Buying a Home in Colorado From Another State: The Plan

You can buy a home in Colorado from another state without setting foot in it before closing: tour by video, sign the Colorado contract electronically, inspect through your buyer's agent, close by remote online notarization, and have a moving truck at the door the day you get the keys. The work is in the sequence, because the Colorado contract runs on fixed deadlines and interstate movers book 4 to 8 weeks out.

This guide is the sequence: how to search from 1,000 miles away, which deadlines bite a remote buyer, how a Colorado closing works when you are not in the room, what movers cost, and what to do in your first 90 days as a resident. The Colorado relocation services page covers the concierge version of the same plan.

How do I tour Colorado homes from another state?

• Live video walkthrough. Your buyer's agent walks the home on FaceTime or Zoom, opens every closet, runs the water, and points the camera at the electrical panel, the furnace label and the roof. 20 to 30 minutes per home.
• 3D tours and floor plans. Most Denver metro listings above $500,000 carry a Matterport scan. Use it to shortlist, not to decide; the camera hides the highway noise from I-25 and the neighbor's RV.
• One fly-in weekend. Two days, 10 to 15 homes, grouped by commute corridor; write the offer before the flight home.
• Sight-unseen with a contingency. The Colorado contract's inspection and appraisal deadlines let you write on a home you have only seen on video and walk away with your earnest money if the in-person visit or the inspection changes your mind.

Start the search on the Colorado home search, then narrow to a city with the Denver home search, the Colorado Springs home search or the Fort Collins home search.

How do I get pre-approved for a Colorado mortgage with an out-of-state job?

Get pre-approved before the fly-in weekend, because Denver metro listing agents do not present a financed offer without the letter. Three relocation cases:

• Transferring with your employer. A transfer letter with the Colorado start date and salary is enough. Conventional underwriting allows closing up to 90 days before the start date with cash reserves.
• New Colorado job. A signed offer letter with a start date; most lenders want a start date within 60 to 90 days of closing and some want the first pay stub.
• Remote work. A letter from your employer confirming the position is fully remote and continues after the move.

Use a Colorado lender who has closed on Front Range title company timelines. The Kenna Real Estate Group works with Mike Oswald, VP of Mortgage Lending at Rate, NMLS 261003, Equal Housing Lender. You are free to use any lender. Programs and options are on the Colorado home financing guide, and the process is in the Colorado mortgage pre-approval guide.

Which Colorado contract deadlines matter most for a remote buyer?

The Colorado Contract to Buy and Sell Real Estate (Real Estate Commission form CBS1) has more than a dozen dated deadlines. A remote buyer trips on five of them, so build the move around these dates from the day the seller signs:

Every deadline is negotiable when the offer is written, and a remote buyer asks for the longer end of each range. The guide to making an offer on a Colorado home explains each one; the escrow guide covers the weeks between contract and keys.

Can I close on a Colorado home remotely?

Yes. Colorado authorized remote online notarization in 2020, so a title company closer meets you on a webcam, verifies your ID, and you sign the deed of trust electronically from any state. The alternatives are a mail-away closing (the title company overnights the package to a notary near you) or a limited power of attorney that lets your agent or a relative sign in Colorado. Colorado closings run through title companies, not attorneys, and the closing itself takes about an hour.

One rule for the cash to close: Colorado title companies see wire fraud attempts every week. Call the closer at the number on the title commitment to confirm the wire instructions, never the number in an email, and wire 2 business days early so a bank hold does not push closing.

What inspections does an out-of-state buyer order on a Colorado home?

The same ones a local buyer orders, with your agent standing in for you: the general inspection ($400 to $650), a sewer scope ($150 to $300) on any home built before 2000, a radon test ($125 to $250; about half of Colorado homes test above the EPA action level), and a roofing contractor's hail inspection. Homes in the foothills wildfire zones need an insurance quote during the inspection period, because the premium changes the payment. The full list, with Front Range costs, is in the specialized inspections Colorado buyers order.

How much do interstate movers cost to Colorado, and when do I book?

A long-distance move of a three-bedroom home from 1,000 or more miles runs $5,000 to $12,000 with a licensed interstate carrier; full-service packing adds $1,000 to $3,000; a portable container you load yourself runs $3,000 to $6,000. Every interstate mover must hold a USDOT number and FMCSA operating authority, both searchable on the FMCSA site; movers operating only inside Colorado hold a Colorado Public Utilities Commission household goods permit. Check both before you pay a deposit.

• Book 4 to 8 weeks out, and 8 to 10 weeks for a June or July move, when Front Range demand peaks.
• Get a binding estimate after a video or in-home survey. A non-binding estimate on an interstate move changes at delivery.
• Ask for the delivery window in writing. Interstate loads deliver in a 3 to 14 day spread; a fixed delivery date costs $500 to $1,500 more.
• Storage in transit. When closing slips, full service movers hold the load in a warehouse for $200 to $600 a month instead of returning it. You are free to use any mover.

How do I line up closing, possession and the moving truck?

Set the closing date first, then the truck. In Colorado, possession passes at closing when the deed records, and recording happens the same day in most Front Range counties when the closing finishes before 2 pm. Book the truck's delivery for two days after closing, not the day of, so a lender or recording delay does not leave a loaded semi on the street with nowhere to unload. If the seller needs time after closing, the contract's post-closing occupancy agreement sets a daily rate and a move-out date; hold the truck's storage-in-transit option until that date is firm.

What is the best time of year to buy and move to Colorado?

• April to June: the most listings on the Front Range, the most competition, and a closing that lands in the movers' peak.
• September to November: fewer listings, sellers who missed the summer market and negotiate, and cheaper trucks.
• December to February: the least inventory and the best prices; the I-70 traction law runs September 1 to May 31, so a rented truck needs proper tires for the mountain route, and Denver averages one snow event a week from December through March.
• Hail season is May to September. A roof replaced after the last storm is worth more than one that has not been inspected since.

What does a new Colorado resident have to do in the first 90 days?

• Driver's license: within 30 days of establishing residency, at a Colorado DMV office by appointment.
• Vehicle registration: within 90 days, with a VIN verification and, in the Denver metro and Northern Front Range, an emissions test from Air Care Colorado for gasoline vehicles older than 7 model years. Registration fees are based on the vehicle's value and age. Our post on the car being the thing that trips people up when moving to Colorado has the details.
• Utilities: Xcel Energy for gas and electric in most of the Denver metro; Denver Water, Aurora Water or your suburban district for water; Colorado Springs Utilities and Fort Collins Utilities in those cities. Start service the day before closing.
• Taxes: Colorado has a flat state income tax and a low residential property tax; a $600,000 central Denver home pays about $3,000 to $3,500 a year.

The Colorado Front Range relocation checklist is the printable version.

Where do out-of-state buyers land on the Front Range?

Pick the commute first, the home second. Denver metro traffic runs 35 to 60 minutes on I-25 or I-70 at rush hour, so a buyer working in the Denver Tech Center lands in Centennial, Lone Tree or Highlands Ranch; a buyer working downtown lands in Denver's Central Park, Sunnyside or Platt Park or in Arvada; a buyer working at Anschutz lands in Aurora or Lowry; and a buyer working remotely picks by lifestyle: Golden and Morrison for the foothills, Fort Collins and Loveland for Northern Colorado, Colorado Springs for lower prices and Pikes Peak. Start with the moving to Denver guide, then the city pages for Centennial, Arvada, Castle Rock and Fort Collins. Buyers coming from Texas read the Colorado vs. Texas differences for homebuyers first.

Should I sell my current home before buying in Colorado?

Sell first when the Colorado purchase depends on the equity; the Colorado contract accepts a sale contingency, but a contingent offer loses to a clean one in Highlands Ranch or Boulder County. Buy first when you have the down payment and the reserves to carry two payments for 60 to 90 days; a bridge loan or a cash-offer program closes the gap. Our post on buying and selling a home at the same time in Colorado lays out both paths.

What does it cost to close on a Colorado home?

2% to 3% of the price for a financed buyer: lender fees, the owner's and lender's title policies, the appraisal ($600 to $900), recording, and prepaid property tax and insurance. Colorado charges no real estate transfer tax; the state documentary fee is one cent per $100 of price. Homeowners insurance runs $2,000 to $4,500 a year on a Front Range single-family home because of hail, and the first year is paid at closing. The Colorado closing costs guide itemizes every line.

Where to go next

• Colorado relocation services
• Moving to Denver
• The Colorado home buyer's guide
• The 10 most common mistakes people make when moving to Colorado
• Moving to Denver: a newcomer's guide
• Kenna Real Estate Group agents

Talk to the Kenna Real Estate Group

The Kenna Real Estate Group at Keller Williams DTC tours homes on video for out-of-state buyers, attends every inspection in person, builds the contract deadlines around your moving date, and coordinates the closing with your lender, the title company and your movers. Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. Begin tonight and search every home for sale in Colorado.