Pre-approval before the search
A real pre-approval, credit pulled and income documented, is what makes a seller take your offer seriously.
Free guide · buying a home in Colorado
Every step of buying a home in Colorado, in order, in plain English: the pre-approval, what the payment really buys, down-payment help, the offer, the inspection and appraisal, closing costs and the mistakes that cost buyers money. Written by the Kenna Real Estate Group, the agents who do this every week from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.
A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. Everything you tell us stays private.
A real pre-approval, credit pulled and income documented, is what makes a seller take your offer seriously.
Rate, taxes, insurance, HOA and mortgage insurance in one honest monthly number, before you fall for a house.
CHFA, metroDPA, FHA at 3.5 percent, VA at zero down, conventional at 3 percent. Most buyers qualify for one.
Inspection, appraisal and loan objection dates are hard dates. Miss one and you lose your earnest money or your leverage.
Buying in Colorado
Get pre-approved first, so you know the real payment and sellers take you seriously. Search with a saved search that texts you the day a home lists. Tour with an agent who runs the comps on the exact home before you offer (the free Buyers Advantage Report). Write the offer with the Colorado contract's deadlines mapped out. Then inspection, appraisal, loan approval, title, HOA documents and closing, usually 30 to 45 days from contract to keys. This page walks each step; the free PDF guide goes deeper, and a Kenna agent answers the phone at every one of them.
Fit check
FHA at 3.5 percent down, CHFA grants and deferred second loans, metroDPA in the Denver metro, and conventional at 3 percent for strong credit.
VA loans with no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance, including assumptions of existing VA loans at their old rate.
Conventional and jumbo, bridge options, and the rules for qualifying while you still own the old house.
HUD homes at $100 down, new construction with builder incentives, patio and 55+ communities, horse property with acreage loans.
Pre-qualified is a conversation. Pre-approved means the lender pulled credit, documented income and assets, and will put a number in writing. Colorado sellers and their agents read the difference, and in a multiple-offer situation it decides who wins. Mike Oswald at Rate does this for Kenna buyers, usually within a day of a complete file, and you may use any lender you like.
The purchase price is not the number that matters; the monthly payment is. Principal and interest, property tax (which varies a lot by county and metro district in Colorado), homeowner's insurance (hail country: get real quotes), HOA dues, and mortgage insurance if you put less than 20 percent down. A $300 HOA fee is roughly $50,000 of purchase price at today's rates. We build that number with you before the search starts, so the search starts in the right price band.
Every home on kennarealestate.com comes straight from the MLS and updates through the day. Save a search on the map with your filters and new listings text you the day they hit. Watch days on market and price cuts: in most Front Range cities a well-priced home goes under contract in the first two weekends; one that sits past 30 days is usually a price problem, and that is your opening.
Before you write, we run the Buyers Advantage Report on the exact home: three to six true comparables, concessions netted out, days on market and price history, and a written offer range. It is free on any listing from any brokerage. You see the number, then you decide.
The Colorado contract is deadline-driven. Price and earnest money matter, but so do the dates: inspection objection, inspection resolution, appraisal, loan objection, title, HOA documents, and closing. A clean, realistic timeline often beats a slightly higher price. Concessions (seller-paid closing costs) are common and can be worth more to you than a price cut.
Inspection first, usually within 7 to 10 days: you can ask for repairs, credits or a price change, and you can walk away with your earnest money by the objection deadline. Then the appraisal: if it comes in low, you renegotiate, cover the gap, or exit by the appraisal deadline. Then the loan is finalized, title is reviewed, and the HOA documents are your chance to read the covenants, dues and reserves. Closing in Colorado is typically at a title company, with keys the same day.
Plan on 2 to 3 percent of the price for closing costs (lender fees, title, prepaid taxes and insurance, escrow setup) on top of the down payment, less any seller concessions and program help. Your lender's loan estimate is the honest number; we go through it line by line.
Print it or text us for the PDF. In order.
Zero with VA or USDA, 3.5 percent with FHA, 3 to 5 percent with some conventional programs, and CHFA or metroDPA can cover part of it. Closing costs are on top; seller concessions and program help can offset them.
Two weeks to two months to find it, then 30 to 45 days from contract to closing for a financed purchase. Cash can close in two weeks.
Buyer representation is a written agreement in Colorado; the fee is negotiable and is often paid from the seller's proceeds as a concession. We explain it in plain English before you sign anything.
A deposit, usually 1 percent of the price, held by the title company. It is protected by the contract's deadlines and applied to your costs at closing.
Yes, with a contingency, a bridge loan, or by qualifying for both payments. We map the options against your numbers.
Nobody times the market; you time your life. The honest answer depends on your payment, your timeline and the specific homes available, and we tell you if the answer is wait.
Free, private, no pressure
Free pre-approval conversation, free Buyers Advantage Report on any home. Call or text and a live person answers.
Twelve pages, the same steps as this page with the worked numbers, the deadline map and the checklist. Fill out the form and it is in your inbox in a minute, with a Kenna agent one text away. Open the guide now.
Kenna Real Estate Group at Keller Williams Realty DTC, LLC · 6300 S Syracuse Way, Suite 150, Centennial, CO 80111 · REALTORS® and licensed real estate professionals, not lenders, attorneys or CPAs; program terms change, your lender's written figures control. Equal Housing Opportunity.