How to Buy a House in Colorado: 12 Steps, Week by Week

Buying a house in Colorado takes 12 steps and 10 to 20 weeks: 2 weeks to set the budget and get pre-approved, 2 to 10 weeks to search and write an offer, and 30 to 45 days under contract to closing. Every step under contract has a date in the Colorado Contract to Buy and Sell, so the second half of the timeline is fixed the day your offer is accepted.

This guide lays out the 12 steps in order with the week each lands in, what it costs, and the Colorado deadline attached to it. It applies to a financed purchase in the Denver metro, Colorado Springs or Northern Colorado; a cash purchase skips steps 8 and 9 and closes in 10 to 21 days.

The 12-step Colorado timeline at a glance

Step 1: decide the purchase makes sense (week 0)

Buy if you plan to stay 5 years or more and your income is steady. Front Range buying costs of 2% to 3% and selling costs of 5% to 7% need 5 years of price growth and principal paydown to recover. If your horizon is shorter, keep renting and keep saving. The buy now or wait for lower rates in Colorado post runs the numbers on timing.

Step 2: set a monthly payment ceiling (week 1)

Set the number before you look at a single listing. The payment is PITI plus dues: principal, interest, property tax, homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance if under 20% down, and HOA or metro district charges. Keep it at or under 30% of gross monthly income and total debt payments under 36%. On the Front Range, insurance of $2,500 to $4,500 a year and a metro district mill levy move the payment more than a quarter point of rate does. The Denver payment scenario plan shows how to test three rate cases against one ceiling.

Step 3: get pre-approved (weeks 1 to 2)

A pre-approval is a written commitment after the lender pulls credit and reads your income and asset documents; a pre-qualification is an estimate and does not count with a Colorado listing agent. Gather 30 days of pay stubs, two years of W-2s or tax returns, two months of bank statements and a photo ID. Mike Oswald, VP of Mortgage Lending at Rate, NMLS 261003, Equal Housing Lender, returns pre-approvals for the group's buyers in 24 to 48 hours. You are free to use any lender. The Colorado mortgage pre-approval guide and the Colorado home financing guide cover loan types, CHFA and metroDPA assistance.

Step 4: sign the Colorado buyer agreement (week 2)

Colorado brokers give you the Brokerage Disclosure to Buyer, a Commission form that explains buyer's agent and transaction-broker roles, and the Exclusive Right-to-Buy Listing Contract, the written agreement required before touring since August 2024. It sets the term, the areas and the compensation, which the offer asks the seller to pay in most 2026 Denver metro closings. The how we help buyers page explains what the Kenna Real Estate Group does under that agreement.

Step 5: search and tour (weeks 2 to 10)

Search the live MLS feed on the Colorado home search, which carries every REcolorado and Pikes Peak listing with the agent's data. Set one saved search with a top price, a bedroom minimum and a commute boundary. Tour in blocks of 4 to 6 homes and score each on the same sheet. Colorado listings publish days on market, HOA dues and the tax amount on every record; use all three. Compare cities on the explore pages for Denver, Aurora, Castle Rock and Fort Collins.

Step 6: write the offer (weeks 4 to 12)

The offer is the Colorado Contract to Buy and Sell Real Estate. Its Dates and Deadlines table sets every date in steps 7 through 12, so the offer is where the timeline is built. Set an Acceptance Deadline 24 to 48 hours out, attach the pre-approval letter, and name the inclusions. Ask for a seller concession of $5,000 to $15,000 toward closing costs on any home past 30 days on market. The making an offer on a Colorado home page walks through each section. When both sides sign, the contract is at MEC, mutual execution of contract, and the clock starts.

Step 7: earnest money and disclosures (MEC + 1 to 5 days)

Wire 1% to 2% of the price to the title company named as earnest money holder by the Earnest Money Deadline. The seller delivers the Colorado Seller's Property Disclosure, the Square Footage Disclosure and the Source of Water disclosure by the Seller's Property Disclosure Deadline. Read all three before the inspector arrives. The what happens after your offer is accepted guide covers this week in detail.

Step 8: inspection (MEC + 7 to 10 days)

Order the general inspection ($400 to $700), a 48-hour radon test ($125 to $200; Colorado is EPA Zone 1) and a sewer scope ($150 to $300 on any home built before 1980) the day after MEC. Before the Inspection Objection Deadline you terminate with your earnest money, object with a written request for repairs or credits, or accept. The seller answers by the Inspection Resolution Deadline; no signed resolution and the contract ends on its own. The Denver home inspector guide covers who to hire.

Step 9: appraisal and title (MEC + 14 to 21 days)

The lender orders the appraisal after inspection resolution. A low appraisal triggers the Appraisal Objection Deadline: renegotiate the price, cover the gap, split it or terminate with earnest money. In the same window the title company delivers the title commitment by the Record Title Deadline and the HOA delivers its budget, reserves and minutes by the Association Documents Deadline; both carry their own objection or termination rights. Bind homeowners insurance now, before the Property Insurance Termination Deadline.

Step 10: loan approval (MEC + 21 to 28 days)

The underwriter issues conditions: updated pay stubs, a letter for a deposit, the signed inspection resolution, the insurance binder. Answer each the same day. Do not open credit, change jobs or move money between accounts. The New Loan Terms Deadline and the New Loan Availability Deadline are your last chance to terminate with earnest money if the rate, the payment or the approval is not what you accepted. Clear-to-close follows in 3 to 7 days.

Step 11: Closing Disclosure and walk-through (closing minus 3 days)

Federal rules require the Closing Disclosure at least 3 business days before closing. Compare it with the Loan Estimate line by line; the Colorado closing costs guide explains each fee. Confirm the title company's wiring instructions by phone at the number on the title commitment and send the wire one business day early. Walk the home 24 to 48 hours before closing to confirm repairs, inclusions and condition.

Step 12: closing and recording (MEC + 30 to 45 days)

Sign at the title company with a photo ID; a financed closing takes 45 to 90 minutes. Colorado does not require an attorney. Once the lender funds, the deed goes to the county clerk and recorder; Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson counties record electronically within hours. Keys change hands at the Possession Date and Time in the contract. The Colorado closing checklist lists what to bring.

What delays a Colorado closing

• Insurance. A hail-prone roof over 15 years old draws a declined quote or a $5,000 wind and hail deductible; start quotes in step 8.
• HOA documents. Management companies take 7 to 10 business days to deliver; order them at MEC.
• Appraisal gaps. Agree in the offer on how a gap is handled and the objection is a form, not a fight.
• Loan conditions. Each unanswered request adds a day. Answer within 24 hours.
• Wire timing. A wire sent the morning of closing lands after the cutoff; send it the day before.

The Denver area home buying process post covers how the group manages each of these.

Where to go next

• The Colorado home buyer's guide
• First-time home buyer guide for Colorado
• Home buying tools for Colorado buyers
• New construction homes in Colorado by area
• Search homes for sale in Highlands Ranch
• Meet the Kenna Real Estate Group agents

Talk to the Kenna Real Estate Group

The Kenna Real Estate Group at Keller Williams DTC runs this 12-step timeline for every buyer: the payment ceiling, the pre-approval, the search, the offer, and a shared calendar of every Colorado contract deadline until the deed records. Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. Or start today and search every home for sale in Colorado.