent with three bedrooms or more, about 1,200 square feet at the median. Heather Gardens is a 55-plus community of about 2,400 condos around its own golf course and clubhouse, and dues of $500 to $800 cover heat, water and the amenities; buyers under 55 look at Meadow Hills and the Parker Road complexes next to Cherry Creek State Park.
• 80012, Expo Park and Village East: 140 homes under $400,000 this week, median $254,900, from $95,000; nearly all condos and townhomes (97 percent carry an HOA), 25 percent with three bedrooms or more, about 1,036 square feet at the median. Two-bedroom condos from the 1970s and 1980s along Parker Road and Mississippi, a walk to the Florida station on the R Line, with the lowest dues in the city for a two-bedroom.
• 80011, Del Mar and Highline: 125 homes under $400,000 this week, median $185,000, from $30,000; a mix of condos and houses (64 percent carry an HOA), 48 percent with three bedrooms or more, about 1,032 square feet at the median. The cheapest ZIP in Aurora and the most mixed: manufactured homes in parks pull the floor to $30,000, 1950s two-bedroom houses sit in the $300,000s, and the Anschutz Medical Campus and the Colfax R Line station are a short drive.
• 80017, Aurora Hills and Side Creek: 106 homes under $400,000 this week, median $265,000, from $134,900; nearly all condos and townhomes (94 percent carry an HOA), 26 percent with three bedrooms or more, about 1,064 square feet at the median. Condos and townhomes along Mississippi and Chambers, 1980s construction, two-car garages on the townhomes, dues $300 to $450.
• 80013, Mission Viejo and Seven Hills: 60 homes under $400,000 this week, median $290,000, from $120,000; nearly all condos and townhomes (95 percent carry an HOA), 23 percent with three bedrooms or more, about 1,008 square feet at the median. 1980s townhomes off Hampden and Chambers with attached garages and small yards; the first homes here that feel like a house for a condo price.
• 80015, Quincy Reservoir and Saddle Rock Ridge: 46 homes under $400,000 this week, median $299,900, from $193,000; nearly all condos and townhomes (87 percent carry an HOA), 20 percent with three bedrooms or more, about 1,032 square feet at the median. Newer townhomes near Quincy Reservoir and Southlands, $280,000 to $400,000, with a metro district on the newest.
• 80010, original Aurora and Hoffman Heights: 38 homes under $400,000 this week, median $350,000, from $158,000; mostly houses on their own lots (4 percent carry an HOA), 48 percent with three bedrooms or more, about 912 square feet at the median. The detached-house pocket: 1940s and 1950s brick ranches of 800 to 1,100 square feet with alleys and garages, no HOA, minutes from Anschutz and Stanley Marketplace. Prices start in the $300,000s and the houses sell in days.
• 80016, Southshore and Tallyn's Reach: 28 homes under $400,000 this week, median $365,000, from $262,000; nearly all condos and townhomes (100 percent carry an HOA), 28 percent with three bedrooms or more, about 1,253 square feet at the median. A handful of 2000s townhomes under $400,000 near Southlands, every one with a metro-district levy on top of the HOA.

What does $250,000, $300,000 and $400,000 buy in Aurora?

What does an affordable Aurora home cost a month?

An Aurora condo at $300,000 and an Aurora house at $400,000 cost nearly the same per month, because the house has no $400 HOA line. That is why the Hoffman Heights ranch and the Mission Viejo townhome land on the same shortlist.

Heather Gardens dues run higher than the $400 used here ($500 to $800) because they include heat, water and the golf course; subtract your utility bill before you compare. Run your own numbers on can I afford a home now.

Which programs cut the cash, and what is the catch?

How many bedrooms do cheap Aurora homes have?

Two bedrooms is the Aurora affordable home. Three bedrooms under $400,000 means a Mission Viejo or Seven Hills townhome, a Del Mar house or a Hoffman Heights ranch, about 191 of them this week. The bedroom-count pages: 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, 4-bedroom Aurora homes.

What to check before you buy a cheap home in Aurora

• The age restriction in Heather Gardens. One resident must be 55 or older; the dues include heat and the golf course, so compare them against the utility bill they replace.
• The HOA budget and reserves. Ask for two years of financials and the reserve study; the 1970s complexes along Parker Road have had roof and boiler assessments of $5,000 to $20,000 a unit.
• FHA and VA approval of the complex. A condo project off the FHA list cannot take an FHA loan or CHFA assistance.
• Metro districts out east. Southshore, Tallyn's Reach and the newest Quincy townhomes carry a district levy of $150 to $300 a month on top of the HOA.
• Manufactured homes in 80011. The $30,000 to $120,000 listings are homes in parks on leased land: a chattel loan at a higher rate plus $900 to $1,200 a month lot rent, and no land.
• Hail and insurance. East Aurora roofs took the 2024 and 2025 storms; ask the roof age and the master-policy deductible.
• Parking and heat. Deeded space or first-come; heat in the dues or on your bill. Read the guide to Aurora HOA rules and fees.

The 60-day plan to buy an affordable home in Aurora

1. Day 1: call or text 303-955-4220. We set up the under-$400,000 search with the HOA shown on every tile and send the lender introduction the same day.
2. Days 1 to 7: pre-approval with CHFA or Aurora HOAP or metroDPA priced side by side with plain FHA and VA; the two-hour homebuyer class online. Mortgage pre-approval.
3. Days 7 to 30: tour the pockets above, two or three a day, with the HOA financials pulled before each showing.
4. Days 30 to 35: the offer, written with seller-paid closing costs and the earnest money sized to come back to you.
5. Days 35 to 60: inspection, appraisal, condo questionnaire, clear to close. You bring about $1,000.

Quick answers

Where are the cheapest homes in Aurora?

Del Mar and Highline (80011) for the lowest prices, Expo Park and Village East (80012) and Heather Gardens and Meadow Hills (80014) for the most two-bedroom condos under $300,000. Together those three ZIPs hold more than half of Aurora's 769 homes under $400,000. Every one is on affordable homes for sale in Aurora.

Is $300,000 enough to buy a home in Aurora?

Yes. 477 Aurora homes are listed under $300,000 this week, nearly all two-bedroom condos and townhomes of about 1,000 square feet with an HOA of $300 to $500. A detached house under $300,000 in Aurora is a fixer in Del Mar or a manufactured home in a park.

How much is the payment on a $300,000 Aurora condo?

About $2,697 a month with an FHA loan at 7 percent and 3.5 percent down, including a $400 HOA, taxes and mortgage insurance; a lender approves that at about $108,000 a year of income.

What is Aurora HOAP?

The City of Aurora's Home Ownership Assistance Program, a deferred loan toward down payment and closing costs for income-eligible buyers purchasing in the city, stacked on top of CHFA or an FHA loan. It is repaid when the home sells or refinances. We confirm the current funding and limit the day you call.

Can I buy in Heather Gardens if I am under 55?

No. Heather Gardens is an age-restricted community; one resident must be 55 or older. Buyers under 55 shop Meadow Hills, Expo Park and the Parker Road complexes at the same prices. The 55-plus side is on Aurora 55-plus communities.

Where are the cheapest houses, not condos, in Aurora?

Original Aurora and Hoffman Heights (80010) and Del Mar (80011): 1940s and 1950s brick ranches of 800 to 1,100 square feet, no HOA, from the low $300,000s. The next step up is a Mission Viejo townhome with a garage.

Should I rent to own in Aurora instead?

Only when a loan is impossible today. A lease-option on a $300,000 Aurora home takes a $9,000 option fee plus a rent premium with no title until the end; CHFA or Aurora HOAP puts a 620-score buyer on title now for about $1,000. The side-by-side is on Aurora rent-to-own homes.

Keep going

Every Aurora home under $400,000, updated daily · Affordable homes across Colorado · The Denver affordable homes guide · $1,000 cash to close · CHFA assistance · Aurora starter homes · Aurora condos · Aurora townhomes · Aurora HUD homes · Aurora rent-to-own · Credit care · All Aurora homes. Nearby: Denver, Centennial, Commerce City, Englewood.