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Start a Colorado home search with three numbers set before you tour a single house: your maximum monthly payment, your available down payment, and your closing-cost cash. Those three numbers, not the listing photos, decide which homes on the Front Range you can actually buy in 2026.
Set Your Budget Before You Look
Lenders on the Front Range qualify most buyers using a debt-to-income ratio near 43%, meaning your mortgage payment plus other monthly debts stays under 43% of your gross monthly income. On a $500,000 Denver-metro home with 10% down, principal, interest, taxes and insurance run roughly $3,200 to $3,700 a month depending on your rate and county tax rate. Run your own numbers with the Colorado mortgage pre-approval guide before you set a search range.
How Much Down Payment Do I Need in Denver?
Conventional loans in Colorado start at 3% to 5% down for qualified buyers, FHA loans at 3.5%, and VA loans at 0% down for eligible veterans and service members. On a $475,000 home, that is $14,250 to $23,750 for a conventional loan, or $16,625 for FHA. Putting down less than 20% adds private mortgage insurance, $100 to $300 a month, which drops off once you reach 20% equity. Compare loan types on the government-backed home buying guide.
Get Pre-Approved Before You Tour Homes
A pre-approval letter is a lender's written commitment based on your income, debt, credit and assets, and it is different from a pre-qualification, which is an estimate with no documentation checked. Front Range listing agents will not schedule a showing on a competitive listing without a pre-approval letter attached to your name. Get pre-approved first, then search, using Mike Oswald at Rate (NMLS 261003, Equal Housing Lender) or any lender of your choice; you are free to use any lender you prefer. Start at Colorado home financing or get your credit ready first at Kenna Credit Care.
Which Front Range City Fits Your Budget and Commute
Median prices vary widely across the metro. Aurora, Commerce City and Thornton run lower than the metro median; Denver, Lakewood, Arvada and Westminster sit near the middle; Littleton, Centennial, Greenwood Village and Cherry Hills Village run higher; Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, Lone Tree and Parker offer newer construction at mid-to-upper price points. Compare current listings with a search page for each city:
- Denver homes for sale
- Aurora homes for sale
- Lakewood homes for sale
- Littleton homes for sale
- Centennial homes for sale
- Colorado Springs homes for sale
Understand HOA and Metro District Costs Before You Offer
Most Front Range subdivisions built after 2000 carry either a homeowners association, a metro district, or both. HOA dues run from $30 a month for a basic single-family covenant to $500 or more a month for condo buildings with amenities. Metro districts carry their own mill levy on top of county property tax, sometimes adding $100 to $300 a month to the payment on new-build homes in Castle Rock, Parker and parts of Aurora. Read the covenants and the district's budget before you remove your inspection contingency. See the Denver HOA rules and fees guide and the Denver special district and metro district tax guide.
How Competitive Is the Market Right Now?
Denver metro inventory has grown from the tight 2021-2022 market, and well-priced homes in good condition still draw multiple offers in the first two weeks, while overpriced or dated homes sit. Track live numbers by ZIP code at hottest and coldest Denver ZIP codes and the Colorado market reports page before you write an offer strategy.
What Is the Inspection Objection Deadline?
Colorado contracts use an inspection objection deadline, a specific date and time by which you must submit any repair requests or walk away with your earnest money. Miss the deadline and the property is deemed acceptable as-is. Most Front Range contracts set this deadline 7 to 10 days after the effective date, though it is negotiated as part of the offer. Schedule your inspector the day your offer is accepted, not the day before the deadline.
How Earnest Money Works in Colorado
Earnest money is a deposit, 1% to 3% of the purchase price, held by a title company or brokerage to show you intend to close. If you object during your inspection window and cancel within the contract's terms, the earnest money is returned. If you cancel outside your contingency periods without cause, the seller can keep it. Read every deadline on the contract before you sign, and ask your agent to calendar each one.
Check Hail, Wildfire and Water Before You Buy
Colorado's hail season runs spring through September, and Front Range roofs take direct hits almost every year; ask for the roof's age and any prior insurance claims before you waive an inspection. Homes in the foothills and in parts of Jefferson, Boulder and El Paso counties sit in mapped wildfire zones, which affects both insurance cost and defensible-space requirements around the structure. Denver Water and other Front Range utilities run seasonal water restrictions in summer, which matters for a home with a large lawn or older sprinkler system. Ask your agent for the specific wildfire and hail history on any home you are seriously considering.
Expansive Clay Soil and Foundation Checks
A wide swath of the Front Range sits on expansive bentonite clay soil, which swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and moves foundations over time if drainage around the home is poor. A structural or geotechnical inspection, separate from a general home inspection, runs $400 to $800 and is worth ordering on any home built before 2000 or any home with visible cracks, sloped floors or sticking doors. This is a Front Range-specific step buyers moving from other states skip.
Altitude and Dry Air: What It Means for a Home
Denver sits at 5,280 feet, and the Front Range gets roughly 300 days of sun a year with humidity that drops into the teens for much of the winter. That combination dries out wood trim, cracks caulk and grout faster than in humid climates, and pushes UV exposure on roofing, decking and paint higher than at sea level. Budget for more frequent exterior maintenance than you are used to, and ask about the age of exterior paint, caulking and deck sealant during your walkthrough.
New Construction Versus Resale
New construction in Castle Rock, Parker, Commerce City and parts of Aurora comes with a builder warranty and lower near-term maintenance, but adds metro district fees and HOA dues from day one, plus a longer commute to established job centers. Resale homes in Denver, Lakewood and Littleton offer mature landscaping and lower district fees, with more variability in the age of the roof, furnace and water heater. Compare current inventory at new construction homes in Colorado by area.
Documents to Have Ready Before You Offer
- Pre-approval letter from your lender, dated within 30 days
- Proof of funds for your down payment and closing costs
- Photo ID matching the name on your pre-approval
- Earnest money source ready to wire once under contract
- A copy of the seller's disclosure, once available, reviewed line by line
Seller Disclosure: What It Covers
Colorado sellers complete a written property disclosure covering known defects in the roof, foundation, systems, water intrusion, and any past insurance claims. It is not an inspection, and it only covers what the seller knows and reports. Read it before your inspection so you can point your inspector at anything flagged, and compare it against what you find during the walkthrough.
Best Time of Year to Buy on the Front Range
Late fall through winter brings fewer competing buyers and more negotiating room on price and closing costs, while spring and summer bring the widest selection of inventory and the most competition. If flexibility matters more to you than selection, watch listings in November through February. If selection matters more, plan your search for March through June and be ready to move fast on a home in good condition.
Where to go next
- The Colorado Home Buyer's Guide
- First-Time Home Buyer Guide for Colorado
- Closing costs for Colorado home buyers
- Common concerns of first-time home buyers in Colorado
- The roof report: what every Colorado home buyer should inspect before closing
- Search every home for sale in Colorado
Talk to the Kenna Real Estate Group
The Kenna Real Estate Group helps Front Range buyers set a real budget, get pre-approved, and put together an offer that accounts for hail, clay soil and HOA costs before you own the home, not after. Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. Ready to see what's available? Search every home for sale in Colorado.